Key Lime Cupcakes

Tags

buttercream, cupcakes, curd, dessert, key lime, key lime curd

Citrus isn’t very seasonal right now, but some times you just have to mix things up! One of my good friends got married about a month and a half, and I was fortunate enough to be a bridesmaid. I was also asked to make cupcakes for the rehearsal dinner, which would be about 40 people. When deciding on cupcake flavors, I had to take into consideration the fact that the she doesn’t  like chocolate! Yes, it may be due to her slight allergy, but still! 🙂Thus the joys of Pinterest! I was able to have her look at my cupcake board and see if anything jumped out at her. She picked out the key lime cupcakes I had pinned, but I wasn’t a big fan of the actual recipe so I took the concept and ran with it! Vanilla cupcakes infused with key lime zest, a tart kick of key lime curd, all topped off with a sweet vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. Everyone loved them! I even tried to make them look fancier and wedding appropriate by attempting to pipe a rose on top. 🙂 With the encroaching cooler weather, if you ever need a bright, delicious kick to remind you of summer, give these a try! Or they’d make a great weekend treat 😉One Year Ago: Italian Meatloaf

Key Lime Cupcakes
Note: Regular limes fan be used if key limes are unavailable.

Cupcakes:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ tablespoons key lime zest, about 10 key limes
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

Key Lime Curd:
⅓ cup freshly-squeezed key lime juice
⅓ cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Vanilla Buttercream:
1 cup granulated sugar
4 egg whites
Pinch of salt
26 tablespoons (3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the curd: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the key lime juice, sugar, egg yolks, eggs, and salt. Place the daucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Add the butter cubes and whisk until butter is melted and incorporated. Immediately remove from heat and pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Curd can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and key lime zest, using your fingers to really work the zest into the sugar. Add the butter and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Mix in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients; beat each addition just until incorporated.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ full. Bake 20 to 24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the buttercream: Set a heatproof mixing bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Combine the egg whites and sugar in the bowl. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F, or all sugar is dissolved and mixture is hot to the touch.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat on low speed for 2 minutes, gradually increasing to high speed. Beat until stiff peaks form and mixing bowl is cool to the touch. With the mixer on medium-low speed, gradually add a couple tablespoons of butter at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating on medium-high speed until thick and smooth. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the vanilla; beat on low speed for 2 minutes to incorporate the vanilla and eliminate air bubbles. Spoon frosting into pastry bag fitted with large decorating tip.

To assemble cupcakes: Using an apple corer or a paring knife, cut out a well in the center of each cupcake; discard the cores. Fill each well with about 1 tablespoon of key lime curd; frost with vanilla buttercream. Store cupcakes in the refrigerator and bring to room temp before serving.

Source: Cupcakes adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride, curd adapted from David Lebovitz, buttercream adapted from Martha Stewart

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Pumpkin Roundup!

Tags

Biscuit, breakfast, coffee cake, cookies, dessert, muffins, Pumpkin, soup

I’m a little late to the party but Fall is officially here… well, it was officially here over a week ago but we’ll just ignore that fact! Even though it’s Fall, we’re going through some crazy heat wave in Northern California. At least it’s cooling down enough at night to open windows and let in some cold, crisp air. But so many blogs are posting pumpkin recipes, and they all look so good, and I just can’t help but crave all things pumpkin and apple!

I bake with pumpkin all the way into spring, so it’s almost a year-round thing for me, but once summer rolls around I tend to lean towards fruits and bright flavors. Thankfully, we’re now into Fall and I can officially get away with using pumpkin again and not being deemed a weirdo! Well… still a weirdo, I guess, just for one less reason now! 🙂 Anyways, please check out the pumpkin goodness from this last year! These are some of my favorites that I’ve made multiple times already, or hope to make again soon. Enjoy!!

Pumpkin for Breakfast (or dessert…)!
1. Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread with Spiced Glaze
2. Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake
3. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
4. Pumpkin Waffles
5. Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Pumpkin for the rest of the time!
1. Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes
2. Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats
3. Pumpkin-Apple Soup
4. Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
5. Pumpkin Biscuits
6. Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and White Chocolate

Brownie Pops, and Happy 4th of July!!

Tags

brownie, brownie pop, cake pop, chocolate, dessert

Hope everyone in the US is enjoying all the celebrations paired with July 4th! And everyone else, happy Wednesday! Personally, I don’t really have any spectacular plans. My husband always sees a Will Smith movie or an alien movie on July 4th, so I think we’re going to see Men in Black 3 and hopefully we’ll get to see fireworks! They’re my favorite part of this holiday, afterall! 🙂So for today, I don’t really have a recipe per say, but a festive treat nonetheless. My nephew turned 2 last week and he had his party over the weekend. Since I live so close to my sister now, I helped her decorate and prepare for the party. It was a cute red and blue themed train party! I was in charge of dessert, like usual, and her request was brownie pops. She didn’t want to go through the hassle of making cake and making frosting and mixing them together (and by that, I think she didn’t want me to take the time and dishes to do all that :P). She wanted it simple, so she asked if I had a good fudgy brownie recipe that would require no extra add-ins and could be made into pops due to the extremely moist and fudgy quality of the brownies. I immediately recommended the Baked Brownie. Best brownie ever, and awesome for brownie pops!Like I said, I was in charge of the baking, so with the help of my older nephew, we made the brownies. Once cooled, I squished and rolled them into 1-inch ball, placed them on wax paper, stuck a lollipop stick into them, and froze them for 30 minutes. They were then dipped into melted chocolate chips/melts, allowed to set, then dipped halfway into melted white chocolate chips/melts and dipped in sprinkles. For my first attempt at any sort of cake pop/brownie pop, they came out pretty well though they certainly are a bit of work and time! Everyone loved them and they came out quite adorable if I do say so myself, but I think I’ll stick to cupcakes and cookies and whatnot! 🙂 One batch of brownies made about 45 brownie pops, and then we served the other batch of brownies straight up with the extra chocolates drizzled over them and any leftover sprinkles. I also wanted to share with you these cool stars that my sister found. You make them yourself with your choice of scrapbook paper, and they were a really nice addition to the party decorations. She now has them hanging in my nephew’s room and they look really cute in there, too!

So, that’s it for today! Hope everyone has a wonderful July 4th, and happy Wednesday! 🙂

P.S. I apologize for the quality of the photos… camera phone 😉

One Year Ago: Panko-Crusted Salmon

Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Tags

chocolate, dessert, marshmallow, whoopie pie

The move is done, we’re settling in, and we finally have internet! It’s been a while since I’ve moved and I forgot how much is involved. And over the years, especially after getting married, you really seem to accumulate a lot of stuff! And a lot of kitchen stuff, if you’re me. 🙂 So now it’s time to celebrate! And what better way than with some whoopie pies!

These are very traditional whoopie pies… chocolate (but of course!) with a marshmallow filling. And they come from one of my favorite cookbooks, Chocolate American Style. So much chocolatey goodness comes from this cookbook, such as this chocolate cream pie. I made these whoopie pies years ago when I first got this book, and my only complaint was that the filling was a little too soft and squished out too much. So, I made the cakes a little smaller and the filling a little stiffer, and we had pure whoopie pie bliss. They were so good, I pretty much refused to share… shame on me! I saved a couple for a friend, but other than that they were mine all mine. And my husband, but I think I ate more of them than he did!One Year Ago: Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Tomatoes and Mozzarella

Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Yield: 18 to 20 whoopie pies

For the cakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg

For the filling:
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup powdered sugar
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow cream
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

To make the cakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, beating well to fully incorporate. With the mixer on low speed, add some of the flour mixture, then some of the buttermilk; alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk and mix until the batter is just combined and smooth.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of batter onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each cake. Use slightly moistened fingertips to gently smooth and shape the cakes, if needed. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cakes are firm to the touch. Remove the baking sheets to wire racks, letting the cakes cool completely on the sheets.

To make the filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, powdered sugar, and marshmallow cream; beat on high speed until smooth and fluffy; stir in the vanilla.

To assemble whoopie pies: Match up cakes in pairs by size. Spread filling onto the flat side of one cake of each pair. To make clean edges with the filling, transfer the filling to a piping bag and pipe a small amount one cake of each pair. Sandwich the cookies together, and press the filling to the edges. Serve immediately or wrap individually in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

Source: Adapted from Chocolate American Style by Lora Brody

Brownie Cookie Dough Sandwiches

Tags

brownie, chocolate, cookie, cookie dough, dessert, marshmallow creme

It’s the fifth day of sweet treats… The day is almost over, but I have one last goody that would be a perfect weekend treat! And of course, another late Christmas gift. Hehe. In my defense, these were for a friend/ex-coworker and I don’t see her very often, so I didn’t even decide on what to make her until I knew when I was going to see her. These cookie sandwiches seemed like a perfect treat for my chocolate chip cookie-loving friend, since she loves cookie dough, too, and I wanted to do something more than just plain old chocolate chip cookies! I also needed something amazing to compare to the cookie dough cream pie I made for her birthday!

She loved them, and everyone else who got to try one loved them, too! The cookies are perfect for making cookie sandwiches… They hold up well on their own, but are still nice and soft when you bite into them. And the filling is amazing with marshmallow creme. There is minimal sugar added so it’s not overly sweet, and the consistency is perfect for resting between two delicious cookies. 🙂 People really seemed to enjoy the little surprise chocolate chips in the filling, too. My only complaint is that I didn’t find them to have a very strong cookie dough flavor because the cookies seemed to overpower the cookie dough. But don’t get me wrong, these things are amazing and I will definitely be making them again and again! The cookies also make a great foundation for other cookie sandwiches combos… I’ll have to see what I can think up. 😉 Any suggestions?Brownie Cookie Dough Sandwiches
Yield: about 20 cookie sandwiches

Brownie Cookies:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cookie Dough Filling:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 (7-ounce) jars marshmallow crème
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup mini chocolate chips

To make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; mix in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, beating until just combined.

Scoop the dough into 1 to 1½ tablespoon balls. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart; slightly flatten the balls of dough with your fingers or the bottom of a drinking glass. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are set and the tops are puffed and cracked, but still soft. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before removing them to the rack to cool completely.

To make the filling: In large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the flour and baking soda until incorporated. Add the marshmallow crème, vanilla, salt, and chocolate chips; beat until the mixture is smooth and thick.

To assemble the sandwiches: Match the cookies in pairs by size. Scoop about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling onto the flat side of one of the cookies in each pair. Put the other cookie on top and press until the filling reaches the edges.

Source: Very slightly adapted from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures and Heat Oven to 350