i love the irish...

Pin It

...accent.

I'm sure I'd love the Irish people, too, if I knew any personally, but alas, I do not. Happy St. Patrick's Day, folks (and happy birthday to my sweet cousin Mallorie!). If you're desiring some Irish coffee but want a cupcake too, I have the solution.

read on!

do the splits

I thought more of you would be excited by my rainbow cupcakes, but apparently the majority of folks aren't as distracted by pretty colors as I.

Perhaps you'll be more enamored of these, or perhaps you're so sick of my cupcakes that nothing I do will float your boat. Regardless, this is my next best shot: Banana split cupcakes.

The base is a banana cupcake which I've done several times before and never disappoints. The filling is a rich and luscious chocolate mousse and the frosting is a buttercream flavored with strawberry jam. The finishing touch, of course, is a sparkling cherry on top.

If you enjoy the flavors involved in that calorie bomb known as the banana split, you'll love these cupcakes. They're much easier on the waistline (assuming you eat them in moderation...) and super fun, to boot!

Banana Split Cupcakes
(makes 28 cupcakes)

Banana cupcakes:
3 cups cake flour, sifted
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups brown sugar, tightly packed
3 large eggs
4 very ripe large bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate mousse filling:
6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar

Strawberry buttercream:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup strawberry jam
28 cherries, to garnish

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, first preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla.
Cream the butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the banana mixture and ending with dry, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.

To prepare the mousse, carefully melt the chocolate and set it aside. Place the heavy cream and sugar in the well-chilled bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the chilled whisk attachment. Whisk on high-speed until stiff peaks form. Remove the bowl from the mixer. By hand, whisk to combine 1/4 of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate until smooth and completely incorporated. Add the combined whipped cream and chocolate to the remaining whipped cream and use a rubber spatula to fold together.

To make the frosting, with an electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed; after every two additions, raise speed to high and beat 10 seconds to aerate frosting, then return to medium-high. This process should take about 5 minutes. Frosting will be very pale and fluffy. Add vanilla and jam, and beat until frosting is smooth.

To fill the cupcakes, carve out a cone-shaped hole (and immediately eat the cone)(after adding frosting to it, of course) and carefully spoon the pie filling inside. Apply frosting generously to cupcakes, top each with a cherry, and devour.

read on!

lying leprechauns

Pin It

So where's my pot of gold?

I'm so excited about these cupcakes, folks. Don't get me wrong--I'm always excited and a little bit surprised when anything I make turns out well, but these are in a league of their own. If you haven't planned your St. Patty's Day goodies yet, I would definitely recommend these pretty little cupcakes. They don't take that much time and effort to make, and look how lovely they turn out to be!

I just used a regular yellow buttermilk cake recipe, divided the resulting batter into six bowls, and dyed each batch of batter with a different color of gel. Then, I scraped a little bit of each hue into my cookie scoop and then, when it got full, I deposited the rainbow batter into one of the molds in the cupcake tin. Easy peasy!

Notes:
*The cake recipe I linked makes 36 cupcakes, so be forewarned!
*After about six scoopings, I cleaned out my scoop so the layers would continue to be defined and not just a hot brown mess.
*Start with a different color and use a different order every time to make each cupcake super unique!
*I went with a regular vanilla buttercream frosting, but lemon would be tasty and bright, as well. Heck, anything would work!
*Be prepared to get messy. I'm as diligent about cooking as neatly as possible as they come, but I still ended up with stained fingers and splotches here and there on my countertop. It's okay--it'll clean off eventually!

Just don't expect any pots of gold to appear after you make or eat these beauts. I can attest--it doesn't happen. Fortunately, even though gold is a hot commodity these days, a tasty cupcake (or 3) is enough of a reward for this gal.

read on!

goofballs and a giveaway

Pin It

There are many words in the English language that could be used to describe me. Quirky is a good one. Efficient would be another. A word you won't find on that list is stylish.

No, I've never cared much about the latest trends. The worst thing of which you could accuse me regarding those is that I usually eventually do follow them, just a few months years too late.

That said, I have to give a huge shout-out to the phenomenal crew at Shabby Apple. They have supplied me with a gorgeous and OH-so-stylish dress from their nifty Mad Hatter collection that elevates my level of sophistication simply by hanging in my closet. Now, if only I had an event to which I could wear it...

Good news--you, too, can be stylish, with the help of Shabby Apple! One lucky commenter will win her (or his...) very own dress! Just take a moment to peruse their lovely and fashionable dresses--you'll find everything from little black dresses to fun and flirty frocks. The winner has his or her pick (no exchanges, please)!

To be entered in the giveaway, leave a comment here. Tell me the latest fashion trends in your area of the world. For extra chances to win, do one or both of the following, being sure to leave another comment to let me know what you've done:
*Like my Facebook page
*Like Shabby Apple on Facebook

Other fluff:
*There's a 10% off coupon that all of you can use. Just enter "asoutherngrace10off" at checkout. The coupon will be active for 30 days.
*This giveaway is open to US residents.
*Comments will be open from today until next Friday, March 2nd. I'll contact the winner shortly thereafter, so be sure to leave me a way to contact you. Good luck!

(I am an unrepentant) Goofball(s)
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups dates, chopped
2 eggs, slightly beaten
5 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup coconut

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the sugar and bring to a boil. Add the dates and cook 5 minutes, or until the dates are cooked down. Cool a bit, then add the eggs slowly. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cereal until coated. Cool until able to handle and then form balls, roll them in coconut, and cool them completely on wax paper.

read on!

no fire required

Pin It

I'm pretty proud of these little bananas foster upside-down cakes I made for Key Ingredient.

Go take a gander!

read on!

i scream, you scream

Pin It

Did you have a favorite ice cream novelty as a kid? I did. We didn't have anything like an ice cream truck in the backwoods of southern VA, but if we had, I would've chased it for as many miles as my little legs would take me for an orange dreamsicle*.

*(Question: Are they called creamsicles in your neck of the woods? I've heard it both ways.)

These cupcakes stem from my fond memories of that treat made of vanilla ice cream covered in orange sherbet. I filled a lightly orange-flavored cupcake with a fluffy sweetened vanilla whipped cream and topped it with a luscious buttercream frosting beschpeckled with orange zest.

I'll be the first to admit that, while amazingly tasty, these still aren't as good as I remember those dreamsicles to be. (I suppose there's a teeny chance that my memories are skewed.) Regardless, it's just a different kind of satisfaction. The flavor is similar, the cupcakes are soft, the frosting is rich, and those things, my friends, are enough for this gal.

Dreamsicle Cupcakes
(makes 16)

Cupcakes :
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
zest of one orange

Filling :
1/2 cup heavy cream (or more, if you're greedy)
3 tablespoons granulated or powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

orange buttercream frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. To make the cupcakes, cream butter, sugar, and orange zest until pale and fluffy. With mixer running, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in vanilla extract. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until combined after each.
Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until testers inserted in the centers come out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.
To fill the cupcakes, first whip the cream and sugar until slightly stiff. Fold in the vanilla. Then carve out a cone-shaped hole in each cupcake and carefully spoon or squirt the whipped cream inside. Apply frosting generously to cupcakes and, after giving the components a few minutes to get friendly, feed your face.

read on!

yes, novica

Have you heard about Novica? They're a mission-driven website associated with National Geographic working with oodles of talented artists around the world. Their offerings include everything from home decor and stylish jewelry (some of which I am now a proud owner!) to exclusive paintings and one-of-a-kind, handcrafted furniture.

Here's their mission statement:

"We want to give artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their true artistic talents and to spur their creativity. And, we want to provide you with access to unique, hard-to-find items at great values that only the Internet infrastructure can allow.
At the deepest essence of our philosophy, we want to create a bridge between you and the many talented artisans across the globe.
We want you to know about who you're buying from. We want you to feel that attachment to the product and to the hands that created it."

I was SO fortunate to get an offer to review their products and website, and I'm not lying when I tell you that I deliberated for hours trying to decide what to order. Each item is unique and each item is exquisite.

Check out the gorgeous amber earrings (I picked a pair--can you guess which ones?), nifty women's gloves (it's alpaca wool, ya'll!), and stunning scarves and silk shawls (we don't wear shawls enough anymore). For the fellas, they have everything from wallets to scarves, cufflinks, and other accessories from Peru.

The ordering process is easy and straightforward, shipping is quick, and the product packaging is thoughtful and well done. Two things to note: First, since each item is unique, there are a limited number available. More than once, I tentatively decided on something but didn't place the final order, only to find that there were none left when I was finally ready! So if you see something you like, jump on it! Secondly, there are sales all the time on the site. One of the pairs of earrings I picked dropped in price by the time I decided to finalize my order. That said, I guess dilly-dallying has its rewards sometimes. :)

The moral of this story? I recommend Novica to everyone who loves attractive and distinctive fair-trade items.

Important note: While the fine folks at Novica did provide a gift certificate for me, the opinions expressed in this post are my own.

read on!