Violet and grape cupcakes

A couple of weeks ago, a good friend gave us a big bunch of grapes from their vineyards in Milla de Tera, Zamora. They were really good, a variety called Muscat Blanc, characterized by the small size of the grapes and the tightness of the clusters. But after a few days they started to go bad, so I decided to bake and cook with them. The previous recipe and this one are the result. And there’s an extra: A grape marmalade.

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
• ¾ cup sugar
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter (85 g)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp violet essence. You can add up to 2 tsp, it depends on how intense you like the flavor of violets. I prefer it very subtle.
• ¾ cup milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180 º C) and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and violet essence to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Alternate adding the milk and dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Mix each addition until just combined. Fill the cupcake liners to ²/₃ of their capacity. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a cooling rack.

Grape marmalade

Ingredients

• 2 cups of grapes, preferably seedless, but if all you have is a bunch of grapes with seeds, then we will take care of those too
• 1 cup of sugar. You may want to adjust the amount of sugar in the filling depending on the sweetness of your grapes, but the general rule is that for each cup of grape pulp, you should add 1/2 cup sugar.
• Water
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• ½ Tbsp. corn starch mixed with 1 Tbsp. cold water. You can skip this step, but it helps to speed the process.

Directions

Remove the skin of grapes and cut into small pieces.

Cook the skin of grapes in a medium saucepan over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Add only the amount of water that is sufficient to prevent the skin of the grapes from sticking to the pot. Do not add more than half a cup. Remove from heat.

Cook the pulp or the rest of the grapes in a medium saucepan over medium heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Do not add water.

Pour the pulp in a strain to remove the seeds. You can cast the pulp directly on the pot containing the grape skins.

Add sugar to the pot and put it back on the fire. Cook the mixture stirring frequently for about 10 minutes, or until it begins to thicken. At this point you may add the corn starch and water mixture a little at a time while stirring. Once the mixture thickens, remove the filling from the heat and transfer to another bowl to cool. Now you could put it in jars to preserving it or use it right away.

Violet Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, cubed
• 2 ½ cups of powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. violet essence
• Violet Icing Color

Directions

Whip the butter cubes in an electric mixer on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sugar. Add the violet essence and whip again on medium speed for 3 minutes, stopping once to scrape down the sides. Finally, add the color until you achieve the tone you like and whip until it’s evenly distributed.

Assembly

Using a small paring knife, cut out the center of each cupcake at about a 45 degree angle so that you have cut out a cone shape. Add the filling into the hole using a spoon or pastry bag. Remove the bottom part of the cone and replace the top on the cupcake. Decorate with the frosting and voilà!

Enjoy!

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Tagged: Baked, cook, cooking, food, homemade, marmalade, Milla de Tera, Muscat Blanc à Petits Grain, recipe