I♥cuppycakes!

Happy National Pomegranate Month!

According to POM Wonderful, November is Pomegranate month. Did you know that? I DIDN’T! And the only reason I know about it is purely a cowinky dink!

One of my Sunday vices is going to Costco for family size portions of peanut butter, diet coke, toilet paper and bottled water. I always make a list b/c if I don’t I’ll leave the store with whatever the demo ladies are handing out. To be honest, the list does nothing. I still spend $200 and leave with 10x the things on my list. *smacks head* But I can’t resist a deal! I think that’s how they get ya. You see that toilet paper is like $5 for 20 rolls and if you quickly do the math in your head… Well that’s just a lot of clean bums ya know? I can just imagine Costco’s CEO probably sitting in his pimped out penthouse office somewhere laughing at me.

Right now Costco is decked out for the holidays. There are Christmas lights, wrapping paper, ribbons and toys lining the aisles. Last Sunday I restrained myself and quickly walk passed all the holiday deals but then I saw this >>

… and before I realized what happened. I watched myself buy it. It was like an out of body experience. There was something about those pomegranate arils. They were calling out to me. “Buy us. You know you want to buy us. Pomegranate cupcakes…” I know! I know! I’m such a sucker! But like I said above. It’s pomegranate month. You call it impulse buy. I call it fate.

Yeah that’s my story.

POM Velvet Cupcakes w POM Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe from POM Wonderful

Makes about 30 cupcakes (I got 45 cupcakes!)

For POM Velvet Cupcakes
2-1/2 cups POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
16 oz (2 cups) granulated sugar
14 oz (1-1/2 cups + 4 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 large eggs
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
15 oz (3 cups+5 tbsp) all-purpose flour
1-1/2 oz (5 tbsp) cocoa powder
3/4 oz (1 tbsp+1 tsp) baking soda
pinch salt
1/4 cup heavy cream

For POM Cream Cheese Frosting
1-1/2 cups POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
4 oz (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
14oz (3-1/2 cups) powdered sugar (I used about 4 cups)

1 cup arils from 1-2 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates, garnish

NOTES: Original recipe was given in metric system and I tried to convert into US system (in parenthesis) as close as possible. If you have a kitchen scale, I recommend going that route to be more true to the recipe though.

INSTRUCTIONS

To make cupcakes—
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cupcake pan with liners.

In a small saucepan, reduce the pomegranate juice, over medium-low heat, down to 3 oz (about 1/3 cup).

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer, fitted with a flat beater, cream sugar and soft butter on medium-high speed, until the mixture is pale yellow and fluffy, reduce speed to low and add the eggs in one at a time. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, pomegranate juice reduction, white vinegar and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the wet ingredients in 2 additions, ending with the dry ingredients. Finish off with the heavy cream, beat just until combined.

Fill cupcake liners about 1/2 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.

To make frosting—
Reduce the pomegranate juice, over low heat, down to about 1/2 cup. Let cool.

In a stand mixer, fitted with flat beater, cream butter on medium-high speed for 1 minute, add the cream cheese and continue to mix for 2 more minutes. Reduce speed to low and slowly add in the powdered sugar and the pomegranate juice reduction, mix until the sugar is fully combined.

Using a Wilton 1M star tip (or your favorite star tip) pipe the frosting on each cupcake. Garnish with pomegranate arils.

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A
He liked the red velvet inspired favor with a hint of pomegranate. But he says that he can’t replace the original red velvet cupcake.

Wifey rating: A (for taste) / B (for recipe)
Taste: I love pomegranate so the chocolate and pomegranate flavor was awesome together.
Recipe: I wasn’t impressed with the cream cheese frosting recipe. I’m not talking about the taste. The frosting was GOOOOOOD. But the first time I made it (following the recipe), it was runny and soft. I hate when that happens esp with frosting! The second time I made it I cut the pomegranate reduction and increased the powder sugar to thicken it up. When I make it again I might cut the pom reduction even more or up the cream cheese. I’d rather not add more powder sugar b/c it was a little too sweet and I only added 1/2 cup more.