Saturday, February 27, 2010

Cupcake Week Continues: Deep Chocolate Cupcakes

Final entry for cupcake week!

My family celebrates birthdays. Everyone gets a birthday party: even the adults. When you were a child, you had two parties: the ‘kid’ party for your friends on a Saturday and the family party, usually on the Sunday closest to your birthday.

My mother bakes so we always had a homemade cake. I remember being envious of my friends who had a cake from the grocery store or the bakery. As an adult, I went through a period where I only served Merrill’s cakes (their bakery was in Newburyport, Mass. – anyone else remember their yummy chocolate, lemon, and carrot cakes??). When we moved from Beverly, Mass. to South Dartmouth, I bought half a dozen cakes for my freezer.

When Allison was born I started baking cakes again, serving them at both her kids and family birthday parties. It was then I discovered that some of her friends had never had a homemade birthday cake… how times change.

I now often make birthday cakes or cupcakes for my friends. I enjoy the act of baking (the frosting part, not so much). And, when you give the cake away it isn’t sitting in your house, calling out for you to eat it!

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake or Cupcakes
From the Hershey’s cocoa box

1 ¾” cup flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cup Hershey’s cocoa
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Combine dry ingredients.
2. Add remaining ingredients except boiling water.
3. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).
5. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9” or 3, 8” layer pans, or 1, 13” x 9” pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees, 30-35 minutes for layers, 35-40 minutes for pan
7. If making cupcakes, spoon ¼ cup batter into cupcake tins.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
9. Remove from oven, cool 10 minutes on wire rack.
10. Remove from pan, let cool completely before frosting.

One Bowl Buttercream Frosting

6 Tbsp butter
Hershey’s Cocoa – 1/3 cup for light flavor
½ cup for medium flavor
¾ cup for dark flavor
2 2/3 cups unsifted confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

1. Cream butter in small mixer bowl.
2. Add cocoa and confectioners’ sugar alternately with milk; beat to spreading consistency (additional tablespoon milk may be needed).
3. Blend in vanilla.
4. Makes about 2 cups frosting.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Queen Cake Cupcakes

Cupcake week continues....

I discovered this recipe in my grandmother’s recipe box after offering to bake a birthday cake for a close friend. The request was for a yellow cake; at the time my repertoire did not include a favorite yellow cake recipe. Finding this recipe was a happy accident; it is now one of my favorites.

The first time I baked this cake brought back memories of birthday parties at my grandmother’s house. Lots of kids from the neighborhood sitting around the table for the ‘kid’ party, and aunts, uncles, and cousins for the family party. A favorite tradition was baking foil wrapped coins in the cake. This lasted for a time, until family members started fighting for pieces with dimes instead of nickels or pennies….

I made this recipe as cupcakes this past weekend. Bill and I were going to a birthday party and he has given up chocolate for Lent. It makes a great cupcake; nice texture and good with or without frosting.

Makes approximately 20 cupcakes.

½ cup shortening (I use butter)
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs unbeaten
2 cups flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Cream butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla in mixer.
3. Add eggs, beat until well mixed in.
4. Add flour, baking powder, and milk; mix well.
5. Fill muffin cups with scant ¼ cup batter.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in the center of cupcakes comes out clean.
7. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5-10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.
8. Frost with favorite frosting.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Red Velvet Cupcakes

February brings Valentine’s Day and birthdays, and often Mardi Gras. This past Valentine’s Day Bill and I had the honor of watching the Pass Christian, Mississippi Mardi Gras parade with family and our new friend Sandra, whose home was on the parade route. It was also Sandra’s birthday, and one of her friends sent the most delicious Red Velvet Cake with cream cheese frosting.

Last night, Bill and I celebrated the birthdays of three friends who are more like family to me. To honor their special days I made red velvet cupcakes and Queen cake cupcakes. Check this blog later in the week for the Queen cake recipe.

Makes: 24
Active: 40 minutes/Total: 2 ½ hr includes cooling

Batter
1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) butter, softened
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
2 Tbsp (1 oz) liquid red food coloring
2 tsp white vinegar
2 ½ cups flour (not self-rising)

* to make sour milk, add 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar in a 1 cup measuring cup; fill with milk and stir. Let set 5 minutes before using.

Frosting
2 8 oz bricks cream cheese, softened
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Garnish: colored sugar or heart or flower shaped decors

Cupcakes
1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Place 24 regular size (2 ½” diameter) muffin cups in cupcake pans.
3. In large bowl with mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla 2 minutes until creamy.
4. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time.
5. Stir buttermilk, food coloring, and vinegar in a 2 cup measure until well blended.
6. With mixer on low speed, beat in flour in 3 additions, alternating with milk mixture in 2 additions, beating until just blended.
7. Spoon a scant ¼ cup batter in each cup.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes until a wood pick in the center of cupcakes comes out clean.
9. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5-10 minutes, then remove from pan to rack.
10. Cool completely.

Frosting**
1. Beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
2. On low speed, add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Increase speed to high and beat until smooth and fluffy.
3. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with decorations.
4. Refrigerate until serving
** Short on time? Use your favorite store bought frosting.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Vegetarian Chili

This is my favorite fall/winter ‘party’ recipe. Whether it is our annual Thanksgiving Turkey Lope* or a Christmas or Super Bowl party, this easy recipe is on the menu. Sometimes I make it the day of the party; othertimes I'll make it the day before. I usually serve it with cornbread and a green salad flavored with citrus fruit, dried cranberries, and nuts.

Modified from a recipe in Molly Katzen’s Moosewood Cookbook, I add or subtract vegetables based on what I have on hand. I often cook it in my grandmother’s cast iron dutch oven or, if I want to be less hands on, I dump all the ingredients in my 1970s crockpot.

6-8 Servings (This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd.)

2 ½ cups kidney beans
1 cup raw bulgher
1 cup tomato juice
4 cloves crushed garlic

1 cup each, chopped:
  • Celery
  • Carrots
  • Green peppers



  • 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
    Juice of ½ lemon
    1 tsp. ground cumin
    1 tsp. basil
    1 tsp. chili powder (more, to taste)
    Salt and pepper
    3 Tbsp. tomato paste
    3 Tbsp. dry red wine
    Dash of cayenne (more, to taste)
    Olive oil for sauté (about 3 Tbsp.)

    Heat tomato juice to a boil. Pour over raw bulgher. Cover and let stand for at least 15 minutes. (It will be crunchy, so it can absorb more later.)

    Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil. Add carrots, celery, and spices. When vegetables are almost done, add peppers. Cook until tender.

    Combine all ingredients and heat together gently – either in pan on stove top or covered, in a moderate oven.

    Serve topped with cheese, parsley, and sour cream.

    *What's a Turkey Lope? It’s the Davidge’s annual three to five mile run with Bill or a two mile walk with Nancy to enjoy the beauty of Marblehead before a casual dinner with family and friends.