One of the things that I love about my job is that I get to constantly try out new cupcake and icing flavors. The good part about that is that I get to EAT lots of new cupcakes flavors. The down side it that it also means that I spend way too much of my time scouring the internet for new cupcake ideas and recipes. After all the cupcakes that I've made, it's hard to believe that there are still flavors out there that I've never even tried. Every once in a while, I see a recipe or I get a request for a cupcake flavor that is completely new. I've seen recipes for pina colada cupcakes in the past but none have really jumped out at me so I've never made them before. It wasn't until I got a special order for pina colada cupcakes that I realized just how delicious they could be. Moist vanilla cupcakes flavored with pineapple juice and coconut milk, filled with coconut cream and topped with a coconut buttercream and a pineapple flower. Delicious AND beautiful. I am so thankful for my customers that trust me enough to order cupcakes that I've never made before. Pina Colada Cupcakes 1 and 2/3 cups (210g) all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup (150g) light or dark brown sugar 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted 1 large egg, room temperature preferred 1/2 cup (120ml) pineapple juice 1/2 cup (120ml) full fat coconut milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cut a hole in the center of each cupcake. Spoon a Tablespoon of coconut cream into each cupcake hole. Top each cupcake with coconut buttercream. Top with a pineapple flower and VOILA - pina colada cupcake perfection. Just in case you are curious about how I made the pineapple flowers (and I know you are) I will post the tutorial tomorrow on the blog.
Ciao!
0 Comments
This is my first attempt at a traditional caramel cake and I will just start by saying - it's a work in progress. I did not grow up eating caramel cake so I had to do some research on the cake before I started baking. (Not the fun kind of research where I get to EAT caramel cake either, just the drooling in front of the computer screen kind of research.)
Maybe I can hire Courtney to make authentic homemade icing for me. Until then, I will use this expedited process for making my caramel cake icing. Caramel Cake 16 Tablespoons butter, softened 3¼ cups cake flour 1 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 2½ cups sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 eggs 1¼ cups milk
Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes; invert cakes onto a cooling rack; let cool completely. Slice domed tops off cakes to level them, if needed. Caramel Icing 8 Tablespoons butter, melted 8 Tablespoons butter, softened 2 cups dark brown sugar ½-¾ cups evaporated milk 2 teaspoons vanilla 5-6 cups powdered sugar
Add the 4 ounces of softened butter and mix on medium-high for 3-4 minutes or until light and very fluffy. Icing should be a nice spreadable consistency. If it’s too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar, if too thick, add more evaporated milk – just a little at a time to thin.
Add third layer and repeat with ½ cup icing. Top with final cake layer. Frost entire cake with a very thin layer of icing. This is the crumb coat. The crumbs will be trapped and will keep your final icing layer crumb free. Let cake sit until crumb coat is dry. My icing didn't at all look like I had planned. It hardened up really quickly and before I could really get it nice and smooth. It tasted a whole lot better than it looked though.
If you have made a caramel cake - using the 2+ hour icing recipe - shoot me a comment. I would love to know how it turned out. Ciao! Crispy meringue, sweet whipped cream and fresh berries - oh yea - sign me up. This dessert is so pretty - it's almost too pretty to eat. (Hahaha, like that ever stopped me from eating a dessert.) I made these little individual cream filled, berry topped pavlovas for a friend's birthday last month. I wanted to make something that was bright and colorful and I know that this friend really likes meringues. These are super easy to make - even though it looks like it took a lot of time - it really doesn't. I baked them just before I went to bed and then left them in the oven to cool overnight. The next morning, they were perfect and ready to top. Gradually add the sugar, whisking well, until the mixture is stiff and glossy (the mixture should have tripled in volume and stand up when the beaters are lifted). Shape the mixture into an 7″ round on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Reduce oven to 250 and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the pavlova to cool completely in the oven. Whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Pipe or spread over the pavlova. Top with fresh berries. OK, so now, I'm drooling and I'm headed to the refrigerator to get some berries.
Ciao! Why is it that sprinkles make everything taste better? When my kids were little, I used to put sprinkles on absolutely everything that I could to get them to eat. Fifteen years later - Courtney is STILL eating sprinkles on her food. The truth is - I love sprinkles too. I'm not totally sure but it's possible that I have a teenie bit of a sprinkle obsession. Then again - doesn't everybody buy sprinkles in bulk? The fact that I have two tupperware bins that are overflowing with sprinkles might indicate a possible sprinkle addiction. I think I have sprinkles for every holiday and LOTS of everyday sprinkles. I love sprinkles so much that I don't even mind cleaning them up off of the floor for WEEKS after I make these funfetti cupcakes. (Seriously, I have no idea how they got ALL over my kitchen!) Funfetti Cupcakes 1 cup whole milk (237 ml), at room temperature 4 large egg whites (120 g), at room temperature 1 egg, whole, at room temperature 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) almond extract 3 cups (350 g) cake flour, sifted 1-1/2 cups vanilla sugar (300 g) 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder (19.5 g) 3/4 teaspoon salt (5 g) 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, softened but cool, and cut into cubes 6 tablespoons (85 g) vegetable shortening 1/2 cup Rainbow Jimmies
Bake until a toothpick comes clean when inserted into the center of the cupcake, about 16-18 minutes at 350. Remove the cupcakes from the baking pans immediately, to let cool. Let cool completely before frosting. Frost with vanilla buttercream and decorate with sprinkles. Funfetti cupcakes - I'm not to proud to admit that I love them just as much as the kids.
Ciao! I am totally addicted to Big Green Egg pizza. Haven't tried it yet? You don't know what you're missing. It is THE BEST. Seriously, I love pizza on the Egg. Unfortunately, pizza just isn't all that good for me - even though I try and convince myself that piling vegetables on top of a slice of pizza is just the same as eating a salad!?! Lucky for me - I found an alternative to traditionally unhealthy pizza - nacho pizza. A layer of spicy black bean puree spread on top of a whole wheat crust loaded with fresh vegetables and just a sprinkling of cheese - delicious. A pizza that is so flavorful and delicious that I never even missed traditional pizza. Nacho Pizza 3/4 cup warm water 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup bread flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 garlic clove 1 Tablespoon chili powder 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt reduced fat monterey jack cheese red bell pepper, diced sliced olives sliced avocado
Combine beans, garlic, chili powder and oil in food processor. Process until smooth.
Add toppings. (I made half of the pizza with toppings and half without - more kid friendly.) So what kind of nacho pizza are you going to eat first? Toppings or no toppings? As for me - it's veggies all the way. (I'm totally sticking to my salad theory.) Ciao!
|
Like my page on facebook.
Follow me on Instagram
Categories
All
Archives
March 2024
|