April Fools Prank!

So, with yesterday being such a perfect day for experiment in the kitchen, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to fool around. Our housemates have become too comfortable with the offerings frequently on the dessert table, so I figured I could play on that security, and wham 'em with something completely unexpected: adorable frosted cupcakes, with a savory base and frosting.

Oh, they were quite a success. Well, I thought so, in that they looked so innocent:

My housemates were not so amused. Luckily I made them in mini-muffin tins, so that the joke was only slightly unpleasant. For me, though, knowing off-the-bat what they were going to be, they were so tasty! The cream cheese frosting was a bit overwhelming, but if you scale it back a bit, or experiment with a savory frosting of your own, they'd be just short of perfection!

For the cupcakes:

I based the batter loosely on this recipe, but not wanting to make a pesto frosting, and also not wanting any sugar in these cupcakes, I deviated a bit. Here's what I did for the base:

3/4 cup cornmeal

1 cup AP flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup parmesan cheese (we had some of the shakeable powder kind, so I opted for that)

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, room temperature

1 cup whole milk, room temperature

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Dash olive oil (probably 1/2 teaspoon or so, just for kicks)

Dash vanilla (courtesy of Chef G, so we could claim they were "vanilla" cupcakes honestly)

~ 1/4 teaspoon each basil and sage

1 pinch rosemary

[These last four are completely up to you. I would even suggest spicing them more heavily than I did, but I didn't want them to be too aromatic and give away the joke. Also, with how much frosting I piled on them, most of the herb flavorings were covered, sadly]

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Pre-heat oven to 350*F. Prepare 36-48 mini-muffin tins with pam, butter, oil, or whatever you so choose. I used pam, as I'm lazy.

Combine butter, milk, and eggs. Whisk well. Sift in the dry ingredients, and continue whisking. Add spices and flavorings as you'd like. Ladle batter in until they're each about 2/3 full. Bake about 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Now, on to the frosting! This is definitely the area for most improvement:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 stick butter, softened

1/2 cup bread flour

Add milk to texture. If you're piping, go for just a little bit, but if you're spreading the frosting, it'll need to be a bit thinner.

Food coloring of choice.

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Using an electric mixer, combine the first four ingredients until they're nice and creamy. Add just a few drops (I can't stress how few drops you need. I added a bit too much, and couldn't get the right shade as a result without getting too much darker).

Let the cupcakes cool completely, and then pipe or spread the frosting on. Voila! You've got the perfect April-Fools prank.

~The Baker's Apprentice