Happiest Birthday Cake to You!

Brown Butter Sour Cream Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
For all my sweetie's sweetness, he does not have the biggest sweet-tooth. For his birthday, however, exceptions are made in the name of celebrations and cake. His birthday cake of choice? Yellow cake with chocolate frosting. I came up with this very rich, moist cake recipe playing off that classic "box cake" combo. As it so happened, our generally unlucky softball team had a game that night, so I made these "birthday cupcakes" to share. Perhaps cake and birthdays are great morale boosters . . . we won the game and got to celebrate two great things in one day with beer, pizza, and more cupcakes!

Ingredients
BROWN BUTTER SOUR CREAM CAKE
- 3 sticks butter
- 2 1/4 c. flour
- 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 2/3 c. sugar
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla paste
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/4 c. sour cream
- 1/4 c. whole milk

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- 1 c. sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- 2 sticks plus 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into tablespoons
- 4 oz. extra-bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

BROWN BUTTER SOUR CREAM CAKE
Preheat oven to 325˚F. Lightly spritz 24 cupcake liners with cooking spray and line a standard-sized muffin tin. Set aside.

In a small, heavy-bottomed sauce pan, melt 3 sticks of butter over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally for about five minutes. The butter will get foamy. Continue to cook and stir about four minutes longer until little brown bits begin to appear and it smells fragrantly nutty. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before using. While the butter cools, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.

Combine brown butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand sized mixer using the paddle attachment. Beat butter and sugar together on high speed until it is creamy and well incorporated. Add vanilla and stir to combine. Turn mixer to slow speed and add egg yolks and eggs, one at a time, alternating with portions of flour mixture until everything is well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the mixer occasionally. Add sour cream and milk and beat until just combined.

Using a tablespoon, fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 full with batter. Bake cupcakes in batches for about 12 minutes until cooked through and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Turn cupcakes out on a wire rack and allow to cool completely before frosting

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
Whisk together eggs whites and sugar in a medium-sized double-boiler. Place the double-boiler over medium-high heat and whisk together over heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the warmed egg and sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Add vanilla and whisk together at medium-high heat until the mixture is glossy and stiff, about 8 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and turn mixer back on to medium heat. Add butter, a couple pieces at a time making sure the mixture becomes fully incorporated before adding more. Once all the butter is incorporated and mixture is light and fluffy, add melted chocolate and mix until fully blended. 

Frost cooled cupcakes with an offset spatula. Buttercreams can be delicate, store frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator if making ahead of time. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.

 Happy birthday to you!

 

Pucker Up!

Sweet and Sour Lemon Almond Cake
Nearly two weeks into 2012 and I'm still trying to find uses for the 3 pound bulk container of sour cream I purchased to make various dips and appetizers for our swanky New Years bash! I love baking cakes with sour cream because it makes for such rich texture with a hint of zip. With Barb coming by for dinner last night, I decided to experiment with making a sweet/tart treat to end the meal. Here's the result- a moist, nutty, delicious cake with lemony zing!

Ingredients
- 1/2 c. almond meal
- 1/2 c. cake flour 
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 c. sour cream
- 1/4 c. lemon curd
- 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, divided
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 c. sliced almonds
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter and flour an 8" round baking pan, tapping out the excess flour. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, almond meal, and baking powder. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl cream together butter, lemon curd, and 1 cup of the powdered sugar with an electric mixer. Add vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, alternating with portions of the flour mixture, beating together thoroughly after each addition. Gently fold the sour cream into the batter. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and cook in oven for about 35 minutes until cake is baked through completely and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove baked cake from oven and allow to cool in pan for five minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When the cake is cool, make the lemon icing by whisking together lemon juice and remaining powdered sugar, adding more powdered sugar if the icing is too thin. Spoon the icing over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. (Place a piece of waxed paper underneath the wire rack to keep the icing from getting all over your work surface.) Sprinkle almonds over the top of the cake.

Serve slices of cake for dessert with tea! So very yummy! (Also great for a breakfast treat with your morning coffee!)

Celebrate . . . With Cake!

Dave Got His Sh** Together Chocolate Raspberry Sour Cream Cake
My pal Dave is great. He's funny, sweet, an excellent drummer, and one heck of a charming guy. Due to his abundance of great qualities, naturally we give him a lot of shit. But sometimes, we give him cake. Last fall he was all prepared to perform his senior drumming recital, basically the capstone of his undergraduate studies and the LAST thing for him to achieve in order to graduate. The date was set, the invitations sent out, and the promise of a taco reception loomed in the horizon. When it all came down to it, however, Dave didn't feel ready. He was particularly nervous about his complicated marimba piece and decided to postpone the recital until the first weekend of Winter Term. This, in the long run, worked out much better. His girlfriend from Michigan was able to fly out and attend, he felt confident about his work, and an enthusiastic audience was eager to lend their support. I asked him if he would like a cake and champagne toast to celebrate post-show and post-taco feast. Dave agreed and requested "a chocolate cake with raspberry filling and cream cheese frosting." Done. I put this recipe together in honor of Dave and his achievement. And also because even the best moments can be made better with cake.

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
- 3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 c. sour cream
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 6 Tbsp. butter, softened
- 1 c. hot coffee
- 1 c. raspberry jam
- fresh raspberries
- 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 stick butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 c. or more powdered sugar

CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM CAKE
Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Lightly grease and flour three 8" round cake pans. Set aside. In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together granulated sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate small bowl, melt 6 Tbsp. butter in the hot coffee. In another small bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, and 1 Tbsp. vanilla. Using the stand mixer, beat half of the sour cream mixture into the dry ingredients at low speed. When thoroughly combined, add coffee mixture and blend, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Beat in the remaining sour cream mixture and blend thoroughly.

Pour batter evenly distributed into the prepared cake pans. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes, rotating pans half way through baking until cakes are springy to the touch. Let cakes cook in pans for about 10 minutes before turning out on a write rack to cool completely.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese, stick of butter, and 1 tsp of vanilla. Add powdered sugar slowly, then blend until fluffy and well combined.

When cake is completely cooled set one layer at the center of serving plate or bottom part of a cake dome. Spread half the raspberry jam on top of the cake. Top with the second layer then spread remaining raspberry jam on top of that layer. Top second layer with remaining cake round. Frost the top and sides of cake with an even layer of cream cheese frosting. Refrigerate before serving. (Cake can be made and stored in refrigerator the day before.) Before serving top with fresh raspberries. Slice and toast to life! Congratulations Dave! You did a fantastic job . . . even on the marimba!

Chee's Cakes

Sour Cream Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Mascarpone Frosting

One of the greatest pleasures about cooking is sharing food with appreciative eaters and I can honestly say I have met the most appreciative eater on the planet. Chiaki (or Chee as she has been nicknamed) came to us from Japan to study in the theatre department for the 2009-2010 year. Back in November, I invited her to spend the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with me gorging herself on two very American hobbies: eating and shopping. Chee was definitely up to the task. Not only did we eat our way through a decadent traditional Thanksgiving feast (Chee met my Pumpkin Cheesecake with definite approval) but I enjoyed cooking her several other meals including flank steak stuffed breakfast burritos and french onion mac & cheese. But it didn't end there. I love bringing homemade snacks to work, rehearsals, and end-of-the-quarter class showcases. Without fail, Chee would meet these treats with a cry of glee: "Snacks for Chee!!!" So . . . here we are: spring quarter and the last of this year's acting showcases. Just for Chee (the World's Most Appreciative Eater) I put together this spring-themed cupcake recipe. I hope she enjoys them. And with this sweet, little, cupcake I will always remember the petite gal from Tokyo who ate her way into my heart.

Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 1/2 c. sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 c. all purpose flour
- 3 tsp. vanilla, divided
- 1/4 c. strawberry jam
- 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
- 4 c. powdered sugar
- fresh strawberries, stems removed, and sliced lengthwise in half

Preheat oven to 325˚ F. Line a muffin tin with papers and set aside. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together 1 stick butter, granulated sugar, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. With the machine running on low, add flour mixture to butter mixture in batches alternating with eggs, making sure ingredients are thoroughly incorporated after each addition. Add 2 tsp. vanilla.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each liner about halfway. Place in oven and bake about 20-25 minutes until cupcakes begin to turn light golden brown on top. Remove from oven and cool on rack. Recipe should yeild about 2 dozen cupcakes.

While cupcakes are baking cream together 1 stick butter, mascarpone, vanilla, powdered sugar, and strawberry jam to make frosting. Frost cupcakes when they have cooled completely and top each cupcake with a strawberry because it looks pretty!