Ingredients
Assembly
40 g Chocolate Merlot Cupcakes (recipe 1)
57 g Merlot Buttercream (recipe 2)
fresh grapes (optional garnish)
mint leaves (optional garnish)
Chocolate Merlot Cupcakes
156 g Tree Top Apple Grape Flakes
22 g cocoa powder
57 g dark chocolate, 75-75%, chopped
113 g water, boiling
113 g Merlot wine
113 g butter, unsalted, softened
150 g granulated sugar
100 g eggs, large, room temperature
5 g vanilla
125 g all-purpose flour
7 g baking powder
1.15 g baking soda
1.50 g salt
Merlot Buttercream Frosting
113 g Tree Top Grape Bar Base
113 g Merlot wine
25 g granulated sugar
226 g butter, unsalted
360 g powdered sugar
1.50 g salt
Directions
Chocolate Merlot Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Place 24 paper liners in cupcake pans.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, dark chocolate and
boiling water until smooth. Whisk in the wine and apple-grape flakes.
In a standing mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed
for 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
To the butter mixture, add half the wine mixture, then half the dry
ingredients, then rest of wine mixture and rest of dry ingredients. Beat
until smooth, about 1 minute.
Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake for
18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Merlot Buttercream Frosting
In a small saucepan over medium heat, reduce wine, grape bar base and sugar until reduced to 1/3 cup. Cool completely.
With a standing mixer, cream the butter, powdered sugar and salt for 3
minutes. Slowly drizzle the grape wine reduction into the buttercream.
Continue to whip until well mixed.
Transfer buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Proceed to frost cupcakes.
Assembly:
Pipe the buttercream on top of the cupcakes. Garnish with grapes and mint leaves.
Yield: 24 cupcakes