Categories: CupcakesFruity & Spiced Cupcakes

Marzipan & Pear Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream

Name: Marzipan & Pear Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream
Yield: 24 standard cupcakes
Ingredients: 1 cup + 2 teaspoons (240 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces); 240 g 8 oz. marzipan, such as Odense Marzipan; 3/4 cup 150 g granulated sugar; 1/2 teaspoon 2.5 ml pure vanilla extract; 6 large eggs (at room temperature); 1 cup + 1 tablespoon (140 g all-purpose flour, sifted); 1-1/2 teaspoons 7 g baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt (4 g); 1/4 cup 60 g ground almonds; 1/2 cup diced pear; 1 cup 200 g sugar; 1/4 cup 60 ml water; 1/4 cup 60 ml heavy cream (whipping cream); 1-1/2 cups 340 g unsalted butter, at room temperature; 4 large egg whites (120 g); 1 teaspoon 5 ml pure vanilla extract; pinch of salt; 240 g 8 oz. marzipan; Gold luster dust; Gold non-toxic glitter (aka disco dust, optional); Clove for stem (optional)

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians! I’m not completely sure how it became October, but I’ll take it. Last week was a busy one with some special cake projects on the go, including a fresh & summery cake for Wedding Bells magazine (that will be out in the new year, so I’ll be sure to share!). I was so immersed in summery inspiration boards and colour-palettes, that I almost forgot it was briskly turning to autumn. I have to admit that this is my favourite time of year for many reasons, but my autumnal association with caramel is right up there on the list. Well, that and Oktoberfest in my German-rooted hometown of Kitchener-Waterloo, but since I haven’t been able to attend that craziness since I was in my 20s, I’ve moved on to the ever-comforting and endless list of caramel-ly recipes that call my name at this time of year.

I also tend to crave desserts with a bit more texture and depth of flavour, and these almond and pear cupcakes seemed like the way to go. Marzipan (or almond paste) gives the cupcakes a classic almond flavour and some additional ground almonds and bits of ripe pear add some wonderful texture. I decided to top them with some caramel Swiss meringue buttercream, because I think pear, almond and caramel taste incredible together and, well, caramel Swiss meringue buttercream is never a bad idea. You may remember it from this cake, with which I salted the caramel with sea salt, and since that too is never a bad idea, feel free to add some to the caramel if you wish.

I first learned of the sweet almond-y goodness that is marzipan, back when I worked at my first job at Cafe Mozart–a German bakery in Kitchener, Ontario. Along with incorporating marzipan into some of the authentic baked goods, the pastry chefs would tint and shape the most adorable marzipan fruits and we would sell little clear cellophane gift bags of them tied with gold ribbon. The fact that this intrigued me as a teenager, should have been my first clue that I would have ended up here, but that’s another story. Sure they looked cute, but how good could a little hardened marzipan orange or banana taste? Well, if you like almonds and sweetness, pretty great. Who knew?

That being said, marzipan is a wonderful ingredient to create almond cake and cupcakes from, among other almond-based treats. You can typically interchange almond paste and marzipan, depending on what you have on hand. The main difference between the two is that marzipan contains more sugar than almonds, and almond paste contains more almonds than sugar, but the consistency is very similar. It’s a soft-but-dense paste that can be kneaded, coloured, shaped, rolled, or, as with these cupcakes, included into the batter itself.

I usually buy mine ready-made, but you can definitely make your own, as there are many recipes out there. I love the consistency of Odense brand marzipan, and I love that I can buy it at my regular grocer (baking section in a 200 gram package). I decided to create some gilded marzipan pears as cupcake toppers because I have a thing for making fruit and veggies out of sugar pastes, and I’m still smitten with the cuteness of mini marzipan fruit. In this case, I used a small bit of florist tape rolled into a stem and glittered it with non-toxic gold sparkles, because at the time I couldn’t find anything on hand to use that was edible, but since you want to be able to eat those little pear toppers, you could use a little piece of clove for the stem or anything else you may have that you feel would work well. I made these on a whim, so I wasn’t prepared for edible mini pear stems. Bad baking blogger. Bad.

These treats were a nice change from my much-cherished vanilla cake and chocolate cake fixes, and I love the layers of flavour and natural tones. I hope you love them too.

Marzipan & Pear Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream

Servings: 24 standard cupcakes

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

1 cup + 2 teaspoons 240 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
240 g 8 oz. marzipan, such as Odense Marzipan
3/4 cup 150 g granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon 2.5 ml pure vanilla extract
6 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup + 1 tablespoon 140 g all-purpose flour, sifted
1-1/2 teaspoons 7 g baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt 4 g
1/4 cup 60 g ground almonds
1/2 cup diced pear

For the Buttercream:

1 cup 200 g sugar
1/4 cup 60 ml water
1/4 cup 60 ml heavy cream (whipping cream)
1-1/2 cups 340 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large egg whites 120 g
1 teaspoon 5 ml pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

For the Marzipan Pears:

240 g 8 oz. marzipan
Gold luster dust
Gold non-toxic glitter aka disco dust, optional
Clove for stem optional

Instructions

For the Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 325°F and line standard cupcake pan with cupcake/muffin liners of choice.
In a medium bowl, sift dry ingredients together, whisk and set aside.
In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed, cream the butter, sugar and marzipan until light, fluffy, and smooth--about 3 minutes. Add vanilla extract and for another moment until blended.
Add eggs one at a time, scraping side of bowl with spatula between additions, and mix on medium-low speed until incorporated. Add dry mixture and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then medium speed for 2 minutes.
Add ground almonds and diced pear (or puree) and mix by hand until incorporated.
Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners, no more than 2/3 full, and bake in middle of oven until tops turn golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out just clean (a few crumbs is okay), about 18 minutes. Remove pan from oven and carefully remove cupcakes from tray onto cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the Buttercream:

The first step is making the salted caramel (you can also do a non-salted caramel by omitting the sea salt), to set aside to cool while you make the Swiss Buttercream. You then add the cooled caramel sauce it to the buttercream as the very last step. I haven’t tried buying ready-made gourmet caramel sauce and adding it, but I suspect it would taste nothing short of awesome.
Place 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (130 g) of the sugar and the water in a medium saucepan to a boil over medium heat. Brush down the sides of the pot with a dampened pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Stop stirring and cook until caramel is dark amber, gently swirling from time to time. Remove from heat, and slowly add cream, whisking by hand until smooth. It will be splatter, so be careful. Let cool.
Place butter in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (flat beater) and beat on medium speed (I use #4 on my mixer), until pale and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer clean with lemon juice, and place egg whites and remaining sugar into bowl over a pot of simmering (not boiling–you don’t want to cook the eggs). Whisk occasionally and gently until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160°F on a candy thermometer.
Remove the bowl from heat, and place back onto the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed for 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high, and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5-6 minutes. Once the bottom of the bowl is neutral and no longer warm to the touch, reduce speed to medium-low, and add beaten butter, one cup at a time, whisking well after each addition.
Switch to paddle attachment. With mixer on low speed, add cooled caramel and salt and beat until smooth, about 3-5 minutes.
Prepare to taste the most incredible buttercream you will ever encounter.

For the Marzipan Pears:

Divide the marzipan or almond paste into 24 equal pieces or weigh each at 10 g for ease. Knead each piece to soften, then roll into ball and create pear shape using your fingers and make a small indent at the top and bottom of pear.
Dust the pears with gold luster dust using a dry paintbrush you've designated for food and add a small bit of clove (or anything you desire for stem) and sprinkle the tops with gold non-toxic glitter (aka disco dust), if desired.
Let sit loosely covered at room temperature for a few hours and place atop frosted cupcakes before serving.

Sweetapolita's Notes

*I used Ateco tip #887 in a large pastry bag to frost cupcakes.

**Store finished cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, but be sure they are completely cool first. Best enjoyed day 1.

***You could easily make quick, simple and lovely marzipan pears without any luster dust.

****Marzipan toppers can become soggy if left in airtight container atop cupcakes--try to place them on right before serving or ahead of time if they won't be in container.

[caramel buttercream adapted from Martha Stewart’s Caramel Buttercream]

If you love the idea of pear and caramel, and let’s be honest, what’s not to love, here are a few other fabulous recipes from some friends around the web:

Pear and Caramel Bundt Cake from Cake Duchess

Ginger Pear Cupcakes with Miso Salted Caramel from Cupcake Project

Caramel Pear Pudding from Taste of Home Recipes

Good luck & enjoy!

Rosie @ Sweetapolita

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Rosie @ Sweetapolita

Tags: almondcaramelcupcakesmarzipanpear

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