It's Like I'm in Hawaii!

In my house, we have a borderline-creepy obsession with Psych, an awesome-sauce show

about a fake psychic, Shawn and his best friend/business partner, Gus (who we all know is the

real star). To try to soothe our pain over the lack of a new episode this week, I made these

cupcakes to get some pineapple goodness out of our weekend:Pineapple Macadamia Nut

Cupcakes with Momma's Spoonful Frosting!

These were thought of by my mom, who love-love-loves Hawaii and anything pineapple. I went for a more muffin-ish cupcake (I know, I know, the horror!) and they came out exactly the way I wanted them! Yay! The texture was nice and chewy, and the nuts added just the slightest crunch. These are a diabetic-friendly cupcake, as there is only 2 tablespoons in the entire recipe, but the frosting is what'll get you on the sugar overload! Anywho, here is the brand-spankin'-new recipe:

(Makes 12 regular cupcakes)

1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil

2 TBS granulated sugar(optional)

1 cup pureed pineapple

1/2 cup pineapple juice

2 tsp apple-cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

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1- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit; line a 12-cup cupcakes pan with liners.

2- Mix your wet ingredients in a small bowl.

3- Mix your dry ingredients in the mixer bowl. Add the liquid to the dry in two batches, and mix thoroughly. Gently beat in the macadamia-nuts.

4- Fill your cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5- Cool your cupcakes on a rack completely while you make your frosting!

Momma's Spoonful Frosting:

(A warning - this doesn't pipe well so spread,aq so just scoop it on.)

1/3 cup margarine(I used Earth Balance)

2/3 cup butter-flavored Crisco

1-1/3 cups confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 tsp soy-milk (optional)

3 TBS malted milk powder (I used Carnations original)

Dash coconut extract (optional, but that's what I did this time)

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1- Cream your margarine and shortening in a mixer.

2- Beat in the confectioners sugar, vanilla, and soy-milk.

3- Add in the malted milk powder(and coconut extract, if you're using it) and beat until the frosting is smooth and creamy.

4- Frost your cupcakes and enjoy!

This is the frosting that I use in my little fake vegan Twinkie-like cream canoes, and it is soooo good. It really sucks if you want to pipe it though....I usually just smear it on a cupcake right before I eat it, or I scoop some on top with a cookie scoop if I want it to look fancy-schmancy. Ha-ha! Okie-dokie then, I think I'm done with the blogging for today because my eyes hurt! Until next time, I hope you enjoy these!

Some tasty Martha Stewart cupcakes!

This weekend I made some tasty mini-cupcakes using a Martha Stewart cupcake recipe that my mom found. They were called Brown-sugar Pound Cupcakes with a Brown-Butter Glaze, and they were delicious! I tweaked the glaze recipe a little, and while my results were completely different, it was very good.

Instead of browning the butter, I just melted it over low heat and then proceeded with the recipe directions. I added a dash of vanilla extract and a good squeeze of maple syrup, and it tasted wonderful. These cupcakes were so good, my mom and sister couldn't stop eating the batter right out of the mixing bowl! Hahaha. I would definitely recommend this to anyone, and it is a very easy recipe to make.

My July IronCupcake:Earth Entry!

Okay, this month when I saw that the IronCupcake:Earth challenge for July was herb, I just had to enter.  I've had this idea for curry cupcakes on the brain for a while now, and I was excited to have an excuse to make them.  I also had basil on the brain, so I decided to make basil cornbread cupcakes since my sister had made some cornbread that I couldn't get out of my head.  And so, my cupcakes were born!  Voila!

Here are the first ones that I thought of: coconut curry cupcakes with lemongrass paste, topped with a curry cream cheese frosting.  Since I love curry, I wanted to try making it in cupcake form.  This is a much, much milder version of curry, and my mom(someone who hates curry) actually liked them!  Here's the recipes:

Cupcakes:

1 cup coconut milk

2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil

1/4 cup sugar

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp. curry powder

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 TBS lemongrass paste

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1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 12 cup muffin

 pan with liners.

2) Mix the dry ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer.

3) Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl; add slowly in batches to the dry mixture.  Mix until the batter is a soft brownish-orange color and sticks to itself.

4) Add the lemongrass paste and mix thoroughly. 

5) Using a regular cookie scoop, put two scoops in each liner.

6) Bake cupcakes for 18 minutes; cupcakes should be the color of cinnamon.  Remove pan from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

7) Remove cupcakes from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack.  Once the cupcakes are cool to the touch, make the frosting.

Frosting:

1 8 oz. block of full-fat cream cheese

2 TBS tomato paste

4 tsp. curry powder

1 TBS coconut milk

1 TBS lemongrass paste

1 tsp. salt

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1) Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat in the tomato paste.

2) Add the curry powder, coconut milk, lemongrass paste, and salt.  Mix very well.

3) Frost your cupcakes!

These cupcakes are good, even without frosting, and they go well with salad.

Next, I made my basil cornbread cupcakes, and those were my favorite.  I filled them with sauteed mushrooms, and then frosted them with a cream cheese frosting that had pizza-reminiscent spices added to it.  Man, they were good!  All right, here are the recipes:

8 large white button mushrooms, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 TBS salted butter

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. chopped basil

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Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook until the butter is bubbling and the garlic is sizzling.   Add the mushrooms and spices, and stir to distribute them evenly.  Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low.  Cook until the mushrooms are nice and dark.  You will have a lot less than you started with!  Stir, cover, and turn off heat.  Set the pan aide while you make your cupcake batter.

Cupcakes:

1-1/4 cups buttermilk(or regular milk with 1 TBS vinegar or lemon juice added)

1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 egg

dash lemon juice

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup fine yellow cornmeal

1/3 cup sugar or evaporated cane juice

1 TBS baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1-1/2 tsp. salt

1 TBS finely chopped basil

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1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 12 cup muffin pan with liners.  You will have enough batter to make 14 cupcakes, so put the pan on a cookie sheet and put two foil liners on there as well.

2) Mix wet ingredients in a bowl.

3) Mix dry ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer; add the wet ingredients and mix well.

4) Add the basil, and mix completely, scraping down the sides and making sure that the batter is thoroughly mixed.

5) Using a regular cookie scoop, put one scoop in the bottom of each cupcake liner.  Put 1 TBS of the sauteed mushrooms in each liner, and then put one more scoop of cupcake batter on the top of each.

6) Transfer the pan to the oven, and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove pan from oven, and let cool for 5 minutes.

7) Remove all of the cupcakes to a cooling rack, and once they are cool to the touch, make the frosting.

Frosting:

1 8 oz block full-fat cream cheese

2 TBS tomato paste

1/2 tsp. red chili flakes

2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

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1) Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer; beat in the tomato paste.

2) Add all of the spices, and mix thoroughly.

3) Frost the cupcakes and top with a basil leaf, if desired.  Enjoy!

These are a very good flavor combo, and I really enjoyed them.  Thanks for reading this post, and you can vote for me on the IronCupcake:Earth blog if you like my cupcakes that much.

I am competing to win the following fabulous prizes:

A sweet cupcake ID bracelet by INSANEJELLYFISH,http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5021935

A delicious treat from CIRCLEMONKEYhttp://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5335273

A sweet surprise from Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Cupcakery,http://www.acupcakery.com/

PLUS, a piece of artwork form the lovely CakeSpy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382

Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS,http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers,http://www.1800flowers.com . 

Also, if I won, my recipe could be featured in one of their future cookbooks!  How incredibly awesome would that be? Well, I'm off to the good old bed, so have fun and be happy in the meantime!

This is one big fan!

Okay.  I love Ellen.  I love cupcakes.  Miss Lyndsey from Kitchen Dough Dough likes them even more!  She made this amazing Ellen logo out of mini cupcakes, and she said it took about 250 of them!  WOW!  In her quest to get on Ellen's show, she is now doing this huge giveaway with all kinds of amazing cute cupcake stuff.  

   

 She is giving away the following adorable items:  A super cute picture from CakeSpy,  a copy of the wonderful Hello, Cupcake! book, some super cute things made by her mom, the owner of Pots and Pins(that include an apron, a bag, a cupcake doily, a cupcake stand, and a tablecloth), a colorful tray with some placemats and napkins from Modern Materials, a circus party pack from Kara's Party Ideas, a cupcake onesie from Kara's Cupcakes that just makes you wanna go "Awww!", a cute handmade journal from Deanworks, and a handmade frame made by her husband Sam.

  

 Holy moly that's a lot of stuff isn't it?  Jeez, my eyes are spinning just imagining the possibility of winning.....Anyways, if you want all of the information on her giveaway and her Ellen love, click on this link: 

 http://kitchendoughdough.blogspot.com/2009/07/dreamin-doughdough-giveaway.html

  She has also entered in the IronCupcake:Earth challenge this month(curses!), so look at her post for those.  Everyone watch out!  I'll post soon about my entry for this month's IronCupcake:Earth challenge!  

Another late post...

...From way back when, I bring you...Election Day cupcakes!!!

My sister had her friend over, so the two of them made vanilla cupcakes and then frosted them in patriotic patterns.  Here's the two of them decorating...

And here's my mom and sister's Election Night treat(my and my dad were at a Kamelot concert at the Masquerade that I won tickets for) that they had while they were watching the voting coverage.  Aren't they cute?

This is really late...

..But it would be a shame not to post it.  Better late then never, right?  This is my uber-belated Father's Day post, but I hope you enjoy it!  

All right.  For brunch, I made french omelette's and sausage, and my sister made some tasty, delicious home fries.  For my dad, I filled his omelet with mushrooms, bell pepper, and cheddar cheese.  Me and my sister had the same, and my mom had an egg pancake.

For dinner, I made a Japanese feast.  I made white rice, tempura eggplant, mushrooms, bell pepper, and zucchini.  For the rest of the family, I made sweet and sour tempura chicken with carrots, onion, bell pepper, and pineapple. 

For dessert, I made key lime cupcakes using a recipe that I found at Bon Appetit.  The recipe in from the Buttersweet Bakery in Atlanta, and the recipe is really good.  For the frosting, I made a buttercream rather than the cream cheese frosting that they gave.  Oh, in the cupcakes, I added about 4 tablespoons of key lime juice, and they still tasted pretty buttery...So I would add about 1/3 cup of key lime juice next time.  Also, you should reduce the oven heat by about 5 degrees, and cook them for about 15 minutes.  When I piped the frosting on, I added a littlr key lime lice.  Aren't they just the cutest?

Ooohhh, Canada!

Land of the maple syrup everything.  I went to Montreal for a day this weekend, and I found a lot of cool bakeries.  There was also a bakery/ice-cream parlor that sweetened everything with maple syrup.  When we were walking around the Quartiere Chinois, we found a super cool Asian bakery that had all kinds of cakes, pastries, and cookies.  The one that looked the tastiest was this one that was a pineapple pastry filled with anko (sweet bean paste).  We went to a cupcake shop/ice-cream parlor and bought a lemon cupcake for my mom, and it was soft and lemony all the way through!  We had quite lot of fun, and the ice-cream was delicious (my sister got maple sugar, and I got lychee)!  

Hope these pictures help show off how awesome Montreal is:

          (Anko pastries)

(Green Tea Odango)

(Green Tea Mousse & Fruit Cake)

(Mini Vanilla Cupcakes)

(Mini Lemon Cupcake, Chocolate Cupcake, 

Pistachio Macaroon, Strawberry Macaroon, and

Maple Cupcake)

(Lychee Ice Cream and Maple Sugar Ice Cream)

(You know we're in Canada.....)

                                 

My uncle's wedding!

My uncle got married last week, and my mom volunteered the two of us to make the desserts for the reception, as well as, the cake. I was very happy that they said yes, but then, I thought of something important...How on earth were we going to transport everything all the way to Nebraska?! Well, we decided to freeze everything before we had to go, and then pack it all in a hardside suitcase with bubble wrap for the plane ride there, and it worked out perfectly!!!


My soon-to-be aunt's dress was a short, casual white one, with a tropical pink and brown flower print, and those were their wedding colors. The next thing that we did was plan the dessert menu. They asked us if we would make sandwich cookies, small things for people to munch on, and they requested either white or yellow cake with a fruit filling. My uncle kept asking for kiwi desserts, but since we didn't have experience with any we told him 'sorry'.


This is what we ended up doing:


(Pictured above - starting at the bottom, and moving clockwise) Greek Almond Cookies, Butter Cupcakes with Wilton Buttercream Frosting, Butter Cake with Crushed Pineapple Filling and Wilton Buttercream Frosting, Bakerella's Vanilla Oreo Cookie Truffles, and Brownie Cutouts with Melted Chocolate and Raspberry Almond M&M'S. Not shown: Fancy Flours No-Fail Sugar Cookies filled with raspberry jam. YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Greek Almond Cookies are my mom's own recipe, and they are a delicious, simple cookie. On their own, they aren't sweet, but once you roll them in confectioner's sugar they are perfect! Here is her recipe:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup almonds, toasted and ground
Confectioners sugar, for rolling
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Toast almonds at 350 degrees for 6 minutes. DO NOT BURN! Remove from oven and let cool. Grind these either with a nut grinder or the smallest side of a box grater, but do NOT put these in your food processor, as it will turn it into a flour, rather then a coarse meal.
2. Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla
3. Add flour and ground almonds; mix well.
4. Scoop out balls with a cookie scoop, in your size choice. Roll the balls smooth in your hands, and then place them on a light-colored cookie sheet. For mini-cookies, cook them for about 5-6 minutes. For regular size cookies, cook them for about 8-9 minutes. For large cookies, cook them for about 12-13 minutes. Take them out of the oven and set them on a cooling rack.
5. Once the cookies are cool to the touch, pour a large amount of confectioner's sugar into a small bowl. One at a time, roll the cookies in the powdered sugar until they are completely covered, and transfer them to your serving tray of choice for everyone(or just you, of course) to enjoy!

For the sandwich cookies, I halved the Fancy Flours recipe for No-Fail Sugar Cookies, and cut them out with a 1-3/4 inch biscuit cutter. I baked them for about 5 minutes, froze them afterward, and when we got to Nebraska we filled them with sugar-free raspberry jam and wrapped them in cellophane so that they could be passed out as favors. Tricia-Rennea created a fabulous wrap for the cookie packages, but we ran out of time before we left and weren't able to print them out. You can see from the picture above and if you visit the link for the wrap, that it really would have made the favors pop. We were amazed at how closely Tricia-Rennea was able to mimic the dress pattern.

For the Oreo Truffles, we used Bakerella's recipe, but substituted Golden Vanilla Oreos instead of the chocolate ones. We dipped them into white candy bark and topped them with chocolate jimmies for added cuteness.

For the brownie cutouts, I used the Baker's One-Bowl Brownie recipe, and I baked them in a small cookie sheet lined with buttered parchment paper. Once they were cool, we cut them out with a 3/4 inch biscuit cutter and froze them. When we got to Nebraska, we melted some chocolate chips, poured a small amount on each brownie, and topped them with the specialty M&M's.

For the cake and cupcakes, I used a Better Homes and Gardens recipe that I doubled to make to round cakes and just over 2 dozen cupcakes. They were both frozen after they were done, and when we got to Nebraska, we spread crushed pineapple in between the two layers and decorated both the cake and cupcakes with Wilton's Buttercream Frosting. When I made the frosting, I made 1 1/2 batches, and I added 2 tablespoons of meringue powder for stiffness. We frosted everything with a smooth layer of white frosting, and then added flower designs in hot pink frosting.

Everything came out wonderful, and everyone was 'oohing' and 'aahing' over the cute desserts. The highlight was when the bride and groom went to cut their cake - they couldn't get through it because it was still frozen. HAHAHAHA! We didn't take it out of the freezer early enough. I enjoyed myself immensely, and I look forward to doing things like this in the future.


Thanks!


Bitsy