Fiori di Sicilia + Elderflower Cupcakes #CupcakeLoversDay

Today - for #CupcakeLoversDay - Valentina, The Baking Fairy, asked us to share a brandnew cupcake recipe. I am always game for making cupcakes because they don't feel quite as indulgent as making an entire cake! Here's this year's cupcake case for our 2020 #CupcakeLoversDay...

• Vegan German Chocolate Cupcakes by The Baking Fairy 
• Bailey’s Red Velvet Cupcakes by Our Crafty Mom 
• Buttermilk Cupcakes with Strawberry Whipped Cream by One Sweet Appetite 
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes by Daily Dish Recipes 
• Coffee Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream Frosting by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks 
• Easy Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes by The Urben Life 
• Fiori Di Sicilia + Elderflower Cupcakes by Culinary Adventures with Camilla 
• Gingerbread Cupcakes by Karen’s Kitchen Stories 
• Maple Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Date Icing by UpBeet Kitchen 
• Mickey Mouse Sprinkles Cupcakes by For The Love of Food 
• Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes by Join Us, Pull Up A Chair 
• Poblano Cornbread Muffins with Goat Cheese Frosting by The Spiffy Cookie 
• Sourdough Strawberry Cupcakes by Our Good Life 
• Vanilla Bean Buttercream Cupcakes by Red Cottage Chronicles

Fiori di Sicilia + Elderflower Cupcakes 

As for me I was inspired by two things: all the blooming elderflower trees in the area and a jar of Fiori di Sicilia extract that a friend sent me as a thank you gift. Elderflowers have a fairly short season here on California's central coast. So, when I can get them, we pick them...and I turn them into simple syrups and even a liqueur. But they are also beautiful, dainty blooms that I knew would be delicate garnish on a cupcake.

And if you are unfamiliar with Fiori di Sicilia extract, it's an alluring blend of citrus and vanilla. It's potent and a little on the pricey side. But I love it!

Ingredients makes a dozen cupcakes

Cupcakes

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup organic granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, separated into whites and yolks
• 1 Tablespoon limoncello
• 1 t Fiori di Sicilia extract
• zest from 1 organic lemon
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1-1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup almond flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon elderflower blossoms, destemmed
• Also needed: cupcake tin (I used a stoneware pan), paper liners (I double them up)

Buttercream

• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon elderflower blossoms, destemmed + more for garnish
• 1 cup organic granulated sugar
• 2 cups butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia extract
• Also needed: blue and yellow food coloring, as needed (I prefer vegetable and fruit-based dyes and wanted a green frosting), piping bag

For Serving

• elderflower blossoms, destemmed

Procedure

Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cupcake liners in pan. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until lightened and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Add in the egg yolks, Fiori di Sicilia extract, limoncello, and lemon zest. Mix again, then pour in the milk.

In another mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients: flour, almond flour, and baking powder. Sift the dry ingredients into the batter and fold in gently with a spatula until just moistened.

In another mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until medium peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter, taking care not to deflate the egg whites too much. Lastly, fold in the elderflower blossoms.

Divide the cake batter evenly between 12 cupcake hollows. Place cupcake pan on a baking sheet and place it in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until the cupcake tops bounce back when gently pressed. Remove the sheet from the oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan. Remove cakes to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream
Place water in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the elderflower blossoms and steep until cool. Strain out the petals and set aside.

Place egg yolks in a mixing bowl and beat on high until they are thick, pale, and ribbon off the whisks.

Combine 1/3 cup of the elderflower water and sugar in small saucepan. You can attach a candy thermometer to the side; I just kept testing until it reached soft-ball stage. If you're using a thermometer, heat until it reaches 238 degrees F. For testing otherwise, dip a spoon into the syrup, then into ice cold water. The syrup should immediately set up into a soft ball. Mine took about 8 minutes to reach the correct consistency.

Once the syrup is ready, remove it from the heat. While one hand hold the mixer, use the other hand to pour the syrup into the yolks. When all of the syrup is added, turn the mixer up to high and beat until the yolks have doubled in size and have reached medium peak stage. The bowl should be cooled and just lukewarm to the touch. Mine took about 9 minutes.

Begin adding butter, two tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. The more butter you add, the more firm the buttercream will be.

Once your buttercream resembles what you think of as buttercream, add in Fiori di Sicilia extract and the food coloring. I added just a few drops of the blue and yellow because I wanted a fairly pale green color.

For Serving
Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe the buttercream on top of your cupcakes. Garnish the top with elderflower blossoms. You can place the cupcakes in the refrigerator to store. Just take them out about 30 minutes before you plan to serve them.

Thanks for hosting, Valentina. Looking forward to trying out several of these cupcakes soon.