Mama Baker

Ever since I heard that basil was the ingredient of the month for Iron Cupcake I was in a panic. I was racking my head for how I can make a cupcake with basil in it taste good–I just could not wrap my mind around it! I was thinking about basil while dreaming, studying, changing diapers, running and, well, just about everything I did I thought about that herb.

Then, finally, I decided to stop the thinking and start the baking. I took random ingredients out of my fridge, freezer, and pantry. Little did I know this painstaking business turned out to be something quite the opposite.

What came out of my oven was something tranquil–something almost zen like.

So turn off your cell phone and turn on some music and bake, taste and experience.

Ingredients

Cupcake

• 40 grams of Farmers Basil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tbs lime juice
• 1/2 cubed mango
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tbs almond extract
• 2 cup cake and pastry flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Icing

• 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup confectioners  sugar
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1 tbs butter
• 1 tsp chopped basil

Prepare Cupcake

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Blanch basil in boiling water for a minute and then submerge into an ice bath.  Pull off basil leaves.  Put a tablespoon of compacted basil into a food processor.  Add sugar to processor and blend.  Then place mango and lime juice into the processor and blend once again.

In a seperate bowl, combined flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix ingreidents together.  Put aside.

Take basil sugar mixture and transfer it into a bowl.  Put butter into mixture and stir until creamy.  Blend in eggs one at a time and then add the milk.  Mix well.  Stir in almond extract.

Take dry ingredients and slowly add them to the wet mixture making sure everything is mixed well.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.

Place in preheated oven for 16 – 20 minutes.

Prepare icing

In a double boiler melt white chocolate.  Once chocolate is melted remove off heat source.  Add cream and mix with an electric hand mixture.  Mix for one minute then add confectioners sugar.  Blend for another one minute and add butter.  Take left over blanched basil from cupcake recipe and remove the leaves.  Finely chop the basil leaves.  Add a teaspoon of compacted basil to icing.  Mix well.

Dip cupcakes into icing and place in the fridge so that icing can harden.

Eat with a warm cup of tea and enjoy your day (and, of course, your cupcake too!).

But before I close this post let me tell you what great prizes are available in the Iron Cupcake World challenge! You can check out the wonderful sponsors below:
Look at the cool stuff you can win from these sponsors:

Cupcake Signet Ring from Etsy artist metalsugar

Head Chefs from Fiesta Products

Hello, Cupcake! by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson

Jessie Steele Aprons

Cupcake Courier

Taste of Home magazine

So go ahead and vote for your favourite cupcake from September 28 till October 1 at No One Puts Cupcake In A Corner.

(vote me! vote me! PLEEEAAASSEEEE)