I got the inspiration for this cupcake while driving to northern Massachusetts for a Shadow Trip back in September. I was trying to come up with some Halloween cupcake ideas and really wanted to produce a black and orange cupcake but couldn't quite figure out what flavour combination to make of it. THEN I remember a flavour of ice cream I grew up with, which, interestingly enough, no one that I've talked to in New England (supposed ice cream capital of America) has heard of! Tiger Tail is orange ice cream laced with black licorice, this translated into an orange flavoured cupcake laced with white chocolate black licorice batter, topped with a vanilla buttercream frosting, drizzled with a hint of licorice frosting and topped with half of a black licorice wheel...takes me back.
Black Licorice Cupcake
4 oz black licorice, chopped
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
2 oz black melting chocolates
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
4 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp anise extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Chop licorice into 1 inch pieces and add to water in a small saucepan. Apply medium-low heat and stirring frequently, allow the licorice to melt and create a syrupy textured liquid. The licorice will not melt down completely, so transfer the concoction to a food processor. Allow to cool to touch. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double broiler; once the chocolate has melted, add the sugar and set aside to cool slightly. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside. In a small bowl combine the milk, extracts and half of the licorice puree; set aside. Beat the chocolate mixture for 2 minutes, add egg, continue mixing. Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture in thirds alternating with the milk/vanilla/anise mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients until combined. Set this mixture aside until the orange batter is prepared.
Orange Cupcake
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup yogurt (I used homemade)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp orange drink powder (I used Kool-Aid)
red and yellow food colouring
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease pan(s). In a large bowl combine butter and sugar until fluffy (~2 minutes). Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing in between. In a small bowl whisk together the yogurt and vanilla extract; set aside. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and Kool-Aid. Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture in thirds alternating with the yogurt/vanilla mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients until combined. Add red and yellow colouring to emphasize a proper orange.
I poured each of the batters into ziploc bags so as to allow more control over distributing the different colours in the pans. Orange batter bottom, black center and orange top. The recipe yielded 12 regular and 12 mini sized cupcakes, baked for 20 and 12 minutes respectively.
Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
2 cups icing/confectioner sugar
1 oz cream cheese
3 tbsp whip cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
red and yellow food colouring
Combine all ingredients and mix at medium speed until smooth (~2-3 minutes), scrapping down the sides as necessary. Add red and yellow food colouring to obtain a bright orange.
Apply frosting to cupcakes and top each with half a licorice wheel. I also applied a drizzle which consisted of a combination of black store bought frosting from a tube mixed with a bit of anise extract.
The Panel
Aesthetically pleasing, more specifically "very cute", was a common response to this week's delight. Most agree that this aromatic treat had a dominant orange flavour, just as I intended, and was well balanced with the hints of licorice. Unfortunately, black licorice is not a popular flavour. Kupcake actually vetoed her position as a judge this week due to her strong dislike of black licorice. Some were more sensitive to the flavour and aroma, which was reflected in the taste rating. Two of the adjudicators were absent on delivery day but commented that the cakes held up well overall, considering their delay in consumption. The cakes weren't overly sweet which worked well with the sweetness of the frosting. A few judges commented that there was a strange after taste left by the orange flavour.
JRock: "Made me feel like a kid!"
Giovanni: "I'm in the middle when it comes to licorice.That being said I found this to be very approachable even for those who don't love licorice."
My comments
I personally felt that the presentation was quite well done; the colours turned out and maintained brilliantly. The cakes definitely had a great aroma and an almost creamy texture. The black licorice was subtle but present in the right amount and the orange was prominent, even a little bitter which was complimented by the sweet buttercream frosting. I agree with a handful of the judges in that there was a bizarre, tingy, almost metallic after taste that kind of lingered, bordering unpleasant. It definitely seemed to come from the orange part of the cake and makes me wonder if maybe I used a little too much Kool-Aid in the mix. Overall, it made for a very unique and interesting entity.
Aesthetically pleasing, more specifically "very cute", was a common response to this week's delight. Most agree that this aromatic treat had a dominant orange flavour, just as I intended, and was well balanced with the hints of licorice. Unfortunately, black licorice is not a popular flavour. Kupcake actually vetoed her position as a judge this week due to her strong dislike of black licorice. Some were more sensitive to the flavour and aroma, which was reflected in the taste rating. Two of the adjudicators were absent on delivery day but commented that the cakes held up well overall, considering their delay in consumption. The cakes weren't overly sweet which worked well with the sweetness of the frosting. A few judges commented that there was a strange after taste left by the orange flavour.
JRock: "Made me feel like a kid!"
Giovanni: "I'm in the middle when it comes to licorice.That being said I found this to be very approachable even for those who don't love licorice."
My comments
I personally felt that the presentation was quite well done; the colours turned out and maintained brilliantly. The cakes definitely had a great aroma and an almost creamy texture. The black licorice was subtle but present in the right amount and the orange was prominent, even a little bitter which was complimented by the sweet buttercream frosting. I agree with a handful of the judges in that there was a bizarre, tingy, almost metallic after taste that kind of lingered, bordering unpleasant. It definitely seemed to come from the orange part of the cake and makes me wonder if maybe I used a little too much Kool-Aid in the mix. Overall, it made for a very unique and interesting entity.