Try and catch these fluffy bunnies before they hop back into their holes! The bunny cupcakes are savory cupcakes filled with ham and provola cheese, garnished with a soft potato puree… perfect for your parties! Find this and many more recipes with pictures on the Giallozafferano App (in English) http://itunes.apple.com/app/giallozafferano-recipes/id384387249?mt=8
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To prepare the bunny cupcakes, start with making a potato puree: boil the potatoes whole, with the skin on, for about 30-40 minutes; a pressure cooker cuts the cooking time by half. Peel off the skin, then mash them in a hot pan, the same pot you boiled the potatoes in is fine. The potatoes should still be hot. Now add a small piece of butter and mash the potatoes. Mealy potatoes are best for the potato puree, if you can’t decide which one to buy, choose red potatoes. Add the grated parmesan cheese for a richer taste, a pinch of salt and grated nutmeg. Finally add enough fresh milk to make it nice and thick; it’s better to add milk at the end. It must be warm, as well. It’s done, let it cool and move on to the cupcakes.
To prepare the cupcake batter, take a bowl and combine the vegetable oil, the fresh milk and the eggs. Stir with a whisk to blend. Then add the sifted flour. Stir to remove any lumps. Add the baking powder. Then the grated cheese. Now replace the wire whisk with a wooden spoon: add the provola or scamorza cheese, cut into small cubes and the diced ham. You can also add some vegetables, such as peas or diced carrots, considering the theme! Fill a muffin pan with the batter until two thirds full. Don’t overfill or they will form peaks. Bake in a fan oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 20-25 minutes; if using a static oven, increase the temperature by 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit (10-20°C).
Transfer the puree to a pastry bag fitted with a tip like this, called grass nozzle, that creates a cute fur-like effect when you squeeze it out. Reserve a couple of tablespoons of the puree to use for the feet and the ears. You can use purple potatoes for the puree, for a contrasting effect. These will be the feet of the bunny… to create the paw pads, cut the ham into small triangles. Here they are, now shape the ears. You could also use carrots for the pads of the feet, sliced thinly with a mandolin. Now, back to the cupcakes.
Once cooled, it’s time for decoration: first of all, add the ears… then pipe the fur all over the top. Add the feet and finally roll a small ball for the tail. Repeat for the other bunnies, meanwhile let’s see together the ingredients needed for this recipe!
Ingredients
For 12 cupcakes
– 3 eggs
– just under ½ cup (100 ml) of milk
– just under ½ cup (100 ml) of vegetable oil
– 1 ½ cups (200 g) of flour
– ¾ tbsp (10 g) of baking powder
– just under ½ cup (40 g) of grated parmesan cheese
– ⅔ cup (100 g) of diced ham
– ½ cup (70 g) of diced provola cheese
For the potato puree
– 1 lb (500 g) of potatoes
– ⅓ stick (40 g) of butter
– ⅔ cup (150 ml) of fresh milk
– grated nutmeg
– ¼ cup (25 g) of grated parmesan cheese
For garnishing
– 1 slice of ham