Fall Cupcakes Galore.

Fall has finally arrived in Cincinnati. Don't get me wrong, I love warm weather. But, after a week in to October, I was ready for autumn. Especially since I have been drinking pumpkin spice lattes for a month... 

I made cupcakes two nights in a row, the first because EW went to an apple orchard and brought home a big bag of apples. The second, because two of my friends were celebrating birthdays. It was a busy couple of days, so unfortunately I only have iPhone pics to share. 

The base for these cupcakes are the same, just add apples for one and not for the other. I love a versatile recipe! 

Apple Spice Cupcakes and Caramel Spice Latte Cupcakes

P.s. Feel free to mix and match the recipes!

Cake batter:

White cake mix + eggs + oil + water

2+ tsp cinnamon

1/4 of a nutmeg, freshly grated

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cloves

1 large macintosh apple (optional)

Mix together ingredients. Fill cupcake liners, and bake as instructed on box. 

If making the cupcakes with caramel, let cupcakes cool and then cut out a cone from the top of the cupcake, like this.

Caramel:

Like the last time, I just followed this recipe. (I make the caramel and the cupcakes the night before, then fill and frost in the morning). Use to fill the cupcake and to drizzle over the frosting

Brown Sugar n' Spice Buttercream Frosting: 

1/2 c vegetable shortening

1/2 c butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 c brown sugar

~4 c powdered sugar

~2 Tbs milk

cinnamon

freshly grated nutmeg

Cream together the shortening, butter, and brown sugar. Slowly add in powdered sugar and milk until reaching a nice consistency. I totally didn't measure the cinnamon and nutmeg, so just add some until it tastes good :)

Coffee Buttercream Frosting:

1/2 c vegetable shortening

1/2 c butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 c brown sugar

~4 c powdered sugar

~2 Tbs milk

1 packet instant coffee

Cream together the shortening, butter, and coffee crystals. Slowly add in powdered sugar and milk until reaching a nice consistency.

Fall is Here and so is Everything Autumn Bundt Cake!

Fall is likely my favorite season.  I say likely because like a good Michigander I can appreciate building a snowman in the middle of a blizzard followed by snuggling under a quilt next to a blazing fire with a good book and large mug of tea.  I also marvel at the first daffodils and hyacinths of Spring.  And a sunset over the lake after a stroll on the St. Joseph bluff with an ice cream cone is pretty convincing argument for Summer being the loveliest of seasons.  But autumn... the changing of the colors, going out of your way to crunch a few leaves under your feet, trips to the apple orchard, warm sunshine during the day which cools to jeans and sweatshirt temperatures at night.  I love this season.

This cake melds every flavor of fall: pumpkin, carrots, cranberry, candied ginger, and of course chocolate chips topped with cream cheese and fresh nutmeg frosting.  Thanks to Joy the Baker for so conveniently placing a pumpkin Bundt cake recipe next to a carrot Bundt cake in her cookbook which inspired this delightfully moist cake.  The measurements of the additional mix-ins are all estimates, add more or less depending on what you like more.  Pecans or walnuts would also be a welcome addition.

Everything Autumn Bunt Cake (inspired by JTB)
serves 10-12

Cake Batter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
1 cup grated carrots
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups flour
1/2 cup lightly chopped fresh cranberries
1/4 cup chopped candied ginger
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
splash of vanilla
splash of milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat sugar, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla together.
Add eggs one at a time.
Mix in pumpkin and carrots.
The dry ingredients through nutmeg can be added next.
Mix in the flour just until well blended.
Fold in the extra mix-ins.
Pour into a Bundt pan prepared with Crisco and flour.
Bake for 45-55 minutes.
Let cool in pan for half an hour.
Carefully turn out onto serving plate and let cool completely.
Frost with cream cheese frosting and grate fresh nutmeg on top. 

Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcakes

So I have these friends at school. They love chocolate and peanut butter. I don't mean that they just kind of like the combination, I mean they are pretty obsessed. I asked them for ideas for cupcakes (I feel like I haven't been baking much lately), and the flavor combo they kept coming back to was chocolate and peanut butter, so I told them I would make them some buckeye cupcakes.

Well, as you can tell by the title, these are not buckeye cupcakes. Much to my surprise, we were almost out of peanut butter. And let me tell you, I was already in my PJs so I was not about to drive to buy some. I love my friends, but not that much :)

So what is a girl to do when she has promised to make delicious cupcakes that she apparently can't deliver on? Make even more delicious cupcakes. Or at least try.

I came up with these guys. After some whining to EW about how we didn't have any heavy whipping cream so I couldn't make caramel, I googled making caramel with whole milk and fortunately found a very instructional step-by-step recipe.


Salted Caramel Filling and Drizzle: From Bright Eyed Baker

This recipe is wonderful and I recommend just clicking the link and following her precise instructions. Don't forget to add the salt!

Mocha Cupcakes:

1 box of super chocolatey cake mix
1 packet of instant coffee

Make the cupcakes by following the instructions on the back of the box with the addition of the instant coffee. (I know this seems like cheating, but when I am making a pretty involved cupcake (i.e. making my own caramel sauce) I am okay with this shortcut. And, most people can't tell the difference.

After the cupcakes have cooled, use a paring knife to cut a small up-side-down cone out of the top of the cupcake. Make it just large enough to pour in ~1/2 Tbs of caramel. Pour in some caramel. I warmed my caramel up so it could pour more easily, but then the cupcake started to absorb it. I went back and poured some extra into the cupcakes. I also sprinkled a very small amount of sea salt on top of the caramel.

Be sure to save some of the caramel to drizzle on top of the frosted cupcakes.

Coffee Frosting: Adapted from Wilton (My go-to buttercream base)

1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1 packet of instant coffee
4 cups powdered sugar
2ish tablespoons of milk (or coffee, or coffee liquor, or other tasty liquid)

Beat together the butter and shortening. Add in the vanilla and half of the powdered sugar. Add the instant coffee. Finish by adding the rest of the sugar and add enough milk/liquid to make the frosting a good consistency.

I frosted the cupcakes using a 1M tip (pretty much the only one I ever use...). Finish them off by drizzling the extra caramel over the top.

Kristi's Banana Birthday Cake

There was a very special date on the calendar last week.  Kristi's birthday!  It was a big one... she's finally able to rent a car without paying extra fees.  As usual we chose a cake from our "I need to make this but don't have an occasion special enough to justify it" list.  And once again we were disappointed in ourselves for having waited so long to bake our selection.  This is three layers richly dense banana cake separated by a light chocolate whipped cream, topped with decadent dark chocolate ganache and toasted coconut.

Enough about cake, we talk about that all the time here.  Let's celebrate the birthday girl with 25 things I love about her.

1. Her skills in the kitchen (I had to!)
2. Kristi-rules for board games.
3. We can have an entire conversation without saying a single word.  This used to get us in trouble at the dinner table all the time.
4. She's my twin born two and a half years late.
5. Style. My wardrobe is much improved when I can raid her closet.
6. Passion about science and her research.
7. Eggs and bacon for breakfast. Every. Morning.
8. She puts up with my version of the day of her birth.
9. She bought a chest freezer so we could buy half a cow's worth of local beef.
10. Photography skillz.
11. Landscaping skillz. (read: she mows the lawn)
12. Lack of hairstyling skillz.
13. She measured our heights on the kitchen wall every day until her line surpassed mine.
14. Dinner is waiting for me in the fridge when I get home late from work.
15. We have a MRSA stuffed creature hanging from a lamp in our living room.
16. Every wall in our house would be painted purple if she had her way.
17. Descriptions of foods she doesn't like are quite vivid.
18. She has just about as many pairs of socks as me.
19. She wants to do the photo quizzes from my medical journals together.
20. Princess Bride. JAG. NCIS.
21. She's the biggest copy cat I know.
22. Her cat calls me auntie.
23. She's converted me into a coffee drinker.
24. That some people think we look the same.
25. She'll always be my favorite little sister. And never a day older than a high school freshman.

Chocolate Banana Cake (adapted from A Spicy Perspective)
Serves 10-12

Banana Cake
3 sticks butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 egg whites
1 tablespoon homemade vanilla2 large ripe bananas, smashed
3 cups cake flour (replace 6 tablespoons of flour with cornstarch)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (add a splash of white vinegar to whole milk and let it sit for a bit)

Chocolate Ganache
10 oz. dark chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoon corn syrup

Chocolate Whipped Cream
3 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons homemade vanilla
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cup toasted coconut



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add egg whites, vanilla, and bananas.
Combine dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a separate bowl.
Sift flour mixture together several times.
Add 1/3 of flour to wet ingredients.
Mix in half of the butter milk.
Alternate wet and dry ingredients, ending with dry. Scrape bowl as necessary.
Divide evenly into 3 greased and floured 9-inch rounds.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly golden.
Cool on wire rack. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer for at least 4 hours.

Finely chop dark chocolate.
Microwave heavy cream in microwave until it just starts to bubble.
Remove and stir in chocolate until it completely melts.
Stir in corn syrup.
Let cool until just barely pourable.

Beat all frosting ingredients together until stiff peaks form.

To assemble cake, remove layers from freezer and unwrap.
Place first layer on cake plate and top with one quarter of the whipped cream. repeat with layer two.
Gently place third layer on top of the other two and top with remaining whipped cream.
Press toasted coconut along the bottom half of the cake.
Pour ganache over the top so it flows onto plate.

Eat a piece for dinner and another for dessert (which may or may not have been what I did!)

                                                                                         A sneaky kitty ^^

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

The sweltering humidity here in Cincinnati is no indication, but we are quickly nearing the end of summer.  I certainly couldn't let the season come to a close without trying out a frosting which claimed to taste exactly like mint chocolate chip ice cream.  With a few minor adjustments, I'd say it comes pretty close.  Chocolate ganache is completely unnecessary, but delightful addition to this refreshing, yet rich cake.  And 9.95/10 of my resident physician colleagues would agree.  It isn't every day you get that sort of consensus from doctors.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake (adapted from Shugary Sweets)
serves 8-16

Cake Batter
Your favorite chocolate cake recipe (or box mix).
Substitute hot, freshly brewed coffee for the water.
Bake in two 9-inch rounds per recipe.

Mint Frosting
1 cup butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
8-10 drops of green food coloring (because everyone knows green mint chocolate chip ice cream is best!)
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
Combine with powdered sugar, adding 2 cups at a time.
Stir in peppermint and food coloring.
Gently fold in chocolate chips.
Frost cooled cake.

Chocolate Ganache
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup half and half
splash of peppermint extract

In a double boiler, heat half and half to near boiling.
Remove half and half from heat and stir in chocolate chips until completely melted.
Add peppermint extract.
Allow to cool before pouring over frosted cake.

Fresh-picked Blueberry and Peach Pie

There are many, many things I miss about home.  In summertime, its watching a sunset over Lake Michigan and the endless amount of fresh produce everywhere you turn.  While home a few weeks ago we went blueberry picking.  Mom and Dad and purchased a flat of peaches grown across the street from our house.  Obviously, I needed to bake a pie.  Using the every trustworthy Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook I whipped up a blueberry peach pie which was served warm and a la mode shortly after pulling it out of the oven.  I also must admit, it was was probably more delicious eaten for breakfast the following morning.

Blueberry Peach Pie (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)
serves 6-8

Pie Filling

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons  flour

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

4 cups peeled, thinly sliced peaches

2 cups blueberries
Mix together the sugar and spices.
Gently fold in fruit. Set aside until pie crust is ready.

Pie Crust

2 1/4 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup shortening

8-10 tablespoons cold water

Mix together flour and salt.

Cut in shortening until pieces are pea size.

Sprinkle 1 T of the water at a time over flour mixture and toss with a fork.  Repeat until flour mixture is moistened.

Divide in half and form into balls.

On lightly floured surface roll one ball into 12 inch circle.  Use rolling pin to carefully transfer into pie pan.  Trim pastry.  Add filling.

Roll out  top crust. Cut into strips.  Weave strips on top of pie and press down edges.

Bake in 375 degree oven on top of a cookie sheet for 45-50 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

 

 

Coconut Chai Ice Cream

I'm not even gonna make you wait for the punch line... this is quite possibly the best ice cream I've ever had!  The perfect balance of coconut, vanilla, and spices.  Freshly ground nutmeg is so worth it.  Don't think I'll ever be able to go back to the stuff in a jar.  And even after deep freezing, it has an incredibly creamy consistency thanks to the coconut milk.  Chance are there won't be any left for our parents to enjoy when they visit Memorial Day weekend.  We'll just be forced to make (and eat) another batch.

Coconut Chai Ice Cream
1 cup coconut milk
2 vanilla beans, split in half
3 eggs
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup white sugar
ground cinnamon
whole nutmeg, grated
ground cloves

Simmer coconut milk and vanilla beans over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Beat eggs in a bowl.
Remove vanilla beans from coconut milk.  Scrape out seeds and return them to the pan.
While whisking, slowly pour coconut milk into eggs.
Add whipping cream and sugar to coconut and egg mixture.
Heat on the stove.
Stir in spices.
Cool in refrigerator for 4 hours.
Freeze in ice cream maker as directed.
Ours was a little soft and required some time in the freezer before we ate it.

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

Spring has sprung here in Cincinnati.  Wow.  Pretty sure I could get used to 80+ degree days in APRIL!  Unbelievable that traveling 5 hours south makes such a difference in weather.  We've had the house windows open and I've commuted to and from work with the sunroof open (the true test of Spring's arrival).

This evening I'm having dinner with a resident colleague and his wife.  Read: an excuse to bake.  My new go-to for baking inspiration is browsing boards in Pintrest.  This cake caught my eye and was re-pinned months ago just waiting for the perfect time.  And it has arrived.  Nothing says spring like strawberries.  Thanks again, Pintrest!

The cake (batter) was a bit too sweet for my tastes, so I've made a tart glaze with lime juice and plain yogurt.  You'll find that I've also reduced the sugar in the recipe below by 1/2 cup from the original.  We'll see how the final product tastes in about two hours.

Strawberry Yogurt Cake (adapted from A Spicy Perspective)
Serves 10-12

Cake
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces plain yogurt
16 ounces strawberries, diced

Preheat oven to 325.
Grease liberally and flour Bunt pan.
Coat the diced strawberries in 1/4 cup of flour
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in eggs, one at a time followed by lime juice and zest.
Add soda and salt.
Alternate adding the remaining flour and yogurt.
Gently fold in strawberries.
Pour batter into pan and bake for 50-60 minutes.
Let mostly cool on a wire rack.
When still barely warm turn onto plate (hopefully in one piece)!

Glaze
Zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon lime juice
Few tablespoons plain yogurt
Tablespoon or so cream cheese
Some powdered sugar
Some milk

Mix together and add more/ less liquid to make the perfect consistency.
Drizzle over cooled cake.

Chocolate-Cookie-Dough-Bacon Cupcakes

Yes, you did read that correctly. These cupcakes involve a rich, chocolatey cake, cookie-dough flavored frosting, and BACON on top. How could anyone not like these? :) 

Shout out to my friend R for ordering these from us for a friend's birthday. They are a blast to make.

Also, tip for the ladies, try making these for Valentine's Day! :)

Chocolate Cake:

1 box Chocolate Cake Mix

4 eggs

2/3 cup oil

1 small pkg. chocolate instant pudding

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream (or greek yogurt)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners.

Spray liners with non-stick spray.

 In a large bowl, gently whisk eggs, oil, milk, sour cream and vanilla extract together

Add cake mix and pudding mix, stir until combined.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Cookie Dough Frosting: (from Annie's Eats)

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
2 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. 

Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth.

 Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Bacon:

Cut bacon into fourths (or thirds if you want bigger pieces).

Place bacon on baking rack on top of a cookie sheet that has sides (to collect the bacon grease).

Place cookie sheet in a COLD oven and turn on to 400 degrees.

Bake for about 20 minutes (I start checking after 10 minutes and keep checking every 5. Cooking time depends on how fast your oven heats and how thick your bacon is).

Browned-butter Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pumpkin Spice Latte Frosting

Ok, so I'm just going to come out and say it. These cupcakes have got to be one of the best I have ever made, and I think EWeage would have to agree. Reasons you may ask?

1. Its pumpkin. I mean, come on. 
2. Browned butter, need I say more?
3. Oodles of delicious spices.
4. They were so moist!
5. The frosting was pretty fantastic too. Subtle hint of coffee and pumpkin was the perfect accent to an already amazing cupcake.

Pumpkin Brown Butter Cupcakes 

with Cinnamon Frosting 

(From SprinkleBakes)
Yield:  About 24 cupcakes                                                        

Cake:

¾ cup unsalted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. allspice

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 ½ cups pumpkin puree

3 large eggs

½ cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake tins with papers.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cook, swirling the pan occasionally until the butter turns golden brown. Pour the browned butter into a small bowl and let stand until cool but not solidified.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt and allspice.  Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk 1 ½ cups of pumpkin puree with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and sour cream until well combined.  Stir in the flour mixture until just combined.  Whisk in the browned butter until well blended.  
Divide batter between cupcake liners.  Fill them about half full.
Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes, or until they spring back when pressed in the middle.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Buttercream

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened

4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)

2 tablespoons milk (Or use some coffee instead)

~4 teaspoons instant pumpkin spice latte mix

1/2 teaspoon instant coffee

dash of cinnamon and allspice

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add mix, coffee, and spices. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

 

Here's another one of those recipes that I knew must be made as soon as I saw it!  Last year my roommate introduced me to the chocolate and pumpkin combination.  The furthest I was willing to go was throwing in a few handfuls of chocolate chips in my pumpkin bread.  But this year, I was ready to dive head first into chocolately pumpkin goodness!  Especially when Bridget of Bake at 350 reports reviews like this: "If my girlfriend made these, I might have to buy an engagement ring."

We enjoyed these on Wednesday before Thanksgiving because we already had planned the menu for Thursday, but they still needed to be made.  There was a little too much pumpkin to the amount of brownie for my taste, so the recipe is altered here for more perfect ratio.  Wednesday night we warmed them in the microwave and served a la mode.  Thursday morning we had them straight out of the fridge.  Chilled had the vote of all.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies (adapted from Bake at 350)
Serves 16

Pumpkin Cheesecake Layer
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup greek yogurt
2 eggs

In in a mixer with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth.
Add pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, and the spices.
Once well mixed, add the yogurt and eggs.
Set aside.

Brownie Layer
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Over medium heat, melt butter in a sauce pan.
Once melted, add sugar.
Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa powder, baking powder, and vanilla.
After sufficiently cool, beat in eggs.
Mix in flour just until well combined.
Pour into greased 9x13 pan, reserving 1/2 to 3/4 cup for top.
Spread cheesecake mixture evenly over top.
Add spoonfuls of reserved brownie batter to top.  Swirl with butter knife.
Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans on top.
Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 until cheesecake is set.
Cool on wire rack, cover and chill in refrigerator before serving.

Peanut Butter Cookie Chocolate Cupcakes

If you've skimmed the recipes here, you have probably noticed KWeage and I pretty much adore anything peanut butter and chocolate.  While browsing Annie's Eats, my go to for cupcake inspiration, I saw this recipe again.  My co-residents this month had a heads up about my baking from a med school classmate.  As there are two days left of this rotation, I took advantage of my extra day off to spend a little extra time in the kitchen.

Peanut Butter Cookie Chocolate Cupcakes (from Annie's Eats)
Makes 28 cupcakes

Cupcake Batter
1 1/2 cups hot coffee
3/4 cup cocoa powder
12 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix cocoa powder into hot coffee, set aside.
Beat together butter and sugars.
Add eggs one at a time.
Stir in vanilla, powder, soda, and salt.
Alternate adding flour and coffee/ cocoa mixture.
Divide batter evenly in prepared cupcake tins.
Bake for 18 minutes.

Ganache
3 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
½ cup half and half

Melt chocolate in a double boiler.
Whisk in half and half once melted.
Allow to cool briefly before frosting cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Cookie Frosting
9 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
3 cups powdered sugar

Beat together butter and peanut butter.
Slowly add powdered sugar.
Roll approximately 2 tablespoons of the frosting in your palms.
Flatten and add criss-cross patter with fork.
Top each cupcake with a frosting cookie.

Its a boy!

This weekend a friend, AT, had a baby shower, and unfortunately because of a conference, I was unable to attend. But I was able to bake cupcakes and send them instead :) 

I talked to AT's husband ST, and he said that she really loved buttercream frosting, so I set out to find a cupcake with a great buttercream frosting.

I realized that most of the cupcakes I make a pretty girly, and the baby is a boy, so I went to my favorite food blogs for inspiration. I ended up finding a Lemon Blueberry cupcake recipe and thought it would be perfect. 

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes. (inspiration from annie's eats, recipe adapted from yourcupofcake.com).
Makes 24 cupcakes.

Lemon Cake:

1 box of yellow cake mix (or lemon if you have it)
4 eggs
2/3 cup of oil
1 cup of milk
1 small package of instant pudding (I used vanilla, I would recommend getting lemon if you can)
1/2 cup greek yogurt (or sour cream)
2 teaspoons lemon extract (don't use as much if you used lemon cake mix or pudding)
zest of 1 lemon
1 small package of blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, line pans with cupcake liners and spray with non-stick spray.
Distribute the blueberries evenly between the cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, oil, milk, yogurt, and extract together.
Add cake mix and pudding mix, stir until combined.
Pour mix over the blueberries (I usually use a 1/4c measuring cup to fill them.
Bake for 17-22 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
(I ran into a small problem of the cupcakes collapsing a bit, so make sure they are really done... the toothpick did come out clean, but they were only in for 17 minutes...)

Lemon Buttercream Frosting:

3 cups of powdered sugar (plus a bit extra to get the consistency right)
1 stick of butter (cold)
1+ teaspoon of lemon extract
juice from 1/4 lemon
a dash of half and half
Food coloring

Using a stand mixer and the whisk attachement, beat the butter until it is smooth. Add in the powdered sugar slowly so it has a chance to blend well.
Add the extract and juice.
Taste and add more extract if needed.
Add food coloring to desired color
Add either half and half or powdered sugar to get it to the right consistency.
Pipe using 1M tip.

Happy Birthday, Kristi

This cake was sooooo worth the wait!  I think its been on my radar for two years, but I've never had the right reason to make it (after eating it, I'll make it again for no reason at all).  But Kristi's birthday was just the reason I've been waiting for.  And it didn't take much convincing at all to have her pick a dark chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting and chocolate ganache poured on the top.

She loved the chocolate to peanut butter ratio, I could have used a little more peanut butter and a little less chocolate.  But its all personal preference, I suppose.  I've altered the frosting recipe just a bit as I found there wasn't quite enough to prevent crumbs from peaking through.  As the original recipe suggested, I popped the cakes in the freezer for a bit before frosting as they are quite moist.

Don't make the same mistake I did... bake this up for your next party, not two years from now!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Celebration Cake (from Smitten Kitchen)
Serves at least 16

Cake Batter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together dry ingredients, flour through salt.
Combine oil through vinegar in a mixing bowl.
Add beaten eggs.
Gently fold dry mixture into wet.
Divide evenly into 3 greased and floured 8" cake pans.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Cool on wire rack and then freeze until ready to frost.

Frosting
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
4 cups powdered sugar


Beat cream cheese, butter, and peanut butter together with electric mixer.
Add powdered sugar one cup at a time.
Refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble, frost each layer of cake and refrigerate.

Chocolate Ganache Topping
3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half

Melt chocolate and peanut butter in a double boiler.  Stir occasionally.
Once melted, mix in corn syrup.
Take off heat and whisk in half and half.
Let cool briefly.  Pour on top of frosted cake while still warm and let drip over edges.

Happy Birthday to Me :)

My birthday was this past Wednesday, so I did what most people do, and I made cupcakes :) 

EWeage and I thought we should try something we've never done before, and given that I love chocolate, and coconut, and almonds, these seemed like a great choice. Everyone loved them! (Except for those crazy people who don't like coconut... :-P ) 

We had some difficulties with lighting and getting a good picture of these cupcakes... hence the picture with my hands because it had the best lighting!

Almond Joy Cupcakes. (from yourcupofcake.com)

Chocolate Cake:

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix

4 eggs

2/3 cup oil

1 small pkg. chocolate instant pudding

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream (or greek yogurt)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Coconut Topping:

1/4 cup butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3-4 cups powdered sugar

2 cups chocolate Melts

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners.

Spray liners with non-stick spray.

 In a large bowl, gently whisk eggs, oil, milk, sour cream and vanilla extract together

Add cake mix and pudding mix, stir until combined.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Topping: 

Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add shredded coconut and vanilla, mix again. Slowly add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.

Spread topping onto cooled cupcakes.

Place chocolate melts in a microwave-safe bowl and melt and stir until smooth.

Dip cupcakes into chocolate and then place an almond on top.

Twice is Nice :)

Both EWeage and I had friends celebrating birthdays the same week, so we decided to whip up two new and improved versions of our favorite cupcakes. They are very similar to posts we have done before, but we made a few minor (yet tasty) changes you can find below. 

S'mores Cupcake

Find the recipe here: http://simplebakingmachines.blogspot.com/2011/07/smores-cupcakes.html

After pouring the batter into the cupcake pan, put a dollop of Nutella in the middle of the batter. Delish!

Raspberry-Limeade Cupcake

Find the recipe here: http://simplebakingmachines.blogspot.com/2012/05/happy-belated-madi.html

Instead of using lemon juice/zest for the curd, replace it with lime juice/zest. Also, for the cupcake batter, we didn't have a lemon cake mix. We substituted a white cake mix and then added lime zest, 1/8 tsp lemon extract, and some green food coloring!

Goat-cheese-raspberry-fudge-cicles

So yesterday, EWeage and I were sitting in our dinning room discussing the weekly grocery list when she says, "We need to use up that goat cheese in the fridge." 

Apparently that is all you need to say around this house to get yourself an amazing dessert. 

Exhibit A:

There was a bit more to the story than that. It mostly involved the two of us yelling a conglomeration of: GOAT CHEESE ICE CREAM!! WITH RASPBERRIES!! AND CHOCOLATE!! IN THE NEW POPSICLE Mold!! And that is how this delightful dessert was born. 

Now, for most people, dessert isn't the first place their mind goes when goat cheese is mentioned. But, two years ago for Christmas, our family went to Chicago. We tried to disguise the trip by planning other activities, but the entire reason we went was to enjoy dinner at Rick Bayless' restaurant, Topolobampo. Every part of the meal was wonderful, but JWeage and I picked out the best dessert: Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Sauce. It was to die for. We're more than willing to give Chef Bayless "inspired by"credit on this creation!

I have to confess, we were not patient when it came to waiting to eat these. We ended up scooping out less than frozen popsicles into bowls so we could eat some before we went to bed last night. 

Yes, they were that good. And just as good completely frozen for desert this evening.

Goat-cheese-raspberry-fudge-cicles: (Inspired by Rick Bayless)

5 ounces goat cheese

2 ounces cream cheese

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup whole milk

1/4 cup fresh raspberries

Sanders hot fudge

Blend together all the ingredients except the fudge. (I have a mini food-processor that worked perfectly). Heat the hot fudge in the microwave until it can be easily spooned.

Spoon layers of the goat cheese mixture followed by the fudge into popsicle molds. 

Freeze.

Eat.

Hide leftovers from your sister in the back of your tiny freezer. Oh wait... You didn't hear that from me. 

American Flag Cake

Better late than never, right?  Life has been a little crazy around here since starting residency.  I just might have to start baking seasonal treats a month in advance, so I can share on here in time for you to make them!!

This cake looks like a traditional white layer cake... until the first cut is made.  Then its true colors show!  An American flag (without stars, still brainstorming that one) on the inside.

American Flag Cake
(makes 1 cake with lots of leftovers for cake truffles or a smaller, backward flag)

Cake
2 white cake mixes
blue and red food coloring

You'll need 2 red, 1 blue, and 1 white 8" round cakes.
Bake as directed and cool on wire racks.

Frosting
1 1/2 cups milk
6 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup room temperature butter
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat milk and flour over medium high heat.
Stir constantly until a thick paste forms.
Transfer to bowl.  Set aside and let cool.
Beat butter, shortening, and sugar.
Add cool flour mixture.
Mix a bit.
Add vanilla.
Beat until you can no longer feel the sugar granules on your tongue.

To assemble:
Slice white and both red cakes in half.
Use a 4" bowl to cut a circle out of the center of the blue cake.
Using the same bowl as a guide, cut out the middle of one half layer of both red and white.
On your serving plate, layer red, white, and red cakes with a thin layer of frosting in between.
Carefully, transfer the outside ring of blue cake to the top.
Inside the blue cake, layer the small circles of white and red cake with frosting between.
Cover the whole cake with a really good crumb coat of frosting, then generously frost.

Vanilla Mocha Bundt Cake

This was a cake of firsts.  First baking in the new house (without Kristi... we're brainstorming something out of this world for our first joint effort).  First treat to share with my resident colleagues.  First recipe from Joy the Baker's Cookbook.  First Bundt cake success since the lemon disaster several years ago!  I even photographed the un-iced cake to prove its in one piece and without cracks.

The coffee flavor in this moist cake is quite pronounced.  I planned to use hazelnut coffee, but we didn't have any in the house, so vanilla it was.  I can only imagine how wonderful this would be with Nutella frosting and a few toasted hazelnuts on top!  Mint mocha is another flavor I have tucked away for future use.  It is incredibly easy to change this cake with a switch of coffee flavors.

Vanilla Mocha Bundt Cake (from JTB Cookbook)
makes one Bundt cake

Cake Batter
1 1/4 cups hot vanilla coffee
1 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
Butter or shortening, and flour for Bundt pan

Preheat oven to 350.
Prepare Bundt pan with LOTS of butter or shortening and flour.  Set aside.
While coffee is brewing, cream together sugar and eggs.
Add sour cream, yogurt, and oil.
Mix in salt and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, whisk together coffee and cocoa powder.  Let cool slightly.
Slowly pour coffee mixture into eggs while beating.
Add flour 1/2 cup at a time.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes.
Cool cake in pan for 20 minutes.
Invert onto wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

See that plate just waiting for a piece of cake?!  Annnnd the no-crack Bundt cake!

Icing
3/4 cup butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons vanilla coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sour cream

Melt butter and chocolate together over double boiler.
Add coffee and vanilla.  Cool slightly.
Beat in sour cream.
Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
Beat until fluffy.
Frost cooled cake.
Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.