Mocha Cupcakes!

This is my favorite and most requested cupcake recipe :) It makes right around 16 cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 1/3 cups flour
1/3 cup ghiradelli cocoa powder
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 1/2 t espresso powder

1/2 cup brewed strong coffee, room temperature
1 t good quality vanilla
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (I used light)
1 egg, room temperature

Icing:
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 t espresso powder

Directions:
For the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350, mix the espresso powder into the brewed coffee until dissolved. Set aside.  Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt.   Beat the butter and both sugars together on medium/ high speed for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing only until combined.  Combine the milk, vanilla and coffee mixture.  Add the flour mixture and coffee mixture to the butter mix, a little at a time, alternating between the two.  The mixture will be runny. Pour the batter into lined, standard sized muffin tins.  I filled mine just about 1/2 full.  Bake for about 18 minutes, but start checking after 15 minutes.  Cool completely before frosting!

For the icing, mix the espresso powder into the vanilla. Set aside.  Whip the butter 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.  Reduce the speed to low, and add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until fully mixed in.  Once all the sugar is added, add the vanilla mixture in and increase the speed to medium high and beat about a minute.

To decorate the cupcakes, I used Wilton star (I think it was the 1M) decorating tip.  Enjoy!! (Also, don't eat right before bed!!)

Chocolate Lava Cakes!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup unsalted butter or  4 ounces semisweet Ghiradelli chocolate bars and 4 ounces bittersweet Ghiradelli chocolate bars cut into bite-size chunks 5 large eggs 1/2 cup sugar Pinch of salt 4 teaspoons flour  1 teaspoon espresso (I used instant) 1 teaspoon vanilla

Garnish: powdered sugar homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler; remove from heat. Beat eggs, sugar and salt with a hand mixer in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves, add vanilla and espresso. Beat egg mixture into chocolate until smooth. Beat in flour until just combined. (Batter can be made a day ahead)
2.	Before serving dinner, adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 450 degrees. Spray 8 glass ramekins with cooking spray, divide batter evenly among them.
3.	Bake until batter puffs but center is not set, 8 to 10 minutes (12 minutes if batter is right out of fridge). Carefully tip ramekins and set on a dessert plate.
4.	Top each with powdered sugar and either ice cream or whip cream. (picture from http://www.1-800-bakery.com/images/Individual_Chocolate_LAVA_Cakes_med.jpg)

Hooded baby (or child) Towel

First buy a standard size bath towel, matching hand towel and a piece of flannel.  Remove all tags and wash and dry if desired.  Cut the hand towel to a 10" length. Cut flannel to exact hand towel size.  Pin with right sides down and if it is a patterned flannel with the pattern facing the right way.

 Flipping over, sew along the seam so that the stitching is hid.  Leave a 1/2" on either end open!  (Note where the pen is pointing).

Remove the pins and fold in 1/2, with right sides together.

Pin along towel end and flannel end.  Sew 1/4" seam on towel side and 1/2" on flannel side.

 

Turn the hood right side out.

 Fold the large towel in half, wrong sides together and put a pin in the center.  Open up (wrong side up) and place the hood on top, pinning ONLY the flannel to the large towel, starting in the center (where the pin is and working towards the outside.

Fold the outside edges up and pin.

 

This is what it will look like prior to sewing.  

Flip over and sew along the current seam line.

Here is what it will look like- notice the hand towel is still not sewn!

Pin the hand towel to the large towel.

Flip over and sew right along the edge of the flannel fabric.

 

Tack the tip of the hood to the flannel with needle and thread.

 

Fold in thirds, roll up and tie with a ribbon- you're done!!!

 

Strawberry Short*cup*cakes!

It's springtime!!  For me that means strawberries....  I earned the nickname Strawberry Shortcake for a reason!

I love them!  But my favorite part of strawberries are my strawberry short-cupcakes!  We have a farm nearby that sells homemade baked goods.  They sell this amazing strawberry cobbler- I decided that I wanted to make my own. So I took a recipe that I had from my husband's great grandmother and modified it to make cupcakes! Cupcakes are the easiest way to serve strawberry shortcake. Here's the recipe- enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcupcakes (recipe follows post)

First we mix all our dry ingredients together with a large spoon.

 Next, add your stick of butter and cut it in. 

 Basically, take a knife and cut up the butter into smaller and smaller pieces until it looks a little something like this. Make sure you give it a good stir when you're done!

 Next we add the heavy cream and stir until combined.  The batter will be thick!

 

 Line your cupcake pan with papers and put about a 1/4 cup of batter in each one.  You should get about 15 cupcakes- unless you let your son eat the batter!  Hey, don't judge- there's no eggs in it!

Now, for the best part....

Give each cupcake a good sprinkle of the raw sugar- it gives the finished cake a nice crunchy, sweet top! Throw 'em in the oven and let's move on!

Now for the yummy part....mmmmm....strawberries!

Cut each strawberry into bite size pieces.

After you get all the berries cut up, you are going to need to sweeten them.  The amount of sugar you use will depend on the berries.  This time of year I use a good amount of sugar as the berries aren't that sweet.

Put a lid on it and let them sit. The longer you leave them, the juicer they will get!  Your cupcakes should be about done, so get them out of the oven and take them out of the pan.  If you let them cool in the pan, they will continue to cook.  They can be cooled completely or served warm.


Mmmm...check out these juicy berries!!

And now, for the finished product:

 Yummmmm!! This one was for my dear friend.  If it were mine, it would have almost an entire can of whipped cream on it. But we can discuss whip cream another day!  Enjoy your shortcupcakes!!  Feel free to share this recipe, but please be sure to link back to my page!

Recipe:

2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of salt
1 stick of butter
1 1/4 cup of heavy cream
Sugar in the Raw

strawberries
additional 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar (depending on how sweet your berries are)
whip cream

Mix together all dry ingredients, cut in butter and stir in heavy cream.  Place in lined cupcake pan and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes.  Meanwhile cut up the strawberries, sprinkle with additional sugar and let sit for at least an hour. Layer your cupcakes up and enjoy!

Cinnamon Streusel Cake

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• tsp salt
• 1tsp vanilla
• ~2 TB milk (more or less for desired consistency)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and baking soda together and set aside. In a separate small bowl, combine 1/4 cup white sugar sugar, cinnamon, brown sugar and chocolate chips. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and 2 cups white sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and beat until well combined.
3. Pour half of batter into Bundt pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chip mixture on top of batter in pan. Add remaining batter.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
5. Invert cake on to serving dish.
6. Mix together last 4 ingredients and drizzle over cake when completely cooled.

So tonight for dinner I did another food experiment loosely based off a recipe I have. I was expecting tears and plenty of push back but it was well received by all!

Baked Balsamic Chicken.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt 
pepper 
oregano
1 large shallot sliced
1 large green bell pepper, sliced
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
2 tsp rosemary finely minced 
2 TB balsamic vineagar
1 cup chicken broth



Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and garlic until it starts to cook. Place the chicken.  Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and oregano.  Brown on both sides, about 3 minutes a side. Place in baking dish.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile in the same saucepan that you cooked the chicken in, place the shallot, peppers and rosemary.  Saute for about 3 minutes.  Add chicken broth and cook 5 minutes.  Stir in vinegar.  Pour over chicken and bake additional 10 minutes.