Metric v. US

I recently found a recipe I really want to try. Unfortunately the ingredients are listed in metric units. So I'm trying to convert it for my personal use. I'll let you know how it goes.

Wish me luck.

Cooking: Ikea Style

I saw these pictures today for the new Ikea cookbook. They are kind of pretty. I wish all my ingredients were laid out so precisely before I start cooking.

(via Carl Kleiner)

Tie-Dye Birthday

I created these for a friends birthday tonight. She is gluten intolerant so I had to go in a direction I hadn't tried before, gluten free deserts. I cheated a little on this one by using a boxed mix. I actually was looking forward to the frosting on these ones more than the cake.

The cake turned out better than I thought and I think they look pretty awesome as well. I was pleased with my effort.

For the frosting I did a simple white frosting and divided it into 4 bowls. I used a gel dye to color the frosting because I feel like the gel gives it a more vivid color and you also don't run the risk of changing the consistency of your frosting. I then put each color into the bag, trying to keep them as separate as possible. To mix it up just a little more without actually running the colors together I stuck a knife down in the bag just a few times. Then decorate away!

I'm usually not a fan of using box mixes, especially when making cupcakes from scratch is so easy. But I was short on time today and when in a rush they will do. Maybe in the near future I'll try to make a gluten free cake from scratch. But that's an adventure for another day.


(Just a note: I'll improve the pictures in the future. These first ones were all taken on my cell phone.)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

This recipe is also from Frosted!. There were parts of this recipe I liked and parts I didn't. The frosting was to die for. It tasted like a cookie. Amazing.

The filling in the center will not be in my next batch if I make these again however. It was tasty and I admit I ate some of the remaining dough but it was an odd texture for the center of a cupcake. It was too hard compared to the soft cake around it.

Overall I really did like these cupcakes and I'll probably make them again very soon.

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For the cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

For the filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2½ tsp. vanilla extract

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Lemon Ricotta Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

If you haven't noticed, I like to make cupcakes. I know there is a big cupcake craze right now around the country, but they really are a great little treat. The perfect size and so many things you can do with them!

I also made these ones for the cupcake housewarming party. I really liked them. They were a little heavier than most cupcakes I've had but at the same time they had a really light taste to them.

The original recipe from Frosted! calls for shortening in the buttercream but I tried it with the shortening with only butter and preferred the butter version. But it's your choice.

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Makes 24 cupcakes.

4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar (granulated sugar) place in food processor and make super fine
2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
2 sticks melted butter (cooled)
2 eggs
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tsp lemon extract
juice and zest from about 2 med lemons (4T juice, 2T zest)

Preheat oven 350 set rack in middle of oven

Sift together flour and baking powder. Cream eggs and sugar for 2 minutes until pale. Add in melted butter, lemon juice, zest, ricotta, and extracts and finally the flour/baking powder mixture until well mixed on medium. The dough should be smooth and silky. Stop and scrape down the sides then mix on medium for 30 more seconds.

Fill cupcakes 3/4 full and bake 20-25 minutes until tops bounce back when pressed slightly and tester comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 min. Then remove to cooling rack.

Raspberry Buttercream

1 cup butter + 1 cup shortening (or 2 cups butter)
4-6 cups powdered sugar
4T milk (if necessary)
1 cup raspberry pie filling (puree so it’s smooth before adding)
1 tsp Raspberry Extract
Dash of Salt

Cream butter and shortening together for 5 minutes. Add Raspberry Pie Filling, Raspberry Extract and Salt. Gradually add powdered sugar and milk until you reach your desired piping consistency.

Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream

This is where a lot of my baking recently started.

We had a cupcake party at our house as a housewarming party. Everyone brought some cupcakes to share. It was a fun time and we had some delicious cupcakes.

I made these wonderful chocolate Guinness cupcakes with a Bailey's Irish cream buttercream. They have been a hit. Since I made them about a month ago I've made them 2 other times.

They really are delicious.

If you are thinking that the beer is not something you want in your cake then you should give it a second chance. It makes a very rich, moist cake and doesn't at all taste like beer. The combination of the chocolate made it even better.

The best part of these cupcakes was definitely the Bailey's buttercream. I could eat it all by itself (and I might have licked the bowl a few times after).

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Ingredients (12 cupcakes)

Cupcakes
1/2 cup Guinness Stout
1 stick unsalted butter
3/8 or little less then 1/2 a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp of baking soda
3/8 or little less then 1/2 tsp of salt
1 egg
1/3 cup sour cream

Filling
4 oz bittersweet chocolate (minced/small shavings)
1/3 heavy whipping cream
1 T butter at room temperature

Buttercream
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
3 T Baileys Irish Cream (or you can substitute it with milk or heavy cream but really why would you want to?)

Cooking Directions
Prehead oven to 350°F and line muffin pan.

Making the cupcakes:
Take unsalted butter and Guinness and let simmer in a small sauce pan. When mixture is simmering, add cocoa powder and whisk thoroughly. Turn off heat and allow mixture to cool. (I stuck mine in the fridge.)
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Whisk.
In a large mixing bowl, combine egg and sour cream. Whisk until the consistency begins to look like cream.
Take Guinness mixture from fridge and combine into egg/sour cream mix bowl. Whisk. (You will start to obtain a soft creamy chocolate-y consistency here).
Add your flour mix, and continue to whisk thoroughly.
Using a large spoon, scoop mix into lined muffin pan. Place in oven and allow to bake.

Filling:
Bring heavy cream to a simmer in a small sauce pan.
Pour over bittersweet chocolate. Allow to sit for one minute, then whisk. Add in butter and continue to whisk until consistency becomes creamy.
Pipe filling into center of each cupcake.
Baileys Buttercream Frosting:
Whisk butter. Add in a few tablespoons of powdered sugar at a time and continue to whisk butter.
Once all the sugar has been used up, add in Baileys and continue to whisk. If cream becomes too thin, add in a few more tablespoons of powdered sugar.
Pipe or spread butter cream over cupcakes and serve. Or you can place it into the fridge to allow butter cream to thicken then serve.

Welcome

Well, since I've been in major bake mode lately and everyone keeps asking me for recipes or how I do certain thing I thought I would start a little blog to keep track of it all.

I honestly don't know how long I'll keep up with this but it's something fun to do for now.

So welcome to my baking blog. I'm not an excellent baker or trained in any way (except for in my mom's kitchen). I don't have much money or great tools. But I have fun and I think that's the most important thing.

Enjoy.