A Southern Grace: pleasantly plump

April 14, 2012

pleasantly plump

Yum



Ben and Jerry of Ben & Jerry's are freakin' geniuses, for many reasons.


Obviously, they've figured out how to have successful careers doing something amazingly exciting. Plus, their flavor combinations are almost always sensational and the names of those combinations are loads of fun. Yeah, I'm a little envious.


I've taken a cue from one of those tremendous flavors, hilariously dubbed Chubby Hubby. It's essentially vanilla malt ice cream with hunks of pretzel and swirls of chocolate and peanut butter. My cupcake version consists of vanilla malt cupcakes filled with a chocolate ganache and topped with a peanut butter cream cheese frosting. If I had had some pretzels on hand, they would've been featured prominently on top of the frosting, but alas, I did not.


So, these are Almost Chubby Hubby Cupcakes, or alternatively...

Pleasantly Plump Chump Cupcakes
(makes 24 cupcakes)
Cupcakes:
2 cups cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup malted milk powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 ounces butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups cold water
4 large egg whites, room temperature

Ganache filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons corn syrup
7 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 ounce butter, room temperature

Peanut butter frosting

Prepare the ganache first, so it can begin to set up as you make and bake the cupcakes. Bring the cream and corn syrup to a simmer, remove from the heat, and add the chocolate and butter. Let it sit for a few minutes, then whisk until melted and blended.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake tins with 24 cupcake liners and lightly spray the top surfaces with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, malted milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and shortening at medium speed. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla and beat at medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the ice water and occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter. Using an ice cream scoop or measuring cup, fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full of the batter.

Bake the cupcakes for 20-22 minutes, switching positions halfway through, until they are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the tins for 10 minutes and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely, then carve out a cone-shaped bit from the top. Squirt or spoon in some of your semi-soft ganache. Make the frosting and apply it to the tops of each cupcake. Eat!

45 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Indeed! What a gorgeous treat.Can I have one now with me coffee? ;-P

Cheers,

Rosa

Alicia Foodycat said...

I just want a bowl of frosting and the spoon please!

Sue/the view from great island said...

Glorious! Now that I think of it, all of B & J's flavors would make great cupcakes...how about a series???

scrambledhenfruit said...

With or without the pretzels, these sound scrumptious! Love that Ben and Jerry's. :)

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

These are one of those combinations of sweet and salty that go so well together.

Leslie said...

Love the name!! These look crazy good

Elizabeth said...

That frosting looks divine!!

Angie's Recipes said...

This sounds fabulous! I always love to look at those beautiful swirls you have created.

Gloria Baker said...

wow Grace Is amazing I loved it!!

Magic of Spice said...

Oh my goodness...I just want to grab one and take a bite!

Anonymous said...

I always think Ben & Jerry's ice cream a tad too sweet for my liking. But I know I get overwhelmed by their array of choices every time I tried to pick just 2 out of the many! Their names are ridonculous! This cupcake version could sell out!

Elizabeth King said...

Oh wow, looks delicious!

Carolyn Jung said...

I think I'd risk my hubby getting chubby if only to bake such scrumptious cupcakes as these. Heck, he can just do double-duty at the gym later. ;)

~~louise~~ said...

Ben & Jerry may have an inkling of what they are doing when it comes to ice cream however Grace, you take the cake when it comes to creating a cooler Chubby Hubby!

Thanks for sharing...

Lynda said...

Peanut butter cream cheese frosting-be still my heart---and chocolate filling---Grace, you've out done yourself this time.These cupcakes sound amamzing!

Barbara said...

You come up with the BEST cupcakes, Grace. You have outdone yourself with this one. Ganache filling? With a cinnamon-spicy cupcake? Delish!

tania@mykitchenstories said...

I would be pleasantly plump if I could get my hands on these!. Very nice , love the peanut butter frosting

TKW said...

Oh, you are a naughty girl, posting such a tempting recipe...

A Plum By Any Other Name said...

Bless you for celebrating cake, quirks, and the pleasantries of being comfortably plump in this post. Always a pleasure, Grace.

Sara Grace said...

oh.my.sweet.lord. Grace, these look to die for!! ha, love the title too - perfectly fitting!

MaryBeth said...

Oh my good gosh...Grace you are just killing me with this one my friend. I would love to try one of these little cakes now.

Joanne said...

I spent most of college devouring pints of cinnamon buns ice cream...and swooning over any and all ben and jerry's flavors. Somehow I never had chubby hubby. sacrilege! i better get on making these cupcakes.

Nic said...

They do have some wonderful flavours, but I'd rather eat your cupcake anyday.

Erica said...

Wow! I am drooling ....I am a huge fan of their ice creams and this cup cake sounds delicious!

Blond Duck said...

Drooling, as always.

Rosita Vargas said...

OMG... es una delicia regordeta me encantó muy hermoso y esponjoso,abrazos hugs,hugs.

Juliana said...

Grace, your cupcakes are always awesome...and this one is no different...like the spices in the cake. Beautifully done!
Hope you are having a great week :)

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

What a genius cupcake, beautiful!

Pam said...

My mouth is watering. Truly! They look decadent and so delicious Grace.

Vianney Rodriguez said...

oh goodness Ben and Jerry is a addictiona nd this is one of my fav flavors...genius, in a cupcake..I'll have 3!!

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

Ben n Jerry are the best no joke about it - creative ice cream geniuses!
You are not too far behind though with this amazing cupcake creation :D
They would be proud!

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru

Faith said...

You're right, B&J are in fact geniuses. :) I'm a big fan of chubby hubby myself so I know I'd go crazy for these cupcakes!

I Wilkerson said...

I can just picture biting into the chocolate ganache--mmmmmm!

Lori said...

Love the name of your cupcake- plump chump! Did you ever go there when you lived so close to Vermont?

Marjie said...

Chubby Hubby is a funny name. Pleasantly Plump Chump is even funnier.

You have been doing some great things with cupcakes these days!

Deborah said...

Seriously - can you send me about a dozen of those??

Beth said...

Sigh. Those look divine. And the name is awesome.

lisa is cooking said...

I love chubby hubby, and what a great interpretation of it as a cupcake! I need more vanilla malt in my life.

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Ben and Jerry are really interesting guys! I was lucky enough to interview them a few years ago. And dare I say that I think that they would love your homage cupcakes!

Mimi said...

Kind of reminds me of twin day... pleasantly plump cupcake with a scoop of chubby hubby. Yum!
Mimi

Half Baked said...

Mmmm that's my fav B&J flavor! looks like it makes a pretty amazing cupcake too!

Anonymous said...

Love Ben & Jerry's flavors, great inspiration for this cupcake, yummy!

momto8 said...

love the combination of ingredients!!

Becki's Whole Life said...

Ben & Jerry's flavors are such great inspiration. The ganache in this sounds wonderful - esp. with the PB frosting. I agree - pretzels sprinkled on this would be awesome!

shaz said...

Beautifully alliterative as usual Grace :)