Long Distance Baking Project #9!

We are back it this month with the same recipe! I got to choose this month!

I had to think a little about this recipe. It's September, which means it's fall...and the weather has been perfectly fall for the past couple of weeks. So I wanted a fall flavor, but didn't want to conflict with October's recipe (that Amber & I will get to back together!!) or with November's recipe which will undoubtedly include pumpkin. So I opted for this delightful almond/maple combo! I found this recipe at the Vanilla & Velvet blog

I'm not always the biggest fan of nuts. I rarely choose a cookie or brownie or piece of banana bread with walnuts when I can have it plain. But I do really like almonds because they are subtle. I put them in my homemade granola and they are just so tasty when covered in brown sugar & honey and on the crunchy side.

Vanilla Almond Cupcake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Vanilla Almond Cake
(Makes 12)
Cupcake Ingredients:
1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk


1. Make the almond meal. I did it by grinding almonds in my coffee grinder. It made it finer than my food processor could, but not so fine that it was flour-like.

2. Mix together flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt.

3. Beat in room temperature butter (this seems a little weird since you normal cream the butter with sugar, but it worked nicely!)

4. Add sugar and mix thoroughly.

5. Add eggs one at a time, beating between each egg. Stir in vanilla and milk until just mixed.

6. FIll each cupcake liner a little over half full.

7. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until you can stick a toothpick into the cupcake and it comes out almost clean. This was also a little weird, as cupcakes normally bake at 350 for 20 minutes. I will bake them a minute or two less next time.


Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup

Beat the cream cheese and butter until blended, then begin to add powdered sugar. Beat until cream, then add the maple syrup and beat until well combined. I frosted my using a piping bag with a large tip.

Candied Almonds
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tbls butter
2 cups sliced almonds
1 tsp vanilla

Add white sugar, butter & almonds to a med heat skillet and stir slowly and consistently until the sugar melts and the almonds turn golden brown. Keep stirring so the mixture doesn't stick to the pan. Remove from heat and add vanilla. It will sizzle and pop. Pour onto wax paper to harden. Spread as thin or as chunky as you like.

Garnish cupcake with as much as desired. YUMMY!!!

Makes 12 regular cupcakes



We're struggling with our names...stay tuned!

Long Distance Baking Project #8!

So this month, we decided to fly solo. We had some special birthday parties that required a little extra effort, so Amber & I let ourselves off the hook!

Here's Amber's extra special niece, Madison!! She turned 2!!












Here's what Amber did for her!!!









The ice cream cones were strawberry cake. The awesome little "smash" cake was funfetti. The purple cupcakes were chocolate cake; green cupcakes were white cake & yellow cupcakes were funfetti!

She went all out for Madison...and made a giant mess in her kitchen!! But it was totes worth it!


BEST AUNT EVER!!!


This month was also my Jon's birthday!! We decided to throw him an "apple" party!



Everyone brought his favorite twin tip sharpies! It will be a long time before he has to buy one again!









Here's what we wore!











Here's what I made!










These were super fun! I just made chocolate cake with white icing. I thought I'd try fondant for the apples, then realized that it would be a huge risk for my first attempt! So I found a sugar sheet by Wilton at Walmart. I made an apple logo template out of cardboard and used my exacto knife to cut them out. The apples turned our mouths black temporarily, but actually tasted okay!

This was a lot of fun for both of us!

Long Distance Baking Project #7!

Since it's summer and since I LOVE raspberries...I really wanted to make a raspberry sort of cupcake. I was talking to my friend Maggie, who told me her friend made some raspberry lemonade cupcakes. Ummmm....Yes please!!

And so began the search for a raspberry lemonade cupcake recipe...lots to choose from. Some with lemon pudding. Some with lemonade drink mix. Some with a raspberry on top. Hard decision! I went with the recipe that included a raspberry puree in the middle and in the butter cream icing. Score!

This was a fun cupcake to make as you actually made the raspberry puree, and used lemon juice and lemon peel from a real lemon. I got to buy cheese cloth! (Amber had no idea what this was! Glad I could edumacate her!)

Here ya go!

Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Lemon Cupcake (makes about 12)

1/3 c. butter (softened)
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. lemon zest
1/4 c. lemon juice, fresh squeezed
3/4 c. milk
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 package (6 oz.) fresh raspberries – You can substitute frozen in a pinch

1. First, do your prep work! Make a raspberry puree by putting the fresh raspberries in a blender. Then, over a bowl, pour the puree onto a few layers of cheese cloth. Get your hands dirty and squeeze the puree through the cloth in order to strain out all the little seeds. Set strained puree aside; it will be used for both the cupcakes and the frosting.

2. Zest two lemons into a bowl – the zest will be used for both the cupcakes and the frosting. Squeeze those two lemons, careful to catch all the seeds, making sure that you have at least 1/4 c. of juice for the cupcakes themselves.

3. Now, get started on the cupcakes themselves! Cream together the softened butter and the sugar together. Add the eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest and blend until just combined.

4. In a measuring cup, combine the lemon juice and milk (do not do this too far ahead of time or else it will curdle!).

5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternate blending in the milk mixture and the flour mixture, ending with the flour.

6. Fill the cupcake liners 1/2 way up. Top each scoop of batter with about a teaspoon of raspberry puree. Now, add a bit more batter on top of the puree, making each cup 3/4 full.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Take into account that the raspberry may show on the toothpick. Just be sure that there’s no raw cake batter!


Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
1/2 c. butter
2-3 c. powdered sugar (to taste)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. raspberry puree

Just like a standard butter cream, start by creaming the butter! Blend in the vanilla. Start to mix in the powdered sugar. Just before you reach a thick consistency that you want, add the raspberry puree. The frosting will be thinner now, so continue to add powdered sugar until you reach the taste and texture that you like. If the frosting is still thin, let it sit in the fridge before piping onto the cupcakes!










In make these, I would change a few things. 1. I would use 2 layers less of cheese cloth. My puree ended up more like juice. Tasty juice, but juice none-the-less. 2. I would use more lemon juice. Maybe double. It smelled lemony and had a hint of flavor, but I would have liked it to be a little more tart. 3. I would have beat my buttercream a little longer and would have added a little more powdered sugar. The puree that was juicy changed the texture just a little bit.

Sara's Name: All Puckered Up Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Amber's Name: Rainbows & Smiles Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Long Distance Baking Project #6!

Wow! June is almost over! This month's recipe might be both mine and Amber's favorite so far! She picked it and everyone we shared them with loved them! But as Amber said, the are "involved" but they are totally worth it!
The recipe came from http://annies-eats.net/2011/03/11/banana-split-cupcakes/

Banana Split Cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. Salt
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups sugar
6 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. Buttermilk
1 1/3 cups mashed ripe banana

For the filling:
1 lb. strawberries, hulled and diced small
2 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
12 oz. crushed pineapple, drained

For the frosting:
1½ cups heavy cream, chilled
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the ganache:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. light corn syrup

For garnish:
Multi-colored sprinkles
Maraschino cherries

Directions:
1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt; whisk together and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium low and add in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in 1 the mashed banana until well combined.

3. With the mixer on low speed alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing only until just incorporated.

4. Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 to ¾ full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. To make the strawberry filling, combine the strawberries and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl. Toss well, smashing slightly with a fork. Allow the berries to macerate at least 20-30 minutes.

6. To fill the cupcakes, cut a small cone out of the center of each cupcake with a paring knife or small biscuit cutter. (The excess cake can be discarded.) Add a teaspoon or two of the strawberry filling to the center of each cupcake. Top with a teaspoon or two of the crushed pineapple, filling to the top of the cupcake.

7. To make the frosting, add the heavy cream to the chilled bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and continue to whip until thoroughly combined and stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over-beat! Blend in the vanilla extract.

8. Add the whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Pipe a swirl of the whipped cream onto each filled cupcake, covering the filling. Transfer the filled and frosted cupcakes to the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.

9. To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chocolate; let stand 1-2 minutes. Whisk together until a thick, smooth ganache forms. Blend in the corn syrup. Let stand at room temperature at least 10 minutes so the ganache is not hot.

10. To finish the cupcakes, pour a spoonful of the ganache over the whipped cream topping of each cupcake. Garnish with sprinkles and maraschino cherries before the glaze sets. Chill the assembled cupcakes until ready to serve.

Makes 30 cupcakes!

I had a couple of baking assistants to help me, Jackie & Cassa!!













Amber's Name: Oh My Ganache Banana Split Cupcakes!

Sara's Name (not near as good as Amber's): Well Split My Banana Cupcake

Long Distance Baking Project #5

Finally catching up on our May recipe! A lot has happened here to make life feel a little out of whack.

Joplin is very slowly shifting into the rebuilding stage, which is certainly encouraging. In the midst of all of that, CIY is finishing week 2 of the summer. Jon has been to CO, MI & FL already! And the summer is just beginning.

I chose Strawberry Shortcake for May's recipe. The strawberries have been so yummy and I couldn't resist!
I looked at several strawberry shortcake cupcake recipes, but none of them were quite enough shortcake for me. So I decided to use a typical shortcake recipe and bake it in cupcake tins without liners. They turned out so well!!


Super Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
From Taste of Home
1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced
1-2 Tbls sugar

Shortcake
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbls sugar (I recommend 3-4 Tbls)
1 Tbls baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ cup cold butter
1 egg
¾ cup sour cream

Topping
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1-2 Tbls sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1) Preheat oven to 425. Lightly spray cupcake tin with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine the strawberries and sugar; set aside.










2) For shortcake, combine dry ingredients in a large bowl; cut in butter until somewhat crumbly. In a small bowl, beat egg; add sour cream. Stir into the flour mixture just until moistened.

3) Turn onto a floured board; knead 25 times or until smooth. Roll out dough to about a 6” circle. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts. I used a small biscuit cutter to help make them equal sizes. Roll each part into a ball then flatten just enough to fit into each cup of the cupcake tin and drop in the bottom.

4) Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are golden brown but not burned. Remove cupcakes from the tin and cool on a wire rack.

5) For the topping, beat whipping cream and sugar with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes; stir in vanilla.

6) Just before serving, cut each cupcake in half horizontally. Spoon juice from the berries over each bottom layer, then a few berries and a dollop of cream. Add the top of the cupcake and layer remaining topping and berries.

Makes 1 dozen cupcakes

Amber's Name: Streetfest '11 Sugary Sweet Strawberry Shortcakes

Sara's Name: Super Strawberry Literally Short Cakes










I actually took them to a cupcake party! there were 8 of us. We each brought "naked" cupcakes and helped each other decorate. It was a really great time and hopefully something we'll do more often. Here's a pic of all of our cupcakes!













I also made one other cupcake this month to celebrate the graduates that come to Tuesday's at the Hill's!

Long Distance Baking Project #4!

So I’m super behind on my blog…this recipe is from April and here it is May 17!! Where has the time gone?!?

Amber chose this recipe and I have to say, it was certainly one of the most fun and messy cupcakes I've made! It’s super sweet! Amber chose to top hers with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. I chose to top mine with whipped cream and two dried cherries, certainly adds to the sweet-ness!

April Recipe:
Pineapple Upsidedown Cupcakes (From “the great CUPCAKE book”)

For the Pineapple Topping
6 Tbls unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbls light corn syrup
1 cup dark brown-sugar
12 pineapple slices, drained (1-20 oz and 1-8 oz can) or a large can of crushed pineapple

For the Cupcakes
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cups granulated sugar
½ canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup sour cream

1) Preheat over to 350. If using pineapple slices, line the bottom of 2 extra-large cupcake tins with wax paper circles. If using crushed pineapple, line the bottom of 2 regular cupcake tins with wax paper circles. Spray the wax paper circles and the inside of the cupcake tins with cooking spray









2) For Pineapple Topping: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, corn syrup and brown sugar. Stirring continuously, cook until the butter and sugar melt and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.

3) For Cupcakes: Sift the first four ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.

4) In a large bowl, with your electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg, egg yolk and sugar together until thickened and pale, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Reduce the mixer speed to low, mixing in the oil and vanilla until combined. Mix in the flour mixture and beat until batter is smooth.

5) If using extra large cupcake tins, put 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar glaze in the bottom of each prepared cupcake cup. Place 1 pineapple slice on top of the glaze. Then spoon 1/3 cup of batter over each pineapple slice.
If using regular cupcake tins, use 2 teaspoons of the brown sugar glaze in each cup. Place 1 Tbls-ish of crushed pineapple on top of glaze. Then spoon ¼ cup plus 1 Tbls of batter over the crushed pineapple. Either way the batter should come to the top of each cup.

6) Bake for 25-30 minutes for extra-large cupcakes or 12-15 for regular cupcakes, or just until the tops feel firm and cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Rotate tins halfway through the baking process to promote even baking. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Use a small knife to loosen any topes that may have stuck to the pan. Carefully place a wire rack on the top of the cupcakes. Holding the pan and rack together, invert the cupcakes the cupcakes to release them onto the wire rack. Allow to cool completely upside down.

7) Serve with whipped cream and a cherry on top!

Makes 1 dozen extra large cupcakes or 2 dozen regular cupcakes

Amber’s Name: Rootie Tootie Fresh & Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

Sara’s Name: Upsy Daisy Upside Downsy Pineapple Cupcakes

Long Distance Baking Project #3!

It's already April and I'm just now posting from last month's baking adventure!

This recipe was SO yummy! Since it is March, I decided to choose something Irish, of course!
I adapted Martha Stewart's one bowl chocolate cupcakes by adding a sleeve of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies!

The recipe calls for buttermilk. I feel guilty buying a quart of buttermilk, because either it goes to waste because I never need it all, or I decide to make everything that week with buttermilk...biscuits, fried chicken, pancakes, etc., etc. No good. So this time I decided to buy powdered buttermilk. You use the same amount of water as the recipe calls for buttermilk. It's easy and seems to have the same effect as real buttermilk!

Also, for some reason my frosting was really runny! I would recommend adding a little more cream cheese or powdered sugar than what the recipe calls for.

March's Recipe
From Martha Stewart's One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes (plus special ingredient)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons safflower oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 sleeve of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies!!!

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
From Southern Living
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract


1) Preheat over to 350. Line cupcake tins with liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

2) Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.

3) Fill paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full of batter. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the tin and cool on a wire rack. Repeat with the next dozen.

4) Meanwhile, prepare frosting.
In a medium bowl, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat on low. As it gets thick alternate with milk one Tbls at a time until sugar is completely mixed in. Beat at least 3 minutes until it gets creamy and fluffy.

5) Spread frosting on top of each cupcake.

Makes 18-24 cupcakes



























Amber's Name: March Madness (Thin) Mint

Sara's Name: St. Patty O'Mint