May 2010
There are things a girl needs after a break up, even if she is the one who has cut the ties. She needs boxes of tissues and/or breakable things to throw! She needs friends to listen to her! She needs to be told she is right and better off without him! She needs to go out and feel the rest of the fish in the proverbial sea swimming toward her. She needs to stay home and hate all romantic comedies with happy endings.
Above all, she needs alcohol, chocolate and ice cream!
After a rocky patch in her relationship, I made an offer to my friend, “If you need cake, say the word!” About one month later, her relationship’s road was beyond repair, and she said the word(s): caloric comfort please!
My response: “Self-Fulfilled Breakupcakes,” a cream cheese swirled cupcake for a girl in need, a chocolate swirled cupcake for a girl on the mend, a beautiful top layer of preserves for the girl who comes out on top and preserves her dignity, a twist of alcohol for flavor and to toast what is to come… all in one comforting cupcake, for her and for her alone! The only thing left to add? The quart of ice cream, but that can be purchased before delivery.
Ingredients
Chocolate Batter
3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup pure cane sugar
2/3 cup local wildflower honey
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
Cream Cheese Batter
16 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
2 large egg yolks
½ cup pure cane sugar
½ local wildflower honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preserves Layer
Whiskey
Rum
1 bag frozen cherries
1 bag frozen raspberries
Directions
Soak the cherries and raspberries in whiskey and rum overnight.
Drain and collect the liquid. Blend the berries using a food processor to the consistency of preserves and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350ºF
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in the sugar, the honey and then the eggs.
Mix in the flour and salt, then the vanilla and chocolate chips.
In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, the yolk, ½ cup of sugar, ½ cup of honey and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until smooth.
Grease a cupcake pan with olive oil.
Add the chocolate batter to each cup, about halfway full.
Follow the chocolate with an even coverage of chocolate chips.
Add a dollop of the cream cheese batter on top of the chocolate chip layers and smooth with a spoon.
Spread an even layer of the berry preserves over the cream cheese layer and then garnish with a few chocolate chips.
Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes or until the edges are firm and the cream cheese is more solid.
Allow to cool before removing from the pan.
Deliver to the girl in need.
