Tortamisu and Vallarta Torte - Office Baby Shower

This is a very belated post, but a couple months ago, I made two cakes for an office baby shower! One with espresso for a pick-me-up, and one with tequila for a bit of relaxation. Neither of which were soaked enough to have any of those effects of course, but I was amused when someone pointed this out to me.

The first is a Tortamisu, from Extraordinary Desserts. According to  Extraordinary Desserts' website:

"Our unique version of Tiramisu consists of espresso soaked ricotta cake layers and Italian mascarpone rum cream. This house favorite is finished with whipped cream and dusted with cocoa."

I didn't have chocolate paillettes, so I simply coated the sides with toasted cake crumbs, and then chocolate jimmies. I would have preferred real chocolate, but the jimmies still did the trick, at least as far as texture goes. This cake was delicious and decadent but not too heavy or sweet.

 

The second is the Vallarta Torte, also from Extraordinary Desserts. I don't think this cake is currently available in store, so I don't have an official website description of it, but it is made of sponge cake layers soaked with a tequila simple syrup, and filled with layers of lime curd and lime curd pastry cream.

The outside is coated with lime curd whipped cream and toasted coconut chips. My execution of this cake wasn't stellar, but fortunately the whipped cream and coconut chips covered the imperfections! This cake was light and refreshing, and a great contrast to the Tortamisu.

Each of these cakes was quite an undertaking, and the two of them together resulted in a pretty late night, but I'm happy I was able to pull them off.

Red Velvet Ginger Cream Cheese Cupcakes - An Improved Red Velvet Recipe

As I mentioned in my prior red velvet cupcake post, I hoped to come up with an oil-based recipe that I could recommend. With this recipe below -- mission accomplished!

From my experience, oil-based cakes, as compared to butter cakes, have a better texture and more moistness, at least for cupcakes. Butter cakes are a little denser (and drier?) and seem to work better for layered cakes.

This red velvet cake is topped with ginger-white pepper cream cheese, candied ginger and chocolate shavings. My mom had recently been to some fancy restaurant and was raving to me about a red velvet doughnut dessert she had eaten, with a ginger-pepper-chocolate cream cheese filling that had a kick to it. I took that as a challenge to come up with a cupcake version :)

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients
Makes 22-24 cupcakes

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. 
3. Mix cocoa with food coloring in small bowl until smooth paste forms. 
4. Mix buttermilk, oil, vinegar, vanilla and eggs in stand mixer.
5. Add half of flour mixture and beat on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add remainder of flour mixture, scraping down side of bowl.
6. Add cocoa mixture and beat on medium speed until completely incorporated about 30 seconds. Use a rubber spatula to scrape sides and bottom of bowl to make sure red color is evenly distributed.
7. Scoop into lined cupcake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.

Ginger Pepper Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
Makes about 3 cups

• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 8 oz. (1 package) cream cheese, softened 
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger (+/- to taste)
• 1 teaspoon white pepper (+/- to taste)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar (+/- to taste)

Directions

1. Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add sugar one cup at a time and beat on low speed until incorporated.
3. Add vanilla, ginger and pepper and increase speed until frosting is fluffy. Note: the amount of spices noted above results in a mild kick. Add more for stronger flavor, or mix in a ginger syrup or chopped crystallized/candied ginger.

Milo | Portrait of a Gentleman

Better known as Mr. Milo when on Google campuses, Milo dons a purple bowtie while on east campus:

and a red bowtie while on west campus:

 

I think my pup is kind of handsome. Excuse me while I have a proud parent moment :)

Lemon Red Velvet Cupcakes - Red & Gold

It's homecoming weekend! For a reunion potluck with my syzsters, I made these red velvet cupcakes, filled with lemon curd and topped with lemon cream cheese frosting and a gumpaste yellow rose, as a nod to our sorority colors of red and gold.

I've actually never made red velvet cupcakes before, so I decided to try out two recipes, one from Cook's Illustrated (which I can almost always count on), and one from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook (via Joy the Baker). Neither blew me away, as I thought both were slightly dry and not particularly flavorful on their own. Although both held up well and tasted great once assembled with the frosting and curd, I think a good cake should stand on its own.

 

Cook's Illustrated on left; Hummingbird Bakery on right 

Initially, out of the oven, I liked the Hummingbird recipe better, because it used more cocoa and food coloring, resulting in a deeper red color and a stronger chocolate flavor. But once the cupcakes were assembled and sat overnight, I thought the Cook's Illustrated recipe was more balanced. The Hummingbird recipe had a little too much cocoa, such that the cake tasted more like a chocolate cake (which, unless you are mixing in melted chocolate into the recipe, often has a slightly bitter aftertaste), and was overpowering the lemon and cream cheese flavors.

In the future, I hope to tinker with a oil-based recipe, rather than a butter-based one, as I generally prefer the texture and moistness of oil cakes (at least for cupcakes). Will update if I succeed there!

Cook's Illustrated Red Velvet Cake - from Holiday Baking 2010

Ingredients
Makes 20 cupcakes

• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (regular, not Dutch-processed, for proper rise and color)
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. 
3. Whisk buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and eggs in large measuring cup. 
4. Mix cocoa with food coloring in small bowl until smooth paste forms. 
5. With stand mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as necessary. 
6. Add one-third of flour mixture and beat on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. 
7. Add half of buttermilk mixture and beat on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. 
8. Scrape down bowl as necessary and repeat with half of remaining flour mixture, remaining buttermilk mixture, and finally remaining flour mixture. 
9. Scrape down bowl, add cocoa mixture and beat on medium speed until completely incorporated about 30 seconds. Using rubber spatula give batter final stir. (Note: make sure the red color is consistent throughout batter, especially at bottom of bowl.)
10. Scrape into lined cupcake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. 

adapted from Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook Red Velvet Cupcake - via Joy the Baker

Ingredients
Makes 20 cupcakes

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 6 tablespoons red food coloring 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 ¼ cups flour 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. On medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. 
4. Turn the mixer to high and add the egg. Scrape down the bowl and beat until well incorporated.
5. In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and red food coloring to make a thick paste. Add to the batter and mix on medium speed until completely combined.
6. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add half of the buttermilk. Add half of the flour and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and repeat the process with the remaining milk and flour. Beat on high until smooth.
7. Again, reduce the mixer speed to low and add the salt, baking soda and vinegar. Turn to high and beat for another couple of minutes until completely combined and smooth.
8. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

For the lemon cream cheese frosting, beat together 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, 12 oz. cream cheese, 1 lb. (4 cups) confectioners' sugar, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, and the juice from one lemon (to taste, about 2-3 tablespoons). Note: the acidity from the lemon juice may slightly break up the consistency of the frosting, so don't make this too far in advance.

For the lemon curd, combine 2 whole eggs, 8 egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, and ⅔ cup lemon juice in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmer water. Cook and whisk constantly until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, whisking until smooth. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a small bowl to remove lumps. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).

Chocolate Bourbon Tart

 Chocolate bourbon tart (with a slight emphasis on the bourbon . . . )

I love the crust on this. It has the crunchy yet crumbly texture and taste of a chocolate shortbread, which contrasts well with the rich bittersweet chocolate bourbon filling. It's like eating an adult fudgy brownie with a cookie crust.

This recipe is contributed by Michael Glissman to the Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2011 (which, by the way, has not let me down yet). I believe the original publication is from Italian Lunch in a Sonoma Vineyard with Jamey Whetstone and Michael Chiarello, and Food & Wine first published this in its monthly in October 2010.

Ingredients
Pastry

• 1 ½ cups flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling

• 12 oz. bittersweet chocolate
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup bourbon (if you're not a fan of the taste, dilute this a little)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 5 large eggs, room temperature

 Directions

1. In a small bowl, sift the flour with the cocoa powder and salt. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until it is well blended. Beat in the dry ingredients at low speed until just combined. Add the vanilla extract and beat just until a soft dough forms, about 5 seconds. Press the pastry into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°. On a floured work surface, working quickly, roll out the pastry to an 11-inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the pastry to a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently press the pastry over the bottom and up the side of the pan. Trim off any excess pastry. Refrigerate the shell for about 20 minutes, until firm.
3. Line the pastry with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for about 30 minutes, until almost cooked. Remove the tart shell from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes, then gently remove the foil and weights. Return the shell to the oven and bake for about 12 minutes longer, until dry. Transfer to a wire rack and let the tart shell cool to room temperature. Just before filling, refrigerate the tart shell for a few minutes until slightly chilled.
4. Put the chocolate and salt in the bowl of the standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. In a small saucepan, heat the bourbon with the sugar over moderate heat, stirring a few times, just until the sugar is dissolved; try not to let the bourbon boil. Pour the warm bourbon mixture over the chocolate. Add the pieces of butter and the eggs and beat at moderate speed until the mixture is creamy and shiny.
5. Set the tart shell on a large baking sheet and pour in the filling. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the filling has risen and the top is cracked in places. Transfer the tart to a rack and let it cool completely. Unmold the tart and refrigerate it overnight. Using a sharp knife, cut the tart into thin wedges and serve. 

Apricot Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

This is a great companion cookie for the Oatmeal Craisin White Chocolate Cookie, and uses a similar recipe, with dried apricots replacing the craisins, and semi-sweet chocolate (chips, and exterior dipping) replacing the white chocolate. The original recipe from Food & Wine uses much higher butter/sugar to flour/oatmeal ratio than the craisin recipe, which makes the cookie spread and get a bit thing. I've adapted it to be somewhat closer to the craisin recipe.

Adapted from Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2011:

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 ½ cups flour
• ¾ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup pecans
• 1 cup dried apricots, cut into ¼-inch dice
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. 
2. Bake the pecans until lightly toasted (about 8 minutes). Once cooled, chop coarsely.
3. Mix the oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
4. Using a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until blended. Beat in the dry mixture until just incorporated. 
5. Fold in the dried apricots, toasted pecans and chocolate chips.
6. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto lined cookie sheets (parchment paper or nonstick foil), spaced at least 1-2 inches apart. Bake for about 16 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool and transfer to wire rack.
7. Drizzle with or dip in melted semi-sweet chocolate. 

These cookies will expand more than the craisins recipe.

Passion Fruit Cake - New Beginnings

Passion fruit is one of my favorite fruits, and has sentimental meaning to me as well. I made this passion fruit cake to commemorate the closing of one chapter of my life, and to toast new beginnings.

This cake has layers of ricotta pound cake brushed with a passion fruit simple syrup, and a whipped cream / passion fruit curd filling layered with fresh strawberries and kiwi.

I also made a cupcake version using the passion fruit curd as the filling, and the whipped cream / passion fruit curd mix as the topping. If you need to find passion fruit puree or concentrate, your local mercado should carry some.

 As for this following cupcake . . .

This cupcake isn't one of my creations—it's Kara's passion fruit cupcake—but it has special meaning for me. Nearly 4 years ago, a beautiful sparkling ring was given to me on this cupcake. It was a magical, memorable evening, and there have been many magical, memorable moments since.

My dear baking assistant and I now officially part ways after nearly 7 years together, but I have no doubt we'll be sharing laughter and memories in the future, over Milo, cupcakes, and life's many other bonbons.

We began and ended our relationship with a leap of faith, and a deep sense of trust. While I wouldn't wish the heartache we went through upon anyone, I do wish everyone could experience a friendship as meaningful as ours. Love you, always.

Oatmeal Craisin White Chocolate Cookies

Oftentimes, recipes on the back of boxes / packages can be rather mediocre, having been dumbed down to be accessible to the general public. This one, however, despite its simplicity, is a home run. It's quick and easy, and most people seem to love the taste, even if they are not particular fans of oatmeal cookies, craisins, or white chocolate.

Adapted from Ocean Spray® Craisins® package:

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup butter, softened
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 6 oz. dried cranberries (i.e. Ocean Spray® Craisins®) - Note: I would use 1 to 1 ½ cups.
• ⅔ cup white chocolate chunks or chips - Note: I would use 1 to 1 ½ cups.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Using a mixer, beat butter and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.
3. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. 
4. Drizzle with melted white chocolate for extra flair and flavor.

Most of the sweetness and flavor for this cookie comes from the dried cranberries and white chocolate, so be liberal with those ingredients. In addition, note that these cookies expand very little in the oven. I would flatten them slightly before baking. No need to worry about the cookies running into each other as they bake.

Dame Chocolat - Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse Cake

A birthday cake for my office neighbor!

This bittersweet chocolate mousse cake is another one from Extraordinary Desserts. According to  Extraordinary Desserts' website:

"This cake is the Grande Dame of chocolate tortes. Dark and intense chocolate mousse sits atop a light layer of flourless chocolate cake creating a richly irresistible chocolate experience."

I was fairly stressed about all the components to this cake and the execution of the assembly, but I'm happy that it all worked out in the end. Two chocolate genoise cake layers are soaked with a semi-sweet cocoa simple syrup, and topped with bittersweet chocolate-rum ganache and bittersweet chocolate mousse. The surface finish is a chocolate miroir (see description and recipe below), and I used fresh gladiolus flowers for decoration. This is a death-by-chocolate sort of cake (which fortunately was the birthday boy's wish) that is moist and decadent, and oddly both light and dense at the same time.

The cake layers are flourless, and bake like a giant souffle (including the tendency to collapse). After realizing that I was not going to perfect the souffle in my first couple attempts, I decided to just make two cakes instead of splitting one cake into two halves. Although the cake is flourless, it is actually an airy genoise that holds up well when brushed with a syrup.

The cake is baked in a pan with a removable bottom to allow for easier handling. After baking, the edges of the cake are trimmed to reduce the diameter. Each cake layer is brushed with the syrup, topped with the ganache, and then covered with mousse, which spills over into the outer rim between the trimmed cake and the cake pan. After the cake sets in the freezer, a ganache layer is spread on top, and then a chocolate miroir is poured on to create a glossy, smooth finish.

What is chocolate miroir you ask? I describe it as a chocolate ganache with gelatin added for shine and texture.

Dark Chocolate Miroir

Ingredients

• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons water
  
• 1 gelatin sheet (or about 1/3 packet gelatin powder)
• 1 tablespoon glucose or light corn syrup

Directions

1. Combine the sugar, cocoa powder and heavy cream with 2 tablespoons water in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat.
2. While the sugar is cooking, place the gelatin in cool water to soften and bloom. Squeeze out or drain excess water. Add to hot sugar mixture along with the glucose (or light corn syrup) and mix well to combine.
3. Use immediately (pour over cake and spread evenly with a large offset spatula).

Dear readers: I no longer possess an SLR camera, so the photography work on this blog will suffer briefly while I use a camera phone and whatever other resources I have within reach during my random baking hours.

Sesame Caramel Rice Fritters & Tres Leches Cupcakes - Belated Cinco de Mayo

I didn't get a chance to make these for Cinco de Mayo like I had planned to, but I made them happen anyway over the past week.

Rice Fritters with Sesame Caramel
(see recipe from Food Network)

If you search for Cinco de Mayo desserts, churros, or variations of fried dough dipped in sugar, are likely to turn up. I thought these rice fritters would be slightly more interesting and challenging, so I decided to give them a try. Delicious, and well-worth the effort! But perhaps no healthier than churros (they are deep-fried afterall) . . .

 

Tres Leches Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche
(adapted from Saveur Magazine, see also theurbanbaker.com)

Ingredients
Makes 24 cupcakes

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 6 eggs, separated
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1 ½ tablespoons dark rum
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 12-oz. can evaported milk
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Heat ¾ cup of the heavy cream in a saucepan until it boils/simmers. Pour over white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let sit for a couple minutes before stirring with a spatula until the white chocolate is melted and smooth.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set aside.
4. Beat the egg whites with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Continue beating while adding the sugar.
5. Separately beat the egg yolks until fluffy. Using the paddle attachment, add the flour mixture and whole milk, alternating between the two and ending with the flour.
6. Add the rum and vanilla and beat briefly until smooth.
7. Folk in the egg whites.
8. Scoop batter into cupcake liners, and bake for 16-18 minutes until slightly golden. Be careful not to overbake. Since the cake will be soaked in tres leches, it will ultimately be "moist" in any event, but the cake texture is spongy and can get stiff.
9. After baking, let cool slightly (~30 minutes), and then poke holes in the top of the cupcakes with a knife, making sure to penetrate to the base.
10. Peel off the paper liners. Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream, and spoon the mixture over the warm cupcakes (3-5 tablespoons should do the trick, with the excess sitting in the cupcake pan to ensure that the bottom of the cupcakes are moistened). I wouldn't worry about oversoaking.
11. Cover the cupcakes with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well-chilled and the liquid is absorbed (at least 4 hours).
12. Spread/drizzle dulce de leche on top of the cupcakes, and top with whipped cream.
    

Home-made dulce de leche is quite easy. It is essentially caramelized condensed milk. Some recipes prepare it directly in the can by placing the can in a boiling pot of water. I decided to go with the oven method (see, e.g. David Lebovitz's recipe):

Pour a can of sweetened condensed milk into a shallow pie pan or baking pan. Place that pan in a larger roasting dish / baking pan that has a lid. Fill the outer pan with water until near the top of the inner pan. Cover with lid and baking at 425° F for 75-90 minutes. Check occasionally in case you need to add more water. A darker crust/layer will form on the top of the condensed milk / dulce de leche. Whisk the dulce de leche until it is smooth (you may need to strain out pieces of crust). Voila!

Ivoire Royale - White Chocolate Mousse & Berry Cake

According to Extraordinary Desserts' website:

"Ivoire Royale -- An exquisite torte made of fine layers of vanilla bean soaked pound cakes and creamy white chocolate mousse. Bursting with fresh raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries, this delicate mousse torte is hidden by white chocolate shaving dusted with powdered sugar."

This is a 10" cake, with sour cream pound cake layers, brushed with vanilla simple syrup. In between the layers are white chocolate sour cream mousse, fresh whipped cream, and berries. I only used strawberries and blackberries in my cake, but I think any combination would work. The decoration is white chocolate shavings and curls.

I'm not sure the recipe for mousse in the cookbook quite worked. For a better mousse consistency, I suggest the following:

White Chocolate Sour Cream Mousse

• 4 egg yolks
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup sour cream (room temperature)
• 6.5 oz (1 ¼ cup) white chocolate
• 2 cup heavy cream
• ⅓ cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Heat ¾ cup of the heavy cream in a saucepan until it boils/simmers. Pour over white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let sit for a couple minutes before stirring with a spatula until the white chocolate is melted and smooth.
2. Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a stand mixer until pale yellow and fluffy.
3. Add melted chocolate to the whipped egg yolks.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the remaining heavy cream and powdered sugar together until peaks form.
5. Gently fold in the whipped cream and sour cream into the white chocolate-egg yolk mousse base.

I played with this while in-process, so the measurements may not be exact, particularly with respect to the whipped cream addition. I think that part can be made to-taste and to-texture, depending on what consistency and level of sweetness you are aiming for. The important addition here to the cookbook is the whipped egg yolk base, which gives the mousse a sturdier structure that won't run.

I had previously attempted this in cupcake form, but because this cake relies on being soaked in vanilla simple syrup, and having almost as much (or perhaps more) mousse and whipped cream than cake, I don't think the cupcake form delivers the same texture and flavor. Not to mention, I also dropped my entire batch of cupcakes before delivering them to a potluck event, so it is not quite a happy memory. One day, I will post a collage of all my disasters (usually in transit), when it doesn't pain me so much to think about it!

Yellow roses for my SYZters:

Milo | Dog Beach Day at Carmel-by-the-Sea

It's been a while since I have posted about Milo. But this romp earlier in the year at the Carmel-by-the-Sea dog beach is a fun moment worth sharing!

Milo is a keen and observant dog, but perhaps a bit too skeptical to be foolishly joyous and happy-go-lucky around strangers (both humans and dogs). As a result, he tends to come across as shy around new people. But when you get to know him, he is one funny pup who likes to tease and challenge you. It's hard not to anthropomorphize him!

This video is an especially happy one for me because Milo's wild play times in public have been more infrequent ever since he got attacked by a big dog last year. In addition, when we used to go to the Del Mar dog beach, the crowd of big dogs there always seemed to intimidate him, so he never quite got to appreciate the beach. Here, during a sunny moment of a rainy weekend, he finally finds a friend and learns firsthand what a wave is . . .

Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

If you ever buy blueberries at Costco, and realize you have more than you can finish before the blueberries go bad, here's one for you:

Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

Makes 1 (12-cup) Bundt cake, or 32 cupcakes

Crumb Topping:

• ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, chilled

 Cake:

• 2 cups fresh blueberries (or raspberries)
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (more for dusting)
• 4 teaspoons baking power
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (plus more for pan)
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk

Directions

1. Make the crumb topping: mix the dry ingredients, and then cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients, rubbing the dry mix and butter between your fingers until it takes on a crumbly texture.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
3. Rinse the berries, air dry, and then toss with 2 teaspoons flour.
4. Generously butter and flour the Bundt pan.
5. Make the cake: In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients, except for the sugar. Separately, whip the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer (paddle attachment) until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 15 seconds after each. Scrape the bowl, add the vanilla, and whip for another 1-2 minutes. On low speed, add the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture, alternating between the two. Fold in the berries with a spatula, being careful not to break any.
6. Scrape the batter into the pan, level the batter, and sprinkle generously with the crumb topping.
7. Bake for 45-55 minutes, and then let sit for 10 minutes before un-molding the cake. Flip the cake back one more time so that the crumb topping is on top.

This recipe is from Fine Cooking Annual, which, by the way, is filled with amazing recipes. I don't think we've ever hit upon a bad one in there.

For cupcakes, bake for approximately 25 minutes at the same temperature.

I have had some trouble with the crumb topping sinking in the Bundt cake (including the one pictured above). First I thought the crumb topping was too warm; then I thought it was too cold; then I thought perhaps I got the the crumb ingredients or consistency wrong, but no tweak was fixing the problem. My next idea was to watch what was going on while the cake was in the oven. As I watched, I saw that the batter along the outer and inner Bundt pan surfaces was rising faster and folding over the center. Consequently (because I'm a ChemE major . . .) I thought that this must be some fluid/thermodynamics issue, and surely I could fix it. Perhaps my batter was too cold, or there was otherwise some other reason for too high of a temperature gradient. But nothing I tried seemed to fix the problem.

This past weekend, I finally realized the issue. I recalled the first couple times I made this, when I had no problem at all, and was certainly less careful and meticulous about my preparation process. Back then, in law school, my kitchen was pretty sparse and I didn't bother getting creative with recipes. I hand-buttered and floured the pan because the recipe said to, and I didn't have one of those baking sprays with flour. My crumb wouldn't sink then, but my cake would sometimes break as I tried to un-mold it. At that time, I thought the cake broke because I didn't grease the pan properly and the cake was getting stuck. So I switched to those baking sprays with flour, thinking I'd get a more even coat. The problem is, that's not why my cake was breaking. I was simply underbaking it in my crappy law school apartment oven. And what I now realize is that, while the flour baking spray does evenly and consistently grease a pan surface, it provides less insulation versus buttering and dusting flour on the pan. As a result, with less barrier layer insulation, the outer batter cooks much more quickly than if I had stuck with a hand-dusted flour layer. So . . . it is a fluid/thermodynamics issue after all. Did you really just read all of that?

Strawberry Cupcakes - Is It Springtime Yet?

I have a sweet tooth, no doubt about that. But don't worry mom, I do eat food categories other than "dessert". When I say I love desserts, it's not so much about eating desserts, as it is about appreciating that intersection of culinary science and art. So it's probably no surprise that I love Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego and would go work with Karen Krasne in a heartbeat if I were to ever attend pastry school. She never fails to deliver art and beauty (and incredible flavor) in her creations.

This Toutes Fraises (translation: all strawberries) from her cookbook is a sour cream cupcake containing freshly diced strawberries in the batter. The cake is filled with a strawberry jelly, and topped with a strawberry cream cheese frosting. Extraordinary Desserts is known for decorating desserts with fresh flowers and petals. Here, I decided to work on my gum paste skills and came up with these gum paste rosebuds for decoration. Tedious, but very satisfying to make. I definitely eyed some flower bouquets at Safeway in case my efforts failed, but fortunately these were presentable enough (although a bit on the "toxic pink" side in color).

I'd venture to say that the 250 degree oven setting may have been a typo in the recipe, as 350 is typical for cakes, and 250 definitely did not get the job done. The cupcake was yummy, but perhaps next time starting at 350 degrees or closer to 350 will avoid temperature adjustments and give me better control over the cake's texture.

Can't wait to try more of my favorites from the cookbook!

A Box of Chocolates (Strawberry, and Champagne) - Happy Valentine's Day

Milo's Bonbons three-ways for Valentine's Day! Now if I could just get that to arrive in my next Birchbox . . .

Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Meringue Buttercream: An oldie but a goodie.

Champagne Cupcakes with Champagne Buttercream: Another repeat, this time with Martini & Rossi Asti to really deliver the sweet champagne flavor. I think the Swiss meringue buttercream had a stronger champagne flavor and a sturdier texture as I reconstituted the meringue powder with the sparkling wine directly, instead of using water.

Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes with Frangelico: These chocolate cupcakes have a Frangelico-infused chocolate ganache filling and frosting. Frangelico is a hazelnut liqueur, and the folks at BevMo! tell me that you should chase a sugar-coated lemon slice with equal parts Frangelico and vodka. Apparently this "Chocolate Cake" shot is a real winner. While that remains to be tested, I can say that Frangelico does magically evoke chocolate, and is a great addition to dark chocolate ganache.

Guinness, Chocolate and Potato Chips - Super Bowl Sunday!

Hope everyone had a fun Super Bowl Sunday! The game ended on an exciting note . . . but of course you know I was only watching for the commercials, and for an excuse to bake more cupcakes.

These two cupcakes draw inspiration from Chuao Chocolatier again, this time from one of their newer flavors, the "Potato Chips in Chocolate" bar. This first cupcake is a simple chocolate cake. I tried to work with an even simpler recipe than my prior chocolate cupcakes, in case I ever needed to pull it together with basic ingredients, and I think this one worked out well enough. The frosting is a Swiss meringue milk chocolate buttercream frosting, topped with crushed potato chips and some added sea salt. Mildly sweet with a bit of crunch.

 

Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 21-22 cupcakes (or 54 minis)

• 3 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate
• ¾ cup Dutch-processed cocoa (2 ¼ ounces)
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1 ¼ cups boiling water
• 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 ½ ounces)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups sugar (10 ½ ounces)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Combine the chocolate, cocoa, and espresso powder in a large bowl. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate mixture, cover, and let sit for a few minutes to help melt the chocolate. Whisk until smooth, then set aside to cool slightly, about 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
3. Whisk the sugar, eggs, and vanilla into the cooled chocolate mixture. Slowly whisk in the oil. Whisk in the flour mixture in two portions, mixing gently until most of the lumps are gone (do not overmix).
4. Bake for 20-22 minutes for regular cupcakes, or about 10 minutes for mini cupcakes.

Milk Chocolate Frosting

Makes 2 ¼ cups

• ⅓ cup (2 ⅓ ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 large egg whites
• pinch table salt
• 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 6 ounces milk chocolate, melted and cooled
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine sugar, egg whites, and salt in bowl of stand mixer; place bowl over pan of simmering water. Whisking gently until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is slightly foamy.
2. Place bowl in stand mixer with whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Add butter, about 1 Tbsp at a time, and beat until smooth. Then add cooled melted chocolate and vanilla; mix until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light, fluffy, and thoroughly combined.

The second cupcake is a Guinness draught chocolate cake with a Guinness cream cheese glaze, topped with a potato chip dipped in milk chocolate. Because of the Guinness, this cake is a bit more bitter, but that makes for a nice contrast to the sweet glaze and salty-crunchy topping. 

Guinness Cupcakes

Makes 21-22 cupcakes (or 54 minis)

• 1 cup of Guinness® Draught
• 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• ¾ cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ teaspoon baking soda 
• Pinch of cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a large sauce pan over low heat, combine Guinness® and butter, stirring until butter melts. Remove pan from heat and whisk in cocoa powder and brown sugar. 
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Combine with beer mixture. 
4. Sift together flour and baking soda, then fold into batter.
5. Bake for 20-22 minutes for regular cupcakes, or about 10 minutes for mini cupcakes. 
6. Make the glaze. With a mixer, whip 8 oz. cream cheese until smooth. Sift 1 ¼ cups confectioner’s sugar into cream cheese, and beat. Add ⅓ cup Guinness®, and beat until smooth. Note: The recipe I found stops there; however, I added a stick of unsalted butter to provide for a sturdier frosting. Dip the top of cupcakes into this glaze/frosting and twist when lifting for a smooth coating.

Chai Tea Cupcakes

I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but I do love me some good tea, especially a chai latte. So I decided to see if I could alter the spices of the cinnamon cupcakes from my last post to create a masala chai flavor. I'm not sure I really succeeded in evoking "chai tea" with this one, but it was still a tasty spiced coffee cake (tea cake?).

The cake is the cinnamon swirl sour cream cake used with my maple turkey-bacon cupcakes, but in addition to cinnamon, I added ground cloves, cardamom, ginger, pepper and nutmeg. At the last minute, I realized I forgot to add the tea component of a chai tea, and so I was light on that flavor as I tried to add in some black tea without changing the batter consistency too much. It would be easier to steep black tea in milk, so I will probably need to revise the recipe to replace sour cream with milk or cream.

The streusel on top contains the same spice combination, and the icing is made with black tea-infused whipping cream, powdered sugar, a bit of butter, and the same spices. Without this icing, I think the cupcake would have just tasted like a cinnamon streusel cake. Although I didn't quite achieve "chai tea" flavors, there was definitely something je ne sais quoi about this cupcake. I'll post a recipe once I've had a chance to tweak and optimize.

Maple-Bacon Cinnamon Cupcakes

These cupcakes are inspired by Hollis Wilder from Cupcake Wars. I love her ideas, and love that she brings her culinary experience to the pastry world. The cake is a cinnamon swirl sour cream cake, that is moist and fluffy, and much like a coffee cake. The key to the pop of cinnamon flavor is to fold in a brown sugar-cinnamon mixture, without fully blending. See swirls below.

The frosting is a strawberry cream cheese with maple butter, and the topping is maple-glazed turkey bacon, with maple sugar sprinkled on top. Maple butter and maple sugar are pretty amazing (but pricey)—check your local health food store to find those items!

Cinnamon Cupcakes
Makes 16 cupcakes (or 40 minis)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (no need to use cake flour for this one)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream
• 1 T. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (loosely packed)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a mixer bowl, with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then add the vanilla and one egg at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and sour cream, alternating between the two, beginning and ending with the flour.
4. Mix the cinnamon and brown sugar together in a small bowl and fold by hand into the batter. Do not fully mix into the batter, it should be swirled in.
5. Fill regular sized cupcakes, bake for 26-28 minutes or until golden and baked through.
6. Once cooled, top with cream cheese frosting (mix 1 pound cream cheese, 4 tablespoons maple butter, 1/4 cup strawberry jelly and 1/4 cup fresh strawberries, hulled, and finely diced), turkey bacon (cook as usual until crisp, then lightly coat with maple syrup and continue cooking over low heat until slightly caramelized), and maple sugar.