It’s strawberry season… so I’ve been told.  I forget every year until I start seeing strawberries everywhere and I’m drawn to them by their hypnotic aroma.  Yes… the aroma tends to put me in another realm and I forget where I am.

Since I’ve been in a cupcake haze the last few weeks and exploring [...]]]>

Strawberry Short-Cupcake

It’s strawberry season… so I’ve been told.  I forget every year until I start seeing strawberries everywhere and I’m drawn to them by their hypnotic aroma.  Yes… the aroma tends to put me in another realm and I forget where I am.

Since I’ve been in a cupcake haze the last few weeks and exploring different types of filled ones, it’s only natural I would focus on what’s in season… but what kind of filling?  I thought about making a strawberry-rhubarb but couldn’t find any rhubarb…. so good ol’ strawberry it is!!

I researched different white cakes and found they all looked pretty similar.  I compared a recipe by Martha Stewart and another site… I can’t for the life of me remember where where the “Classic White Cake” recipe came from because they all are alike, with variations on the amount of sugar…

I wanted to make mini cupcakes… the recipe I found made three 9″ layers, so I roughly adjusted it down to 25%… but the measurements are exact.  For the filling, I decided to make up my own recipe.  I chose a vanilla meringue buttercream as it is much lighter than a traditional buttercream and adapted it from an online recipe credited to Martha Stewart.

Mini Strawberry Short-Cupcakes (makes 24 minis)

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature.

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour

3 oz whole milk

2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with liners.

Whisk together egg whites, milk, vanilla and almond extracts in a small bowl and in another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat butter until  for about 1 minute, then slowly add sugar while continuing to mix until incorporated.  Continue beating until light and fluffy – about 2 minutes with a stand mixer and several minutes with a hand mixer.  With the use of a hand mixer… it was not getting “light and fluffy” so I added a about a 1/4 of the egg-milk mixture (this seemed to work).  Scrape down bowl.

Alternate flour mixture and egg-milk mixture until fully incorporated, scraping down bowl as needed.  Batter will be very thick.

Scoop batter into cupcake liners, about 3/4 full.  Place in center of oven, middle rack.  Bake 12 – 13 minutes.  Test with cake tester until it comes out clean and tops will be springy.  Cool on wire rack.

Strawberry Filling (makes 1 cup – enough for 24 mini cupcakes)

8 oz strawberries, washed and hulled

¼ cup evaporated cane sugar

juice from ¼ lemon

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons cold water

1 rounded teaspoon of cornstarch

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Chop and mash strawberries into large chunks in a medium bowl.  Mix in lemon juice, sugar and vanilla.

Place strawberry mixture in medium saucepan and heat over medium high heat.  Stir in cornstarch/water thoroughly and bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to maintain.

Stir occasionally.  At this point, the mixture will have a milky quality.  When sauce begins to thicken and become clear, keep on low boil for additional minute.

Remove from heat and stir in butter until fully incorporated.

Set aside and allow to cool completely before using.  Store in sealed container in fridge until ready to use.

Vanilla Meringue Buttercream

3 large egg whites

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated cane sugar

2 sticks room temperature unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium heat proof bowl, whisk together egg whites and sugar and place over pan filled with water (making sure bowl does not touch the water).  While continuing to whisk, heat egg mixture over simmering water until sugar is completely dissolved.  I did not have a candy thermometer but mixture was warm to touch and no grittiness felt between finger when finger were dipped in mixture.  Remove from heat.

Beat egg mixture on high speed until it holds a stiff peak.  With my hand mixer, it never really formed a stiff peak – more like a pliable hill.  After 20 minutes and holding the mixer, I moved on to the next step.

On a medium speed, begin adding butter a little at a time, fully incorporating before adding more butter.  Frosting began to come together almost immediately.  When all the butter has been added, beat in vanilla and continue beating until smooth, light and fluffy.  Use immediately or store in airtight container in fridge.  Will keep about 3 days.

filling the cupcake

ready to frost

To assemble cupcakes

Using a small knife, carefully cut a hole in the top of each cupcake, removing tops and set aside.  Take the handle part of the spoon, gently scoop out some of the cake to accomodate the filling.  Fill each cupcake with filling, using a spoon and replace tops.  Frost with buttercream or pipe it with a large size tip.  Eat or refrigerate until ready to serve.

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I’m not a vegan, although I did omit all animal products for a couple years.   My intro into vegan baking started when I was a cupcake tester for Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.  Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Romero opened my eyes to vegan baking, showing that you don’t needs special [...]]]>

Vegan Key Lime Cupcakes

I’m not a vegan, although I did omit all animal products for a couple years.   My intro into vegan baking started when I was a cupcake tester for Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.  Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Romero opened my eyes to vegan baking, showing that you don’t needs special ingredients to make a fabulous cupcake.  I almost prefer vegan baking to traditional -  it’s quicker from bowl to pan to mouth.  Almost every recipe can be made with a whisk – don’t have to deal with an electric mixer (except frosting).  Most of the ingredients I always have on hand… no emergency trip to the store for milk, butter or eggs.

So I’ve been thinking about limes/key limes the last few weeks.  I’ve always loved key lime pie and have been  throwing around ideas for cupcakes.  Key limes aren’t in season but you can easily use the regular limes or (heaven forbid) the juice in a bottle.  I picked up a bottle of Nellie and Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice and set out to make my cuppers.

The following recipe is adapted from the Golden Vanilla Cupcake recipe in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World as well as their Lime Buttercream Frosting.  The lime curd filling is from Bryanna’s Vegan Feast Kitchen

Key Lime Cupcakes (makes 12)

Ingredients

1 oz key lime juice (2Tab) or the juice of one regular lime

zest from 1 lime

7/8 cup of soy milk

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

¾ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup canola oil

¾ cup evaporated cane sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

With a microplane, zest one lime and set aside.  Juice lime and place in a 1 cup measuring cup.  You should have approx 1 oz.  Fill cup to 1 cup mark with full fat soy milk.  Stir to blend and set aside for several minutes (it will thicken).  Mix in lime zest

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and cornstarch, then whisk in kosher salt (kosher salt won’t go through sifter)… I use a mesh strainer rather than an old fashion sifter…

In a large bowl, whisk lime/soy milk with sugar, canola oil and vanilla.  Slowly mix in flour mixture a little at a time until no lumps appear.  Do not over-mix.

Using a scoop, fill cupcake liners ¾ full.  Place on center rack in oven for 20 minutes.  Cupcakes will have a nice golden edge.

Cool completely on a wire rack.

BRYANNA’S VEGAN LIME CURD (veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com)
Servings: 12
Yield: 2 cups

This makes a lovely cake filling-quite tangy, so it contrasts with the icing. It’s important to use freshly-squeezed lime juice in this recipe. Refrigerate the leftovers to spread on toast or scones, or to fill tarts.

1 cup fresh lime juice (or 8 regular limes)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups granulated organic unbleached sugar (evaporated cane sugar)
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt (I used kosher salt)
grated zest of 2 small organic limes,
6 Tbs full fat soymilk
2 Tbs Earth Balance (regular)

Whisk together the juice, water, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Pour into a heavy saucepan with the zest. Whisk over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a full boil. Boil 1 minute, not stirring. (OR microwave in a Pyrex bowl 2 minutes and whisk, then 2 minutes more.) It should be thickened and turning clear. Remove from heat. Add soymilk or alternate and Earth Balance. Blend well with the whisk. Cool the curd, then refrigerate in a covered container. It thickens as it cools.

Lime Buttercream Frosting (Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)

1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening

1/2 cup non-hydrogenated margarine (I use Earth Balance)

3 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup lime juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

Beat shortening and margarine together until well combined and is light and fluffy.  Add the sugar and beat for 3 minutes.  Add vanilla and lime juice, beat for additional 5 – 7 minutes, until fluffy.  Add zest and mix.  Chill until ready to use.

top replaced

scooped out cupcake

filled cupcake

To assemble cupcakes, use a small sharp knife to cut a circular hole on top of each cupcake (saving the top) and scoop out a little of the cake with a spoon.  With a teaspoon, spoon a little lime curd into each cupcake on place top back on.  Frost with buttercream and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Remove from fridge about 15 – 30 minutes before serving… unless it’s hot and humid.

inside of vegan key lime cupcake

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Erin go braugh!!

Mini and Regular size Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Chocolate Stout [...]]]> I love to make these once a year for St. Patrick’s Day.  Yea, I’m Irish (what’s it to ya!) but I’m not really a beer drinker.  That being said, the stout brings out (ooo, a rhyme!) a nice flavor in the cupcakes that all will enjoy.

Erin go braugh!!

Mini and Regular size Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Chocolate Stout Cuppers

1 cup chocolate stout

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

¾ cups Dutch-processed cocoa

2 cups all purpose, unbleached flour

2 cups evaporated cane sugar

1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs (room temp)

3oz sour cream (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Place butter and stout in a double boiler (or a large metal bowl over a pan of simmering water).  When butter has melted, remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder.  Continue to mix until smooth.  Cool to room temp.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  Mix in sugar.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs and sour cream together.  Add the stout mixture and combine.

Add the flour mixture, mixing at a slow speed, scraping sides of the bowl.  Mix an additional minute.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter into lined tin, ¾ full and maybe a tad more.

Place muffin tin on center middle rack in the oven and bake for 22 minutes until toothpick or cake tester comes out clean (approx 14 minutes for mini cupcakes).

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Frosting

8 oz bittersweet chocolate (72%), chips (or broken into small pieces)

1 cup of heavy cream

½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

Place the chocolate in a large, heatproof bowl.  Heat cream in saucepan to a simmer or heat in microwave almost to a boil.  Pour hot cream over chocolate and let it sit for one minute.  Stir cream and chocolate together until completely combined and smooth.  Stir in vanilla.

Set frosting in fridge for 1 – 2 hours until it begins to set up but is still spreadable.

Using a small spatula, frost the top of each cupcake.  Decorate with green sanding sugar if desired.

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Some people go for the chocolate chip as their favorite cookie.  For me, I have to go with a ginger cookie.  Not the ginger snap mind you.  While some people prefer the crispness of the snap, I love biting into a soft, chewy cookie all full of spicy goodness.  As soon as [...]]]>

The perfect Ginger Cookie

Some people go for the chocolate chip as their favorite cookie.  For me, I have to go with a ginger cookie.  Not the ginger snap mind you.  While some people prefer the crispness of the snap, I love biting into a soft, chewy cookie all full of spicy goodness.  As soon as it starts to get cool in the Fall, I start thinking about this cookie.

For the following recipe, I used a #00 cookie scoop and reduced the cooking time to 10 minutes, turning the cookie sheet front to back at 5 minutes.

GINGER COOKIES (adapted from Sherry Yard)

2 ½ cups unbleached, all purpose flour (I use King Arthur’s)

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 sticks cold, unsalted butter – cut into ½” pieces

1 cup light brown sugar

1 Tablespoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 large egg, room temperature

½ cup unsulfured blackstrap molasses

1 cup sugar for coating

Sift flour and baking soda together and set aside in a bowl.

In a large bowl, cream butter on medium speed until pale yellow.  Scrape down bowl and add sugar, spices and salt.  Cream at medium speed, scrap down bowl.

Add egg and molasses and combine on low speed until incorporated.  Do not over-mix.

Add flour mixture over low speed and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.

Remove dough from bowl and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.  Dough will keep in fridge about a week or 1 month in freezer.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Using a small scoop, roll dough into ball and coat dough in coarse sugar and place on a parchment lined baking sheet, 1” apart.

Bake on middle rack, 6 – 7 minutes, then turn baking pan 180 degrees and bake for additional 6 – 7 minutes.  Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

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This recipe came about because I had some [...]]]> I don’t know what it is about the cooler weather that brings to mind fruit crisps.  Warm, cooked fruit with a crunchy topping makes my heart sing.  Overly sweet desserts are too overwhelming to me but there’s something about the tartness of cranberries mixed with apple that’s extremely appealing.

This recipe came about because I had some apples on hand and leftover homemade Apple-Ginger Spiced Cranberry Sauce from Thanksgiving and thought – what a great combo!!!

APPLE-CRANBERRY CRISP

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

3 large apples (tart baking apples), cored, peeled and sliced

½ – ¾ cups cranberry sauce (see recipe above or use your favorite)

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ cup cane sugar

TOPPING

¾ cup rolled or quick oats

¾ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup flour

½ cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

* extra cold pats of unsalted butter

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Toss apples with lemon juice in a large bowl then mix in sugar.  Add cranberries and cranberry sauce and mix until combined.   Place mixture in a greased 8 X 8 inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, oats, brown sugar, pecans and spices with a fork until combined.  Slowly drizzle melted butter into dry mix while stirring with a fork until butter is incorporated into topping.

Sprinkle topping over apples and cranberries.  Place in oven for 45 – 50 minutes, until apples are tender and topping is brown.  Cool on a wire rack.

Serve while still warm – with ice cream if desired!

* for extra goodiness, place a few extra pats of butter over the topping before placing in the oven.

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Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie

Basic single crust pie pastry

Filling:

2 cups fresh pumpkin puree (or 1 15oz can of pumpkin puree)

¾ cups evaporated cane sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 – 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground or fresh nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

2 large eggs

1½ cups of [...]]]> OLD FASHIONED PUMPKIN PIE

Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie

Basic single crust pie pastry

Filling:

2 cups fresh pumpkin puree (or 1 15oz can of pumpkin puree)

¾ cups evaporated cane sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 – 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground or fresh nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

2 large eggs

1½ cups of half and half

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Prepare pie pastry as directed and place in freezer for 15 minutes.

Combine the sugar, salt and spices in a small bowl and set aside.  Beat the eggs in a large bowl then stir in the pumpkin and sugar/spice mixture.  Slowly add half and half while stirring until completely incorporated.  Pour into pie shell.

Place on center oven rack.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and rotate pie, front to back.   Bake an additional 40 – 45 minutes until the pie sets and a knife comes out clean when inserted in the center.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack approx 2 hours and then serve.

Basic Pie Pastry (single crust)

1 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon evaporated cane sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/16ths (1/2 cup)

4 – 5 Tablespoons cold water

Using a food processor, pulse dry ingredients several times to blend.  Add butter and pulse several times until mixture appears pea and pebble size.  Add 2 tablespoons of the water and pulse 5 – 6 times.  Slowly add remaining water while pulsing dough only adding enough water until dough starts to form larger pieces.

Remove from food processor and form the dough into a flat ball and wrap with plastic.  Chill at least one hour.  Remove dough from refrigerator a few minutes before rolling out.

On a floured surface, carefully roll out dough into a large 13” circle, using flour as needed to prevent from stick to surface or pin.  When desired size is reached, carefully fold dough in half, then quartered and place in pie pan.  Carefully unfold dough and gently press into pan.  Trim excess dough and form an edge (or pinch edges).  Place pie pastry in freezer for 15 minutes before using.

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