Peach Fritters

My dad is a great story-teller.   It’s something that I love about him and a bond that we share.  I love to hear the stories of his childhood in a small fishing village.  I love to hear stories about my ancestors and my heritage.  And I appreciate every one of them because they make the generations past seem real to me.

This year for my birthday he gave me the best gift.

He gave me an old cookbook that was my great-grandfathers.  My father is named after him and he died in 1927 in an accident.  He was a cook on a tug boat and my grandmother got this book when they went to retrieve his body and belongings.   It just made me feel so much more that cooking must be in my genes.   That I’m doing the right thing.

I decided to try the recipe for Fruit Fritters that was in there.  I love how some of the pages are marked with pencil and some have drops of  whatever on them.

I wonder, did he make the Fruit Fritters?

On my card my dad said that my great-grandfather would have been proud of the work I have done in the kitchen.

Gosh, that is just the best gift isn’t it?

For my fritters I used peaches.  It’s peach season around here and they are big and juicy and so sweet.  Apples would be good too.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 4-5 medium peaches, peeled and sliced into 1 inch slices
• powdered sugar for dusting

1.  Sift dry ingredients together.  Add milk and eggs and mix until smooth.

2.  Heat canola oil to 350° in a deep pan or fryer.  Batter peach slices and gently drop into oil.  Fry for 3-5 minutes.  Dust with powdered sugar.  Best eaten warm.

Chocolate Love

I have to tell you right off that I think I may have discovered the best chocolate frosting ever this week-end….

***squeal!!***

Like, if I could marry a frosting this would be the one.

If I could bathe in a frosting this would be the one.

Don`t judge me… this stuff is so darn chocolatey and rich and delicious.  Ruffled on top of a moist dark chocolate cake.   With a fresh and sweet strawberries on top?

You know you want it….

I thought I would give this recipe a whirl because my usual chocolate frosting just isn’t fudgey and chocolatey enough for me sometimes.  This is melted Belgian chocolate and cocoa whipped together with icing sugar and butter.

You had me at melted Belgian chocolate…..

I swirled some on top of my cupcakes and used some to make little tiny trifle cups.  These are just plastic wine cups that I layered with a cupcake, some icing and some diced berries.  Perfect to bring out to the patio after dinner.

Make it.  Then e-mail me right away and tell me that without a doubt this is the best chocolate and cupcake combo you have ever had.  Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

*adapted from What The Fruitcake?

Makes 24 cupcakes

3/4 cup strong hot coffee

3/4 cup dark cocoa

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups brown sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp mayonnaise, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350°.  Line cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners

1.  Whisk together coffee and cocoa in a small bowl and set aside.  Sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder in another small bowl and set aside.  Measure out buttermilk and mix with vanilla extract and set aside.

2.  In a large bowl cream together butter, sugar and salt.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating each egg in thoroughly and scraping the side of the bowl before adding the next egg.  Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined.  Add 1/2 of the buttermilk and mix until combined.  Repeat, ending with the last of the flour mixture.  Add the cocoa and coffee mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.  Fold in mayonnaise.

3.  Divide equally into prepared cupcake liners.  Bake for 16-18 mins or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Allow to cool thoroughly on wire racks before frosting.

Dark Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

•                                         1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon boiling water
•                                         2 1/4 cups (4 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
•                                         3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
•                                         1/4 teaspoon salt
•                                         1 1/2 pounds best-quality semi sweet chocolate, melted and cooled (I used Callebaut Bittersweet)

 1.   Combine cocoa and the boiling water, stirring until cocoa has dissolved.   Beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add melted and cooled chocolate, beating until combined and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture.

This icing can be stored in the fridge for about a week.  Bring to room temperature and beat until smooth again.

Spring Cupcakes and a Symbol of Hope

I always eagerly await the first signs of spring.  Bright and cheerful bursts of tulips and daffodils are a welcome sight after a cold, bland winter.   They invigorate us and announce to us that spring has sprung!

Thank you for arriving spring I am so ready for you!  I’m ready for open windows, bed sheets on the clothesline, sitting in the sun and drinks on the patio!

I thought these cupcakes would be the perfect fit for our Easter table.  Beautiful sunny yellows amid pops of white, blue and pink colours.

It’s doesn’t hurt when your pops of colour are candy coated and full of milk chocolate either.  Another wonderful sign of spring. Easter chocolate.

Remember here when I made lime cupcakes with Tequila frosting?  These are identical, just substitute the lime for lemon.  Omit the step of brushing on the Tequila.   Swirl on a generous amount of Lemon Swiss Meringue Buttercream (below).  These  are keeper lemon cupcakes.  Really moist with a good hit of lemon followed by, you guessed it, the creamiest lemony Swiss Meringue icing.

Did you know April is also Daffodil Month for the Canadian and American Cancer Society? Daffodils are a symbol of hope for those living with cancer.  Unfortunately everyone has a cancer story.  All of the monies raised from the Daffodil Campaign go to life saving cancer research.

I hope this spring leaves you feeling rejuvenated.  I hope spring has sprung where you live!  Happy Easter everyone.

Lemon Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 5 egg whites
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 3/4 cups of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup lemon curd or lemon pie filling (or more to taste)

1. Fill a saucepan (large enough to fit your mixing bowl just a few inches) with two inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low so water continues to simmer.

2. In your stand mixer bowl, hand whisk the egg whites and the sugar just until combined. Place over simmering pot and whisk for approx 4 mins until the egg whites are hot (about 150 degrees). The sugar should be dissolved by this time as well. Place bowl on stand mixer and attach the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until whites have increased in volume, are thick and glossy and the outside of the bowl is just slightly warm to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes!).

3. Remove whisk attachment and replace with paddle attachment. Beat on low-speed until mixture is completely cooled. Increase speed to medium and add butter pieces one at a time. Scrape the bowl and continue to beat until buttercream is glossy, smooth and thick. It may separate at first, but continue beating and it will emulsify. Add vanilla flavouring, a pinch of salt and lemon curd and beat until combined. Use immediately.

Decadent Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

I could not imagine my life without my little girl.  For many reasons.  She has grown into such a great young lady and she’s so bright and beautiful to boot (*ahem* you know..the whole apple falling from the tree thing?..)

She has been so great about being my right hand man when I need her to help me out at work.  She doesn’t complain about the early wake up call or the loads and loads of dishes that need to be done.  She’ll sit and colour oodles of fondant for me without batting a pretty little eyelash.

She’s pretty great.

And I don’t thank her enough.

Today I thought I would make her one of her most favourite treats.  It’s so simple but so incredibly addicting.  A sweet cream cheese ball with chocolate bits mixed in and rolled in Skor bits.  Slather it over a chocolate cracker or spread it on berries and you’ll be in love.  You cannot put this stuff down.   It is that good.  Imagine a spreadable cheesecake.

Ten whole minutes to put it together, seriously.  This is easily one of the fastest things you could throw together if company was coming.  Better yet, put it on your Easter buffet table.  Your guests will thank you!

Enjoy O and thank you.

*adapted from Kraft Canada

Note: you could easily half this recipe as it makes a rather large cheese ball.

•  2 pkg. (250 g each) Brick Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp.vanilla bean paste
• 1/4 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of Skor Bits

1. Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl.  Beat until well incorporated.   Mix in mini chips.  Place the cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap and manipulate into a ball.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  Just before serving roll into Skor bits.

Serve with chocolate crackers or fruit.

French Vanilla Cupcakes with Maraschino Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Pretty soon Valentine’s Day will be upon us.  I know that there are some who think it’s so over rated, but I can’t help but feel excited about what kind of card or flowers my sweet Valentine has picked out for me.

I am ‘that’ mom who puts heart-shaped things in the kids lunches, even though they are well into junior grades and almost into highschool.

So I wanted to have a few posts dedicated to some Valentines treats because I have so many cute things rolling around in my brain.  This is the first post, my French Vanilla Cupcakes with Maraschino Swiss Meringue Buttercream. 

 

I am always on a quest for a good vanilla cupcake.   You know which kind really tastes the best?  The cake mix kind.  They have such wonderful vanilla flavour and are so light and fluffy.  I have yet to find this in a scratch version.   Not that there is anything wrong with a box version!  To me, well, for some reason it just feels like cheating.

Do not despair…I am not one to give up….on cake.

I really love the way these turned out.  Wouldn’t you love to have one of these waiting for you on Valentine’s Day?

Perhaps waiting on your desk, or in your lunch?  Sitting outside your door?

Just a little surprise that says “you’re sweet!”

The toppers are just some cherries made out of fondant and coated with cake glitter.  I did happen to have real cherries in the fridge that I stole the stems off of.

I’m not going to include the Vanilla Cake recipe because it needs some work!  Use your favourite Vanilla Cupcake recipe and top with the Maraschino Swiss Meringue Buttercream (recipe below).

Maraschino Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 5 egg whites
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 cups of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup pureed maraschino cherries (I also included a few tsp of the syrup)

*just an update…if you find the cherry icing doesn’t have a strong enough cherry flavour, add a few drops of cherry oil which can be found at most baking supply stores.

1. Fill a saucepan (large enough to fit your mixing bowl just a few inches) with two inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low so water continues to simmer.

2. In your stand mixer bowl, hand whisk the egg whites and the sugar just until combined. Place over simmering pot and whisk for approx 4 mins until the egg whites are hot (about 150 degrees). The sugar should be dissolved by this time as well. Place bowl on stand mixer and attach the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until whites have increased in volume, are thick and glossy and the outside of the bowl is just slightly warm to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes!).

3. Remove whisk attachment and replace with paddle attachment. Beat on low-speed until mixture is completely cooled. Increase speed to medium and add butter pieces one at a time. Scrape the bowl and continue to beat until buttercream is glossy, smooth and thick. It may separate at first, but continue beating and it will emulsify. Add vanilla flavouring, a pinch of salt and cherry puree (to taste) and beat until combined.   Use immediately.

Small Batch Chocolate Vanilla Bean Latte Cupcakes

Remember a while ago when I said I would post a recipe for small batch cupcakes?

Please forgive me but I forgot….

And, I forgot that I forgot until this week-end when I decided to make them again for this post…

See, I am constantly searching on Pinterest looking for cake stands and baking inspiration.  Man there are some creative people out there!  There are ruffle shirts and scarves, ruffle cakes, ruffle dresses and gowns, you name it!

I decided that if you can make a ruffle flower out of a t-shirt in less than 10 minutes, surely I could follow the same instructions and make one out of fondant!

I think it turned out pretty cute and overall was really easy.  Like no brainer kind of easy.  So I needed a small batch of cupcakes just to show you how it turned out.  The instructions I followed are here from A Bit of Sunshine.  What a cute site!

I used it to garnish a Chocolate Cupcake with some Vanilla Bean Latte Swiss Meringue Buttercream.   I have yet to find a Swiss Meringue Buttercream that I don’t like.  It’s smooth and creamy and full of flavour.  It’s that simple.  The cupcakes are surprisingly moist for such a small batch and had gorgeous rounded tops!  Perfect, when you just need a nibble of something sweet.

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes

*from Small Batch Baking, from Debby Maugans Nakos

yield 4 standard size cupcakes

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp buttermilk, room temp
• 1 large egg, room temp
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line four muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Combine the buttermilk, egg and vanilla in a small bowl, and whisk to mix. Gradually pour the melted butter into the buttermilk mixture, whisking constantly.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium-size mixing bowl, and then whisk to blend well. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Add the buttermilk mixture and whisk just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared liners and until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, 16 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
6. Frost with Vanilla Bean Latte Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

Vanilla Bean Latte Swiss Meringue Buttercream

*note: this will make approx 2 1/2 cups of frosting.  You will have extra!

• 1 cup unsalted butter cubed, at room temperature
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 vanilla bean split with seeds scraped out
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp of instant espresso powder dissolved in 2 tsp water

1.  Fill a saucepan (large enough to fit your mixing bowl just a few inches) with two inches of water.  Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low so water continues to simmer.

2.  In your stand mixer bowl, hand whisk the egg whites and the sugar just until combined.  Place over simmering pot and whisk for approx 4 mins until the egg whites are hot (about 150 degrees).  The sugar should be dissolved by this time as well.  Place bowl on stand mixer and attach the whisk attachment.  Whisk on medium until whites have increased in volume and the outside of the bowl is just slightly warm to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes!).

3.  Remove whisk attachment and replace with paddle attachment.  Beat on low-speed until mixture is completely cooled.  Increase speed to medium and add butter pieces one at a time.  Scrape the bowl and continue to beat until buttercream is glossy, smooth and thick.  It may separate at first, but continue beating and it will emulsify.  Add vanilla flavouring, vanilla seeds, a pinch of salt and espresso and beat until combined.  Use immediately.

Ina’s Classic Coconut Cake

To say that I”m a chocolate cake fanatic is an extreme understatement.  For some reason, I’m just drawn to rich dark desserts that ooze with chocolate and the like.  Vanilla just isn’t my thing.   I’m not sure why, I love the smell and I do like the taste (really, of any dessert), but if I had my druthers I would bake something chocolatey.

Not so today, I just got it in my head that I needed a bright and cheery dessert for a New Years Day dinner at my sister in-laws.   And I had coconut on the brain.  Now, I’m not a huge coconut fan, unless they are in these snacking favourites, but I just needed to make something…well…different.  So the search began for a fantastic Coconut Cake, something coconutty but not too sweet.  A look through some of my favourite cookbooks and I quickly settled on Ina Garten’s Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

I made just a small 6 inch version as a test batch and then an 8 inch contour version for the dinner.  I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.  I must say that it’s pretty darn good and will be on my ‘make again’ list.  This is a fairly dense cake and the icing compliments it so well.  I do love a good cream cheese icing every now and then.

I needed to glam it up a bit with the pineapple flower.  These are so easy to make and look stunning on desserts.

It doesn’t take long before the cake is gone… and oddly enough, there are only two of us in the house at the moment, the baker and the photographer.  You know what that means…we had cake for lunch!

Thank you for all of your support in 2011.  I can’t say how much your comments and feedback mean to me.  I have so enjoyed this year of blogging and meeting new blogging and baker friends alike.  I get my inspiration from so many of you!  We sure have whipped up some sweet things on this journey.  Lets see what 2012 has to bring!

Renee

Coconut Cake

*recipe adapted from Ina Garten’s Coconut Cake Recipe

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans, then line them parchment paper.

1.   In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.   Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

2.  With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.

3.  Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for appox 4o minutes,  until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.

4.  For the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract on low speed. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until just smooth (don’t whip!).

5.  To assemble, place 1 layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, and spread with frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Serve at room temperature.

Garnish with a pineapple flower.

Spiced Apple Cupcakes with Cinnamon Nutmeg Frosting and A Lesson

The Holiday Season is fast approaching and SweetRevelations has been busy busy!  I’m really excited to share that we will be featured in a new Magazine called Elegant Impressions.  It’s based out of New York, the launch date is January 2012 and word has it our Chocolate Roses are on the front cover!!   What an amazing way for us to start the new year.  Blogging has opened so many doors for us in 2011 and I can only wait with anticipation for what 2012 has to offer!

All that aside, I learned a valuable lesson this morning!  I always bake my goodies really early in the morning and I do all of my prep the night before.  I always (as I’m sure many bakers do) leave out extra butter and extra eggs, just in case.   Phew!  Good thing because this morning I woke up super early to pop some gingerbread cupcakes in the oven.  A huge surprise when I opened the oven door and my cakes had fallen really badly.  Like not presentable badly.  It was a new recipe and I didn’t have time to make it again.  So, thank goodness for the extra eggs and butter at room temperature, I did a quick mix of some Apple Spiced Cupcakes and I was good to go.  This is a new recipe that I tried from My Cake School and they are really yummy eaten without icing too!

Topped off with some Cinnamon Nutmeg Swiss Meringue Buttercream, royal icing decorations and some fondant (recipe here)  snowman these are pretty darn cute.   The royal icing tree’s are made out of many different snowflakes I made a few nights before.  So simple to make, but so delicate, make double what you need as they will break!

I do BELIEVE in the magic of the season…don’t you?

What a great display for the dessert table during the holidays.  Many thanks to The Celebration Shoppe for being so speedy in sending me the BELIEVE Cupcake Printables.  I love them.

Spiced Apple Cupcakes

*My Cake School Recipe

• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2c. canola oil
• 2 c. sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla
• 1 c. applesauce
• 3 c.  bleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 c. grated apple
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line muffin tins.

1.   In a small bowl, sift the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.  Set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter until light and fluffy.  Add oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and applesauce.  Then, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.  Mix in the apples, nuts and lemon.

2.  Fill liners 2/3 full and bake for 22 minutes or until cake tester inserted comes out clean.  Immediately cool on wire racks.

5.  Pipe with Cinnamon Nutmeg Swiss Meringue Buttercream and garnish with a snowflake!

Cinnamon Nutmeg Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 5 egg whites
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 cups of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• pinch of salt
• cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

1.  Fill a saucepan (large enough to fit your mixing bowl just a few inches) with two inches of water.  Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low so water continues to simmer.

2.  In your stand mixer bowl, hand whisk the egg whites and the sugar just until combined.  Place over simmering pot and whisk for approx 4 mins until the egg whites are hot (about 150 degrees).  The sugar should be dissolved by this time as well.  Place bowl on stand mixer and attach the whisk attachment.  Whisk on medium speed until whites have increased in volume, are thick and glossy and the outside of the bowl is just slightly warm to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes!).

3.  Remove whisk attachment and replace with paddle attachment.  Beat on low-speed until mixture is completely cooled.  Increase speed to medium and add butter pieces one at a time.  Scrape the bowl and continue to beat until buttercream is glossy, smooth and thick.  It may separate at first, but continue beating and it will emulsify.  Add vanilla flavouring, a pinch of salt and cinnamon and nutmeg (to taste) and beat until combined.  Use immediately.

Royal Icing for Snowflakes

*there are many templates for snowflakes on-line

• 4 cups sifted icing sugar
• 7 tbsp warm water
• 4 tbsp meringue powder

1.  Beat all ingredients until stiff peaks form.  Icing should be thick but still easy to pipe.  I used a Wilton #3  round tip and piped them on to parchment paper.  They need at least 24 hours to dry.  Dust with pearl dust if desired.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cherry on Top

Notice I didn’t say with a cherry on top?

Nope not a cherry on top but a delicious Sweet and Tart Cherry Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  On top of a rich Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  Then, a Lindt Chocolate Truffle, you guessed it, on top.  Are you still with me?

I gave these cupcakes to my neighbours.  They deserve a cherry on top kind of dessert.  Yesterday was their birthday.  That’s right, their birthday.  Both of them.  And they have been married more than 25 years.  To each other.  And they are just good, kind, fun people.  So they deserve a little somethin’ with a cherry on top!

They were out last night celebrating, so I left them a little treat at their door this morning.

Since cherries are pretty impossible to find, I just made a simple cherry jam out of frozen cherries.  Then I added it to my usual Swiss Meringue loveliness along with some cherry oil for extra flavour.

Just make these rich chocolate cupcakes without the added espresso powder.  Then layer with the Cherry Swiss Meringue Buttercream and the Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream (recipe below).

Before I go, I am also sending a virtual cupcake over to Rosie at Sweetapolita for offering an AMAZING Chocolately Giveaway last week ( Holiday Truffles & Bonbons class at the highly respected Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts in Toronto + 1 kg box of Cacao Barry Origins Dark Chocolate Couverture Mexique 66% + 1 kg box of St. Domingue 70% + a copy of Barry Callebaut’s Simply Chocolate Magazine, featuring recipes from Canada’s top pastry chefs & chocolatiers.)!  I was so tickled to hear that I won!  My daughter said I was jumping and hollering so much she thought I won the lottery.  Well for me, attending a class at the Bonnie Gordon School of Confectionary Arts is just like winning the lottery!  Thanks Rosie!

Cherry Jam

• 1 cup frozen sweet and tart cherries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

1.   Combine ingredients in a small saucepan on medium heat, stirring frequently until mixture is thickened.  Use a fork to mash cherries while stirring.  Allow cherry mixture to cool completely before adding to your icing.

Chocolate

• 1 1/2 cups of quality Belgian semi sweet chocolate chopped

1.  Melt chocolate over a double boiler.  Mix until smooth and no lumps remain.  Allow to cool before adding to icing.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

* I made one batch for chocolate and one batch for cherry

• 5 egg whites
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 cups of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• pinch of salt
• chocolate or cherry jam to taste to taste

1.  Fill a saucepan (large enough to fit your mixing bowl just a few inches) with two inches of water.  Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low so water continues to simmer.

2.  In your stand mixer bowl, hand whisk the egg whites and the sugar just until combined.  Place over simmering pot and whisk for approx 4 mins until the egg whites are hot (about 150 degrees).  The sugar should be dissolved by this time as well.  Place bowl on stand mixer and attach the whisk attachment.  Whisk on medium speed until whites have increased in volume, are thick and glossy and the outside of the bowl is just slightly warm to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes!).

3.  Remove whisk attachment and replace with paddle attachment.  Beat on low-speed until mixture is completely cooled.  Increase speed to medium and add butter pieces one at a time.  Scrape the bowl and continue to beat until buttercream is glossy, smooth and thick.  It may separate at first, but continue beating and it will emulsify.  Add vanilla flavouring, a pinch of salt and chocolate/cherry jam (include a few drops of cherry oil if you have some) (to taste) and beat until combined.  Use immediately.

Deep-Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes and a Special Birthday

See this little angel?

This is my oldest child when she was a year and a half.  Look at those big blue eyes staring so innocently at me.  Time goes by too fast when you’re a parent.  I remember cuddling at bedtime with this little girl and reading her favourite stories over and over and over…..  She turns 13 today and I wanted the day to be special for her.  You only officially become a teenager once!

At lunch I took her out to have her hair done and for a bite to eat.  Just me and her.  It was awesome to spend time with her like that.  When we came home all of her friends and family were waiting to surprise her.

We always write the kids a poem for their birthday.  They moan and groan when it comes out, but you can tell that they love reading the things we have written about them.  We poke fun at some of their idiosyncrasies and tell them how proud we are of some of their accomplishments.  She’s a good girl with a big heart and I’m proud of the lady she is becoming.

She wanted Criminal Minds cupcakes for her birthday because she loves that show.  I had these cute paper toppers made by Angie over at Etsy.  So cute once glued on to popsicle sticks!  Then I made some other toppers out of Marshmallow Fondant.   The cakes are Deep-Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes.  I iced them with Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream and I used Chocolate Ganache as a ripple in the icing.   I also made a few with Dulce de Leche rippled through the icing.

I could quite simply just eat a bowl of icing and not think twice about it.  Amazing.

Sorry about the bad photos, but the light was terrible in that room!

It is very difficult to make crime scene cupcakes look pretty!  Thank goodness the taste makes up for it!

Deep-Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes

*from Food and Drink

• 4 ounces (120 g) unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
• 2/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate or chips
• 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350°

1. Line 18 standard muffin cups with papers . Over low heat, melt chocolate and butter together in a large saucepan, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar, then eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla.
2. Mix flour with baking powder and salt. Stir into chocolate mixture along with chocolate and nuts.  Divide among cups. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or just until cupcake centre is raised and feels slightly firm when touched. Do not over-bake. Cool
   completely on rack.

Chocolate Ganache

*this makes enough to frost all of the cupcakes.  I only made 1/2 of this recipe to use as a ripple in the icing.

• 1 cup chopped-into-bits semi-sweet chocolate or chips, about 175 g (6 ounces)
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Melt chocolate and whipping cream over very low heat in a small saucepan.  When almost smooth, remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool to room temperature and dip or frost cupcakes.  Icing will set in an hour at room temperature.

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

5 large egg whites

1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar

3 sticks unsalted butter, very soft

1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1.  Fill a saucepan (large enough to fit your mixing bowl just a few inches) with a few inches of water.  Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low so water continues to simmer.

2.  In your stand mixer bowl, hand whisk the egg whites, sugar and salt just until combined.  Place over simmering pot and whisk for approx 4 mins until the egg whites are hot (about 140 degrees).  The sugar should be dissolved by this time as well.  Place bowl on stand mixer and attach the whisk attachment.  Whisk on medium until whites have increased in volume and the outside of the bowl is just slightly warm to the touch.

3.  Remove whisk attachment and replace with paddle attachment.  Beat on low speed until mixture is completely cooled.  Increase speed to medium and add butter pieces one at a time.  Scrape the bowl and continue to beat until buttercream is glossy, smooth and thick.  It may separate at first, but continue beating and it will emulsify.  Add vanilla flavouring and beat until combined.  Use immediately.