Black Sesame Cupcakes

One of my favorite things to do on the net is browsing through baking blogs.  The endless amount of creativity out there is simply astonishing!  One of my most visited blogs is Sprinkle Bakes  by Heather Baird.  Her blog is always full of whimsical, artistic creations (which is why I bought her book as soon as it launched).  When I saw this sesame cupcake post, I knew I had to make it.  It was a grey, gloomy cupcake with a rain cloud topper, but hidden inside is the lemon curd "sunshine".  Now, is there a more suitable cupcake for a Vancouverite??



I gave Heather's recipe a try, but the cupcakes didn't turn out as I had hoped.  The cupcakes came out dense and when they cooled, the tops became hard as a rock.  Not cute.  I gather this is due to the store-bought black sesame paste I used.   So, on my second trial, I used a trusted vanilla cupcake recipe and added ground black sesame.  The cakes came out beautifully grey and gloomy as I desired!  I filled them with Pierre Hermé's lemon creme which I used for Lemon Creme Meringue Tart.  Detailed recipe here.  Then I swirled a lenient dose of swiss meringue buttercream on top, and tucked in a rain cloud topper made from fondant and gumpaste.  Adorable! And very fitting for our weather!

For the rain cloud toppers:
-makes 24 toppers
3 tablespoons gumpaste
3 tablespoons ready to use fondant
4 tablespoons white chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon clear piping gel
1 tablespoon warm water
clear sprinkles

Knead the gumpaste with the fondant, until uniformly soft and pliable.  On a nonstick mat, roll the fondant mixture to 1/4 inch thickness.  With a flower cutter, cut out 12 flowers.  With a sharp knife, cut each flower in half.

Arrange the cut out "clouds" on parchment paper to dry overnight.

In a small bowl, melt white chocolate chips at 10 second intervals in the microwave.  Prepare 24 lollipop sticks.  Dip the end of each lollipop stick in the melted chocolate and attach to the fondant clouds.  Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature, about 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, dissolve piping gel in warm water.  Working with one fondant cloud at a time, brush the right side with a very thin layer of piping gel solution.  Working quickly, dust with a layer of clear sprinkles.

Arrange on parchment paper to dry, about 20 minutes.

For the lemon cream:
-makes about 2 cups
1 cup sugar
zest of 3 lemons
4 eggs
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup butter

In a medium-sized heat-proof bowl, combine lemon zest and sugar.  Rub zest between fingers with sugar until fragrant, and the sugar becomes moist and attains a pale yellow color. Whisk in eggs and lemon juice.

Set lemon mixture atop a pan of simmering water.  While continuously stirring, heat to 180ºF, the mixture will thicken and become the consistency of custard.

Pour mixture into a blender.  Cool to 140ºF.  Turn on blender, adding in butter pieces one tablespoon at a time.  After all the butter is incorporated, continue blending for 3 more minutes.

Pour lemon creme into a clean bowl.  Press a piece of plastic film on top and let cool.  Chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

For more information on the lemon cream, see here.

For the black sesame cupcakes:
-makes 24 cupcakes
40g black sesame
210g flour
250g sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
80g butter, at room temperature
220ml milk
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
black food coloring gel

Preheat the oven to 170ºC.  Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners.  With a mortar and pestle, finely ground the black sesame.

Combine all the dry ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment.  Beat on medium-low speed until mixture becomes uniformly sandy, about 30 seconds.

Add the milk, eggs and vanilla extract one ingredient at a time, mixing each ingredient thoroughly before adding the next.  Increase mixer speed to medium, beat until mixture is smooth, about 1 more minute.

With a toothpick, add a small amount of food coloring.  Blending on low speed after each addition until desired shade is reached.

Divide the batter amongst the cupcake liners, filling each about halfway full.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Cool on wire rack.

For the black sesame swiss meringue buttercream:
-makes about 3 cups
1/4 cup black sesame
3 large egg whites
pinch of salt
3/4 cups sugar
1 cup butter
black food coloring gel

Finely ground black sesame with a mortar and pestle.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine egg whites, salt and sugar.  Set bowl over a simmering pot of water, whisking constantly, until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar has completely dissolved.

With the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites at low speed, gradually increasing the speed to high, until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl feels neutral to the touch, about 10 minutes.

Switch to paddle attachment.  On low speed, add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time, until all the butter is incorporated.  Increase speed to medium and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth and silky, about 5 more minutes.

Add the ground black sesame and a small amount of food coloring with a clean toothpick.


To assemble:

Cut a small divot in the center of each cupcake, reserving the tops.

Fill a piping bag, fitted with a plain round tip, with the lemon creme.  Pipe a small amount of lemon creme in the center of each cupcake, then cover with the reserved tops.

Fill a piping bag, fitted with a large star tip, with the black sesame buttercream.  Pipe a buttercream swirl on top of each cupcake.  Push a cloud topped into the center of each cupcake.

Refrigerate cupcakes in an airtight container.  Bring cupcakes to room temperature before serving.

Enjoy!