pig pickin' cake!

I've become a contributor to what's rightfully being described as the social network of the South--The Southern Coterie. If you have any fascination with or connection to the southern US, you simply must take a look at our site.

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the british are coming!

I'm not ashamed to admit that there's a lot I love about the United Kingdom. So many of my favorite shows are set there (in one era or another)(and for the record, Sherlock tops my list right now, without question or competition), and I enjoy the accents and overall demeanor of its people.

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pie in the sky

Some may accuse me of being a little bit un-American, but my favorite pie isn't the apple variety, though it was at one time. My tastes have now moved on to coconut cream (sans meringue, if you please!).

Since I'm also on a cupcake tear, it's only natural that I devise some sort of coconut cream pie cupcakes. That, my friends, is what you've stumbled upon here.

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turned over

If you've ever longingly eyed a fruit-filled turnover at your local bakery and wished, "Man, I'd love to be able to make those at home!", good news! I'm here to teach you how it's done.

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a tiny grill is still a grill

I grilled some banana bread, and it was good.

George Foreman (and his five sons named George) would be proud.

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ch-ch-ch-cherry coke

Confession: I don't like Coca-Cola. I don't like Diet Coke. I didn't care for Coke Zero, Coke with Lime (though it's been the most enjoyable one), Coke with Lemon, and I really didn't like Coke with Vanilla. On top of all that, I don't like Cherry Coke, either.

There's a happy ending, though: I loved these Coca-Cola-containing cupcakes.

I can't really pinpoint why I dislike Coca-Cola. Perhaps I've always just been a loyal Dr. Pepper drinker, though it's had its own failures too.

Regardless of my seemingly random and irrational preferences, there's no way to dislike these cupcakes. Chocolate cake with a very subtle hint of something different (hint: it's the so-dee pop!) is stuffed with boozed-up cherry pie filling (if that's the way you want to go with it, of course--liqueur is always optional) and topped with a lightly cherry-flavored buttercream frosting.

I imagine that using cherry jam or jelly or preserves would be great to flavor that frosting, but since I didn't have any of that at my disposal, I used a little bit of the goo from the can of pie filling. It gave the frosting color and flavor and didn't muck up the consistency at all--win!

Although I've never actually had a float made with Cherry Coke, if it's as tasty as these cupcakes, maybe there's a reason to keep producing Coca-Cola after all.

Cherry Coke Float Cupcakes
Makes 24

Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups Coca-Cola (no diet allowed!)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Filling:
1 (15 ounce) can cherry pie filling
1 tablespoon cherry liqueur (optional, obviously, and substitute-able)

Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cherries preserves, or something similar, such as goo from the can of pie filling
24 cherries, to garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners.
Mix together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa in a bowl and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each and scraping down the sides if needed. In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, Coke, and vanilla extract, making sure to let the foam calm down after you mix it in.
Beginning with the your flour mixture, add to the butter mixture, alternating with the Coke mixture in 4 parts. Beat each addition just until incorporated.
Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the tops spring back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center cupcake comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cooled, use a paring knife to cut out a cone shape in the middle of each cupcake. Add a spoonful of cherry pie filling to each cupcake.
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. Add vanilla and cherry goo, and beat until frosting is smooth. Pipe decoratively onto cupcakes and finish each with a cherry (and a straw, if you're so inclined).

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ah'll be bahck.

I've decided that tapioca is the Arnold Schwarzenegger* (or any other over-avid bodybuilder, for that matter) of thickeners. Why? Simply because it's super strong and, if we're being honest, a little bit gross.

*Ah, just kidding, Ahnold. You came to mind first because I recently rewatched Total Recall (quality eye-bulging effects and stimulating dialogue!). I'll be the first to admit that you've made some really enjoyable flicks in your time, and as I understand it, some people really liked you as the Governator.

Let's discuss tapioca. In the past, I've always used either cornstarch or plain, good ol' all-purpose flour to thicken my pies, so this blueberry pie was definitely an experiment. Admittedly, in those past pies, the filling has been quite runny more often than not (but always delicious!). Not so with this one, friends--that tapioca is powerful!

I can appreciate the impressive absorption abilities, but to me, it's not a pie if it's dry! What's worse is that you can actually see the unabsorbed little pearls of tapioca, and that absolutely taints an otherwise lovely pie. Yep, this was definitely an overuse of the tapioca. Solutions: Use less, or just stick with the cornstarch.

So other than my terrible trouble with tricky tapioca, this is an excellent pie, thanks mostly to a magnificent crust--it's flaky, buttery, and sturdy yet tender. Fresh or frozen blueberries will work, but if you can get fresh ones, do it! You can also adjust the amount of sugar to suit your tastes (3/4 cup would be plenty for those of you with a less dominating sweet tooth).

Hasta la vista, babies!

Blueberry Pie
(based mostly on a recipe from Joy of Cooking)

one batch of pie dough (enough for a double crust)
about 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, for extra absorption

5 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup tapioca
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
egg wash and granulated or coarse sugar, for top

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Roll out your bottom crust and nestle it into the pan. At this point, I've learned that sprinkling some graham cracker crumbs (just a smattering, don't go crazy!) helps absorbs some juices...if you're using a reasonable amount of tapioca, of course. Set this aside.
Combine all the pie ingredients in a large bowl and gently combine. Pour into the prepared pan and store in fridge while you roll out the top half.
Place the top crust on, crimp the edges in a decorative fashion, and poke the top with plenty of air slits or decorative holes. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
Place a baking sheet underneath the pie to catch any overflow. Place in the oven and bake at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until the juice starts to bubble out of the slits. Let cool completely before serving.

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