Jalapeno Cupcakes with Mango Cream Cheese Frosting

I was asked to try and make a few recipes using Mango Mango Preserves and this is one of the few recipes that I came up with.  Despite it's name, these cupcakes are not spicy, but instead capture the flavor of the Jalapenos.

Ingredients:
1 Cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 T baking powder
¾ t fine sea salt
½ lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes, at room temperature
4 large eggs at room temperature
2-3 medium Jalapeño peppers, seeded and de-stemmed, finely diced (use more or less depending on the size and your flavor needs)
One jar of mango preserves (I used Mango Mango preserves)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners, set aside.
In a stand mixer, or large bowl using a hand-held mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined. On low speed, add the butter a few cubes at a time and mix for about 2 minutes or until you achieve a grainy texture and large lumps are gone.
With mixer still running, add eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add the milk and vanilla and mix for about 1 minute.
Scrape the bowl down with a rubber spatula, and add the Jalapeños, and gently fold the batter.
Using a large ice cream scoop, put one scoop of batter in each cupcake tin. (Tins should be about ¾ full)
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top and when inserted, a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cupcakes cool for about 15 minutes. Using a melon baller, scoop out a small amount out of the top of the cupcake. Put about 1 T of the mango preserves into the cupcake and place the part you took off back on. Frost with Mango Cream Cheese Frosting and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Mango Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
2 packages of cream cheese softened (8 ounce packages)
1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1/3 cup mango preserves

Directions:
In a stand mixer, combine cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add vanilla extract, mix, and then slowly add the powdered sugar. Frosting should not be too stiff, but workable. If frosting is too stiff, add milk 1 t at a time until desired consistency is formed. Remove bowl from the stand mixer, and scrape down sides with a rubber spatula. Fold in the mango preserves, use immediately. Unused frosting and finished products should be refrigerated until ready to serve.

Lavender Cheesecake Cupcakes

Makes about 18 mini cheesecakes

Crust:
1 Cup chocolate graham crackers crushed
3 T unsalted butter melted 2 T sugar

Preheat oven to 350
Mix all ingredients together and press aprox 1 T of the mixture in the bottom of a muffin tin lined with cupcake liners. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. Let them cool while preparing your cheesecake mixture.

Filling:

1 Lb of cream cheese (two 8 oz packages) at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs at room temperature slighty beaten
1/2 C Sour cream
pinch of salt
1 1/2 T fresh Lavender, or 3/4 t dried lavender (food grade!)

Reduce the oven to 275 degrees.
Crush lavender in a spice grinder, food processor, or with a mortor and pestal to release the oils inside. Set aside.
Beat the cream cheese at medium speed in a mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and honey and mix until combined. Slowly add the eggs one at a time while the mixer is still running, scraped down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add sour cream, salt, and lavender and mix until combined, do not overmix. Fill cupcake liners until almost full (One large ice cream scoop works perfectly for this)

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the sides are set, but the centers are still slightly wobbly. Cool on wire racks, then transfer to fridge and let cool for at least 4 hours.

Whipped Cream:

1/2 Cup heavy whipping cream
2-3 T honey

Whip the cream until peaks start to form. Add the honey and whip until there are fairly stiff peaks. You can add more or less honey to taste depending on the sweetness of the honey you are using.

Candied Violets:

Violets, Pansies, or other edible flowers (make sure they are fresh and have no pesticides on them)
Pasturized white of one egg or meringue powder prepared according to package instructions
sugar or superfine sugar

Let the flowers soak for about 30 minutes in a bowl of water, drain and let the flowers dry on a paper towel. Blot any left-over drops of water with a paper towel.
Dip flowers one by one in the egg white. (if using a real egg, slightly beat it with a fork to break up any large parts, you can add a little water to thin it down.)
Sprinkle sugar on freshly dipped flowers and allow to dry on wax or parchment paper for 12-36 hours. Store in a cool dry tightly sealed container for up to one year if properly stored.