28 June 2010

Vanilla Cupcakes a la Billy's Bakery

Aren't they pretty?  The recipe is from Billy's Bakery via Martha Stewart, but the colors are my doing.  Billy appeared on Martha Stewart's show because his cupcakes were deemed the best in New York City.  And while I'm not 100% convinced that's the truth, I can vouch for the deliciousness of these cupcakes.  Here's the recipe, which has now replaced my old vanilla cupcakes recipe:

1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.

In a large glass measuring cup (or a bowl or whatever, there is no real reason to use a measuring cup in particular), whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired (I personally had no such desire, but I'm sure it would be lovely).  Serve at room temperature.

It occurred to me that I forgot to post my frosting recipe last time.  This is because I don't have a frosting recipe.  But here's how I do it:


Use about one stick of butter for every dozen cupcakes.  Beat the butter until it is fluffy.  Pour in powdered sugar until it looks really dry, then start adding cream.  Go back and forth between sugar and cream until it looks like enough.  Then add a teaspoon of vanilla extract.  And make it a pretty color, for funsies.  Om nom nom.  Nom.


27 June 2010

Still on a quest for perfect chocolate cupcakes

HOW cute are those monkey cupcake wrapper thingies?

Here is a secret: I don't like cupcakes very much.  I don't really like making them, I don't really like eating them.  But somehow they became kind of a specialty of mine.  So I keep making them.  And now I'm on the search for the perfect chocolate cupcake.

To me, the perfect chocolate cupcake is dark (obviously) and sweet (again, obviously), but the most important thing is the texture.  It needs to be light and fluffy and actually pretty much fall apart in your hand so you do that awkward "ahh" laugh as you get crumbs down your shirt (maybe that's not a problem for someone more graceful than I).  I though I'd found that cupcake in this recipe from Cook's Illustrated.

I was wrong.  I don't mean the recipe isn't fantastic.  The cupcakes were a huge hit despite the fact that my frosting looked like mustard, and several people mentioned that I was clearly my own worst critic.  But they weren't perfect.  They were just a little too heavy, and really kind of bitter (though my buttercream frosting disguised that for the most part).

I would make them again if I needed a dozen chocolate cupcakes RIGHT NOW, but I think I'm going to try and tweak the recipe a little until I get it really right.  For the time being, here is the recipe, and be prepared for a lot of whisking:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) Dutch-processed cocoa
3/4 cup (3 3/4 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (5 1/4 oz) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup (4 oz) sour cream


Preheat oven to 350 degrees (with the oven rack in the lower middle position).  Line a muffin tin.

In a double boiler (or a little pot over a slightly larger pot), combine butter, chocolate and cocoa.  Heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and fully combined. Set aside to cool until just warm to touch.  Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking soda and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Pour about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined (the recipe says sift but I never sift anything ever); whisk in sour cream until combined.  Add remaining flour mixture and whisk batter until it is homogeneous and thick.

Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.  Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes.

16 June 2010

Death by Chocolate Brownies

This is the reason I make food.  Look at these things.  They are pure evil, but oh, they are a magical and irresistible treat.  MAGICAL I SAY.

Also, I'm already almost completely out of that cocoa powder.  But it has been put towards noble efforts.

Anyhow, Hannah and I made these for dessert yesterday.  Hannah likes a nutty brownie, while I prefer mine plain.  So we made two small batches.  I should mention that I've made this recipe from Buns in My Oven several times, and that I've somehow only managed to make it "right" (i.e. actually following the recipe) twice, and even the mess-ups are unbelievably good.

That said, a recipe:
1 c. (2 sticks) butter
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. [dark chocolate] cocoa powder
4 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. espresso powder
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. flour
2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9x13 baking dish (since we wanted some with nuts and some without, we used two smaller pans, but we noticed the baking time didn't change much).

Melt putter over low heat in a saucepan.  Once the butter is melted, add the sugar and stir for about 1 minute.

Pour the butter mixture into a mixer (or, if you're ghetto like me at college, a bowl with a wooden spoon).  Beat in the cocoa powder, eggs, salt, baking powder, espresso powder and vanilla.  Mix until well combined.  It will look all sexy and rich and dark, like my ideal man.  Wait, what?
OOooooh.  Hannah goes "Can I touch it?"  Why yes, you can.
Mix in the flour and chocolate chips.  If you're making a batch with nuts, add those now too.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until the outside looks set but the inside is still slightly gooey.
Hannah made a little happy pecan man.
Hannah swears these tasted magical as well, but I hate pecans so I didn't even bother.

15 June 2010

A Cautionary Tale

So my friend Hannah and I decided to try out a mac 'n' cheese recipe from Evil Shenanigans.  But, we didn't end up making that mac 'n' cheese.  Instead we invented one on the fly.  We learned something today: evaporated milk goes bad.  And the evaporated milk I had in my pantry went bad in 2007.  Luckily we figured this out before we tried to eat it, or even cook with it.  So my advice to you: check the date on your evaporated milk before you open it.  It's gross when it's old.  Like really gross.  Also we had some cayenne pepper drama, which is too icky for me to recount.

So instead of making the recipe we planned on, we had to wing it.  Thus, I don't know exactly what measurements we used, but mac 'n' cheese is the kind of thing that you should adjust to your personal tastes anyhow.  Here are the ingredients (with approximate measurements) and procedure:

Approximate measurements:
8 oz. macaroni
6 oz. grated cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. butter
1/3 c. milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper (to taste)

Put water on medium heat.  When it boils, add the pasta, and cook it until it is al dente (follow directions on package).  Drain the pasta and put it back in the pan.

Cooking over low heat, add the butter and stir until melted.  Stir in the milk, egg, and chili powder, and stir for about 3 minutes.   Remove from heat.

Stir in the cheese in 4 additions, making sure that each section is fully incorporated before adding the next.  Season with salt and pepper.

Now I enjoyed the our impromptu macaroni, but I'd still like to try the Evil Shenanigan recipe, which looked deliciously gooey.  Here you see Hannah delighting in our achievement:
Kawaii desu ne?  Also, COMING SOON:  Death By Chocolate Brownies, which we made for dessert!  They are literally too gooey for me to take pictures yet.

11 June 2010

Double Chocolate Coal Cookies

Do you know what this is?
This is Black Onyx Unsweetened Cocoa Power from Culinary District.
I bought it today at Surfas, a wonderful restaurant supply store in Culver City.  And it makes my life amazing.  For example, observe its effect on these Double Chocolate "Coal" Cookies, the recipe for which I adapted from Peace of Cake.
Take a look at those babies.  Mmm, mm-mm-mmmm.  I TOLD you dark chocolate cocoa powder was important.  So if you want to make these delicious cookies (and why wouldn't you?) just follow along.
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. espresso powder
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. light brown sugar (packed)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat your oven to 375 degrees.  Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and espresso powder.  In a separate bowl, beat the butter until fluffy, about 1 minute.  Add sugars and beat again, about 2 minutes.  Beat in vanilla, then eggs (one at a time, beating for about a minute after each egg).

Mixing at a low speed, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients until just incorporated.  Mix in the chocolate chips.  Here's a picture of the sexy, sexy batter:
Mmmmmmmm.  Oh baby.

Ahem.  Drop the batter in tablespoons on a cookie sheet (I don't line or grease mine, but it wouldn't hurt).
There are my tablespoonfuls, and some Bad Romance in the background for good measure.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until gooey on the inside but crunchy around the edges.

And now you have cookies that resemble coal in appearance but not in taste!  The best of both worlds!


08 June 2010

Chocolate Cream Cheese Muffins


Okay first of all, I want some Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder.  Why does it seem not to exist in Los Angeles?  It makes brownie batter look like tar and it is WONDERFUL.  Sadly, I didn’t have any when I made these muffins, but they came out deliciously nevertheless.  They just could’ve been better, is all.

So here are your ingredients.  The recipe is adapted from Inn Cuisine.

2 c. flour
1 c. granulated sugar
6 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (I’m telling you, go for the Special Dark!)
4 tsp. baking powder
1½ tsp. espresso powder
1 tsp. salt
1 c. chocolate chips
2 large eggs
1½ c. milk
2/3 c. canola oil

filling:
12 oz. cream cheese
3 tbsp. powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt and chocolate chips in a medium bowl and set aside.  Beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy, and set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and oil.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.  Fold in until incorporated.  Spray or line muffin trays (I made 20 muffins, but depending on how big you make them you could get 18-24).  Fill muffin cups with about a tablespoon of batter.  Add a dollop of the cream cheese mixture.  Fill the cups the remainder of the way with batter, covering the cream cheese, almost to the tops of the cups.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Now I discovered that the cream cheese starts to cave in after a while, which looks like this:
I'm not sure there's anything we can do about this, but I assure you that they are no less delicious for it.

Also, if you made a filling of peanut butter and white chocolate, this would make a delicious peanut-butter-cup muffin!