Equipment
- 1-2 Muffin Pan
- 1 medium pot
Ingredients
Frosted Cranberries and Rosemary
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 240 mL water
- handful of cranberries and rosemary, you can do as many as you'd like
- 200 grams granulated sugar
Cupcakes
- 180 grams cake flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 1 medium orange, zest
- 60 mL canola oil
- 56 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature (or 2 large egg whites if you want whiter cupcakes)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 113 grams sour cream
- 80 mL whole milk, room temperature
- 56 grams fresh cranberries *optional, very finely diced
Cranberry Meringue
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 180 mL 100% cranberry juice (no added sugar)
- 10 grams honey, just a tiny drizzle
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/8 tsp gelatin
- 1/2 tsp cold water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- tiny pinch of fine sea salt
Method
Frosted Cranberries and Rosemary
- Place the water and sugar in a small pot over medium heat and bring to a slight boil, just until the sugar is all dissolved.200 grams granulated sugar, 240 mL water
- Dunk the rosemary and cranberries in the sugar water for just a few seconds - don’t leave them in there or they’ll get soggy.handful of cranberries and rosemary you can do as many as you'd like
- Remove the cranberries and rosemary and place them on a wire rack to strain off excess liquid.
- Roll them in granulated sugar just until they’re fully coated. If you don’t strain them for a few minutes before rolling in sugar, the liquid will make the sugar clumpy and it won’t stick to the cranberries and rosemary well. Let them dry for a couple of hours.200 grams granulated sugar
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350F/177C convection (325F/163C conventional) and line 13 muffin tins with cupcake liners (preferably a light colored pan).
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, zest the orange over the sugar and use your fingers to rub them together to release the orange flavor into the sugar.1 medium orange, zest, 200 grams granulated sugar
- Add the cake flour, baking powder, spices and salt and whisk together until they're evenly distributed (whisk well).180 grams cake flour spooned and leveled, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- Add the oil and butter to the dry ingredients and beat together until they're combined.60 mL canola oil, 56 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and paste and mix until they're fully combined.1 large egg room temperature (or 2 large egg whites if you want whiter cupcakes), 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- Add the sour cream and turn the mixer to low speed, while streaming the milk in. Scrape the edge of the bowl and mix just until the cupcake batter is smooth.113 grams sour cream, 80 mL whole milk room temperature
- If adding the chopped cranberries, fold them in just until they're evenly distributed.56 grams fresh cranberries *optional very finely diced
- Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3-3/4 full, about 50-55 grams of batter per cupcake.* You will have enough batter for about half a cupcake leftover. DO NOT BE TEMPTED to distribute that among the cupcakes, they will sink if they’re overfilled. If you added the chopped cranberries, you will have enough batter to make a 14th cupcake.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes. They are done when you press on the center of the cupcake and it springs back or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove them from the oven and let them cool in the cupcake pan for 10 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
Meringue
- Place the sugar, cranberry juice and honey in a small pot on the stove, over medium-low heat. Allow the mixture to reach 245F (118C). This will take a little while as some of the water from the cranberry juice needs to evaporate in order for the temperature to increase that high.100 grams granulated sugar, 180 mL 100% cranberry juice (no added sugar), 10 grams honey just a tiny drizzle
- Meanwhile, clean your mixing bowl, whisk attachment and all other tools well and wipe them down with a little vinegar to make sure there’s no grease residue.
- Once the sugar reaches around 230ishF (110ishC), begin whipping your egg whites in the mixer at medium-high speed. They should get foamy and once the cranberry sugar syrup reaches 245F (118C), turn the mixer down to medium and stream in the sugar along the edge of the mixing bowl. Try to avoid touching the whisk attachment with the stream of sugar as it will splatter the sugar everywhere, just stream it along the edge of the bowl into the egg whites slowly.2 large egg whites room temperature
- Once it's all added in, turn the mixer up to full speed and beat for 3-5 minutes, until it’s thick and fluffy.
- In a small bowl, bloom the gelatin by mixing it with the cold water. Then microwave it for 5 seconds to melt it. Let it cool for a few seconds and then mix into the meringue with the vanilla and salt, at medium speed for just a few seconds, until it’s combined.1/8 tsp gelatin, 1 tsp vanilla extract, tiny pinch of fine sea salt, 1/2 tsp cold water
- Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and decorate with sugared cranberries and rosemary (or orange peel).
Notes
- *I weigh 55g of batter for each cupcake. If it's less, they'll be short and if it's too much, they may sink.
- I recommend a light colored metal cupcake pan if you want the the cupcakes more uniform in color.
- Store in an airtight container, at room temperature for 1-2 days or refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a few weeks.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 283kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 3gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 115mgPotassium: 62mgFiber: 1gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 202IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 0.3mg