Kicking off the big return with a savory selection, a modification of the tomato based cake from a few weeks ago, this creation incorporates ground vegetable chips and Italian seasoning, frosted with vegetable cream cheese sprinkled with a dash of pepper and finished with a cherry tomato on top!
Sundried Tomato Cupcakes
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup ground veggie chips
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cream of tomato soup
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp paprika
3 tbsp sundried tomatoes chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease pan(s).
In a large bowl combine butter and sugar until fluffy (~3 minutes). In a medium bowl sift together the flour, ground veggie chips, baking powder, and spices. Add the dry ingredient mixture to the butter/sugar mixture in thirds alternating with the cream of tomato soup, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, until combined. Fold in the sundried tomatoes. Pour the batter into the pan(s). This batch yielded 12 regular sized cupcakes baked for 15 minutes.
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup ground veggie chips
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cream of tomato soup
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp paprika
3 tbsp sundried tomatoes chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease pan(s).
In a large bowl combine butter and sugar until fluffy (~3 minutes). In a medium bowl sift together the flour, ground veggie chips, baking powder, and spices. Add the dry ingredient mixture to the butter/sugar mixture in thirds alternating with the cream of tomato soup, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, until combined. Fold in the sundried tomatoes. Pour the batter into the pan(s). This batch yielded 12 regular sized cupcakes baked for 15 minutes.
Cupcakes were 'frosted' with store brand vegetable cream cheese and each topped with a cherry tomato.
The picture to the left is of the veggie chips that I ground up and replaced half the flour amount in the recipe.
The Panel
This week's star ratings nearly touched every mark with rating ranging from 1 to 5 for both taste presentation. For the most part the presentation was average but the cream cheese became slightly discoloured as it sat overnight which contributed to it's lack of appeal to some. The spices definitely came through, a little too much for some, while others commented that it was a great pairing with the sweetness of the cake. A few panelists mentioned that the cake was dense but complimented the savory-ness of the cake. The cream cheese frosting was hit or miss with the judges, either bringing to my attention that they aren't a fan of cream cheese regularly or expressing their love for this particular flavor and how it worked well with this cupcake. Moisture level was acceptable. Glameow and Eat Freak both suggested a mini version would work well served up as an appetizer. Sugar Princess expressed her interest in having a crunchy component, possibly some Triscuit crumbs on top.
Cupcake Canine: "...looks like a cupcake but is savory, wigs me out! Even though the presentation threw me off, the taste was awesome."
Glameow: "Super cute. Great colors."
Sugar Princess: "Tastes like stuffing. Bold and unique."
My comments:
The ground veggie chips contributed a certain degree of sweet that I did not expect, resulting in a sweeter cupcake than planned but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing as it was complimented by the cream cheese frosting and Italian seasoning. The cake to frosting ratio was good and I really enjoyed the sundried tomatoes. The cakes didn't rise as much as I would have liked, hence I would like to try using eggs and baking soda in the next batch, in addition to serving them up as a mini. The aroma was quite intoxicating, reminiscent of a store purchased pasta sauce. The frosting was a little heavy having used straight up cream cheese.
This week's star ratings nearly touched every mark with rating ranging from 1 to 5 for both taste presentation. For the most part the presentation was average but the cream cheese became slightly discoloured as it sat overnight which contributed to it's lack of appeal to some. The spices definitely came through, a little too much for some, while others commented that it was a great pairing with the sweetness of the cake. A few panelists mentioned that the cake was dense but complimented the savory-ness of the cake. The cream cheese frosting was hit or miss with the judges, either bringing to my attention that they aren't a fan of cream cheese regularly or expressing their love for this particular flavor and how it worked well with this cupcake. Moisture level was acceptable. Glameow and Eat Freak both suggested a mini version would work well served up as an appetizer. Sugar Princess expressed her interest in having a crunchy component, possibly some Triscuit crumbs on top.
Cupcake Canine: "...looks like a cupcake but is savory, wigs me out! Even though the presentation threw me off, the taste was awesome."
Glameow: "Super cute. Great colors."
Sugar Princess: "Tastes like stuffing. Bold and unique."
My comments:
The ground veggie chips contributed a certain degree of sweet that I did not expect, resulting in a sweeter cupcake than planned but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing as it was complimented by the cream cheese frosting and Italian seasoning. The cake to frosting ratio was good and I really enjoyed the sundried tomatoes. The cakes didn't rise as much as I would have liked, hence I would like to try using eggs and baking soda in the next batch, in addition to serving them up as a mini. The aroma was quite intoxicating, reminiscent of a store purchased pasta sauce. The frosting was a little heavy having used straight up cream cheese.