Recipe Review: Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Recipe: Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Source: Smitten Kitten

Rating out of 5:



I like drinking whiskey, but I don't usually like alcohol flavored foods. I didn't dislike the cupcakes. The cake itself was delicious, with a very subtle hint of beer. But as a whole these really weren't my thing. The high rating is mostly for the quality of the end product, everything worked together to make what I felt was a complex, rich taste. I made these for the local pub, and everyone liked them (even though I know people will eat anything when their drunk, I'd like to think they genuinely enjoyed em!).

The recipe states that it should make 20-24 cupcakes. I got 30, with two or three coming out especially tiny. I followed the recipe exactly and found I only needed 3 cups of confectioners sugar for the frosting. Before I added the Baily's to the buttercream I was worried because the frosting was no longer creamy, but was clumping together and didn't resemble frosting at all. Once I added the 3 tablespoons of Baily's though the consistency was perfect. As is, the recipe makes just enough frosting to cover the cupcakes, which in my opinion works for the flavors involved. If you want more you should double the frosting recipe, and if your not a fan of Baily's you can substitute it with milk (as Smitten Kitchen suggests if your making these for folks who don't drink often). The whiskey I used for the ganache was Tullamore Dew.

I've reprinted the recipe here, and changed some of the wording in the directions.

Do ahead: You can bake the cupcakes a week or two in advance and store them well wrapped in the freezer. You can also fill them before you freeze them. They also keep filled, or filled and frosted, in the fridge for a day. (Longer, they will start to get stale.)

Makes 20 to 30 cupcakes

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

The Cupcakes:
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Baileys Frosting:
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)

Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)

Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in large bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes- I did ended up stirring every 10 minutes for 30 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
















Make the frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time (this wonderful technique means less of a chance of getting grainy frosting, and also requires less sugar).

When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.

Ice and decorate the cupcakes. I dyed them green but, obviously, didn't concern myself too much with their appearence. Smitten Kitchen made little "poofs" with a tip, which you can do as well, though I'm not such a fan of that either.




Not bad, considering this was my first time making cupcakes with a filling!

Recipe Review: Almond Crescents

Recipe: Almond Crescents
Source: Good Housekeeping Best-Loved Desserts
Rating out of 5:




Makes about 72 cookies
1 cup blanched whole almonds, lightly toasted (this was my first time blanching almonds, I put the almonds in a shallow dish like the one pictured, and covered them in boiling water for 2 minutes. Then I rubbed the skin off with my fingers. Tedious, but it works)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks softened butter (NOT margarine)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 confectioners sugar

In a food processor with a knife blade attached, pulse the almonds, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and salt till almonds are very finely ground (if you don't have a food processor, putting all the ingredients in a zip-lock bag and smashing them with a hammer seems to work just fine).
With your mixer on low speed, beat butter and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar till blended, occasionally scraping the bowl with a spatula. Increase speed to high, beating till light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour, ground almond mixture, almond extract, and vanilla and beat till blended. Divide dough in half, wrap each piece and refrigerate till dough is firm enough handle, about 1 hour, or freeze about 30 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Working with one piece of dough at a time, with lightly floured hands, shape rounded teaspoons of dough into 2-inch by 1/2-inch crescents. Place crescents, 1-inch apart, on two un-greased cookie sheets (I googled which "side", so to speak, the crescents should be baked on, and the consensus seemed to be that they get placed pointed side down)
Bake till edges are lightly browned, about 20 minutes, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower over racks halfway through. With a spatula transfer the cookies to wire racks set over wax paper (I skipped this and put them straight into the confectioners sugar). Immediately dust cookies with confectioners sugar until well coated; cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. (I roll my cookies in a shallow bowl filled with confectioners sugar, so I get a sweeter, less elegant looking cookie, which I'm fine with).


I know some of you are thinking, "Those don't look like crescents!", and your right, they're not. This was my first time making crescent shaped anythings, and it was during my Christmas baking rush, so time was not something I had to spare. I did the best I could, this is how they came out, if you can do better I would love to be told how ;)

Being misshapen doesn't make them any less delicious though, these are some seriously good cookies. Definitely a new favorite, and something that will be added as a standard to my Christmas baking routine.
The double-almond flavor is intense but no where near over-powering. Some people find that anything covered in confectioners sugar tastes somewhat dry, I think this is why in Good Housekeeping's book they are pictured next to a cup of tea. Its a good idea to have a beverage of some kind on hand when serving them.

One great thing about this recipe is that it can be easily adapted to include other nuts, the book gives three suggestions:
Walnut or pecan crescents:
Substitute 1 cup walnuts or pecans (not toasted) for almonds and omit almond extract.
Hazelnut crescents:
Substitute 1 cup toasted, skinned hazelnuts (filberts) for almonds and omit almond extract.

Recipe Review: PJ's Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Recipe: PJ's Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Source: kingarthurflour.com

Rating out of 5:




This is the first "real" bread I've ever made. It was decent, and baking it went smoothly, but it needs lots more cinnamon flavor. The commenter on the recipe said they tripled the amount of cinnamon and sugar and had no problems with the bread falling apart, so I might try that next time (and I'd suggest you do too).
I also added butter to the rolled out dough before adding the cinnamon and sugar, as this is what I'm used to and its what I've seen with most cinnamon bread recipes. I was actually pretty surprised to not see it included. The bread came out a little dry because it was slightly over-baked, I had placed it too far towards the back of the oven, so just make sure to keep an eye on it!

Makes 1 loaf:
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water
1 tablespoon cinnamon mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar (or 3 tablespoons cinnamon & 3 tablespoons sugar)

Manual/Mixer Method: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, or with your electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients (except the cinnamon-sugar) and using your hands, a spoon, or your mixer, mix until they form a shaggy mass that begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Let the mixture rest, covered, for 20 minutes.

Knead the dough, by hand or mixer, for about 8 minutes, till it's become fairly smooth, adding additional water or flour if necessary. Knead for an additional 2 minutes or so, if you're kneading by hand and you feel the dough isn't quite smooth enough. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise until it's noticeably puffy, about 1 hour.

Bread Machine Method: Put all of the ingredients (except the cinnamon-sugar) into the bucket of your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer, program the machine for dough or manual, and press Start. Examine the dough about midway through the kneading cycle; it should be smooth, not gnarly. Adjust the consistency with additional water or flour, as needed. Allow the machine to complete its cycle.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and let it rest for 5 minutes. Pat or roll it into an 8 x 15-inch rectangle, (this is where I added about 2-3 tablespoons of softened butter to the surface of the dough) and sprinkle it evenly with the cinnamon-sugar. Starting with a short end, roll the dough into a tight log. Tuck the ends under, and place the loaf, seam side down, in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch bread pan. Drape the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap (or cover it with an acrylic dough-rising cover), and let the dough rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or till it's risen about 1 inch over the top of the pan.



Bake the bread in a preheated 375°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until it tests done. Tent the bread with aluminum foil the final 10 minutes of baking, if it's getting too brown. Remove the bread from the pan and cool it completely on a wire rack.

Recipe Review: Pecan Sandies

Recipe: Pecan Sandies

Source: Christmas Cookies: 50 Recipes to Treasure for the Holiday Season

Overall rating out of 5:







3/4 cup pecans toasted and cooled
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups flour

Process the toasted pecans in a food processor until finely chopped, but not finely ground, or chop them using a chef's knife.
With an electric mixer beat the butter till creamy. Add the sugar and beat till blended. Beat in the egg yolk, then the vanilla and salt. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the pecans, then the flour until just fully combined and the dough starts to come together. Using your hands or a spatula gather the dough into a ball, then divide the ball in half.
Work with one half of dough at a time. On a lightly floured surface shape it into a log, rolling it back and forth to form a cylinder about 8 1/2 inches long and 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Roll up the log in plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Repeat with the remaining dough. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or till very firm. The logs can be left in the fridge up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
With one log at a time cut the dough into 1/3 inch thick slices, placing them about 1 1/2 inches apart.
Bake for 15-17 minutes or till golden brown around the edges. Then place the cookies on a rack to cool.
Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days. Makes about 45 cookies.


This, unlike the Apple Pecan Quick Bread, does not taste better than it looks. No surprises here, this cookie, at least for me, came out crappy. Despite the pecans the cookie is basically tasteless. They also don't resemble the photo of the cookies in the books example. Their shape and consistency are like the Pillsbury cut and bake tubes of cookie dough you find in the supermarket (though with less give).
The directions say to cut each cookie to be 1/3 of an inch, however the cookies in the photo looked much thinner, so some of the cookies were cut to be 1/4 of an inch, but even the thinner cookies didn't come out right. One possibility is that they were left in my fridge longer than four hours, though the recipe says the logs can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, which was how long I left mine in. However, if your going to try the recipe I'd advise you to use the dough in four hours, since I'm not sure what else could have effected the finished product so much.

Recipe Review: Magnolia's Apple Pecan Quick-Bread

Recipe: Apple Pecan Quick Bread

Source: The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

Overall rating out of 5:




OK, I know this bread doesn't seem impressive, but it definitely tastes better than it looks. A friend asked me what "quick bread" actually is, and Wiki tells me its: "a type of bread which is leavened with chemical leaveners such as baking powder, sodium bicarbonate, or cream of tartar" (as opposed to yeast that takes hours to rise).

The book suggests replacing half of the apples with cranberries if you want more of a tart flavor.

Makes 1 loaf:
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup orange juice (I left this out)
5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped Golden Delicious apples
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, making a well in the center. Set aside. Stir in the liquid ingredients till just combined, do not over mix. Gently stir in the apples and pecans. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or till a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Don't over bake.


Since I omitted the orange juice, the bread was undoubtably more dry than it would have been, I didn't have to "pour" in the batter. When I pulled it out of the oven I lowered any expectations I had, and was very surprised to have it taste so well. The bread itself tastes somewhat similar to Irish soda bread, the apples add sweetness and the pecans counter them nicely. Its a little crumbly, so next time I'll definitely add the orange juice. Its a quick yummy snack, perfect for breakfast too.

Even More Holiday Blog Posts

Fork in the Road shows us how candy canes are made, as well as more last minute gift ideas for your foodie friends.

Serious Eats gives a run down of their favorite cookie recipes complete with a slideshow.

The Skinny Pig has lactose/gluten free holiday recipes.

Jen's Rockaway Cookie Recipe

Rockaways: Where Sweet Meets the Pavement! (makes about 70 cookies)
by Jen Wanous for the 2009 Cookie Takedown
jjwanous@yahoo.com

1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup cane sugar
2 sticks of butter
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cups non fat dry milk
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch or peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chopped stick pretzels
1/2 cup tiny marshmallows

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together the butter & sugars. Add eggs & vanilla. Mix in the flour, salt, milk, baking powder and baking soda. Add chocolate chips, butterscotch/peanut butter chips, marshmallows and pretzels. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Recipe Review: Beet-Red Velvet Cake

The history of red velvet cake is pretty sketchy. No one seems to know exactly where it originated from, though the consensus seems to be that its a Southern dessert. Some people claim that "traditional" red velvet cake was made with beets instead of red food coloring. Whether this is true or not, its an interesting alternative for those of you who don't want to use the 4-6 tablespoons of red food coloring your usual recipe requires (having to explain to your guests that no, they are not anally bleeding, isn't as fun as it sounds).

I bought two beets, wrapped them in foil, baked them in the oven for 90 minutes, cut them into thin slices, and pureed them in a blender. I used this recipe (the recipe is for a layer cake, but I used it for cupcakes instead):

3 1/4 c. cake flour (or all-purpose)
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 c. canola oil
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. pureed roasted beets (about 2 large beets, or 3 small ones)
3 large eggs
1-6 tablespoons red food coloring
1 T. water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
1 tsp vinegar
1/4 cup melted dark chocolate (I omitted this)

Preheat oven to 350
Cooking time for cake: 30-35 minutes
Cooking time for cupcakes: 20-25 minutes
If your making a cake, grease three 9" round cake pans, line with parchment, grease the parchment and then dust with cocoa powder. If your making cupcakes put cupcake liners in your pan.
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Mix together canola oil, sugar and beets on low speed. Add eggs one at a time, and beat until well mixed. Add red food coloring and vanilla to oil mixture. In a separate bowl add the vinegar to the buttermilk. Then alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Finally mix in the melted dark chocolate. Bake until the cake springs back when you lightly touch it (or when toothpick inserted into center comes out clean). Cool ten minutes, then remove from pan and continue cooling on a wire rack. Frost.

Overall rating out of 5:



Terrible. This is not red velvet cake. This is chocolate beet cake, which I guess is fine if that's what you want. Even though I didn't add in all that melted dark chocolate, the chocolate was strong and very bitter (far too bitter). The consistency was oddly chewy. They didn't even smell good when I took them out of the oven. The color was more of a brown than a red, which I expected. I didn't even bother to frost them.

I definitely want to try this again, but with a different recipe next time.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes!

Via Cupcakes Take the Cake.

OK, I have not tried this yet, however I was too exited not to post it.

The original recipe is here.
Step by step photos are here.

If anyone tries this recipe I would love to hear how it comes out!

Original photo can be found here.

Recipe Review Update: Sweet Potato Pie

In October I made my first sweet potato pie and it came out fantastic (link at the bottom). So my roommate came to me with a request for Thanksgiving- could I make three pies? Sure! I think.

I used the same filling recipe as before from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, but this time I also used their crust:

Recipe for Magnolia's Sweet Potato Pie Crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2-4 tablespoons ice water

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, place the flour, the sugar and the salt, and using a pastry blender (I cut in the butter with two knives- not an easy task, especially when repeated three times in a row), cut in the butter until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle the ice water by tablespoons over the flour mix, tossing with a fork till all the dough is moistened. Form dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to fit a 9-inch glass pie plate (I roll mine out to 10-12 inches). Fold the edges under all around the rim and crimp.
Cover the shell with foil (I also coat the foil with a small amount of butter) and line the foil with pie weights (I used two or three measuring cups filled with raw rice, which can be reused). Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully take out the weights and the foil. Cool on wire rack. Turn oven down to 350 degrees.


There were two issues: I only have two pie plates, and I only have enough fresh sweet potatoes for two pies. The pie for me & my roommate is going to be the experimental one, I used a cake pan and two cans of sweet potatoes instead of fresh ones (which the recipe actually says you can do- just be sure to drain them!). I also used 1 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon for all the pies.

The verdict:
There doesn't seem to be any difference between the two pie crusts I used, Magnolia's might just be a wee bit harder to roll out thin.
However, canned sweet potatoes do not work well in this recipe. Or at least, not as well. You notice in a difference in color before and after baking. Even the texture is off, its a touch more moist. The taste is slightly sweeter, but its missing that goodness that reaches inside of you to stroke your soul- I don't know how else to explain it.

Related post: Recipe Review: Sweet Potato Pie

Recipe: Lucy's Apple Pie

This is my recipe, at least the filling is. Its actually a 'family' recipe, passed on to me.

This was my first time making a lattice crust. Its not nearly as hard as it looks! I printed out directions from Simply Recipes. The crust came from "Good Housekeeping Best-Loved Desserts".


Lucy's Apple Pie Filling:
4 Gala apples (or 2 Gala & 2 Golden Delicious for a slightly less sweet taste)
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon (you can substitute cinnamon sugar if you like)
dash of salt
In a large bowl mix dry ingredients. Peel and core apples, slice each slice in half (the long way) and then chop those two slices across three times (this way you get 6 pieces from each cored section-I like my apple pieces small so adjust for your own tastes). Add the apples to the dry mix and coat them well with your hands (about 1 minute). Put the apples in a strainer and let them sit for 1 hour.

Crust:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold butter or margarine cut into pieces
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
4-6 tablespoons of ice water
In a large bowl whisk flour and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives used scissor-fashion, cut in butter and shortening till mix resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with a fork after each addition, till dough is just moist enough to hold together. Shape dough into 2 disks, one slightly larger than the other. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight (if you leave it in over night let it stand for 30 minutes before rolling).
On a lightly floured surface with a flour rolling pin, roll larger disk of dough into 12-inch round. Put crust onto pie plate, pressing dough against side of plate. Trim edge, leaving about 1 inch over hang. (I also poked a few holes in the bottom of my pie crust with a fork). Spoon filling into crust.
[From here I followed the directions for a lattice pie crust from Simply Recipes.]
Roll remaining disk of dough into 12 inch round. Cut 3/4 inch circle out of center and cut 1 inch slits. Fold overhang under, make decorative edge. Bake as directed (I'd guess preheat the oven to 425 and bake for 35-40 minutes).

I also brushed some egg wash on top of the pie before I baked it. I only found out recently that the egg wash is what gives the pie that golden brown color. Its easy to make, you just whisk together an egg and a tablespoon of water, then brush the liquid onto your pie.


Overall rating out of 5:



The crust came out a bit over-done; cutting a piece doesn't go so smoothly. I baked it at 450, which is why in the recipe above I suggest a lower temperature, especially if your using a glass pie dish (like I was). I want to say I wouldn't be a huge fan of the crust anyway since the parts that were not overdone weren't especially delicious, but I feel like I wouldn't be giving the recipe a fair shot.

Of course I love the filling, its mine! Very sweet. My serving suggestion is to serve it warm with vanilla ice cream- without it its like the pie is incomplete, a totally different food. I also eat it alone, because its an experience.

Recipe Review: Jack o' Lantern Cupcakes

This recipe came from Crazy About Cupcakes. I love this book, their caramel apple cupcakes are are one of my favorite things ever. My only issue with the book is that the recipes rarely come out to 24 cupcakes. With the apple recipe I can usually get 18. With this recipe I got 24 but many of the cupcakes were only half filled once they had cooled.
The cupcakes are pumpkin flavored, with vanilla and chocolate frosting.
The directions were changed slightly into my own words.

Pumpkin Cupcakes:
1 stick of butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (I only had light brown)
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Insert liners into cupcake pan.
With a mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar till fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Add the dry mix to the creamed mix, alternating with milk. Mix till integrated.
Add the pumpkin and vanilla, beat till smooth.
Fill the liners one half to three quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan.

Chocolate Frosting:
6 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
Black coloring gel
With a mixer on low to medium speed, cream together the butter and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine confectioners sugar, sugar, and cocoa. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mix till fully integrated. Slowly add the milk to the frosting till you've reached the desired consistency. You might not use all of the milk (I didn't). Beat in the mixer for 1 minute or until creamy. Add black coloring gel and mix till you reach desired color.

Vanilla Frosting:
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 stick of butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
Orange food coloring
With a mixer gradually add the sugar to the softened butter. Stir in the vanilla and milk, beat until smooth and spreadable. Add a little more milk or sugar as needed. Add orange food coloring.

Frost the cooled cupcakes with the orange frosting. From here the recipe instructs to "with a knife, rough out jack o lantern faces with black frosting. Clean up the edges with the toothpick". I tried this without much success. Instead I just used a toothpick, dipping it into the chocolate and 'tapping' it onto the cupcakes.

The cupcakes are pretty good, they have a mild pumpkin flavor. The frosting is very sweet, but its missing something that would make it more than just decent. The cake and frosting don't blend very well together though, and that was the thing I disliked the most.

Overall rating out of 5:

Recipe Review: Sweet Potato Pie

I had my first taste of sweet potato pie ever earlier this month, at Little Pie Company. Amazing. I can't wait to go back and give them a proper review. Their delicious mini pie inspired me to make my own.

I used the filling recipe from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick of cold butter cut up small
2-3 tablespoons of ice water

Filling:
Half a stick of butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups mashed sweet potato, well drained
2 eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon salt

I used two fresh sweet potatoes, peeled, cut up small, boiled, drained, and then mashed.
I would also suggest using a full teaspoon of cinnamon, maybe even a teaspoon and a half, if you like a stronger cinnamon flavor.

I used a different but similar recipe for the crust. I also don't own a food processor or a pastry blender, but my regular blender seemed to work just fine (if your using a regular blender I would suggest cutting your butter into tablespoons)
The directions are adapted to my own own words and are slightly altered.


Directions
Crust:
Place flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. With a pastry blender cut in the butter until pieces are pea sized. Sprinkle the ice water over the flour mix in tablespoons, tossing with a fork until the dough is moistened. Form dough into a ball. On a slightly floured surface, roll out the dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Bring dough to pie plate, poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork, and fold the edges under around the rim and crimp.

Cut a piece of fin foil big enough to cover your pie. Coat it with about half a tablespoon of butter. Place the tin foil over the pie and press the buttered area down. If you have pie weights place them on top of the foil. I used two measuring cups filled with raw rice (you can re-use the rice for this purpose in the future). Bake for 10 minutes, then take the pie crust out of the oven. Take off the weights and foil. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and put pie crust back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Take out and cool.

Filling:
With a mixer, combine the butter, sugar, and brown sugar on a low speed until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the sweet potatoes, the eggs, milk, and bourbon. Beat till well combined. Add the vanilla and spices, mix well. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 45-55 minutes, until filling is set or a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool pie for half an hour before serving.


The recipe does not mention how to store the pie. If your not serving it immediately or within the next few hours, I would put it in the fridge, covered (this is what I did). Before serving let it warm to room temperature (unless you like it cold as some folks do).

The verdict? Delicious! I could use a stronger flavor, maybe slightly more cinnamon and nutmeg, but otherwise the taste is excellent. The texture could use just a little work, though I'm almost positive this is my fault- I don't think my butter was softened enough. Don't skip the bourbon! The taste comes through and gives it the perfect bite.

Overall rating out of 5: