Salty Sweets (9 page)

If cupcakes are cute, mini cupcakes are over-the-top adorable. Even better if they taste insanely good and stay moist and delicious. With smaller cupcakes, there's an increased risk of dryness, but not with these sweet little things. The coconut milk and lower oven temperature keep the texture perfect, and the almond flavoring complements the coconut phenomenally well.

 

MAKES
36
TO
40
MINI CUPCAKES

 

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line mini muffin tins with mini paper liners.
   
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt together in a medium-size bowl.
   
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat on low speed to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix until well combined.
   
4. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the coconut milk in 3 increments, starting and ending with the dry ingredients and beating after each addition, until just combined. Stir in the coconut by hand.
   
5. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling to just below the top of the liner. Sprinkle the batter with a very light dusting of grinder sea salt. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the tops of the cupcakes are light golden and a tester comes out clean.
   
6. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost with Coconut Buttercream Frosting and sprinkle with a pinch of shredded coconut. The cupcakes will keep, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days.
   

MAKES ABOUT
1¾
CUPS (ENOUGH TO FROST
36
TO
40
MINI CUPCAKES
)

 

1. Beat the butter with a hand mixer or electric mixer on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy.
   
2. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt, and mix on low speed until the sugar is just incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth, about 1 minute.
   
3.  Add the coconut milk and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, adding a little more coconut milk as needed if the frosting seems too dry. The frosting will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
   

It's hard to go wrong with the peanut butter and chocolate combination. I know. I've tried just about all of them. One night, in desperation, I even stirred up a glob of creamy peanut butter with a little cocoa powder and ate it with a spoon. It did the trick! But I'll definitely take these cupcakes, with a peanut buttery cake and creamy chocolate frosting, over that concoction anytime.

 

MAKES ABOUT
12
CUPCAKES

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
   
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium-size bowl.
   
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium speed until light-colored and creamy, about 1 minute.
   
4. Beat in the egg for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix in the vanilla and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
   
5. Add the flour mixture in 3 increments, alternating with the milk (which you'll add in 2 increments), beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating after each addition. Mix until just combined.
   
6. Fill each cupcake liner three-quarters full with batter. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the tops of the cupcakes are golden and firm and a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. When cool, frost each cupcake with chocolate frosting. Sprinkle lightly with either
   fleur de sel
   or chopped salted peanuts, if desired. The frosted cupcakes will keep, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days.
   

MAKES ABOUT
1
CUP (ENOUGH TO FROST ABOUT
12
REGULAR-SIZE CUPCAKES
)

 

1. Put the chocolate in a medium-size heatproof bowl and set aside.
   
2. Combine the cream, butter, corn syrup, and salt in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until very hot but not boiling, about 4 minutes.
   
3. Quickly pour the hot cream mixture over the chopped chocolate. Let stand for 5 to 7 minutes to melt the chocolate, then whisk until smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. The frosting will keep for up to 3 days, refrigerated, in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature before using.
   

My friend Meg's birthday is in June, and I always try to celebrate it with her. It's one of my favorite beginning-of-summer rituals. Once I rented a little cottage near the beach in Rhode Island for part of the summer, so we had Meg's birthday there that year. A small group of us toasted the evening with Champagne and then enjoyed an incredible almond torte from my favorite Rhode Island bakery, Provender Fine Foods. I'm a little fuzzy on the details from later in the night (I know there was more Champagne), but everyone had a very good time. I now think very fondly of almond torte, which is an elegant cake for any occasion, especially a spring or summer birthday when the guest of honor doesn't want heaps of buttercream. This one has delicious citrus flavor, just enough saltiness, and an almondy, orangey glaze that brings the whole thing together.

 

MAKES ONE
9-
INCH TORTE

 

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Generously butter a 9-inch round springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, and butter and flour the parchment.
   
2. In a food processor or coffee grinder, grind the almonds to a fine powder. Set aside.
   
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until well combined.
   
4. Beat in the whole egg, then beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl after adding each yolk. Add the orange juice and almond extract. Then, on low speed, mix in the ground almonds, flour, orange zest, and salt.
   
5. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
   
6. Pour the batter into the springform pan and bake for about 25 minutes, until the top of the cake is light golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool for at least 30 minutes in the pan on a wire rack.
   
7. Pour the glaze over the torte, cut into wedges, and serve. The glazed torte will keep, covered, for up to 2 days at room temperature, or for up to 1 month in the freezer, wrapped tightly in 2 layers of plastic wrap.
   

MAKES ABOUT
½
CUP

 

Combine the confectioners' sugar, orange juice, almond extract, and salt in a small bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined.

Carrot cake hasn't always been a favorite of mine—I've been disappointed at weddings and birthday parties when a cake I thought was going to be chocolate turned out to be carrot. But carrot cake is the favorite of my husband, Will. So for a recent birthday I decided to come up with a kickass carrot cake in the salty-sweet vein. After many attempts (and a true immersion into the world of carrot cake so I could understand what makes it tick), I came up with this recipe. And oh, does it kick ass: rich, a little spicy, super-moist, and delicious. The cream cheese frosting used here, flavored with real maple syrup (don't use the fake stuff!), isn't as cloyingly sweet as many cream cheese frostings. Finally, I understand the love affair so many people have with carrot cake. Will gives it a big thumbs-up, too.

 

SERVES
10