a little veganization

You'd think that with the rise in popularity of vegan diets, people would know by now how to pronounce the word.

But no, I still get requests for vay-gan cakes and vej-an pies. That's okay though--at least these folks are trying to be accommodating to the needs of their friends and family.

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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 squirt the mousse inside. Apply frosting generously to cupcakes, top each with a cherry, and devour.

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root beer me.

You may recall that I previously confessed to disliking Coca-Cola. Here's another beverage we can add to that list--root beer. I don't care for it; in fact, it offends my senses.

Oddly enough, just as I didn't mind those Coke cupcakes, I thought these root beer cupcakes were pretty delicious, too. Perhaps the butter, cream, and sugar have a little something to do with that.

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everything's coming up...lavender

I'll be honest--the idea of eating flowers is a bit weird to me. Now, I don't mean broccoli or cauliflower or capers. I'm talking about those heavy-smelling, colorful, meaningful-gesture-type flowers.

I've never eaten squash blossoms or anything rose-flavored. Jasmine isn't my cup of tea and I've never even seen daisies that were meant to be consumed. Everything changed when I received some lavender buds with which to play and promptly decided to combine them with lemon for a particularly refreshing and floral batch of spring-appropriate cupcakes.

How did they turn out? The cupcakes are fluffy and bright with citrus, and the curd provides a powerful note of lemon that's necessary to compete with the lavender in the frosting--it's potent stuff! All in all, there's a nice balance between the two dominating flavors, and the light frosting was the right choice to pair with the curd-laden cupcakes.

Go on--embrace spring while it's still around and before the whole heat of summer barges in!

Lovely Lemon Lavender Cupcakes
(based on these by Martha)
(makes 12 cupcakes)

Cupcakes:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from 3 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temperature

Lemon Curd:
3 egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, cold
1 teaspoon freshly-grated lemon zest

Frosting:
1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon dried lavender buds

First, make the lemon curd:
In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, cream, and butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, 5 to 7 minutes, or until mixture just reaches a boil. Strain the curd into a bowl and stir in the zest. Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.

To make the cupcakes, first preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together flour and salt. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl every few minutes. Add citrus zests. Reduce speed to medium, and add vanilla. Add eggs, three at a time, beating until until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in four batches, beating until completely incorporated after each.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full; tap pans on countertop once to distribute batter. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting by whipping the cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold in the lavender buds. Alternatively, you can heat the cream, add the lavender buds, chill the mixture for a few hours, strain out the buds, then whip the lavender-infused cream. Either way works wonderfully, it just depends on whether or not you mind the presence of the lavender buds.

Carve out a cone-shaped bit from the top of each cupcake. Squirt or spoon in some of your lemon curd. Top the curd-loaded cupcakes with the frosting and eat!

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bewitching black-bottom cupcakes

The word "bewitch" isn't used enough in everyday speech. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard it used out loud until I watched Pride and Prejudice the other day.



"You have bewitched me, body and soul."

Call me sappy, call me a romantic, call me a girly-girl (all right, don't call me a girly-girl), but that line made my heart flutter and has apparently lodged itself in my head.

That, my friends, is why I've dubbed these cupcakes Bewitching Black-Bottom Cupcakes.


In addition to giving me an excuse to use the word "bewitching" and reveal my fondness for mushy love stories, these cupcakes are also the first of many dandified dessert experimentations to come. (In case you've forgotten, I'm making the desserts for my cousin's wedding reception this summer.)

The tried-and-true recipe I used comes from the splendid David Lebovitz, and as expected, it worked like a charm. These little beauties are practically a shoo-in for the reception (assuming they're approved by the bride) because a)they're delicious (clearly the top priority), b)they can be made two or three days in advance, and c)no refrigeration is required. They're also really easy to eat. Trust me, I know. That's an important part of this testing process. :)


Bewitching Black-Bottom Cupcakes
The Great Book of Chocolate, David Lebovitz
Yield: 24 mini + 6 regular cupcakes

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 ounces chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used dark chocolate with cranberries, just to mix things up and make them a little different)(it was a nice touch)

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the filling, beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.

Cupcakes:
Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line mini-muffin tin with paper muffin cups.
In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until just smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter and end up with less-than-tender cupcakes.
Divide the batter among the muffin cups. (I went about half-way full for each.) Spoon a dab of the filling (less than a tablespoon) into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely, which is fine, but don't get too generous.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed.

Since this recipe has been made time and time again and simply will not fail (knock on wood), I'm sending it over to Giz and Psychgrad at Equal Opportunity Kitchen for their first blogging event, appropriately named Tried, Tested, and True.


What a great theme--the round-up will be an awesome collection of go-to recipes.

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i'm all shook up

As you might imagine, I make many, many treats for my friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers, and some are outright experiments. All are appreciated, but a rare few inspire hugs, squeals of delight, and requests for more. These cupcakes fall into that category.

If I had any idea that simply including bacon in one of my creations would generate such a positive response, I would've done it much sooner. With all the buzz about the unveiling of Burger King's bacon sundae, I guess I should've known the cupcakes would be a hit.

So, what are they? Well, I'll tell ya. Elvis was my inspiration, and what a lovely inspiration he was. Banana cupcakes were filled with a fluffy and decadent peanut butter mousse and topped with smooth vanilla buttercream frosting. The finishing touch was a generous sprinkling of crispy bacon.

I think most people would love these, even if salty and sweet isn't their thing. While the bacon is undeniably salty, it's not overwhelming. Plus, the crunch is terrific. The mousse is lovely, too, and I'm thinking some fluffernutter cupcakes might be in order next. After all, marshmallow frosting is amazing.

In the words of Mr. Presley:

A little less conversation, a little more action please
All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me
A little more bite...{of cupcake! Posthaste!}

The King's Cupcakes
(makes 28!)

One batch of banana cupcakes

Peanut butter mousse:
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
Pinch of salt
1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla buttercream frosting:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk, room temperature
2-3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

5-6 slices bacon, more or less, as suits your bacon needs, cooked crispy and chopped

Make the cupcakes and let them cool completely.
To prepare the mousse, using an electric mixer, beat peanut butter, brown sugar, and coarse salt in medium bowl to blend. With mixer running, gradually beat in 1/4 cup cream. Add another 1/4 cup cream and beat just to blend. Beat remaining 1/2 cup cream, sugar, and vanilla in another medium bowl until peaks form; fold into peanut butter mixture in 3 additions. Chill until ready to use.
To make the frosting, beat the butter with an electric mixer for a few minutes. Add the vanilla and milk and briefly blend. Add the powdered sugar gradually until the frosting is thick enough to spread easily. If the frosting is too dry, add additional milk until the desired consistency is reached.
To fill the cupcakes, carve out a cone-shaped hole (and immediately eat the cone)(after plopping on some frosting, of course) and carefully squirt or spoon the peanut butter mousse inside. Apply frosting generously to cupcakes, sprinkle the tops with the chopped bacon, and devour.
Note: The longer these go uneaten, the soggier the bacon gets. However, I don't think they'll go uneaten for long.

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whet your appletite

The first baked treat I endeavored to make from scratch was an apple pie. Best to start with something simple, right?

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turning lemonade into lemons since 1983

I don't know if any of you watch New Girl, but I catch it as often as I can, and for primarily one reason: Nick Miller, played by the laugh riot known as Jake Johnson. The character is hilariously pessimistic, curmudgeonly, and cynical, and when given the chance to ad lib, Jake consistently delivers laugh after chortle after guffaw.

He (or the writers)(or some combination of those) is responsible for my title, and I have every intention of citing it often in my life.

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fa la la #SingWithPost #CerealAnytime

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SingWithPost #CerealAnytime #CollectiveBias

I wish I was a better singer. I can carry a tune, but my voice is weak and I have zero confidence.

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fore!

Try as I might, I just can't get into golf. I don't like to play it (though putt-putt is sometimes a gas) and I really don't like watching it. I do, however, get a kick out of some of the clothes golfers wear.

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where have all the cupcakes gone?

Probably to the same deep, dark abyss as my motivation to put up new posts...

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all aboard!

I may have missed the cupcake train, but never fear--I hopped aboard a jigger and finally caught up.

My cupcake guru, so it would seem, is Martha Stewart. Specifically, I've been very much inspired by one of her books and find myself wanting to make the majority of the recipes. I've done her snickerdoodle cupcakes, coconut cupcakes, and hummingbird cupcakes, and have had no beef (in both senses of the word) with any of them.

Here are two more creations from my Cupcake Bible, one of which was far more successful than the other. The first is a take on the good ol' peanut butter cup--chocolate cupcake and peanut butter frosting. Simple, but oh-so-satisfying. The second batch was blueberries and cream, which seemed to give me lots of problems, not the least of which was that all the blueberries sunk to the bottom. The batter seemed stiff enough to hold them up, but it just didn't happen. As my standards with Martha's cupcake recipes go, this one was a disappointment.

I hope you don't mind that I was late to the party--those jiggers are hard to maneuver!

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes (I love redundancy!)
(tweaked a bit from here and here)
(makes 12 cakelets)

Cupcakes:
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

Frosting:
6 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners. Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.
Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar with a mixer on medium speed. Add salt, then peanut butter, then vanilla. Whisk cream until soft peaks form, and then fold into peanut butter mixture. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Blueberries & Cream Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (there it is again!)
(more Martha)
(makes 30 standard or 60 mini)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature
2 cups fresh blueberries, plus more for garnish

cream cheese frosting

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard or mini muffin tins with paper liners.
Whisk together both flours, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each. Fold in blueberries by hand.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until pale golden, about 25 minutes for standard and 15 for mini.
Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

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powdered sugar powwow

Let's be honest--cheesecakes take a lot of work to make, especially when compared to a batch of cupcakes. You've got the endless beating of the cream cheese before and after adding your sugar and eggs. You've got the repetitious scraping of the bowl. You've got the foil and the water bath and the hour of baking and the hour of cooling and the hours of refrigerating. For someone who appreciates a little instant gratification, a cheesecake is not an apt choice!

What's more, I don't necessarily like the way cheesecake tastes or feels in my mouth, but I do like the concept of strawberry cheesecake, especially if the strawberry portion overwhelms the cheesecake part. With that in mind, I made some cupcakes that would hopefully mimic everything I love about strawberry cheesecake and omit all that I dislike.

The cupcakes are a dense vanilla pound cake, the filling is a simple cream cheese frosting mixed with a bit of strawberry pie filling, and the frosting is a buttercream flavored with strawberry jam. There's plenty of strawberry flavor, just a wee taste of cream cheese, and all kinds of sweetness--just what I like. Some might argue that I've done just as much work on these as I would on a cheesecake, and to these people I say, "You're absolutely right." However, I like the end result much, much better.

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes
(makes about 18 cupcakes)

Cupcakes:
1-1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream cheese filling:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup strawberry pie filling

Strawberry buttercream frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda into a medium bowl; set aside.
With a mixer in a large bowl, cream butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream.
Scoop the batter into each cupcake liner, filling about 2/3 full.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in tin for 15 minutes. Remove from tin onto a cooling rack.
To make the cream cheese filling, cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in the vanilla. Mix in the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, then fold in the pie filling. 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 both additions, raise speed to high and beat 10 seconds to aerate frosting, then return to medium-high. 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 schmearing it with frosting, of course) and carefully squirt or spoon the cream cheese filling inside. Apply frosting generously to cupcakes and devour.

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pleasantly plump

Ben and Jerry of Ben & Jerry's are freakin' geniuses, for many reasons.

Obviously, they've figured out how to have successful careers doing something amazingly exciting. Plus, their flavor combinations are almost always sensational and the names of those combinations are loads of fun. Yeah, I'm a little envious.

I've taken a cue from one of those tremendous flavors, hilariously dubbed Chubby Hubby. It's essentially vanilla malt ice cream with hunks of pretzel and swirls of chocolate and peanut butter. My cupcake version consists of vanilla malt cupcakes filled with a chocolate ganache and topped with a peanut butter cream cheese frosting. If I had had some pretzels on hand, they would've been featured prominently on top of the frosting, but alas, I did not.

So, these are Almost Chubby Hubby Cupcakes, or alternatively...

Pleasantly Plump Chump Cupcakes
(makes 24 cupcakes)
Cupcakes:
2 cups cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup malted milk powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 ounces butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups cold water
4 large egg whites, room temperature

Ganache filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons corn syrup
7 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 ounce butter, room temperature

Peanut butter frosting

Prepare the ganache first, so it can begin to set up as you make and bake the cupcakes. Bring the cream and corn syrup to a simmer, remove from the heat, and add the chocolate and butter. Let it sit for a few minutes, then whisk until melted and blended.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake tins with 24 cupcake liners and lightly spray the top surfaces with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, malted milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and shortening at medium speed. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla and beat at medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the ice water and occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter. Using an ice cream scoop or measuring cup, fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full of the batter.

Bake the cupcakes for 20-22 minutes, switching positions halfway through, until they are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the tins for 10 minutes and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely, then carve out a cone-shaped bit from the top. Squirt or spoon in some of your semi-soft ganache. Make the frosting and apply it to the tops of each cupcake. Eat!

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for the pyromaniac in us all

Even if, like me, you claim to dislike messing around with fire, you have to admit that it's pretty fun in controlled situations. I don't really consider alcohol and an open flame to fall into that category (it seems to me like a good way to lose eyebrow hairs), but I still had a blast making these cupcakes.

They're inspired by the classic pineapple upside-down cake, with an exciting blazing twist. What we have is an almond cake (made with actual ground almonds!) filled with DELICIOUS flambeed pineapple innards and topped with a lightly-flavored almond buttercream. The texture of the cupcakes was surprisingly delicate considering the presence of the ground almonds in the batter and the fact that the cakes get saturated with amaretto when they come out of the oven.

All in all, these go down as one of my favorite batches of cupcakes to date, and that's almost entirely to do with the filling. There's no doubt in my mind that I'll find other places in which to use it and frankly, I wouldn't be above making it and eating it with a little bit of ice cream on the side.

Pineapple Inside-Out Cupcakes
(makes 12 cupcakes)

Cakes:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unblanched almonds, finely ground in a food processor
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup amaretto (almond flavored liqueur)
1 cup heavy cream

Filling:
8 slices pineapple
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup amaretto
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and reserved, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Buttercream:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2-3 tablespoons milk, room temperature
2-3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line muffin tins with papers and lightly spray.
Whisk together flour, ground almonds, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in extracts. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and mixing until just combined.
Divide batter among prepared cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks; immediately poke holes all over tops of cupcakes with a toothpick. Pour amaretto evenly on top; let cool completely before removing from tins.
To make the filling, first stack the pineapple slices and cut into quarters, then into a small dice. Heat sugar in a large skillet over medium-high, stirring, until sugar melts and turns golden brown. Add pineapple; toss. Carefully pour in amaretto; immediately tilt skillet slight to ignite alcohol. (If using an electric stove, use a long match to ignite alcohol.) When flames subside and caramel melts, carefully stir in cream, orange juice, and vanilla-bean seeds. Reduce heat to medium; boil, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Let cool completely before using or storing.
To make the frosting, beat the butter with an electric mixer for a few minutes. Add the extract and milk and briefly blend. Add the powdered sugar gradually until the frosting is thick enough to spread easily. If the frosting is too dry, add additional milk until the desired consistency is reached.
To fill the cupcakes, carve out a cone-shaped hole (and immediately eat the cone)(after schmearing it with filling and/or frosting, of course) and carefully spoon the pineapple innards into the hole. Apply frosting generously to cupcakes, sprinkle with toasted almonds, and devour.

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peachy keen

Melba. When I see that word, the image of a stereotypical little old lady comes to my mind. Is that weird?

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curd's the word*

I'm just not crazy about curd. I think my problem stems from the fact that my first association with the word had to do with curdled milk--NOT pleasant. Plus, even before I learned about fruit curds, I knew about bean curd and how very unappetizing it could be.

*And yowza, what an annoying song. I apologize profusely if it's now stuck in your head. If it's any consolation, it was and probably still is stuck in mine.

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i scream, you scream

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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.

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i'll have a blue(berry) christmas without you

Well, Christmas is over. Back to the grind.

I hope you each had as lovely a holiday as I, with plenty of rich foods and reminiscing with friends and family.

This latest batch of cupcakes has nothing to do with anything, but I liked the title post that popped into my head and it just blossomed from there. They came about as a last minute choice. I made the brown sugar cupcakes and upon seeing a dusty old bottle of blueberry-flavored schnapps (random!) on the shelf, decided that a blueberry filling and frosting might be a nice addition. They were.

The cupcakes are quite sweet and soft, with a far-from-subtle brown sugar taste. I made the filling by reconstituting dried blueberries I received from Oh! Nuts (they have EVERYTHING!) in hot water and a dash or two of the schnapps. Warning: Take care not to use too much liqueur in the frosting--the blueberry flavor is far from authentic and easily overpowering. If, like most normal people, you don't keep blueberry schnapps on hand, a bit of the pie filling would probably mix in nicely while also supplying a bold blue hue!

On to New Year's...and those dreaded resolutions!

Brown Sugar Bloob Airy Cupcakes
(makes about 2 dozen)
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup buttermilk
blueberry pie filling, either homemade or bought

Blueberry buttercream:
2 cups (16 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons blueberry-flavored schnapps (I used Dekuyper)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and brown sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.
Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.
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 liqueur, 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 and devour.

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speaking of nostalgia

I rarely eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches anymore, but when I do, I most definitely feel like a kid again.

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