Best. Pie. EVER.

There's just not a whole lot to say about this pie.  I saw it on (I know, I know, I tend to obsess when I find something good) Smitten Kitchen and thought, "Ooh that looks yummy.  It will be perfect for the cookout with Beth and Justin!"  Just all non-chalant like that.  Not that I didn't think it would be good...I just didn't think it would be "Oh my god I could eat this whole pie by MYSELF" good.  Yeah.  For serious.

So back to the story! We had our friends Beth and Justin and their little cutie Henry over for a barbeque.  We just made some steaks, a green bean potato salad, and some grilled veggies.  It was so nice to spend time with our friends, and the weather here in DC has been just gorgeous!  I wanted to have something cold for dessert, but didn't want to give up on a big "bang" of flavor, so I searched Smitten Kitchen's arsenal of pie recipes, and came across the recipe for Chocolate Pudding Pie. 

The first obstacle I ran into was that I had a packet of pie recipes with an EXCELLENT pie crust recipe, but I lost it!  I was so forlorn.  How would I make pie?!  Well, I decided that Deb could never do me wrong, so I used the all-butter pie crust recipe she had on the site.  OH my gosh.  I'll never go back.  So buttery, flaky, delicious.  The pudding?  I'm not sure I'll ever make it out of the box again.  And the very lightly sweetened whipped cream on top?  The perfect compliment to the rich, thick pudding.  I'm telling you.  Make this.  How good was it, you ask?  I had a piece.  I tried to pawn the rest off on Justin and Beth, but they wouldn't take it.  They left.  I had another piece.  I put it in the fridge.  I came back to it the next day.  I had another piece.  Midway through that last piece I shouted "NO MORE!! I need to throw this #@*% pie AWAY!" as I felt it's chocolatey buttery goodness settling in on my hips.  It pained me, but I knew it was for my own good.

Worry not, friends.  I have a feeling this pie will be making an appearance again soon!  We're moving in the next couple weeks to a new, and much bigger apartment.  I'm thinking there's a housewarming barbeque in our future...and I'm thinking this chocolate pudding pie will be our guest of honor!

Now on to the recipe (straight from Smitten Kitchen)!

Chocolate Pudding Pie

Adapted from Gourmet

One of my favorite things about this — besides the whole CHOCOLATE and PUDDING and PIE thing — is the way that despite its all-id, kid-like nature, this pie is surprisingly unsweet and not heavy. There’s barely a half cup of sugar in the whole she-bang and the lack of excessive richness (it’s a milk and cornstarch pudding, not a weighty egg yolk and cream custard) makes for something you can easily crave on a hot summer day, although you’ve already been warned that that craving may strike without warning.

One half-recipe of All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough, wrapped and chilled for at least 30 minutes


Pudding filling:
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not more than 60% cacao), finely chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chilled heavy cream
Bittersweet chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)
Prepare pie dough: Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into an 11-inch round, then fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under and crimp edge decoratively. Prick bottom and side of shell all over with a fork, then chill shell 30 minutes. While shell chills, preheat oven to 375°F with a baking sheet on middle rack. Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights*.
Bake on baking sheet until pastry is set and edge is pale golden, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil, then bake shell on baking sheet until pale golden all over, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool shell.
Make pudding filling: Whisk together cornstarch, 1/3 cup sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then gradually whisk [tips alert!] in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, then boil, whisking, two minutes (mixture will thicken). Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate and vanilla until smooth.

Pour filling into cooled shell and chill, its surface covered with wax paper (if you want to prevent a skin from forming), until cold, at least two hours.

Just before serving, beat cream with remaining two tablespoons sugar until it just holds soft peaks. Spoon onto pie and garnish with bittersweet chocolate shavings, if you’re feeling fancy.

Do ahead: Pie dough can be made and chilled up to two days. Pie, without whipped cream, can be chilled up to one day before serving. Whipped cream is best added at the last minute, however, I did find that ours held up surprisingly well for a day (so far), if you feel like winging it.

* Detour! This is where I admit that I for reasons both lengthy and boring, I really loathe working with pie weights and use a different technique to blind bake pie and pastry shells. Instead, I freeze my rolled-out shells for 20 to 30 minutes until solid, press a piece of buttered foil, buttered side down, very tightly against the frozen shell and blind bake it according to regular directions. When it is time to remove the weights, I carefully pull back the foil, and press any part of the crust that has bubbled up gently back with the back of a spoon and continue baking the shell. Try it!

Natalie note: I used a bag of uncooked kidney beans as my pie weights.  Works every time!!
 
Seriously guys.  Make this pie.  But don't blame me when you sit on your couch rubbing your belly and cursing it's chocolatey goodness.  It can't help that it's got Mary Poppins Syndrome!  You know...it's practically perfect in every way? Har har har!  Okay, and there's your daily dose of cheesey jokes.  Enjoy!!

Smitten with Smitten Kitchen!

The last time you logged on here, I made some delicious St. Patty's Day cupcakes.  In making that cake, I rediscovered my favorite blog Smitten Kitchen, and I've been a woman obsessed.  There's this handy little button called "Surprise Me!" on the left side of the side, and MAN!  I could spend all day clicking that link and just daydreaming about all of the possibilities.  Cakes, pies, side dishes, main courses, appetizers, EVERYTHING!  Girlfriend has mad skills, and an amazing sense of humor on top of that.  If you haven't been to http://smittenkitchen.com/, you're missing out!

So to begin, the obsession with this recipe started with a picture.  Sometimes I'll see a recipe or see a photo and I'll have this "Oh-my-god-if-I-don't-make-this-I-may-die" moment, and before I know it I'm making a grocery list.  The first photo on this blog post made me have such a moment, and voila!  Cupcakes. 

This cake was not meant to be a cupcake, and after making them, I can see why.  This cake is so light and delicate, one of mine actually collapsed under the weight of the frosting!  I can completely see this working better as a cake.  Especially if you were to keep it light on the frosting--it packs a serious punch!  It was so strong I actually decided to nix the glaze for the cupcakes.  I think I would definitely make it like Deb did on the blog with a full cake, but I'm happy with my decision to leave it out for the cupcakes.  Why am I happy?  Because where my coworkers usually blow through 2 (or sometimes 3!) cupcakes at a time at work, and the other day's PB&C cupcakes actually didn't go very fast at all, and we had some leftovers.  This NEVER happens people.  It was just weird!  So while I wouldn't say it was a raving success, it definitely wasn't a failure either (they were still delish, people!).  I would totally use this peanut butter frosting on anything and everything else.  Seriously. Bookmark it.  Use it.  Love it.

Now on to the recipe, because the next one I give you is a doozy!

Sour Cream-Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
from Smitten Kitchen (copied from the site)


Adapted, only barely, from Sky High: Irresistable Triple-Layer Cakes
This cake is INTENSE. Serve it in the thinnest slices possible, and keep a glass of milk handy.

Makes an 8-inch triple-layer cake; serves 12 to 16 (the book says, I say a heck of a lot more)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, soybean or vegetable blend
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanut brittle (I skipped this)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cakepans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.

3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely. (Deb note: These cakes are very, very soft. I found them a lot easier to work with after firming them up in the freezer for 30 minutes. They’ll defrost quickly once assembled. You’ll be glad you did this, trust me.)

4. To frost the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. (Deb note 1: Making a crumb coat of frosting–a thin layer that binds the dark crumbs to the cake so they don’t show up in the final outer frosting layer–is a great idea for this cake, or any with a dark cake and lighter-colored frosting. Once you “mask” your cake, let it chill for 15 to 30 minutes until firm, then use the remainder of the frosting to create a smooth final coating. Deb note 2: Once the cake is fully frosting, it helps to chill it again and let it firm up. The cooler and more set the peanut butter frosting is, the better drip effect you’ll get from the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze.)

5. To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Simply pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving. Decorate the top with chopped peanut brittle.



Peanut Butter Frosting
Makes about 5 cups
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2/3 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand (because oil doesn’t separate out)
1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.



Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

8 ounces seimsweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 cup half-and-half

1. In the top of a double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm

Car Bomb Cupcakes

Good morning my devoted readers! :) Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all!  Are you wearing green?  Are you downtown wherever you are drinking pint upon pint of green beer and singing along to whatever Dropkick Murphy's song they've got blasting?! Well, probably not, since you're reading this (and if you are? well that's just weird).  If you're like me, you're probably at work WISHING you were doing all those things...but alas, you're stuck in your cube (or maybe you're big time and have an office!).  I have the cure, folks, for the St. Patty's Day office blues...Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream Frosting.  In the words of the wise Emeril Lagasse? "Oh yeah, babe."

I was on Facebook yesterday when I saw that one of my friends was making "Car Bomb Cupcakes" and I remembered that I had the recipe too!  I'm fully admitting to being a copy cat here, although our versions are slightly different.  Seriously, though, getting inspiration from a girl named Maggie O'Toole on St. Patrick's Day?  Luck of the Irish and whatnot, if you ask me!  :) So thanks, Maggie for reminding me of this gem!

The recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen, another one of the many blogs that I love!  The original recipe includes an Irish whiskey chocolate ganache in the middle, but I chose to leave that out (just too rich for my taste!).  Maggie made hers with the ganache, and did a cream cheese frosting instead...and you should see hers!  They look gorgeous!  I went for just a spread of frosting on mine, as the taste of Bailey's in it is pretty potent, so I didn't want the cupcakes to be overwhelmed by the frosting.  As I'm writing this, there is ONE cupcake left in the box of 22 that I brought in...and it's not even noon yet! all of the cupcakes are GONE!!  Needless to say, these went over VERY well here!  On to the recipe (straight from the blog--all commentary is hers, which is pretty great)!

Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes
While the Guinness in the cake gets mostly baked out, the Baileys is fresh and potent, so if you’re making this for people who don’t drink — ahem, nobody I know, but I hear such people exist — you’ll probably want to swap it with milk.
The Baileys frosting recipe makes a smallish amount of frosting — enough to just cover the cupcakes. Because they were so rich and this frosting so sweet, I felt it only needed a little. Double it if you want more of a towering effect.
Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes
For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling (Updated to double it, based on many commenters suggestions — thanks!)
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Baileys Frosting (see Recipe Notes)
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)
Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)

Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.
Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.
Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
Make the frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.
[This is a fantastic trick I picked up while working on the cupcakes article for Martha Stewart Living; the test kitchen chefs had found that when they added the sugar slowly, quick buttercream frostings got less grainy, and tended to require less sugar to thicken them up.]
When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.
Ice and decorate the cupcakes. [I used a star tip and made little "poofs" everywhere and sprinkled it with various colors of sanding sugar to keep it looking festive for New Years. I bet shaved dark and white chocolates would look gorgeous as well.]
Do ahead: You can bake the cupcakes a week or two in advance and store them, well wrapped, in the freezer. You can also fill them before you freeze them. They also keep filled — or filled and frosted — in the fridge for a day. (Longer, they will start to get stale.)


Natalie again!  So-some issues that I had with the cake:
-When I melted the butter and Guinness and cocoa powder, it kind of separated and didn't look very smooth.  I whisked it until I decided that all of my effort wasn't making one bit of a difference, and put it in the mixer bowl with the eggs and sour cream.  It all came together just fine, but it did make me nervous.
-As usual, my oven cranked the heat, so they were done in about 13 min.  Please people.  I beg of you.  Don't overcook your chocolate cupcakes.  Just consider it illegal.  Camp out in front of your archaic stove like I do, and stare in at them.  It's worth it...trust me!

Final product, voilá!    And yes...that's a cupcake wrapper in the background.  :) Jeff and I split one last night.  Dee-lish!  I also had to include a pic of Maggie's, because they were so pretty!  Enjoy, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Maple Magic!

Good evening dear readers!  Today's baking adventure took me down a new road--scones!  I have never made a scone before today, but Ina Garten made some DELICIOUS looking Maple-Oatmeal Scones while I was vegged out on the couch recently...and I decided they were a must-try.  My husband is a huge maple-anything fan, and I was excited to make something that he'd really enjoy.  I also have included a couple more photos today, as I usually only include the end product. The easiest thing I have access to is my phone-so the quality of the photos aren't usually the greatest....but they get the job done. 

So I took a photo today of all of my ingredients before I started, and then I laughed.  I noticed my iPod and speaker was in the shot, and realized that music is an essential when I bake, cook, drive, breathe, etc.  My husband says that my life has a soundtrack...and that's probably true :)

So there they are.  The essentials for today's adventure.  I was feeling like some country today, so today I played my Country mix with songs like "American Saturday Night" by Brad Paisley, and a whoooole lot of Sugarland (my favorite band!).  It put me in such a great mood while I baked!

Also, before I go into the recipe-I just want to take a minute to tell you about this dough.  All I could think while I was rolling out the dough was how luscious it was!  It was so soft, but not too sticky (after flouring my counter and the dough) and just made me so excited to get the scones into the oven!  Also, as I'm about to post a photo of the dough, you should know that the largest cookie cutter that I had was a big heart.  I felt a little silly at first, but I was so happy with how they turned out!  They just looked adorable!

Okay, so on to the recipe!  Like Ina's, mine made about 16 large (heart shaped, hers were round) scones.  Also, you'll see in my ingredients photo above that I had 4 eggs.  Well, those were the last of the eggs, so I didn't do an egg wash on the top.  No big deal, it didn't make a difference because of the glaze that we're putting on top anyway.  Also-It took the ol' turbo heater 15 minutes and not 20-25.  Keep an eye on them, they get nice and golden!

Maple-Oatmeal Scones

by Ina Garten, from Barefoot Contessa, Food Network

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1/2 cup cold buttermilk
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water, for egg wash

Glaze

• 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Blend the cold butter in at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Combine the buttermilk, maple syrup, and eggs and add quickly to the flour-and-butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough may be sticky.

Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4 to 1-inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into 3-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are crisp and the insides are done.

To make the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes, and drizzle each scone with 1 tablespoon of glaze. I like to sprinkle some uncooked oats on the top, for garnish. The warmer the scones are when you glaze them, the thinner the glaze will be.

And now the final result!  I placed the scones on a cooling rack, and put the rack over a sheet pan and the parchment that I baked them on, to make for easy clean-up when I put the glaze on.  They turned out so cute, I love the hearts!  They're VERY tasty too!  I think the only think I would try next time is adding a little cinnamon to the dry ingredients; I think it would really make the maple flavor pop a little more.  I hope you'll give these a shot, they are just perfect!  Enjoy!

What Can I Say? It's a Gift!

No, I'm not talking about my baking skills (those I had to work for!), I'm talking about the amazing cookbook that my Grandma Lynn sent me in the mail!  I came home this week to find a mysterious package at my door, and I opened it to find an AWESOME book called "The Craft of Baking" by Karen DeMasco and Mindy Fox.  Okay, just to reiterate, this book is amazing!  Recipes for donuts, cakes, breads, puddings, everything!  And believe me...I want to try everything!

So my first foray into the book was for a night out at our friends Beth and Justin's house.  We had an awesome dinner with them of pot roast, broccoli, and delicious red skin mashed potatoes.  I brought dessert that was supposed to be in the form of "Devil's Food Cupcakes with Cream Filling" (much like a Hostess cupcake!), but unfortunately my icing tips weren't quite strong enough to get the cream into the cake.  No matter, though.  The cupcakes with the ganache were delicious enough!  They were so rich and chocolatey, and went perfectly with the (many) glasses of red wine we had with them (and the hilarious rounds of Mad Libs with new friends Hanna and JP!).  I would definitely recommend making the cream filling work for you if you aren't a fan of very rich chocolate desserts.  The cream would very much lighten it up. 

The most important part of this baking experience? Not overcooking the cupcakes!

I'll repeat it: NOT OVERCOOKING THE CUPCAKES!

I have learned the hard way that cooking chocolate cupcakes for too long creates a dry, tasteless cupcake.  If you can perfect your baking time, it doesn't matter WHAT you put on top of them!

On to the recipe!!

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Cream Filling

from "The Craft of Baking" by Karen DeMasco and Mindy Fox

For the Cupcakes:

• 3/4 C plus 1 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 C cake flour
• 2/3 C unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/4 C plus 2Tbsp packed dark brown sugar
• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 C plus 2Tbsp buttermilk
• 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin (I actually used two...must have made my cupcakes smaller) with paper liners.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the cocoa powder and 1/2C plus 2 Tbsp warm water to form a paste; set aside.

In another bowl, sift together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the brown sugar with the butter on medium speed until they are well combined with no pieces of butter visible.  Add the cocoa paste, making sure to use a spatula to get all the cocoa paste into the mixer bowl.  Once this is well combines, add the egg and egg yolk.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  In three additions each, add the buttermilk and vanilla extract, alternating with the flour mixture.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling them 3/4 full (I really like to use a zip-top freezer bag for this, with the corner cut off.  Really easy to control, and one less thing to clean!).  Bake, rotating the tins halfway through, until the cupcakes spring back to the touch and a tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20-25 minutes*.  Invert the cupcakes onto a wire rack, turn them top side up, and let them cool completely.

*I actually recommend removing them when the toothpick comes out when there are still a few crumbs on it.  If it comes out totally clean, they're usually overcooked.  Also, these took me 17 minutes, but again I made 24 cupcakes instead of 12...12 would have been some LARGE cakes!

 For the Cream Filling:

• 1 C heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp confectioners' sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

To make the filling, combine the cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.  Beat on medium speed to soft peaks, about 4 minutes.  Put the cream into a pastry bag fitted with a small piping tip.  Using a paring knife, make a small cut in the bottom of each cupcake, through the paper, to insert the tip of the pastry bag.**  Insert the tip of the pastry bag about 1.5" into a cupcake.  Gently squeeze the bag while holding the fingers of your other hand over the top of the cupcake.  When you feel a slight pressure on the top of the cupcake, stop filling.  Repeat with each cupcake.

**Okay, me again.  I don't know about you, but it drives me CRAZY when I read a cookbook, and get to a step like this where they just assume that everyone keeps crazy kitchen gadgets like piping bags and tips in their kitchens.  I like to bake, and I've made some crazy investments in things like piping bags, tips, bench scrapers, etc...but most people don't! SO.  If you would like to do this, do as follows:

Take the paper liners off your cupcakes. Using a small paring knife, cut a small circle into the bottom of your cupcake, only to the middle-not all the way through.  Gently pull out the cake circle (SAVE IT! DON'T EAT IT! Yes I see you ready to pop that in your mouth...sneaky sneaky!) and set it aside.  Put your cream filling into a zip-top bag (a sandwich bag will work) and cut off a small tip in the bag.  Insert your brand new fancy piping bag into the hole you just made in your cake and fill.  Take the circle of cake, cut off the end  so it's about 1/4" long.  Now, "plug" your cream center with the bottom of the cake, and voila!  You're ready to frost.  And you didn't have to break the bank at Sur La Table for new gadgets that you'll only use once a year!  Just be careful, as you now have a hole in your cupcake.  Be gentle! Don't use your kung-fu grip on them when you dip in the ganache. 

For the Ganache:

• 4 oz  semisweet chocolate, chopped (I just used chips, unchopped. Mini chips would be even better)
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp light corn syrup

To make the ganache, put the chocolate in a small mixing bowl.  Combine the cream and the corn syrup in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Pour over the chocolate right away, and stir slowly until  all of the chocolate melts and the ganache is silky and shiny. (It takes a while! Be patient and keep stirring, it will get there!)

Dip the top of each cupcake in the ganache, tapping gently to remove the excess.  Return the cupcakes to the wire rack to let the glaze set up, at least 30 minutes.

The cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container in the refridgerator for up to 3 days.

SO delicious! I would totally make these again.  Especially because I'm not a huge frosting person.  Ganache fits my taste much better.  Thanks to our wonderful friends Beth, Justin, Hanna, and JP for being my taste testers, and as always to my husband for being a good sport and always telling me everything I cook tastes good (last night it was in the form of "Get me another cupcake woman!" ;) what a gentleman.).  Enjoy!!

Lost my marbles...

Holy snow day Batman!!

So if you haven't heard, the DC area is being HAMMERED by snow this week.  We're talking day number FOUR tomorrow of this week where my office has been closed.  What does this mean for me?  Well, it means that I've been living solely off of the contents of my pantry and fridge (slim pickings friends...seriously).  The good news?  I've lost 5lbs in the last week (YAY!).  The bad news?  I feel like if I don't have something sweet soon I might just trek the 10+ blocks through knee deep snow to the obliterated grocery store and scarf a donut or something.

Here's what I made instead...Marble cake!  Infinitely better than some crappy donut or an Oreo creeping around in my pantry!

Oh man, this stuff is so delish.  I've made it before as a birthday cake with vanilla bean frosting, which was good.  This is just as awesome on it's own, though.  It's from one of my favorite cooking blogs, Alexandra's Kitchen.  It's in the oven as I write this, and I literally don't know if I'll be able to make it until it's cool enough to eat!!  I'm so excited.  Like Ali, I didn't make this with chocolate chips (I also don't think you need them, the chocolate batter is so deliciously rich). 

Okay, on to the recipe!

Buttercake Bakery’s Marble Cake
Total time: 1½ hours
Servings 12 to 16
2½ cups sugar, divided
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup light corn syrup (I used brown rice syrup)
2½ teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
2 2/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (room temperature is ideal)
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips (optional — I did not use them. This cake really doesn’t need them.)
powdered sugar for dusting
1. In a small saucepan, whisk together ½ cup of the sugar, the cocoa powder and syrup with ½ cup hot water. Bring just to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Add ½ teaspoon of vanilla off the heat and set aside.
2. Heat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and lightly flour a 12-cup bundt pan. (I never flour anymore — it always burns for me. I coated the bundt pan with cooking spray.)
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer), cream the butter with the remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, then whisk in the remaining vanilla.
4. Whisk about a third of the flour mixture into the batter, then a third of the milk. Continue whisking in the flour mixture and milk, alternately and a little at a time, until everything is added and the batter is light and smooth.
5. Gently fold in the chocolate chips. (I really think the chocolate chips are unncessary, but that’s your call.) Divide the batter into thirds. Pour a third of the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
6. Whisk the chocolate syrup with another third of batter, then pour this into the bundt pan. Pour the remaining third of batter over this, lightly swirl the batters with a wooden skewer or knife to give a “marble” effect and place the pan in the oven.
7. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the cake springs back lightly when touched, about an hour. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack. Invert the cooled cake onto a serving platter and dust lightly with powdered sugar.

And voila!  Next time you're craving something sweet, give this a go.  Enjoy!

Lemon Cake, Part Deux

So yes, once again I'm a repeat offender.  I made the lemon cake again.  What can I say?  It was my boss's birthday, and his wife told me he loves lemon cake!  In my own defense, though, I did it up a little different, using fresh whipped cream as frosting, and fresh raspberries on top.  SO good.  I'd actually venture to say that it was better than the lime frosting!  Especially in the middle of winter, such a refreshing dessert!  I've gotten rave reviews in the office so far (but hey, who's going to call me up and say, "Hmmm. Yeaaah.  Your cake kiiiiinda stunk. Sorry!" ;)

So I don't leave you hanging, though, I've got a non-baked good recipe to share.  The other night I made this OUTSTANDING soup that my best friend of 10 years, Anne,emailed to me.  She told me it's incredible, and that I had to try it.

Oh. my. god.

She was right, it's amaaaazing!  While I'd normally make a soup like this in the fall, when squash is more plentiful (or maybe it's just my grocery store, but I had to buy organic.  It's all they had!), this was so satisfying on the chilly and rainy Sunday we had this week in DC.  The only warning I'll throw out was that peeling and cubing an acorn squash was like nothing I've ever experienced before.  Flat out: it was hard.  Be sure you have a sharp knife!  Also, if you wait to peel, core, and cube your apples until after the squash, you'll feel like a ninja with your knife skills.  Substantially easier!!

On to the recipe!

Apple Squash Soup
Acorn squash makes the richest soup, even though it can be difficult to peel; butternut or even yellow zucchini may be substituted. This simple soup adds color and elegance to any meal!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped onion
About 3 pounds acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (about 6 cups)
2 Granny Smith or other tart apples, peeled, cored, and cubed
3 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup apple cider or apple juice
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1-2 Granny Smith or other tart apples, for garnish
In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add onion and sauté until tender. Add squash, apples, chicken stock, and salt.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes or until squash and apples are tender. Puree the soup in a blender (I used my immersion blender, worked beautifully!) and return to soup pot. Stir cider into pureed soup. If necessary, reheat soup until hot. Pepper liberally.

Grate or chop apples into tiny pieces just before serving and garnish each bowl of soup.

**I also added a few shakes of cinnamon and nutmeg to mine, which turned out excellent.  Anne likes to add some curry powder to hers.  There's a ton you could do with this!  I also think that some warm, chewy french bread is a must when eating this soup.  SO good!