Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes with Assorted Toppings

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baking tips, buttercream, cake flour, chocolate, cupcakes, food, foodies, frosting, lemon, recipe

My student teacher’s last day is tomorrow! At my school, the cooperating teacher usually brings a cake in to celebrate this occasion. However, each of my classes want to have a goodbye, congrats & good luck party… so the last day, Miss N will be over sugared. I decided that during the grade-level meeting yesterday, I’d surprise her with some yummy cupcakes.

I wasn’t sure what flavor cake she would like, so I decided to make lemon chiffon cake with two different frostings; an almond buttercream and a whipped chocolate frosting. I piped on a thick layer of frosting and garnished them with lemon zest.

Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes with Assorted Toppings

Almond Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:
1 c. unsalted butter (softened), 2 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream, 1 Tbsp. almond extract, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 2 1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar (10X)

Almond Buttercream Frosting Directions:
Sift sugar before measuring. At a low-speed blend extracts and butter. Add heavy cream. Slowly add sugar, 1/2 c. at a time.

Achieving the perfect buttercream is different depending on the outcome you desire. Adding more or less sugar will not only affect its sweetness, but also the stiffness of the frosting. I like to pipe frosting on cupcakes and spread it on cakes.

Whipped Chocolate Frosting Ingredients:
2 c. heavy cream, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/4 c. sugar, 1/4 c. cocoa powder

Whipped Chocolate Frosting Directions:
Chill metal bowl and beaters in freezer for about an hour. Whip all heavy cream on low-speed, add in vanilla, sugar and cocoa. Turn mixer to medium speed and whip cream until desired texture is achieved. Add more sugar and cocoa to taste.

Other toppings I like for lemon chiffon cupcakes: lemon curd, whipped raspberry topping, or blackberry whipped topping. Garnish with lemon zest, raspberries, blackberries or chocolate curls.

The cupcakes were a big hit and Miss N had one of each.

What has sweetened your life recently?

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Dark Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons

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American macaroons, chocolate, coconut, dark chocolate, decadent, dessert, dessert recipe, dessert table, egg whites, gourmet, macaroon, postaday2011, recipe, snack, sweets, sweets table

MIA: My internet has been horrible this past week, unable to access it for more than 10 minutes a session. Arrrg!!!

Coconut and dark chocolate have long been two ingredients I love together. So of course on Mother’s Day, I made a batch of tasty coconut macaroons (as well as some jumbo chocolate covered strawberries).

Dark Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients:
3-4 large egg whites, 1/2 c. sugar, 1 Tbs. almond extract, 1 pk. shredded coconut, dark chocolate

Directions:
Preheat oven 300°F. Grease baking sheet and set aside. In food processor, briefly chop 1/2 of the coconut so it breaks into smaller pieces. Whip together egg whites, sugar and extract. Mix in coconut and stir. I sprinkled in some flour and rolled mixture out like dough, using a cookie cutter to shape. You can simply dollop on baking tray or use an icing bag to decoratively shape macaroons. Bake for about 15 minutes, tops should become golden brown. If they’re not browning and you’re afraid of over drying macaroons, remove from oven and use a baker’s torch to brown tops. Remove macaroons from tray and place on cooling rack. Dip into dark chocolate and cool to harden.

For Cinco de Mayo, I made these with lime zest and rum extract. Mmm… 

What was your Mother’s Day treat???

The Cliché Chocolate Covered Strawberries

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brunch, candy making, chocolate, dark chocolate, dessert, food, foodie, fruit, postaday2011, strawberry, Valentine's Day

I love chocolate covered strawberries… I know they’re very cliché around Valentine’s Day, but with the berries on sale and dark chocolate at home, who can resist? So Hubster, Pumpkin & I indulged in this perfect ending to our day.

The Cliché Chocolate Covered Strawberries

I like my chocolate covered strawberries simple & classic; no sprinkles or multiple types of chocolate drizzled overtop. The photo isn’t the best, but I didn’t have time to retake it before hands were getting in the way.

What cliché food items do you still indulge in?

 

Cappuccino Biscotti

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biscotti, brunch, cappuccino, chocolate, cookie, espresso, food, foodie, gourmet, hazelnut, postaday2011, recipe, white chocolate

Happy Valentine’s Day!

When you can’t get a cappuccino, what better to have with your coffee, than a cappuccino biscotti?

Cappuccino Biscotti

Ingredients:
6 Tbs. fresh whipped heavy cream, 1 c. sugar, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 Tbsp. instant espresso, 2 tsp. hazelnut liquor, 2 c. flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp, salt, 1/3 c. white chocolate chips, 1/3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chunks, 1/3 c. chopped hazelnuts, 1 beaten egg white

Directions:
In a medium bowl, cream together whipped heavy cream, sugar, egg, egg yolk, espresso, liquor together. In a small mix together flour, salt and baking powder. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, chunks and hazelnuts. Roll dough on a floured surface and separate into two balls. Roll each ball out into logs and place on parchment paper lined baking tray. Pat logs to flatten and then brush beaten egg white on tops and sides. Sprinkle with additional crushed hazelnuts and pat into dough. Bake for 30 minutes at 325°F, let cool for 15 minutes and slice diagonally. Bake for 10 minutes more.  Decorate and serve.

*I didn’t have enough hazelnuts, so I mixed in a few almonds to stretch it further.

What are your plans for today?

Dark Chocolate Shortbread

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baked goods, biscuit, breakfast, brunch, chocolate, cocoa, cookie, dark chocolate, dessert, food, foodie, pie crust, postaday2011, recipe, shortbread, snack, sweet, tea, treat

The other day I made classic shortbread that is also really great dipped in dark chocolate. Last night, I modified my recipe and made chocolate shortbread, which would be really great dipped in white mint chocolate. These make a tasty after work snack or a brunch treat.

Dark Chocolate Shortbread

Chocolate Shortbread Ingredients:
2 c. flour, 1 1/4 c. butter softened, 1 c. sugar, 1 tsp. almond extract, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/2 c. dark cocoa baking powder, 1/2 tsp. fresh ground sea salt, extra sugar for sprinkling

Chocolate Shortbread Directions:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Cream together butter, sugar and extract. In separate bowl combine flour, cocoa and salt. Stir flour into butter mixture 1/4 cup at a time. Chill dough for about an hour (it’ll help the flavors richer and make the dough more manageable). Press dough into pie dish or roll out on floured surface and use cookie cutters. Use prongs on fork to make designs on shortbread. Sprinkle with sugar before baking. Depending on thickness, bake for about 20 minutes. It’s hard to tell when it’s done due to the dark color of the dough. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack. If you used a pie tin, cut shortbread into fantails before cooling. Serve at room temperature with hot tea or coffee.

I have a few of these tucked aside, to help me get through a busy weekend…
What does this weekend have in store for you?

Classic Shortbread

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almond shortbread, bake sale, baked goods, chocolate, classic, cookies, dark chocolate, dessert, food, foodie, postaday2011, recipe, shortbread, snack, sweets

Unfortunately my sister didn’t have a copy of her shortbread recipe with her when she was on this side of the pond. Of course she used a real Scottish recipe. I played with a mixture of ingredients until I had a dough that I liked, similar to my sugar cookie, but much less sugar. No egg in the dough, so it’s safe to sample uncooked bits. This is what I came up with…

Shortbread & Tea

Shortbread Ingredients:
2 c. flour, 1 c. butter softened, 3/4 c. sugar, 1 tsp. almond extract, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp. fresh ground sea salt, finely chopped dark chocolate (optional for chocolate dipped)

Shortbread Directions:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Cream together butter, sugar and extract. In separate bowl combine flour and salt. Stir flour into butter mixture 1/4 cup at a time. Chill dough for about an hour (it’ll help the flavors richer and make the dough more manageable). Press dough into pie dish or roll out on floured surface and use cookie cutters. Use prongs on fork to make designs on shortbread. Depending on thickness, bake for about 30 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack. If you used a pie tin, cut shortbread into fantails before cooling. Serve at room temperature with hot tea.

For Chocolate Dipped Shortbread:
On the top of a double boiled, melt chocolate. Dip edges or bottoms of shortbread in chocolate and place on wax paper. Chill in fridge to harden chocolate. Remove shortbread from fridge and store in an airtight container.

*If you use salted butter, you can omit or cut back the sea salt.

*If you like your shortbread sweeter, add 1/8-1/4 c. more of sugar.
*As a gift or favor you can wrap a bunch of shortbread in a mug, with a box of tea bags.

Unfortunately my embosser in still packed in some unknown box, or I would have used it embellish my shortbread before baking. I used individual tart tins to make a smaller shortbread, which I cut in wedges to create fantails.

As the aroma of fresh-baked shortbread lingers through my home, I sit down for a moment to nibble a few shortbread fantails and sip on my earl grey tea. I just hope my sister approves my recipe.

What do you like to munch on with your tea?

Cherry Chocolate Almond Pancakes

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almond, breakfast, breakfast in bed, brunch, cherries, chocolate, chocolate chip, dried cherries, food, gourmet, gourmet breakfast, gourmet brunch, gourmet pancakes, pancakes, recipe, tart cherries, white chocolate

Now that my 12 Days of Christmas Gifts are over, I feels strange to post food again.

Try this variation the next time you make pancakes. This is a perfect dish for a holiday brunch or a great breakfast in bed surprise. Hubster & Pumpkin both loved these.

Cherry Chocolate Almond Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 c. flour, 2 Tbsp. baking powder, 1 tsp fresh ground sea salt, 1 egg, 1 c. milk, 2 Tbs. vegetable oil, 1 Tbs. almond extract, 1/4 c. grated white chocolate, 1/4 c. chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips, 1/3 c. dried tart cherries

Directions:
Set aside chocolate chips and cherries. Mix together all dry ingredients, add wet ingredients and stir until batter is smooth. Stir in grated white chocolate. Place griddle on medium heat and lightly oil. For each pancake, pour about 1/4 c. of batter on hot griddle, evenly sprinkle cherries and chocolate chips. Flip pancakes when small bubbles appear. Cook on other side until golden brown, quickly remove from heat. Enjoy!

If you wish, drizzle with real maple syrup or serve them à la mode. Serve with sausage links and a cup of English tea.

What’s for breakfast?