Candied Holly Cupcakes Recipes

CANDIED YAM CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Place a steamer insert into a large 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 yams, recover, and steam until very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove yams from steamer and allow to cool slightly.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2-12 cup cupcake tins with paper liners.
• Place eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla extract, and cooked yams in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into yam mixture, mixing just until combined. Pour batter into paper liners, filling 2/3 full.
• Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
• Beat together cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract and confectioners sugar; mix until smooth. Frost cool cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

CANDIED-HAZELNUT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. In a food processor, pulse together almonds and hazelnuts until finely ground (do not overprocess, or the nuts will turn into a paste). Into a mixing bowl, sift together both flours, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the ground nuts.
• With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beatingwell after each.
• In another mixing bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. In two additions, gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
• Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 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 2 months, in airtight containers.
• Using an offset spatula, spread frosting over each cupcake. Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature and top with caramel-dipped hazelnuts just before serving.

HOLLY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with silicone baking mats and have rolling pin at hand.
• Add egg whites to medium bowl and whisk in sugar until frothy, about 1 minute.
• Sift in flour, then add vanilla and stir with fork. Add butter and food coloring to combine. Cover and refrigerate 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make stencils: Trace holly leaf cookie cutter (for leaves) onto heavy piece of paper and carefully cut out shape, keeping stencil intact.
• Working with 1 at a time, lay stencils on baking mat and spoon Tbsp of mixture into center. Spread very thinly using offset spatula, then carefully remove stencil. Repeat 5 more times per cookie sheet.
• Bake until just starting to turn golden at edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Immediately remove from oven. Carefully drape cookies over rolling pin and allow to cool before transferring to wire rack. Repeat with remaining cookie batter.
• Line small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly brush cranberries with corn syrup and roll in granulated sugar. Transfer to prepared sheet until dry, at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours
• Heat oven to 350ºF. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners.
• Using electric mixer, mix together sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add butter and beat on low speed 1 minute until combined and fully incorporated.
• Add eggs and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in milk and vanilla (batter may look curdled). Add flour and mix until just combined.
• Spoon scant 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup, filling about 2/3 full. Bake until wooden pick inserted in centers of comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
• To decorate: Transfer buttercream to piping bag fitted with star tip; pipe buttercream in spiral to cover tops of cupcakes. Add candied cranberries to centers as berries, then place tuiles to resemble leaves.