Lao Gan Ma has always been a hot topic in the food world, both literally and metaphorically. This beloved brand of Chinese spicy chili crisp has been a staple in Asian households for adding flavor to any dish. I’ve also heard murmurs across the Internet of it being used to accompany sweet desserts. Most notably, Twitter has been abuzz with news of Sichuan chili crisp being used on soft serve back in 2018 and ice cream (also backed up by the NYT!).
Although met with some skepticism, it does seem to defy all expectations and taste delicious. I think it makes total sense that Lao Gan Ma’s savory and spicy chili crisp gives a vanilla ice cream sundae its je ne sais quoi. It’s not your average Hershey’s chocolate syrup, but something more akin to cayenne pepper in Mexican hot chocolate.
Just a couple weeks ago, I stumbled upon my old Allrecipes profile completely by accident and remembered a burnt sugar cake recipe I tried eons ago in high school. The finished cake was deliciously warm and had a depth of flavor from burnt sugar syrup that I loved! The bitter notes mirrored those of freshly brewed coffee. All of a sudden, I felt something like Jimmy Neutron having a brain blast and thought of pairing this flavor with chili crisp. It just clicked that this combination could be a home run.
I dug up an old frosting recipe that isn’t too sweet, and my go-to when I don’t want to use a powdered sugar-based recipe. It’s an ermine or modified flour frosting recipe that has the fluffy, whipped texture of a good Swiss meringue buttercream. And you don’t have to deal with candy thermometers or the extra stress! With a drizzle of Lao Gan Ma chili crisp and a sprinkle of five-spice peanut brittle (that has black Chinkiang vinegar in the mix!), it’s a full-circle cupcake recipe that’s sure to wow your family and Internet friends.
Give into the hype! Put Lao Gan Ma condiments on everything!!!!
Burnt Sugar Cupcakes w/ Lao Gan Ma Frosting & Five-Spice Peanut Brittle
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 ¾ cups white sugar, divided into ½ cup and 1 ¼ cups
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 cups cake flour, sifted
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup whole milk, room temperature
For the Frosting:
- 1 cup whole milk, divided into 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon sized chunks at room temperature but not too soft
- Lao Gan Ma spicy chili crisp for drizzling
For the Peanut Brittle:
- nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 3/4 cup salted, roasted peanuts
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon black (Chinkiang) vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Prepare burnt sugar by placing 1/2 cup white sugar with 1/3 cup water into a heavy skillet over medium high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon as sugar melts. When it becomes very dark brown, remove from heat. Set aside to cool. *If it hardens when cooled down, add 1/3 cup of water and melt the sugar over low heat.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two standard cupcake tins with liners.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.
- Cream the butter with the remaining 1 1/4 cups white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating thoroughly after each. Stir in the vanilla and the burnt sugar syrup mixture.
- Add the dry ingredients and milk alternately to the creamed mixture, starting with the dry ingredients. Beat until smooth. Pour batter into the prepared pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
For the Frosting:
- Heat 3/4 cup milk, 1 cup sugar and a pinch of salt in a pot over medium heat until sugar is dissolved but do not let it come to a boil.
- Make a slurry with the starch and remaining 1/4 cup milk. Stir to get rid of lumps.
- Pour starch slurry into milk and sugar mixture and continue heating over medium heat. Stir, but not vigorously or else the starch mixture might liquify. After 1 minute, tiny bubbles will appear on the side and mixture should thicken. Continue heating for 1-2 minutes to cook out the cornstarch taste. Mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Don't let mixture come to a rolling boil or else the starch granules might break.
- Pour thickened mixture into a bowl of standing mixer and cool until room temperature by leaving it out on the counter or in the fridge for 1 hour. Don't let it get cold or else it will take forever for the butter to incorporate with the mixture.
- Cut butter into tablespoon chunks. On medium low speed, add the butter by the tablespoon until it is all incorporated. Increase the speed to medium or medium high and beat until it comes together (approx 5 minutes). During these 5 minutes, the frosting is going to transform from a curdled mess into a fluffy frosting. If it takes a longer time to come together, just be patient and continue whipping until it gets fluffy.
- Add vanilla and continue mixing at low speed for 1 minute.
- Use immediately. If using later, you will have to rewhip the frosting. Pipe frosting onto each cupcake and then top with a drizzle of chili crisp and sprinkling of crushed peanut brittle.
For the Peanut Brittle:
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; coat with nonstick spray.
- Heat butter in a medium skillet over medium. Cook peanuts, stirring often, until golden, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer nuts to paper towels to drain. Let cool. Save leftover butter in the refrigerator (You can smear it on bread!).
- Sprinkle sugar evenly across the bottom of a medium saucepan; fit saucepan with a thermometer. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof rubber spatula, until sugar is melted and thermometer registers 290°F, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook, without stirring, until deep amber in color and thermometer registers 300°F, about 30 seconds longer.
- Mix in vinegar, baking soda, five-spice powder, cayenne, and nuts. (The mixture will begin to bubble and foam—remain calm.) Immediately pour onto prepared baking sheet and spread as thin as possible with spatula. Sprinkle peanut brittle with salt; let cool.
- Crush brittle into small pieces. Brittle can be made 1 week ahead. Break into large pieces and store airtight, separated by sheets of parchment to prevent sticking.
