Chocolate Glazed Cupcakes with Vanilla Creme Filling

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A couple of weekends ago I was watching Cupcake Wars on Food Network and it totally inspired me to bake.  I wanted to make cupcakes, of course, but wanted to do something "fancy" and something from scratch.  I got online and started searching for something and came across this recipe on one of my favorite food sites, Our Best Bites.  I've never made anything from them that I didn't like so I thought I'd give it a try.  Don't let this recipe intimidate you because it isn't hard, it just has several steps.  These cupcakes were TO DIE FOR!  I happen to absolutely love chocolate ganache and could simply eat it with a spoon so topping the cupcakes with it was just perfect.  I've used the vanilla creme before for cake frosting so I knew that would be great too.  Definitely try the creme recipe for cake frosting sometime, because it is really good and easy.  I hope you enjoy these and have a Happy Valentine's Day!

CHOCOLATE GLAZED CUPCAKES WITH VANILLA CREME FILLING

http://www.ourbestbites.com/

Devil's Food Cupcakes

1 C Flour

1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
4 T unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 C luke warm water
1/4 C buttermilk

Position rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with liners. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. I know lots of people skip sifting, but in some recipes it’s really important. This is one of them, so just pop it in a strainer and shake all those lumps out.

In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the water and buttermilk, beating on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat on medium high speed just until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not over beat.
Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups- use a cookie scoop for even filling. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Anywhere from 15-20 minutes. Mine usually only take about 15- don’t over bake! Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes and then remove them and let them cool.

*My cake stuck a little more than I would like to the paper liners so I would suggest spraying them. 

Vanilla Creme Filling

3 T Flour
1/2 C milk (whole milk is best, but I use non-fat when it’s all I have and it’s actually fine)
1/2 C real butter
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat.Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Let it cook, while stirring, until you can start to see the bottom of the pan. Smash any flour lumps with a rubber spatula to keep mixture smooth.

Keep cooking mixture until it resembles pudding.

Put this mixture in the fridge and let it cool completely, it’s fine if it stays in there long enough to get chilly, you just don’t want it warm at all. As it’s cooling, feel free to stir it occasionally to speed up the process and keep it from forming a crust on top. When it is chilled, you can move on to the following step.
It an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. You’ll want to use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, not the flat paddle. Then while beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat to combine and then scrape down the sides. Don’t be scared. It’s going to look like a goopy mess and kind of lumpy and separated.

But you just wait. It’s gonna blow your mind in a few minutes. Beat on med-high until it comes together and becomes light and fluffy. It can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes.
It will transform from that sloppy mess into something gorgeous, fluffy, and incredibly light and silky. If the time has passed and it still looks like a hot mess, just keep on beating and it should eventually come together. Feel the mixture between two fingers to see if the sugar granules have dissolved; if not, just beat a little longer.

Use it to fill or frost cupcakes, cakes or other pastries. You can’t go wrong putting this on just about anything :)

*This is more than enough to fill 12 cupcakes.  If you're going to use it to frost a cake or cupcakes I suggest doubling it.

Time to fill cupcakes:

Now there’s 2 ways to fill a cupcake. I use them both depending on the consistency of the cupcake I’m using. See what works best for you. One option is to take a pastry bag with a regular tip on it and place it directly in the center of the cupcake. Press out filling while slowly pulling the bag up and out.

Another method is to take a sharp knife and remove the center of the cupcake in a cone shape. Place filling inside, cut the bottom of the “cone” off, and place the top part back on.

Chocolate Ganache

3/4 C Cream
2 T real butter, melted
8 oz semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chopped
Place chocolate in a bowl. Pour melted butter over it. Place cream in microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 2 minutes- it needs to be at a simmer. Immediately pour over chocolate and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for about 3 minutes and then stir until smooth. Let it cool until it’s a good spreading consistency and then spread on top of filled cupcakes.

That filling is so so good combined with the moist cake and silky ganache.  I will be making these again!



Spanish Spaghetti with Olives

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Do you need a new take on that same boring spaghetti dinner?  If so, I have the answer right here with my Spanish Spaghetti with Olives.  This was fun to make (yes I said fun) and turned out delicious!  The rich meaty marinara sauce pairs perfectly with the tang of the olives and the subtle hint of heat that comes from the crushed red pepper.  My 3 picky kids even gave this a thumbs up!  I used ground beef but ground turkey would be great too I'm sure.  Oh, and how do you like the picture?  I finally dragged out my awesome photography light and love how this turned out.  Those little S&P birdies look like they want some spaghetti too! 

SPANISH SPAGHETTI WITH OLIVES

Ingredients:
8 oz thin spaghetti
1 TB olive oil
3/4 C chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed saffron thread (OPTIONAL)
16 oz extra-lean ground beef
1 jar marinara sauce (about 32 oz)
1/2 C sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives
1/4 C water or chicken broth
1 TB capers, drained
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley, divided

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion to pan; saute 4 minutes or until tender.  Add garlic; saute 1 minute.  Add beef and cook until browned.  Stir in oregano, celery salt, red pepper, black pepper and saffron.  Stir in marinara sauce, olives, broth, capers, and half of the parsley.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. 

Either add pasta to meat mixture and combine or serve sauce over the pasta.  Whichever you prefer!  Sprinkle with remaining parsley.  Serves 4-6

Egg and Sausage Casserole

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Happy New Year!  I can't believe it is already 2012.  I am so ready for a new year and know that there are so many good things to come!  The last two months have been so crazy busy for me that I didn't realize I hadn't blogged in so long.  December was especially busy because I was asked by my kids' elementary school principal to make Cake Pop gifts for the entire faculty as Christmas gifts.  I ended up making about 400!  I was happy for the opportunity but I was so glad to be done with it.  We had a wonderful Christmas and were so thankful to spend it with our family here in Utah. 

One of my kids' (especially Ethan's) favorite dinners is this Egg and Sausage Casserole.  I don't remember where the original recipe came from but I've been making it for years and have changed it a bit.  It is so easy and quick too!  We always have it for dinner but it would, of course, make a great breakfast too.  It makes a whole 9x13 pan but it reheats great.  It is easy to lighten this up too by using Jimmy Dean's Low Fat pork sausage, low fat crescent rolls, and low fat cheese.  I hope you enjoy this easy recipe!  

EGG AND SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork sausage

1 (8 oz) tube refrigerated crescent roll dough

10 eggs, beaten

2 C shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Place sausage in a skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown.  Drain and set aside.

Line bottom of prepared baking dish with crescent rolls dough and sprinkle with crumbled sausage.  In a large bowl, combine beaten eggs and the rest of the ingredients.  Pour over sausage and crescent rolls.

Bake in prepared oven for 35-45 min, until eggs have set and top is golden. 

Makes 8 servings.

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

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I was just looking through my food photos and saw these cinnamon rolls pictures that I had taken a year ago.  I have no idea why I haven't posted these yet!  I have always been scared of any kind of homemade bread recipe and cinnamon rolls seemed so hard to me.  Well, I tried this recipe from Pioneer Woman's blog and they were AMAZING!  The recipe makes a lot but if you prepare them in tin pie pans they can be frozen (before baking) and you can always have them on hand.  The frosting even freezes well.  However, that is a dangerous thing to do because they are so sweet and yummy you'll want them all the time.  You could also score points with your friends and family and give some away :)  The only change I made was with the coffee in the frosting.  I personally don't drink it so I just added extra milk.  The maple extract is a must though, trust me.  Let me know how they turn out for you!  

PIONEER WOMAN'S CINNAMON ROLLS

www.pioneerwoman.com

Ingredients:

■1 quart Whole Milk

■1 cup Vegetable Oil

■1 cup Sugar

■2 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets

■8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour

■1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder

■1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda

■1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt

■Plenty Of Melted Butter

■2 cups Sugar

■Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon

■MAPLE FROSTING:

■1 bag Powdered Sugar

■2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring

■1/2 cup Milk

■1/4 cup Melted Butter

■1/4 cup Brewed Coffee (or just an extra 1/4 C milk)

■1/8 teaspoon Salt

Preparation Instructions

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it - overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable.  Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don't skimp on the frosting.

YUM!  Look at all of that butter! 

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping

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Are you drooling yet?  When I saw this recipe on one of my favorite blogs I knew I had to try it.  This was absolutely divine!  I'd rather have this than boring old apple pie any day.  When reading over the recipe I was expecting it to be difficult but it wasn't at all.  Just make sure you are super organized and have your 4 bowls ready to make each layer.  I used store bought caramel sauce to save a little time too.  These bars are good warm, room temperature, or cold.  Yes I had them at each temperature :)  This is the PERFECT fall dessert! 

CARAMEL APPLE CHEESECAKE BARS

WITH STREUSEL TOPPING

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/

Base:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cream Cheese Layer:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Apples:
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping:
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup caramel sauce

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, two tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine all the streusel topping ingredients and mix until crumbly. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly but combined. Press evenly into a 9X13-inch baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

While the crust is baking, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Then add eggs, one at a time and then the vanilla. Mix well. Pour over the warm crust.

Spoon the apple mixture evenly over the cheesecake layer. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apples. Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is set.

Cool the bars to room temperature. Drizzle with the caramel topping (or plate individual slices and drizzle with topping one by one).

Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken with Poblano Spinach Vinaigrette

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Wow the name of this recipe is super long but I promise it isn't complicated!  I love grilled chicken.  We have it once a week during the summer months.  It is so flavorful and easy and my whole family loves it!  I came across this recipe in an ad for Kashi in my Real Simple magazine a while back.  It doesn't use any Kashi ingredients so I thought it was kind of random but it looked good enough to give it a try.  It was so delicious and fresh tasting!  I think we will be enjoying this one all year round. 

GRILLED CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN WITH POBLANO SPINACH VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients:

Chicken Marinade:

4 TB extra virgin olive oil

4 limes, juiced (about 2 TB)

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 TB fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 tsp kosher salt

pinch black pepper

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Vinaigrette:

1 medium poblano pepper, roasted

1 C baby spinach, steamed for 2 minutes and squeezed to remove excess liquid

1 garlic clove, minced

1 small shallot, minced

1/2 C cilantro, minced

2 limes, juiced

1 heaping TB Dijon mustard

pinch kosher salt

pinch black pepper

Directions:

1.  Place chicken breasts between 2 layers of plastic wrap or in a sealed ziploc bag.  Using a meat mallet or heavy cast iron skillet, pound the breasts out until they are evenly about 1/2 inch thick. 

2. To make marinade: Whisk together olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, salt, and pepper.  Pour into container, add chicken, and put in fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

3. To make vinaigrette: Preheat oven to 375 F.  Lightly coat poblano pepper with olive oil.  Place in oven safe dish and bake in oven until its skin is covered by dark brown and black spots.  (About 25 minutes).  Remove from oven and let pepper cool.  Then, remove stem, skin and seeds.  Add pepper and all vinaigrette ingredients in to a blender or food processor; puree until smooth. 

4. To make dish: Heat grill pan or grill to medium high heat, add chicken.  Grill for approximately 6 minutes on once side, 4 minutes on the other, until chicken is cooked through. 

5. Place chicken on serving plate and drizzle with a few TB of the vinaigrette.  Serve with extra vinaigrette on the side.  Garnish with cilantro and lime slices if desired. 

* You can also roast the poblano pepper over an open flame on your gas cook top if desired.  Just hold it over the flame using tongs turning it over until the skin is all black and brown.  No oil necessary for this method. 



White Chocolate Blueberry Cake

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Sorry I haven't posted in forever!  July was not a good month for me personally so blogging hasn't really been a priority for me.  I've thought about it lots, though, and have many recipes that I want to share.  This White Chocolate Blueberry Cake is amazing!  I made it for Memorial Day and it was a hit all around.  It is like an extra rich blueberry muffin with frosting!  This is definitely going in my "keep" file for sure! 

WHITE CHOCOLATE BLUEBERRY CAKE

adapted from Sandra Lee's recipe

Makes 12 Servings

Ingredients:

Non stick cooking spray

1 package (18.25 oz) white cake mix

1 package (4 serving size) instant white chocolate pudding mix

1 C milk

1/2 C vegetable oil

3 egg whites

1 can (15 oz) blueberries in light syrup, drained

2 containers (12 oz each) whipped vanilla frosting

3/4 C white baking chips, melted

Fresh Blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix.  Add milk, oil, and egg whites; beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds.  Scrape down the side of the bowl; beat on medium for 2 minutes more.  Fold in drained blueberries.  Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean.  Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pans.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

In a medium bowl, combine vanilla frosting and melted white baking chips.

To assemble, place one cake layer on a serving plate.  Spread with 1/2 C of the frosting; top with second cake layer.  Frost the side and top of the cake with the remaining frosting. 

Garnish cake with fresh blueberries.