Wednesday, August 20, 2008

When the Boss Hits 25


It was my boss' 25th company anniversary last week, and I was in charge of making the cake.

I revisited the margarita cupcake recipe (his favourite) by making a coconut layer cake (with lime curd between the layers) and coated in coconut buttercream (general recipe here) which was a great success!

Karen was good enough to take pictures - unfortunately, it was only afterwards we realized that his "wife's" hair had got on her face, lol. Ah well!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Chocolate Ginger Cupcakes Stuffed with Ginger Creme and Chocolate Ganache

Holy cow.

I know I rave about a lot of the recipes I make. It's not because I'm a great baker - it's because I use solid recipes from sources that I know are far more talented than I.

But this, this cupcake is my favourite. Of all the little darlings I have created, this one is currently at the top of my list. I found a really, really, good, moist, amazing chocolate cake recipe (if that isn't enough descriptors, I don't know what is),

The bad news? I have no photos. That's right, my computer suffered some minor short-term memory loss with its recent infection, and (of course) I have already deleted them off of my camera. So I will wait until I bake them again (for I will, without a doubt, bake them again...soon) to post some pictures.

I love the combination of chocolate and ginger. But for this particular recipe (which I got an idea about from chockylit's blog) I pieced together some of my favourite recipes and ideas to come up with the ultimate cupcake.

I actually think I ate about four of these when I made them.

If you like chocolate, these are for you. If you like ginger, these are for you. If you like those little stuffed snack cakes that Hostess makes, these are for you.

In short, they are delicious!

Chocolate Ginger Cupcakes
makes 24 cupcakes

1 c. baking cocoa
1 c. boiling water
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. sour cream
2 inch piece peeled fresh ginger, grated

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Paper 24 cupcake tins
  • Dissolve cocoa in water, let cool
  • Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
  • Add eggs, one at a time; add vanilla
  • Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, set aside
  • Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition
  • Add cocoa mixture, beat well
  • TURN MIXER OFF
  • Add ginger by hand, mixing well to incorporated
  • Bake 20-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean
these puppies will dome up a lot, which is OK since you need to dig the middles out. Still, don't fill more than 2/3 of the way full or it will just be a mess. Tried it. Believe me.

Ginger Creme

2 c. whipping cream, well chilled
1/2 c. sugar
pinch of cream of tarter
4 inch piece peeled ginger, grated very fine

  • Whipping cream works better when it's chilled
  • Whip chilled cream with cooled utensils until soft peaks form
  • Add sugar very slowly, making sure not to deflate
  • Add cream of tarter (just a pinch)
  • Add ginger
  • DO NOT OVERBEAT. I've always heard of this, but never done it until this recipe - whip that sucker too hard and you'll get butter. Odd, ginger butter. Just believe me on this one
Chocolate Icing

1 c. heavy cream
12 oz. dark chocolate
1 c. icing sugar
2 tsp grated fresh ginger

  • Chop chocolate in a small bowl, add ginger
  • Bring cream to a low boil, pour over chocolate
  • Let stand for one minute before stirring until incorporated
  • Add icing sugar slowly, beating well to keep smooth
Assembly
  • Wait for cupcakes to cool, then dig the middle out with a spoon
  • Fill middle with ginger creme
  • Ice those puppies
You know, I really have not done this post justice without any picture, but suffice it to say that this really is a wiiiiicked cupcake, that I cannot wait to make again. It was universally loved and I think claims the number one position in my heart!

Happy eats!



Saturday, August 9, 2008

Consummate Chocolate Chip Cookies


This is not a picture of my chocolate chip cookies - it is an image that google was good enough to offer. I make these so often, I'd never thought to ever photograph them, nor write a blog about them. Then I brought a batch to work and my co-workers all couldn't stop talking about them! Since then they have been heckling me to post the recipe.

Well, now the time has come to share. And I'm afraid I am going to disappoint them all when I come clean and tell them that my "super amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe" is not really as secret as I let them think it was.

In fact, it's right off the back of every package of Hershey's Chipits Chocolate Chips you get at any grocery store!

The secret to chocolate chip cookies is not the recipe. Granted, not all chocolate chip cookies are created equal, and this recipe is darn good even if just slammed in the oven directly after mixing. But no, the real secret ingredient is time.

There's something about letting chocolate chip cookie dough sit for a while that just makes it miraculous. I'll let mine sit in the fridge over night if I can, but always at least for an hour. It just makes all the flavours in the dough so much better.

Still, I did promise to write down my recipe, which I hereby dedicate to Linda, Toni, Stephanie, Karen, and Janice (the five ladies I work closest with). Just because it turns out it isn't secret, doesn't make them any less delicious!


Chocolate Chip Cookies
from the back of the Hershey's Chipits bag
makes 4 dozen cookies


1 c. shortening or softened butter (truth? I use shortening. Butter makes them very runny)
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. white granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla (I usually just do 2 tsp)
2 c. all purpose flour (although cake and pastry flour makes them that much lighter)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder (my addition)
1/2 tsp salt
1 package of chocolate chips (approx 350 g)

  • Cream together shortening and both butters until creamy
  • Beat in eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy
  • Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl
  • Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients
  • Turn mixer off.
  • Add chocolate chips by hand with a spatula
  • CHILL FOR AT LEAST ONE HOUR, OR UP TO 24 HOURS
  • Drop by the tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until golden brown
  • Cool on a wire rack
These cookies will surprise even the most discerning chocolate fiend. They are sublime and sinfully simple. They travel well, keep for days (although they never last that long) and are sure to be a favourite.

My Two Cats


These are my cats on the back porch. The cow-coloured cat is Cedric (who is actually a female) and the tabby is Elmo (the male). Elmo is much older than Cedric, but tolerates her fairly well. Still, just as they know there is more peace to be found on the back porch than in the kitchen when I'm baking - Cedric also knows there is more peace to be found on her own chair rather than cuddling up with Elmo!

They are sulking back here because I have commandeered the kitchen again! Poor things, looks like a hard life, eh?

Strawberry Rhubarb Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting


Mmm, how lovely. Rhubarb is such a lovely flavour, but it isn't something you can just buy in the grocery store. So when a friend's grandmother handed me a whole container of stewed, unsweetened rhubarb from her garden, I just knew I had to make a cupcake with them. Strawberry is the obvious counterpoint to any rhubarb recipe, so I picked me up a quart of 'em and set to work.

The cupcakes were pretty standard, which were a great backdrop for the sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb. Topped with the famous whipped cream frosting (this stuff is the best EVER) they made for an excellent cupcake. Since most of my cupcakes are consumed in lieu of breakfast (when the advisors get to work), they were the perfect taste combination for early morning - and not a single one made it past noon!

Strawberry Rhubarb Cupcakes
makes 24 cupcakes

2 3/4 c. cake flour
1 c. softened unsalted butter
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
1 c. stewed unsweetened rhubarb, in its syrup
5 tbsp. sugar
1 c. hulled and sliced strawberries

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees; paper 24 cupcake tins
  • Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy; add eggs one at a time and beat well after each
  • Combine flour and baking powder, set aside
  • Combine milk and vanilla, set aside
  • Alternate wet and dry ingredients until fully combined
  • TURN MIXER OFF
  • Fold in fruit so as not to break fruit with spatula
  • Fill tins 3/4 full and bake 20-22 min until golden brown and slightly springy to the touch
  • Cool completely before frosting
Whipped Cream Frosting

1 c. whipping cream
1/8 tsp. salt
1/3 c. flour
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
2 c. icing sugar
2. tsp vanilla
  • Mix cream, flour and salt together into a saucepan on low heat
  • Whisk gently to remove lumps, then mix with wooden spoon until it forms a paste that pulls easily away from the side of the pot (like play doh). Allow to cool completely
  • Once cool, beat. Add butter and beat until fluffy. Add sugar and continue whipping. Finally add vanilla and mix well.
*note: this icing especially should be refrigerated because of the whipping cream.

And there you have it! Such a lovely, summery, satisfying cupcake. Give it a try!

July Daring Bakers: Filbert Gateau!

The obvious first comment that will undoubtedly jump to your mind when you correlate the title with the date will be "but Maria, it's not July". And, dear reader, you are correct. The post date for the July Daring Baker's Challenge was July 31st, alas my computer was deathly ill and in a computer ICU for the last few weeks. It's a family computer, which means that there is far too much downloading, and browsing, and cookie-accumulating for the poor old beast. And every once in a while it just catches a bug and needs a vacation.

But I'm back! And finally with some pictures and stories to tell about this great challenge. This month's challenge was a Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream from Carole Walter's "Great Cakes". It was hosted by Chris of Mele Cote who obviously is a sucker for punishment. Not that this wasn't an enjoyable challenge - it was amazing, such an accomplishment, and delicious. But it took me SIX HOURS to finish this challenge from start to finish, and peeling hazelnuts was ridiculous.

It had a lot of expensive ingrediants (namely the hazelnuts and the booze) - but it made a very large, rich cake that could have been cut quite thin and still been exceptionally satisfying for every person.

It turns out that to bake with hazelnuts, you have to peel them first. Otherwise, their skins have a very bitter taste (like the bitter taste you get off a walnut). In order to peel them you can roast them for a few minutes, but I found that wasn't enough, so I actually boiled mine for a few minutes to get the skins off. Even after that, they didn't just "rub off" as promised and I found myself logging a lot of hours peeling individual skins off a few hundred hazelnuts. It really made me appreciate how much work making a cake like this is, and why they are so damn expensive. Over and above the ingredients, the manpower in this thing was unreal!

The recipe is here if you are feeling very adventurous, but let me tell you, it is worth the effort.

The cool thing about this cake is its lack of rising agent. It was done all with eggs, which meant that we had to move quickly and gently in order to combine all of the parts, get it into the pan, and then into the oven. I was really impressed with how light and fluffy the batter was. When I poured it into the pan there were bubble throughout the mix, but tapping it a few times on the side with a spoon helped remove them. You have to be careful, though, because although you don't want air trapped inside, you still need it to be very light - so you can't overmix!

For my apricot glaze I actually chose a brand of Smucker's Jam that was an apricot, peach and passionfruit ("triple fruit") combination. It was unbelievable. The jam was also reduced sugar, which was nice because every component of this recipe was very rich, and it added a slightly less sweet element to the cake. The jam was definitely not tart, but it wasn't as sickly sweet as most jams are. It was spread all over the cake (which at this point had been divided into three layers and spread throughout with praline buttercream) just before glazing the sucker with chocolate ganache.

When the cake was finished I tried piping the little leaves on the top of the cake that the original recipe called for, but my praline buttercream was not as smooth as I had hoped. No matter how much I ground up the hazlenut brittle I had made (yes, you even make hazelnut brittle!) I couldn't get it into a paste - just into a really wet meal. While that was OK, and added some texture to the buttercream, in the end it proved too hard to squeeze through a leaf tip and so I just added it in "blobs" with raspberries on the top of the cake. Gimme a break - I was now leaning into hour six, and only slightly exhausted.

The final product, though, was unreal. The cake was moist and so delicious. I used both Grand Marnier and Dark Rum in the recipe (as called for), and it added such a good kick to the whole recipe. While I can't see me whipping this up all that often, it was an excellent Daring Baker's challenge, and a great cake to learn how to make. It was also comforting that, although even this one wasn't perfect, it was not nearly as disastrous as last month and re-instilled some confidence and daring in me!

So better later than never let me present: Maria's Miraculous Filbert Gateau!