Stout Out Loud!

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Chocolate Espresso Buttercream Frosting
 It was my beloved's birthday last week and it was time to celebrate! When I asked Matt what he wanted to do for his birthday, he responded without hesitation: "Power Hour." Power Hour, if you are not familiar, is an exercise power drinking - taking a shot of beer every minute for 60 minutes. It's become a bit of a birthday tradition for Matt - much like my own birthday marathon (involving running rather than drinking). To go along with the evening's centerpiece activity, I decided to develop a couple of beer-themed recipes including sweet and smoky beans slow-cooked in beer and, of course, a beer-themed dessert. The result was a moist, chocolatey, and subtly sweet cupcake with a fluffy buttercream topping. These were definitely a hit for chocolate and beer-lovers alike.

Ingredients
CHOCOLATE STOUT CUPCAKES
- 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
- 2 c. sugar
- 12 oz. dark chocolate stout (such as Guinness)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 4 eggs
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 c. flour
- 1 c. sour cream

CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- 1 c. sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. 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
- 2 Tbsp. espresso powder

CHOCOLATE STOUT CUPCAKES
Preheat over to 350F˚ and line a cupcake tin with paper liners. Spray very lightly with vegetable spray, set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl blend together melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and melted chocolate with an electric mixer until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add stout. Mix thoroughly on medium-high.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and add eggs, one at a time, alternating with portions of flour mixture with the machine running on medium. When the mixture is well combined, add sour cream until just mixed. Spoon batter into prepared cupcake liners until they are 2/3 of the way full. Bake in batches in oven for 12-15 minutes until the cupcakes are cooked through and springy.

Allow to cool completely on a rack before frosting.

CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO 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 espresso powder 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.

Pull Out a Plum!

Brown Sugar and Spice Plum Cake
I firmly believe a few things should happen on everyone's birthday. First: Cocktails. Second: New outfit. Third: Any kind of birthday cake you want. I really enjoy making special birthday cakes for friends and figuring out exactly how to concoct the requested dessert. It's one of those little touches that can make a special day even sweeter. For Arin's birthday, the plan included a nice dinner with cocktails and the wearing of cute dresses (so the first and second requirements were easily fulfilled). For her cake, she requested a Plum Raisin Spice Cake and specifically: "With pink frosting and white writing." I didn't want to disappoint the birthday girl, but found in researching what exactly would go into a traditional (and frosted) a plum and raisin cake probably wasn't what she had in mind. Most recipes for plum cakes used baby food plums (weird) and raisin cakes meant re-hydrating raisins to make a sweet syrup topping. With so many fresh plums in season right now, it seemed a cardinal baking sin not to use them . . . so I ventured out on my own and came up with this moist upside down cake instead. The birthday girl was, in the end, pleased. After all, who needs frosting when there are such juicy plums to be had? Happy birthday, Arin!

Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh plums, pitted and sliced thin into 1/2 moons
- 2 1/3 c. cake flour, sifted and then measured
- 1/4 plus 1/3 c. granulated sugar
- 2/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) room temperature butter (plus extra for buttering the pan)
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- juice and zest from 1 lemon
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla
- 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 c. Greek yogurt (go with full fat on this one)
- powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9" springform pan. Cut a circle of parchment paper that fits into the bottom of the pan, line it, and butter over the parchment paper. Arrange the plum slices in a concentric circle working from the outside of the pan inward. Sprinkle plums with half the lemon juice and then evenly sprinkle 1/4 c. granulated sugar over. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder. Set aside and prepare batter.

In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, remaining granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Allow the mixture to become light and fluffy. Add lemon juice and zest and mix again to combine. Alternate adding eggs (one at a time) and flour mixture in three portions at medium speed. Scrape down sides of bowl between additions. Add yogurt to mixture and fold in gently until ingredients are incorporated.

Pour batter into the springform pan over the plums, smoothing mixture over with a spatula. Bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, until the cake is cooked through and springy. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack in pan for 15-20 minutes before turning out.

Carefully run a knife around the sides of the springform pan to loosen cake. Unlatch the side and release, remove ring, and turn cake out onto a serving plate. Peel off parchment paper and allow cake to cool completely before serving.

Right before serving, dust plums with powdered sugar . . . if it's for a birthday add candles! Have fun!

 

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!)

Seeing Red

Moist and Delicious Red Velvet Cupcakes for Emily's Birthday

I am far, far away from my home and in St. Louis directing a charming holiday comedy called My Three Angels. It's been a fast and furious rehearsal process full of wonderful discoveries and challenges. I am extremely lucky to have this opportunity to work in such a great city with such talented people. Among them is a lovely actor named Emily. She is portraying the role of the ingenue, Marie-Louise, a stubborn and romantically-minded young woman in love with a good-looking douche bag. On one of the first nights of rehearsal, Emily told us that her birthday was today. When I asked her favorite variety of cupcake, she replied without missing a beat: "Red velvet." My mom had been raving about some Red Velvet Cupcakes she had whipped up a few months ago, so I took this as the perfect opportunity to get myself back into the kitchen and try out the recipe. I made a couple of changes to my mom's recipe based on what was on hand in Dan's kitchen. They came out great. Fingers crossed that Emily will like eating this birthday surprise as much as we liked baking them!

Ingredients

- 2 1/2 c. flour

- 1 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 1/2 c. vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp. red food coloring
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 c. room temperature buttermilk
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 Tsp. vanilla, divided
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 c. or so of powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin tins with 24 paper liners and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

In another bowl combine vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, 1 Tbsp. vanilla, food coloring, and vinegar. Blend until thoroughly combined with a hand mixer. Batter should be smooth, thick, and bright red. In two of three batches, add the dry ingredients to the buttermilk mixture. Blend thoroughly after each addition. Using a tablespoon, fill each cupcake liner with batter to 2/3 of the way full.

Bake cupcakes in oven for about 20-30 minutes until they are cooked through and slightly raised. Remove from oven and cool in pan for about 5 minutes before turning out onto a rack. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

In the meantime, go ahead . . . taste the batter. You know you want to.

When the cupcakes have cooled completely prepare the cream cheese frosting. Blend together room temperature butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add remaining Tbsp. of vanilla. Slowly add powdered sugar to the mixture about a cup at a time and blend after each addition until the frosting has reached the desired consistency. Carefully frost each cupcake with a butter knife or off-set spatula. Yum. Enjoy eating and sharing these tasty little treats!