There were two versions of this recipe in Matt & Renato's book. The written recipe called for cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Alright, I am familiar with all those flavors, and they can make almost anything taste good if used properly. Then, in a tiny, easily overlooked corner of the page (in the 'Baker's Note' section), it is mentioned that you can really go crazy with these by omitting the above spices and substituting them with fresh ground pepper and extra salt. Doesn't that sound fantastically different? I am in!
First, let me say these baked up beautifully. I tasted the cupcakes alone right after they cooled. They were moist, tender and fluffy. They were texturally perfect. They also tasted like tomato soup...just like I sipped it right off a spoon. The flavor of the fresh ground pepper added a nice little savory bite, but so very strange.
Enter the frosting. I whipped up this heavenly concoction and had to restrain myself from eating it all before I frosted the cupcakes. It was temperamental, but divine! I'd have to say, I can think of a dozen other recipes that I would use this with, but I wasn't so sure how it would pair with the tomato soup cupcakes. It seemed like it would be a waste of a beautiful thing....
Sadly, my fears on the frosting were confirmed. The flavor profile of these never quite came together for me. The frosting on its own was delicious, but I couldn't get past the cupcake flavor. I felt a bit like I was licking the wallpaper in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory ... "The Snozzberry taste just like a Snozzberry! The Tomato Soup Cupcake tastes just like a Tomato Soup Cupcake!" By no means was it a poorly written recipe, it just wasn't for me. Am I glad I tried it? You bet! I loved the challenge of this week, and I hope there are more like this to come!
Click here for Matt & Renato's Tomato Soup Cupcake recipe, and to see the what my fellow bakers thought of these week's challenge.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAyTlPjmW-gKcyPfGODvFRLIOvrQgh6KyAgaUc3E0-wZ45yg0W-OOLWBTXkuxaEdtI1Kq2AoCn2cNgs2hif2sXu1nxp7V8oklXev100OxPUsYXOygm5OCO05-AHLSoVeHzHS_tyM8Fgo/s320/mothers-day.jpg)
Happy Baking!
Jaime @ The Great Cake Company
I was hoping someone in the group would make the savory version! Too bad you didn't like it... I wonder if omitting the frosting and serving it like you would cornbread would work? In any case, I love the look of them. The sprinkling of pepper makes it wow!
ReplyDeleteI was eager to read about your take on this cupcake once I saw that you did savory! I'm sorry these turned out a little off for you. I'm racking my brains over here trying to figure out how these could be improved upon. Maybe just a dab of cream cheese or mascarpone on top, without any sugar added? I don't know, but thanks for being brave enough to try this out.
ReplyDeleteAnd a Happy Mother's Day to you too!
I'm also so glad that you tried out the savory variation so that we get the benefit of your experience! And I love your "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" description -- even if you weren't thrilled with the results, your cupcakes are so pretty!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you tried the savory version,but so sorry you were disapointed in the taste with the icing. I wondered about adding basil or rosemary to the frosting to give it a more savory tast ? Maybe I'll try that someday-very nice job and a funny post !
ReplyDeleteMaybe some sour cream with the mascarpone would do the trick....not sure. Even so....they look spectacular!
ReplyDelete