I recently found a recipe for these beautiful looking white chocolate cupcakes. I was excited. Who doesn’t like white chocolate and cupcakes? Plus they were elegant. What a disappointment when they tuned out tasting flour-y and bland. Plus, the premade white truffles in the middle, caused steam to rise in the oven and caused tunnelling or big holes in the middle. I hate when a recipe just doesn’t work, but I wasn’t ready to give up on these beauties. Instead I created a recipe of rich cakes, with white chocolate stirred in and a white chocolate buttercream. For an extra kick of white chocolate, you could fill the centre with a white ganache when they’re baked or a fruit filling, like the raspberry filling.

Here’s what you’ll need:

- 1 cup unsalted, soft butter

- 1 cup white sugar

- 2 tsp white vanilla

- 4 eggs

- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

- 3/4 cup whole milk

- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2/3 cup white chocolate, melted over a double boiler and cooled

- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

First, cream the butter and sugar, well.

Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl between each addition.

Alternating between adding the flour, baking powder and salt mixture with the milk.

Gently stir in the chocolate.

Remove the batter from the mixer, then fold in the melted butter.

Pour batter into a lined cupcake tin and bake at 350 F until lightly browned and a tooth pick comes out clean.

Let cool.

For the buttercream:

- 7 egg whites

- 2 cups white sugar

- 1 1/2 lbs unsalted butter, softened and cubed

- 1 cup water

- 1 Tbsp white vanilla

- 1 1/2 cup white chocolate, melted and cooled

Directions:

- Combine the sugar and water, and heat, without stirring until it reaches 220 F.

- Turn the mixer on full speed with the whisk attachment and the egg whites.

- When the sugar reaches 240 F, pour over the whites, while still mixing, being careful not to hit the sides or the attachment. (If some lands on the bowl, it will harden. Don’t worry about it just be careful not to scrape it into your icing).

- Keep mixing on full speed until cool.

- Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add the chunks of butter until incorporated and smooth.

- Add the vanilla and chocolate and mix until smooth.

To get the shaved chocolate, I softened a baking bar in the microwave for a few seconds the used a vegetable peeler.

I love purple!!

These are just sugar pearls. You can find them in most kitchen/ decorating stores.

Enjoy!