Baklava Cupcakes

Lately I could not stop thinking about Baklava, for over a week all I could think about was the delicious layers of nuts and honey between crisp phyllo dough and contemplated if I was going to make a traditional Baklava or go crazy and create a cupcake that is reminiscent of Baklava.

I choose to go crazy! I spent over a week trying to come up with a baklava cupcake recipe,  my main reason to make it as a cupcake was to avoid using phyllo dough, that stuff frustrates the crap out of me. I swear I rip or tear about half the phyllo dough just trying to painstakingly separate it from each other, I honestly get so mad that I just want to wad up every piece I tear and throw it across the room.  So by making baklava into a cupcake I can avoid that annoying phyllo dough, and that is what I would like to share with you today a Baklava Cupcake, same great taste of Baklava without the frustrating phyllo dough. (no offense to phyllo dough your great and all but very high maintenance)

These cupcakes turned out incredible soft, thanks to the cake flour, I also added some of the honey syrup and nuts to the batter to create more texture.  Once the cupcakes were baked and cooled a hole was made in the middle of each cake and filled with the nut and honey mixture and then topped with a honey buttercream. 

Now I know There are a few components to this recipe it could seem overwhelming but its really easy and whats nice about this recipe is you can make the sweet honey syrup a day or two ahead as well as the toasted nuts until you are ready to make the cupcake, plus there will be extra nuts and honey left over to use for any evil plans you might have for them. i.e. use as a topping on ice cream, stir the honey into tea, dip apples in the honey and nuts, so many uses!




Baklava Cupcakes
Oishii Treat Original
Yields: 15-18 Cupcakes
Sweet Honey Syrup (This can be made ahead of time)
1 cup grade A honey
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 inch strip of a lemon peel
Directions
- In a medium pot on medium high heat, combined all your ingreiendts together and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissovled and the mixture starts to boil.
-  Once the mixture starts to boil reduce the heat to medium and cook until the syrup has slightly thicken, about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Remove the sryup from the heat and discard the peel and cinnamon sticks and pour it into a glass container and place in the fridge to cool or the freezer depending on how much time you have.




Nut mixture (This can me made ahead of time)
1 cup chopped hazlenuts
1 cup chopped almonds
Directions
- In a large skillet or frying pan toast your chopped nuts for 10 minutes or until brown. Make sure to stir the pan frequently to prevent the nuts from burning.
- Pour the nuts into a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely chopped, set aside.
Honey Nut Cupcake
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), at room temp
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup nuts
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with paper lineres
- In a small bowl combine your flour, salt and baking soda together and whisk until blended, set aside
- In a electric mixure beat the butter and sugar together for 3-4 minutes on medium high scraping the sides of the bowl, beat your vanilla and eggs one at a time until fully combined
- Mix in your honey and beat for 30 seconds
- Alternatly add your flour and milk into the batter sarting with your dry ingrednitents until completely combined
- Hand mix in your nuts and fill your cupcakes 3/4 full and bake for 17-18 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean, cool on a wire rack
- Once cooled make a hole in the middle of your cupcake with either a small melon baller or special cupcake hole puncher
Sweet Honey Nut Mixture (for the filling)
1/2 cup finely chopped nut mixture
2 1/2 tablespoons sweet honey syrup


Directions

- In a small bowl combined the finely chopped nuts and sryup together to make thick nutty paste and take about 1 teaspoon of the mixture and fill in each hole of your cupcake.



Honey Buttercream
Adapted from Cupcake Project
1/2 cup butter, at room temp
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup sweet honey syrup
1/4 cup sour cream
Directions
- Beat the butter in a electric mixer on high for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy
- Add the powdered sugar to the butter slowly until full incorporated
- Add in the honey and sour cream and beat for another 3-5 minutes
- If the frosting is a little soft, set it in the fridge for 10 minutes and pipe onto cupcakes