ISO Cupcakes that can survive 100+ heat

[CookinginMO/KS]

I plan on making cupcakes for a friend's 30th bday party next week. The party is an outdoor fish try & its predicted to be another sweltering day. There are several awesome cupcake recipes on the BB but I'm having a hard time finding a recipe, particularly for a frosting, that can stand up to the heat. Any suggestions for any over the top cupcakes that can sit outside for awhile?

[Beth]

I started to suggest Whoopie Pies with the marshmallowy filling in the inside instead of a frosting. You can do some fun things with those too -- but for cupcakes ;;

Do you have access to a copy of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes? She has a number that are filled but not frosted, split and layered with jam, glazed or dipped, have a meringue or marshmallow type topping. Those would all be better than your typical buttercream type frosting.

I also have Southern Livings's Big Book of Cupcakes and saw in there a mojito cupcake with a lime glaze, a lemon basil that is just dusted with powdered sugar, and a Mississippi Mud or Rocky Road cupcake that has a cooked frosting that reminds me of the Texas Sheet Cake frosting. There was also a caramel cupcake with partially cooked frosting. One of the books had a filled brownie with no frosting. I think those would hold up better too.

I've never made Texas Sheet Cake as cupcakes, but I have mailed an entire cake in the summer and the icing didn't melt. The cake probably wouldn't rise as much as typical cupcake batter, so I'd fill them a little fuller before baking.

Oh, I did lemon angel food cupcakes for a luncheon back in May. I think those were a Gale Gand recipe and were a big hit. They are topped with a lemon glaze and a confit of candied melon peel. That one is online at Food Network with a minor variation from the book and I may have posted it here back in May. You could do a lot of things with angel food and a glaze or drizzle an not a full frosting. Plain angel food with raspberry or strawberry drizzle. A dark chocolate drizzle too if you want an extra touch.

I can't possibly type all those recipes, but those two books would give you lots of ideas. If you have a flavor or direction you want to pursue, let me know and I can try to post a couple later.

[CookinginMO/KS]

OMG, Beth, your ideas are awesome! Undoubtedly I need to get SL's Big Book of Cupcakes. The mojito ones have my name written all over them, but Mississippi mud ones (oh and the basil) sound delish. I'll have to check these out & scout out the book this week.

[DanaSD]

Food should not sit out in very hot weather. Even though the party is outside is it possible for the food to be served inside? For a dessert you should go with something without icing maybe just sprinkled with powered sugar.

[heavy hedonist]

Make regular cupcakes, drizzled with a simple 10x sugar & juice glaze, then freeze them and transport cold. keep in a cooler with an ice pack, by the time people eat them, they'll be perfect, chilled but thawed.

[CookinginMO/KS]

Thanks, HH. I think that will work perfectly for this event. Thank you!

[Beth]

The mojito are white cupcakes with 2 T. finely chopped fresh mint stirred into the batter. The glaze is 3 c powdered sugar, 2-3 T fresh lime juice. 1-2 T rum, 1 tsp lime zest and 1/4 tsp salt. I could see adding some lime zest in the cake batter too, but you might want to try it as is to make sure it isn't overdone with more. You could freeze the cupcakes unglazed, transport and then mix up and pour the glaze (2 T) over the cupcakes there. They have them garnished with a slim lime wedge and a couple of mint leaves.

Here's the white cake recipe

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 c shortening
2 c sugar
4 eggs
2 3/4 c all purpose soft wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in extracts.

Place paper liners in 24 muffin cups and coat with cooking spray. Fill 2/3 full with batter. bake 12-15 min or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min, remove to wore racks to cool completely.


The lemon basil are basically a lemon cupcake with powdered sugar on top. Just before serving, you top with lemon rind curls and finely chopped basil. I wonder why they didn't put any basil in the cupcake.

[Beth]

Here's the link to that other lemon one. These are soooo good. They would adapt well to the mint and lime of the mojito flavors too. Hmmmmm

[CookinginMO/KS]

Beth, I am definitely giving the mojito cupcakes a test run in the near future. In fact, I foresee mojito and lemon cupcakes for our end of summer BBQ bash on Labor Day weekend. Hey, its only about 6 weeks away and now I've already got dessert covered. Cool beans!

[Beth]

Have you come up with an idea for this weekend?

[CookinginMO/KS]

Since angel food freezes well I'm going to try the lemon cupcakes you posted, Beth, and use HH's method of freezing and thawing in a cooler. Wish me luck!

[Beth]

They are so good. I hope they do well freezing. I know the cake will, and the glaze soaks in for the most part. I think I would do that and sprinkle the confit (if you make it) on top when you serve it. That's basically a candied lemon peel. It isn't going to spoil -- get sticky maybe, but not make you sick.

Hope you enjoy them as much as we all did. I got recipe requests from half the people there. Now I want to make those again -- and the mojito, and the caramel ones (SL book), some carrot ones (MS book) and eventually the pumpkin brown butter (also MS). Guess I need to pick one and get started. I can celebrate closing on my dad's house tomorrow. Have fun this weekend!

[Beth]

So, how did they turn out? I have given the recipe to a number of people but haven't heard from anyone who has made them. Hope you liked them.

[EmptyNestMom]

Beth, Thanks for the idea on the lemon angel food cupcakes...I went out and finally looked up the recipe and I copied it down...I can't tell you how I like them but I fully intend to try them the first opportunity I have...I will try to remember to let you know what I think as soon as they are made!

[Beth]

I just remembered that I have a loaf made from the left over batter in the freezer. I doubled the recipe to make sure I'd have enough and tried freezing it because we had leftover cupcakes. I need to take it out and try it!

[CookinginMO/KS]

Beth, sorry for not coming back to post that these were a hit. EVERYONE loved them. Of course I had never had them before so its hard to know if freezing affected them, but they were so good that I can only imagine that the freezing had no effect. Thanks again for a repeater!

[Beth]

So glad to hear they were a success. Especially when you've made a recipe only once before passing along the recipe, you hope it wasn't a fluke when you made it. and liked it so much. I got busy and forgot to pull out that loaf. I doubt though that the freezing for a short term would have any significant impact on them. I need to make these during one of my older son's brief home stays -- or try shipping them in a treat box. He loves lemon and I get tired of CCC and brownies, though I am told the boys never tire of chocolate chip cookies.

Again, glad they turned out well for you. It gives me more confidence in suggesting the recipe again.