Sunday, July 4, 2010

lychee nut cupcakes


So today i made some lychee nut cupcakes, with a coconut rum glaze. 






This recipe comes from vegan cupcakes take over the world, but i did a little tweaking to it. I think this recipe came out pretty good. It's not your typical cupcake, its not too sweet, and has a glaze as opposed to a frosting. So if your feeling adventurous and looking for something light and not too sweet, then this would be a good recipe to try. 


So first off heres a little info about lychee nuts for those of you who may be unfamiliar with them. Lychee nuts come from Lychee trees which are a medium-sized evergreen, that produce the small fruits. The Lychee nut has a pink-red rough textured rind that is in-edible. However this is easily removed, revealing a sweet, translucent white flesh. They are mainly popular in china, but have been gaining popularity in many other countries. They can be found fresh in many asian markets. They may also be found canned in many specialty grocery stores, or stores such as Whole Foods.








So here is the recipes:


Lychee nut Cupcake
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
5 tbsp ground flaxseed (or flaxseed meal)
1/3 cup oil (plus i added about 1 tbsp more)
1/4 cup coconut milk (plus i added about 1 tbsp more)
1 can (4 ounce) Lychee fruit drained, chopped, and syrup reserved 
1/4 cup lychee syrup (i added maybe 3 tbsp more)
2 tsp vanilla extract


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin tin with paper liners. 
2. In a large bowl, vigorously mix the flaxseed with 6 tbsp of water with a fork until gelatinous. Then add the oil, coconut milk, and lychee syrup to flaxseed mixture and mix to combine. 
3. Add your dry ingredients, and mix to combine. I found the mix to be very very thick which is why i added a bit more of the oil, coconut milk, and lychee syrup. Just use your judgement on how it looks add more of the lychee syrup than the other 2 ingredients, so it will have a stronger flavor. You want the consistency to be about as thick as boxed cake mix batter, maybe slightly thinner than that.
4. Fill liners about 3/4 of the way full and bake 20-25 minutes, until edges are browned and toothpick comes out clean. 




Coconut Glaze 
2 cups sifted confectioners sugar 
1/4 cup coconut milk
Dark rum to taste (i added about a capful and a half)


Mix all ingredients until smooth, them pour over cooled cupcakes. I used a piping bag to make it easier, but you could always spoon some in the middle, and it will spread over the cupcake. Top each with a bit of coconut right after the glaze has finished spreading, before it sets or the coconut won't stick. 






Toasted coconut 
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut 
Spread evenly over a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake at 325 for about 7 min, rotating halfway through. Just keep a close eye on it. You may have to shake it halfway through to disperse the coconut so it cooks more evenly. Cook until its golden brown. 







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