Blooming Fluffy Yellow Cupcakes

I always remember... my mum telling me how much she likes yellow flowers.

Every time when I see yellow daffodils blooming at Spring, I think of my mum and how much she likes her yellow flowers.

For this post, I'm baking these yellow flower cupcakes to remember my mum and Daffodil Day. In Australia, Daffodil Day is a major fundraising event for raising essential funds for cancer research, prevention and support services. Thus, for this day, I would like to commemorate my mum who has passed away due to cancer.

In fact, Daffodil Day is one of the reasons how I started blogging two years back... I was baking cupcakes for Daffodil Day fund raising and posted my very first post with these cupcakes. I'm totally amazed to see how these two years has passed and how I have evolved to be what I am today... 

Happy 2nd blogiversary and 201st post to me!

My yellow flower cupcakes made with a classic yellow cake base

Making the cupcakes

Not forgetting the frosting...

Making the frosting

Here are my pretty cupcakes...

... and I think they are as pretty as the daffodils :D

I'm happy with this bake! The cakes are pretty and also delicious with a nice fluffy texture!

Here's another pretty yellow flower...

Here's the recipe from the book, The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook
(with my modification in blue)

Please note that this recipe originally bakes a two-layer cake but I have used a third of it to bake six yellow cupcakes. This cake base is very delicious and fluffy and goes very well with this chocolate frosting. This chocolate frosting is very delicious and chocolaty but I think it is not as smooth as the Barefoot Contessa chocolate cake that I have baked in May this year.

Cake
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) cake flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda (replaced by baking powder)
3/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
10 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
3 tbsp vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs, separated, plus 3 large yolks, room temperature
Pinch cream of tartar (I didn't use this)

Frosting
20 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
Pinch salt
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 ounces chocolate, melted and cooled

For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F . Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pans. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 1/2 cups sugar together in large bowl. In medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and egg yolks.

Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 min. Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft billowy mounds, about 1 min. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and whip until glossy, stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 mins. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

Add flour mixture to now-empty bowl. With mixer on low speed, gradually pour in butter mixture and whip until almost incorporated (a few streaks of dry flour will remain), about 15 secs. Scrape down bowl, then whip on medium-low speed until smooth and fully incorporated, 10 to 15 secs.

Using rubber spatula, stir one-third of whites into batter, then add remaining two-thirds whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smooth tops with rubber spatula, and gently tap pans on counter to release air bubbles.

Bake cake until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 22 mins. Let cakes cool in pans on wire rack for 10 mins. Remove cakes from pans, discard parchment, and let cool completely, about 2 hours, before frosting. 

For the frosting: Process butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in food processor until smooth, about 30 secs, scraping down bowl as needed. Add corn syrup and vanilla and process until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Scrape down bowl, then add chocolate and process until smooth and creamy, 10 to 15 secs. (For a small quantity of frosting, I mixed all my frosting ingredient using a wooden spoon.)

To assemble the cake: Place 1 cake layer on prepared platter. Place about 1 1/2 cups frosting in center of cake layer and, using a spatula, spread in even layer to edge of cake. Place second cake layer on top, making sure layers are aligned, then frost top in same manner as first layer, this time spreading frosting until slightly over edge. Now, gently spread frosting at side of cake. Smooth frosting by gently running edge of spatula around cake and leveling ridge that forms around top edge. Serve.

Note: Using 1/3 of the recipe, I've baked 6 standard sized cupcakes at 160°C fan forced for 25 min. Using 1/6 of the frosting recipe, I've also prepared enough frosting to ice these cupcakes.

To assemble cupcakes: Place 1-2 tbsp of frosting on the top of each cupcake. Smooth frosting by twirling the spatula around the edges of the cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a baby spinach or any herbs and a fondant flower in the middle of the frosting. Serve.

Happy Baking

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