Who is Mary See?  Funny you should ask.

It seems like most families have their own sort of internal economy complete with a currency and policies toward compensation, incentive and, of course, debt.  In my own family, the economy is ruled by the all mighty See.  Well, See’s Candy.  This “old fashioned” West-coast purveyor of confections plays a role in many of my childhood memories.  The grandchildren at my maternal grandmother’s Thanksgiving table were always exceptionally well-behaved in hopes of earning one of the coveted chocolate See’s turkeys.  World series games and professional golf tournaments were watched in nervous anticipation because a pound or two of See’s candies were always on the line.  So great was their love for these chocolate-covered goodies that my mother, aunts and grandmother would make regular pilgramages to the See’s store in Santa Barbara because their home town of Santa Maria did not have a shop of its own.

Does it surprise you at all that I come from a family willing to drive four hours round-trip for a chocolate?

Ninety years after the first store was opened in Los Angeles, See’s offers something for everyone; from suckers to truffles to bridge mix to chocolate turkeys. For me that something is very specific.  The Bordeaux.  Brown sugar and buttercream covered in either milk or dark chocolate and smothered in chocolate sprinkles.  Want my heart?  I’ll trade you for a Bordeaux.  It’s the sprinkles.  But then, its always been the sprinkles.

Which may help explain why, when I was at my favorite cooking supply store a couple of weeks ago and saw a huge container of those little jimmies, I immediately thought: Bordeaux cupcakes (well, I had to have some way of justifying the purchase).

And so I bring you my interpretation of the Bordeaux in little cake form.

I started with Martha Stewart’s near ubiquitous brown sugar cupcake recipe.  Really, try Googling “brown sugar cupcakes.”  Pretty much all brown sugar roads lead to Martha Stewart (yes, I know, I just stepped into that one, TD.  Go ahead, say what you will).  This recipe is lean on ingredients and comes together in a flash.

The recipe says it makes between 28 and 30 and that the cups should be filled to three-quarters.  As ever, Martha is serious about this.  I fudged the 28-30 into 24 cupcakes and of course, over-filled and had some spreading.  I hate it when that happens.

While the cakes were in the oven, I turned my attention to the brown sugar buttercream.  While I tossed around the idea of filling the cupcakes with the cream, I eventually decided to spread a layer on the top of the cakes before frosting.  Oh, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

A little research revealed the centers of the bordeaux candy, while described by See’s as a buttercream is actually  penuche or a type of fudge.  So, to make, I combined brown sugar and butter in a heavy pan.

Let it melt.

Then let it boil (note–there is no candy thermometer in the photo because the recipe doesn’t need one).

Then let it cool.

And finally, added a ridiculous amount of confectioner’s sugar.

The result is a paste that once cool, is very easy to mold.

For each (cooled) cupcake, I rolled-out a little ball (probably half-an-ounce).

Then I flattened it and molded it to the top of the cake.

Then, I generously topped each cupcake with a layer of bittersweet ganache.  Half of the linked recipe will cover two-dozen cupcakes (even if you have a very heavy frosting hand as I do).

Which brings me to the sprinkles.  If you are planning ahead for this recipe or any other that might call for food decoration, for heaven’s sake, do not buy them at the grocery store or even a regular retail outlet such as Williams Sonoma or Sur la Table.  You’ll pay way, way too much.  Three ounces at my local grocery is about four-dollars.  Yikes.

If you happen to live in the Los Angeles area, Surfas is a great place to buy decorations (and just about anything else food related).  My 12 ounce jar of chocolate sprinkles is about $8 there.  If you don’t happen to live in the area, you can mail-order from them via the same link.  If you don’t need a pound of chocolate sprinkles, Off the Beaten Path has a staggering array of sprinkles, sanding sugars and edible glitter in smaller sizes.

Now for he piece de resistance.  Pour a generous amount of the sprinkles into a shallow dish.  Then, quickly up-end the frosted cupcake and gently press the frosted side into the sprinkles.

The result will be quite satisfying

And very tasty.  Thank you Mary See!

Bordeaux Cupcakes

makes 28-30

Cupcakes

Recipe credit: Martha Stewart

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients

• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup buttermilk