Thursday, November 21, 2013

Cranberry Vanilla Cupcakes

Cranberry Vanilla Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
3 cups Flour
3 cups Sugar
4 eggs
1 Tbs Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1.5 Sticks Butter
2 tsp Vanilla
5 oz Cranberries
2 cups water
2 Tbs Torani Vanilla Syrup

Bring water, cranberries, and vanilla syrup to a boil and set aside. When cool, strain cranberries and put two thirds in a bowl. Return liquid and remaining 1/3 of the cranberries to burner and reduce to 1/2 cup. Let cool.

Mix butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. In separate bowl sift together dry ingredients. Blend together then stir in cranberry pieces. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-24 minutes.

Frosting:
2 Sticks Butter, softened
1.5 pounds Powdered Sugar
3-7 Tbs Half & Half
Cranberry Reduction

Maple Pecan Cupcakes

Maple Pecan Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
3 cups Flour
3 cups Sugar
4 eggs
1 Tbs Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1.5 Sticks Butter
2 tsp Vanilla
5 oz Chopped Pecans

Mix butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. In separate bowl sift together dry ingredients. Blend together then stir in chopped pecans. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-24 minutes.

Frosting:
2 Sticks Butter, softened
1.5 pounds Powdered Sugar
3-7 Tbs Half & Half
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1/2 cup Pecan Halves (for topping)

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Banana Nutter Butter Cake


Cake
3 Bananas
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 bar (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
Nonstick cooking spray 

Mix Bananas, butter and cream cheese in bowl. Add sugar, cream. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Slowly add salt and flour. 


Line a greased 9x13 pan with Nutter Butter peanut butter sandwich cookies. Pour batter over and bake for 50-60 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Frosting:
4 Sticks butter, softened
2lbs Powdered Sugar
4-6 tbsp 1/2 & 1/2
2 tsp Vanilla
3 tbsp Peanut Butter
Chopped Walnuts (for topping)



Thursday, February 14, 2013

Chocolate Covered Banana Cupcakes

Banana Cupcake Recipe:
6 ripened bananas
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1/2 cup (one stick) butter (softened)
4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla

Mash bananas; mix in sugar, eggs, milk, sour cream, vanilla, butter. In separate bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Combine. 

Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Makes 4 dozen.

Chocolate Frosting Recipe:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (softened)
5 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups (12oz) chocolate chips
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp meringue powder
2 tbsp milk

Mix butter, 4 cups of sugar, cocoa powder, and meringue powder. Melt chocolate and pour into the frosting. Mix well. Let the frosting cool back to room temperature, or place in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes. Add the remaining cup of powdered sugar and beat until fully combined. If needed, add milk to thin the consistency, or more powdered sugar to thicken. 

Monday, February 11, 2013

Orange Creamsicle Cake

An orange layer cake with vanilla butter cream frosting and fondant decorations.

The Orange Cake Recipe:

8 eggs
4 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
2 2/3 tbsp baking powder
1 large orange (zested and squeezed)
1 tsp almond extract
2 tbsp Tang orange drink mix 

Combine eggs, sugar, oil, orange zest and juice, extract; in separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Mix and equally divide batter into three greased 9" round cake pans. Bake 30 minutes at 350° F. 

Let cakes cool and trim the tops for even stacking. 

The Butter Cream Frosting:

4 sticks butter (room temp)
1 pound confectioner's sugar
2-3 tbsp milk
2 vanilla beans, scraped

Mix butter, vanilla and sugar, add milk if needed. 



Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Dulce de Leche Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

The Cupcake Recipe:

4 1/2 cups cake flour
2 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups whole milk, room temperature
8 egg whites, room temperature
2 stick butter, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
3 vanilla beans, scraped
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Combine flour, baking powder, salt in medium bowl. In separate bowl, combine milk and egg whites. In third bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla bean seeds(scrapings) until smooth. Slowly incorporate the egg/milk mixture and the dry ingredients, alternating between each, until both are completely mixed in. Add the vanilla extract.

Fill cupcake tins 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20-24 minutes at 350° F. 

The Dulce de Leche (Caramel Sauce):

2 14oz cans of sweetened condensed milk

Place both unopened cans in pot of water ensuring that the water covers the cans. Boil for two hours over medium high heat, adding water to the pot every twenty or thirty minutes to keep the water level above the cans. Let cool for at least 45 minutes.

The Butter Cream Frosting:

4 sticks of butter, room tempurature
2 pounds of powdered sugar
2 vanilla beans, scraped
3 tablespoons of milk
1 1/2 tsp meringue powder

Mix butter until smooth. Add the vanilla scrapings, meringue powder, and 1/4 of the powdered sugar. Pour the milk into a glass or bowl and put the shells of the vanilla beans in with it so the milk can get off any excess seeds left on the plant. Mix and continue adding powdered sugar




 Fill Piping bag, fitted with a long attachment, with the caramel.


Push into the tops of the cupcakes and squeeze out for 2-3 seconds. Continue to extrude while removing the tool from the cakes in order not to leave a messy hole in the top. The attachment will need to be cleaned every so often, as crumbs and pieces will accumulate to the sticky surface. Just run the tip under hot water and wipe away the schmutz. Dry with towel before returning to cakes.  


Fill second pastry bag, affixed with a star attachment, with the frosting.


Pipe a ring of circles around the outer edge of the cupcake. Continue piping, but make smaller circles in a tighter ring on top of the previous row. Come to the center and squeeze a peak in the middle.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Raspberry Marshmallow Pistachio Do-nut Cookies

A chocolate covered, cream cheese pistachio "do-nut" cookie, with a raspberry marshmallow filling, atop a white chocolate dipped, pistachio covered, sugar cookie.

The Sugar Cookie Recipe:

2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pistachios 
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
3-5 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In separate bowl, beat butter with sugar. Add and incorporate the egg. Gradually add and mix in the flour; add milk while mixing until the dough is cohesive. Split the dough in half and roll each as logs, in parchment paper. Refrigerate for at least two hours.



Roll out dough to 1/4" thickness and cut with a 3" cutter/glass. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes. 

Melt 2 cups of white chocolate on low. Add 1/4 cup of heavy cream and stir smooth Once warm, add the remaining 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Continue to heat and stir until shiny and smooth. Dip fully cooled cookies, face down, into the white chocolate. Let the excess drip back into the pot, and place on rack. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios. 














Let the chocolate cool and set, 20-30 minutes, before continuing with preparation.  


The Pistachio "Do-nut" Cookie Recipe:

8 ounces bar cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, softened 
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
green food coloring
2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

Mix flour, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, do not over mix. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. Roll out dough to 1/4" thickness.



Use 2.5", 1.5", and 1/2" cutters to cut three piece sections from the dough.














Bake at 375° for 6-7 minutes.


Melt 2 cups of chocolate chips on low. Add 1/4 cup of heavy cream and stir smooth Once warm, add the remaining 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Continue to heat and stir until shiny and smooth.

 Dip fully cooled large ring cookies. Use a skewer to flip, and coat the cookie, then use a wire whisk to scrape away excess chocolate that collects at the bottom.   

Place the large ring on the cooled sugar cookie. Dip the medium rings in the chocolate and place leaning against the large ring.

The Strawberry Marshmallow Filling:

1 10oz bag of marshmallows
1 stick of butter
1/4 cup Penzey's "Raspberry Enlightenment"
               (or raspberry preserves)

Melt the butter in medium sauce pan on medium. Add marshmallows and stir until melted and smooth. Add the raspberry preserves and stir to combine. Using a spoon, fill the large rings with the marshmallow mixture. Let cool at least 30 minutes.