Croquembouche Cupcakes
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
Makes 12 cupcakes
Cupcake:
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1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
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1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
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125g/1/2 cup unsalted butter
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2/3 cup caster or superfine sugar
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2 large eggs at room temperature
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1/2 cup milk soured with a squeeze of lemon juice
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1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Choux pastry:
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Water 53g
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Milk 66g
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Sugar 3g
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Salt 3g
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Butter 50g
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Flour 65g
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2 Eggs
Custard filling:
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2 large eggs
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2 oz (50 g) caster sugar
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8 fl oz (400 ml) whole milk
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1.5 oz (40 g) plain flour
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1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Toffee
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200g caster sugar
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12 tablespoons water
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8 teaspoons lemon juice
Step 1 - Make custard filling. Put milk in a small saucepan and heat until almost boiling but do not boil. Meanwhile beat eggs in a bowl with sugar until pale and fluffy and then whisk in flour (you can do this in an electric mixer too). When milk is almost boiling mix in thick eggy mixture and vanilla and stir constantly until thickend. Cover the surface of the custard closely with plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming and cool.
Step 2 - Make choux puffs. Preheat the oven to 210 degrees celsius convection. Lightly grease 2 oven trays and set aside. Combine the butter with water, sugar, milk & salt in a large heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and using a wooden spoon quickly beat in the flour. Return to the heat and continue beating until the mixture comes together and leaves the side of the pan. Cook, beating over low heat for 1-2 minutes to cook flour. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Step 3 - Transfer to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture to release any more heat. Gradually add the eggs, one at a time. Beat well between each addition until all the eggs have been added and the mixture is thick and glossy. Beat for a few more minutes, or until thickened.
Step 4 - Spoon the choux mixture, in batches, into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle. Pipe mixture onto trays in two sizes, a smaller and a larger one leaving room for spreading. Bake for 20-25 minutes, in batches, or until firm and hollow when tapped. Prick a small hole in the bottom with a skewer to release the steam and return to the oven to completely dry out for 5 minutes. Transfer puffs to wire racks.
Step 5 - Make cupcake. Set oven to 180c/350F. In an electric mixer beat the butter until light and fluffy and then add sugar and beat until creamy. Add eggs one at a time ensuring that you beat well after each addition. Mix milk and vanilla together. Add one lot of flour and then one lot of the soured vanilla milk and then repeat until mixed. Do not overmix.
Step 6 - Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners and spoon into cases about 2/3rds full. Bake for 20 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
Step 7 - Assemble the cupcakes. Cut out a small cone from the cupcake and fill the cavity with some of the custard filling. Trim the end of the cone and replace the lid on top. Poke holes in the bottom of the choux pastry with a chopstick or a skewer and affix a small plain tip to the top of a piping bag and fill with the custard.
Step 8 - Make toffee. Firstly have a tray lined with baking paper ready. Then melt sugar, water and lemon juice on low heat in a heavy based saucepan until fully dissolved. Turn up heat to high and watch it like a hawk. After about 5 minutes, it should turn caramel. Turn heat down to very low, enough to keep the caramel liquid but stop it turning more brown. Using a pair of tongs in one hand and a fork in the other, dip the top of the filled choux buns in the toffee mix. Be very careful, the caramel is very, very hot and you can burn yourself very easily. Use the fork to help the choux bun off the tongs and place toffee side up on a sheet of baking paper. It will cool within minutes.
Step 9 - When all the choux have been dipped, you should have enough toffee left over to spin and also use it to affix the choux buns to the cupcake and each other. Lightly dip the bottom of a larger choux bun in the caramel and stick to the cupcake. Then dip a smaller one in and place that on top of the larger choux bun.
Step 10 - Once these have been done, take two forks and cooling the toffee slightly, make strands by dipping them into the toffee and making circular motions around the cupcake. If strands do not occur then the toffee needs to cool a little further. I find it easier to keep the stove on very low so that I can reheat the toffee if it sets too hard while you are spinning it. Top with a fresh violet (or a faux one if you happen to be out).
Choux recipe by Adriano Zumbo