Negroni Cupcakes Recipes

NEGRONI CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with foil or paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom and both peppers in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar and grapefruit zest with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium low and beat in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions, until just combined.
• In a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on high speed until they hold stiff peaks but are not dry and clumpy, about 4 minutes. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter until no white streaks remain. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 22 to 24 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting: Beat the butter and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until combined, then increase the speed to medium high and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the Campari (or grapefruit juice), then tint with red and orange food coloring until Campari-colored. Spread the frosting on the cupcakes with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar and garnish each with an orange slice.

GHOSTLY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low; beat in half of the flour mixture, then all of the milk, then the remaining flour mixture until just combined.
• Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes to the rack to cool completely. Using a serrated knife, trim off the tops of the cupcakes so that they are flat.
• Place the dark chocolate and white chocolate chips in two separate bowls. Add 4 teaspoons coconut oil to the dark chocolate and the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut oil to the white chocolate. Melt each bowl of chocolate in the microwave at medium power, stirring every 30 seconds, until just liquid and smooth.
• Working with one cupcake a time, spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of the dark chocolate on top, spreading it evenly over the top with the back of the spoon. While the dark chocolate is still liquid, spoon 1 teaspoon of the white chocolate in the center of the cupcake. Drag a toothpick or skewer through the center of the white chocolate outward to form a "tail." Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
• Rewarm the dark chocolate until liquid again, if necessary. Scrape the chocolate into a resealable plastic bag, snip off one corner and pipe small dots of dark chocolate on the white chocolate ghosts to form 2 eyes. Pipe a third dot twice as big to form a mouth. Let the chocolate set for 10 minutes before serving.