Commissary Carrot Cupcake
If you have ever had a carrot cake at a high-end coffee house (often for more than $5 a slice) then you have eaten one of the descendants of this amazing desert that helped revolutionize North American cooking. The original inspiration can be traced to Steve Poses, who opened the groundbreaking Frog Restaurant in Philadelphia in 1973. This little restaurant literally invented Asian/European fusion cooking in North America. Later he opened The Commissary, a trendsetting upscale cafeteria in which this iconic carrot cake first appeared. We have tweaked the original recipe, which can be found on Steve Poses’ Wordpress site, by swapping out cow milk and cream for goat milk and chevre. We find that the more savory flavor of the goad milk products makes for – if possible – an even more tasty and memorable cake than the original. We have also altered the recipe by turning the ingredients into two dozen filled cupcakes rather than a single large cake that will serve 20. The individual cupcakes are easily frozen after filling with the pecan nougat, keeping them fresh for a longer period of time. We simply take these from the freezer, and when they have thawed but are still cold, we frost them. We recommend that you make the pecan nougat and chevre frosting first and allow them to chill overnight in the fridge. You’ll also want to make the cupcakes far enough in advance that they are completely cool before you fill and frost them. You may want to consider doing these extravagant delicacies over a three day period, making the filling and frosting on day one, the cupcakes on day two, with filling, frosting and easting/freezing on day three. Pecan Cream Filling¾ cups pecans, coarsely chopped Toast pecans in a 375° F oven until they turn golden, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Melt better and chevre in a saucepan over medium heat with sugar. Whisk in milk, salt and flour. When the all these ingredients have integrated and the sauce has begun to turn a golden brown color – about 20 minutes – take the pan off the heat. Stir in the pecans and vanilla. Allow to chill completely in a refrigerator before filling the cupcakes. Chevre Frosting 8 oz butter Melt butter and chevre together until both are very soft – but not liquid. Add in vanilla and powdered sugar and whisk until the mixture is loose but holds together. Chill completely to allow the frosting to fully set before applying to cake. Carrot Cupcakes 1½ cup corn oil Preheat the oven to 350° F. Have ready two greased and floured cupcake pans – for a total of 24 cupcakes. In a large bowl, whisk together the corn oil and sugar. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift half the dry ingredients into the sugar-oil mixture and blend. Alternately sift in the rest of the dry ingredients while adding the eggs, one by one. Combine well. Add the carrots, raisins, and pecans. Pour mixture into the cupcake pans and bake for 45 minutes. To assemble the cupcakes, cut a hole into the center of each cake being sure to not cut through the bottom. Reserve the cupcake plug. A cupcake holer is an excellent tool for this job and can usually be purchased for around $2. Fill the hole with the pecan nougat, and place the cake plug back on top, which will stick up like an ‘outie’ belly button. Don’t worry about this, as it will be covered in frosting. If you plan on freezing the cupcakes for later use, now is the time to do this. Just before serving, frost with the chevre frosting. Archive |
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