Orange and rosemary are two great flavours. They compliment each other well…but in a cupcake? Believe it or not – YES! Pamela Wankling’s Orange Rosemary Cupcakes were so creative and delicious, they came in second place in the Manitoba food bloggers bake-off.
Pamela, like most of the food bloggers who participated in the bake-off considers herself a foodie. The recent Red River College Creative Communications graduate, started her blog Adventures of a College Foodie while in school. Even thought she is no longer a student, she plans on keeping the name.
She finds her blog is “the easiest way to share recipes with friends and inspire people to cook. I think when people see photos of something someone else has made, it really helps to show them that cooking isn’t so hard and that they can make something delicious too.”
Pamela has enjoyed cooking since high school and she appreciates the fact her boyfriend also likes to cook because it allows them to compliment each other in the kitchen. The one recipe that her friends and family love is her Thai Green Curry. “As much as I try to make enough, I never end up with leftovers” she says.
Pamela describes her method of cooking non-traditional. For one, she credits the Food Network for teaching her everything there is to know about cooking. That’s a modern shift on the traditional ways of teaching someone to cook, and it has turned out terrific for her. She prefers to experiment with new things, throwing in a pinch of this and a dash of that, instead of following a recipe exactly.
For her cupcakes, she just “gave it a go” she admits. She had help from a friend to get the icing the right consistency and it’s a good thing she got it just right. One of the things the judges liked about her cupcakes was that they had the perfect cupcake to icing ratio, so when you took a bit the flavours amalgamated in your mouth.
Your mouths are probably watering for Orange and Rosemary Cupcakes by now, so here is the recipe:
CUPCAKES
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (575 mL)
- 2 Tbsp grated orange peel (30 mL)
- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (5 mL)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder (12 mL)
- 1/2 tsp salt (2 mL)
- 1 cup canola margarine (250 mL)
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar (300 mL)
- 3 eggs (3 )
- 1 tsp vanilla (5 mL)
- 2/3 cups milk (150 mL)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Lightly spray 2 muffin pans with canola oil cooking spray and set aside.
3. In medium bowl, mix flour, orange peel, rosemary, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat 1 cup canola margarine with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup (60 mL) cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping bowl occasionally. Beat 2 minutes longer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture, about 1/3 cup (75 mL) at a time, and milk, about half at a time, beating just until blended.
5. Divide batter evenly among muffin pans, filling each cup with about 3 Tbsp (45 mL) batter or until about 2/3 full.
6. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans and place on cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
ICING
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/3 cup canola margarine, softened (75 mL)
- 2 tsp grated orange peel (10 mL)
- 1/4 cup orange juice (60 mL)
- 5 cups powdered sugar (1.25 L)
- 3 Tbsp whipping cream (45 mL)
DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, beat margarine with electric mixer on high speed until creamy. Beat in orange peel and the orange juice. On low speed, gradually beat in powdered sugar. Beat in whipping cream, 1 tsp at a time, until smooth and spreadable. Frost cupcakes. Garnish with orange peel twists and fresh rosemary.
First place went to Claudine Gervais for her Ginger Thumbprint Cookies with White and Dark Chocolate and Rebecca Hadfield received an honourable mention for her Orange Polenta Cake.
Be Well…Wendy
