Make Ahead

Yam Cupcakes

by:
November 11, 2010
3.7
3 Ratings
  • Makes 12
Author Notes

It is a play on candied yam, a sweeter side for the savory Thanksgiving table. Made into cupcakes with marshmallows on top, it's still a familiar taste yet composed in a fun way. It's a great dessert/snack for Thanksgiving or any autumn day! —shinshine

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Glazed Yam Dices
  • 2 yams
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • Yam Cupcakes
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 cup yam puree
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup yam dices
  • 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
  • 1/3 cup mini marshmallow pieces
Directions
  1. Glazed Yam Dices
  2. Peel yams and cut to small dice to make 1 cup. Add yam dices and sugar in a pot and cook slowly over low heat. Once the sugar dissolves, stir often to coat the yam pieces evenly. Remove from heat when yam pieces become soft. Save the scraps from cutting the dices to make yam puree.
  1. Yam Cupcakes
  2. Make yam puree by boiling down the scraps from cutting yam dice with 1/2 cup of water and a pinch of salt. Remove from heat when yam is completely tender. Mash with a fork or a potato masher. Reserve.
  3. Soften butter and mix in sugars. Whisk until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla extract and orange zest and mix well. Mix in the yam puree completely. Mix in 1/2 of the yam dice made earlier.
  4. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground nutmeg. Add to the mix in Step 2. Mix in just until combined.
  5. Scoop in the batter, only to about half of the cupcake liner height. Sprinkle toasted walnuts in the center. Scoop in the rest of the batter to fill about 80% of the liner.
  6. Bake at 350 F pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Top with a few pieces of yam dice and mini marshmallow. Broil until the marshmallow turns brown, which only takes a couple of minutes.

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1 Review

vrunka November 11, 2010
oh my gosh! this is brilliant! I've always thought that candied yams make a better dessert than side dish -- and everything's better in cupcake form!