29

Apr

Birds Nest Cupcakes

It’s really looking like Spring, isn’t it? Birds singing, puppies running, kids squealing in parks. Mesquitos biting, allergies flaring, and A/C required. But no biggie. Here’s a sunny, happy little treat for you and the KIDS in your life, whether or not they’re under 18.

Birds Nest Cupcakes
(Almond cupcakes with chocolate frosting toasted coconut and egg candies)
Adapted from Martha
Makes 24 regular size or 40 mini cupcakes

This sweet treat is simple, fun and fancy free. 

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 1/2 cups shredded coconut
1 & 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs plus 2 egg whites
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk (reg milk works, too)
2 t. almond extract
1 t. vanilla extract
Pastel candy-coated chocolate eggs or almonds

step one: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, putting racks in the middle of the oven. Line 24 muffin cups with liners. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a second bowl (or your elec. mixer), beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, almond, and vanilla, then the dry mixture. Mix until blended and smooth. At the very end, add 1/2 cup shredded coconut and mix in.

step two: Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full of batter. Bake 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the cupcakes. Let the cupcakes cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes.

step three: Prepare the quick frosting or use a jar of ready-made (I used chocolate, but if you have 7 extra minutes, it’s worth making the one below…

step four: [While the cupcakes are cooling] Toast the coconut by spreading out 2 cups of it onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes, shaking halfway through to avoid burning. NOTE: Watch this carefully, as it is VERY EASY to burn sweetened coconut in the oven. If you have extra, store in an airtight container and put on your ice cream, yogurt or oatmeal in the mornings; it’ll keep for over a month! When the coconut is toasted to your liking, put into a small bowl. Try not to eat it all.

step five: Spread 1-2 TB of frosting onto each cooled cupcake. Then either 1)dip or 2)sprinkle 1-2 TB of coconut onto each frosted cupcake. Top with one or two candy eggs and -voila!- you have Spring in a Cupcake!

Quick Frosting:

Basic Vanilla Buttercream
Barely Adapted from Billy

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
6 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
2 t. vanilla extract (clear in color if you have it)

Put the paddle attachment onto your mixer. Cream the butter until smooth, about 3 minutes. On low speed, add sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix 3 minutes or so, until light and fluffy. Spread onto cupcakes or cake.

These would be great as a gift or at a brunch, or maybe for kids to take to school (although I hear that isn’t allowed in all schools these days…). Either way, happy weekend and happy baking!!

Laurel

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL

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12

Mar

Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake

It was one of those days yesterday.

I felt sick, icky, lethargic, and literally couldn’t get out of bed until 1:30. The time change did not help. And this almost never happens.

By 5 or so, I finally felt a little better. By 7, I wanted to bake something comforting. But we were lacking, in no particular order:
eggs
butter
milk.

The trifecta ingredients to make anything baked and comforting were missing from our fridge. No problem, let’s go vegan! Joy the Baker’s simple chocolate cake is wonderful, and I spiced it up just a little, for fun. I hope you devour this cake as we are currently doing. MMM.

Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake
Slightly adapted from Joy 

This cake is made for people who don’t have the time or energy to run to the store for ingredients. It is simple, chocolaty and delicious…enough that my husband didn’t even know it was vegan! And he didn’t care because it is that good.

Makes 1 9-inch bundt cake or 18 cupcakes or 12 cupcakes + 1 mini cake (in a bread pan)–>I did this one
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash cinnamon
1 cup warm coffee
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (or add 1/4 cup add’l oil)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
small handful of chocolate chips (optional)

Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9-inch bundt pan with vegetable shortening and dust with cocoa powder.  Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  In a medium bowl, whisk together coffee, oil, and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients, all at once to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips and cocoa nibs, if using.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  The batter will be relatively thick.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (For cupcakes, bake 18 minutes)
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
Cake will last, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to 3 days. 

Vegan chocolate banana cakelet (shorter cake)

**If you’re feeling crazy, like I was, chop up a banana and throw it into the batter. Maybe 2 bananas, I don’t know.
 

Vegan chocolate cupcakes

Happy eating!
Laurel

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL 2 Comments

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20

Feb

Triple C Cupcakes

It has been a long, long time since I made a fun cupcake. My two cupcake cookbooks are in storage, so it was time to get creative. I dusted of my Joy of Cooking book and started with the buttermilk cake recipe and went from there.

Triple C Cupcakes
The three C’s are Coconut, Chocolate chip and Creamy frosting, making this cupcake super crazy awesome. A moist chocolate chip buttermilk cake injected with melted chocolate and topped with coconut vanilla buttercream frosting makes this cupcake an irresistible treat.

Chocolate Chip Cake batter: 2 bowls
Bowl 1: Combine…
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (or 2 1/2 cups cake flour)
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 cup white sugar
Pinch of salt

Bowl 2: Combine…
1 cup buttermilk
1 stick softened (not melted) butter
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. almond extract
2/3 cup shredded coconut (I broke this down into smaller bits in the food processor…up to you.)

Preheat the oven to 350 and line/spray 24 muffin cups.

Using a mixer (or your beefy forearms), combine the dry into the wet ingredients. Blend on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until the batter is smooth. Add in 1 cup of chocolate chips (I chopped ’em a little to go farther and to prevent them from dropping to the bottom of the cupcakes while baking.).  

Bake for 13 minutes. Remove them from the pan after a minute of cooling and let them continue to cool on a wire rack.



Coconut Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1 1/2 sticks of softened butter (I know, Paula Dean is so loving this recipe!)
1 t. almond extract
Zest of one lemon
1 pound powdered sugar (1/2 of a medium bag)
1  cup shredded coconut


In a mixer (or using bulging aching forearms and a whisk), blend butter for a few minutes, to get it nice and fluffy. Add almond extract and zest. Slowly add sugar, little by little. After a couple of minutes of blending, add the coconut.

Chocolate Middle (1 1/2 cups chocolate chips)
Easiest step…1 1/2 cups chocolate chips in a microwave-safe dish. Heat in 30-second increments in the microwave, stirring until all chips are melted.

 
Assembling the cupcake (1/2 cup shredded coconut)
When the cupcakes are cool (or not hot–I’m so impatient), core out a small circle, about 1/2 inch in diameter. Spoon the melted chocolate into the small hole. Repeat in each cupcake and let chocolate cool for 5-10 minutes.

Using a teaspoon (trust me) or a fancy tiny pastry spatula, spread 2 TB worth of frosting over the top of each cupcake. 

Top with a button-sized drop of melted chocolate and a sprinkling of coconut.

Step back and gaze at how Suzy Homemaker you are! Then devour at least two (you earned it…). 
 

Note: In the top photo of the single cupcake, I cut the cake in half horizontally and spread a layer of melted chocolate in between layers. This was messy, TOO sweet and coring out the top was better for me. However, this is an option if you like!!

WONDER why I decided to make these? Why I would torture myself with buttery-baked happiness (and not a vegan alternative)?? Lent, my friends! I’ve never given up anything for Lent, so this year I’m going to cut out sweets (except for fresh fruit). 40 days of no cookies, cakes, or cinnamon rolls. Cutting out my main indulgences (except for Real Housewives) will give me time to be still and connect…and get a little healthier. Wish me luck.


Hope your week is happy, fun, and completely FULLfilling.


Happy eating!
Laurel

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL 2 Comments

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