Month: August 2011

Pink & Blue Mini Cupcakes

One of my former co-workers is expecting a baby in early October (hi, Jenny!). Our former boss hosted a cookout last week and I decided to make mini cupcakes for dessert — with a baby girl/baby boy theme! The mom-to-be is going to have a delivery surprise, so we were all making bets as to whether she’s carrying a boy or girl (I predict a girl). These cupcakes were a breeze to make, as I used a chocolate box mix for the cupcake. I bought the pressed sugars at Vanilla Bean and used my favorite icing recipe in the whole wide world. I dyed half pink and half blue — and used a large round tip to pipe the icing onto each mini cupcake.

White Buttercream Icing
Recipe source: therepressedpastrychef.blogspot.com
1 stick salted butter – room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter – room temperature
1 cup shortening
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract**
2 pounds confectioner’s sugar
4-6 tablespoons very cold milk
(The CLEAR extract is very important if you want WHITE buttercream. Most buttercream tends to have a yellow-ish tint if you use real vanilla extract)

1. Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer.
2. Add the clear vanilla extract and combine well.
3. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition.
4. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold milk… one tablespoon at a time, combining very well after each addition (mixer on medium-high to high speed) until you reach the desired consistency.

Farm Cake

My friend (and cake decorating partner-in-crime) Meghan and I wanted to make a Thank You cake for the assistant director of our graduate program. Barb has been part mother, part friend, part problem-solver, part chocolate supplier, and a constant and unwavering source of support as we went through the MPH program. In short, we love Barb.

We didn’t know what the theme of the cake should be, but then we realized that a) we are in Wisconsin b) it’s August and c) Barb’s daughters show cows at the fair. All three of those things added up to a farm cake! Here are some details about how we made the cake.

  • The cake was chocolate — made using the enhanced box-mix recipe!
  • I used a 9″ pan for the bottom tier and a 6″ pan for the top.
  • The chocolate “stones” surrounding the pond were purchased at Vanilla Bean.
  • All of the detailing — from the bandanna ribbon to the farm animals — were made out of fondant. Meghan made all the animals, using the Wilton 2009 Yearbook as a guide.
  • We got the barn to stand up by placing a cake dowel into the top tier — and then propped the flat barn up against it.
  • Speaking of cake dowels — make sure to always use them when making cakes with two or more tiers!
  • The green grass is frosting piped out of a Wilton tip (#233 or #234)

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Corn Dog Muffins

Ahh, August. The month of state and county fairs here in the Midwest and throughout the country. I visited my local county fair a few weeks ago and debated trying a fried Oreo or fried beer (yes, fried beer). But my years in microbiology & public health made me rethink eating anything sold in a hut next to a livestock barn. Corn dogs are a staple of the fair and everybody’s guilty pleasure. C’mon. You know you love them.

I found a recipe for corn dog muffins on Pinterest. Pinterest is my new favorite website — it’s a digital bulletin board of sorts. Totally awesome. I’ve made a vow to actually make some of the things I pin — and here’s the first adventure: corn dog muffins! They were delicious — and the extras are very easy to freeze and store for the coming fall and winter months!

Corn Dog Muffins
Recipe adapted from: Heavenly Homemakers
Print Recipe

2 cups cornmeal (I used yellow cornmeal, though I’m sure white would also work)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 eggs
4 Tablespoons honey
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups buttermilk
8 hot dogs, cut into thirds

1. Preheat oven to 400F and line two muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Stir together dry ingredients. Add eggs, honey, butter, and buttermilk. Stir until just mixed.
3. Spoon a spoonful of batter into each cup, place a hot dog piece on top, and cover with a few more spoonfuls of batter. The cups should be about 2/3 full when you put them in the oven.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 24 muffins.

*Note: The first twelve muffins I made, I filled the muffin cups 2/3 full of batter and then placed the hot dog piece on top. That’s why you can see the hot dog piece in some of the muffins in the photo above. On the second group, I tried to hide the hot dog piece by using the method listed in step 3.

Neapolitan Bundt Cake

I’m baaaack! Aside from yesterday’s post, it’s been a while since I’ve posted and for that, I apologize! Summer is always a busy season and I’m not in the kitchen as much as I’d like to be. I was browsing around on Tumblr & Pinterest (seriously, two of my absolute favorite sites!) and found a photo of neapolitan marshmallows. I swoon over anything neapolitan — pretty color palette and a perfect combination of flavors. I don’t, however, love marshmallows. Then I remembered that I had this bundt cake recipe bookmarked for ages and thought I would give it a try. It’s a relatively easy homemade cake (no box mixes this time!) – and baking it in a bundt pan makes it even more simple!

Neapolitan Bundt Cake
Recipe source: See You in the Morning
Print Recipe

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2-1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
16 oz sour cream
2 tsp vanilla

For chocolate swirl:
6 oz dark chocolate (60-72% cacao), chopped (I used 6 oz. Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips)
1 tsp unsweetened dark cocoa powder

For strawberry swirl:
1/2 cup diced strawberries
1 tbsp strawberry preserves
A few drops of pink or red coloring

1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 10-inch bundt pan with non-stick spray.
2. Make chocolate swirl: In the top of a double boiler over simmering water or in microwave, melt the chocolate. When it’s completely smooth, add the cocoa powder and stir. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth. Scrape down the sides and add the sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down bowl and mix. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until just incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions. Do not overmix!
5. Pour 1/3 of batter into the chocolate and combine.
6. Fold strawberries and preserves into another 1/3 of batter.
7. Plop large spoonfuls of 3 batters into pan, then use a butter knife to pull through the layers and make swirls.
8. Bake in the center of the oven for about an hour, rotating halfway through. Let cake cool in the pan for a bit and then invert on a wire rack to cool completely. Add a dusting of powdered sugar to the top if you’d like!

Peanut Butter Pie

I currently follow about two hundred baking/food blogs on my Google Reader. One of those blogs belongs to Jennifer Perillo. Jennifer lost her husband Mike last week due to a massive and sudden heart attack. He left behind Jennifer and their two daughters. She posted a simple and heartwrenching message on Twitter: “He’s gone.” My heart is broken for her.

Twitter and Facebook immediately exploded with an outpouring of love and support. Jennifer asked that everyone make a peanut butter pie for someone they love — as it was something she was going to do for Mike, but life kept getting in the way and she never found the time. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have made peanut butter pies this week — pies for the ones they love and for Mikey.

When people tease me about my love (and sometimes obsession) with social media, I love that I can point to instances like this to show the immense good that can come from it. So many people, many of which never knew or spoke to Jennifer, are helping her grieve.

If you are on Twitter, be sure to check the #apieformikey hashtag. You will be inspired by the outpouring of support. The food blogging community isn’t perfect and we don’t always get along flawlessly, but I am proud to be a part of a group that always joins together, without abandon, when someone needs help.

So hug the ones you love extra tight today & make a peanut butter pie.

Yield: About 8 slices of pie

Peanut Butter Pie

Peanut Butter Pie

Rich, creamy, peanut butter-y perfection!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 25 Oreo cookies
  • 4 Tablespoons butter, melted

For the filling:

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1-1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 8 oz Cool Whip, thawed

Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350F.

    2. Crush the Oreos in a food processor until they are crumbs. Pour the melted butter over the Oreo crumbs and stir with a fork to combine. Press into a pie pan and bake for 5-7 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

    3. Beat the peanut butter with the cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add in the thawed Cool Whip and mix, scraping the sides as needed.

    4. Pour the filling into the crust, evening out the top with a spatula. Chill for at least 1 hour prior to serving. Top with chocolate chips or crushed Reese’s peanut butter cups.

Notes

Your yield will depend on how big or small you cut your pieces of pie.

Recipe credit: The Pioneer Woman