The Cupcake Avenger

Wild West Cupcakes--Sprinkles, Phoenix

2012-01-19T17:09:00.000-05:00

These cupcakes aren't really that wild, but they are from the West, which is kind of a big deal for me because I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've actually been west of the Mississippi. So, in addition to seeing the sites on a recent trip to Arizona, I obviously had to check out what the area had to offer by way of cupcakes. Luckily for me there was a Sprinkles location just down the street from my hotel! I didn't plan it that way, I swear...

I decided to sample 4 flavors--Red Velvet (I always try to get a Red Velvet as the control cupcake whenever I'm visiting a new shop, how scientific of me), Banana, Cinnamon Sugar and S'more. And not just any S'more apparently, but a S'more cupcake designed by Gossip Girl herself Blake Lively.

Blake decided to sport her best gladiator skirt and Christmas bow for the occasion

I joke, but this is actually a great initiative, as all of the proceeds from the S'more cupcake go directly to Oxfam. That's right, 100%. So how does it taste? At first bite, I honestly thought this was the best S'mores cupcake I'd ever tasted. Ever. The marshmallow topping wasn't too sticky and the graham cracker crust was still crunchy. Then I got to the middle. Or, should I say, bit into a mini Snickers bar worth of pure chocolate. It was so unexpected, out of place and overwhelming that I honestly thought it was a mistake. I even went to the Sprinkles website to double check; lo, and behold their description: "S'more is a graham cracker-lined Belgian dark chocolate cake filled with bittersweet chocolate ganache and topped with toasted marshmallow frosting."

Ok, I know what you're thinking, "Ganache? What's the big deal? That sounds great!" In theory yes, in practice this cupcake is filled with essentially three truffles-worth of straight chocolate. It was so solid I literally lifted the entire chunk out with my fingers and set it aside. So, not to rip this cupcake apart (pun intended?) because all of the proceeds go to an excellent cause, but just a forewarning for anyone else hoping to check out this cupcake while it's still on offer until February 2nd.

As for the other flavors, I was pleasantly surprised to get consistently good results from a cupcake chain. I absolutely recommend the Banana for anyone who is a banana nut muffin fan--the flavor is phenomenal. The Red Velvet was about standard--the frosting was too sweet for me but the cake was super soft. Finally, I was really excited about the Cinnamon Sugar because it was a flavor I hadn't tried before, plus the super helpful salesman let me in on a little tip: pop it into the microwave for 15 seconds and it's just like a warm snickerdoodle! Genius.

I absolutely recommend Sprinkles if you're passing through the Phoenix/Scottsdale area or any of their other locations nationwide (Yes, we also have one in DC, shocking). Sprinkles routinely offers a charity cupcake so don't fret if you missed out this time, and you can find future offerings here. No Sprinkles in your area? They deliver!

The celebrity S'more, chilling in the desert before "the ganache incident"

If you go
Sprinkles Scottsdale
4501 N. Scottsdale Rd.
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
480.970.4321

Martha Monday: Gingerbread Raspberry Linzertorte

2012-01-09T16:06:00.002-05:00

If you have the Martha Stewart Pies and Tarts tome that was released this past spring, you may recognize this as the Gingerbread Raspberry Snowflake Tart featured on page 276. What you will not recognize on my tart are any snowflakes, as 1" snowflake cookie cutters seem to be non-existent in the DC area. So you get a Gingerbread Raspberry Daisy Tart, I hope that's ok.

Ever since the arrival and immediate cracking open of my copy of this cookbook, the Gingerbread Raspberry Tart stood out to me as visually striking, and quickly became one of the recipes at the top of my to-do list. This is an excellent winter or holiday tart, not only because of the snowflakes (er, snow daisies?) but also because of the interesting gingerbread twist on the classic holiday linzertort.

I have to admit however, although the tart is visually appealing, I and some of my coworkers thought the flavors in the gingerbread were off. Personally, I found it much too salty and next time would maybe add nutmeg and increase the brown sugar. If you're a big fan of molasses however, you may like the recipe just as it is. Either way, the tart was still good, just not quite what I expected.

A couple of notes: When rolled out, the gingerbread dough cracks and breaks very easily, I recommend using a knife or bench scraper to loosen it from the countertop before transfering it to the tart pan or baking sheet.

For my tart I just used store-bought raspberry jam because I didn't feel like spending $20 on raspberries to make my own. If they happen to be on sale in your neck of the woods, I've included Martha's jam recipe below and it's very easy.

Gingerbread Raspberry Snowflake Tart
makes one 10-inch tart

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
2 egg yolks (1 egg white reserved for egg wash)
1 1/4 cups seeded raspberry jam (jarred, or recipe below)

1. Sift flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and salt into a bowl. Add sugar; mix on medium-low speed until combined. Add butter; mix until combined, about 2 minutes. Add molasses and egg yolks; mix until dough just comes together, about 30 seconds.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out two-thirds of dough to a 12-inch round, 1/4 inch thick. Fit into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Spread jam over shell; refrigerate about 30 minutes.

3. Roll out remaining dough to a 10-inch round, 1/4 inch thick. Transfer round to a parchment-lined baking sheet; refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. From round, cut out dot shapes with metal pastry tips, and snowflake shapes with cookie cutters (if desired, reserve snowflake cutouts and sprinkle tops with sugar. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees). Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

4. Lightly beat egg white; brush rim of tart shell. carefully slide dough round over shell; press edges to adhere. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

5. Preheat over to 375 degrees. transfer tart to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 50 minutes to 1 hour. let cool completely on a wire rack.

Raspberry Jam
Makes about 2 cups
18 ounces (4 cups) fresh raspberries
2 cups sugar

1. Stir together 3 cups raspberries and the sugar in a medium sauce pan (off heat). Let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until berries begin to give off their juices.

2. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Skim off foam. reduce heat; simmer, skimming foam occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in remaining raspberries; simmer just until berries break up, about 1 1/2 minutes. Let cool completely. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours, or up to 1 week.

I Resolve or, Carpe Cupcake

2012-01-01T12:09:00.000-05:00

Well, it's that time of year again. You know, the beginning. That time of year when the interwebs explode with retrospectives and resolutions--when we wake up to a new year full of dewy-eyed hopes of accomplishments yet to come. Or just a hang over. :)

The past couple of years I've shied away from posting my new year's baking resolutions because I knew I would be traveling for at least half of the year and didn't want to set myself up for failure, or be pressured to squeeze in baking projects simply because I'd resolved to. But, in looking back over those years, I realized that I actually managed to accomplish many of my baking resolutions anyway (see: French macarons and conquering my fear of yeast).

So, while there's a good chance I could be on the road again for much of 2012, I'm not letting that hold me back from plunging into exciting new baking projects for 2012. So, without further ado, I resolve...

To Finally Use The Ice Cream Maker I Got For Christmas A Year Ago

Jeni's Smoked Tea and Plum Pudding ice cream

For Christmas this year I was thrilled to get the Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams cookbook which is chock full of the most amazing ice cream recipes you could imagine. Now I have no excuse not to get down to business. I mean, with flavors like Brown Butter Almond Brittle ice cream and Grapefruit Hibiscus frozen yogurt, how could you not??

To Try My Hand At The Fauxnut Trend

That's right, fauxnuts. Faux Doughnuts, get it? :) Simply a baked version of the usually fried treat, these cakes are catching on everywhere as a healthier alternative to deep fried dough. Though, depending on the ingredients you use, I'm betting that baked doughnuts aren't really much healthier. I'm also dubious that baked doughnuts can live up to the real thing but I can't even tell you how excited I am to try out these baked Red Velvet Doughnuts...

To Make Bread From Scratch...Again

So, I made bread in 2011. Once. It was...mediocre. Baking bread from scratch was one of my resolutions for last year because I am terrified of yeast. It's temperamental, it's complicated, it's time consuming...but I'm convinced that the sense of accomplishment at the end of it all is rewarding enough to give this one another shot. Baguettes, perhaps?

To Make Glorious Homemade Marshmallows

Display of marshmallows in Paris. photo by Initiales JB

Ok, I know this isn't technically baking. The last time I was in Paris there was a shop at the end of the street where I was staying that had the most amazing multicolored display of huge marshmallow bars in antique glass apothecary urns and I knew then that I just had to try my hand at making something similar. That was in 2009. Here I am three years later, but better late than never right?

So that's it for now. Now that I have committed my resolutions to paper (to screen?) we'll see if I am more or less likely to accomplish any of them. What are the big cooking or baking projects you hope to accomplish in the new year?

Apple Pie Rugelach

2011-12-23T23:16:00.003-05:00

Although I have decidedly taken a vacation from holiday baking this year (sacrilege, I know) at least my mom is here to pick up the slack. While elbow deep in Buckeye cookies, chocolate-dipped meringues, dark chocolate cherry fudge and gingerbread, she somehow found the time to write up the exploits of her first attempt at rugelach--Enjoy!

To help celebrate my first year of retirement I decided to attempt something that I had never before had the time to do...Holiday Baking! I figured that Hilary must have gotten the baking gene from me, right? Wrong! While I could handle the simple cut-outs from pre-made Pillsbury gingerbread cookie dough and Chocolate-Almond Meringues, Apple Pie Rugelach was more challenging for a beginning baker.

I confess that I had never even heard of rugelach until I saw the recipe in the December issue of Good Housekeeping and then saw some on display at Whole Foods. After scanning the ingredients and making sure there was nothing that would be hard to find I decided to tackle this treat [note from Hilary: we scoured THREE stores looking for dried apples. Just saying]. After some trial and error (duh, cutting the dough incorrectly) and advice from Hilary the final batch looked pretty good and even the rejects were tasty.

Here are some pointers I would have liked to have seen included with the recipe:

1) Parchment paper is a MUST as the jelly oozes out of the sides. I even decreased the jelly by 1 tablespoon for the last 3 batches. 2) Immediately remove the rugelach from the jelly puddles or they will cool attached to your cookie. 3) I reduced the baking time to 23 minutes, this depends on how well-done you like your rugelach.

Bring on the next challenge! But maybe not until next year.

Apple Pie Rugelach

from Good Housekeeping, makes 64 cookies

Dough:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 package (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:

4 ounces (1 1/2 cups) dried apples, finely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup apple jelly
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Cinnamon Sugar:

1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Trial and error. Even the rejects were tasty.

1. Prepare dough: In large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy, scraping bowl occasionally. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour and salt just until blended, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces; flatten each into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until dough is firm enough to roll.

2. Meanwhile, prepare filling: In medium bowl, combine apples, walnuts, and brown sugar.

3. Prepare Spice Sugar: In small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

5. Sprinkle work surface with 2 tablespoons Spice Sugar. Place 1 disk dough on top of sugar; turn over to coat both sides. Roll dough into 10-inch round, turning round over a few times and sprinkling dough with 2 more tablespoons Spice Sugar to coat both sides.

6. Spread top of round with 3 tablespoons jelly, then sprinkle with 1/2 cup filling, leaving 1/2-inch border around edge. With knife, cut dough into 16 equal wedges. Starting at wide end, roll up each wedge jelly-roll fashion. Place rugelach, 1 inch apart, on prepared cookie sheet, point side down.

7. Bake rugelach 30 to 33 minutes or until dough is browned and cooked through. Immediately transfer to wire rack to cool.

8. Repeat with remaining dough, Spice Sugar, jelly, and filling. Store cookies in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week or in freezer up to 3 months. Dust with confectioners' sugar to serve.

Brown Sugar Cardamom Sweet Potato Pie

2011-12-08T08:02:00.001-05:00

Whereas in my last post I went out on a limb to try Eggnog Scones, a treat that brought together a couple of the flavors that I usually dislike, this recipe incorporates two of the ingredients that I've gone completely nuts for in the past year: cardamom and sweet potatoes. When I saw this recipe from Baking Bites last month I couldn't wait to try it--two of my favorite flavors combined in one dessert! It's like she knows me!--and, honestly, I can't believe I didn't think of it myself since I'm pretty much a cardamom fanatic at this point and add it to anything and everything possible.

I was actually completely unaware of cardamom until relatively recently when I ate at one of my now-favorite DC restaurants, Rasika. The delicious gulab jamun I had for dessert there were unlike anything I'd tasted and I HAD to know what spice was at work in the dish. And the rest is cardamom-scented history :)

If you haven't worked with cardamom before, it's very aromatic and has a slight citrusy taste that you'll probably recognize if you've ever had chai. It can be purchased as whole pods (often crushed and used for infusing flavor before being removed) as well as ground, which looks like a cross between cinnamon and nutmeg. If you're a big cardamom fan like me, you might also want to check out this recipe for Cardamom Panna Cotta, which showcases the flavor beautifully.

Even though Thanksgiving has come and gone, this would also be a great alternative for next year's pumpkin pie if you're not a pumpkin fan, or just looking for something different--although sweet potatoes have more calories from sugar than pumpkin, they are significantly higher in fiber, vitamins A and C, as well as calcium and iron. So go ahead and have a second slice ; )

*A Few Notes: I've included the Martha Stewart graham cracker crust recipe I used but, if you don't feel like making the crust from scratch you honestly don't lose anything to taste in the recipe by buying a pre-made crust. If you do make the crust, you should be more adventurous than I was and try it using cinnamon or gingerbread graham crackers (but in that case you might want to omit the added 3 Tbs sugar). You can also cut sugar by skipping the caramelized brown sugar layer added to the crust before pouring in the filling.

Brown Sugar Cardamom Sweet Potato Pie
from Baking Bites
1 9 or 10-inch graham cracker pie crust, prebaked or store bought
1 cup brown sugar, divided
1 1/4 cup cooked, pureed sweet potato or canned
3 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp all purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Place graham cracker crust onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar evenly over the bottom of the crust. Bake sugar-lined crust for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.

3. Press sweet potato puree through a wire strainer to make it as smooth as possible, adding a tablespoon or two of water if you are working with leftover potatoes to make them a bit more pliable.

4. In a large bowl (or the bowl of a food processor), whisk together all ingredients except the flour. Whisk until very smooth. Sift flour over the sweet potato mixture, and whisk until fully incorporated.

5. Slide brown sugar-filled crust out of the oven and pour filling into pie crust (do not overfill crust if your pie is slightly shallow, just discard excess filling), then return pie to oven.

6. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until pie is set and jiggles only slightly when the pan is bumped.

7. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight, before serving.

Graham Cracker Crust
makes 1 9-inch crust
12 graham crackers finely ground
6 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
3 Tbs sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar in a food processor until combined.

2. Firmly press crumb mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Bake until edges are golden, 12-14 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Review: Spiced Eggnog Scones

2011-11-30T21:53:00.001-05:00

I have a love-hate relationship with scones. Mostly in that I want to love them, but I always hate them. I think the problem is texture. Because you can spice up a scone with any manner of chocolate-chunk-dried-fruit-frosting-drizzled goodness, but if it's still rock hard then I'm not interested. Is it mandatory for scones to be rock hard or something?

Enter Sticky Fingers Bakeries scone mixes.

After traveling for several months, I have to admit that it's taking me awhile to get back into the swing of baking again. So far I've made gingersnaps from a Betty Crocker mix and made a brave attempt at red velvet cakepops, but we all saw how those came out. While perusing the aisles of World Market, one of my favorite stores, I came across a display of scone mixes from Sticky Fingers Bakeries and thought they might be another good chance to ease back into baking, and also to see what a decent scone might taste like if all the mixing and measuring were already done for me. Sticky Fingers offers a ridiculously wide variety of mixes from the standard blueberry and lemon, to raspberry and apple cinnamon, as well as seasonal flavors like pumpkin spice and peppermint chocolate chip.

This experiment was a double whammy for me because, not only do I have an adversarial relationship with scones...but I also hate eggnog. I want to enjoy it so badly--I love cream! I love nutmeg!--but I just can't do it. I usually make up for this by pouting in front of store windows whenever I see signs for eggnog lattes or ice cream. So I bought the eggnog scone mix, obviously. : )

And, believe it or not, I thought they were awesome. Probably because they tasted more like "spiced" and not so much like "eggnog". But the texture! Soft, chewy, fluffy! Amazing. They still baked up a nice crunchy shell that you'd expect in a scone but were also soft enough inside to be enjoyable without being cake-like. Love them. Just don't expect to see me dipping one into a mug of eggnog anytime soon. *pout*

Red Velvet Cakepop Fail

2011-11-19T08:21:00.003-05:00

Obviously I'm a little bit behind the times. First it took me 12 months to make it to PAUL Bakery's new Penn Quarter location, and now, finally, at long last, I'm getting around to making...cakepops. Just as the name implies, cakepops are hybrid cupcake-lollipops combining the perfect bite of candy coated cake perched adorably on a lollipop stick. Genius. What started as a humble treat from baking bloggess extraordinaire Bakerella exploded into trendiness, becoming arguably "the next cupcake" and is now a ubiquitous treat on dessert spreads everywhere.

I think I kept from taking the cakepop plunge because they seemed deceivingly simple and I never seemed to have the supplies on hand. And, it's true, cakepops do require a bit of a start up cost, but a trip to your local craft store will keep you in cakepop supplies for months. In addition to the cake supplies themselves, you'll also need lollipop sticks, candy coating chips and a piece of styrofoam to place the pops in while they dry (I also bought pre-cut foil candy wrappers to make the cakepops easier for gifting).

I'll just tell you this up front: I was right about the "deceivingly simple" part.

These were two of the best looking ones. Seriously.

My personal favorite: the Runny Nose Cakepop

Don't get me wrong, these cakepops tasted AMAZING. They just looked a little...special. The concept is simple in theory: Bake a cake from a boxed mix, crumble it into a bowl, mix it together with a can of purchased frosting, roll into balls, insert sticks and freeze, dip in melted candy coating, and voilá...ridiculously adorable Bakerella-worthy cakepops. In reality, not so much.

Meatballs, anyone?

First I would stress that when she says to crumble the cake into a bowl, REALLY crumble it. I even cut off the tougher edges from my cake first and my cake balls were still lumpy. Secondly, she says to use only 3/4 of the can of frosting but I would use all of it--again to help with the lumpiness. Thirdly, after inserting the lollipop sticks, be sure to freeze them for long enough--several of mine broke off of the sticks and fell apart in the candy coating. Finally, you need to have WAY more patience than I did to get the candy coating to dry evenly--a second coat may have helped with the overall look but would have made the flavor much too sweet.

Crumble like you've never crumbled before

These wusses couldn't hack it

Overall, I think the taste and novelty factor (plus 100 leftover lollipop sticks...) are enough to inspire me to try these again, but let's just say I won't be mastering masterpieces like these anytime soon:

Bakerella cakepops for the new Muppets movie

Basic Cakepop Recipe
makes 45-50
1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can frosting (16 oz.)
Wax paper
Candy Melts (1lb)
Lollipop sticks

After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
Mix thoroughly with 1 can frosting. (I use the back of a large spoon, but it may be easier to use fingers to mix together. But, be warned, it will get messy. Also, you may not need the entire can of frosting, so start out by using almost the entire can and add more if you need to.)
Roll mixture into quarter size balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50)
Melt chocolate in the microwave per directions on package. (30 sec intervals, stirring in between.)
Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the cake balls. (Insert a little less than halfway.)
Place them in the freezer for a little while to firm up.
Once firm, carefully insert the cake ball into the candy coating by holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered remove and softly tap and rotate until the excess chocolate falls off. Don’t tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too.
Place in a styrofoam block to dry.

PAUL Bakery USA

2011-11-11T08:43:00.001-05:00

I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that an embarrassingly large portion of my time is devoted to seeking out bakeries and pastry shops in the States rivaling those I enjoyed every day when I lived in Paris. Ok, just kidding, I'm not actually ashamed at all :) When you live in a city where it's practically impossible to walk down the street without tripping over gateaux and baguettes, let alone making it to your Métro stop and having any memory of how that Berthillon ice cream cone ended up in your hand...You tend to take for granted that impeccable desserts and baked goods are everywhere to be had.

So, you can imagine my excitement when I heard that a Paul location was opening up right here in Washington, DC. Not a bakery in the French style, but an actual, honest-to-goodness French chain with over 120 years of history. Unfortunately, as is the story of my life, Paul opened while I was traveling overseas, so I would have to wait several more patisserie-free months before indulging in tartes and macarons. Luckily, I finally got a chance to sample Paul's offerings this summer during one of the free Navy band concerts offered at the Navy Memorial. Paul's location adjacent to the memorial makes it a perfect stop for a pre or post-concert snack, and I took advantage of their concert picnic special--a baguette sandwich, pastry and drink for $11.95. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until next summer for this awesome deal--C'est la vie.

That's right. Macarons as big as your hand. *drool*

As soon as I stepped through the glass doors of Paul's, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. Brass bistro finishings, cafe tables and simple, classically French presentation brought back memories as I ordered my usual sandwich--jambon camembert, obviously. And--what you really want to hear about--the pastries didn't disappoint either. Enormous macarons, individual tartes, and crisp, flaky Napoleons abound. Other than the excellent baguette for my sandwich, I didn't get to sample any other breads, but you can be sure I will be back for a boule or two.

Perfect vanilla napoleon (aka mille-feuille)

If you're looking for a taste of Parisian baking in DC, it doesn't get any better than Paul's. And even though I was a little late to the Paul party, you're just in time to catch the opening of their newest location in Georgetown--after a soft opening this week, Paul Georgetown should be slinging sweets in no time.

If you go
PAUL Penn Quarter
801 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC
Metro Blue/Yellow: Archives-Navy Memorial

PAUL Georgetown
1078 Wisconsin Ave, NW
Washington, DC

The Boys of Baking Volume III: Pan de Muerto

2011-10-24T12:14:00.001-04:00

Please welcome Cupcake Avenger guest blogging all star Matt Sullivan, who graciously agreed to take the plunge for another episode of The Boys of Baking! I'm thrilled to bring you his super impressive attempt at a spooky Pan de Muerto just in time for my favorite holiday--Halloween!

The dough version of this looked amazing! It was a skull and cross bones with large eyes. Very manly thing to bake if you ask me. The baked product ripped on me and made the skull askew and the eyes got way too big! It still tasted amazing though.

Pan de Muerto is fittingly... mueurto :(

Hello all once again. I am currently on travel to Arizona (read Northern Mexico) and with Halloween rapidly approaching I decided to take my baking south of the border. I was born and raised in Phoenix, so I have had a lot of exposure to the Mexican culture. So when Hilary asked me to do this again, Pan de Muerto was the obvious choice. Pan de Muerto simply means the bread of the dead. It is traditionally eaten on November 2nd (Dia del los Muertos) at the grave sites of deceased family members. Creepy? Sure. But delicious none the less. Pan de Muerto can best be described as anise bread with an orange glaze. Trust me, it works.

If you already skipped ahead and looked at the photo, you will see my masterpiece didn't turn out so well aesthetically, so I will make like Tarantino in this blog post tell you up front: I failed, but I had fun doing it. I also learned a lesson baking bread for the first time: just because you make bread dough into a shape doesn't mean it will look like that after it cooks.

Word of warning for those attempting this: be prepared to have a whole day set aside to tackle this project. This was my first time really baking break, so it was an eye opener for me. I will try this recipe again one day, as I won't let one failed attempt stop me.

If you want to make your own, here is the recipe:

Pan de Muerto

makes 2 loaves

7 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus extra flour for your work surface

1 3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 pkgs active dry yeast, dissolved in 5 Tbs warm milk

12 eggs

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tsp anise seed

2 Tbs grated orange zest

1. Put sifted flour and granulated sugar in a large bowl; mix lightly to incorporate.

2. Cut in the butter using your hands until it is well-incorporated (you may have little pebble-sized nuggets form; this is ok)

3. Form a little well in the center of the mixture and pour in the yeast and milk mixture, cinnamon, anise seed, salt, and vanilla. Add the eggs 2 or 3 at a time, mixing by hand or with an electric mixer after each addition. Once all of the ingredients have been added, work the dough with your hands until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it is too sticky, add a little bit more of the flour until the dough is easily handled. Shape the dough into a ball, and lightly grease the surface; place it back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to sit at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size. Once it has doubled in size, put the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or even overnight).

4. Form the dough into the shape you want your Pan de Muerto to be. I chose a skull and cross bones, you can try anything you want.

5. Place your masterpieces on greased or parchment-lined baking sheets and let them sit for about an hour--they will probably rise a little bit more. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until golden on top.

6. While your loaves are cooling, make the glaze by bringing orange juice, orange or lemon zest and sugar to a boil for about 2 to 3 minutes or until it has started to thicken and reduce a bit. Apply directly to the still-warm bread with a pastry brush.

Homemade Argentinian Alfajores

2011-10-10T02:05:00.000-04:00

Please welcome back my friend, guest blogger, world traveler, macaron-making partner in crime and soon-to-be American expat in Buenos Aires, Tanya Brothen, as she brings us one of the delicacies of her adopted new country!

Red wine and red meat. These are two of the things that come to mind when I think about Argentina, and according to my highly scientific Wikipedia research, they are exactly what I can expect to find when I move there at the end of the year.

But in addition to the clichés steak and vino, I’ve been delighted to discover lots of other (non-red) edible and drinkable Argentine specialties. There’s the communal experience of mate tea, the creamy gelato brought to the Argentina by way of Italian immigration, and dulche de leche-filled cookies known as alfajores. Unable to resist the lure of dulche de leche, and wanting to see if alfajores will be to me in Buenos Aires what pain au chocolat is to me in Paris (less of an indulgence and more of a main food group), I decided to try my hand at baking alfajores.

The experiment began with making dulche de leche. And really, I could have just stopped there. Homemade dulche de leche pairs well with any number of other items you have in your kitchen. Vanilla ice cream, crêpes, brownies ,or simply a spoon. Better yet, it’s incredibly easy to make; all you need is a can of condensed milk. Pour the milk into a small pan, cover it tightly with tinfoil, place the small pan inside a larger pan, fill the larger pan halfway with boiling water, and stick the whole thing in the oven at 425 Fahrenheit for roughly an hour, maybe a little bit more depending on your oven, remove, beat until smooth, chill in the fridge. It should come out thick, caramel-colored, and delicious.

For the cookies I used a recipe from RecipeGirl.com, but I found many options online, each with slight variations, such as this one and this one. I had to start the recipe over after mixing the sugar with the flour when I should have mixed it with the butter, but other than that there weren’t any major hiccups in the process.

Unfortunately, when it came time to fill the cookies with the dulche de leche and roll them in coconut…well…let’s just say it took many tries and highly rushed camera work to get photos of the alfajores looking normal. For some reason the cookies would not stay filled. They looked good at first, and then slowly all of the dulche de leche would seep out. Hmm. Did I not let the filling thicken enough in the oven? Possibly, but at least they were delicious, albeit un-servable to anyone other than myself. And I was sort of ok with that.

Lemon Lime Bars

2011-09-26T02:17:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone, please welcome my friend, philologist, bassoon player, fellow baker and latest Cupcake Avenger guest blogger Molly Miller and her lemon lime bars!

I felt the urge to bake something summery for a get-together I was having later that night, to help me on my quest to convince my brain that my summer isn't quite over yet. I originally intended to make some coconut lime sugar cookies, but I realized at the last minute that I didn't want to spend my entire day in the kitchen. It was 100 degrees outside on the day I was baking, and my kitchen is far far away from my questionable AC unit, so I began to consider other options. I wanted to toss some stuff in a pan and bake it instead of having to shape dough into balls, make multiple batches, and hang out by the oven all afternoon. It may have been September, but the temperature told me I should be doing the minimum amount of work possible to make something delicious, and then relax and have a cold drink.

So, I decided to make these. I had more limes than I knew what to do with, and I was excited to try a new type of recipe, having never attempted lemon squares before. I did not follow instructions, so I will go ahead and rewrite them to show my process. Feel free to follow the original recipe without my commentary to distract you.

Get a 13x9 inch pan and line it with something. I was told to use foil, but I somehow ended up with 3 boxes of parchment paper in my drawer, so I decided to use some of it up and they came out of the pan just fine. Sometimes, it seems like people are using foil and parchment paper because they just want to reduce the amount of cleanup or be extra careful, but I think you do need to line the pan here if you want to remove the bars without cracking the crust. Do it.

Crust ingredients:
2/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
2 cups all purpose flour (I used white whole wheat flour, and it was delicious.)
Zest of 1 large lemon (or three small limes, if that's what you have.)

Cream together the butter and the sugar and the zest, and then add the flour. It will end up crumbly, so you can smash it into your pan for your crust. I've never tried to do that before, so my crust wasn't as pretty as it could have been, but it held together nicely.

"Bake 20 minutes at 350, or until center is set." (I overbaked mine. 20 minutes seems insane. Remember that the crust will get baked AGAIN, and you don't want your edges to get too dark like mine did.)

At first I was a little annoyed that I would have to make a crust AND a filling, but then I realized that there was absolutely no reason to wash my mixing bowl and beaters between the crust and the filling. Yay less work!

My recipe told me to hang out and wait while the crust is baking, but really, you should get started on zesting and juicing those lemons and limes. I did not have any lemons, so these are going to mainly be lime bars. Instead of a quarter cup of lemon juice and a quarter cup of lime juice, I juiced between 1/3 and 1/2 cup of lime juice and filled the rest of the 1/2 cup with bottled lemon juice from my fridge and a splash of lemon extract for good measure. I zested a bunch of limes until it looked like I had at least a teaspoon (there's a picture of how much I used) and ignored the bit about the lemon zest. My bars taste like lime and are delicious, but if you like lemon too, go ahead and adjust lemon/lime proportions as you like.

Filling ingredients:
6 large eggs
2 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour (I used white whole wheat.)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup lime juice (or some combination thereof)
zest of 1 large lemon (unless you don't have any)
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

My recipe encouraged me to add a drop or two of food coloring to make them pretty, but I just plain forgot. I'm content with the color I ended up with, but go ahead and throw some extra coloring in if you want them to look a little more cheerful.

(Side note: Cooking with The Spatula of Love will make your food delicious and give you the right to brag that you put so much love into your baking that you had to use a special spatula to control it.)

After 20 minutes, the filling had a crust over the top, but the contents were still sloshing around beneath it. I realized my oven thermometer was reading 300 instead of 350, so I adjusted things and popped them back in. After 5 minutes, I didn't exactly know how to tell whether they were done or not. Is the center set? Well, my toothpick came out clean and nothing was sloshy, so it might be done, right? But, I hate cutting into something after it has cooled only to realize that I have undercooked it, so I turned off the oven and stuck it in for a few more minutes. After letting them cool a bit on the counter, you should cover them and let them chill in the fridge for 2 hours. Then, sprinkle with powdered sugar (and more zest, if you're not sick of zesting yet. I was.)

At some point, I scooped a bit of something weird looking (undermixed egg?) off the top of the bars and left a small hole behind, as you can see in the pictures. The powdered sugar covered it, so no worries. I've included a picture of the uglier edge pieces as a warning against making the crust climb too high and then baking it for longer than you might need to.

I stored my leftovers in the fridge and they were still delicious a week later, though you might have to refresh the powdered sugar if you want them to look pretty after sitting in the fridge for a few days.

Billy's Bakery NYC

2011-09-11T23:29:00.000-04:00

On my last trip to the Big Apple, I was somewhat overwhelmed as I only had a few hours to check out what the city had to offer in terms of cupcakes. No simple task in the town that can largely be credited with starting the cupcake craze for the entire East Coast. After much deliberation I settled on kingpin Magnolia Bakery as well as the quirky Kyotofu and had really hoped to squeeze in one more shop but didn't have time on my short daytrip.

As soon as I got back to DC, everyone wanted to know if I'd made it to a bakery called Billy's. Even the next time I went back to Ohio I ran into a former Billy's employee at Columbus' Bakery Gingham. Clearly this was a sign.

This time around I made a beeline for Billy's Bakery and instantly saw what all the fuss was about. In addition to some awesome baked goods, this place has atmosphere for days. An old-timey respite in the middle of the big city, it was nice to walk in and feel like you'd taken a step back in time, where life was a little bit slower, and you could just have a slice of pie and watch the world go by. I sampled the banana and carrot cupcakes, as well as the key lime cheesecake and they were all delicious.

I think my parents had this same table when I was little

Key Lime Cheesecake

Billy's is definitely a must try next time you're in the city and they also offer ridiculously gorgeous layer cakes as well as bars, cookies and pies.

If you go

My attempt at an old-timey looking Billy's pic

Billy's Bakery Tibeca
75 Franklin St
Between Broadway and Church

Billy's Nolita
268 Elizabeth St
Between Prince and Houston Streets

Billy's Chelsea
184 9th Avenue
Between 21st and 22nd Streets

Put the Mango in the Coconut Bread

2011-08-29T06:37:00.000-04:00

This time of year I always find myself thinking about zucchini bread (and, subsequently, looking up how to spell "zucchini," seriously, I can't be the only one...right?) but once I'm elbow-deep in shredded squash I always think there must be something more exciting to be making. Banana bread? Meh. This time around I actually did my homework to see what fruits are in season, as I'm usually pretty bad about just following my baking whims and making whatever I'm in the mood for, regardless of availability. That's when I hit upon mangoes! I may have missed sour cherry season, but I'm not too late for mangoes. And coconut, let's throw some coconut in there for good measure.

I've actually just started liking mango recently, I think because whenever I get it in restaurants it's usually under-ripe and, as a result, kind of tastes like eating a pine cone or something. But slightly soft, deliciously ripe mango is awesome and my new favorite snack when I need a little taste of the tropics here on the East Coast.

If you've ever worked with mangoes before, you've probably looked up one of those helpful online guides that show you how to score the flesh into a grid pattern so the fruit just POPS right off, magically, from the skin. Well, as you can see, mine wasn't quite so magical, but I did manage to figure it out after some trial and error.

I also added mango nectar and coconut water to this recipe to try to bring out the flavors a little bit more (and also because I've just been really curious to check out the coconut water fad to see what all the fuss is about--it's delicious!) so you could definitely omit those if they're not carried at your local supermarket. If you do decide to use them, I recommend hanging onto the leftovers for the most delicious cocktail or smoothie you'll ever make. Seriously.

Mango Coconut Bread
makes 2 loaves
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups white sugar

3/4 cup flaked coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

2 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup mango nectar

1/4 cup coconut water

2 1/2 cups mangoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 if using ceramic, glass, or dark metal pans). Grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans.

2. Combine all of the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, coconut, sugar) in a medium bowl.

3. In a small bowl, beat eggs lightly with oil, mango nectar and coconut water. Add to flour mixture and stir just until combined.

4. Add mangoes and lemon juice. Stir just until incorporated.

5. Pour into pans, bake for 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Martha Monday: Blueberry Shortcakes

2011-08-15T12:58:00.000-04:00

Summer is here and, with it, the arrival of shortcakes. Recently I had the urge to bake but didn't really know what to make (pretty standard for me) but luckily Martha was there with her latest issue of Living, profiling summer desserts. On their own, there's nothing really exciting about shortcakes. I mean, let's be honest, they're like the biscuit's lazy cousin. But where shortcakes really shine is with the addition of fruit. Or specifically for this recipe, fruit compote.

The word "compote" is somewhat of an inside joke in my family, ever since my father once tried to order pancakes at a Bob Evans restaurant and made the mistake of asking the waitress if they could put any "fruit compote" on top. I've honestly never seen a more confused look come across a person's face while she stared at my father blankly until he finally said something like, "You know? Fruit sauce??" I guess you had to be there :)

Anyways.

I know these might seem somewhat sacrilegious too if you've only ever had the standard strawberry shortcake. A cook out standby from my childhood, I have to admit that I was skeptical that blueberry could beat out strawberry in this fruit fight, but honestly I will never go back. "Compote" may sound complicated, but I promise it's super simple and you'll probably be making this sauce for all kinds of toppings. Martha's recipe also calls for a side of Sweet Corn Ice Cream...yeah, I know...but I have yet to try out my ice cream maker (a topic for another post) so I'd love to hear how it tastes if anyone else gives it a try.

So what do you think? Are you on team strawberry or blueberry?

I call it: Shortcakes in the City :)

Sweet Corn Ice Cream Shortcakes with Blueberry Compote
     Ice Cream
4 ears corn, shucked
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Black Spiced Rum
2 teaspoons black sugar (see instructions)
1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
¼ teaspoon pink peppercorns
9 large egg yolks

     Shortcakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 sticks cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cups low-fat butter milk
½ cup whole milk
Heavy cream for brushing
Course sugar, for sprinkling

     Blueberry Compote
1 pint fresh blueberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Make the ice cream: Carefully cut kernels from cobs, transfer to a saucepan. Break cobs in half; add to saucepan. Stir in milk, cream, ½ cup granulated sugar, rum, black sugar, pink salt and peppercorns. Bring to a boil. Let cool; discard cobs.

2. Place corn mixture in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Return mixture to saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat.

3. Meanwhile, prepare an ice-water bath. Whisk together egg yolks and remaining ¼ cup sugar in a small bowl. Whisk 1 cup corn mixture into yolks, then return entire mixture to saucepan, whisking constantly, until custard thickens and can easily coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.
Strain custard through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing down solids; discard solids. Transfer bowl to ice-water bath, and refrigerate for an hour.

4. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to an airtight container, and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.

5. Meanwhile, make the shortcakes: Preheat oven to 400°. Sift flours, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, and 1 ¼ teaspoons salt twice into a bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until small clumps form. Make a well in the center, and pour in buttermilk. Mix until a shaggy mixture forms.

6. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan, spoon in batter until about ¾ way full. Place in the oven and cook for about 16 minutes. Brush tops of the shortcakes with heavy creak and sprinkle with course sugar. Finish baking for two to four minutes, until cakes are golden brown.

7. Make the blueberry compote: Bring 1 cup of blueberries, the granulated sugar, water, and lemon juice to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until berries burst and liquid thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining blueberries. Let cool.

8. Split shortcakes in half, top each with a scoop of ice cream and a spoonful of blueberry compote, then sandwich with shortcake tops.

Fluffernutter Cupcakes

2011-07-28T13:03:00.000-04:00

So, I've never actually had the joy of eating a fluffernutter sandwich. A what? Exactly. Fluffernutter. Apparently a childhood staple particularly in the Northeastern U.S., a "fluffernutter" is a gooey mashup of peanut butter and marshmallow creme sandwiched between two slices of bread has been around for decades. The sandwich is even a registered trademark of the Marshmallow Fluff company, complete with a website and theme song sung by The Flufferettes. Obviously.

While I have to admit that this combo doesn't sound particularly appealing to me as a sandwich, I knew it would be a home run cupcake and couldn't wait to try out this recipe from The Novice Chef. Pairing peanut butter cupcakes with marshmallow frosting and a surprise Nutella center even seemed like a modern twist on the s'mores concept and, let's be honest, I never pass up an opportunity to eat Nutella.

If you tend not to like cupcakes because you find them too sweet (then we can't be friends. Just kidding. But seriously) then these are definitely not the cakes for you. I think the marshmallow frosting alone is definitely enough to make your dentist cringe, and the addition of peanut butter will certainly leave you looking for a glass of milk to wash it all down. So, all in all, I loved them :) Honestly, as over the top as it sounds, I probably would have added more Nutella as well. This time I decided to try out my bismarck filling tip to try to save time instead of cutting wells in each of the cupcakes like usual, but it just didn't provide enough filling in each cake. Or maybe I just need to work on my technique.

Either way this is not a cupcake for the faint of heart, but I definitely recommend it for all you fluffernuts out there

I call it: Cupcakes in the City :)

Fluffernutter Cupcakes
makes 24
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 pinch salt

Marshmallow Frosting
4 large egg whites
1 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, oil and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.

2. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Stir dry mixture into the batter alternately with the milk. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.

3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutella Filling
Using a piping bag and a Wilton 230 tip, slowly insert tip into top of cooled cupcake. Squeeze in Nutella and carefully withdraw.

Frosting
1. Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Frost as desired

Pattycake, Pattycake

2011-07-11T13:15:00.000-04:00

On my last trip home to visit family, I knew visiting one hometown cupcakery just wouldn't enough and, after stopping off at Blue Frost, mom and I immediately made a bee-line for another cupcake stop getting a lot of buzz around town. As Columbus, OH's first vegan bakery, Pattycake Bakery has somewhat of a cult following, and for good reason.

In addition to their commitment to providing the most delicious vegan sweets imaginable, the folks at Pattycake are true business role models of global responsibility: from 100% biodegradable packaging (they even use vegan glue!), to working with local producers, recycling or composting nearly everything they produce and reducing their carbon footprint through making deliveries by bicycle, Pattycake Bakery is lading the way as a pillar of the community.

Delivery bike!

But now, on to the sweets :) Not having a lot of experience with vegan baking or cuisine, mom and I were a little unsure how our trip to Pattycake would go, but all our fears were quickly assuaged by the amazingly friendly staff and, of course, the incredible cupcakes. Our favorites were the pineapple and raspberry cakes and they were incredibly sweet and moist, and I loved the use of real, fresh fruit.

If you want to indulge your vegan sweet tooth but can't make it to Columbus, never fear--Pattycake has an online shop, too!

Blue Frost Cupcake

2011-06-24T19:29:00.000-04:00

Before my last trip home to Columbus, OH, my dad had given me the heads-up that there was a new cupcakery in town called Blue Frost and I couldn't wait to check it out. Admittedly, I was extra excited because it is in the adorably historic Old Worthington part of town and conveniently located across from my favorite coffee shop, my favorite wine store and my favorite nail salon. Shucks.

Scoping out their website beforehand, I was super impressed by the story of owners Melissa and Briana, who transitioned from careers in nursing to follow their passion for baking. I'm always in awe of people who have the courage to take the plunge and follow their hearts--especially when cupcakes are involved :) In this case, that passion translates into artisan cupcakes that use quality ingredients like Madagascar bourbon vanilla and Saigon cinnamon.

In addition to the standard chocolate, vanilla and red velvet, I was also excited to try out their quirky signature flavor--the Blue Velvet. I'm pretty sure if a cupcake flavor could be qualified as "hipster," Blue Velvet would be it. While the BV doesn't taste much different than the red velvet, I'm always on the lookout for new and different cupcakes, and I really appreciated this unique twist.

Blue Frost features a menu of 10 daily cupcakes as well as two weekly specialty flavors such as Key Lime Coconut, Caramel Apple Spice and, of course, Buckeye--and spare me the Ohio State jokes ;)

If you go
Blue Frost Cupcake
657 High Street
Worthington, Ohio 43085

Martha Monday: Strawberry-Lemonade Icebox Pie

2011-06-13T15:56:00.001-04:00

Even though summer won't officially be here for another week, it's been hotter than hot recently here in DC and that calls for chilled desserts that don't require too much prep work in a hot kitchen--plus, what could be more summery than strawberry lemonade? I came across this recipe in last month's Martha Stewart Living and knew it would be a perfect and not-too-sweet compliment to a sticky DC summer day.

While this pie isn't strictly "icebox" and does require a little bit of baking to set the filling, the result is still an quick and easy cool summer dessert perfect for backyard BBQs. You can cut down even more on bake time if you substitute a pre-made graham crust, which I often find to be easier for transport and clean up when you're bringing dessert for a party anyways.

Strawberry-Lemonade Icebox Pie

Crust

9 to 10 graham crackers, broken into pieces

1/4 cup sugar

Coarse salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

2/3 cup strained fresh lemon juice (from 4 lemons)

2 large egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue), plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Coarse salt

Topping

12 ounces strawberries, sliced (2 cups)

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 large egg whites, room temperature (2 reserved from filling)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the crust: Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Pulse crackers in a food processor until finely ground; measure 1 1/3 cups, and discard excess. Pulse cracker crumbs, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in food processor to combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture is moist and holds together when pressed between 2 fingers.

2. Press crust evenly into bottom and up sides of pie plate using the bottom of a dry measuring cup. (Make sure the sides and rim of the crust are firmly pressed so they don't crumble when pie gets cut.) Freeze for 30 minutes.

3. Bake crust until firm and turning darker around edges, 10 to 11 minutes. Remove from oven, and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

4. Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk together condensed milk, lemon juice, egg yolks and egg, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

5. Pour filling into warm piecrust. Bake until center is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

6. Make the topping: Sprinkle berries with 2 tablespoons sugar and the lemon juice. Let stand for 30 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, heat egg whites and remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar in the heatproof bowl of a mixer set over a pan of simmering water until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to mixer, and whisk on high speed until medium peaks form, 8 to 9 minutes.

8. Spoon berries over pie. Spoon meringue over top. Place pie under broiler, with rack in lowest position, until meringue is just browned. Alternatively, use a kitchen torch to brown the top.

Just Cupcakes

2011-06-03T21:41:00.000-04:00

Because sometimes all you need is just a cupcake.

During a recent trip down to Virginia Beach from Washington, DC I hadn't really planned on trying to scope out any local cupcake shops. Then again, I also hadn't really planned on getting caught in a massive thunderstorm which knocked out all power to the local area for about 12 hours. By the time I got to my hotel, I'd survived at least a 10-mile stretch of road with no working traffic lights in which people had lost all sense of decorum and were driving as if the rapture had occurred and the zombies were, in fact, on their way.

Needless to say, after spending the night in a hotel with no power, no hot water and no food (with nothing comped) I was feeling a little zombie-like myself. Dirty, grumpy and hungry I trudged out of the hotel towards the parking garage and may have actually stopped in my tracks, so surprised was I to come face to face with a completely unexpected cupcake shop right across the street!

*Insert Angels Singing Here*

Obviously this was a sign from the Cupcake Gods and I couldn't wait to stop in and sample a much-needed cupcake...or four. Just Cupcakes has a rotating daily menu and I selected the Frankly Scarlett, Key Lime, Seriously Strawberry and Triple Chocolate. In addition to an adorably hip, two-level shop and mini art gallery, the cupcakes were awesome! I loved the vast flavor selection, and all the cakes I sampled were moist, with consistently smooth buttercreams. I particularly loved the Frankly Scarlett (red velvet) because it had the traditional cream cheese frosting but wasn't too tangy, and also actually tasted like chocolate, which is often missing in many reds. Surprisingly I also really loved the Key Lime--even though I'm not usually a huge citrus fan, I found myself going back for bite after bite.

So next time you're in Virginia Beach--or next time you're in a crappy mood because you'd have been better off sleeping in your car than in your blacked out hotel--keep your chin up and there might be a Just Cupcakes, just where you need it.

If you go:
Just Cupcakes
261 Town Center Drive
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23462

Just Cupcakes
616 Hilltop West
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451

Key Lime Meringue Cake Strips

2011-05-24T22:11:00.004-04:00

A couple of months ago, while perusing the aisles of Michael's craft store for Cherry Blossom Dinner 2011 supplies, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to avoid the baking supplies section. Though I do find it a little odd that a craft store sells food dyes, ready-made fondant and all manner of cartoon character-shaped cake pans, I'm not complaining. This time I managed to behave myself and only walked out with one trinket that had piqued my interest on my past couple of visits--the cake strip.

Never heard of cake strips? These seemingly humble strips of cloth claim to offer a one-stop-shop of baking perfection: Deliciously moist cakes! Even cooking temperature throughout! Perfectly flat, smooth cakes every time! By soaking the cake strips in water and attaching them to the outside of your cake pans before baking, the cooler pan edges supposedly avoid the domed top and overcooked sides that often plague my cakes. Technically, you can make cake strips yourself just by cutting up old dish towels, but I thought I should try out the real thing for my first attempt before going Full Martha and making my own.

So, do they work? First, a note: when trying out a new cake recipe, first make sure that it isn't missing any key ingredients like, oh, say LEAVENERS. Secondly, don't proceed to look at your two pans full of essentially flour and egg whites then put them in the oven with a shrug, fully knowing that this is probably not going to turn out well. Witness: the resulting ultimate cake fail, aka key lime crepes.

Luckily I had enough ingredients for a new recipe attempt and the resulting Key Lime Meringue Cake was awesome. While the cake baked at a slant, rather than perfectly flat, it did avoid the typical domed top and was extremely moist and spongy with evenly-cooked edges. I'm not sure the $8.99 price tag for two strips was really worth it, but I'll have to bake a few more cakes before my final verdict.

Key Lime Meringue Cake
adapted from Eating Well
1/3 cup low-fat milk
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh or bottled Key lime juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Lime filling
1 14-ounce can nonfat sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lime juice, preferably Key lime
1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest, preferably Key lime

Meringue
2 large egg whites, at room temperature, or equivalent dried egg whites, reconstituted according to package directions
1/4 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray with flour; alternatively, coat the pan with regular cooking spray, line them with parchment paper and spray the paper.

2. Heat milk in a small pan until steaming; remove from the heat, cover and set aside. Sift flour, baking powder and nutmeg into a bowl; set aside.

3. Beat 2 eggs and 2 egg whites in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until frothy. Add 1 cup sugar and beat on medium speed until the eggs are very fluffy and pale, a full 3 1/2 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons lime juice, vanilla and the reserved dry ingredients. Beat on low speed just until the flour is incorporated. Beat in the hot milk (the batter will be thin).

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top feels firm when touched lightly and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the edges. Turn the cake out of the pan and set it right-side up on a wire rack to cool completely. When cooled, use a long serrated knife to slice the cake horizontally into two layers.

5. To prepare lime filling: Whisk condensed milk, lime juice and 1 teaspoon lime zest in a medium bowl until combined. Refrigerate until thickened, at least 30 minutes or overnight.

6. To prepare meringue: Beat egg whites in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Beat in 1/4 cup sugar in a slow, steady stream. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

7. Position oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source; preheat broiler. Transfer one layer, bottom-side down, to a large baking sheet. Spread the meringue on top of the cake, creating decorative peaks and valleys in the meringue with a rubber spatula. Broil until lightly browned, watching carefully to prevent burning, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

8.To assemble cake: Place the plain layer, top-side down, on a serving plate; spread the lime filling on top. Cover with the meringue-topped layer.

Pink Grapefruit Vanilla Bean Gold Cup-cakes

2011-05-08T14:27:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's already that time of year again. The time when we dust off the floppy sun hats, break out the seersucker, pop those collars extra high and lay on a healthy dose of bourbon-induced southern drawl to cavort along Great Meadows' north rail--that's right, it's Gold Cup.

Virginia's answer to the Kentucky Derby, Gold Cup is an event worthy of all your royal wedding-inspired hats and fascinators that has been run in The Plains, Virginia since 1922. Ostensibly a steeplechase (and, perhaps more enticing, a terrier race), Gold Cup is an excuse to get dolled up in your finest frippery, sip bourbon like it's going out of style, cheer on the horses like the true equestrian Mumsie and Daddy raised you to be and refer to everyone as "Jeeves," "Muffy" or "Belvedere" while waiting in line at the port-a-johns.

Two years ago I tried to embody the true spirit of the races with Mint Julep and Iced Tea Cupcakes, but this year I decided copious amounts of mimosas would probably provide ample booze without infusing it into the cupcakes as well. This year I decided to go with one of my all-time favorite flavors--grapefruit--to echo the sentiment of spring on what I hoped would be a sunny day. Because the sweet zing of grapefruit can be difficult to capture, I decided to add a grapefruit curd filling as well, which almost didn't make it into the cupcakes because I wanted to eat it by the spoonful.

CURD!!!

Possibly my favorite thing about these cupcakes was getting to try out my adorable new Parisian-themed cupcake liners--because in my book Paris makes everything better :)

A couple of notes:

I was really intimidated by the idea of homemade grapefruit curd until I realized how simple it is! But to save time you can buy jarred citrus curds at most supermarkets.

I decided to go with a buttercream for these cupcakes, though a cream cheese frosting may have been better in retrospect.

Pink Grapefruit Cupcakes

from Ryan's Baking Blog makes 12

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grapefruit zest (about 1 grapefruit)
2 eggs
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cupcake tin with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, sift and whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a large bowl, combine granulated sugar and grapefruit zest. Mix together with your fingers or the back of the spoon until the two are completely combined, creating a fragrant grapefruit sugar.

4. Beat the eggs into the sugar until the eggs are thick and pale yellow. Add the yogurt, oil, grapefruit juice, and vanilla extract. Stir well to combine. Add the flour mixture a little at a time, being careful not to overmix, until it is all incorporated.

5. Scoop batter into the paper liners, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for a couple minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Grapefruit Curd

from Honey & Jam

8 large eggs yolks
1/2 cup freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
finely grated zest of 1 ruby red grapefruit
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
1. Combine yolks, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, half of the zest, and the sugar in a saucepan; whisk to combine.

2. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (be sure to scrape the sides of the pan), until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Remove saucepan from heat. Add salt and butter, one piece at a time, stirring until smooth.

4. Strain through a fine sieve unto a medium bowl. Stir in the remaining zest. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and set.

Grapefruit Vanilla Bean Buttercream
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean (or extract)
1/4 cup grapefruit juice
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2 drops red food coloring, if desired

1. Cream butter until pale and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla, grapefruit juice and food coloring, mix until combined.
3. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until reaching desired consistency. Pipe onto cupcakes as desired.

Oh, Gurrrl--Cupcake Vodka

2011-04-27T07:43:00.001-04:00

And here you were, getting all excited about the approach of summer so you could while it away on trendy patios everywhere, seeing and being seen, with a glass of Firefly Iced Tea Vodka swirling in your glass...Well, I'm here to tell you that those other flavored vodkas are SO 2010--because cupcake vodka has arrived.

That's right--the moment you didn't even know you were waiting for is here. Somewhere at the corner of Gluttony Street and Sloshed Avenue is the intersection of guilty pleasures, captured in one bottle.

From the same people that bring you Cupcake Vineyards--wines that, while delicious and the fastest-growing brand in 2010, don't taste like cupcakes--Cupcake Vodka is now hitting the streets in full-flavored cupcake fashion with Chiffon, Frosting, Devil's Food and Original flavors. A grain and grape, six-times-distilled, 70-80 proof vodka with the "velvet silkiness, distinctive texture and a smooth finish" that you look for in vodka (and cupcakes...) cupcake vodka fills a niche in the flavored vodka market without using any artificial ingredients or sweeteners.

So what do you think? Is this a great idea, or just one more sign that cupcakes have jumped the shark? Is this the chance manly men everywhere have been waiting for to indulge in their cupcake cravings without the fear of being seen with frou-frou frosting? Merely the latest incarnation of a cupcake trend that will one day consume the globe? :) For me, the verdict is still out, but with cocktail creations like these, I know they won't keep me away for long...

Apple Crumb Cupcake
1.5 oz Cupcake Vodka Original
1.5 oz Apple Cider
One Very Small Piece of Fresh Skinned Ginger
1.5 oz Ginger Ale Lime Wedge & Green Apple Slice
Preparation
Muddle the ginger and Cupcake Original vodka in a mixing glass. Add the cider and shake with ice; strain over ice into a rocks glass and top with ginger ale. Garnish with a squeeze from the lime wedge and a green apple slice.

Cherry-Almond Crème Brûlée

2011-04-22T18:47:00.000-04:00

After the rousing success of last month's inaugural Mardi Gras-themed supper club, it was recently my turn to host our rotating dinner just in time to coincide with DC's annual Cherry Blossom Festival, and we welcomed April with a cherry and Japanese-themed dinner inspired by DC's ubiquitous spring flower.

In addition to providing the main course of prosciutto-wrapped pork loin with cherry glaze, I obviously couldn't help but jump in with some cherry blossom-inspired desserts as well. I decided on cherry-almond crème brûlée and--inspired by the cherry blossom festival menu at my fave DC restaurant Adour--cherry macarons. Big mistake.

Because macarons are the cookie with possibly the most finicky reputation on the planet, I don't know what made me think I could crank some out like it was no big thing. "Oh, cherry macarons? The cookie to which you could devote an entire career of culinary study? No prob!" Suffice it to say that my macarons played along until the moment of no return, when they decided, at the last minute, to come out flat and crinkly. While any number of things could have gone wrong (under beating the eggs, over beating the batter) I'm convinced that it's the cruel sting of baking karma. As you may remember, Parisian Spring and I recently attempted our first batch of macarons and they came out PERFECTLY. Like, omg-these-look-just-like-a-picture perfect. So, because the baking gods blessed me the first time around, I know they're somewhere laughing with schadenfreude at my total macaron fail.


Macaron batter pretending to cooperate

But on to the crème brûlée.

Fortunately, the crème brûlée came out excellently despite a little recipe mishmash and I was really pleased with the natural cherry flavor that comes from the addition of the cherry juice. I think you could choose to leave the whole cherries in or out for this dish, depending on your preference. Alternately I thought about puréeing the cherries first, so let me know if you try out that technique and how you like it. Obviously the best part of crème brûlée is frightening your friends by wielding a kitchen torch after a few glasses of wine but, if you don't have one, you can always just pop your ramekins under the broiler of a few seconds to achieve the perfect sugar crust.

In honor of the Japanese gift of cherry blossoms, there was much hibachi to be had

I think Sandra Lee would be proud of my tablescape

Cherry-Almond Crème Brûlée
1 can sweet dark cherries, drained with syrup reserved
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract
5 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons sugar, for brulée topping

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place six ramekins in a large roasting pan and arrange 5 cherries in the bottom of each.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, 3/4 cup reserved cherry syrup, 1/2 cup sugar and almond extract. Stir until sugar dissolves, then bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

3. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks until well blended. Gradually add hot cream mixture and whisk to combine.

4. Divide custard among ramekins. Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it’s halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully transfer pan to oven.

5. Bake 35 minutes or until almost set (the center of each custard should wiggle when gently shaken). Using a large slotted spoon or tongs, carefully lift custards out of the water. Cool 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

6. When ready to serve, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sugar over each custard, turning and tapping the ramekin to evenly coat. Using a small kitchen torch, carefully move the flame across each until the sugar melts and browns, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes and up to 2 hours, then serve.

Blackberry-Lemon Pie

2011-04-06T22:06:00.000-04:00

I think my recent trip to the Dangerously Delicious pie truck may have subliminally influenced me more than I realized, because I was definitely craving pie last week. And even though "easy as pie" may be one of those overused clichés, this seriously has to be one of the easiest pies I've ever made. And, more importantly, it is by far the best pie I've ever made...if I do say so myself : ) I can't take too much credit though, because it was mostly due to the secret ingredient...

Blackberry is always my go-to pie because, well, it's my favorite. But it's also an easy option because the fruit doesn't really take much prep work before going straight into the pie. I know blackberries aren't exactly in season right now, but rhubarb is really the only pie-worthy ingredient in season right now, and I have to confess that I'm not a fan (don't hate me because I'm anti-rhubarb). Anyways, I know a lot of us are often too busy to even cook dinner after work, let alone bake, but just pair a few pints of blackberries with a couple of refrigerated or frozen pre-made crusts and you've got a recipe for a super quick and delicious homecooked pie on a weeknight.

As for that secret ingredient...this was my first time using quick-cook tapioca in a pie. I know, I know, it's nothing revolutionary, but I've never used anything other than flour or cornstarch to thicken a pie and this made all the difference. The tapioca helps the fruit juices to congeal, forming a pie with more structure and, thus, seemingly more satisfying slices. That being said, be careful not to go overboard on the tapioca, you don't want to end up with Jell-o pie. Or maybe you do, but that's up to you.

Blackberry Lemon Pie
2 store bought crusts, or your favorite recipe
4 cups blackberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp almond extract
1 Tbs lemon zest
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup Quick-cook Tapioca

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss berries with sugar, cinnamon, almond extract, lemon juice, zest and tapioca in a large bowl and set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Line a 9-inch pie plate with one of the pie crusts and fill with fruit mixture. Cover with the remaining pie crust, flute and crimp edges to seal, and cut slits in top crust for steam to escape. If desired, place pie plate on a baking sheet to catch any juices that may overflow.

3. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until browned and juices for bubbles that burst slowly.

Dangerously Delicious

2011-03-28T21:52:00.001-04:00

I won't say I was the first person to claim pie could be "the next cupcake," but let's just say I was one of the first :) Similar to cupcakes in individual serveability, ease of portability, nostalgia factor and seemingly endless range of flavor possibilities, pie has all the makings of the next big "it" dessert. By now this is nothing new, and Rodney Henry, owner of Dangerously Delicious Pies, was WAY ahead of the curve, opening his first shop in Baltimore roughly 10 years ago.

And these are more than just your run-of-the-mill pies; voted Best Pie in DC for 2011 and featured on such programs as The Food Network's Paula Deen's Best Dishes and Throwdown with Bobby Flay, you know they must be on to something. The first thing you'll notice about Dangerously Delicious is their rock n' roll attitude; the pie-and-crossbones logo lets you know this isn't your grandma's pie (though just as lovingly handcrafted), next you'll notice the flavors--more than you can shake a rolling pin at. Featuring both sweet and savory pies, Dangerously Delicious offers over 35 varieties of fruit, cream, custard, meat and vegetable pies...and that doesn't even include the quiches!!

So, When I heard that a branch of Dangerously Delicious was coming to D.C., I was excited. I was more than excited. I was eagerly waiting for several months of anticipation while the DC opening was slightly delayed and I was out of the country and unable to enjoy pie glory. Until now. Luckily for us, Dangerously Delicious has joined the fray of food trucks taking to the streets of downtown DC and I was recently blessed with a day off and unseasonably warm weather to finally try out a slice.

I got there around 1:30pm and the truck had almost been swept clean. Luckily I got the last slice of apple crumb and was gifted a with a little extra too to finish off the pan. The pie had plenty of fruit filling and was loaded with crumb topping and I have to say that the pie totally lived up to the hype, but maybe not the price--$6.50 for sweet pie and $7.50 for a savory is a little steep for me, but where else can you get a warm slice of homemade pie to finish of your lunch? Luckily I don't work downtown or these delicious pies really could be dangerous :)

If you go:

1339 H St NE

Washington, DC 20009

2839 O'Donnell St

Baltimore, MD 21224

Twitter:

DangerousPiesDC

DCPieTruck

Luck O' The Irish Cream Cupcakes

2011-03-17T05:41:00.000-04:00

St. Patrick's Day: That day when we're all Irish. That day when Irish eyes are smiling. That day when we throw shooters of Bailey's into pints of Guinness and slurp it all down between plates of green eggs and ham and never feel the need to stop and ask, "What is wrong here??" : )

This time of year, I usually look forward to making Irish Soda Bread but, when compared to boozed-up cupcakes, the soda bread started to sound a little...tame. These cakes are made with not one but TWO shots of Irish hospitality in the form of Guinness stout in the chocolate cakes and Irish cream liqueur in the frosting. Needless to say, you'll want to make sure these don't accidentally get mixed in with Junior's cupcakes on the way to the school St. Patty's party...though you may want to include one for the teacher : )

Cupcakes with Corned Beef cooking in the background--How Irish of me

I know Guinness chocolate cake may sound like an odd combination, but the addition of the stout adds a complex depth to the chocolate flavor and helps make the cakes oh-so-moist. As for the Irish cream frosting--I'm pretty sure it just doesn't get any better than this. Pair one of these with a plate of corned beef and cabbage, a shot of Jameson, and I think even St. Patrick would be proud.

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

from The Culinary Chronicles
1 cup stout beer
1 cup unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt
2 eggs
⅔ cup sour cream

Irish Cream Frosting
4 to 5 cups powdered sugar
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 to 5 Tbs Irish Cream Liqueur

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake cups with paper liners.

2. Put the butter with the stout beer in a sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Cool slightly.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In a mixer bowl, beat the eggs and the sour cream together. Add the beer/butter/cocoa mixture and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture and beat briefly just to combine. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined, making sure to incorporate little pockets of flour on the bottom so that the batter is of equal consistency everywhere.

4. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way if you want flatter cupcakes and 3/4 if you want domed. Bake for about 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely to room temperature.

Prepare the frosting: In a large mixer bowl, whip the butter for several minutes until very light and fluffy. Slowly add about half of the powdered sugar a few spoonfuls at a time until incorporated. Slowly drizzle the Irish Cream and whip until combined. Add the rest of the powdered sugar until your desired consistency has been achieved.

Assemble: Fill a pastry bag and pipe buttercream on top of cooled cupcakes. Garnish with sprinkles or other adornments. Slainte!

Let Them Eat (King) Cake

2011-03-08T09:20:00.000-05:00

Cake may not be the first thing you think of when you hear the words "Mardi Gras." More likely, you have visions of raucous debauchery heralding the last hurrah before 40 days and nights of oh-so-exciting Lenten deprivation. But in addition to beads and booze, King Cake is another (albeit tamer) New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition--harkening back to the Christian three kings tradition--inexpicably immortalized by a coffee cake doused in icing and colored sugar.

To celebrate Mardis Gras of the past, I've made the French style of King Cake that inspired the American version we celebrate with today, as well as a total lazy person's King Cake back when I was afraid of yeast. But this year I decided to go all out for a friend's Mardi Gras-themed dinner party and finally attempt the New Orleans style of cake we all know from this time of year.

When I decided to take the King Cake plunge I knew right away that I wanted to go with a recipe from David Guas--well-known in the DC area for bringing a taste of the Big Easy to Arlington, VA with his new cafe Bayou Bakery, and also for his tome of amazing southern-style New Orleans sweets, DamGoodSweet. At the party I also finally had a chance to sample Bayou's beignets (behn-yay, or French-style doughnuts) and cupcakes along with a delcious feast of gumbo, étouffée, kale chips, crawfish and muffaletta crostini courtesy of Department of Plate. The beignets and king cake were the perfect ending to our Cajun cuisine and helped "let the good times roll" as they say down south...sans flashing and open containers of liquor, of course. :)

A couple of notes: this cake is made with yeast (you're essentially making a sweet loaf of bread) so leave yourself plenty of time to allow for its two rises. Also, the icing dries quickly, so be sure to have your colored sugar prepped before you start frosting as you'll want to be able to sprinkle liberally before it hardens.

Beignets and cupcakes!

David Guas' King Cake

1 (1-1/4-oz.) package dry-active yeast

1/4 cup warm milk (105°F–115°F or warm to the touch)

1 cup plus 6 Tbs. bread flour plus extra for rolling

1 Tbs. honey

3/4 cup cake flour

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

2 Tbs. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp.ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. table salt

5 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 plastic baby figurine (to hide in the cake), optional

For the egg wash:

1 large egg

1 Tbs. milk

For the icing and decoration:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 Tbs. light corn syrup

3 Tbs. milk

1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3 cups granulated sugar

Green food coloring

Gold or yellow food coloring

Purple or red and blue food coloring

1. Whisk the yeast with the warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer until dissolved. Add the 6 tablespoons of bread flour and the honey and, using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until fairly smooth (there will still be a few lumps), 30 seconds to 1 minute, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary.

2. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, about 20 minutes.Once the dough has doubled, add 3/4 cup of the remaining bread flour, the cake flour, eggs, egg yolk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and almond extracts, and salt. Mix on low speed until combined, then switch to a dough hook, increase the speed to medium, and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and begin adding 4 Tbs. of the butter 1 Tbs. at a time, mixing well between additions. Continue to knead until the dough forms a slack ball (it will ride the dough hook, be tacky, and not slap the bottom of the bowl, but it should generally come together into a loose mass), 2 to 3 minutes. If the dough doesn’t come together, continue kneading while adding up to 1/4 cup of the reserved bread flour, until it does.

3. Grease a large bowl with 1/2 Tbs. of the remaining butter and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning it over in the bowl to coat with butter. Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap or damp kitchen towel and place the bowl in a draft-free spot until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper with the remaining butter. Generously flour your work surface using the remaining 1/4 cup of bread flour (if you used the bread flour in the dough, dust your work surface with more bread flour). Turn the dough out onto the work surface and sprinkle the top with some flour. Use your hands to press and flatten it into a rectangle. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1/4-inch-thick strip that is about 24 inches long by about 6 inches wide. Starting with one of the long sides, roll the dough on top of itself, making a long, thin baguette-shaped length. Pinch the edge to the body of the dough to seal, turn the dough so it lies horizontally on your work surface, and gently roll it on your work surface to even out any bulges and create a somewhat consistent 1-1/2-inch-wide rope. Bring the two ends of the dough together and pinch them into one another to seal. Carefully transfer the dough oval or circle to the prepared sheet pan. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and set in a warm, dry spot to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

5. Heat the oven to 375°F. To make the egg wash, whisk the egg and the milk together in a small bowl. Brush the egg wash over the top and sides of the dough, and bake the king cake until golden and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, make a small slit in the bottom of the cake and insert the baby figurine (if using). Set on a rack to cool completely.

To make the icing:While the cake cools, make the icing. Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, milk, and vanilla together in the bowl of a stand mixer on low speed until smooth and completely incorporated. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel until you are ready to glaze the cake.

To make the colored sugar, measure 1 cup of the sugar into each of 3 resealable quart-size plastic bags. Add 4 drops of green food coloring to one bag, 4 drops of gold or yellow food coloring to another bag, and 4 drops of purple food coloringto the last bag (if you don’t have purple, make it yourself: measure 2 drops of red and 2 drops of blue food coloring onto a spoon and mix with a cake tester or toothpick until combined). Seal each bag and then vigorously shake to combine the sugar and food coloring.Spoon the icing over the cooled cake. Immediately after icing, decorate with the tinted sugar.

Preview: Pound The Hill

2011-03-05T13:50:00.000-05:00

This weekend I was extremely lucky to get an early look at brand new coffee shop Pound the Hill, which has the potential to be the coolest spot to hit Eastern Market since, well, Eastern Market. Simultaneously urban and inviting, Pound sets itself the Herculean task of being a coffee shop/cafe/travel bar/neighborhood-spot-with-international-flare and succeeds on all accounts.

Nestled between hot spots We The Pizza and BaBay, Pound has a prime location on Pennsylvania Avenue and a prime location in DC's coffee market with a unique, niche concept. In addition to serving up your standard coffee shop favorites, Pound also offers a full rotating menu of international specialties. Inspired by their love of travel, the partners crafted a menu reflecting world cuisine and also plan to stock Pound's bookshelves with travel guides so that patrons inspired by the daily fare can plan their next trip. Additionally, Pound also features responsibly grown products like Kickapoo organic, Fair Trade coffee and Tevolution teas--a brand new bottled tea company which donates part of your purchase to charity and allows to you track online where your money goes.

So why should a baking blog be concerned with the newest coffee shop in town? Because their eclectic, international menu isn't limited to fare from around the globe, but they also feature a variety of house-baked goods to pair with your coffee to include scones, cinnamon rolls, cheesecake and yes, rumor has it...there will be cupcakes :) Pound is bringing on a new pastry chef and currently working to perfect a nutella baklava to pair with their nutella latte, so you can bet I will be back to sample all the goodies Pound has on offer...and more nutella lattes, obviously.

Pound The Hill is soft-opening next week with the full menu to be served beginning March 14th. In the meantime they will be giving away 1,000 of their signature Nutella Lattes during the first 10 opening days. Simply be one of the first 100 each day and mention a promotional code from Pound's Facebook or Twitter page to claim yours (believe me, it's as incredible as it sounds). With plans for an outdoor patio and liquor license (and cupcakes!) within the next 6 months Pound is sure to be a lasting gem in DC's coffee scene.

If you go:

Pound

621 Pennsylvania Ave SE

Washington, DC
Metro: Eastern Market (Blue/Orange Line)

Apple-Ginger Bread Pudding

2011-02-19T13:04:00.000-05:00

So this is what happens when I have a little bit of leftover ginger root from attempting to cook an actual dinner. Or rather, this is what happens when I have A LOT of leftover ginger because I attempted to cook an actual dinner before realizing that the recipe didn't actually call for ginger...at all. Oops.
But it all worked out in the end because now I can bring you this fabulous bread pudding. I am a bread pudding convert, but I know that it can still be a little boring if not done well; bread, eggs...there's not really much to it, but that also makes this dessert an excellent blank canvas for myriad ways of jazzing it up.

This recipe is adapted from my go-to cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens, and could also be made with dried pears and crystallized ginger, but my grocery store didn't carry those (my grocery store is also often out of spinach, shredded lettuce, ground beef and doesn't carry arugula at all, so I shouldn't be surprised). Best of all, this recipe is low-fat and would pair excellently with a caramel sauce or some other spiced cream sauce to complement the ginger (cardamom, maybe?) The original recipe calls for French bread, but I had a loaf of honey-wheat leftover from my first foray into breadmaking, so feel free to mix it up. Using brioche or challah would probably taste amazing...but probably not so low-fat.

A couple of notes: I think this is the first time I've ever actually had "day-old bread" on hand when a recipe called for it. Rather than wait, you can always just dry your bread cubes by placing them on a baking sheet and toasting them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Apple-Ginger Bread Pudding
4 beaten eggs
2 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbs vanilla
1 tsp finely shredded orange peel (optional)
1 Tbs finely grated fresh ginger
4 cups dry French bread cubes
1/3 cup snipped dried apples
1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg and/or cardamom (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, orange peel, ginger and spices (if using). In an ungreased 2-quart square baking dish toss together bread cubes and dried fruit; pour egg mixture evenly over bread mixture. Press mixture lightly with the back of a large spoon.

2. Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until puffed and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool slightly.

Nutrition per serving: 191 calories, 4g total fat (2g saturated fat), 111mg cholesterol, 180mg sodium, 30g carbs, 1g fiber, 7g protein.

Madeleines

2011-02-12T18:43:00.000-05:00

To hump or not to hump, that is the question. I'm talking about the hump in your madeleines, of course.

Like the macaron, the madeleine is another iconic French sweet and, also like the macaron, everyone and their maman claims to have the most correct recipe and method for turning out a perfect little dessert. Madeleines are essentially individual butter cakes baked in a distinctive shell-shaped mold and, as cakes tend to do, these little guys like to rise--hence the hump debate. Some contend that a madeleine is not really a madeleine at all if it does not rise such that a distinctive hump forms on the non-scalloped side of the cake. Others maintain that the hump is unsophisticated, and that REAL French would never eat a humped madeleine.

Me? I like the hump. I think it makes them distinctive, and also makes them seem a bit larger, so you're probably less likely to gobble down 5 at a time. Hopefully. I wasn't so lucky. Anyways, I tried to find a madeleine recipe from a pastry class I took in Paris awhile back but it seems to be lost, so I can't tell you where that chef stood with regards to the hump. But I did find an excellent recipe from David Leibovitz (French enough to count :) ) and you can read more of his take on the hump here. Essentially, he claims that it boils down to the use of baking powder, so feel free to omit it in this recipe if you'd like.

In the immortal words of Fergie, "My hump, my hump, my hump."

You will need a madeleine pan for this recipe. The tart pan and madeleine pan I brought back from Paris with me are definitely some of my prized possessions. Although I'm sure it's possible to order all of these things online straight from La Belle France these days, I just felt special knowing my purchases from E. Dehillerin were wrapped up nicely in brown paper and tucked into my suitcase for the trip back to the States. Amazon offers several and I would absolutely recommend a non-stick variety so you don't end up flinging madeleines across the kitchen as you try to unmold them like some people. Not me. That would never happen to me.

A couple of notes: If you do use baking powder, you may only want to fill your molds 1/2-full or less rather than the recommended 3/4 unless you want mondo madeleines. If I made these again I would probably add honey or vanilla to balance the lemon flavor--let me know how it goes if you try this! I prefer my madeleines au naturel, but David's recipe adds a lemon glaze which I've included below in case you want to give it a whirl.

Lemon-Glazed Madeleines
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup (130g) granulated sugar
rounded 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup (175g) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional)
zest of one small lemon
9 tablespoons (120g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature, plus additional melted butter for preparing the molds

Glaze
3/4 cup (150g) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons water

1. Brush the indentations of a madeleine mold with melted butter. Dust with flour, tap off any excess, and place in the fridge or freezer.

2. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, whip the eggs, granulated sugar, and salt for 5 minutes until frothy and thickened.

3. Spoon the flour and baking powder, if using, into a sifter or mesh strainer and use a spatula to fold in the flour as you sift it over the batter. (Rest the bowl on a damp towel to help steady it for you.)

4. Add the lemon zest to the cooled butter, then dribble the butter into the batter, a few spoonfuls at a time, while simultaneously folding to incorporate the butter. Fold just until all the butter is incorporated.

5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Batter can be chilled for up to 12 hours.)

6. To bake the madeleines, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

7. Plop enough batter in the center of each indentation with enough batter which you think will fill it by 3/4′s (you’ll have to eyeball it, but it’s not brain-surgery so don’t worry if you’re not exact.) Do not spread it.

8. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until the cakes just feel set. While the cakes are baking, make a glaze in a small mixing bowl by stirring together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and water until smooth.

9. Remove from the oven and tilt the madeleines out onto a cooling rack. The moment they’re cool enough to handle, dip each cake in the glaze, turning them over to make sure both sides are coated and scrape off any excess with a dull knife. After dipping, rest each one back on the cooking rack, scalloped side up, until the cakes are cool and the glaze has firmed up.

Storage: Glazed madeleines are best left uncovered, or not tightly-wrapped; they’re best eaten the day they’re made. They can be kept in a container for up to three days after baking, if necessary. I don’t recommend freezing them since the glaze will melt.

The Y-Word

2011-02-05T11:32:00.001-05:00

Inspired by my recent trip to Beehive Bread Co., I began to think that it might be time to finally attempt to overcome my fear of yeast. That's right, I call myself a baker (albeit amateurish at best) and yet I have never made bread from scratch. Moreover, I have never actually made ANYTHING that involves yeast. No pizza dough. No cinnamon rolls. No pretzels. Pretty much, whenever I scan a recipe, if I happen to see yeast in the ingredients I immediately move along.

I decided to use a recipe from my Baking At Home tome from the Culinary Institute of America--because those people must know what they're doing, right? Honestly, I think their excellent recipe and tutorial were the only things that salvaged my loaves because they came out just this side of passable. Ultimately, I don't think the yeast got incorporated well enough, it didn't rise enough (or more likely, I got impatient and didn't let it rise enough), my oven temp was too high (per usual) so the crust was over-baked (why didn't I just tent the pans with foil??) BUT it tasted amazing! And that's what really matters, right? At least, that's what I told myself when eating my lunchtime turkey sandwiches on tiny slices of bread for the next three days. : )

This is another example of trying to run before I could walk; the recipe included an extra, optional step called "autolyse" that professional bakers supposedly "swear by" for a deeper flavor. Obviously, because I have SO much experience baking bread, I thought it would be a fabulous idea to try this out. Let's just say that when you're already going out of your comfort zone to face your paralyzing fear of all things yeasted, then maybe attempting the extra, optional steps with scary names like "autolyse" may not be the best idea.

I'll be honest, this was very time-consuming. But otherwise it was not labor or ingredient intensive, and doesn't really require any artistic skill. If you think you'd like to take the bread plunge, I would definitely recommend this recipe because it doesn't involve any fancy bigas or sponges (don't worry if there are alarms going off in your head right now, we can discuss these things later), and it can be made in one day. Yes, there are breads that actually take more than one day to make. At the very least, maybe like me you'll finally be able to break out that dough hook for the first time.

Dough hook. Arrrrrr.

Honey-Wheat Sandwich Loaves
4 Cups Bread Flour plus extra as needed
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
2-1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
2 Cups Whole or Low Fat Milk, Boiled and Cooled at Room Temperature
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil plus extra for greasing
1/3 Cup Honey
2 tsp Salt
Cooking Spray for greasing
Egg Wash (1 large egg whisked with 2 tbsp cold milk or water) or milk for brushing

1. Combine the flours and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the milk, oil, honey and salt and mix on low speed until the dough forms a shaggy but even moistened dough, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough feels satiny and elastic, about 5 minutes.

2. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. Fold the dough over on itself, pressing gently to release the gas. Turn it out onto a floured work surface and cut into 2 equal pieces. Round each piece into a smooth ball, pulling the outer layer taut and pinching together the excess dough at the base of the ball. Place the dough seam sides down on a lightly floured work surface. Cover the dough and let rest until relaxed, about 20 minutes.

4. Coat two 9 inch loaf pans lightly with cooking spray. Stretch each dough ball into an 8x12 inch rectangle. Fold each short end of the rectangle toward the center of the dough to keep the sides straight and the corners square. Fold a long edge into the corner and use the heel of your hand to seal the edge to the dough. Fold the dough in half length wise and use your fingertips to seal the 2 edges together; keep the seam straight. The dough should be about 10 inches long. Roll the dough into an even cylinder 12 inches long. Push the ends of the cylinder toward the center until it is 10 inches long and place seam side down into the loaf pans. Brush with egg or milk wash. I used a milk wash. Use an egg wash for a shiny crust.

5. Let the dough to rise in a warm place, uncovered, until the pans are three quarters full and the dough springs back slowly to the touch, 1 hour. Meanwhile preheat you oven to 400º degrees.

6. Bake until the loaves have a rich golden brown crust and the sides of the bread retain their structure when pressed, 40-50 minutes. Remove the bread from the pans immediately and let cool completely on wire racks before slicing and serving.

Busy Bees

2011-01-31T15:08:00.001-05:00

On my last trip home to Columbus, Ohio over the holidays I finally had the chance to make a long-neglected visit to Beehive Bread Company in the historic village of Powell.

Opened in 2007, I don't know what took me so long to stop in, but I always made a mental note whenever driving by, as the bakery literally fills the neighborhood with the amazing smell of fresh-baked bread. I'm glad I finally popped in because the bread is to die for. And for good reason. Not only is it a family-run operation, but they also mill their own flour on site and focus only on necessary, natural, organic ingredients, leaving out things like preservatives and high fructose corn syrup.

Beehive has three standard loaves on offer daily: Honey Whole Wheat, Great White and Sourdough (except Monday) as well as a rotating menu of 12 speciality breads. But, honestly, it doesn't matter which day you stop in because they are all incredible. Luckily I got my hands on a loaf of the Caramel Apple (above) and you can see that it is chock full of apple chunks and gooey caramel pockets. And, let me tell you, that caramelized crust on top puts those Panera Cinnamon Crunch bagels to shame. Just sayin'.

Not sure which to pick? Beehive Bread Co. also offers a generous selection of free samples. When I asked if the ones on offer were the selections of the day, the bubbly sales girl was quick to tell me that it was only a sample, and that there were plenty more in the back if I'd like to try them. Not in the mood for bread? Beehive also has several sweet choices including cookies and sweet breads. This is not a camera trick...those brownies really are as big as your hand.

Beehive Bread Company is a shining example of the type of localized businesses that can offer an excellent product because they focus on quality, not quantity, and as a result become true assets to their communities. If only there were more like them in Columbus, DC, and beyond.

If you go

Beehive Bread Company
50 S. Liberty St.
Suite 166
Powell, OH 43065

Making Magnificent Macarons

2011-01-26T19:20:00.001-05:00

Whenever I tell people about The Baking Blog, I almost always get the same response; "I'll cook, but I don't bake. It's so hard!" I completely understand because I usually have the same reaction to cooking (all that chopping!), but there are definitely lots of baked goods that I find plenty intimidating. Croquembouche, I'm looking at you. Until recently, macarons had also been one of those "off limits" projects that I had always promised myself I'd get around to baking one day, but their finicky reputation preceded them, and I just presumed that I was doomed to fail.

If you're not familiar with macarons, you're probably asking yourself, "What's so difficult about those coconut cookies my grandma always makes?" Those would be macaroons. Not macarons. The extra "O" makes all the difference. Macarons are the iconic cookie of France, a miniature sandwich cookie made from almond flour and confectioners sugar, and able to be flavored or colored in myriad ways. More than likely though, you're familiar with macarons because, like cupcakes, they've become one of the newest "it" desserts. Yes, they've even been sold by Starbucks.

When Parisian Spring (obviously an expert on all things France) suggested that we finally bite the bullet and try out a recipe she had, I knew it was time. Believe it or not...these cookies were so easy!! The cookies themselves have only 3 ingredients, and the most difficult part was piping the rounds onto the cookie sheets because the batter is very viscous, so you have to work quickly. Other than that, simply let the cookies set for 15 minutes before baking and voilá!

So, while I might not be attempting a bûche de noël and it's accompanying meringue mushrooms any time soon, it's good to know that, for some foodie challenges at least, all of the hurdles are just in our minds.

Macarons
1 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/4 cups almond flour
3 egg whites, room temperature
food coloring and extract as desired

1. Preheat oven to 315 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the confectioners sugar and almond flour and sift together into a bowl.
2. With an electric or stand mixer beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat).
3. Add the flour mixture to the egg whites in quarters, folding together with a spoon or spatula. Stir only until just combined, but not beat.
4. Add color or flavor as desired.
5. Spoon or pour the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip (plug tip with your finger if necessary) and pipe quarter-sized rounds onto prepared sheets.
6. Allow the cookies to set for at least 15 minutes then bake for 12-15 minutes. makes approximately 30 sandwiches.

Filling
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
food coloring and extract as desired

1. Beat the cream nearly until the consistency of butter, then stir in sugar. Add in flavor or coloring as desired.
2. Once macarons have cooled, spread a small amount of filling between two halves and sandwich together.

And The Winner Is...

2011-01-21T09:16:00.000-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS to Tanya Brothen, winner of the Cupcake Avenger's second annual birthday cupcake contest!! You can send your congrats along to Tanya on Twitter, and also be sure to stop by her awesome travel blog, Parisian Spring. A big thank you to all of you who entered, and be sure to stay tuned for the next great contest!

Checkout Tanya's swag:

Cupcake wrappers from Bella Cupcake Couture

Silicone baking cups

Cupcake-shaped cookie cutter

*Note: winner selected via random.org

The Boys of Baking, Part Deux

2011-01-16T09:07:00.001-05:00

And now the moment you've all been waiting for...the second installment of Boys Who Bake! Please welcome my friend, writer of a phenom dance blog (seriously, someone hire this kid already), and all around amazing-at-everything-he's-ever-tried guy: Steve Ha. All the way from Seattle and just in time to use up all that leftover dried fruit from your holiday baking, he brings us his family recipe for *GASP* an edible fruitcake. If you'd like to be featured in the next installment of Boys Who Bake, hit me up at cupcakeavenger@gmail.com!

Fear Not The Fruitcake

Fruitcake, is something of an enigma in American culture. It’s regarded as a brick of malevolence that old people mail to their “loved” ones around this time of year, but like sharks and opera, fruitcake’s bad reputation is a misunderstood one. Admittedly, store bought fruitcake is truly vile—but have you ever tasted one that was homemade? The plot thickens…

I was introduced to fruitcake by close family friends and being the worldly people they are, had brought a recipe over from England. I don’t know how for how many generations they’ve had the recipe, but fruitcake is a celebrated tradition in their lives, and not only for the winter holidays but for weddings too. When I attended the wedding of the eldest son, a piece of fruitcake was given to each guest, which I understand to be commonplace in British culture. I of course had sampled it before that at some Christmas party I’m sure, and the recipe was shared with my family because my mom loved it so much.

Little did I know I would be enslaved into fruitcake duties from then on, but it works out for the best because I enjoy baking it and my mother is a disaster when it comes to desserts…we’re talking about a woman who melts marshmallows on high to hasten the process of making rice krispy treats, which would be fine if they didn’t fossilize when they cooled down. She’s also been known to reduce sugar from the classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, which I can also understand…but when you cut an entire cup, you’re going to end up with very dry, bread-cookies. (Tip: if you like your chocolate chip cookies less sweet, use less chocolate chips before reducing sugar. I would also add a little more salt, and would recommend light brown sugar instead of dark. Dark has a richer taste to me). Needless to say, for the sake of my own sweet tooth I banned her from baking and assumed the responsibilities myself at a relatively early age (to her credit, she is an excellent cook!).

Yes, a good fruitcake is still going to be dense, but with the right selection of dried fruits, it can be a wonderfully sweet and luscious. A lot of the store bought fruitcake uses a lot of candied fruit, which I use very little of (in fact the original recipe calls for candied cherries, which I now replace with dried cranberries), and one of the fun things about a fruitcake is trying different selections of dried fruit. Avoid sweetened dried fruit—a fair amount of sugar goes into the recipe and natural sugars in the fruit is more than enough. I would highly recommend going to your local farmer’s market and look for unsweetened (or lightly sweetened) fruit…at my market I’ve seen tasty options like rainier cherries, blueberries and even dried strawberries. For even healthier options, I would also suggest looking for dried fruit free of sulfides, which is a completely unnecessary additive that is only used to preserve color. For example, I use organic Turkish apricots that are brown and not the pretty orange you may normally see, but it tastes better and is better for you.

So I give you this fabulous fruitcake recipe and urge you to just give it a try…it has never failed me, and guests are always surprised at how good it tastes (while I get satisfaction out of their enlightenment!). This recipe is a bit of a time consuming process but I assure you none of it is difficult. Even if the result isn’t good (and trust me, you won’t have to worry because it will be), I always say that the effort is more important than the result, and I believe that is the true meaning of baking for the holidays. How better to show how much you value your loved ones than to slave away in a kitchen?

Rich Fruitcake

2 ¼ cups of golden raisins

1 ½ cups of raisins

1 ½ cups of dried currants

2oz of diced, candied orange peel

2oz of diced, candied lemon peel

3oz of dried cranberries

½ cup of dried apricots, chopped

2oz of chopped almonds

2 sticks of butter

1 cup of firmly packed dark brown sugar

½ cup of spiced rum

½ cup of water

Combine the above ingredients in a large saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

5 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons of freshly grated orange zest

1 teaspoon of freshly grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons of almond powder

1 ¾ cups of all purpose flour

1/3 cup of self-rising flour

½ teaspoon of baking soda

*I've never been able to find almond powder in stores, although I heard Trader Joe's has "almond flour" which is supposedly the same thing. I’ll just use a food processor or even a good old fashioned mortar and pestle and grind some blanched and slivered almonds. It really doesn’t have to be a super fine powder, so don’t obsess over this step.

Add beaten eggs and zests to cooled fruit mixture. Stir in dry ingredients (it says to sift...I never do).

Now the pan does take some prep work. First you grease a 9 x 9 square pan and then line it with wax paper (the butter makes the wax paper stick to the pan). Then, you wrap the cake tin in brown paper. I cut up a brown paper bag, folded up the sides and tied a string around it. It doesn't get dirty, so you can save the brown paper contraption too. I've been using the same one for years.

Spread mixture evenly into pan, and bake in a preheated 300° oven for about 1 ¾ to 2 ¼ hours. It's done when you prick a skewer in the middle and it comes out clean.

Remove the brown paper and tightly cover the tin with aluminum foil. Let cool (I usually cool it overnight). When cool, remove from the tin and peel off the wax paper, and splash 3 tablespoons of spiced rum on the underside of the cake (must be underside, so it soaks in). Wrap tightly in foil and store in the fridge (it also does really well frozen, I always freeze some sections).

Here's a picture from when it came out of the oven (you can see the brown paper thingie). Also, make sure the pan is deep enough. I think mine is 9 x 9 x 2.25, and you can see how close it gets to the top.

New Year, New Cupcake Contest!

2011-01-12T19:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to me!! Well, not ME really, but this month marks the second blog birthday of The Cupcake Avenger! I can't believe how quickly time has passed and I can't wait to start another year of sharing recipes, baking, desserts, cupcakes and all things sweet with all of you. More importantly, this celebration also means sharing with all of you some of what I love best--awesome cupcake gear! So, if one of your New Year's resolutions was to finally bake more cupcakes the time is now, because I have some delicious swag that could be yours...

First up: A gorgeous set of 12 damask-inspired cupcake wrappers from Bella Cupcake Couture

Behind Door #2: A set of 12 Sur La Table silicone baking cups (You've always wanted to try these, right?)

And last but certainly not least: A cupcake-shaped cookie cutter! So you can still have cupcakes...even when you're having cookies :)

And now, what you really want to know...How do I win??

1. Just leave a comment here telling me anything about cupcakes. That's right. Anything. Just be sure to include your email in the appropriate comment box so I can contact you (don't worry, your contact info won't be published--unless you include it in your comment)

2. For an extra chance to win, retweet this contest on Twitter (be sure to include @Cancemini4 so I can find you!)

3. That's it. Seriously. The winner will be chosen randomly via computer and announced here in 1 week. Prizes can be shipped anywhere in the world. You have until midnight EST January 20th, 2011 to enter, so what are you waiting for?!

Thank you to all who have made the last two years truly a joy, and I can't wait to read all of your comments!

Cupcake of Shame

2011-01-07T17:09:00.000-05:00

So I have a confession.

A few weeks ago I found my favorite cupcake.

Amazingly soft, incredibly moist, perfect cake-to-frosting ratio, by far the best cake I've had in my years of sampling...this seems like it would be a great thing, right? Almost. I'm ashamed to admit that I bought this cake on a whim from none other than... Au Bon Pain. That's right. A chain whose entry into the cupcake market signaled once and for all that cupcakes have jumped the shark in the opinion of mainstream America. Okay, so maybe that was Starbucks, but still, in the foodie world, saying your favorite cupcake came from an industrial chain is like saying you had the most amazing burger and it came from that little shop down the street, "You know the one? MCDONALD'S?" Yeah.

So, you can see why I'm torn. And why, obviously, I had to go back : ) I mean, what if the Red Velvet cake I sampled happened to be a fluke? A one-time anomaly perpetrated on a cranky mind by a hungry tummy? Inquiring minds want to know! So when I was nearby the ABP tonight I did that thing where you tell yourself you're not going in but, deep down, you know darn well you're about to walk right through that door. And, I mean, I had to break a $20 bill to do laundry, right? Totally necessary.

So here I sit. Completely sated from a French Vanilla cupcake with Cream Cheese frosting and mini Vanilla Chips. Another home run. The picture above is courtesy of Nation's Restaurant News because I had so little faith in the cupcakes that I didn't even bother to take a photo before devouring them--oh me of little faith. So now you all know the truth, but when people ask me for my cupcakery recommendations, I'm still going to suggest Red Velvet in DC, Bakeshop in VA and Bakery Gingham or Pink Moon back home in Columbus--sorry ABP, but I've got a reputation to protect : )

Tiny Bubbles

2011-01-01T17:39:00.000-05:00

I love bubbles. Prosecco, Spumante, Moscato, Champagne and their not-technically-champagne-but-totally-champagne American cousins, the "sparkling wines"... I love them all. Maybe these wines hold a certain cachet because we typically reserve them for special occasions, but I think a little fizz is perfect anytime, and love to top off cocktail creations with a little sparkling whenever possible.

(P.S. If you're ever traveling through the Atlanta airport, stop off at One Flew South in the E Terminal and ask for "The Cardinale"--a cocktail of St. Germain elderflower liqueur, red grapefruit juice and prosecco. I made it up while delayed and killing time over sushi. I can't take credit for the name, though. You can blame the bartender for that one.)

Anyway, I have wanted to make champagne cupcakes every New Year, and in addition to getting a sample of my favorite ingredient while baking, I love these cupcakes because they helped me knock out two New Year's baking resolutions at once: finally getting around to making a baked good with champagne in it, and also making my first ever filled cupcakes. And it was so easy! Just make sure your cupcakes are completely cooled and use a sharp knife and voila!

I also got an awesome cupcake corer for Christmas but, unfortunately, this cake recipe was a little too dense to use the plastic corer successfully without damaging the cupcakes.

This recipe is from the amazing Sprinkle Bakes, whom I found to have the best recipe after my annual champagne cupcake recipe stalking. This recipe is a little time consuming, but totally worth it; they were declared by a coworker to be "Possibly the best cupcake I have ever had. Even though I've only ever had about three or four cupcakes." : ) So there you go. Happy New Year!

Sparkling Champagne Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup champagne, Prosecco, or similar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside. in a medium sized bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup champagne and 1/2 cup sour cream (mixture will fizz and bubble a little). Add flour and champagne mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Batter will be thick.

3. Fill cupcake papers with 1/4 cup level measures of batter. Bake for 17-22 minutes. Set aside.

Champagne Filling
1/2 cup heavy cream, divided
1/2 cup champagne or prosecco
2 tbsp cornstarch
5 tbsp granulated sugar
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla

1. In a medium bowl, whisk cornstarch in 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Combine the remaining heavy cream, sugar and 1/2 cup champagne in a saucepan; bring to a boil then remove from heat.

2. Beat the whole egg and egg yolks into the cornstarch/heavy cream mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling champagne mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs do not cook. Return the remaining champagne/heavy cream mixture to a boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.

3. Cut a divot into the top of each cupcake and fill with pastry cream. Trim the cut-out cake pieces flat to make a "lid" and place on top of the filled divot.

Champagne Frosting
1 cup plus 1 tbsp. champagne or prosecco
2 sticks of butter softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Place 1 cup of champagne in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Transfer to a small bowl or condiment cup and allow to cool.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream softened butter and powdered sugar together. Once the frosting is thick and fluffy, pour in the reduced 2 tbsp. champagne plus 1 tbsp. champagne from the bottle and mix well.

3. Frost the cream-filled cupcakes and decorate as desired.

Candyland

2010-12-25T09:00:00.003-05:00

Once I discovered that it doesn't always take 9 years to make candy (if you're doing correctly), I guess maybe you could say I went a little overboard on the confectionaries. But once I saw the gorge display of unique holiday chocolate barks in last month's issue of Martha Stewart Living, I couldn't wait to try out a few to finish off my holiday candy boxes.

I know it may be a little late for holiday cooking at this point, but just wait for that week-long lull between Christmas and New Year's when you've got nothing but piles of leftover dried fruit, nuts, and citrus falling down around you. Then you'll be back :)

The basic recipe for this bark is super simple: just 1 pound of chopped dark, white or bittersweet chocolate depending on the recipe, and then whatever toppings your little heart desires. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler (or, let's be honest, a pan placed on top of another pan of simmering water) pour into prepared pans, top as desired, then pop them into the fridge to cool. And that's it. Srsly.

A note on prep: there are also about a million ways to prepare these (...or at least 3) depending on the final look you're going for. The easiest is simply to grease a cookie sheet or line it with a silicone baking mat, then break it into pieces by hand once it has cooled. A great idea for gifting would be to line mini loaf pans with parchment then wrap the final product like homemade candy bars. I just sprayed aluminum loaf pans with cooking spray, but I imagine you could also pour these into adorable holiday candy molds too. See? A million ways.

Dried Cranberry, Pistachio and Toasted-Coconut White Chocolate Bark

1 lb white chocolate, chopped, melted and poured into prepared pans

1/4 cup each dried cranberries, roasted salted pistachios, large flake unsweetened coconut

Dried Cherry and Orange Zest Bittersweet Chocolate Bark

1 lb bittersweet chocolate, chopped, melted and poured into prepared pans

1/4 cup each dried cherries and finely grated orange zest

Each recipe fills 2 regular-sized loaf pans

The Boys of Baking

2010-12-22T15:50:00.001-05:00

Don't get too excited ladies, we're not talking about the new 2011 Calendar you can expect under your tree this year :) Since beginning my blog, I've gotten to hear great stories from my friends about their baking exploits. Surprisingly, a number of these came from my guy friends, eager to share that they, too, liked to bake the occasional cupcake or had learned to bake the most incredible fruit pies with their grandfathers growing up. And so, in their honor, I am starting the Boys Who Bake series on The Cupcake Avenger. Please join me in welcoming my second-ever guest blogger and super brave friend Matt Sullivan who agreed to be featured in volume 1! Hit me up at cupcakeavenger@gmail.com if you'd like to be considered for the next installment of Boys Who Bake!

I was invited this week by my friend Hilary to write a guest spot for the "Cupcake Avenger". Yes, I am a male. And yes, I just successfully baked something. I consider this a minor victory for men everywhere.

This may be blasphemous, but I decided to make my medium muffins vice cupcakes. And muffins are just bald cupcakes, right? :)

I spent some good time looking at recipes for this venture, and narrowed my focus down to creating something healthy I could bring back to my office, as we are constantly inundated with all sorts of caloric-packed treats. I finally landed on Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins, and found the healthiest recipe I could find. However, I currently live in the Middle East, and finding everything I needed for this was difficult and/or impossible. I did the best I could.

The baking was actually quite fun. I am already ready for an encore. Perhaps if Hilary will host me again in the future I can take a crack at something a wee bit more complicated.

When it was all said and done, they turned out rather flat looking, but they are delicious! It's an added bonus knowing they aren't completely terrible for you.

*It is of note to point out I listened to rock music while I was baking to make this experience as masculine as possible.

Here is the recipe for anyone who wants to try it out as well:

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

1/2 cup flour

1 3/4 cup uncooked oatmeal

5 Tbs Splenda brown sugar blend

1 Tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup skim milk

1/4 cup Egg Beaters or 1 egg equivalent

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

2 Tbs vanilla extract

1 to 1 1/2 cups blueberries (thawed, if frozen)

1 Tbs Splenda

1 Tbs ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375° F and line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper baking cups.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, brown sugar blend, baking powder and salt. Mix well with a spoon.

3. In a small bowl, using a spoon or fork, combine vanilla extract, skim milk, Egg Beaters, and apple sauce. Mix well.

4. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and beat until ingredients are well-blended. Fold in the blueberries.

5. Pour an equal amount of batter into each cup until cups are about 2/3 to 3/4 full.

6. Combine Splenda and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over muffins.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Each muffin provides approximately 115 calories, .9 g fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 120mg sodium, 21.9g Carbohydrates including 2.1g of Dietary Fiber and 8.3g Sugar and 3.8g Protein

Let It Snow

2010-12-18T08:17:00.002-05:00

And so the first flakes have fallen on the DC area and residents wasted no time in responding with the traditional panic-stricken hissy fit. After fighting my way home from work in the daunting 1" of slush, I was about ready to have a hissy fit myself, when I met a woman and her grandson in the lobby of my apartment building. They were grinning ear to ear because it was the first time either of them had seen snow. This totally made my day, and I guess it's those little things that we should remember not to take for granted this time of year.

These snowflake cookies will definitely NOT give you a hissy fit, because I think they are possibly the easiest cookies ever to make. They are also super versatile and you can decorate them any way you like. My grocery store happened to have uber adorable Andes holiday baking chips, but you could also substitute crushed candy canes, or nothing at all--the peppermint extract provides excellent flavor. A little hint of red or green food coloring would also be great for the season, but maybe not quite so snowflake-like...

Peppermint Snowflake Meringues

3 large egg whites

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
1/4 cup Andes Mint holiday baking chips (optional)
Clear sanding sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

2. Put egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir gently until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Transfer bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or beat with a hand mixer. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Mix in peppermint extract and baking chips, if using.

4. If desired, fit a pastry bag with an open star tip and pipe small star shapes onto prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle each star with sanding sugar, if using.

5. Bake cookies until crisp but not brown, about 1 hour 40 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Makes 3-5 dozen, depending on size.

Fleur de Sel Caramels

2010-12-11T15:45:00.002-05:00

Because it sounds fancier than "carmels."

I've never really been much of a candy maker (see: the fudge from hell). But for the holidays this year I plan to give homemade candy boxes as gifts for friends, and was inspired by a gift of gorgeous French fleur de sel to try these salted caramels (sorry to ruin part of the surprise for some of you!)

I know fleur de sel sounds super fancy and intimidating, but it's essentially just a coarse grain of salt that's now often available in most grocery stores, and is excellent for seasoning almost anything that calls for regular table salt. As for those of you saying "Carmel and salt?? Eew!" The chocolate-covered pretzel people are way ahead of us on this one and we've never looked back. Just trust me on this one.

If you're sending any care packages to friends and family overseas this year, these candies are also an excellent choice because you get that homemade touch without having to worry about them getting stale, melted, smashed or otherwise manhandled en route.

As for the carmel vs. caramel debate, I'll leave that one up to you. And that really annoying McDonald's carmel latte commercial.

A couple of notes: The recipe below is the "short cut" version. Instead of using sweetened condensed milk, you can also substitute 2 cups half-and-half or light cream, but this may take about 60 minutes to reach firm ball stage, instead of about 20.

There's really no easy way to cut carmels without making a sticky mess. Let the carmel sit for at least 3 hours to help them set before you start cutting. I read a tip about using a buttered knife, but didn't really find this to be any more effective. Using your sharpest knife, press quickly and firmly on the back of your knife with your non-cutting hand to sort of "press" the caramels rather than using a back-and-forth cutting motion. After each row of candies you cut, run your knife under very hot water to remove any excess before moving on to the next row.

As for the wrappers, I just cut waxed paper into 5x4" squares though, after the mind-numbing task of cutting and salting about 75 caramels, you may want to save your sanity by just purchasing pre-cut candy wrappers. Other than that you're on your own :)

Fleur de Sel Caramels
1 cup butter
1 16-oz pkg packed light brown sugar
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk (or 2 cups light cream)
1 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
Fleur de sel

1. Line an 8x8x2" or 9x9x2" baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Butter or spray the foil. Set aside.

2. In a heavy saucepan with high sides melt butter over low heat. Add the brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk (or cream, if using) and corn syrup; mix well. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Insert a candy thermometer. Reduce heat to medium; continue boiling at a moderate, steady rate, stirring frequently, until the thermometer registers 248°F, firm ball stage. Adjust heat as necessary to maintain a steady boil.

3. Remove pan from heat; remove thermometer. Stir in vanilla. Quickly pour mixture into prepared pan. When firm, use foil to lift out of pan. Cut into 1" squares and press each piece lightly onto a small plate of fleur de sel, wrap as desired. Store up to two weeks. Makes 2 lbs, or about 64 pieces.

Minty Fresh

2010-12-03T18:25:00.002-05:00

My oven runs hot. I know this. And yet I still manage to overbake my cookies. Every. Single. Time. And, of course, this time was no exception. Though I suppose there's something to be said for consistency, I always seem to forget that cookies will continue to bake ever so slightly once removed from the oven. Though not burnt, mine lost that delicious, right-out-of-the-oven-chewiness as they cooled in favor of a tougher, are-you-trying-to-make-biscotti-here-or-what?? texture. So, even if you think your cookies might look like they may need to bake ever so slightly longer...DON'T. Don't be like me, and pop them back into the oven for another two minutes even though you know your oven overcooks. Sigh.

These cookies are also an example of what happens when you have a driving urge to bake something but no real inspiration for ingredients or flavors combos--so you just make the recipe from the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip package. But not just any chocolate chips mind you, limited edition dark chocolate and mint chips. Ooooohhh. I couldn't help myself when I saw the holiday-themed bag in the store, and grabbed a pack before really thinking ahead to what I would do with this delicious find. Luckily, Nestle is one step ahead and gives this recipe for Mint Chocolate Delights as well as another recipe for your standard chocolate chip cookie substituting the holiday morsels.

A couple of notes: This dough is sticky like woah, so you may be better off to stir by hand rather than with electric beaters if you don't have a stand mixer.

Mint Chocolate Delights
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsels

1. Preheat oven to 325° F.

2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by well-rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

3. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen

Review: Crumbs Bakeshop

2010-11-28T14:15:00.005-05:00

So it's finally here. After much hype and controversy, New York's Crumbs Bakeshop opened its first area location last week in Penn Quarter.

Why the hype? Well, in addition to the local population still collapsing into conniptions at the mention of cupcakes, Crumbs was giving away a whopping 1,000 free cupcakes for their opening on the 19th, and they also bring a novelty yet to be seen at any other local cupcake shop: sizes. Not just mini vs. standard, but 4 different sizes ranging from mini to "colossal," meant to be shared by up to 4 people. Or just yourself. I won't judge.

So, why the controversy? Because, up to now, our DC-area cupcakeries on the whole are single shop start-ups, run by area residents. Hence the controversy of a large, well-established chain of outsiders plunking down their bakery in the middle of the DC cupcake scene after allowing it to become established and flourish through the hard work of DMV bakers and entrepreneurs. However, I was prepared to love Crumbs. Despite myself, and my feelings about local businesses, I had heard that Crumbs specialized in somewhat exotic flavors--my siren song when it comes to cupcakes.

I should have known better.

My fellow cupcake taster and I arrived on November 20th, a day after the 1000-cupcake-giveaway-opening-day-bonanza, and what I thought would be a safe day to avoid the madness. Wrong. Apparently a portion of those 1000 cupcakes had come out of their next day's supply because, when we arrived, there were only a few flavors left in the case, and all of them were in the "Signature"/grapefruit size or larger. Minutes after we arrived, a line of at least 10 or more formed quickly behind us and out the door. Though there were two employees behind the counter, they both proceeded to spend the next 10 minutes making ONE latte while everyone in line became very confused about where/how to order. After needing to shout our order from the crowd once we were finally helped, my friend and I chose a pre-packed selection of 12 minis, rather than trying to gorge ourselves on the few seemingly steroid-enhanced cakes left in the case. This pack cost $18. That's right. 1. 8. $.

As for the cupcakes themselves, I can really only recommend what we called "the ding-dong looking one." It was delicious, with an excellent chocolate ganache. Also, the jam-filled raspberry swirl was unique, as well as the chocolate chip and oreo cookie versions. Other than that, the rest of these cakes were rather dry, with the same vanilla frosting used on every cake (even the red velvet, and "mint" chocolate). I can also say that the vanilla filled with chocolate cream cheese earns the infamous title of the only cupcake I have never been able to finish.

There's a reason I point all of this out. Because, normally, I am extremely forgiving of new restaurants at opening, because it takes time to work out the kinks. But, if you have been in business for 7 years and feel superior enough to plunk your popsicle stand down in the middle of someone else's game--you had better have your shite together. And Crumbs does not.

Cupcakes For a Cause

2010-11-20T08:24:00.001-05:00

I think I managed to make it to the ripe old age of about 24 before I broke down and sampled sweet potato casserole. Something about the combination of vegetables and marshmallows just always made me wary. Probably for the same reason that I won't drink that V8 Splash "fruit" juice. They may have the kids fooled, but I know there's carrots in there. Eventually I realized that sweet potato casserole is just a dessert masquerading as a side dish, and now it's a staple that I always look forward to this time of year.

When fellow blogger Thrifty DC Cook asked me to donate cupcakes for a bake sale benefiting the DC State Fair, I was more than happy to oblige. This year's inaugural fair was an excellent event, and the idea of the bake sale was a focus on local ingredients with a fall theme. While I couldn't manage to find any locally-grown marshmallows (that's a joke, people), I was inspired by another DC food blogger--Department Of Plate--to incorporate my new found love of sweet potato into cupcake form for the fall theme. The bake sale is going on now at the 14th & U Farmer's Market, so DMVers act NOW NOW NOW and these cupcakes can be yours! Come out between 9am-1pm to support the DC State Fair, meet some of the most awesome bloggers ever, and sample all of the excellent local vendors.

A couple of notes: this recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart's cupcake tome--I halved it, as the original makes an astounding 28 cupcakes. Also, I used a marshmallow frosting for this, but feel free to just use mini-marshmallows in honor of the original casserole. And, if you don't have a kitchen torch, you can always just toast your topping of choice by popping them under the broiler for a few seconds, being careful not to catch your cupcake wrappers on fire, of course. Safety first.

Candied Sweet Potato Cupcakes
2 pounds (about 3 medium) sweet potatoes, scrubbed
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups miniature marshmallows (or marshmallow frosting, below)
Candied pecan pieces (optional, below)

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork and place on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until completely soft and juices begin to seep from the potatoes and caramelize, about 1 hour. Reduce oven to 325°.

2. When cool enough to handle, slice potatoes in half lengthwise and use a fork to scrape the flesh from the skin into a bowl, discarding skins. Mash potato with fork until smooth. (You should have about 2 cups.)

3. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in mashed sweet potatoes and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture in three batches, beating until completely incorporated after each.

4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, about 28 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
5. Make topping: Dividing evenly into 4 mounds, place marshmallows on a large baking sheet or nonstick baking mat. Using a small kitchen torch, brown marshmallows all over (or heat under the broiler). With an offset spatula, transfer mounds to cupcakes, and top with candied pecans.

Marshmallow Frosting
8 eggs whites
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1. Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Makes enough to frost 2 dozen cupcakes.

Candied Pecans
1/2 cup pecan pieces
4 Tbs water
4 Tbs sugar

1. Place pecans, water and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sugar, and bring to a simmer. Simmer 7-10 minutes, until golden and coated. Remove pecans to parchment and allow to cool.

Apple-Cranberry Streusel Pie

2010-11-16T16:50:00.000-05:00

I'm a big fan of pie. Homey and unpretentious, pie is difficult to mess up and always comforting. In terms of flavor choices and individual servability, I'd even be willing to give it my vote as the next "it" dessert. Local pie rebel Dangerously Delicious is clearly ahead of the curve on this one.

I made this pie a few weeks ago, on Columbus Day, when I happened to find myself with a blissful 4-day weekend and unseasonably warm temps. After the requisite three days of sitting around doing nothing, I finally managed to motivate not only to make this pie, but to actually drive out to Stribling Orchard in Markham, Virginia and pick the apples myself. How quaint.

Blue Ridge views from Stribling Orchard

There is definitely something rewarding about using local produce, and I may have even gone a little local-overboard by buying about 2 pounds of Stribling's homemade honey. Oops. In other words...stay tuned for honey-based recipes :)

I also made pie crust from scratch for this one, but it honestly wasn't that great (I found it too tough, though that can be a plus for juicy fruit pies) so I won't include the recipe here, but feel free to substitute your own favorite or store-bought crust. The streusel topping, however, was easy and amazing. If you don't have a pastry cutter for this step, you can just use two knives to cut the butter into the flour--not as effective, but much more ninja-like.

Ninja Pie

Apple-Cranberry Pie

FILLING

Juice of 1 orange

Zest of 1 orange

5 cups of peeled, sliced apples (approximately 5 medium apples)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped (if frozen, do not thaw)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

TOPPING

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons oats

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Make or purchase one recipe of your favorite pie crust. Preheat oven to 400. Roll pie dough out into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough in the pie pan and refrigerate while you make the filling and topping.

2. To make filling, mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. To make topping, mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. The topping mixture should clump when pressed together.

3. Add filling to cold pie crust and scatter topping all over the filling. Bake at 400 degrees until the juice in the center of the pie is bubbling, about 1 hour. If the crust or topping becomes too dark, cover the pie loosely with foil.

4. Transfer to a wire rack; cool completely before serving.

Easy as pie!!

I Left My Blog in San Francisco

2010-11-08T22:31:00.000-05:00

Ok, not really. But I definitely could have left my heart there after this past weekend's trip to the city by the bay for the second annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival.

While I will be the first to admit that I use travel as an escape (not always...but often), the Foodbuzz Fest was an excellent chance not only to indulge in the escapism of jetting cross-country for the weekend and to leave east coast worries behind, but also to meet up with hundreds of other foodies just like me.

It was refreshing to be able to crouch underneath a table in order to take ridiculously close-in shots of a meal without wondering what other people would think of you...because there was actually line forming of others who wanted that exact angle for their photos too. Or to overhear a conversation beginning with "Well, let me tell you about the different tiers of lettuce..." and actually be intrigued. The Foodbuzz Fest was three days of unrepentant foodie bliss, and I highly recommend it to any other food bloggers, epicureans, gastronomes or armchair chefs out there that want to get more involved in food and the culture of the way we eat.

Unfortunately the weekend was somewhat marred by a Sunday rain delay at the San Francisco airport which resulted in my spending the next 24 hours (aka 2 cab rides, 1 plane trip, 1 train trip and 5 hours of driving) attempting to get home. But, let me tell you, there is nothing like freezing your @$$ off in the middle of November while passing the hours of 1am-5am at Philadelphia's 30th St. train station--abandoned but for the motley cast of homeless crazies and a similarly appointed McDonald's--to give you the time to get some perspective on your life. So, I'd say a net gain overall :)

And now, for the pics:

A floor full of foodies surrounded by amazing samples. Heaven.

And we're not talking cocktail weenies, but stuff like this. Um, yes, please.

Absolutely the most amazing sandwich I have ever eaten. Porchetta sandwich from Roli Roti...fatty, tender pork with a crisp, salty/sweet crust. *drool* DC: GET ON THIS!

Cool chili/bay leaf display at the vegetarian gumbo stand

Like me, he was just happy to be there. Until next year!!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes aka When Blogs Collide

2010-10-31T19:15:00.000-04:00

Writing a baking blog, I always get a thrill when friends regale me with tales of their baking exploits, which usually start out more often than not with something along the lines of, "I followed the recipe exactly! I don't know what happened!" I know baking can be intimidating, so I always encourage novice bakers to just take the plunge, and was more than excited when a friend and fellow blogger asked for my help tackling Hummingbird Bakery's pumpkin spice cupcakes and cream cheese frosting.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid I might not have been much help on this one. Between needing to find a converted recipe from the original metric instructions, attempting to double it, realizing halfway through that one of the directions had clearly been omitted in the cookbook, and mangling a hand mixer beyond repair...well, as I've said before, let's just say that sometimes you really can be a lot less exact in your baking and still end up with a delicious end product. Because these cupcakes were GREAT! Super moist and delicious, these cakes were definitely a hit.

Check out the recipe, more on Hummingbird, and Tanya's take on the international flavor of Halloween here at Parisian Spring.

Oh Fudge

2010-10-23T12:49:00.000-04:00

In a similar vein as whoopie pies, fudge may not be the most glamorous of desserts, but it's definitely one of those homespun standards that always manages to make it onto the dessert side of the table at family potlucks and always manages to disappear--piece by addictive piece.

While this recipe for Spiced Pumpkin Fudge from Libby's is not exactly difficult, it IS time consuming. The first step requires you to heat sugar to soft-ball stage (234-240 degrees, you will need a candy thermometer or the good old bowl-of-water test) while constantly stirring...and stirring...and stirring. If your arm is cramping up and you're starting to sweat from the heat of a pot of boiling sugar, you're on the right track...keep stirring. Before you get started you may want to crank up some tunes and crack open a bottle of pumpkin ale to help pass the time. That's what helped me at least :)

I do have a sneaking suspicion that the refusal of the sugar to reach soft-ball stage in a reasonable amount of time may have something to due with the fact that I had to use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar. Oops. But I'd love to hear about your experience it if anyone else gives this recipe a try! The fudge was still delicious even though I finally threw in the towel (the spoon?) while the sugar was still only at 220 degrees. Shh, don't tell.

Spiced Pumpkin Fudge
2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine

2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) evaporated milk

1/2 cup pumpkin

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) white chocolate morsels

1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème

1 cup chopped pecans

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil.

2. Combine sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, butter and spice in a medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 10 to 12 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 234° to 240º F (soft-ball stage).

3. Quickly stir in morsels, marshmallow crème, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until morsels are melted. Immediately pour into prepared pan. Let stand on wire rack for 2 hours or until completely cooled. Refrigerate tightly covered. To cut, lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Makes about 3 pounds.

Making Whoopie

2010-10-10T10:39:00.000-04:00

Forgive the title; I couldn't help myself.

With pumpkin spice season fully upon us, I couldn't wait to try out Martha Stewart's mini chocolate and pumpkin whoopie pies for a festive fall pumpkin carving party. At first I thought it might be a little sadistic to bring pumpkin snacks to a pumpkin carving...but I got over it.

Although whoopie pies seem to be enjoying a surge in popularity recently--some even suggesting they are "the new cupcake"--I was shocked to discover how many of my friends had actually never even heard of whoopie pies. "You're making pumpkin WHAT?" was the typical response.

If you are a whoopie novice, probably the best way to describe them is similar in concept to an oatmeal cream pie, but with cake instead of oatmeal cookies. Some may try to tell you that a whoopie pie is a Moon Pie. They are NOT Moon Pies. If you're getting technical, Moon Pies are commercial sandwiches of graham cookie and marshmallow creme dipped in chocolate whereas the whoopie is all cake and frosting. I'd like to say that these whoopie pies were a total hit at the party, but there may have been an unfortunate forgetting-them-in-the-fridge incident. Oops. But *I* can tell you that they were delicious...I had about 6 of them. Oops.

For residents of the DMV, whoopies have officially invaded the area--get your fix from B. Hall, an area baker specializing exclusively in whoopie pies or also from pop-up baker Whoops! Bakeshop currently hawking pies at Mid City Caffe until hopefully opening a storefront next year.

A couple of notes: 1) if you're using a dark metal pan you may want to reduce your oven temp. 2) Try to flatten your batter rounds a little bit as they tend to bake up rather than out. 3) These are MINI whoopie pies, people, so portion control on the batter. Believe me, I know it's hard. Or you could just get this whoopie pie pan from Williams-Sonoma.

Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

makes about 20 sandwiches

Cookies:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1 large egg

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Filling:

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup canned solid pack pumpkin

Pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

1. Prepare cookies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

2. Place butter, shortening, and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add egg; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in half the flour mixture, then the milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining flour mixture.

3. Drop about 2 teaspoons dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies spring back when lightly touched, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cool 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets and transfer to wire racks using a spatula; let cool completely.

4. Prepare filling: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together cream cheese, butter and confectioners' sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg; whip until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

5. Pipe or spoon about 2 teaspoons filling on the flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, keeping the flat sides down.

A Tour of Tiramisu

2010-10-03T20:28:00.002-04:00

Next on my culinary tour of Italia, I couldn't wait to try out my go-to dessert, tiramisu, in its natural habitat.

While the origins of this trifle-like dessert are a bit cloudy (some even attributing its creation to a brothel where it was used to boost the energy of the clientel--the names does mean "pick me up" afterall...) the ingredients throughout the decades have remained the same: ladyfingers, eggs, marscarpone, coffee and liquor. Yes, please.

My first taste was in Venice at the Ristorante al Teatro, adjacent to the Fenice Theater. The food here was decent but I definitely recommend it on show nights for the added bonus of people-watching. From their patio you have an excellent view of the local Venetians dolled up in their Italian finest for a night at the Fenice. The first thing I noticed about the tiramisu (tiramisi?) in Italy was that it was typically served premade in individual dishes, rather than served in slab-like squares as if cut from a sheetcake a la the American style. I found this particular version far too heavy on the coffee, leaving the bottom cake layers cold and soggy. Otherwise I found the flavors to be well-balanced, if a little light on the liquor (No, I don't have a problem).

Unfortunately I don't have a photo, but my next tiramisu experience was in Florence, and was almost the exact opposite of my Venetian dessert. I truly wish I had a picture, because the marscarpone filling was so heavy on egg yolks that it was in fact yellow. Also served in an individual dish, this dessert came topped with about 1/2" of cocoa powder on top and, if you've ever had the unpleasant experience of eating plain cocoa powder, well, you can imagine the unplesant aftertaste. Though I do remember that the cake wasn't soggy, I honestly can't remember tasting any hint of coffee or liquor as the eggy flavor was so overwhelming. If you're a fan of custards, then this Florentine style tiramisu is definitely for you.

While I'm glad I got to sample a taste of true Italian tiramisu, I think I'll be sticking to my own recipe for now.

Gelato Joy

2010-09-26T10:29:00.000-04:00

Howdy, strangers! I know, I know. I've been completely MIA for the last several weeks while getting my Stateside and globe-trotting life back in order. I know, I know. This post is still not the Brandied Dried Fig and Vanilla Souffle I promised you before discovering what is apparently the Great Ramekin Shortage of 2010. (Don't worry, the souffle is coming!) Though I may have been missing for a few weeks, it was with the best of intentions as I can now bring you tales of gelato, tiramisu and panna cotta straight from the source--Italia. During my recent time in Venice, Florence and Rome I made it my mission to sample all of these Italian specialties and report back. Tough job, I know. In this first installment I bring you a taste of the endless joys of gelato.

I will be the first to tell you that ice cream is my favorite food. Specifically, Graeter's Mocha Chip. Though when it comes to flavors, I think the reason I'm partial to ice cream is one of the same reasons I love cupcakes--the endless possibilities of flavor infusions. So, though I've enjoyed quite a few cones in my day, admittedly I would have been at a loss to tell you the difference between ice cream and its exotic Italian cousin, gelato. Most of what I could relate came secondhand from friends who had been to Italy and would recite without fail that gelato found in the States was "never the same" as the local stuff. With this in mind, I set out on my first Italian sojourn determined to try gelatos from North to South, from the reputed "best" to those sold in the heart of tourist town.

As you can imagine, it was a tough job.

My first taste of gelato was at the most renowned shop in Venice, Gelateria Nico. Located in Dosoduro near the Accademia and Peggy Guggenheim collections, this is a convenient stop after a long morning of museum hopping. I tried the Tiramisu and, in addition to being put off that you have to order something other than gelato if you want to sit at a table, I found the consistency to be less creamy than most and more similar to the style of ice cream we find in the States. Consistency is one of the main differences you'll find between ice cream and gelato due to several factors including a lower butterfat and sugar content in gelato (fewer calories!!) and a mixing process that doesn't incorporate air the way ice cream does, producing a gelato that is much more dense.

In Florence I have to admit that my favorite gelato came from an essentially no-name stand located off one of the more touristy piazzas. Luckily when traveling I stick to my premise of getting off the beaten track and not sticking too heavily to tour guides. Particularly with something as subjective as cuisine, more often than not I've found guidebook restaurant suggestions to be overrated, and that food does not taste better just because it's famous. (Your thoughts?) At this stand I picked up a generous scoop of Coconut and was surprised to find flakes of toasted coconut throughout the scoop and not just sprinkled on top, the flavor was rich and the texture perfectly balanced.

In an unfortunate instance of trying out the "best" gelato in Florence, I sought out Il Vivoli. Don't. Not only is the gelato so forgettable that I can't even remember what flavor I had, but this was also my only experience with poor customer service throughout 2 weeks in Italy. Not only was I blatantly ignored by the woman at the counter despite being the only customer, another woman at the cash register proceeded to look past me and make phone calls while I tried to pay. Um, hello? Am I back in France?

Another high point on my gelateria tour was Grom. Not only does Grom have a New York location--bonus!--but they pride themselves on an artisanal style of gelato production, sourcing the best ingredients from around the world and taking many from their own 20-acre organic farm in Northern Italy. I had the Fig semifreddo (kind of like sorbet) and it was To Die. Amahzing.

Finally, I have to give a shout out to Giolitti--another "best of" in Rome. In this case, the stop was totally worth it, if nothing else for the massive number of flavor choices and the servers in white button-down coats. It's like stepping into an old-timey ice cream parlor. I got a double scoop of my favorite Amarena (black cherry) and banana, and it was amahzing (until I spilled half of it trying to unlock the dungeon-like door to my 15th century apartment building...). This is one you'll definitely want to hit in off hours though to avoid the crowds.

Voting Day

2010-08-08T07:20:00.000-04:00

In preparation for my imminent return to the States, I'm already overwhelmed with options of what to bake in order to celebrate my triumphant return. So, I thought I would leave it up to you, dear readers! After receiving a copy of Kate Zuckerman's The Sweet Life: Desserts from Chanterelle for my birthday, there are tons of desserts that I'm dying to try, and I'm counting on you to help me decide which of these amazing dishes to attempt first. You have one week to place your vote and let me know which of these you'd like to see on the next edition of The Cupcake Avenger!

Grocer-To-Go

2010-07-25T03:38:00.000-04:00

In my last post I mentioned that I have spent probably an embarrassing amount of time surfing the web in search of baking ingredients to order online. While my mother has been diligent in sending me ingredients like cocoa powder and vanilla extract at a surprising 7-10 day turnaround time, there are just some ingredients (ie powdered egg substitute, agave nectar, etc) that are simply hard to come by no matter where you call home.

While services like PeaPod that deliver groceries from your local supermarket right to your doorstep are commonplace these days, I think they might have a little trouble getting baking soda from Harris Teeter to my doorstep over 6,000 miles away. Enter the glory of NetGrocer. Before coming to Afghanistan, I'd never heard of this site so popular with the military and diplomatic corps. Delivering to all APO and FPO boxes, and with an intimate familiarity with the items that can and cannot be shipped via government mail, the site allows you to order (or send) all your favorites from back home.

But don't think that NetGrocer is only for your long-distance ordering needs--they also ship to all 50 States and are a great source for lots of ingredients that may simply be hard to come by at your local grocer. For example, just a quick search for "flour" returns nearly 90 results. I don't know about you, but I can't remember ever seeing garbanzo bean flour at my grocery store. NetGrocer has it. Wondering about refrigerated items? NetGrocer supplies those too, but only to a handful of states (DMV included!) Additionally, while services like PeaPod require you to be home during a preselected timeframe, NetGrocer simply delivers like any other package.

Has anyone else used a similar service for hard to come by ingredients or as a time saver? I'm sold.

Combat Cupcake

2010-06-26T07:44:00.001-04:00

"You don't know what you got til it's gone." Joni Mitchell
"If you like it then you should have put a ring on it." Beyoncé

Words of wisdom :) And I am guilty. Looking over my posts and reviews about cupcakes and cupcakeries alike you'll see entries full of superlatives: "the sweetest cake," "the creamiest frosting," "the most unique flavors"...When was the last time I enjoyed a cupcake without judging or comparing, but simply for the pure joy of it?

Since coming to Afghanistan in February I have dreamt that I was eating cupcakes no fewer than three times. I have perused online grocery stores, debating the merits of ordering flour, sugar and leaveners from across the world in the vague hope of being able to cobble together a dozen cakes in our meager kitchen. I have Googled temperature conversions to operate our Celsius oven. I have scoured vegan baking sites in search of the perfect egg-milk-butter-substitutions, as I have access to none of these. All in search of the "perfect cupcake" given my circumstances.

So imagine my surprise when, on a particularly lonely and homesick night, I happened to come across tiny frosted cakes during a late night run to the dining hall. Holding a styrofoam to-go box filled with barbecued beans and franks, I did a double take. I looked around surreptitiously to see if anyone else had spotted what could not possibly be true. I inched closer to the tiny card above the tray that read simply, "Cupcake"

Sure, it's baked in a Dixie cup. And the crumb texture could probably double as an exfoliator. And the frosting is obviously powdered egg meringue. I would not pay $0.75 for this in the States. But so what? Being so far from home, friends, family and everything I hold dear--particularly as I celebrated my birthday last Sunday with a thoughtfully shrink-wrapped bundt cake courtesy of my mother--has really reminded me not to take for granted even those smallest things that bring me joy. Thanks to everyone who has helped to remind me of the truly important things in life, and next time you take a bite of that cupcake--be it superb or simply so-so--just think of me.

Nannerpuss

2010-06-01T09:47:00.002-04:00

Believe it or not, right now you're actually looking at the world's worst banana pudding. As you know, whenever I have tons of leftover bananas I'm always on the lookout for unique banana recipes (aka anything other than the standard banana bread). in this case I'd actually been craving homemade banana pudding and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try it out for myself.

But have you ever tried to look up a banana pudding recipe?

Just try it. Humor me with a quick little Google search. How many ACTUAL banana pudding recipes did you find, and how many vanilla-pudding-with-sliced-bananas-on-top recipes did you find? So, you see my dilemma.

As the next best thing I thought about trying to crank out a chewy banana cookie and came across this awesome recipe from cupcake/cooking/cheese/restaurant/all-things-food blog Vanilla Garlic. this recipe is actually his Grandma's and you may also remember it from my submission to the Washington City Paper's Young&Hungry back during the dark days of Snowpocalypse.

So, if you're also experiencing a banana pudding fail, try out these soft, moist cookies that are full of banana flavor and are awesome with chocolate chips.

Vanilla Garlic's Grandma Capune's Banana Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup mashed bananas
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp EACH cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
optional 1 cup walnuts and/or chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until well mixed.

2. Mix the mashed bananas and baking soda in a bowl and let sit for 2 minutes to froth a bit, this will give the cookies their rise.

3. Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Combine the flour, salt, and spices and mix into the butter and banana mixture until just combined.

4. Fold in the pecans and/or chocolate chips if using. Drop into dollops onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 11-13 minutes, or until nicely browned.

Chocolate--STAT!

2010-05-04T14:32:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, although I'll be the first to own up to my own sweets obsession, I've never really been one of those girls (or guys) with the chocolate obsession. Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate, but thankfully I've never suffered from the chocolate cravings that afflict so many others. Except once. And now I can completely commiserate. It hit me hard and out of the blue, and I knew that one of the chocolate Dove squares my mother swears by just wasn't going to cut it. I needed CHOCOLATE--warm, ooey, gooey, fudgey, chocolate. And as usual, my old standby the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook did not disappoint. It is so good in fact that it has been a favorite since the January 1944 issue of BH&G magazine.

This chocolate brownie pudding was everything I was looking for: comfortingly warm, deliciously rich and, most importantly, fast! Honestly, the hardest part of this recipe was waiting for the finished product to cool on the countertop for a little bit so that the devilishly dark fudge sauce can come together. That's right, this dessert even makes its own sauce. Chocolate Heaven.

Feel free to add any of your favorite sundae toppings--walnuts, whipped topping or vanilla ice cream would all be great. but for purists and chocoholics out there that need chocolate NOW, this chocolate brownie pudding is also just perfect as is in its unadultered chocolate glory.

Brownie Pudding

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbs cooking oil

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, granulated sugar, 2 Tbs cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Stir in the milk, oil and vanilla. Stir in the walnuts, if using.

2. Pour batter into prepared pan. In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar and the 1/4 cup cocoa powder; stir in the boiling water. Slowly pour the mixture over the batter.

3. Bake for 40 minutes, cool on a wire rack for 45-60 minutes, serve warm. Top with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Pudding Parade

2010-04-13T04:23:00.008-04:00

I'd like to apologize for the plethora of pudding recipes lately--most of these past few dishes I whipped up during the Second Snowpocalypse back in February and I guess I didn't realize at the time how much I consider puddings to be a comfort food. Not surprising I guess, most of these recipes have the warm, down-home feeling that can't help but comfort you--like when you're tucked cozily inside while surrounded by 4 feet of snow in a city that can't even manage to function when it rains, for example.

Like rice pudding, bread pudding is another dessert that I've come to embrace. Admittedly, even the name is off-putting. But, as a young college student starving after a long restaurant shift, the leftover bread pudding from the buffet once proved more than I could resist. Maybe because I was so hungry and my expectations so low did leftover buffet bread pudding doused in crème anglaise seem such a revelation. Or maybe just because anything doused in crème anglaise becomes instantly irresistible.

Also similarly to rice pudding, bread pudding recipes come in a range of consistencies from wet and custardy to dry and cakelike. I like mine somewhere in the middle. I don't usually make bread pudding (or my own breadcrumbs for that matter) because I never have that fabled staple on hand--"day-old bread." What is day-old bread? In the modern era of pre-sliced, packaged loaves, I think it's increasingly rare that any of us regularly have a nice, crusty loaf of freshly baked bread that we can let dry on the counter overnight for perfect bread pudding cubes. Actually, I'm sure there are plenty of you out there that frequent bakeries regularly and don't find this strange at all--don't judge me.

Luckily, after a recent visit from my parents, I actually had a perfectly crusty Italian loaf on hand but, if you don't or don't have time to wait around on stale bread, just toast your cubes in the oven for 10 minutes first and they'll be pudding-perfect.

Bread Pudding

4 eggs, beaten

2 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbs vanilla

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

4 cups dry bread cubes

1/3 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl beat together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. In an ungreased 2-quart baking dish, toss together bread cubes and raisins. Pour egg mixture over bread mixture, press lightly with the back of a large spoon to moisten all bread cubes.

2. Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes or until puffed and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly, serve with caramel sauce, bourbon sauce or crème anglaise if desired.

Serves 8, only 4 grams of fat per serving! (minus the crème anglaise of course...)

Twice As Rice

2010-03-31T09:40:00.001-04:00

For a food blogger, I am a ridiculously picky eater. I don't think I dislike more foods than other people do, just that the ones I can't stand are probably some of the most common in American cuisine. Give me a warm plate of foie gras with fig compote and brioche toast points and I will relish it--actual relish however? Ugh, I hate pickles. And mustard. And I cannot describe the absolute loathing disgust I feel towards tomatoes. As you can imagine, my cheeseburgers are pretty boring.

You probably also remember that I may have possibly said at one point that I hate rice pudding. Cold, mushy, bland and with a texture that's just...eeww. I mean, what's to like? I remember going to a school sleep away camp in junior high where the dessert at dinnertime was rice pudding every night. Even ravenous teenagers that had been drug through the woods for three days would not eat this stuff.

So why the change? I have no idea. I simply woke up one morning in February craving the stuff. And not just any old stovetop or refrigerator rice pudding but warm, thick, delicious rice pudding spiked with--you guessed it--cardamom. At the Washington Cooking & Entertaining Show way back in November, I happened to try an eensy, weensy, safely tiny portion of rice pudding offered by a Thai food stand and remember being intrigued by their use of coconut milk. Maybe this was the subconscious beginning of my rice pudding craze.

I say craze because I have a feeling this is only the first of many rice pudding attempts. Even though I was pretty content with this batch, I know I could do better. While I liked the custardy feeling of the baked pudding, I think I might actually prefer more of the creaminess you can get from a stovetop pudding. Also, this time I was timid with the coconut milk, afraid to go overboard with the modern twists on this traditional dish. But next time I'm hoping to do the basmati rice justice with a healthy dose of coconut milk and maybe even some chopped mangoes.

Of course, you can always make this dish with regular milk and short-grain rice, so don't feel like you have to get too fancy. Or, like me, if you're just easing into a dish you previously detested with the passion of a thousand suns, you may want to take it slow. Who knows, maybe this time next year I'll be singing the praises of Caprese salad. But I wouldn't count on it.

Anyone out there have any similar experiences with a food they used to hate?

Baked Spiced Rice Pudding
3 beaten eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp each cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl combine eggs, milk, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla and spices. Beat until combined but not foamy. Stir in rice and raisins. Pour egg mixture into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.

2. Place casserole dish in a 2 quart square baking dish or pan on an oven rack. Pour boiling water into baking dish around casserole to a depth of 1 inch.

3. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, stirring after 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Cardamom Panna Cotta

2010-03-16T18:00:00.001-04:00

I have only recently come to realize how completely in love with cardamom I am. If you're not already intimately familiar with this sweet, permeating, Indian spice, it may sound intimidating, but a small dash of this amazing powder will put your cinnamon to shame.

I still remember my first encounter with cardamom during a spectacular Restaurant Week lunch at Rasika: the meal closed with a tiny gulab jamen--sort of like an Indian donut soaked in honey and spiked with--you guessed it--cardamom. New to the whole Indian spice game, I walked away from the meal determined to discover what had made the dish so distinctive. Cardamom is a member of the ginger family and comes in black and green varieties. And don't worry if you only have cardamom pods on hand, you can grind or crush them yourself, with 10 pods equalling about 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cardamom--just remember to strain out the pods after infusing into whatever dish you're making.

Ever since my Rasika experience (an absolute MUST try for Washingtonians also for their one-of-a-kind palak chaat if not for their exquisite use of cardamom), I've been on the lookout for cardamom-centered dishes to put my newly acquired jar to good use (I've said it a million times people--Spices. World Market. $2.99. Do it.) I've also been on a panna cotta kick lately (conveniently, so it seems, are most DC restaurants) so after some searching I sort of fused Alice Medrich and David Lebovitz's recipes for panna cotta for this delicious cardamom version. Also feel free to add orange or rose essence or top with chopped pistachios.

Cardamom Panna Cotta
3 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp ground cardamom or 5 cardamom pods
1 cup whole milk
2 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin

1. In a small saucepan, heat the cream, sugar and salt until steaming, stirring from time to time. Remove pan from the heat and add cardamom. Cover and allow to steep for 25 minutes (or less if using ground cardamom).

2. Meanwhile, pour the milk into a small bowl and sprinkle with gelatin. Set aside, without stirring, for 5-10 minutes to allow the gelatin to soften.

3. Add the milk and gelatin mixture to the cream and reheat to steaming, stirring well to dissolve the gelatin. If using cardamom pods, strain the mixture and discard the pods.

4. Pour the panna cotta into custard cups or serving dishes. Refrigerate for 4-12 hours, unmold and serve topped with ground cinnamon, orange zest or chopped pistachios, if desired.

Cupcakes in Belgium

2010-02-27T09:22:00.000-05:00

Please join me in welcoming back Tanya Brothen, travel blogger and co-cupcake taster extraordinaire, for her latest cupcakery guest review. This time, Tanya was kind enough to take some time out from her globe trotting to give us a peek into Brussels' Lilicup bakery.

Belgium is not known for its cupcakes. Waffles and chocolate, yes. Moules frites, yes. Beer, definitely yes. But cupcakes? Non.

Enter, Lilicup. Run by a delightful Belgian-American, it's the store that is single-handedly trying to bring cupcakes, cheesecakes, and other stateside sweets to the residents of Brussels. That's right: Lilicup is the city's one and only cupcake store. And after celebrating its grand opening in November 2009, the ensuing buzz around town has been non-stop.

The first thing you notice about Lilicup is that it's adorable. With a pink awning and heavenly window displays, you can't help but be drawn in. Besides, after seeing nothing but croissants and tarts for weeks, aren't you just a little curious about the pastry store that doesn't look like the rest? Order at the counter and then grab a seat if you'd like to eat in while sipping an espresso. or, you can take your cupcake to-go at a reduced price.

The old standbys are all there--red velvet, carrot cake, and chocolate - but my favorites are the ones with a more local flavor. Try the violette or rose cupcakes, flavors that are often seen in France and French-speaking Belgium, but are less widespread in the U.S. I recently stopped by for my regular violette fix, and was reminded that a Lilicup cupcake is not just something you taste; it's a complete sensory experience.

The smell of a violette cupcake is subtly sweet. The color of the frosting looks fanciful and wholesome at the same time. The crunchy candy topping gives it an appetizing texture. The flavor is simple yet intense. it actually tastes like a violet flower! In a sugary-not-woodsy kind of way. Alas, it all ends too quickly, as these are European cupcakes that come in European sizes.

Lilicup has one more thing that sets it apart in Brussels: excellent customer service. It's a scare commodity in the Belgian capital, but the ladies at Lilicup are friendly, welcoming, and efficient. And they make a mean cupcake.

If you go
Lilicup

Open Tuesday-Friday, 10am to 5pm

Saturday, 10am to 6pm
+32 (0) 2 538 02 68

Tanya Brothen is a Minnesota native who began her travel blog, Parisian Spring, after moving to Paris while completing her Master's degree in international affairs. Just returned from a stint in Brussels as a Presidential Management Fellow for the Department of State, stay tuned to her blog to see where her travels take her next.

Bon Voyage, Cupcake

2010-02-19T07:49:00.001-05:00

Well dear readers, the time has come to share with you that The Cupcake Avenger will be on extended hiatus while I am traveling for work. Unfortunately, for the next six months I will be traveling with nary an oven or tub of buttercream in sight.

Before you collapse into paroxysms of grief over the lack of updates on all things deliciously sweet, never fear! I've enlisted the help of several friends and fellow bloggers to help keep the cupcake news coming. So, in the meantime, I hope you'll bear with me and a possible lag in posts and keep reading along until my return in August.

And stay tuned for a splashy comeback this fall! A brand new layout, more global cupcake reviews, charity bakesales, and lots more chances for you to win awesome stuff from me are all in the works! So, in the meantime, check out these awesome cupcake blogs to fill the void and be sure to keep in touch if you'd like to help keep the blog going!

Thanks and see you in August!
Hilary

My Cupcake Day
Cupcakes Take the Cake
52 Cupcakes
Delleicious DC
Cupcake Project
No One Puts Cupcake in a Corner

Cupid Has Class

2010-02-14T09:24:00.011-05:00

Hello Cupcake in DC's Dupont Circle holds a special place in my heart. As one of the first cupcakeries I ever visited and reviewed for the blog, I credit them as being the shop that started it all for me. Many national and global cupcake shops later, I think they still have some of the best seasonal flavors in town and always recommend them to cupcake fans that are in it for the frosting--these people seriously know how to pile it on. Mmmm.

So you can imagine how excited I was after the tipoff from great fellow DC blogger Modern Domestic about Hello Cupcake's new calendar of decorating classes. And--bonus--the fact that the kickoff class was a Valentine's Day theme solved my dilemma of what heart shaped, chocolate, something-or-other to bake for the big V-Day.

What did I love about this class? EVERYTHING. Small class size, a recipe to take home, hands-on but friendly instruction and (did I mention?) the enrollment fee includes a dozen cupcakes! And if you're worried about your technique, Hello Cupcake graciously allows you to supplement your dozen with choices from the case if you're not happy with your own creations. I was also thrilled to kill two of my "foodie resolutions" with one stone: taking a decorating class and experimenting with fondant.

First we rolled out adorable lovey dovey shapes from our fondant.

Ganache dipping technique. Can I just eat this?

I definitely recommend this class for any cupcake lovers at any level of decorating skill. The class is fun, inviting, delicious, and the skills I learned are absolutely ones that I will be able to recreate at home. Unfortunately most of the upcoming classes are filled but there are still spaces available for the Mother's Day class in May.

If you go
Hello Cupcake
1361 Connecticut Ave
Washington, DC 20036

Now open 7 days a week!
Mon-Thurs 10-7
Fri-Sat 10-9
Sun 11-6

Hasty Pudding

2010-02-09T16:45:00.002-05:00

Although my dad claims not to be a custard man ("Because of the texture"), for some reason this does not apply to pudding, of which he is a big fan. Every once in awhile my mom would make Jello-o Cook and Serve pudding, and my favorite part was always the skin. That's right, pudding skin. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. You know that gelatinous, thicker top layer of pudding that forms as it cools in the refrigerator. That jiggly piece that clings to the very first spoonful. Guilty pleasure to the extreme.

If you've only ever eaten Snack Packs, you have no idea what I'm talking about and, sadly, have no idea what you're missing. But chocolate pudding, or any flavor of pudding for that matter, is ridiculously easy to make and you'll never go back to snack packs again. If you're totally grossed out by this pudding skin thing and absolutely MUST, then be sure to cover the puddings with plastic wrap before putting them in the fridge. Or just go ahead and eat it warm. With a spoon. From the pan. It's that good. Take that, Snack Pack.

So what do you think? Pudding skin; gross or delish? Also, this recipe is from my fave old standby cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens.

BH&G Chocolate Pudding
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbs cornstarch
2 2/3 cup milk
4 beaten egg yolks
1 Tbs butter or margarine
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. In a medium heavy saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa powder and cornstarch. Stir in the milk. Cook and stir mixture over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove pan from heat.

2. Gradually stir 1 cup of milk mixture into egg yolks. Add egg mixture back to milk mixture in pan. Bring milk mixture to a gentle boil; reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.

3. Remove pan from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour pudding into a bowl. If you absolutely must, cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming. Serve warm or cold (do not stir during chilling).

Bakeshop: Cupcakery Review

2010-02-03T07:12:00.014-05:00

While you'll never hear me complaining about the virtual inundation of cupcakeries in Washington, DC, I'm thrilled to be getting a little more cupcake love on my side of the Potomac River. With the recent soft opening of Bakeshop in Arlington, VA I'm so excited to have another cupcake shop in my own neck of the woods.

Last night I braved the impending snow to check out owner/baker Justin Stegell's flagship location in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington. A quick walk from the Metro, the bright and welcoming bakery joins a host of other trendy new storefronts along N. Fillmore St. Although I was momentarily heartbroken to see the case empty when I walked in, I was quickly told that the cupcakes were fresh out of the oven and that my order would be iced while I waited--such service! :)

Although this is Bakeshop's first store location, DC locals are no stranger to Justin's cakes. Since 2006, Bakeshop's sweets have been found in cases at (now defunct) Murky Coffee and recently at H Street's Chinatown Coffee. On my visit I sampled the classic Red Velvet and adorable Chocolate Chip (you can bet I'll be back for an Oatmeal Blueberry cookie). I have to tell you, this is one of the best Red Velvet cakes I've ever had--the cocoa flavor so often ignored in favor of overabundant red dye is deliciously pronounced in Bakeshop's cake. Also, Bakeshop forgoes the standard cream cheese frosting for a small cap of vanilla bean frosting, and the combo really works (I swear I saw real flecks of bean!). The chocolate chip was super soft and moist and it's also a unique choice not on offer at most other shops in town--a good twist for those that usually opt for the standard vanilla. At $2.75, these cakes are a little smaller than some others in town, though I think that makes them the perfect sized accompaniment to a cup of coffee...or maybe just a second cupcake :)

Look for lots more to come from this great addition to Clarendon, and those lucky enough to live in the area can even order their favorite cupcakes or cookies for delivery.

If you go
Bakeshop

1025 N. Fillmore St.

Arlington, VA 22201

(571) 970-6460

Standard hours to come

With A Passion--Foodie Journal Review

2010-01-27T13:55:00.016-05:00

Like most angsty teens, I was pretty into journaling during middle and high schools. Now I'm much more likely to splurge on expensive blank notebooks with the best of intentions and then pretend not to notice them gathering dust sadly on the bookcase. Also, when I was little, one of my favorite activities was to use these pretty, blank notebooks to "create" my own cookbooks inspired by those I amassed from the local library. Recopying all my faves thematically into these notebooks, I guess this is how you come to make chicken français and almond pilaf for your parents at age 15.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I came across this neat new line of "Passion" notebooks from Moleskine to help categorize all the passions in your life. No more scribbling the name of that fabulous wine onto the back of your napkin, or trying not to throw away that amazing recipe on the scrap of an envelope. In addition to recipe and wine notebooks, there are also journals for all the favorite music, wellness, books and film in your life.

How are these different from just any other journal you ask? Accessories, my friends. Inside the gorgeous, embossed, black leather covers for the Recipe Journal you'll find 240 blank pages as well as food calendars, conversions, themed sections (appetizers, cocktails, etc), stickers and ingenious little pockets to hold notes, restaurant cards, wine labels or whatever you can think of. I'm not much for organization, but with these customizable notebooks you can't help but keep track of all your favorite foodie info just the way you'd like it.

Unfortunately these aren't on sale on my side of the pond yet but that may not keep me from shelling out a few pounds to get one from these retailers offering them on exclusive presale right now.

MojoLondon

Moleskine UK

Pie in the Sky

2010-01-23T15:00:00.007-05:00

Sometimes I get carried away. I'll be the first to admit that this pie is pretty much over the top. But in honor of National Pie Day (January 23rd!), I mean, why not go all out? Like five layers of flaky pie crust, sweet banana, dulce de leche, mile-high meringue madness. I've been wanting to make dulce de leche for awhile now, especially since I discovered that it can also be made in the oven rather than the typically prescribed method of boiling unopened cans of condensed milk in a pot of water for 3 hours. Because it can explode. I'm serious.

But, in just one hour, you can have your very own delicious vat of creamy, caramely goodness without the risk to your health or kitchen. It's great to have a jar of this stuff on hand for other uses like ice cream topping, fruit dip, eating by the spoonful out of the jar, you know, whatever.
Next time I make this pie I might try it with a graham cracker crust and possibly whipped cream instead of meringue. If you do go with the meringue, only whip it to you desired thickness. I like my meringue thick and, like, borderline marshmallow consistency so, if you don't prefer to feel like you're biting into a sponge, only beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Also feel free to use more banana and slice into coins rather than lengthwise if you prefer a bigger banana flavor. Ahem.

Dulce de Leche Banana Meringue Pie
1 recipe of your favorite pie crust or one refrigerated crust
2 14-oz cans sweetened condensed milk
3-5 ripe bananas
3 egg whites
3 Tbs sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour condensed milk into a glass pie plate or baking dish (stir in a little fleur de sel if you have it) cover tightly with foil and place into a larger baking pan. Fill with warm water half way up the pie plate and bake 1 hour or until browned (will resemble a dark butterscotch color).

2. Cool to room temperature. In the meantime prepare and bake desired pie crust.

3. Once dulce de leche has cooled, whisk or stir until smooth. Slice bananas as desired, using some to line the bottom of the pie crust. Pour dulce de leche over the bananas and top with remaining bananas.

4. For the meringue, whip egg whites until very foamy. Gradually beat in sugar. Add salt and vanilla and whip to desired thickness. Top pie with meringue and, if desired, toast with a kitchen torch or under your oven's broiler.

And The Winner Is...

2010-01-18T09:07:00.005-05:00

After a great response over the past two weeks, I am happy to announce that Deedles is the proud new owner of the Valentine's Day cupcake kit by Meri Meri, adorable pink decorating sugar, a Wilton decorating tip and a Betty Crocker cookbook of 100 (count 'em, 100!) cupcake recipes!

Thank you to all who entered and Tweeted the contest, please continue to follow along with The Cupcake Avenger and stay tuned for the next great giveaway!

Return of the Puff Pastry

2010-01-13T18:02:00.012-05:00

While I'm pretty bad about buying random ingredients that I only use infrequently, I'm equally bad about using up their leftovers whenever I'm through with that one recipe (an entire bag of dry kidney beans when I only need a single stupid bean for a King Cake, for example). I think I'm just bad at planning ahead and forget until it's too late that I should plan several menu items in advance instead of just getting overexcited about that one exotic recipe I can't wait to try. Too many times have I washed reserved egg yolks down the drain only to curse myself later for not planning a single custard, cream sauce, or carbonara instead.

But not this time! With a decent amount of puff pastry and almond paste left from the aforementioned King Cake, I was excited to try out the two main ingredients in a new way.

If you do decide to try out last week's recipe for King Cake, don't despair at the lonely scraps of puff pastry and sad looking half can of almond paste left over on the countertop--there are ENDLESS possibilities to use these up. Particularly since one can of almond paste cost me $6.99 I wasn't about to see that one go to waste.

Puff pastry is particularly versatile; equally suited to sweet or savory dishes, this stuff is a blank canvas limited only by your imagination. For a quick treat, dust with cinnamon sugar, cut into strips with a pizza slicer and twist for cookie-like spirals (just bake according to package directions). Equally, roll out and cut with a large biscuit slicer and fill with your favorite stew for mini pot pies. Seriously, this stuff is great for anything you can think of.

In order to use up both the pastry and the almond paste, I essentially made some miniature King Cake cookies. To add more almond flavor I first rolled some of the paste into the dough before cutting it out into small rounds. For the filling I blended the almond paste with cream cheese and mixed with cinnamon sugar before sandwiching a dollop between two rounds, ravioli-style. If you try this out, all amounts are approximate so feel free to experiment!

Almond Puff Daddies

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed, or leftover scraps

1/2 can almond paste

2-4 oz cream cheese, soft style or softened

2 Tbs cinnamon sugar

Splash of almond or vanilla extract optional

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl cream together almond paste and cream cheese. Stir in cinnamon sugar and extract, if using.

3. Roll out puff pastry on a floured surface. Break 1/4 cup of the almond paste into small pieces and dot over half of the pastry. Fold uncovered portion of the pastry over the covered portion and roll into a rectangle until incorporated.

4. Sprinkle sugar over dough and, using a glass or biscuit cutter, cut out an even number of circles. These will shrink while baking so use a larger cutter than you think you will need.

5. Place a spoonful of filling onto half of the rounds, cover with the remaining rounds and seal tightly. Brush tops with egg or milk if desired.

6. Bake 12-15 minutes.