The Boston Bruins are not only Jeff's favorite hockey team but also his favorite sports team in general. Ice hockey is his favorite sport, Bobby Orr is his favorite player of all time... and you get where I'm going with this. I quickly learned all of this when we met and have since learned to like ice hockey. Of all sports, I find it one of the most exciting to watch. Jeff has even taken me to a few games, which is even more thrilling than watching the action on TV. I even have my own favorite player now: Tim Thomas. (Would you believe the Pro Shop at the Garden only stocks Cam Neely jerseys for women? One of these days I just have to bite the bullet and order a Thomas jersey online. I'm also thinking it would be a perfect 30th birthday gift since 30 is Thomas' number.)
You may or may not know this, but the Stanley Cup Playoffs are going on right now, and the Bruins are in the midst of the Eastern Conference Finals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We had plans to go to dinner with some friends this past Saturday, and when we found out that the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals was on Saturday night, we made it an early dinner and invited them to come over and watch Game 1 afterward.
And I can't have people over after dinner and not have some sort of dessert to offer them, so I thought it would be fun to make some Bruins-themed treats we could enjoy for dessert. Of course, this was one of my typical last-minute ideas to bake something.
My mind wandered from cakes with the Bruins' logo to cupcakes with edible images, but then I put myself in check and reminded myself it was already Friday and whatever I made needed to be doable in just one day with supplies I could easily gather. After doing a bunch of Google image searches, I landed on some Steelers cupcakes (they have similar colors) and took inspiration from those.
I went with the Flour Bakery chocolate cupcake recipe, which I knew would produce a dark (almost black) moist, tasty cupcake, and Flour's crispy magic frosting. I planned to dye the frosting yellow and end up with black and gold cupcakes. And as I was thinking about the finished product, I realized the cupcakes just needed one more thing to be a little more festive and fun: edible black glitter (which you can find at Michael's).
Boston Bruins Black And Gold Cupcakes (adapted from Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe
)Cupcakes
Ingredients
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Preparation
Note: The batter needs to sit for at least an hour before baking, so plan ahead.
Combine the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a small heatproof bowl.
In a small saucepan, heat the granulated sugar, butter, and water over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally for 3 to 4 minutes, or until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.
Pour the hot butter-sugar mixture over the cocoa-chocolate mixture, and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
In a small measuring cup, combine the milk, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk this mixture into the chocolate mixture.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Dump the dry ingredients on top of the chocolate mixture, and whisk them into the chocolate mixture until the batter is completely smooth.
Leave the batter out at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray, line, and spray a 12-cup muffin pan.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely in pan on wire rack.
Yellow-Gold Crispy Magic Frosting
Ingredients
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 egg whites
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Yellow food coloring (preferably gel or paste)
Red food coloring (preferably gel or paste)
Black edible glitter
Preparation
In a small saucepan (that your stand mixer bowl can fit in without touching the water), simmer about 1 inch of water. In bowl of stand mixer, whisk together the granulated sugar and egg whites. Place the bowl over the simmering water, and heat, whisking occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until mixture is hot to the touch and sugar seems dissolved.
Place the bowl on the stand mixer, and using whip attachment, whip on medium-high speed for 6 to 8 minutes, or until mixture becomes a light, white meringue and bowl is cool to the touch.
Reduce speed to medium, and add the butter a few chunks at a time. Beat for 3 to 4 minutes or until the butter is fully incorporated.
Add the confectioner's sugar, salt, milk, and vanilla, and continue to beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and satiny.
Add yellow food coloring until the frosting turns a bright bold yellow, and then add a touch of red to bring the color as close as possible to the Bruins' yellow.
Fit a pastry bag with a star tip, and pipe the frosting on the cooled cupcakes.
Sprinkle each cupcake with edible black glitter.
While the Bruins ended up losing Game 1, these cupcakes were winners among all who tried them. (And how 'bout that win last night?!) I think these would be really fun to make when the Bruins end up vying for the Stanley Cup. (What? I'm being optimistic!) Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals is tomorrow night, so I'll leave you with one last thought: Go, B's!!!
Do you watch ice hockey? Have you ever made sports-themed treats?