That's the Fact, Jack!

My weekend has been all about Jack. First there was the new printing company I wanted to try for edible images on cupcakes. I was so happy to find a place in France that did this versus waiting out the deliveries from the UK. I didn't have a particular client for these so I decided to order some Halloween-related images. Luckily when inspiration struck, I came across this post and adorable carved pirate pumpkin picture.




The blog authors were very, very kind to give me the okay to use their image for my little experiment. I tried two types of edible sheets - one in sugar and one in something called azyme which is a communion wafer consistency (so says the hubby). My daughter devoured the sugar image in no time flat which I took as a good sign. Is it so bad I use my 2 year-old as my taste tester? She hasn't let me down yet!



I made 3 batches of cupcakes with these sheets: 1 dozen Mademoiselle Orangette (orange spice with a chocolate ganache frosting) and 1 dozen vanilla cupcakes with cotton candy buttercream (a new recipe I am tinkering with) were donated to the bake stand at the MESSAGE Bring & Buy today. The last dozen was gobbled up by some of my son's friends at a playdate yesterday. These were made as my last entry to this month's Iron Cupcake Earth : Music with the intent of getting on the Ellen Show. This batch was pumpkin spice with a choco-chestnut buttercream. They are inspired by the old Ray Charles' classic - Hit the Road, Jack. You can read about what I am competing for here and the recipe is below.



In other Jack news, I had an order today for a Jack Russel terrier owner/lover's birthday cupcakes. Her daughter requested Jack Russel Terrier heads on some of the cupcakes. Who am I to argue? I hope Gen and her Jack (Russel that is) enjoyed these special treats.



Hit the Road, Jack Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Choco-Chestnut Frosting:
Makes about 18

For the cupcakes:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I like McCormick's Saigon Cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pureed fresh-cooked or canned pumpkin
3/4 cup buttermilk

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in pumpkin

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a bowl.

Add half the sifted dry ingredients and mix. Add buttermilk and mix until well combined. Add in second half of dry ingredients and mix until smooth and well-combined.

Fill greased or lined cupcake tins 2/3 full and cook at 375° for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from tins and allow to cool on grill.



Choco-Chestnut Frosting
(I don't know if you can get this in the US, but you easily find a sweetened puree of chestnuts in cans here in France. It is devilishly good when combined with chocolate). For the frosting, I used:
about 1/2 jar of Marc Dutheil bio crème de marrons (about 100 grams)
1 bar chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream

Break up chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. In a small casserole, heat cream until just about boiling. Add creme de marrons, stir and remove from heat. Pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute then whisk with an electric beater until creamy and smooth. Frost cupcakes. Enjoy!