Malibu Mojito Cupcakes

Ah, the mojito. Its refreshing combination of lime and mint beckons me back to South Florida, transporting me to sunny Miami beaches and laid-back Key West bars.

Mojitos are usually made with plain white rum, but (as you can read in this post from 2012) that is not typically available in Casa de Crumm. Coconut rum is my poison of choice for daiquiris, pina coladas, and, yes, our friend the mojito.

So that is what you'll find in this cocktail-inspired cupcake. A subtle kiss of coconut complements the flavors of mint and lime ever so nicely, making this one bar-born confection I simply can't stop craving.

Fresh mint leaves are processed with sugar to permeate the cake batter, and more fresh mint is steeped in heavy cream to enliven a whipped white-chocolate ganache icing. A delightfully tart homemade lime curd fills the center of the cakes for a high-impact flavor combination that sends me straight to the Keys.

As you can see from the photos, I have a tendency to overfill the muffin cups. This recipe will produce enough batter for about 18 standard-sized cupcakes, or 12 that look like these. Personally, I don't mind a little crunch around the edges, but if you're feeling like a cupcake perfectionist, don't overfill the muffin cups!

Also, if you are used to making cakes by the creaming method, this recipe is going to sound totally wack. But trust me. Mixing the oil into the dry ingredients first helps coat the flour with fat to keep gluten formation to a minimum, producing that elusive, tender-crumb texture that's not too dense and not too light.

Malibu Mojito Cupcakes

~for the cake~
11 oz granulated sugar
1/3 cup (loosely packed) fresh mint leaves
8 oz all-purpose flour
2 oz cornstarch
1 T baking powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt (Morton or another coarse variety)
2 fl.oz vegetable oil
2 oz unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
6 fl.oz whole milk
2 fl.oz Malibu coconut rum
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs

~for the icing~
5 fl.oz, plus 4 T heavy whipping cream, divided
1/3 cup (loosely packed) fresh mint leaves
10 oz chopped white chocolate
1 T Malibu coconut rum

~for the filling~
1 cup homemade lime curd

Make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place muffin liners in each cup of a standard 12-cup muffin pan (and line an extra pan with 6-or-so liners if you don't want to overfill your muffin cups).

If you need to rinse your mint leaves, pat them very dry between two kitchen towels. Excess water will not be your friend.

Process the mint and sugar in a food processor for about two minutes or until completely integrated.

In a large mixing bowl (the one that comes with your electric stand mixer if that's what you'll be using) thoroughly whisk together (by hand) the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the mint-sugar, and then switch to an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, beat in the oil until the mixture looks quite sandy. Add the softened butter a tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat on low while you prepare the wet ingredients.

In a clean bowl (preferably one with a spout), thoroughly whisk together the milk, rum, vanilla, and eggs. Increase the mixer speed slightly, and slowly stream the wet mixture into the flour mixture, beating just till well-incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to give the mixture one final stir by hand before distributing batter among the prepared muffin liners.

Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then completely on a cooling rack before filling and frosting.

Make the Icing:
Place the white chocolate in the bowl of an electric mixer and set aside.

Place 5 fl.oz of cream, along with the mint leaves, in a small saucepan over low heat.

Stir frequently, crushing the leaves to release their oils, for about 20 minutes or until the leaves look very dark and the cream looks pale green.

Strain the cream into the bowl with the white chocolate and discard the mint leaves. Mix on low speed using the paddle attachment until the white chocolate is totally melted and the mixture has cooled considerably. Increase the speed to medium and add 1 tablespoon of the remaining cream at a time, beating well between each addition. Increase speed to med-high and beat until fluffy and voluminous. With the mixer on, very gradually stream in the coconut rum.

Fill and frost the cakes:
Make a little well in the center of each cupcake for the filling. I used a cannoli mold--my daughter got a kick out of blowing the cake "cork" out of the mold and into her waiting hands--but a pairing knife would work just fine.

Place the lime curd in a piping bag fitted with a medium-sized tip, or zip-top bag with about 1/4-inch snipped off one of the bottom corners, and pipe the curd into each cupcake.

Transfer the whipped white-chocolate ganache to a pastry bag and pipe onto the tops of the cupcakes.

Serve immediately or store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Allow the cupcakes to warm completely to room temperature (at least 1 hour) before serving.

Thanks for reading. Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life!

Banana Rum Cobbler

When I think about my perfect dessert, this hits so many of my ideals, it's almost unfair to compare it to anything else.

Then again, I am a huge sucker for bananas, a wild mix of textures, and rummy, caramel goo.

I've written before about my kind of cobbler (cherry, peach), which is basically a buckle. A buckle is so-called because it is essentially a cake that it is buckled with little gorges of bubbly, fruity goodness.

It is a somewhat similar look to the "cobbled" appearance of fruit bubbling up amidst a topping of rounded biscuits--or what I like to call the other type of cobbler.

Whatever you call it, this version takes an old standby out of its Southern-comfort zone and into the tropics with the addition of bananas and rum. Oh my!

Fair warning: Hoosband says this cobbler cannot be served without the requisite vanilla ice cream--something about cloying sweetness, blah, blah, blah. I, however, almost feel like the ice cream just gets in the way. Also, I may have literally licked the bowl. But that's just me.

Banana Rum Cobbler

6 T salted butter
1 1/3 cups brown sugar, divided
1/4 cup spiced rum (I use Sailor Jerry's)
2 semi-ripe bananas, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt (coarse texture, like Morton)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk

Place the butter in a 9-inch glass pie dish or pan of comparable volume and let melt in the oven while it preheats to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Meanwhile, add 2/3 cup brown sugar and rum to a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring with a heatproof spatula just to dissolve the sugar. Add the sliced bananas, bring to a gentle boil, and cook one minute, using the spatula to stir occasionally, just so the bananas get evenly coated. Set aside.

Remove the pie dish from the oven and gently tilt the dish and swirl the butter so it completely coats the bottom. Set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to make a well in the center of the dry mixture, pour the milk into the well, and stir just until there are no visible dry patches. Mixture may be lumpy.

Scrape the batter into the dish, right over the melted butter, and do not stir.

Pour the banana mixture evenly over the top of the batter, and do not stir.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes or till golden, bubbly, and just set, rotating the dish halfway through. The cobbler should be cake-y on top, crunchy around the edges, and pocketed with tender bananas and gooey caramel-rum sauce.

Serve warm or room temperature with vanilla ice cream. Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days and microwaved for 20-30 seconds to reheat.

Thanks for reading. Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life!

Strawberry-Colada Pavlovas

The Setting: A quiet and peaceful evening at the Crumm house--the little one has been sleeping for almost two hours!

The Soundtrack: Duck Dynasty. Gotta love it.

On the Stovetop: Nothing now, but Hoosband made some killer chicken quesadillas for dinner.

The Scenario: A dessert inspired by a drink....

Last summer Hoosband and I had a revelation in frozen-drink making: the Strawberry Colada.

Though I've never seen it on a drink menu, I'm quite sure we're not the first to think of it.

While I have no idea what may have qualified as a Strawberry Colada to the barkeeps who blended before us, ours is a simple and relatively healthy concoction of frozen strawberries, coconut milk (the kind that comes in a milk carton) and coconut rum. Three ingredients to pure, island-fantasizing, hammock-by-the-ocean bliss.

Last week, back on the mainland, I had a couple of egg whites hanging around after a pudding-making endeavor, so I froze them to save for another one of Hoosband's favorite indulgences: meringue and berry pavlovas.

I generally keep the pavlovas pretty simple: whipped cream and fresh raspberries in a crunchy-on-the-outside, marshmallowy-on-the-inside meringue shell (as in Raspberry Pavlovas, Jan 2012).

This time I wanted to mix things up a bit.

Since the market had gorgeous, organic strawberries on sale (and because I've been dreaming of the beach), I decided to take some inspiration from our favorite frozen beverage.

The result?

Meringue shells speckled with toasted coconut, loaded with whipped coconut cream and topped with coconut-rum-spiked strawberries.

It's not quite like being on the beach--more like blissfully looking down on the islands from a white, puffy cloud.

It's easy to put your own spin on this dreamy dessert. Here are a few simple variations:

To make it a bit more beachy, add the zest of one lime to the strawberry mixture--I did this before eating my third pavlova, and I think I like it even better this way.

For more of a literal interpretation of the strawberry colada, puree the marinated strawberry mixture into a smooth sauce in the blender.

If you're a "love the taste, not the texture"-fan of coconut, as I used to be, feel free to omit the grated coconut in the meringues.

If you're not a fan of coconut rum or don't have any on hand, try Grand Marnier (orange-flavored brandy liqueur) instead--it's usually my go-to with sliced strawberries, and it's never served me wrong--or omit the booze altogether, no substitutions necessary.

Strawberry-Colada Pavlovas

~for the strawberries~
1 quart fresh strawberries, rinsed and patted dry
2 T granulated sugar
2 T coconut rum (such as Malibu)

Use a paring knife to hull the berries (remove the leafy, green stem-area) and slice them thinly.

It doesn't really matter which way you slice them, but I prefer to do it along their length.

Place the strawberries in a refrigerator-safe container that can be sealed and add the sugar and rum, stirring to coat evenly.

Store the strawberry mixture in the fridge until for at least 8 hours or until ready to use (up to three days). The berries will become softer and syrupy.

~for the meringue shells~
1/4 cup unsweetened, grated coconut
2 egg whites, room temperature (if you start with frozen egg whites, thaw them overnight in the fridge)
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut rum, optional
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Place the coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast, stirring frequently, until light golden.

Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (if your oven tends to run hot, decrease the temp slightly). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat--if desired, you can trace six three-inch circles on parchment paper and flip it over so that you have guides for piping your shells. I prefer to go freehand.

Place the eggs whites, cream of tartar, vanilla, and rum in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until the whites are foamy and can hold a soft peak when you lift up the paddle.

With the mixer on med-low speed, slowly add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating just until the mixture is bright white, glossy, and can hold a stiff peak when you lift up the paddle.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the toasted coconut.

Transfer the mixture to a piping bag (working in batches if necessary) and pipe six, three-inch meringue shells onto the prepared pan: Put the tip of your piping bag down where you want the center of the circle to be, and pipe out a tight coil of meringue until it is the desired width. Then lift the tip to make a ring around the edge of the coil, creating a well. Repeat to create six shells.

Bake the meringues at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 23 minutes or until cream-colored and crisp on the outside. The insides will have a very slight jiggle. Allow to cool five minutes on the baking sheet; then carefully slide the parchment or silicone mat onto a cooling rack and allow the shells to cool completely.

~for the whipped coconut cream~
1 can full-fat coconut milk, room temperature
2 T powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut rum

Open the can of coconut milk and use a fork to scoop the fatty top layer of cream into a powerful blender, making sure to keep the thinner, watery liquid in the can (the fork helps any liquid to drain off).

Don't worry if there are a few clumps of cream left in the can.

If desired, transfer the watery liquid to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for smoothie-making or another upcoming purpose. Clumps of cream left in the the can will actually make smoothies even better!

Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend on high for about 30 seconds or until the mixture looks like slightly frothy milk. Transfer to a small container and chill for about an hour. It will have thickened slightly. Transfer the cream to a large, metal bowl, and use a wire whisk to whip the mixture by hand until it is able to hold soft peaks.

For a more detailed explanation of this process, see this post.

If not assembling the pavlovas right away, store the coconut cream in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use (up to 4 days). It will thicken slightly in the fridge but will still be easy to work with.

~to assemble~
Place a meringue shell on a dessert plate and spoon the coconut cream into the center "well" of the shell.

Top with the prepared strawberries and enjoy!

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.