ummm... long time, no posts, huh?

Goodness, I’ve been busy baking!  From private events to fundraisers, birthdays, holidays, and more – I just can’t seem to put that whisk away.  This has been the Year of the Cupcake.  I devoured two recipe books from the sisters who created Georgetown Cupcake… and I am constantly playing with their recipes, creating fun flavors to delight taste buds.   Take a look at a few of the things I’ve done.  

Birthday Cupcakes

Birthday Cupcakes

Birthday Cupcakes

Mini Tony Awards Cake

Tony Awards Cake!

150 cupcakes for a Women's Christmas Dinner

There has been plenty of cookie-baking, too!  New recipes have been tested and tweaked; cookies have been posing nicely for the cameras.  Seems like every summer I tend to set unrealistic goals about posting on this blog (I am a teacher – September engulfs my life like a wildfire).  I'll post a bit this summer, at least!

Christmas Goodies

Cookies for a school fundraiser

Over 300 homemade cookies for a school fundraiser

Got blueberries? Get baking!

I absolutely love grocery shopping (Whole Foods is like the Disneyland of grocery stores).   I’ll often get carried away with the magic of the grocery store, buying way more food than I can actually eat.   Baking is certainly the perfect way to use up fruits and veggies before they go bad!   I freeze a lot of baked goods to have on hand for last-minute meetings, gatherings, and parties.   Everyone loves a good blueberry muffin at an early morning meeting… and Grand Central has the best recipe.



Blueberry Muffins
3 C. flour
¾ C. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 C. fresh blueberries
4 eggs
¾ C. European unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C. buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Add the blueberries and toss gently until coated with the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, butter, vanilla, and buttermilk. Then pour the wet mixture into the well of the flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl gently. Stir only until just combined (the less you stir, the fluffier your muffins will be).
4. Scoop the batter into the muffin tin, filling each cup about ¾ full. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and round. A cake tester should come out clean.

It wouldn’t be Easter without…

As a teenager, I rebelled in weird ways such as wearing old lady sweatshirts with the built-in collars, taking up gardening and crafting, and subscribing to the Martha Stewart magazine.   Now I do none of those things, but I have kept one recipe from my crazy “martha stewart phase.”  

This recipe for Carrot Ginger Layer Cake with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting is absolutely one of my favorite recipes… mostly because of the frosting!   Over the years there have been several adaptations to the original recipe.   This version is the best.   I like to bake this cake every year for Easter, but it would be delicious anytime of the year!

 

Carrot Ginger Layer Cake

3 C. flour

1 lb carots, peeled

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/3 C. buttermilk

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 C. sugar

1 ½ C. canola oil

1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

 

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Butter two round 8-inch cake pans with unsalted butter. Line pans with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper and the sides of the cake pans. Dust pans with flour.

2. Using the smallest holes of a box grater, grate carrots – about 2 ½ - 3 C. carrots. Place the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, sugar, and canola oil in a large mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix on low speed. Then add the carrots and ginger to the bowl. Mix until well combined.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the carrot mixture until combined.

4. Divide the batter between the two cake pans, and bake at 300 degrees for about 50 minutes (test with a toothpick… it should come out clean). Remove pans from oven and allow cakes to cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack. Remove cakes from pans, and cool completely on a wire rack.

5. Frost and assemble the cake using the Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting. Keep cake at room temperature until ready to serve.

 

Ginger Cream-Cheese Frosting

Frosts and fills one 8-inch layer cake, plus about 1 C. extra for snacking on later!

• ¾ C. (1 ½ sticks) European unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 eight-ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 C. powdered sugar
• ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger

Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the cream cheese, and beat until well combined and fluffy, about two minutes more. Add the remaining ingredients and beat 5 minutes.

 

Quest for the Perfect Cupcake

Since the start of the cupcake craze (when was that, exactly?), I have been eating cupcakes like mad. Of course I have been trying out many different cupcake recipes in my own kitchen, too. For me, the cupcakes are all about the frosting… the cake part is highly unnecessary! But most people prefer their cupcakes with a little cake.  :)  Recently I have been trying to develop a better cupcake – not too dry, but still light and airy, full of flavor with a consistent texture. This recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes is where I am at right now. I used more brown sugar to keep the cupcakes moist and deep in flavor. I used a combination of unsweetened and bittersweet chocolate, as well as coco powder (chocolate overload!). Additionally, I used more egg whites than usual, whipped them separately, and then folded them in the batter just before baking for a lighter texture. Is this the perfect cupcake? Try it for yourself and see!

Chocolate Cupcakes
2 C. flour
½ C. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 C. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¾ C. dark brown sugar, packed
¼ C. sugar
4 eggs (separated) + 2 additional egg whites
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled a bit
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate (70%), melted and cooled a bit
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C. buttermilk, room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. In a clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer with the whip attachment, beat all 6 egg whites on high speed until the whites form stiff peaks. Transfer the whites to a clean bowl and set aside in a cool place. Wash out the mixing bowl.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugars and beat for at least two minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the 4 egg yolks and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Then add the vanilla.
5. Add the chocolate and mix until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
6. Next, with the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk. Mix just until combined.
7. Remove the paddle attachment, and fold in about 1/3 of the egg whites. This will help lighten the batter. Then add the rest of the egg whites, folding them into the batter as gently, but thoroughly as possible.
8. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling each cupcake liner about ¾ full. Bake one pan at a time at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
9. Let the cupcakes cool completely (about 15 minutes) before frosting with Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows).
The cupcakes (without frosting) can be frozen for a couple of weeks, if wrapped very well in an airtight container.


Buttercream Frosting
8 oz (1 pkg) cream cheese, room temperature
5 ½ Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
5 C. powdered sugar

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter. Mix for about one minute until smooth. Add the vanilla.
2. On low speed, add the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, until combined. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for 2-3 minutes, or until the frosting is light in color, smooth, and almost fluffy.
3. Dump the frosting in a large Ziploc bag and seal the bag. Cut off the tip of the bag and frost your cupcakes. Dust with unsweetened cocoa powder.

In Search of an Unknown Bakery

A while back when on vacation in Port Townsend with my family, I remembered a review I had read online about an “amazing” bakery in uptown. The reviewer didn’t remember the name of the bakery, but spoke so highly of the breads and pastries that I simply had to find out where this place was. Plus, Port Townsend isn’t really that big. We drove uptown and followed our noses toward the smell of freshly baked bread, at a bakery called Pane d’Amore.

In a three day visit to Port Townsend, we ate at the Pane d’Amore four times (and brought a lot of baked goods home, too!). One of my favorite items at the bakery was a French almond-butter cookie. The owner told us that she used “almond meal” in the cookie.

When I got home, I began researching “almond meal” and experimenting in the kitchen. The final product is similar in concept to the almond-butter cookie I had tasted, but has a smoother, softer texture. I used “almond flour” which was easily available at my local grocery store.

Almond Butter Cookies

1 C. unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ C. powdered sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 C. flour
¾ C. almond flour
½ tsp. salt
Sparkling Sugar
Chopped almonds

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, and salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and silky. Add the almond and vanilla extracts.

3. Then add the dry ingredients all at once. Pulse the mixer by turning it on low speed for about 2 seconds – repeat this five times until you are certain that the flour won’t fly all over you! Then continue mixing on low speed just until the ingredients are incorporated.

4. Cut down the center of a cardboard paper towel tube and lay a large piece of plastic wrap over it. Drop the dough into the plastic wrap / cardboard tube and use the cardboard to help shape the dough into a log. Wrap the dough well, and keep it in the cardboard (to retain its shape!). Refrigerate for 2 hours (or up to 3 days).

5. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare two cookie sheets lined with a silpat or parchment paper.

6. Slice the log of dough into pieces about ¼ inch thick. Lay each cookie on the prepared sheet and sprinkle with sparkling sugar and chopped almonds. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. These cookies freeze well.

Yogurt Cookies!

OK, I’ll admit it: sometimes I bake cookies just so I can eat the dough.  Don’t you?  Yet I always have the nagging voice of mother warning me of salmonella poisoning…

While perusing food blogs, I heard about a lady who substituted yogurt for eggs in chocolate chip cookies.  “Hmmm,” I thought, “Yogurt instead of eggs… then I could eat as much dough as I want!”  So this recipe for Chocolate Chip Yogurt Cookies was invented. 

Chocolate Chip Yogurt Cookies
½ C. unsalted butter, room temperature

½ C. sugar
½ C. brown sugar
½ C. good quality vanilla yogurt
1 ¾ C. flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 ¾ C. mini chocolate chips


1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line two cookie sheets with a silpat or parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and both sugars. Cream butter and sugars on medium speed, then add the yogurt.
3. With the mixer on low, add the flour, soda, and salt, and combine into thin cookie dough. Mix in the chocolate chips by hand.
4. Use a small ice cream scoop to spoon the dough onto the cookie sheets.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until just browning on the edges.

Recipe makes 30 cookies, unless you eat half of the dough! These cookies freeze well if packed in an airtight container.

Eat Some Mud!

I like to make my cakes, cookies, and candies look beautiful. Appearance is half the taste, right? Well, that’s just not true with this next recipe! Mississippi Mud Bars are the ugliest looking dessert around. They are actually supposed to look like a wonky, dirty hunk of mud! Except that the "mud" is actually an ooey-gooey decadent dessert.

If you want to cut up the mud bars and serve them to others, wait until the entire pan is completely cool. However, if you’re like me, the sight of these mud bars will make you grab a fork and dig in before the steam even settles. Don’t even try to count calories on this one!

Mississippi Mud Bars
Adapted from two recipes by Paula Deen

1 C. butter
1 C. milk
½ C. cocoa powder
½ C. water
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 C. sugar
2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3 C. mini marshmallows
1 ½ C. white chocolate chips
¾ C. chocolate chips
**Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 15x11-inch jelly roll pan and line with parchment paper. Butter and flour the parchment paper.

2. In a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, and baking soda. Set aside.

4. Whisk the milk, cocoa, and water into the melted butter. Then whisk in eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking often. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

5. Pour chocolate mixture over dry mixture and whisk to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure there are no flour clumps. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

6. While cake is baking (with 10 minutes left), prepare the Chocolate Glaze.

7. After cake is done, immediately sprinkle marshmallows, white chips, and chocolate chips evenly on top of the hot cake. Pour warm **Chocolate Glaze in a zig-zag pattern over the cake. Let cool in pan completely before cutting into bars. (Or dig in with a fork right away.)

**Chocolate Glaze
½ C. butter
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
6 Tbsp. buttermilk (or milk with added lemon juice left at room temp for 10-20 min)
4 C. powdered sugar

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add cocoa and buttermilk, whisking until cocoa has completely dissolved. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth, about one cup at a time.