Basil Cream Frosting Cupcakes

Since I mastered the art of making basic bread, I have been on a roll. The idea is to stop buying bread from the market.

And then, since then, I have been thinking of making cupcakes. I woke up today with cup cakes on my mind. And then I saw a FB post by an Aunt – she had made chocolate cup cakes. And then I was searching the net for something and came across this recipe for cupcakes by Marta Greber.

It was a sign.

The miserable part was not finding any cup cake moulds in the market!! I bought paper cups and lined them with butter paper.

So here goes:

You will need for cupcakes (for 24)

• 1/2 cup & 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup & 1 tbsp hot water
• 2 & 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 250 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 & 2/3 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sour cream

For basil buttercream frosting:

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, pack as many as you can
• 1 & 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 170 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

It takes awhile to make frosting, so prepare a part of it first, the best would be to make it the night before. In a saucepan combine milk, heavy cream and basil. When it starts to boil, remove from the heat.

Put it on a side so it cools, and then place in a fridge for at least 2 hours (overnight will be perfect).

Let’s start with cupcakes. Preheat your oven to 175*C and place papers in cupcake moulds.

In a medium pot combine the butter and sugar and cook over a medium heat until the butter melts. When ready, transfer it to a bowl and using mixer, mix it for about 5 minutes. Mix in eggs, one by one. In a small bowl combine together cocoa and hot water and add it to the butter mix. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and combine all the ingredients until smooth. In the end slowly add the sour cream.

Divide the batter between moulds and bake for  about 20 minutes.

After this time check cupcakes with a toothpick.

Leave it to cool down.

And now frosting. Take milk and basil mix from a fridge and remove the basil leaves. Using your hands squeeze out juice from basil. Pour the mix into a pot, add flour and sugar, mix it and cook over a medium heat until it starts to boil and gets thicker (around 10 minutes). Transfer it to a bowl and with a mixer mix (on high) for 7-9 minutes, until it cools. Reduce mixer to low and start to add butter, piece after piece. When the frosting is smooth, increase the speed and mix for another 2 minutes. Add vanilla and mix 2 more minutes. The frosting should be fluffy and delicate. If it’s not, place it in a fridge for 10-20 minutes and then mix some more.

Now everything is ready and you can cover your cupcakes with frosting.

It’s as is from Marta’s website.

I had a limit of 12 cups that I could put in the stand. So the remaining batter was made into a cake.

Making cupcakes in paper cups implies keeping them for 35 minutes!

Zoya tried very had to touch them at the least!!

Making cupcakes perfectly is a simple joy on a Sunday afternoon.