Sweet Potato Cupcakes Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting Candied Pecans Recipes

Steps:

• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan, and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the sweet potato cubes, cover, and steam until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes depending on thickness. Remove the sweet potato from the steamer and allow to cool. Transfer the cooled sweet potato to a blender. Pour in the orange juice. Cover blender, and puree until smooth. If mixture is too thick, add more orange juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sweet potato is blended.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 48 muffin cups with paper muffin liners.
• Beat 1 cup butter, light brown sugar, and white sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract with the last egg, then stir in the sweet potato puree and orange zest.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Mix the flour mixture into the sweet potato mixture, 1 cup at a time, mixing until just blended. Batter will be thick. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
• To make frosting: Sift the confectioners' sugar into a large bowl; set aside. Heat the brown sugar, heavy cream, and 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil until the brown sugar mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, then stir in 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Whisk the brown sugar mixture into the confectioners' sugar until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Allow the sugar mixture to cool and thicken before icing the cooled cupcakes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake liners.
• Beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Blend in vanilla extract and sweet potatoes.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in a bowl. Add half the flour to the sweet potato mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Blend in the milk and the remaining flour mixture.
• Scoop batter into prepared cupcake pan and bake in preheated oven until tops spring back when touched lightly with a finger and a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool on rack.
• To make frosting, combine white sugar, cream of tartar, a pinch of salt, egg whites, and cold water in a heatproof mixing bowl. Set the mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water and beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is very hot to the touch and stiff peaks have formed, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and beat 1 minute more. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and marshmallow creme and beat until combined.
• To frost the cupcakes, fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip with frosting; pipe mini marshmallow-shaped dots all over the cupcakes. Alternatively, use a knife and frost them generously with lots of swoops and swirls.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Arrange 3 or 4 cupcakes on a baking sheet and place them in the oven under the broiler. Toast until the frosting has started to brown, about 90 seconds (check every 20 seconds and rearrange the baking sheet, if necessary). Repeat with the remaining cupcakes until all are toasted.