Jasmine flavored cupcakes

It all started with the leftover whipping cream  from the last project. I would love to use up all the whipping cream but I have yet to find a cake that is made up entirely of just this. Even if I were to do so, I will fast forward my coronary issues by a good 20 years.

And Presto ! My solution came in the vague form of a  recipe in 'Wild about Cupcakes' by Rachel Lane. Although this recipe uses  single cream , I  replaced it with half whipping cream and half milk as well as replacing  rose water with jasmine tea . The sugar was reduced by almost half ( for health reasons, ahem ) but the impromptu compensation was 1 teaspoon of mango jam, which pairs well with jasmine tea.  The tweaks worked out perfectly.  The result were 24  mildly sweet mini cupcakes, rich even without the signature taste of butter.

The original recipe suggests buttercream frosting for creating  a rabbit face. I would have loved to make the rabbit face as in the recipe, but these little lovelies are meant as snacks  for my girl's recess tomorrow, so  there is the worry that the Rabbit's face may be re-arranged by the time she eats it. Thus, I do away with the ornaments and  I settle for a simple icing instead.

Verdict : this recipe is like baroque music : rich, fundamental yet capable of being diverse.  The cake texture is  fine, yet dense. In musical terms, it is almost contrapuntal.  The dual tone of egg and cream is  cause for a sapid overdrive.

I only regret : I should have used bigger cups for these. Like hubby always says : you never go wrong with cream !

This post is created for  a particular little girl , a foodie-violist,  whose appetite for life and music comes in equal measures.

Makes 12 medium or 24 small cupcakes.

225 g plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon pink salt

120g fine sugar

2 eggs,  room temperature, lightly beaten

2 Tablespoons jasmine steeped tea

1 teaspoon mango jam

125 ml whipping  cream

125 ml low fat milk

( or use 250 ml single cream instead of milk and cream  )

Pink icing :

50g icing sugar

1 teaspoon water

1 drop red food color

Prepare 12 medium sized cupcakes or 24 small cupcakes on  a tray. Preheat oven to 180 C.

Combine milk and whip cream in a jug. Stir.

Sift baking powder, flour and salt. Set aside.

Beat eggs, tea, jam and sugar until very pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Beat in 1/3 dry ingredients and 1/3 milk cream. Whisk well.

Repeat this step until all the flour and cream are incorporated in the batter.

Transfer batter into a jug, for ease of pouring batter. Pour batter into prepared cups, only up to 3/4 full.

If you are baking in 2  batches like me, consider the temperature of the batter just before baking.  My  first was baked at 180 C for 19 minutes, the second batch for 20 minutes at the same temperature. This is because the batter was chilled while waiting for the first batch to cook. Baking powder is sensitive to heat, so it is preferable not to leave it near a warm place to compromise its leavening action.

Bake at 19 minutes at 180C. Cake is ready w hen skewer pierced into the center most cup comes out clean.

Transfer cups to a cooking tray. Cool completely.

To serve :

Mix sugar, food color and water in a bowl. Use a mini spatula and paint the icing over the cupcake.