This is my mom.

 

She was a total hippie.  And pretty gorgeous too, right?

 

She’s pretty much the most amazing woman ever.  Seriously. You wish she was your mother.  I can’t imagine having a better mother.  She’s a writer, so she was always around when we were growing up.  I have these warm fuzzy memories of doing crafts at the kitchen table.  They all seem to blend into one mishmash of light and colors and sound.  And a feeling.  That wonderfully blissful feeling that comes from being young and loved and protected.  I am really lucky to have grown up with such an amazing mother.

 

This mothers day I decided to make her cupcakes.  And brunch.  My mom likes frosting.  Really good frosting.  She would probably just settle for a jar of it and a spoon.

I was trying to think of something light and springy that would be perfect for mother’s day.  I tossed around a number of ideas and finally settled on Pear Honey Ginger cupcakes using preserves from Quince and Apple.  They make local preserves here in Madison and they are so good.  Totally worth the price and pretty amazing.

 

I swirled the jam in the batter, in the frosting and put a nice jammy center in the middle of the cupcake.  

 

The flowers on the top are practice for my parent’s upcoming anniversary party, for which I am baking a ton of cupcakes this summer.  They’re pretty cute aren’t they?  

 

They took quite a lot of practice, but after about 70 I got the hang of it.

 

So these are my cupcakes for my mom.  They don’t in any way begin to express how great my mom is.  But, they’re delicious and she requested baked goods, so hopefully they are a small token of my gratitude for being raised by such a wonderful woman.

 

 

Pear Honey Ginger Cupcakes

Makes 24 regular or 84 mini cupcakes

 

           Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour          

2 cups cake flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup Quince and Apple Pear Honey Ginger preserves

2 sticks plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

2 1/4 cups sugar

6 eggs

 

           Directions

 

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 12-cup muffin tins with baking cups.

2.     Whisk together flours, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.  Stir milk and vanilla in another small bowl.   Beat butter in mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.  Add sugar slowly while mixing.  Beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in eggs 1 at a time, mixing after each addition.  Scrape bowl and beat until smooth.

3.     Reduce speed and slowly add 1/3 of flour mixture.  Alternate adding milk mixture and flour mixture until all ingredients added.   

4.     Divide batter among muffin tins.  Using a small cookie scoop is the easiest way to do this, filling each cup with two large scoops (one scoop if doing mini cupcakes).  Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes (about 14 minutes for mini cupcakes).  Cool completely.  Fill center with jam using a piping bag.  Cutting a small cone out of the center of the cupcake is the easiest way to insure there is enough jam.  Frost with cream cheese frosting once jam center has set for a few minutes.  Decorate tops with buttercream flowers.

 

 Cream Cheese Frosting

           

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons Quince and Apple Pear Honey Ginger preserves

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

 

            Directions

1.  Beat cream cheese in a mixer on medium speed with paddle attachment until smooth.  Add butter and beat until light and fluffy.  Add preserves.

2.  Reduce speed to low.  Add vanilla.  Slowly add sugar.  Beat until Smooth.  If frosting seems thin add up to 1/2 cup more confectioners sugar.