Halloween cupcakes

I needed to bring some kind of treat for Gina's Halloween carnival at school and originally I was going to bake some kind of cookie. Then I saw these cupcakes on a local blog and changed my mind. They are called Tombstone Cupcakes. In the original posting, the cupcakes are black bottom cupcakes while I opted for the Betty Crocker mix this time. I did make my own chocolate frosting. The original posting also used homemade shortbread cookies. I knew I wouldn't have time for that so I bought Oatmeal cranberry Dunker cookies from Trader Joes. They have white chocolate drizzled on them which created a nice effect. I couldn't find chocolate wafer cookies at the store so I used chocolate bunny graham crackers and crushed them finely for the dirt. I also made a few little marshmallow ghosts.


Chocolate Frosting (from alpineberry blog) - I doubled this
(makes about 1.5 cups frosting which is enough to frost 12 cupcakes)

2 ounces (4 tbsp / half stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (either natural or Dutch-processed is fine)
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2-3 tbsp milk or water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat butter and cocoa powder until mixture is soft and well combined. Add the confectioners' sugar, 2 tbsp milk and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. Add the last tablespoon of milk if frosting is too stiff.

Chocolate Eclairs from the Daring Bakers

This months Daring Bakers challenge was to make Chocolate Eclairs. It was hosted by Meetak from What's for Lunch Honey and Tony Tahhan. This sounded like a great challenge. I love eclairs for one and the last time I made Pate a choux was when I was about 13 years old. That time I made a ring of dough that puffed up very nicely and then filled it with chocolate mousse. The center of the ring was filled with cut up strawberries. It was delicious!

I had great plans of making the eclairs with a non-chocolate filling and adding in some fresh fruit like bananas, but then the weekend got away from me and I only had time to make the recipe as given.

The dough came together fine. When I got to the point of piping the dough onto baking sheets , I realized the tip that I had was a little on the small side. So I used it and made very petite eclairs. This worked out well since I was planning on taking them to a party that evening. I used a star tip instead of a plain tip and I liked the wavy effect on the finished shells.


I had grand plans of making splitting the pastry cream in half and making one part rum flavored and the other half chocolate, but in the end, I decided the added chocolate gave it a better texture for filling. I still added 2 Tbsp of rum which made it delicious! I had never made pastry cream before, but it turned out very well. Since the recipe uses cornstarch, the filling went from runny to very thick in an instant and I was lucky I didn't over cook it since I was trying to melt the chocolate at the same time (a little step that I had initially overlooked).

For the glaze, I didn't want to deal with the multi-step process that was part of the original recipe since I was running out of time . The original recipe called for making a chocolate sauce that was then incorporated into a glaze with more chocolate. Instead, I made a simple glaze of bittersweet chocolate and cream, heated together to melt the chocolate. It turned out fine and my daughter had fun helping me glaze all the tops while I filled the bottoms with pastry cream. The finished product was wonderful, and was a hit at the party.

Quick Strawberry Ice Cream

I don't remember how I came up with this recipe. I call it ice cream, though it is more like soft serve frozen yogurt and sometimes more like a smoothie. It is a great way to use up strawberries if you end up with a flat and don't use them all right away. I originally made this with just strawberries but it seemed like it needed a little more sweetness, so I started adding pineapple as well. You can also add a small amount of sugar or honey if you don't want to use pineapple. The first few times I made it it was just frozen strawberries and heavy cream, but I like the addition of yogurt. The kids really like this for dessert.

The measurements are all approximations:
1/2 cup diced pineapple (fresh or canned)
2 cups sliced frozen strawberries
1/2 cup low fat Greek yogurt
1/4 - 1/2 cup half and half

In a food processor, mix pineapple and frozen strawberries until combined. Add Greek yoghurt and process for 30 sec or so. Then with the food processor running, slowly pour in half and half until the mixture looks smooth but still very thick. If you add too much half and half, it ends up more like a smoothie, but still good. Serve right away as it melts quickly.

Butterscotch Pudding

I got to test out a recipe from Cooks Illustrated for Butterscotch Pudding. I hadn't made this kind of pudding before, but it seemed interesting. Butter and sugar are cooked into a caramel, then cream and milk are added. I was a little intimidated by the caramel, but I followed the directions for stirring and cooking to 295F, and it turned out fine. The hot caramel and milk is then added to cornstarch and eggs and cooked until very thick. The pudding is then flavored with vanilla and rum.

After several hours in the refrigerator, we had pudding! It was thick and rich and creamy. It tasted wonderful, with just a hint of the rum. Since this is a test recipe that hasn't been published, I can't print the recipe here, but if you see it in a future Cooks magazine, give it a try.

Strawberrry Spring Thaw

For Easter Brunch I made a frozen strawberry dessert called Strawberry Spring Thaw. My grandmother had cut it out of some newspaper ages ago (probably around 20) and I inherited her recipe box and binder when she died. She used to make this for Easter too. It is really easy and it tastes like spring.

A few notes: I used a bowl instead of mixing it in the jelly roll pan. Also, I was out of white flour and used King Arthur's white whole wheat flour with fine results. Walnuts, pecans, and almonds all work well.

Strawberry Spring Thaw

1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Stir melted butter and sugar together in a jelly roll pan. With a fork, mix in flour and nuts. . Distribute the mixture over the bottom of the pan and bake it at 400 F for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally (watch carefully or the nuts will start to burn). Set the crumb mixture aside to cool.

2 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup heavy cream

In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks while gradually adding sugar. Add sliced strawberries, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat at high speed until stiff peaks are formed. (The beaters will crush the sliced strawberries.

Whip heavy cream and fold into the strawberry and egg white mixture. Spread 1/2 of crumbs on the bottom of 9 inch springform pan. Top with strawberry mixture, and then sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Freeze. To serve, remove ring from pan and transfer to serving platter. Cut into wedges.

Serves 12.

Lemon Soup Meringue Pie

This month's Daring Bakers Challenge was to make Lemon Meringue Pie. I was excited to try this recipe since it was my favorite dessert when I was growing up. I think I have made one or two in the past but it has been a LONG time.

It is definitely lemon season around here. I have a basket full of lemons from our lemon tree and several bags of Meyer lemons that friends have given me. I love using Meyer lemons; they are a little sweeter and very juicy.

The challenge was set by Jen at The Canadian Baker. You can find the recipe on her site. The recipe seemed pretty straightforward though a number of bakers reported having problems with the filling. I had waited to the last day to make the pie but it seemed like I would have plenty of time. The dough for the pie crust came together fine and it was easy to roll out. The kids had fun helping me roll out the dough and then they played with the extra dough. I didn't have pie weights so I raided the kid's piggy bank and used about $5 in change in the foiled lined crust. After baking the crust had shrunk a bit and didn't look as pretty but it was a nice golden brown.

Since I had to let it cool for the filling, I went to the grocery store though that took a whole lot longer than I expected. Once I got home, it was close to dinner time so I assembled the rest of the pie while heating up soup and boiling noodles. The filling involves cooking cornstarch and sugar in water until thick, adding it to egg yolks and cooking a bit more and then adding butter and lemon juice plus zest. The cornstarch and sugar got very thick, after adding the egg yolks and cooking a bit more, it was still very thick. But after adding the butter and lemon juice, it was more like soup. I thought it might thicken up more as it cooled but after adding the meringue on top, baking it for 20 more minutes, and then letting it cool, it was definitely not set.

Even though it wasn't pretty, the pie still tasted good. It was more like buttery crust and meringue with lemon sauce on top but it was still good. The lemon filling was tart but went well with the sweet meringue. I definitely want to try this again and get it right.

Yule Log

As part of the Daring Bakers, I made a Buche de Noel (or yule log) last weekend. It was the first challenge that I've done and I was really excited to try this one. I made a Buche de Noel many years ago and it was a lot of fun. This one was also fun to make as I got to try my hand at making meringue mushrooms to decorate it which I hadn't done before. The cake is a basic genoise and I added cocoa to make it chocolate flavored. We had the option of filling it with buttercream or another filling and I chose to make a White Chocolate Mouse from Martha Stewart's Holiday Baking Magazine from December 2002. The outside was then covered with the Coffee Buttercream.

I had intended to take pictures of the whole process but my camera wasn't cooperating. Instead I only took a picture of the finished product before it was transported to a holiday party. Overall I thought it turned out really well and it looked great with the meringue mushrooms.

Chocolate Genoise:

3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
¾ cup of sugar
1/3 cup cake flour - spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off (also known as cake & pastry flour)
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup cocoa

one 10 x 15 inch jelly-roll pan that has been buttered and lined with parchment paper and then buttered again

1.Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

2.Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat so the water is simmering.

3.Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, salt and sugar together in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Place over the pan of simmering water and whisk gently until the mixture is just lukewarm, about 100 degrees if you have a thermometer (or test with your finger - it should be warm to the touch).

4.Attach the bowl to the mixer and, with the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until the egg mixture is cooled (touch the outside of the bowl to tell) and tripled in volume. The egg foam will be thick and will form a slowly dissolving ribbon falling back onto the bowl of whipped eggs when the whisk is lifted.

5.While the eggs are whipping, stir together the flour and cornstarch.

6.Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the beaten eggs. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, making sure to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl on every pass through the batter to prevent the flour mixture from accumulating there and making lumps. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture and finally with the remainder.

7.Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

8.Bake the genoise for about 10 to 12 minutes. Make sure the cake doesn’t overbake and become too dry or it will not roll properly.

9.While the cake is baking, begin making the buttercream.

10.Once the cake is done (a tester will come out clean and if you press the cake lightly it will spring back), remove it from the oven and let it cool on a rack.

NOTES:

I decided to make a chocolate genoise cake so I changed the proportions as suggested. The chocolate flavor wasn’t very intense though. I used Hershey’s cocoa and I think next time I would use a different brand. I also think my oven runs a little hot, I think the cake was done at 8 minutes but I left it in until 10 minutes and it was pretty brown on top and crispy at the edges. I trimmed all around before rolling up the cake and I also brushed the cake with rum mixed with simple syrup to give more rum flavor to the cake and help it stay moist.

White Chocolate Mousse (from Martha Stewart's Holiday Baking magazine, Dec. 2002)

1 ½ tsp powdered gelatin
¼ cup cold water
12 oz chopped white chocolate
2 cups heavy cream

Dissolve gelatin in cold water, set aside for 5 minutes. Place chocolate in a bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Place ¾ cup cream in a small saucepan, and bring just to a boil over medium-high heat. Add gelatin and stir 30 seconds to dissolve. Pour into food processor with the motor running and process until smooth.

Transfer mixture to a medium bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Chill until thick enough to hold ribbons, about 20 minutes.

Whip remaining 1 ¼ cup cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture.

Use immediately.

NOTE: I ended up chilling it for 30 minutes instead of 20 and it was very thick and gelatinous. I ended up stirring in 1/3 of the whipped cream to loosen it up and then folded in the rest of the whipped cream.

Coffee Buttercream:

4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
24 tablespoons (3 sticks or 1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons rum or brandy

1.Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water and whisk gently until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

2.Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle and beat in the softened butter and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth. Dissolve the instant coffee in the liquor and beat into the buttercream.

NOTES:

I didn’t want to make a full recipe of buttercream since I was using a different filling, so I decided to cut it by a ¼ or a 1/3. I should have written out the reduced recipe because I started out cutting it by ¼ (I used 3 egg whites instead of 4) but then I somehow switched to reducing by 1/3 so I added 2/3 sugar, 2 sticks of butter. Then at the end I used 1 ½ Tbsp each espresso powder and rum. It still turned out fine. I have a recipe for buttercream in The Bakers Dozen Cookbook that says to whip the egg whites for 6 minutes before adding the butter. When I first made that recipe last summer, I didn’t wait the full 6 minutes. The bowl didn’t feel that warm, but it was warm enough to turn the buttercream into soup. After tossing that batch, I waited the full 6 minutes before adding the butter and it turned out perfectly. I did the same with the coffee buttercream, 6 full minutes of whipping and then added butter.

My husband thought the coffee flavor wasn't as intense as he would like, so maybe next time I would add more of the espresso powder.

Filling and frosting the log:

1.Run a sharp knife around the edges of the genoise to loosen it from the pan.

2.Turn the genoise layer over (unmolding it from the sheet pan onto a flat surface) and peel away the paper.

3.Carefully invert your genoise onto a fresh piece of parchment paper.

4.Spread with half the coffee buttercream (or whatever filling you’re using).

5.Use the parchment paper to help you roll the cake into a tight cylinder.

6.Transfer back to the baking sheet and refrigerate for several hours.

7.Unwrap the cake. Trim the ends on the diagonal, starting the cuts about 2 inches away from each end.

8.Position the larger cut piece on each log about 2/3 across the top.

9.Cover the log with the reserved buttercream, making sure to curve around the protruding stump.

10.Streak the buttercream with a fork or decorating comb to resemble bark.

11.Transfer the log to a platter and decorate with your mushrooms and whatever other decorations you’ve chosen.

Meringue Mushrooms:

3 large egg whites, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup (3-1/2 ounces/105 g.) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (1-1/3 ounces/40 g.) icing sugar
Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

1.Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Have ready a pastry bag fitted with a small (no. 6) plain tip. In a bowl, using a mixer on medium-low speed, beat together the egg whites and cream of tartar until very foamy. Slowly add the granulated sugar while beating. Increase the speed to high and beat until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Continue until the whites hold stiff, shiny peaks. Sift the icing sugar over the whites and, using a rubber spatula, fold in until well blended.

2.Scoop the mixture into the bag. On one baking sheet, pipe 48 stems, each ½ inch (12 mm.) wide at the base and tapering off to a point at the top, ¾ inch (2 cm.) tall, and spaced about ½ inch (12 mm.) apart. On the other sheet, pipe 48 mounds for the tops, each about 1-1/4 inches (3 cm.) wide and ¾ inch (2 cm.) high, also spaced ½ inch (12 mm.) apart. With a damp fingertip, gently smooth any pointy tips. Dust with cocoa. Reserve the remaining meringue.

3.Bake until dry and firm enough to lift off the paper, 50-55 minutes. Set the pans on the counter and turn the mounds flat side up. With the tip of a knife, carefully make a small hole in the flat side of each mound. Pipe small dabs of the remaining meringue into the holes and insert the stems tip first. Return to the oven until completely dry, about 15 minutes longer. Let cool completely on the sheets.

4.Garnish your Yule Log with the mushrooms.

NOTES:

I only had a no 12 tip which is a little bigger but it seemed to work okay for making the mushrooms. I forgot to dust with cocoa before baking so I dusted with cocoa after the mushrooms were done.