Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes

What is better than a chocolate cupcake? A chocolate chocolate cupcake.  'What does that mean?' you may be asking... it means this is one of the most chocolate-y cupcakes you'll ever indulge in! Adapted from the amazing "Cupcake Project" website... this is truly my new cupcake inspiration go-to site!

Here is the recipe for the Chocolate Chocolate cupcakes that are a new crowd-favorite.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1-1/4 cups vanilla-infused sugar (or regular granulated sugar)
3 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk (or Heavy Whipping Cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Steps:

1. Combine butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
2. Add eggs, beating until well combined. 
3. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder to the butter/sugar mixture.
4. Mix in the milk and vanilla.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 1/2 full (I prefer to use a Large Cookie Scoop from the Pampered Chef).
7. Bake at 340 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Do not bake too long- cake can dry out too much.

Topping:

While the cupcakes are baking, you can make this simple ganache that is great for filling and frosting your cupcakes.

 

Ingredients:

1. 1/3 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2. 1/2 Cup 62% (or greater) Dark Chocolate chips (you could also substitute white chocolate if you prefer)

Steps: 

1. Heat the whipping cream until lightly boiling (constantly stirring so as to not burn the cream).
2. Put the chocolate into a glass or metal bowl.  
3. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate and let it sit for about 8-10 minutes.
4. Stir the chocolate/cream mixture until the lumps smooth out.  
5. Place in a pastry bag with a round tip, and inject the chocolate ganache into the cupcake as filling. 
6. Next, pipe the warm ganache on top of the cupcake, and smooth with a knife or spoon (I hold the spreader or knife in the same position and spin the cupcake in a circle to coat the cupcake).  Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before moving to prevent the chocolate from dripping.
7. Serve with an iced cold glass of milk

First Birthday Party

My adorable, wonderful, beautiful, brilliant, amazing (I could go on and on- but this blog is short) niece and godchild turned 1 this year!  And I got to make her cake, cupcakes and cake pops! (And my husband and I got to buy her saddle to go with the miniature horse grammie and grandpa got her- mini-horse can be viewed at the end of this post :) ).  Here are some photos that captured the event of the year! (Note: I don't know how I didn't get photos of the pinata- it was huge!)

 

The kids' table- coloring books, bubbles and toys.

       What first birthday would be complete without a jumper for the kiddos?
 

 

Some decorations my sister came up with- paper lanterns wrapped in clear plastic for a "candy" appearance.

 Cake pops! White cake with pink vanilla buttercream frosting, and pink and white sprinkles.

Cake pops- chocolate cake with pink vanilla buttercream frosting and white sprinkles.

Vanilla cupcakes filled with vanilla buttercream, topped with vanilla buttercream and green sixlets. 

Miss Avery with Uncle Charlie and Aunt Lena- smashing her neon pink smash cake (her mom picked out the pink buttercream, I just put it on some cake for her- I accept no blame for the fluorescent pink color that is shown covering her face, hands and dress in this photo!)

 The smash cake- neon pink, with green sixlets and white gumpaste rose.

 Avery's miniature horse- what every little girl wants- and bows in her hair for this special occasion!

Baby Shower- Monkeys (and other Jungle Friends)

My Great Aunt threw a baby shower for her daughter, and I was blessed to be asked to cater the event for Megan and baby Blake!  It was so much fun thinking up "jungle" themed foods- then getting to serve the food at my Aunt's wonderfully decorated themed shower was absolutely amazing.  Here are some photos of the big day- it was so much fun to plan out the menu and see it all pull together with the help of a few wonderful relatives of mine :)

 

Chocolate covered jungle critter pretzels

Chocolate covered coconut candy and jungle-animal cut-out rice krispies for fondue dipping.

 

Individual servings of Monkey Bread

Salad with various fruits and berries for dipping in fondue....chocolate...yum.

Snack table with monkey sugar cookies and jungle pretzels.  Also, look at the bowl on the left- cookie dough dip with animal cookies... also yum!

 The whole shebang of the dessert table- from the left- cake pops, monkey bread, cupcakes, cookie dough dip and animal cookies, monkey sugar cookies and chocolate covered pretzels.

Cupcakes! Chocolate and Vanilla- both with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.

Annndddd the most important part of the day- Mommy-to-Be! Congratulations to you, Chase and Baby Blake!

Ok, and one more photo of the monkeys :)

Cinnamon Roll Cake

I was aimlessly wandering the Internet the other day when I stumbled upon a recipe for Cinnamon Roll Cake.  I decided then and there that I had to make this cake- but for whom was I supposed to I bake it? I didn't have an event or any sort of meeting planned- so I decided to make two cakes (by doubling the recipe)- one for my hubby and me, and one for my office.  This cake was moist and dense and tasted just like a cinnamon roll- the only request my co-workers had was to bring a gallon of iced cold milk the next time I make this tasty concoction!

I modified the recipe I found online to suit my tastes- here is the original recipe- and below you will find my version.

Cake Ingredients
3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla (preferably pure vanilla, not extract)
1/2 cup butter, melted

1) Mix everything together except for the butter.
2) Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased spring form pan or a 9×13 pan.  (Do not place in oven yet)

 

Topping
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 - 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

*Note- I made two cakes- 1 cake had pecans only, and 1 cake had pecans and mini-chocolate chips- my preference was the cake with the pecans only.

3) Mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop nickel-sized pieces evenly over in the batter and swirl the pieces into the batter. Bake at 350 F for ~35 minutes in a spring form pan, or 28-32 minutes in a 9x13 pan.

 

Glaze (Make this while the cake is baking)
2 cups powdered sugar
5 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla (I prefer pure vanilla over vanilla extract)

4) While the cake is still warm, drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Gluten-Free Toasted Coconut Scones

I was blessed to be asked to help make scones for a recent women's event at my church (Faith Bible Church in Murrieta, CA).  I was given a recipe for regular scones which I got to make my own - researching various flavor combos- what a great adventure that was!  But then I remembered that some of the women at our church are on Gluten-Free (GF) diets, and I wanted to accommodate them so they could enjoy the breakfast at the event as well.  Several women have asked me for the GF recipe, so here it is!

INGREDIENTS:
3 Cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour Mix (or your own favorite all purpose GF Flour blend)
1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
2/3 Cup granulated sugar (I used vanilla sugar - sugar infused with vanilla beans- but regular sugar is fine too)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2/3 Cup Cold Butter (sliced thin- in 1/2 Tbsp or smaller increments- or sliced using a food processor)
1 1/3 Cups Buttermilk
1 Cup Toasted Coconut (bake on a cookie sheet with a rim at 350 degrees for 10 minutes)
1 Teaspoon Coconut Extract (optional but preferred)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract (optional- I just love vanilla so I add my homemade vanilla with vanilla beans to the recipe)
  
STEPS: (I find this easiest using a stand mixer, but you can use a hand mixer if you prefer. Be careful not to overmix this dough as it will get stiff).
 
Preheat oven to 380 degrees F

1) Blend together flours, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. 
2)    Add sliced butter 2-3 pieces at a time, until you no longer see large pads of butter. 
3)    Add toasted coconut (leaving about ¼ cup for the topping) (and extracts if you decide to do so). 
4)    Incorporate buttermilk 1/3 Cup at a time until dough starts to tighten up. 
5)    Turn dough out onto a floured cutting board (I prefer to use the coconut flour), and lightly need (if necessary- just to make all dough stick together).  Then cut the dough into ¼ths. 
6)    Make each 1/4 dough into a ball, and flatten with the palm of your hand, until diameter of the dough is about 6”-8” round and about 3/4” – 1” in height (this recipe doesn’t rise very much, so make it as tall as you want the scones- but for GF I prefer a little thinner than traditional scone height due to the texture and consistency). Sprinkle 
7)    Cut the dough into 6 pieces (these make small scones- like the ones at the women’s event. If you want them larger- then cut the initial dough into 1/3rds instead of 1/4ths). 
8)    Bake at 380 degrees F for about 16 minutes- scones will be a light golden brown (pan does not need to be greased- I prefer to use parchment paper to line my pan, but it is not necessary). 
9)    Allow to rest 1-2 minutes then transfer onto a cooling rack.

Lemon Souffle Panckakes

I have loved pretty much everything that contains lemon since I was a little girl with a giant meyer lemon tree in my back yard.  This recipe is no exception!  I found this recipe through Pinterest, on blogger kokken69's blog and must say that I am happy that I did (and so is my husband- I got 2 thumbs up!). 

The ingredients are simple and it takes only a few minutes to whip this batter together.  I modified kokken69's recipe slightly to suit my own tastes.

Lemon Souffle Pancake Ingredients:


1 1/2 cup Nonfat Milk
4 Egg yolks (Save the whites for later)
5 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Butter (melted)
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp Baking powder
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
A pinch Salt
4 Egg whites

Steps:
1. Mix egg yolks, milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice together in a bowl. Add melted butter and mix well.

2. Gradually mix flour, sugars and baking powder with milk mixture until the dry ingredients are moistened. Be careful not to overmix.

3. Place egg white in a separate bowl with a pinch of salt (make sure the bowl is oil free) and beat until soft peaks are formed.  Fold in egg white into the batter.

4. Melt a small portion of butter in a heated griddle or non-stick pan.  Pour batter into the pan and cook until the cake is golden brown on the underside then flip and cook the other side.

5. Serve pancakes with any of your favorite toppings- I would recommend raspberries, strawberries, honey or powdered sugar (or any of your favorite combinations).

*This recipe yields approximately 10-12 three inch pancakes.

No-Cook Coconut Candy

I love the combination of coconut and chocolate. I also love candy. That is exactly why this mix of sugar, coconut, chocolate and what should be France's official food- Butter- is absolutely amazing.

Ingredients:
1 C melted butter
4 C powdered sugar
2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream (milk or cream of coconut can also be used)
5 C sweetened or unsweetened coconut
2 C Chocolate candy melts

Steps:
1) Mix all ingredients (except the chocolate) together until the mixture is well moistened.
2) Roll into bite-sized portions using a tablespoon or cookie scoop (you will have to roll quickly because the heat of your hands can make the mixture sticky). 
3) Place the rolled coconut balls on wax or parchment paper, then stick in the fridge or freezer until firm (about 15 minutes).
4) Melt the chocolate while the coconut candy centers firm up.
5) Take the candy centers out of the freezer/fridge, then dip in the melted chocolate. Place dipped chocolates on wax or parchment paper until candy coating has dried.  As a garnish, add 2-3 flakes of coconut or create a design in the top of the chocolate using a fork or toothpick (before the chocolate has dried).

*Store in an air-tight container for up to 3-months in a freezer, or serve immediately.

**Note: I found a similar recipe to this on the Internet some time ago, but I cannot find the original source- I have made some modifications to tailor the original recipe to my own tastes.

Crockpot Chocolate Clusters

If you want a simple chocolate candy recipe that takes very little effort and can make about 100 candies, you've found the right place! This mint, nut and chocolate combo hits the spot for your holiday candy-making sessions.

This recipe was inspired by blogger My Messy Thrilling Life's candy recipe.

Set a crockpot on "low" and layer in the following ingredients:
1 lb of cashew halves (roasted preferred)
1 lb of chopped pecans
2 (12oz) bags of Hershey's Special Dark chocolate
1 (12 oz) bag of Andes Mint chopped pieces
1 (12 oz) bag of milk chocolate chips
2 lbs Vanilla (white) Almond Bark (also known as candy coating)

Steps:
1) Cover the crockpot with the lid and cook for one hour.
2) After one hour stir all ingredients and allow to cook another 30 minutes or longer until all chocolate and almond bark pieces have melted.
3) Place parchment paper down on a flat surface, and spoon the chocolate/ nut mixture by the tablespoon (or smaller) into mounds on the paper to dry (I use a small cookie scoop from Pampered Chef to get a good chocolate cluster shape).

Variation Ideas
-You can add any variety of ingredients to tailor this recipe to your tastes- you can use puffed rice cereal, various nuts (peanuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, or any combination you like), mini-marshmallows, or anything to give the chocolate some structure. 
-Try substituting peanut butter chips for the andes mint candy pieces.
-Use your favorite sprinkles to decorate the tops of the candies, or drizzle a contrasting color (such as white, red, green, etc to theme it for various holidays)

Creme Brulee Cupcakes

I love Creme Brulee...then again, who wouldn't love the stuff? It has a nice but not overly sweet flavor, and crunchy sugar topping that has been caramelized using fire (you can't go wrong with fire and dessert- as long as the fire was a planned part of the dessert process and not an unhappy consequence of course). 

Now, stick that crunchy caramely custardy goodness in a cupcake, and you have a little cup of heaven that pleases the masses (or even just your husband, your BFF on their birthday, or yourself when you're really in the mood to just indulge). FYI- I adapted this recipe from the I Heart Cuppycakes blog.

INGREDIENTS
For cupcakes
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch for the egg whites
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 cup milk (I used Heavy Whipping Cream or you could use half and half too)
3 tablespoons caramel syrup (I used homemade salted caramel- but Mrs. Robinson's caramel syrup or Hershey's caramel syrup work great too)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps: Prep: Preheat oven to 340 degrees F and line cupcake pan with liners.
1) Mix together the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add the two egg yolks until incorporated.
2) Add in the vanilla, caramel and milk or heavy whipping cream.
3) Make a dry mixture with the flour, salt and baking powder, then slowly incorporate into the wet mixture.
4) In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form, then fold the egg whites into the batter, or mix them in on "slow" in your stand mixer.
5) Scoop batter into cupcake liners and bake from 15-20 minutes until cupcakes have a golden brown crust.
Note- cupcakes will be slightly porous but that's ok- you still need to add the frosting! Sometimes if they do not bake long enough they will slightly cave in the middle, but that is still ok because you will fill with the frosting to make the creme brulee!

INGREDIENTS
For Frosting
1 stick butter (1/2 C), softened
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened (I usually buy pre-whipped)
4 C powdered sugar
1/4-1/2 C brown sugar (to taste)

Steps:
1) Blend together the butter and cream cheese until well combined and smooth.
2) Mix in the powdered sugar until smooth.
3) Add in the brown sugar and beat until smooth and slightly fluffy.

Combining the two:
1) Once cupcakes have cooled, using a piping bag fitted with a plain coupler- no tip is needed (or ziploc bag that has been cut), pipe some of the filling into the cupcake (by sticking the coupler slightly under the surface of the crust), and slightly squeeze until the filling rises above the surface, then continue to squeeze until you get a little mound of frosting on top of the cupcake (see photo above).
2) Sprinkle a little bit of sugar (about 1/2-1 teaspoon) on top of the frosting.
3) Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar- it may turn dark or look like it is turning into beads of sugar, but keep going a little longer until you get a nice caramelized sugar topping.
4) Serve warm or cool- either way these are super yummy!

Hot Cocoa on a Stick

I love the "winter"- now in Southern California, winter typically includes a couple of days of rain, a couple of days of drizzling waters, and sub-50 temperatures... horrible right? Well- my version of winter typically includes chilly evenings, baking and peppermint hot cocoa.  Throw in some homemade marshmallows and now we're talking!

Last year I made hot chocolate on a stick with homemade marshmallows- and I had to do it again this year- with a twist!  I flavored my marshmallows and added fun stuff to the fudge to make it a little more festive. Chopped pecans, chopped up candy canes and plain ol' chocolate were the variations of the season... so far :)

Here is the recipe again so you don't have to search through last year's posts:
Marshmallow Ingredients:

.75-oz unflavored gelatin (3 envelopes of Knox gelatin- 1 envelope = 1 Tbsp so .75 oz = 3 Tbsp)
1/2 C cold water
2 C granulated sugar
2/3 C light corn syrup
1/4 C water
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla extract (or other flavor extract)
Confectioners’ sugar (for coating the outside)

1) Line 9 x 9-inch or 8 x 8-inch pan with plastic wrap and lightly oil it using your fingers or non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

2) In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Soak for about 10 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, combine sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil. As soon as it is boiling, set the timer and allow to boil hard for 1 minute.

4) Carefully pour the boiling syrup into soaked gelatin and turn on the mixer, using the whisk attachment, starting on low and moving up to high speed (this keeps the boiling candy from splashing and scalding you). Add the salt and beat for approximately 15-20 minutes (the mixture will be fluffy like the consistency of marshmallow fluff, and will be cooled to almost room temperature). After it reaches that stage, add in the extract and beat to incorporate. I prefer to use concentrated extracts to decrease the amount of additional liquid I am adding to the recipe, and I typically beat for about 2 minutes after the extract has been incorporated.

5) Grease your hands and a rubber or silicone scraper with neutral oil and transfer marshmallow into the prepared pan. Use your greased hands to press the marshmallow into the pan evenly. Take another piece of lightly oiled plastic wrap and press lightly on top of the marshmallow, creating a seal. Let mixture sit for a few hours, or overnight, until cooled and firmly set.

6) Once marshmallows have set, turn the block-o-mallow out onto a cutting board that has been covered with powdered sugar. Generously cover the top of the solid piece of marshmallow (I use a flour sifter or a powdered sugar shaker), and cut into 1" squares. It is best to use a heated knife (it can be run under water then dried) to cut the substance more easily. Cover with plastic wrap, or place in plastic bags or another air-tight container after cutting- leaving them exposed to the air can help them to dry out and become rubbery within a couple of hours.

Fudge Ingredients: (Originally from the King Arthur Flour Company, adapted by Foodie with Family blog)
½ C heavy cream ($3.29 / Quart) (Cost ~$.41)
14-oz can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups) ($1.49 / can) (Cost~$1.49)
3 C semisweet chocolate (~1.5 bags) ($1.99 / bag) (Cost~$3) 
3/4 C 60% Cocoa Chocolate Chips (~1/2 bag) ($1.99 / bag) (Cost~$1) (=Total Cost to make ~$5.90 + tax)
wooden sticks, lollipop sticks, candy canes or bamboo skewers ($4 / 50 bags, $3 / 50 sticks at Michael's)
optional, crushed candy canes, marshmallows and/or cocoa powder

1) Line an 8 x 8-inch pan or a 9 x 9-inch pan with foil and set aside.

2) Combine the cream and sweetened condensed milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Heat until it is steaming, but not boiling, stirring occasionally to keep from scorching.

3) Add all of the chocolate and remove from the heat. Allow the chocolate to melt, undisturbed, for 10 minutes.

4) After 10 minutes, whisk firmly until it is thick and shiny. You can add a few drops of flavoring extract or oil at this point, or add some powdered espresso or vanilla. Whisk vigorously again to incorporate the flavoring (if used.)

5) Use a rubber or silicone spatula to spread the mixture out evenly in your prepared, foil-lined pan. Allow to cool at room temperature 12 hours or overnight so that it firms slowly.

6) Take the fudge from the pan and remove the foil. Place on a cutting board. Using a knife heated with hot water and wiped dry, cut the fudge into 1" cubes.


Assembling the Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows... On a Stick

1) Skewer the marshmallow with a lollipop stick or whatever you are using to assemble your treat. Next skewer the block of cocoa (cocoa blocks can have candy decorations (peppermint, cocoa powder, coconut, etc) on them already, or be decorated after skewering them with the marshmallow).

2) Place on top of a parchment square, or place directly into a treat bag, then tie the bag to seal out additional air.

3) The treats will keep without getting stale for about 3 days at room temperature, about 2 weeks when saved in the fridge, or for up to 3 months when frozen in an airtight container.