If you're new here, Grab the Feed RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

I decided I needed to take a short break from the cupcakes and make a grown up cake.  I keep looking through this cookbook and my mouth salivates every time I pass the recipe for Raspberry-fudge Fantasy Torte.  What the heck is a torte anyway?  I had to look it up because my mom told me this was not a Torte. I replied with “Yes huh! It says so right here!”  For those of you that don’t know, my definition of a Torte (that I have created from several sources) is a rich almost pudding like cake that usually is made with no flour, and is made with eggs, nuts or bread crumbs.  Also, it is covered in icing, especially on the sides.  That being said, I can only assume that this recipe qualifies because it is a rich cake with icing and chocolate chips on the sides?  Anyway, it’s fabulous.  And once again, I come back to the challenge of “will mine look like the picture?”   I think I did a good job, but can’t wait to perfect it!

My tips for the this recipe are:

1. Don’t move your cake to a cake plate with a lip before trying to press chocolate chips on the sides.

2. Don’t have a 4 year old nearby while trying to press the chocolate chips on the sides because many will disappear.

Enjoy!

don’t have a 4 year old nearby when pressing ch

Cake

1 box Betty Crocker Supermoist chocolate fudge cake mix

1 1/3 cups water

1/2 cup butter or margarine (softened)

3 eggs

2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Filling and Topping

3 cups whipping cream

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves

1 1/2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease bottoms and sides of 2 (8 or 9-inch)  round cake pans with shortening; lightly flour.  In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, butter and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl constantly.  Stir in 2/3 cup chocolate chips.  Pour into pans.  Bake 8-inch rounds 35-40 minutes, 9-inch rounds 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool 15 minutes. Remove from pans to cooling racks.  Cool completely.

2. In chilled large bowl, beat whipping cream and powdered sugar with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.  In medium bowl, gently stir together 1 cup of the raspberries and the preserves.  Fold in 1 1/2 cups of the whipped cream.

3. Cut each cake layer horizontally to make 2 layers.  On serving plate, place 1 layer, cut side up.  Spread with about 3/4 cup raspberry cream mixture.  Repeat with second and third layers.  Top with remaining layer.  Frost side and top of cake with remaining whipped cream.  Arrange remaining 1/2 cup raspberries over the top of cake.  Press 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips into side of cake.

Courtesy Betty Crocker, Best cupcakes and cakes magazine, March/April 2011

My husband requested a chocolate cupcake now that I’m all about the cupcake baking.  Since I can’t just make a chocolate cupcake, I found a recipe for Molten Chocolate Cupcakes.  Much better.

I guess I really wasn’t at my best when I decided to make these cupcakes.  I used the KitchenAid Mixer and forgot to lock the bowl in before I turned it on.  If that wasn’t bad enough, I hit high speed by accident. Oooops.

So try number 2 was better.  Had to start over since half of the batter covered the kitchen.  The recipe does say “serve warm”, and this is great advice because the next day they were good but, the insides are much better when it’s warm.

The recipe calls for shortening and flour instead of paper cups.  I’m not sure why but, I hate doing all that in muffin cups and I would say that my tip of the day is to use Pam with flour.  I think it even says “for baking” on the can.  It works great!

Molten Chocolate Cupcakes

Courtesy of Betty Crocker, Best cupcakes and cakes magazine March/April 2011

Cupcakes

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz.)
• 1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist devil’s food cake mix
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 vegetable oil
• 3 eggs

Frosting and Garnish

• 1 container (1 lb.) Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy chocolate frosting
• powdered sugar
• sliced fresh strawberries

1. In 1-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium-high heat until hot but not boiling.  Stir in chocolate chips until melted and mixture is smooth.  Refrigerate about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until thick.

2. Heat oven to 350 F (325 F for dark or non-stick pans). Grease 18 large muffin cups (2 3/4 x 1 1/4-inch) with shortening and lightly flour. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds.  Beat on medium speed 2 minutes.  Place 1/4 cup batter in each muffin cup. Spoon 1 Tablespoon cold chocolate mixture in center of each cup.  Bake 18-22 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.  Cool 1 minute.  Remove cupcakes from pan to parchment paper. Cool 10 minutes.  Frost with chocolate frosting. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Garnish with strawberries.  Serve warm.

My next cupcake I chose because it’s my favorite.  When I get ice cream and buy vanilla – it has to be “Vanilla BEAN”.   So, a Vanilla Bean cupcake has got to be awesome, right??!!

I now know that a Vanilla Bean is a little pricey at the grocery store.   The recipe calls for 2 and my store only carries the Spice Island brand that has only 1 bean in the jar, for about $8.00.  OK THEN!  These better be awesome I’m thinking!  And I was pleased, because they were absolutely delicious!

Scraping a vanilla bean was, hmm…interesting.  Tip for the day::  be really careful, because as I was scraping,  a huge chunk flew onto the floor and the dog ate it.  TRUE STORY.  (Then again, maybe it’s me.  Some people do call me heavy hands as I’m not always so dainty.) So, after all that scraping I hoped and believe now that a little vanilla goes along way.  There wasn’t a whole lot that came out of those two beans, but the vanilla taste was perfection, even with the dog having a taste!

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Courtesy of Betty Crocker, Best cupcakes and cakes magazine March/April 2011

Cupcakes

• 2 Vanilla Beans, each cut in half lengthwise
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 eggs

Frosting:

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• reserved 1/4 cup milk-vanilla seed mixture

1. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into microwaveable bowl; add beans to bowl.  Cover beans with 3/4 cup milk.  Microwave on High 1 minute or until mixture boils.  Let stand 15 minutes.  Remove beans, add remaining milk to warm milk mixture; stir well.  Reserve 1/4 cup milk mixture for frosting.

2.  Heat oven to 350 F (325 F for dark or non-stick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular size muffin cups.  In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  In large bowl, beat 3/4 cup butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating after each addition.  Beat 2 minutes longer.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.  On low speed, alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture, beating just until blended.  Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.  Bake 17-22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool 5 minutes.  Remove to cooling racks.  Cool completely. In large bowl, beat frosting ingredients on low speed until blended, adding 1 Tablespoon reserved milk mixture at a time.  Frost cupcakes.

Enjoy!!!

It seems to me all I hear about lately is cupcakes. I’m in the grocery store last Sunday and see this cute little cupcake on the cover of a mini-cupcake magazine at the check out. Actually, It caught the eye of my 4 year old first, and he has taken up an interest in everything I do in the kitchen. Why wouldn’t it? On the cover was a tie-dye cupcake. Plenty of bright colors and it looked simply delicious. So we bought it. When I got home I sat down and looked through all the recipes and each one appeared better than last. So I decided to cook my way through this cookbook. Now I’ve made cupcakes before out of a box, using the icing out of the jar, but this is going to be different. Many of these recipes are from scratch and I’m going to have to use a few new things.  Two of these new things are a pastry bag and a cupcake frosting tip.

So my first cupcake recipe is Tie-Dye Cupcakes.

This was fun to make with Kyle. The recipe was surprisingly simple, and the challenge became  ”will mine look like the picture?”  Putting the frosting in the pastry bag was not as much fun.  Icing was everywhere and I noted that when I make them again, I  would make two batches of icing.  When you split the icing into separate bowls in order to create different colors, you loose a little on the spoons, bowls and such and I’m a believer in better to have too much than not enough.  Also, I learned that when trying to place the frosting in the bag – it’s good to try and be neat about it, but when you pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, it all blends together and looks great regardless!

I think we succeeded.

• 1 box Betty Crocker Supermoist White cake mix
• water, vegtable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix box
• Betty Crocker gel food colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple)
• 2 containers (1 lb. each) Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy White frosting

1. Heat oven to 350 F (325 F for dark or non-stick pans). Place white paper baking cup in each of 24 regular size muffin cups.  Make cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes using water, vegetable oil and egg whites.  Divide batter evenly among 6 bowls.  Add a different color to each bowl.  Add 1 teaspoon of each color batter into each muffin cup, layering colors in order of the rainbow – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.  Do not stir.  Each cup will be about 1/2 full.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes. Remove to cooling rack. Cool completely.

2. Divide frosting evenly among 3 bowls. Tint 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue with food colors.  Refrigerate about 30 minutes.  In a large disposable decorating bag fitted with a #6 star tip, place spoonfuls of each color of frosting side by side in bag, alternating colors and working up from tip of bag.  Do not stir colors together.  Starting at 12 o’clock on outer edge of each cupcake and using constant pressure on bag, pipe frosting clockwise for 3 rotations, working toward center and ending in small peak.

Recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker, Best cupcakes & cakes magazine March/April 2011

Replace your food processor, blender, and coffee grinder with this convenient mixing system. Keep it handy on the countertop for instant meals and snacks – easy peasy. I think I must have it so I can make myself some yummy smoothies!

* 100-page Magic Bullet “10 Second Recipe” book included.

Available at Amazon

Pitting cherries doesn’t have to be a messy job! As soon as I saw the Cherry Chomper , I had to order one for my husband. He absolutely loves cherries (in fact, he just bought MORE) and this little gadget looks so cute! On another note, is it just me or are cherries crazy expensive?!

“The Talisman Designs Cherry Chomper is compact, fun to use, mess-free, and kid-friendly. It uses a plunger-type action that pushes the cherry pit and residual juice into the bottom container of the pitter. The protective ‘tooth’ ensures that hands and fingers won’t be touched by any of the components. Also pits olives. It stands six inches tall and is dishwasher-safe.”

Available at Amazon