0 CHOCOLATE MUD CAKES

calling all chocolate lovers...

CHOCOLATE MUD CUPCAKES !!!

with an easy peezy chocolate glaze.

and a few spicy pecans thrown in for good measure. you know, i wonder where that saying originated from..."a little more for good measure"...measure of what exactly?...

MY SANITY?...if a few more of anything could keep me sane, then i'm all for it.

these cupcakes are great. as a matter of fact, this type of cake is my new favorite. i think it's because of the melted chocolate and butter added to the batter. it definitely adds to the moist factor. i have made a white chocolate mud cake (whole cake) a few times and LOVED it. it's so dense just a small piece will do and it makes such a good base for decorating. i even thought of making petite fours and making each one all cute and pretty, but lost the erge as soon as i had it. soon. BUT this time i though i'd try cupcakes. the texture is unlike a regular cupcake. a little less flakey-a little more crumbly. i think if i had pulled them out just a few minutes before, they would have been more like the dense white cake version i was thinking of. don't get me wrong...these are killer good.

i really recommend the glaze as well. it's so easy and it holds up so well. i was able to individually wrap each cupcake in a baggie. the glaze is so nice and smooth that it didn't stick all over the place like a normal frosting would. yet, the glaze is still soft to the bite, it doesn't harden like a shell.

CHOCOLATE MUD CUPCAKES

300g dark chocolate

300g unsalted butter

5 eggs

125 caster sugar

115g self-rising flour

preheat oven to 160 celsius

place 14-16 paper muffin cups in tin

in a med. bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, melt the choc. and butter together, stirring well so as not to seize up on the sides. when melted remove and let cool a little as you prep.

beat the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl untill pale and thick. fold in the flour and then stir in the melted chocolate mixture untill well blended. (i used a mixer for the whole process)

spoon the mixture into the cups and bake for 15 minutes. the cupcakes should be soft and gooey in texture and appearance. i left mine in just a bit longer, being my 1st time and all, and they came out great...just a bit more puffed. maybe less gooey. remove from the oven and let cool befor glazing or frosting.

EASY PEEZY CHOCOLATE GLAZE

1 c. chocolate chips

1 can condensed milk (14oz.)

1 tsp vanilla

melt the choc. and con. milk together. i like the double boiler method

add the vanilla and stir well....DONE!

pour or spoon over what ever you are glazing...works magnificently with BUNDTS. i used it here on this quintuple choc. cake

you can even use a few coatings if you like it thick. i did on the cupcakes...and as i said, i doesn't harden to the bite, but it does dry and make easy to handle or cover it need be.

0 Pumpkin Thing

The premise behind the You Want Pies With That? event is to make a pie based on the chosen theme. Then everyone who made a pie that month can vote for their favorite pie and the baker with the most votes gets choose the theme the following month. Jeanette and I had the honor of choosing a theme for October. We decided on "Masquerade Pie" - make a pie that has a secret.

We suggested that "You can conceal your pie's secret identity (with a robe of dark chocolate, maybe?) or disguise your pie as one thing when it's really something else (like a mock apple pie deceptively made with Ritz crackers instead of apples). You can use a mysterious, unusual or surprising ingredient in your pie or if you're more inclined to step out from behind the mask, you can reveal a secret recipe or technique."


I decided to make something that I hesitantly call pumpkin pie squares. The recipe is based on a recipe I got from a restaurant in the West Portal neighborhood of San Francisco. I've been making this recipe for over a decade now, but I never know what to call it. That restaurant called it a pumpkin pecan pie, but that name never seemed right to me. So I ended up calling it that "pumpkin thing". The restaurant makes the recipe in two 9-inch round pans, but I found it easier to make the recipe in one 9x13-inch cake pan or one 10-inch round springform pan. If I make it in the 9x13 pan I call it pumpkin pie squares, but if I make it in the springform, it's just that pumpkin thing.

The dirty little secret to the pumpkin thing is the use of boxed cake mix. The cake mix, which is sprinkled on top of the pumpkin batter in the pan, becomes the crust when you invert the baked pumpkin thing. I am almost embarrassed to say the words "cake mix" when people ask me what's in the crust. The pumpkin thing is one of my two most requested recipes. The other is the toffee almond bars which also uses boxed cake mix. What is it about cake mix that people love so much? I will never understand it.

The internet is filled with variations of this recipe and most of them are named pumpkin dump cake or similar. But no matter its name, it's no secret that people love the pumpkin thing.

Pumpkin Pie Squares
(aka Pumpkin Thing)

One 30-ounce can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
One 5-ounce can of evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk)
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/8 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
One 18-ounce box of yellow cake mix (Pillsbury or Better Crocker brand)
1 cup chopped pecans
8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Line one 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan with parchment paper and coat with baking spray.

In a large mixing bowl combine pumpkin, both sugars and evaporated milk. Beat in eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt and then pour batter into the prepared pan.

Sprinkle half the cake mix over the batter. Sprinkle on the pecans and then the remaining cake mix. Drizzle with melted butter.

Bake at 350F for 60-70 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool in pan for 2 hours on a cooling rack. Loosen and gently invert onto a serving platter. Carefully remove the parchment paper. Leave it pumpkin side up.

Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 or 3 hours before slicing.

0 LEMON ALMOND BUNDT CAKE

WHEN IN DOUBT.... ....BUNDT !

bundts are a beautiful thing. you really can't go wrong with a bundt. everyone loves a good bundt. i think slicing them is the most fun, actually watching someone else slice it is even more fun...no one can decide if they should cut the premarked divisions or go outside the lines and divy up the cake evenly. bundt lovers out there know what i'm talkin' about. right?
even a bad bundt can be impressive with a tasty ganache poured all over dripping down the sides. or just go for the classic, and toss a little powdered sugar on and around and let the flavor of the cake speak for itself.
i liken the good ol' bundt to a favorite pair of jeans...you can dress 'em up or dress 'em down, but you're always gauranteed a good time and a sure fit.
i found this beauty at CAFENILSON.com while flipping through the pages at foodgawker. this one caught my eye because of the texture, and i LOVE anything that has almond flour in it. although mine turned out looking quite a bit different texture wise...i was very pleased with the finished product. a lite cakey texture(i thought it would be more dense from the almond flour) with just a hint of lemon. actually it turned out just like a good ol' bundt should...classic, understated delicious and moist.

LEMON ALMOND BUNDT CAKE
with many thanks to CAFENILSON.com

Ingredients:
zest of 3 lemons
3 tbs lemon juice
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup ground almonds or almond flour...(i used ground blanched almonds i purchase ready-ground)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Prepare a 12-cup bundt pan by spraying with nonstick baking spray and then sprinkling with flour.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda and salt) and set aside. In another bowl, combine zest, lemon juice, sour cream, and vanilla. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, scraping and mixing after each addition.
Reduce to low speed then add about one-third of flour mixture, followed by half of sour cream mixture, mixing until just incorporated after each addition. Repeat with the remaining mixtures and continue mixing until well combined. Pour into prepared bundt pan.
Bake until top is golden brown and wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into center comes out with no crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and leave in pan for 10 minutes then invert onto wire rack and cool.

Note: You can add a lemon glaze to the pan while it is cooling by mixing 1/3 cup lemon juice with 3 tbs confectioner’s sugar and pouring it over the cake.
MY NOTE...i did not do this particular glaze, i opted for powdered sugar. i think this glaze sounds a bit too juicy/runny. it would probabaly be delicious if eaten right away, but in my experience this runny of a glaze doesn't sit well. i have made glazes like this much thicker(more powdered sugar) and it holds up well for days..almost seals it.

0 Macarons with Salted Almond Butter Filling

I am writing this post as I munch on a Miette chocolate macaron that my husband bought me. That should tell you how well my macaron making experience went during this month's Daring Bakers' challenge. Ami S. asked us to make macarons using a recipe from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern. We could use any filling our hearts desired.

[Note: Macarons, which originated in France, are meringue sandwich cookies typically made with almonds. They should not be confused with macaroons (you know, those coconut ones).]

I have always wanted to make my own macarons, but laziness usually prevails. It's much easier to just pop over to Miette or Paulette (both in Hayes Valley near my beloved Blue Bottle), but they can be pricey at $1.50 and $1.60 each respectively. I never leave without 2 macarons. And more often than not, it's more like 6 or 12! But the DB challenge was a perfect opportunity to try making them myself.



I read posts by Helen, Duncan and Veronica. I watched videos in French even though I couldn't understand 90% of what they were saying. I religiously read the DB private forums about macaron making. I ordered an insanely large bag of blanched almond flour online and stocked up on plenty of eggs and confectioners' sugar. And I started early in the month, soon after the challenge was first announced, which is uncharacteristic for me since I always wait until the very last minute to try the recipe. The great part about starting so early was that I was able to try the recipe many times before the posting date.

Attempt 1
Unblanched (skin-on) almonds (Trader Joe's almond meal). I aged my egg whites at room temperature for 24 hours and whipped them to stiff peaks. Single sheet pan. I tried both parchment and silicone baking mats. No problems removing the macarons from the pan using either. Macarons have the ruffled foot, but the foot extended beyond the border of the shell. Some had fissures and cracks. Helen's advice was to mix less and to stack a second sheet pan underneath the first to promote even heat distribution. The almond skins gave the macarons a more pronounced almond flavor, but the skin-flecked shells appeared less refined than ones made with blanched almonds.


Attempt 1: Batter flattened out nicely.


Attempt 1: Some shells developed fissures.

Attempt 2
Blanched (no-skin) almonds (Honeyville almond flour). I aged my egg whites at room temperature for 24 hours and whipped them to stiff peaks. I used a second sheet pan and silicone baking mats. No problems removing the macarons from the pan. I was careful to gently fold in the almond-sugar mixture into the beaten egg whites. The ruffled foot did not extend beyond the border of the shell (yippee! - that's how it's supposed to be). But I had a huge air pocket under the shell (blah! - not what I want) and they looked like hamburger buns which my taste testing co-workers found amusing. Using blanched almonds gave the macarons a more delicate flavor than those made with unblanched almonds.


Attempt 2: Foot ruffle good, air pocket bad, looks like hamburger bun.

Attempt 3
Blanched (no-skin) almonds. I aged my egg whites at room temperature for 24 hours and whipped them to stiff peaks. I used a second sheet pan and silicone baking mats. After watching some how-to videos and reading the DB forums, I decided to mix in the almond-sugar mixture with purpose instead of gently folding. Advice was to "fold and press" to incorporate the almond-sugar and to somewhat deflate the batter. The batter should be smooth and "flow like magma". Also, I tested the batter by making sure a ribbon of batter drizzled on top of the rest of the batter would disappear within 30 seconds. After piping out the batter I also gently rapped the sheet pan to release any large air bubbles.

My baked macarons were flatter than in attempt 2, but the ruffled foot extended beyond the border of the shell and I still had that pesky air pocket under the shell. The macarons would not come off the silicone baking mat even after letting them cool for a couple hours. So I had to bake them in the oven until they would come off. That extra baking time darkened the shells to a light golden brown. They still tasted good but a bit toasty. The photo at the beginning of my post is from attempt 3.


Attempt 3: Shells darkened from extra baking to get them off the silicone mat, darned air pocket still there.

Attempt 4
Method and results identical to attempt 3, but I didn’t bother re-baking them to remove them from the silicone mat. I just scraped them off the silicone mats with an icing spatula. They were a sticky mess but the thin delicate outer shell remained intact.


Attempt 4: Batterlooks promising.

Attempt 4: I just can't get the ruffled foot right.

Even though they all tasted really good with the salted almond butter filling I made, I would consider all four attempts failures. Attempt 2 had the best ruffled foot as it did not extend beyond the border of the shell. Attempts 3 and 4 had the right flat shaped but the ruffle was wrong and I still had that air pocket. I need to figure out how to get rid of the air pocket! It happens when I gently fold the almond-sugar mixture into the beaten egg whites and it also happens when I "fold and press" with purpose. I am getting pretty good at piping out the macaronage into circles of the same size. I am now officially obsessed with making them over and over again until I get it right. Then I will no longer need to buy them anymore.

The fine print:
The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.
Continue reading...

0 EASIEST TRUFFLES EVER...

when i say easy...i mean EASY!!!

i've introduced this little fudge recipe secret before and will probably be bringing it up quite a few more times during these next few candy making months. so bear with while i try to come up with some more tasty, interesting and sometime odd flavors, shapes and sizes. BUT, for now, here's a shortcut to impresive truffles.

BIG secret?!...1 can Eagle Brand Condensed Milk

3 c. chocolate chips

1 t. vanilla

pinch salt

i prefer the double boiler mehtod. melt the chips and condensed milk together 'till smooth. stir alot so that the chocolate won't seize. when everything is melted

stir in the vanilla and salt. this is the time you can add anything you want. spice? heat? nut? craisins? etc...

transfer into a clean bowl/dish at refrigerate for a few hours. this is the same recipe for the easy peasy fudge i love to make, but instead of cutting into squares you just get your hands in there and roll little balls. then immediatly roll in what ever outer coating you chose. nuts are always a good choice (i like toasted almonds) or sprinkles or good ol' cocoa powder. DONE...

i'm not saying these are going to turn out like fancy delicate ganache truffles, but they are pretty darn good and definitely pass as a yummy treat.

0 CHOC. CAYENNE, BACON, PEANUT BUTTER, CARAMEL BAR

TRICK ?...OR TREAT ?!...

the trick is....not to tell anyone what in the treat before the first bite...

seems like the second they hear bacon or cayenne the nose turns up. well, mine would have to untill i started experimenting with candy...meet my first candy bar concoction..

THE CRAZY NUTTY BACON BAR?

yeah, yeah, yeah...you might all be sick of the bacon and chocolate invasion. i know something has run it's course when they have it all over the Food Network. it seems like it's no longer an exotic strange phenomenon when everybody has seen it or heard of it.

well, sorry to say, i haven't lost the obsession for it yet. i guess i'm still on that "BACON MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER" train.

this is just one of many different little gems i came up with. how can ya go wrong with these main ingredients

bacon, bacon, more bacon...thick is always prefered

chocolate...i just used dipping chocolate (haven't really explored good chocolate yet)

caramel...homemade is prefered

peanut butter...chunky (choosy moms choose JIFF)

cayenne or arbol ground chili

how it works...

first i nuked the bacon. watch it closely if you do it this way. i like this method because the paper towels suck up all the fat and they come out in nice flat strips with less grease. sometimes i have to go the extra mile and pop them in the toaster oven to get them even crispier. crispy-crunchy is key.

next is the caramel...dipp the bacon. i cut the slices in half. let those cool and harden on a silpat or lightly buttered wax paper. 1st time i made the mistake of using plain wax paper...woops is all i can say about that.

then...dip the caramel strips in chcolate. i used th double boiler method. i think it makes it easier to keep the chocolate dippable for a longer period of time.

now...you might want to stop here. these are already quite tasty, but the second time around i wanted more and i wanted peanut buttter in the mix so i slathered one side with peanut butter and i even sprinkled extra chopped salted peanuts on top.

finally...dip, or carefully with a knife, get this whole thing covered in chocolate. it gets a bit messy and it's best not to get the peanut butter mixed into the chocolate while your working, so keep your knife clean. i must say, the addition of the salted peanuts is great.

oh..and don't forget the cayenne. i think i sprinkled that on after the caramel dipping.

the end result is a pretty ugly, but incredible candy bar. i know i will soon learn about tempering and all that goes along with candy making, but for now i'm having fun just learning as i go.

so, anyway you try this will come out delicious. you really can't go wrong with the main ingredients. as a matter of fact, i justbought another slab of bacon that i'm going to work with tomorrow. some of it might have to go into peanut brittle and the rest?...we'll see.

0 Slow Cooker CORNED BEEF

just three words to describe my newest obsession...

SLOW COOKER HEAVEN

9:00 am..throw a bunch of good stuff in the pot

5:00 pm...open and enjoy

i'm sure most of you have one and if you don't, i implore you to get one. i forgot how genius they are. they are the original "SET IT AND FORGET IT", as Ron Popeal used to say about his clunky countertop rotisserie.

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this recipe is so simple and, i have to say,

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THE BEST CORNED BEEF I HAVE EVER HAD!
i never thought i would take on the challenge of corned beef. well, now i have, and i'll definitely do it again and again. my thought was, why make it when you can get it done properly somewhere else. so i thought...i used to live in L.A. and there were Jewish delis all over the place. they, of course, always have mouth watering corned beef on hand. now i find myself in Newport Beach and corned beef is only sold sliced at the deli counter or it's more of a seasonal thing and just not available when your taste buds are craving it. i'm sure you could find some prepared frozen, but i tend to stay away from the frozen section like the plague. so. i am very pleased i found this simple recipe and ever soooo pleased with my little slow cooker. can't wait to fill it up again. i think the next thing will be lamb shanks...YUMMM!!!

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CROCKPOT CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE

from about.com

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Prep Time: :25
Cook Time: 10:
Ingredients:
6 carrots. cut into chunks
2 onions, chopped
2-3 lb. corned beef brisket with seasoning packet
12 oz. can beer (non alcoholic is fine)
2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
8 wedges cabbage
Preparation:
In 4-6 quart crockpot, combine carrots and onions. Rinse corned beef under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in crockpot and sprinkle with contents of seasoning mix. Pour beer over brisket and spread mustard on brisket. In small bowl mix brown sugar with water and pour over brisket. Cover crockpot and cook on low setting for 11-12 hours.
Remove corned beef from crockpot and cover with foil to keep warm. Add cabbage wedges to vegetables and liquid in crockpot. Cover crockpot and cook on high for additional 30-40 minutes or until cabbage is crisp tender.
To serve, cut corned beef across grain into thin slices. Remove vegetables from slow cooker with slotted spoon and serve with corned beef. Serve cooking juices over the food, if desired. Offer additional mustard on the side. 8 servings