White Chocolate Key Lime Cupcakes

Citrus fruits are in season. And limes are good with everything. Key Limes pair especially well with white chocolate. White chocolate cupcakes and key lime frosting that is. The cupcake is the perfect complement to the mildly tart flavorful frosting.

Ingredients: Cupcake (from the fig tree blog)

1 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/3 cup of unsalted butter (5 + 1/3 tablespoons)

3/4 cup of granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

4 ounces of good quality white chocolate, chopped and melted (I used Ghirardelli)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 cup + 1 tablespoon of skim or 2% milk (I used whole milk instead)

Frosting (adapted from Madison House Chef)

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

2 and 1/3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup key lime juice (about 4 key limes)

1/2 teaspoon key lime zest (1-2 key limes)

Recipe: Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 325F. Line cupcake tins with wrappers.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl cream together the butter and sugar until lighter in color and fluffy (2-3 minutes).

Add eggs mixing after each addition. Melt chocolate on a double boiler and add that and the vanilla in. Combine.

Mix in dry ingredients alternating with the milk.

Divide the batter into the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean (or with dry crumbs)

Frosting

Cream butter until light and fluffy (3 minutes)

Add sugar in gradually. Then mix in lime juice and zest until combined.

Pipe or spread on cooled cupcakes.

Enjoy!

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Perfectly Chocolate Cake

I promised you a cake yesterday so here it is! The cake itself is very dense and moist so the light, fluffy vanilla buttercream compliments it perfectly.

Ingredients: Cake (From Hershey)

2 cups sugar

1 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk (I used whole)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

2 cups unsalted butter, softened

6 cups powdered sugar

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Ganache

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

Recipe: Cake

Heat oven to 350F. Grease two 9×9 cake pans and cut parchment paper circles for the bottom.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Add milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla, beat until combined well. (About two minutes) Stir in boiling water, the batter will be pretty thin- don’t worry about it.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for ten minutes, transfer to wire racks and then prepare frosting.

Frosting

Mix softened butter and sugar in a bowl for three minutes, or until the butter is light and fluffy. Beat in whipping cream and vanilla until fluffy.

Frost inside and sides of cake.

Ganache

Place chopped chocolate in a bowl. Place cream (in a medium saucepan) over medium heat until it boils. Then pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth.

Let cool for a few minutes and pour over frosted cake.

Enjoy!

Hey, guys

Sorry I haven’t posted a recipe in a while. (Well it hasn’t been that long) I just wanted to say hi to you guys and tell you that there will DEFINITELY be a great recipe tomorrow. Tell me what dessert you would like me to see here!

Lemon Meringue Whoopie Pies

I love lemon meringue pie and I love whoopie pies, so it wasn’t going to take me long before I put two and two together and BOOM lemon meringue whoopie pies. I love meringue, really. It’s just so….fluffy and paired with soft lemon whoopie pie and bright lemon curd. Delicious.

Ingredients: Whoopie Pies from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

Lemon Curd from CHOW: Christine Gallary

4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup lemon zest (5-6 lemons)

1/3 cup lemon juice (3-4 lemons)

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

Meringue

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

4 egg whites

Recipe: Lemon Curd (Make this 3 hours ahead)

Fill a medium saucepan with 1-2 inches of water. Bring it to a simmer over high heat, then reduce it to low and continue letting it simmer.

Place all the ingredients BUT butter in a large heatproof bowl and whisk continuously for 10-15 minutes until the mixture thickens and it forms ribbons when you lift your whisk from the bowl. Make sure the water does not bowl if it does reduce the heat. Remove the bowl from the simmering water and whisk in each piece of butter separately, mix each one in when the previous one is melted.

Set a mesh strainer over a large bowl. Strain the lemon curd through, pressing on it with the back of a spoon. Scrape off the bottom of the strainer. Cover the lemon curd with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap should be touching the curd as to prevent a skin. Refrigerate for 3 hours. Can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Whoopie Pies

Preheat oven to 350F. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl cream together the sugar, butter, and lemon zest for about 3 minutes or until smooth. Add in egg, lemon juice, and vanilla mixing on low until just blended.

Still on slow, mix in half the flour. Add the buttermilk and then add the rest of the flour mixture.

Parchment paper the pans. Drop heaping tablespoons of batter on them, three inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with no crumbs. Cool on pans for 10 minutes and then for another 10 minutes on a wire rake.

Meringue

In a glass or metal bowl whip egg whites until foamy. Slowly mix in sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

Smooth lemon curd over one cookie. Add a dollop of meringue and place another cookie on top.

 

 

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies are the one cookie that everyone loves. So in celebration of the slightly chewy, warm, soft, cookie I will give you my favorite recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs and 1 egg yolk

2 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 teaspoons cornstarch

2 cups (one bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Recipe:

Cream melted butter, vanilla, and sugars. When the mixture is well combined and eggs/egg yolk, beating well after each addition. In separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cornstarch. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet mix. Beat well, then add the rest of the flour mix. Pour in the chocolate chips and mix until combined.

Refrigerate for two hours in bowl covered by aluminum foil. Preheat oven to 350F. Roll dough into tablespoon size balls. Bake cookies for about 10-15 minutes. They may not look done but if their bottom is a light golden color they are.

Enjoy!

German Chocolate Cake Bars

I love German Chocolate Cake, but I’ve only had it once and I wanted to make it in bar form. They are awesome! I have to say I’m very impressed with myself 🙂 Though, I should clarify that it’s technically a rectangle cake with unfrosted sides, but whatever- if you cut it it bars their bars.

The cake part comes from

Ingredients: Cake

2 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (I used semi-sweet)

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

6 tablespoons water

1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 and 1/2 cup sugar (divided)

4 eggs, yolks and whites seperated

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling

1 cup butter, softened

1 and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

8 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Frosting (from Country Living)

1 cup sugar

1 can (12 ounce) evaporated milk

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 and 1/3 cups (7 ounce package) shredded coconut

1 and 1/2 chopped pecans

Recipe: Cake

Preheat oven to 350F. Chop chocolates and melt them with the water in a bowl for 30 seconds, mixing until smooth. Let cool to room temperature. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Beat together the butter and 1 and 1/4 cups sugar for for five minutes. Mix in the chocolate. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, beat well after each addition. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in half of the flour mixture. Add buttermilk and vanilla mixing until combined. Now add rest of the flour mixture.

In a seperate bowl whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Now add 1/4 cup sugar and whip until glossy peaks form. Slowly fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter. Fold the rest of the egg whites in until you can’t see any.

Divide the batter into two 11×7 inch pans greased and cover in parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes.

Filling

Mix softened butter and vanilla until throughly combined. Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and the heavy whipping cream. Beat until creamy. <—– very easy Flip a cooled cake and smooth the frosting on one of them. Use about half the frosting.

Frosting

Melt butter, sugar, milk, vanilla, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until thickened. About 5-10 minutes. Add coconut and pecans. Pour in with the rest of the frosting, mix and cool to room temperature.

Stack the unfrosted cake on top of the frosted one. Frost with the coconut-pecan frosting.

Cut into bars and enjoy!

Blueberry Crisp and Whipped Cream

I love blueberry crisp. It’s a perfect combination , the tart berries with the oaty perfection. I also made homemade whipped cream to go with it. Homemade whipped cream is much better then store bought.  My Dad loves blueberries so I decided to make this for him.

Ingredients: Blueberry Crisp

4 cups fresh blueberries

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon corn starch

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 stick softened butter

pinch of salt

Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Recipe: Blueberry Crisp

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine the blueberries, granulated sugar, corn starch, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Pour into a buttered 8×8 baking dish.

In a bowl (you can use the same bowl) combine the cinnamon, flour, brown sugar, oats, butter and salt. Stir with a fork or pastry cutter until the mix is crumbly and blended evenly. Pour the mixture onto the berries and bake for about 40 minutes. Let cool until it won’t burn off your mouth. While it’s cooling make the whipped cream.

Whipped Cream

Chill a bowl and the whisk attachments in the freezer for 10 minutes because cream whips better when equipment is cold. Add all of the ingredients and whisk until medium peaks form, about one minute. Serve immediately

 

 

Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes

So I got a mini bundt pan, I’ve been wanting to get one forever. I couldn’t decide what to make with it so I just went with the recipe which came with it “Lemon Anniversary Cakelets”  the recipe came from NordicWare (my pan if that’s not clear). It is a light, fluffy, lemon cake with a sweet beautiful lemon glaze. And I love the word cakelets so…

Ingredients: Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened  (one stick)

1 and 1/4 cups granulated white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used Wegmans whole milk yogurt)

1/2 cup buttermilk (I used low fat as I couldn’t find any other kind)

2 cups cake flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Glaze

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 and 1/2 cups sugar (I used granulated)

2 tablespoons corn syrup (I used light)

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350F In a medium-large bowl, blend butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. When those are combined add the flour, baking soda, salt, yogurt, and buttermilk. Blend on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then mix on medium speed until well blended.

Grease and flour the pan. (This was very hard for me- grease and flour well) Divide the batter evenly among cavities, filling 3/4 of the cups. You will probably have extra. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for ten minutes in pan and then invert onto wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. While you’re waiting for the cakes to cool prepare the glaze: In a (small) saucepan, combine all glaze ingredients. Stir constantly over low heat until sugar dissolves. It should take about 5-10 minutes. Let cool for 2-3 minutes and spoon over cakelets.