Sweet Potato Cupcakes Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting Candied Pecans Recipes

SWEET POTATO-PECAN CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Place pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan.
• Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted, stirring once after 4 minutes.
• Beat sugar and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
• Whisk together mashed sweet potatoes, orange juice, and vanilla extract. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with sweet potato mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Fold in toasted pecans. Place foil baking cups in muffin pans, and coat with vegetable cooking spray; spoon batter into cups, filling two-thirds full.
• Bake at 350° for 28 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove immediately from pans, and cool 50 minutes to 1 hour or until completely cool. Spread cupcakes evenly with Cream Cheese Frosting. Garnish, if desired.
• Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe ~.
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Makes 3 cups.

CANDIED SWEET POTATO CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 400°F. Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork and place on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until completely soft and juices begin to seep from the potatoes and caramelize, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Reduce oven to 325°F.
• When cool enough to handle, slice potatoes in half lengthwise and use a fork to scrape the flesh from the skin into a bowl, discarding skins. Mash potato with fork until smooth. (You should have about 2 cups.)
• Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in mashed sweet potatoes and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture in three batches, beating until completely incorporated after each.
• Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until cupcakes are set and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 3 months, in airtight containers.
• Make topping: Dividing evenly into 24 mounds, place marshmallows on a large baking sheet or nonstick baking mat. Using a small kitchen torch, brown marshmallows all over (or heat under the broiler). With an offset spatula, transfer mounds to cupcakes, and top with candied pecans, dividing evenly. Cupcakes are best served the day they are topped; keep at room temperature.

CANDY'D SWEET POTATO CUPCAKES WITH BROWN SUGAR ICING

Steps:

• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan, and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the sweet potato cubes, cover, and steam until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes depending on thickness. Remove the sweet potato from the steamer and allow to cool. Transfer the cooled sweet potato to a blender. Pour in the orange juice. Cover blender, and puree until smooth. If mixture is too thick, add more orange juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sweet potato is blended.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 48 muffin cups with paper muffin liners.
• Beat 1 cup butter, light brown sugar, and white sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract with the last egg, then stir in the sweet potato puree and orange zest.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Mix the flour mixture into the sweet potato mixture, 1 cup at a time, mixing until just blended. Batter will be thick. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
• To make frosting: Sift the confectioners' sugar into a large bowl; set aside. Heat the brown sugar, heavy cream, and 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil until the brown sugar mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, then stir in 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Whisk the brown sugar mixture into the confectioners' sugar until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Allow the sugar mixture to cool and thicken before icing the cooled cupcakes.

SWEET POTATO CUPCAKES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners, this recipe makes 18 but I made 12 regular sized cupcakes and mini cupcakes with the remaining batter.
• 2. Make the sweet potato puree by processing the sweet potatoes in a food processor. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg.
• 3. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and eggs. Add the dry ingredients. Whisk in the sweet potato puree. Fill each cupcake in the prepared pan three-quarters full of batter.
• 4. Bake until the tops spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool. Assembly: Frost the cupcakes with the Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting. Sprinkle with the Candied Pecans.
• 5. BROWN SUGAR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING: One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature 3 sticks butter, at room temperature (original recipe calls for 3 but I used 2) 1/2 cup light brown sugar 6 cups powdered sugar (sifted) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until creamy. Add the butter and beat until well incorporated. Add the light brown sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until well incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
• 6. CANDIED PECANS: Nonstick cooking spray, for greasing 1 egg white 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 cup sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 pound chopped pecans Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Beat the egg white in a bowl until frothy; whisk 4 teaspoons water and the vanilla extract into the egg. Stir the sugar, cinnamon and salt into the egg mixture. Add the chopped pecans, stir to coat completely. Spread the pecans onto the baking sheet. Bake the pecans, stirring about every 20 minutes, until the coating forms a glaze, about 1 hour. Allow to cool on the baking sheet. Pay attention while you're baking from personal experience they can go from done to burned, in an instant.
• 7. Tips: Feel free to use a regular cream cheese or vanilla frosting. For your topping add a sprinkle of nutmeg, or utilize crystalized/candied ginger. The pecans added a nice crunch, but you can modify as you like. Remember recipes are a guide; allow your imagination to flow! Original recipe courtesy of The Food Network.