Carrot Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

Hola!  I am still here.

J'existe.

It's been a busy, crazy fall.  Also, do you ever make a big plan to sit down and do something you're supposed to do, and then...

...just cross-stitch and binge-watch Friends instead?

CROSS-STITCHING!  It's coming back.  I can feel it.

I'm doing a street scene of a French flower shop(pe).

Between cross-stitching, I've also been making carrot cupcakes on an industrial scale.

Commissioned by the community-service committee in my church, I produced 150 cupcakes for an anniversary celebration.

It didn't take as long as I thought it would!

It's a bee theme, because service.  Keeps us busy.  Like bees.  You know?

Bizzy.

Mmmm carrot cupcakes!

Carrot Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

makes 24 - 36 (it's a big recipe!)

6 cups grated carrots
enough amaretto or apple juice to cover carrots
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup raisins
4 eggs
 1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

The night before, place raisins in bowl and cover with amaretto or apple-juice.  Allow to sit overnight.

The day of preparation, in a medium bowl, combine grated carrots and brown sugar.  Set aside for 60 minutes, then stir in raisins.

Preheat oven to 350.  Line 2 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light.  Gradually beat in the white sugar, oil and vanilla.  Stir in the pineapple.  Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, and stir into the wet mixture until absorbed.  Finally stir in the carrot mixture and the walnuts, if using.  Pour evenly into cupcake pans, filling about 2/3 full.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cupcakes test done with a toothpick.  Cool for ten minutes before removing from pans.

Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cream cheese
3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon milk
pinch salt

Beat butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar together until well-combined, about 3 minutes.  Add vanilla, honey, milk and salt and beat until incorporated, about 1 more minute.

Space Aliens Birthday Cake (Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache)

Argh, summer!  So busy.

It's been swimming lessons time for the kids, and they make it intense.  An hour a day, 4 days a week for two weeks!

It's always fine once we're there, but getting the swim bag packed every day and two kids plus self to the pool is just...consuming.

Once I got everything there except my own swimsuit.  Oops.

The up-side is, once you're in for swim lessons they let you stay all day.  

Nothing wrong with that!

Another great thing about summer is, my son's birthday is inside of it.

A July birthday!  The lucky guy.  

Me, I'm a January girl.  Ugh, miserable.  Usually I like to pretend January doesn't even exist.

He wanted a space-aliens party this year and I MAY have overdone it, with the papier-mache solar system and the internet-ordered aliens party plates.

But the cake was the most fun of all.

He won't hear of any cake flavor other than chocolate, so it's chocolate.  With chocolate frosting and chocolate ganache inside (I'm all about the ganache lately).

Little man is four.  I can hardly believe it.  The time, it flies.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache Filling

2 cups white sugar

1 3/4 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup hot chocolate (unsweetened, if you can get it)

Preheat oven to 350, grease and flour a 9x13 cake pan.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt.  You don't need a stand mixer, just a great big spoon.  Add eggs, milk, oil, vanilla and hot cocoa.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For frosting, make this recipe (use milk instead of champagne, or use champagne...also add 1/2 c of cocoa powder)!

For ganache, make this recipe!  

Spread it all around and enjoy.

Sunflowers Cake (Yellow Cake with Chocolate Ganache)

Yes, sometimes I make cakes.

I have been known to plan them in great detail.  Usually while exercising.

I've found a good way to plan an original cake is to think one or two weeks ahead of where you're at, seasonally.  24th of July?  Think late August.

Late August?  Boom.  Sunflowers.

A yellow cake with a chocolate ganache - yellow like the day, chocolate like the night.  The equinox is coming, you know.

Is it a little brown around the edges?  Yes.

Don't think I'm not grumpy about it.

But the thick, chocolate ganache was perfect.

The flowers were fun - I was going for Van Gogh.

I like some texture on a cake, you know?

Summertime.  The livin' is still easy.

BUT FOR HOW MUCH LONGER?

Sunflowers Cake (Yellow Cake with Chocolate Ganache)
(yellow cake recipe based on Joy the Baker)

For the cake:
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
2 cups milk

Butter and flour a 13x9 cake pan.  Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt.  Set aside.  Measure out milk, add vanilla extract.  Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, beating for about a minute between additions.

Add flour mixture, alternating with milk mixture, in 3 additions (so 2 additions of milk).  Stop beaters and finish combining with large wooden spoon.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan, smooth with spatula.  Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes.  Test with toothpick in center for doneness.

Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then dump onto cake board.  Finish cooling.

Slice down the middle, as evenly as possible.

For ganache:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream

Bring cream to a simmer on stove.  Place chocolate in heatproof bowl.  Pour simmering cream over chocolate and stir until combined.  Will be runny - let sit until desired consistency is reached (process can be speeded by putting in refrigerator, but keep a careful eye on it...it can stiffen up quickly).

For frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter*
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 tablespoons milk

Combine powdered sugar and butter and beat for 2 minutes.  Add vanilla and milk and beat for a minute more.  Color as desired.

*for a stiffer, less melty frosting (easier to decorate with), replace 1/2 cup butter with 1/2 cup shortening

Almond Mousse Cupcakes

In a bit of a funk, lately.

We're on the edge of a big transition, but the future is unknown.

Having a hard time putting energy into things, including blogging.  And etc.

I have so much good stuff up my sleeve though, and when I start it I always think "I can't WAIT to blog this!"

Then I look at my camera a week later and I took three pictures of the process, only two of which are any good, and no pics of the finished product.

Because I already ate it.

All of it.

Oh well.  These are the last 3 of 24 almond mousse cupcakes I made for a baby shower.  The theme was nautical.

The starfish were marzipan.


Almond Mousse Cupcakes
Makes 24

For the marzipan starfish (from Emeril):
8 ounces almond paste
1 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar
4 tablespoons corn syrup

For the cakes:
2 sticks butter, softened
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon almond extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

For the almond mousse (also from Emeril, the man knows his almonds):
5 oz almonds, lightly toasted and cooled
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon corn syrup
2 tablespoons warm water
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:
2 sticks butter, softened
3 - 3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons almond extract

Make the marzipan starfish in advance.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat up the almond paste with 1 cup of the confectioner's sugar.  Mix until it is incorporated.  Add the remaining sugar and beat until incorporated also.  Add the corn syrup and combine well.  Mixture will still be crumbly, but should hold together if pressed.  Turn the mixture out onto a clean surface and knead until it comes together.  If it becomes too sticky, add more confectioner's sugar.  You should have a smooth dough, which you can then shape as you like.  Top with raw sugar for texture.

Make the almond mousse in advance as well.  Blend the almonds and 2 tablespoons of the confectioner's sugar into a paste in a food processor.  Beat the cream and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar together until soft peaks form.  Meanwhile, in the top of a double boiler combine corn syrup and water and whisk until smooth.  Add egg yolks and amaretto; place over the top of a simmering pan and beat with an electric mixer until very thick and ribbons form.  Continue to beat until cool.  Add in the vanilla and whipped cream and fold together.  Finally, fold in the reserved almond paste.  Chill at least 4 hours.

Day of, make your cupcakes.  Preheat oven to 350, line 2 cupcake pans with cupcake liners.  Beat your butter and sugar together about 3 minutes.  Add your eggs, beating well between each addition, about 1 minute.  Combine buttermilk and almond extract in separate bowl (I just use a measuring cup).  Combine flour, powder and salt in a separate container.  Add to mixer in batches, switching back and forth between dry ingredients and wet (I usually do 3 batches dry, 2 batches wet).  Once all are added turn off mixer and finish mixing by hand.

Bake 20 - 25 minutes, testing for doneness with a toothpick.

Finally, make frosting.  Beat confectioner's sugar and butter together for 3 minutes.  Add almond extract and food coloring  (I used 2 dabs blue gel and one dab green).  Add in milk.  Beat one minute more.

Assembly:  Fill cupcakes with mousse, piping it into the center.  Frost.  Place a starfish on top.  Ta da!

Birthday Cake - Spice and Lemon

Birthday follow-up!

Sorry it's late - we went to Seattle this past weekend and I am suffering from a smoked salmon hangover.

Worth it.

But if I think back a week in time I remember my beautiful birthday cake!

On my birthday I like to make things I like, including things other people think are gross.  One of those things is spice cake.

Why does everybody hate spice cake?

You don't hate spice cake???  WE ARE FRIENDS.

Everybody has time for carrot cake (gross) but nobody has time for spice cake.  What a world.

All right I'm done being a spice cake martyr.  The other thing this has is lemon frosting.

Because I don't like the cream cheese frosting that usually comes with spice cake (this is also what puts me off from carrot cake, incidentally) I wanted something else with a tang.

Lemon!  And cinnamon!  Together at last and doing the tango.

Happy birthday to me indeed!  Parte deux!  NEVERENDING BIRTHDAY

Cocoa Citrus Spice Cake with Lemon Frosting
adapted from Joy the Baker

makes two 9" round cakes (I used a slightly smaller circumference yet deeper dish for a taller cake, I think it's something like 8" round and 3" deep)

4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cocoa
1 1/2 cups butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons lemon zest
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease cake pans.

Mix together dry ingredients: flour, soda, salt, cocoa, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.  Set aside.

Cream butter, zest and sugar together until well-blended, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, blending well between each addition, about 1 minute.

Add dry mixture to wet in 3 batches, alternating between it and the buttermilk until all is added.  Turn off mixer and finish mixing together by hand.

Pour into greased pans and bake - 45 minutes for a 9" cake, 25 minutes for cupcakes, an hour for a tall cake like mine.

Lemon Frosting

1 cup butter
3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon extract
3 tablespoons milk

Blend together butter and sugar until well-blended, about 3 minutes.  Add in zest, extract and milk and beat 1 minute more.  Frost over cake as desired.

Cookie Day 2014

Friends, this is really happening!  The most wonderful day of the year is here, and that is COOKIE DAY @)!$!  Oops I mean, 2014!

Who candied that orange peel?  I did.

Oh who again?

I DID.

Caramel snaps are like ginger snaps but with caramel instead of molasses.  Salted caramel.

Cupcakes on cookie day?  Of course!

Yes I do use my kids' plastic fish bowls for baking purposes.

Chill out, dough!  Time to chill out.

Check out those no-fade cupcake wrappers!  They did not fade.

Pignolis are Italian cookies with almond paste centers, meringue exteriors, and crusted with pine nuts.

Chocolate orange cupcakes.

Piles.

And Piles.

Soup break!  Even cookie bakers need to eat lunch.

Finished plate!  By that time the light had failed.  Best subjects get the worst pictures.

Want some?

Cranberry Cake with Warm Cream Sauce

I think my face is broken.

Do you ever get that?  Like you're fine, and you're fine, and you're fine, and then you're SOOOO TIIIIIIRED.

My eyes are sort of collapsin' like a stroke victim and I think a headache is gonna start pounding soon.

Pre-emptive Advil!  Or maybe five?

I'm all right.  It was just a long one.  I got stuck at the dentist's and I had to clean my kitchen.  And the baby cries.  How she cries.


So mundane.  Such is life.  The beauty is only ever in the details.  And that is why I love food.

The sunset was red-gold.  The polenta bread we ate with soup was soft.  The cranberry cake was exceptional.

Cranberry Cake with Warm Cream Sauce
adapted from Taste of Home

Anybody who knows me knows I have a weakness for old-timey foods.  This simple, single-layer cake is not too sweet, with a pleasant sauce that tastes rich but has less butter and sugar than frosting.  It's the kind of delicacy you could serve your friends for tea.  If you wanted to share it at all...

3 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh cranberries

For sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease 9-inch baking pan, preheat oven to 350F.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in milk.  Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and gradually add to milk mixture.  Beat in the cranberries.

Pour into greased baking pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

For sauce, melt butter in a saucepan.  Stir in sugar and cream.  Bring to a boil, stirring often.  Boil 8-10 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.

At this point you can simply pour it over each slice as you serve it, as the original recipe recommends.  However I did not have time for that so I used a chopstick to poke holes all over the cake and poured the sauce over the whole thing.  It soaked in and gave it a delicious, moist, tres leches-type feel.  Predictably, I recommend doing it my way.

Halloween 2014

I Columbus'd this Day of the Dead alter.  It's the true meaning of Halloween!

Arg!  Apologies for being away so long.  Been having some technical difficulties.  Should be all fixed up soon.

A day late and many dollars short (as usual), here is my Halloween entry.  Try to remember what that long, long ago day was like as you read...

Happy Hurlaween!

Anybody else eat all the candy?  Eh?  Eh?

I had some of my kid's candy.  Better me than him, right?

Right.  Sucker.

For a Halloween party this year I made monster cake pops and ghost cupcakes.

I'm normally against using fakey things like 'Wilton Candy Melts', which are made of shortening and ground
up shards of glass.

But something about Halloween justifies the use of extreme sweets, vivid, unnatural colors, and mildly toxic chemicals.

Do we drown ourselves in a feast of sweets so strong they'll melt your teeth as a celebration of life?  Or an invitation to death.

This is a post-party cake pop.  This cake pop partied a little too hard.

The dead don't get to eat sweets.  Maybe we all know that is what we will miss the most.

Halloween is about remembering the dead and enjoying the pleasures of this life while we have them.  Something macabre, something sweetly, tastily rotten in there.

I love topsy-turvy carnivalesque holidays, where the air smells like something is burning and time goes out of joint.

And on November 1, I'm always a little bit glad it's over.

Halloween Treats

For my ghost cupcakes I did this simple vanilla cupcake recipe (with buttermilk, 1/3 cup of chocolate chips and a whole teaspoon of salt) with this confectioner's frosting, using milk in place of champagne.  Get your candy eyeballs from the candy eyeball store.

For cake pops I did the same vanilla cake recipe without the choco chips, crumble it up and mix it in with the same frosting recipe, shape into balls, stick lollipop sticks into balls, freeze your balls, dip your balls in melted Wilton candy melts (also available at the candy eyeball store) and decorate with candy eyeballs and candy.

Fun was had!