Turkey Day Corncakes

Well, sorry, but the name for these sucks. They aren't really cupcakes, but I suppose that all depends on your definition of cupcakes. I prefer to define them as solely sweet treats, but to each his own.

I'm not sure why I decided to make these, or even what inspired me. It may have been while I was reading Hello, Cupcake and saw the decorating ideas for the fake TV dinner. Then I thought of mashed potatoes, and how I could make "frosting" out of that. Then I thought that cornbread would make a good base for a cake. Then add turkey, a little cranberry, and voila! You have Thanksgiving Day in a Cup!!! Maybe I will call them that instead.

The more I thought about these, the worse of an idea it became in my mind. Cold mashed potatoes are nasty, and so is the crust that they get after being left out in the open air for too long. So I made a compromise. Stick with the original idea, but instead of "frosting" them, I will do the cone method and fill them with a cranberry chutney. I don't even know what chutney is really, but I will make something up. All I know is I should cook the cranberries and add some spices and sugar. Anyway, check it out. You can't say no to T-Day in a Cup.

Thanksgiving Day in a Cup

"Cupcake" Base
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
2/3 C sugar
1/2 C cornmeal
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 C milk
2 eggs
1/3 C oil
3 T butter, melted
3/4 C deli meat turkey, chopped
extra sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 18 standard sized muffin cups or lightly spray with cooking spray and line with paper liners. Set aside

In a medium sized bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients. In a separate, smaller bowl, thoroughly combine all the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing well. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Gently stir in the chopped turkey.

Scoop batter into muffin cups until they are 2/3 full. Do not overfill as this batter is fairly runny and will spill over if overfilled. If desired, sprinkle extra sugar on top for a little crunch (I like to use raw sugar). Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cranberry Chutney
2 C whole cranberries, washed and drained
2/3 C packed brown sugar
1 1/2 T water
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of ginger

Stir all ingredients together in a small saucepan until cranberries are coated. Cook over medium to high heat for 10-20 minutes. Depending on the consistency you want, the less it is cooked, the more solid the cranberries will be and the sauce will be more liquid. The more it is cooked, the mushier the cranberries will be, but the sauce will be thick and slightly gelatinous.

Assembly

Cut a small 1 inch diameter conical shape out of the top of the cakes. See here to better understand the "cone method" of filling cupcakes. You can choose to cut off the pointy part or you can just smoosh it into the cake a little bit and not waste anything.

Using a very small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, fill the cake centers with cranberry chutney and replace the top of the cake. These can be served warm or at room temperature. A quick microwave can bring back nostalgic memories of T-Days past.