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.

Zucchini - Right Where it Belongs

I think everyone makes zucchini bread. When someone mentions they have zucchini, I think everyone else connects the dots right to a loaf pan and zucchini bread. I confess... I'm not a real zucchini bread fan. Never have been. But, over on Tasty Kitchen, I saw a recipe for Zucchini bread that really caught my eye. So... with the final bit of the zucchini given to me by a friend, I tried out this recipe. It's a keeper. I liked it. There are enough other flavors happening to make the bread very tasty indeed.

Orange Pecan Zucchini Bread

4 eggs

2 C shredded zucchini, unpeeled

2/3 C orange juice (I used freshly squeezed)

3/4 C canola oil

3 1/4 C all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 grated peel of an orange

3/4 C chopped pecans

1 C powdered sugar

2 Tbsp orange juice (yep, freshly squeezed again)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and grease and flour the bottoms of two loaf pans. (The author of the recipe uses 8" pans, but says you can use 9" ones as well. I did that, however, the loaves ended up not being as tall as I like them, so next time I will use one 9" pan and then use mini-loaf pans for the rest of the batter.)

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until they are a deep lemony yellow. Beat in the sugar and then stir in shredded zucchini, orange juice and the oil. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and orange peel. Pour the flour mixture into the wet mixture and combine together. Fold in chopped pecans.

Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Cut cooking time by one-fourth if using mini loaf pans.) Remove from oven and cool slightly. Mix together the powdered sugar and remaining orange juice to make a glaze. Remove loaves from pans and place on wire rack (with wax paper underneath the rack). Spread the glaze over the baked loaves while still warm. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Sharing the Love

Blackberries. I picked 12 pounds of them last week. Got home and wanted to have something to show for my efforts... well, in addition to the two buckets full of blackberries. I knew I wasn't up for making jam. Nor had I made the ganache to use in a mousse yet. But I wanted something to start off the berry celebration. Lucky for me I had a graham cracker pie crust just sitting there empty. So I filled it. With berries. A "quickie" pie, as I like to call them.

This recipe is pretty simple. The blackberry taste is front and center. Mr. Doughboy and I each had a slice. (The Doughnut Holes weren't home, so they didn't get any.) Then, since I knew the upcoming days were going to be filled with bathroom scale-straining projects from all the different dessert and berry creations I planned on attempting, I sent the rest of it to my best friend's house. I'm so grateful to her and her husband and sons for being willing to sacrifice their waistlines for my food porn collection. I bake. I take the pictures... and then I have to off-load the calories somewhere. So this berry mousse pie (and three-fourths of the Chocolate Zucchini Cake) went up the street to its new home.

Blackberry Mousse Pie

1 graham cracker pie crust

1 pkg unflavored gelatin

1/4 C cold water

1/4 C granulated sugar

1 C cream, chilled

3 tsp powdered sugar

2 C blackberries, fresh or frozen

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in saucepan. Let stand about 1 minute. Stir over low heat until gelatin is dissolved (about 1 minute). Remove from heat.

Place berries, sugar and gelatin mixture in blender and puree. Pour into bowl and chill until mixture mounds when dropped from a spoon (about 45 minutes). Beat cream and powdered sugar in a chilled bowl untili soft peaks form. Stir 1/4 of the cream into the blackberry puree mixture to lighten it. Fold in remaining cream. Pour into crust. Refrigerate 2 hours before serving. Garnish with fresh blackberries and creme fraiche or whipped cream.

Note: This pie can also be prepared with strawberries or raspberries. For strawberries, use 2 cups; for raspberries use 2 1/2 cups.

Zucchini's Redeeming Grace

I am not a big zucchini fan. My friends tell stories of squash gone wild. A few cute little seeds put in the ground and next thing you know: A zucchini invasion. For this reason I never plant zucchini. I simply don't like it enough to endure all the zucchini casseroles and breads responsible home gardeners everywhere have to come up with to use up what these overactive plants create.

However. However. There is one thing I love. It's a specific recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Cake that my friend Michelle introduced me to about four years ago. She says she got it from Penzey's Spices. All I know is I got it from her. Twice. The first time I tasted this cake I loved it. Seriously. It was at a church social function. I immediately went into stealth mode and stole two extra pieces. Yes, I said "stole" and "church" in the same paragraph. Glass houses, people. Glass houses and stones. That's all I've got to say about that.

I immediately requested the recipe and blissfully used it. Unfortunately I lost it a couple of years ago when we packed up and moved. This summer, as my friends began to bemoan their overabundant zucchini harvests, I began to fixate on that cake. So another lovely friend, Julie, was kind enough to give me three zucchinis. Which I promptly grated up and used to make this cake. Ahhh bliss.

Now, normally, this cake batter is topped with chocolate chips and nuts and then you put it in the oven. This is the best way to taste the essence of the zucchini that's in it. When you make this cake for the first time, I recommend you do that. This time, however, I was in a serious chocolate mood. (My youngest son moved to Florida yesterday and my daughter has been gone for a week into her own place. As you can see, I was in serious need of chocolate.) So, I decided to shake things up a little. I incorporated the chips and the walnuts into the batter and baked it. After letting the cake cool, I frosted it with my all-time favorite chocolate frosting. The cake is delicious and the flavor that is front and center is total chocolate.


Chocolate Zucchini Cake
1/2 C butter, room temperature
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 3/4 C white sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C milk mixed with 1/4 tsp white vinegar (sour milk)
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 C peeled and finely grated zucchini
1 C chocolate chips
1/4 C chopped nuts (optional)

Grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan. If using a glass pan, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. If using a metal pan, preheat to 350 degrees F. Mix butter, oil and sugar until well blended and creamy. Add the eggs, vanilla and sour milk. Blend well. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon and salt. Add to the butter mixture and stir by hand to combine. Add grated zucchini and stir well. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and nuts on top and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Heaven

Here it is: my super-secret, all-time favorite chocolate frosting recipe. Special thanks to Joy the Baker for the secret ingredient idea.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1 1/2 C (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
scant 1 C cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
4 C powdered sugar
1 3/4 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp almond extract
1/4 C milk
3/4 C whipping cream
1/2 C Ovaltine powder (yes, Ovaltine. The original Ovaltine)

Cream together the butter, cocoa powder and salt. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl thoroughly (the cocoa powder may have ended up there and may still need to be incorporated). Add all the powdered sugar. Turn the mixer on low and while the powdered sugar gets incorporated pour in the milk, vanilla extract and almond extract. Increase mixer speed and thoroughly beat the frosting until smooth. In a small bowl, stir together the cream and Ovaltine. Pour cream mixture into frosting slowly while beating at medium speed until frosting is the consistency you want it. You may not need all of the cream mixture, so add it in slowly.

Nature's Bounty

I am blessed to live in a beautiful place. About 15 miles north is a typical urban area with restaurants, theaters, two colleges, sporting venues, shopping malls and anything else a girl could want. But here, where I call home... where I live and experience each day, it is a much more rural place. I love this area. It has been my solace as I have rebuilt a life for myself and my family. The simple beauty of the nature that surrounds me has helped to give me sure footing as I have carved out a life here -- despite it being quite altered from the life I thought I would have when I arrived. I live surrounded by mountains. Well, actually, I live on one of the mountains. Mountains give off a sense of steadiness and strength. They stay in place despite the weather or the season. Firm and immoveable. Not stubborn, but settled. I like what I have learned from them. You can see them from anywhere in the valley below. The valleys themselves have harvests every year. This year's harvest has been spectacular.

Being the rural place it is, there are farmlands and orchards down in the valley below me. I can look off my porch to see the cherry, apple and peach orchards. I can see the corn and wheat fields. Off in the distance is the farm where I went last week to pick raspberries and blackberries. Many of my neighbors have gardens that grow tomatoes, zucchini, peppers of all sorts, carrots, and onions. So far this year, I've had three different neighbors deliver some of their own garden bounty to share with me. Two of them knocked on the door and presented them as a gift; another did it stealthily and I found the delicious bag of freshly picked tomatoes on my front porch. To this day, I don't know who it was but the tomatoes were delicious.

The fresh-picked corn and watermelon I buy at the roadside booth in town have been enjoyed by my family over and over again.

And the berries from Phelp's Berry Farm! Oh my! Oh oh my. I spent two days making Blackberry sauce (for future dessert recipes - stay tuned for Blackberry Souffle next week) as well as Blackberry and Raspberry jams and Chocolate Raspberry Ganache. You know, I'm not sure which I enjoyed more -- having the berries in the house to cook and bake with, or spending the day picking them. Wearing my "Rice Paddy Hat" (as my children call it) to keep the sun off my shoulders, being outside in the light and the breeze, picking berries with people from all around the area I live in.

Friendly, folksy people who, like me, wait all year for the opportunity to come to the "pick your own" farm and get their cherries, blackberries and raspberries. Groups of neighbors go together. The young mothers bring their children... and I have to tell you... there is nothing like watching and listening to young children picking berries. Mom gives them their own patch to harvest and boy do they go to town. Jabbering, eating, and occasionally putting a berry or two in their basket. Getting so excited when they find a big ripe juicy one that they have to announce it in the loudest voice they've got. "Wow, Mommy, look at this one! Can you make a pie out of this one?"

Little girls in a berry patch. What a great time!

And next come the peaches.


Wait till you see what I'm going to do with all these peaches! I have a favorite orchard (Sabin's) where I go to buy my peaches each year. I drive by their signs each day waiting for them to hammer up the "Peaches Now" banner. I can hardly wait. They are my favorite fruit and this is my favorite season.

So, this year, I've had fresh tomatoes - made into BLT sandwiches and sliced on dinner plates, zucchini put into breads and cakes, yellow squash - sliced and sauteed for side dishes, corn - on the cob, in fresh corn salads and frozen for some corn chowders this winter, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries - making desserts, syrups, sauces, jams and fruit platters. No shipping in fruits and vegetables from other areas. All from the farms and orchards right here in my hometown. This place I love. This place where nature's bounty sits on our dinner table at every meal.