True to My Word

I told you I would post the recipe for the second flavor of cupcakes I made last week. And here it is. Mr. Doughboy seemed a bit ambivalent about them, but Doughnut Hole #1 (who is a culinary talent himself) loved them.

Raspberry Cupcakes with Chocolate Almond Ganache

1 C all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

5 Tbsp butter, softened

1/2 C sugar

1 large egg

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp raspberry syrup

1/2 C whole milk

1/3 C fresh raspberries, slightly chopped (leave them in fairly large chunks)

12 whole fresh raspberries, set aside for garnishing

2 Tbsp slivered almonds, finely chopped for garnishing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin cups with paper liners. In medium bowl, whisk together flour baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg, almond extract and raspberry syrup. At low speed on your mixer, add one-half of the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Add the milk and beat just until incorporated. Then add the rest of the flour mixture. Do not overbeat. Fold in the chopped raspberries.

Fill the muffin cups about three-fourths full. Bake about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from muffin tin and place onto a rack to cool completely. Spread frosting on cupcakes once cooled.

Chocolate Almond Ganache

3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 C heavy cream

scant 1/4 tsp almond extract

Put chocolate chips in a small bowl. Heat cream in a small heavy saucepan. Watch it carefully. Once it is simmering, remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Cover bowl and let stand for 1 minute to melt the chips. Remove lid and stir until smooth. Once all lumps from the chocolate are gone, add the almond extract and stir until smooth. Let mixture sit at room temperature until it is a spreading consistency.

Once ganache is the consistency you want, spread it on top of each cupcake. (I like to leave a bit of the cupcake exposed, so I do not spread the chocolate all the way to the edges of each cupcake.) Place a fresh raspberry in the center of each cupcake. Sprinkle chopped almond bits around the raspberry on top of the ganache.

Long Drives and Slow Trots

We've got family members coming home after being away for the whole summer. One of those family members is our granddaughter, Mae. Since she's been gone, she's learned to walk (or rather, "slow trot" according to her father). Mr. Doughboy and I are quite excited to see her. Tomorrow is her first birthday.

So, if you are a baby-sized Mae, you should have a baby-sized welcome home treat, don't you think? Cupcakes are the perfect baby-sized treat. I dropped these off at her house last evening. I didn't know exactly when she and her mommy and cool California grandma would arrive. I hope they made it home last night. Otherwise, they're going to find some dried-out cupcakes on their counter this morning. Please note... no empty sugar treats for Mae. Responsible grandma that I am, I made sure there was a healthy helping of vegetables and fruits in her cupcakes. (Justification at its finest.) Thanks again to Joy the Baker for the wonderful taste combination. Next time I'll post the Raspberry Cupcakes with Chocolate Almond Ganache recipe.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes (adapted from Martha Stewart)

4 C peeled carrots, finely grated

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 C sugar

1 1/2 C vegetable oil

1/3 C buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 C crushed pineapple, drained

1 C pecans, finely chopped (you could use walnuts instead, if you prefer)

1/2 C sweetened shredded coconut

3 C all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp cardamom

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners. In a large bowl, mix together carrots, eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, coconut, pineapple and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Stir flour mixture into wet mixture until well blended.

Fill muffin tins three-fourths full with batter. Bake 25-28 minutes. Remove from oven and place on wire racks. Let cupcakes cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from tin and let them cool completely. Frost cupcakes with Dulce de Leche frosting.

Dulce de Leche Frosting (from The Pastry Queen)
1 1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 C powdered sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 C dulce de leche

Cream the butter and powdered usgar together using an electric mixer on low speed. Add the cream and vanilla; beat on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the prepared dulce de leche and beat until well incorporated. Frost the cupcakes using a pastry bag and large star tip.

Cookies vs. Cupcakes

One day I saw a little boy with an Oreo cookie in one hand and a cupcake in the other -- and a little bit of both smeared all over his face. Oh to be a kid again. But, his messy face gave me an idea. How about Oreo cupcakes? What a novel thought. This is my attempt at such a treat. I tried these with a couple versions of frosting but they just didn't have that "center of an Oreo" kind of flavor. Then I remembered a recipe I had found on Real Mom Kitchen for Sugar Cookie Bars. The frosting she used included shortening, and there's GOT to be shortening in that stuff in between the Oreos. So I tried that frosting. It works perfectly with these. So, thanks to Real Mom Kitchen for the frosting recipe for these cupcakes.

Cookies-N-Cream Cupcakes
3/4 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
3/4 C granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 C sour cream
2 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5 Oreo-type cookies, broken up

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter; room temp
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk
Crushed Oreo-type cookies

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with paper or foil liners. In small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in eggs, one at a time. On low speed, alternately beat flour mixture and sour cream into the butter/sugar mixture. Begin and end with the flour. Add the milk and vanilla and incorporate well into batter. Fold in cookie pieces.

Divide batter into cupcake tins, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes. Cupcakes are done when the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Remove cupcakes to a rack and cool completely.

For frosting: Combine butter and shortening until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk & mix until smooth and spreading consistency.

When cupcakes are cooled, spread the frosting on them and then sprinkle tops with cookie crumbs.

Alright, time to come clean... the kid I mentioned at the beginning of this post? Well, it wasn't really a kid kind of kid. It was my 18-year-old.