Page 82 - Cupcakes

I used the Betty Crocker gingerbread mix in this recipe. It benefited from

the additional crystallized ginger, but this is an expensive ingredient. If you
can find it on your spice shelf, use it! You’ll love the gingery bite. These
cupcakes are still delicious without it, and the ripened pear adds so much
flavor. If you like the lemon frosting idea, just whip cream, sweeten it, and
spoon it on top of each cupcake. Or, for a lighter alternative, forgo the
frosting and dust the tops with confectioners’ sugar.

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 16

cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the gingerbread mix, water, egg, pear, and ginger, if desired, in a large

mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the
machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase
the mixer speed to medium and beat until smooth and thickened, 2 minutes
more, scraping down the sides again if needed. Spoon or scoop ⅓ cup batter into
each lined muffin cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. (You will get
between 14 and 16 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in
the oven.

3. Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your
finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire
racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake
liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the
knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them
on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the Creamy Lemon Frosting (page 325) or Sweetened
Whipped Cream (page 349).

5. Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread it
out with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops
completely. Place them, uncovered, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20
minutes. The cupcakes are now ready to serve.

Store the cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room