Sweet & Savory Filled Cupcakes

Chef John Michael Lerma is no stranger to our show or the State Fair.  He’s here with a couple of his recipes for cupcakes – one savory and one sweet!

SLOPPY JOE FILLED CORNMEAL CUPCAKES

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup corn meal
¼ cup white granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt (optional)
1 cup whole milk (skim works too!)
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 large egg whites or 1 egg, beaten
Savory filling (see recipe below)
Cheddar cheese, grated for topping

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.  In a medium mixing bowl combine all dry ingredients.  Stir in milk, oil and egg, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. 
2. Pour or ladle batter into 12 paper-lined medium cupcake or muffin cups.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on rack before filling. 

Sloppy Joe Filling:

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) cans chicken gumbo soup
1 cup tomato ketchup, to taste

1. Lightly brown ground beef heavy bottom skillet on medium-high.  Add chopped onion and cook until translucent.  Drain off any excess fat. 
2. Chicken gumbo soup and ketchup.  Stir to combine and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
3. Cool mixture. 

Assembly: 

1. Using a Corer (available at Chefs’ Abode) remove center of cooled cupcake.  Save top of cored cake; set aside. 
2. Fill pastry bag half-way with warm Sloppy Joe mixture (you can use a spoon too).  Carefully pipe mixture into cored out center.  Replace cored cupcake top. 
3. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.  Place under broiler until cheese melts or use kitchen torch and carefully melt cheese.  Makes 12 large savory cupcakes. 

COCONUT CREAM DREAM FILLED CUPCAKES

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups white granulated sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste (available at Chefs’ Abode)
6 large egg whites
¾ cup whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.  Position a rack in the middle of the oven. 
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, mixing well. 
3. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until very soft and light.  Beat in the vanilla. 
4. Whisk together the egg whites and milk by hand in a medium mixing bowl until just combined. 
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in one-quarter of the flour mixture, then one-third of the milk mixture, stopping and scraping down the bowl and beater after each addition.  Beat in another quarter of the flour, then another third of the milk mixture.  Scrape again.  Repeat with another quarter of the flour and the remaining milk mixture; scrape.  Finally, beat in the remaining flour mixture. 
6. Scrape the bowl well with a large rubber spatula.  Pour or ladle the batter into cupcake liners set in a muffin pan or baking dish. 
7. Bake the cake for about 18 to 21 minutes, until they are well risen and firm and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.  Cool on rack before filling.  Makes 12 to 24 cupcakes depending on size of liners used.    

Filling:

2 cups shredded coconut, divided
8 egg yolks
1¼ cups white granulate sugar
2/3 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 ½ cups white milk
1 cup coconut cream
2 teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste (available at Chefs’ Abode)
2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

1. Lightly toast 1 cup of shredded coconut in oven, about 7 minutes.  Remove and cool.  Set aside. 
2. Combine egg yolks and sugar.  Beat with electric mixer until pale yellow and fluffy.  Add cornstarch and melted butter.  Blend well and set aside. 
3. Heat milk but do not boil.  Stir in coconut cream.  Gradually add egg and cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly over medium-low heat until filling begins to thicken.  Add 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste. 
4. Remove filling from heat and let cool. 
5. In a mixing bowl, whisk or beat 1 cup of heavy cream on high until it begins to thicken and forms stiff peaks.  Set aside. 
6. Strain cooled filling through fine mesh sieve to remove lumps (if needed).  Fold in whipped cream and 1 cup of shredded coconut with filling.  Store covered until needed. 
7. Whisk or beat remaining heavy cream on high until it begins to thicken.  Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and remaining teaspoon of vanilla bean paste.  Continue until stiff peaks form.  Fold in toasted coconut and pipe with pastry bag or spread with off-set spatula over top of cupcakes.

COTTON CANDY FILLED CUPCAKES

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups white granulated sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste (available at Chefs? Abode)
6 large egg whites
¾ cup whole milk
¼ cup multi-color candy sprinkles (optional)


1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Position a rack in the middle of the
oven.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, mixing well.

3. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl a mixer fitted with a paddle
attachment and beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until very soft
and light. Beat in the vanilla.

4. Whisk together the egg whites and milk by hand in a medium mixing
bowl until just combined.

5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in one-quarter of the flour
mixture, then one-third of the milk mixture, stopping and scraping down the
bowl and beater after each addition. Beat in another quarter of the flour,
then another third of the milk mixture. Scrape again. Repeat with another
quarter of the flour and the remaining milk mixture; scrape. Finally, beat
in the remaining flour mixture. Fold in candy sprinkles.

6. Scrape the bowl well with a large rubber spatula. Pour or ladle the
batter into cupcake liners set in a muffin pan or baking dish.

7. Bake the cake for about 18 to 21 minutes, until they are well risen
and firm and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean. Cool on rack
before filling. Makes 12 to 24 cupcakes depending on size of liners used.


Filling and Frosting:

4 cups (2 pounds) confectioners sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, sliced at room temperature
¼ cup cotton candy syrup (Jelly Belly Cotton Candy Syrup available at FleetFarm)
Cupcake corer (available at Chefs Abode)
Cotton Candy, any color for decoration (optional)

1. Place confectioners sugar in a large mixing bowl; add butter.

2. With a hand mixer or standing mixer on low, blend sugar and butter
until sugar disappears. Turn mixer speed up to medium-high to high to blend
well.

3. Stop mixer and add syrup. Turn mixer on low speed until syrupblends in and then turn to high to mixture until smooth.

4. At this point I separate the filling/frosting into two mixing bowls.
One I use for filling and thin just a bit more with syrup. The other bowl
is for frosting. You may also add food coloring at this point but the syrup
turns the filling/frosting a nice shade of pink.

5. Using either the regular or large size cupcake corer element twist,
plug, and remove the core of the cooled cupcake. Remove cored cake and
retain the top crust. Using a spoon or pastry brush carefully fill the
core. Replace the top crust and tap back into place. Using an off-set
spatula frost cupcake and top with a tuff of cotton candy. Core, fill, and
frost remaining cupcakes. Store in a covered baking dish or cake plate.