Mocha Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

Here is a little jolt of java, just right for a Monday! I had an exhausting weekend, working 13 hours on Saturday as an Elections Officer checking people's names/addresses and giving them their ballots to vote at our by-election. I have never been so exhausted from sitting down doing nothing. I think that trying to keep myself occupied (ie. not bored) was more mentally tiring than if I had actually had a lot of work to do. In between checking people in, I went through 1/2 a crossword book and read the first few chapters of Julie & Julia.

The coffee flavor of these is suitable all audiences - subtle enough not to bother those who dislike coffee but present enough to please those who do. It comes from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. The easy caramel frosting (also from Martha) transforms them into Caramel Macchiato cupcakes! I opted for a free-hand style, using the back of a spoon to glop on the creamy caramel frosting and finishing them off with a chocolate covered almond or espresso bean.

Mocha Cupcakes
Makes 15 | Martha Stewart

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg

1. Preheat to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pan with liners.

2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a measuring cup, combine the milk and brewed coffee.

3. In a stand mixer, using a flat beater on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined. Slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with the coffee mixture, ending with the flour mixture.

4. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool fully before frosting.

Caramel Frosting
Martha Stewart, November 2007

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 package (16 ounces) confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until nut-brown in color, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour butter into a bowl, leaving any burned sediment behind; let cool.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, salt, and butter. With the mixer on low, slowly add cream; beat until smooth. If frosting seems too thick, stir another tablespoon cream into the mixture.

Abigail's Hotel Tomato Cheddar Loaf

It might look like my photos have too much red in them but this loaf really does have a reddish hue in real life! This loaf doesn't call for yeast, so it's a breeze to make. It is a flavorful bread that gets its moisture and reddish color from freshly pureed tomatoes. This is good enough to eat on its own but is also wonderful served warm with cream cheese and smoked salmon. I adore the way the sharp cheddar plays off the flavors of the tomato and sweet onion.

The original recipe calls for dill but I subsituted basil because tomato and basil are perfect partners. Like salt and pepper! The recipe is adapted from Dorie Greenspan via Bon Appétit.



Abigail's Hotel Copycat Tomato Cheddar Loaf
Makes 1 Loaf

5 bacon slices, chopped
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup seeded, drained chopped fresh tomatoes
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
1/2 onion, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 large eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat to 350 degrees F and grease a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch metal loaf pan.

2. Combine tomatoes, cheese, onion, walnuts, and dill in medium bowl. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper in large bowl to blend. Whisk eggs, milk, and olive oil in another medium bowl to blend. Pour egg mixture over flour mixture and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Add tomato-cheese mixture and stir until incorporated (dough will be very sticky).

3. Transfer to prepared loaf pan; spread evenly. Bake bread until golden on top and toothpick comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool bread in pan 5 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool completely. Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic, then foil, and store at room temperature.

Strawberry Cheesecake Surprise Muffins

Note: I'm so embarrassed by this photo - bad angle, poor lighting and the muffins are on a paper plate (good ole Royal Chinet! LOL). I was running out the door when I took this photo, snapping pictures before whisking these off to work.

The truth is, they are delicious. The soft, pristinely white-crumbed muffins contain a sweet dollop of cream cheese filling. The filling is an unexpected surprise and takes these muffins a notch above the rest. It provides a hint of cheesecake flavor and adds moistness while camouflaging itself into the muffin as it bakes. They are So light and fluffy you might even be able to convince yourself that they're a healthy diet food so you should eat 2 or 3!

**Tip** To reduce the likelihood of the strawberries disappearing or into the batter after the muffins are baked, don't mix them into the muffin batter. Instead, layer them into the batter in the muffin cups.

Strawberry Cheesecake Surprise Muffins
makes 12 | adapted from luluathome

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature lightly beaten
1 cup fresh strawberries, small dice

Cream Cheese Filling:
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin tins.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese filling ingredients until smooth. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter, vanilla extract and egg until incorporated.

3. Using a spatula, mix the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Fold together until combined. Do not overmix. Spoon the batter into the prepared tins. Scatter a few pieces of strawberry on top of each. Top with a tsp of cream cheese mixture, a tbsp of muffin batter, and finally a few more pieces of strawberry.

4. Bake the muffins for about 15 to 18 minutes, until they're golden on top and the middle of the cupcake is slightly firm when lightly pressed with a finger. If they're browning too fast, tent with foil.

TWD: Fresh Berry Tart

Strawberries remind me of my childhood summers. We used to have a big yard and my dad used to have a ton of strawberry plants which bore the biggest, reddest, best strawberries. He used to lovingly slice them and arrange them on a plate, each slice overlapping the previous one just-so. Served with sweet whipped cream of course! As a little girl I felt so special picking berries with my daddy.

With summer around the corner, this tart is my way of welcoming Mr. Sun. I have been so cold all year long, even wearing a scarf in the office! I am ready for some heat and a chance to wear some of the cute summer tank tops and flip flops I've been storing in my closet. Some women have a thing for shoes - I have a thing for flip-flops!

There are 3 parts to the classic tart: crust, filling, berries. The filling would normally be a traditional stove cooked pastry cream but I opted for an easier and just as yummy alternative - a white chocolate cream cheese filling. Reminiscent of cheesecake with a tangy sweetness from the interplay of melted white chocolate. It's less finicky to deal with than 'real' pastry cream (no eggs, no stove!) and absolutely delicious to boot. This made a great Mother's Day dessert. This tart is one of those desserts that appears way more time-consuming and impressive than it actually is. Love it.

The recipe this week was chosen by Cristine of Cooking with Cristine. See her blog for the original recipe. I have posted mine including adaptations below as it is quite different from Dorie's.

Fresh Berry Tart
1 - 9" Tart | heavily adapted from Dorie


Sweet 9" Tart Crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon very cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 large egg yolk

1. Pulse together the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter cubes and pulse until resembles coarse peas. Add the egg and process in long pulses until the dough forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change. Turn the dough out onto the counter and gently/carefully knead.
2. Roll or press the dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes before baking.
3. Line the crust with waxed paper and pie weights then bake at 375°F for 25 minutes. Remove weights and bake another 8 minutes until firm and golden brown, fully baked. Storing: Dough can be wrapped and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. The fully baked crust can be packed airtight and frozen for up to 2 months, I prefer to freeze the unbaked crust in the pan and bake it directly from the freezer – it has a fresher flavor. Just add about 5 minutes to the baking time.

Easy White Chocolate Cream Cheese Filling
1 1/2 cups white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

In a small mixing bowl, beat melted chips and cream. Add cream cheese and beat until smooth. Spread over crust and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Berries, Glaze and Assembly
2 pints fresh berries/fruit (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, kiwi, pineapple, etc.)
2 tbsp apricot jam or strained raspberry jam
2 tsp water

1. Arrange fruit on top of the pastry cream in the crust. I find it looks best to put the tallest berries in the centre and taper out from there.
2. For the glaze: Combine jam with water then brush over the fruit. This keeps it from drying out and gives the tart a pretty sheen.

The tart is best served immediately but can be kept refrigerated for a few hours or up to a day (the only problem is the fruit juice seeping into the filling and coloring it).

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

I had to use up the 2lb tub of ricotta I bought from Costco, so here's another ricotta recipe. A definite winner, hands down! Thanks Giada!

These super simple cookies are light and cake like yet slightly chewy, sort of like an airy lemon sugar cookie. Really, these are tough to describe other than to say this: If you like lemon, you MUST make these. This is what it might look like if lemon cheesecake cake and pound cake had a child.

The sour-sweet lemon sugar glaze is a definite must. It gives the cookies vibrancy and a hit of sweetness that plays off the tartness. These cookies... "cake-ies?"... get better with age as the flavors meld together. I recommend that you watch the bottoms of these cookies carefully while they are baking. The tops stay really pale but the bottoms brown quickly. I also high recommend baking them on silpat silicone sheets or on the top rack of your oven or just being really careful and watching them like a hawk.

Note: Other reviewers on the food network site say you can make this with a combo of yogurt and cream cheese instead of the ricotta.



Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Makes 30 | adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese (don't use low fat!)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tsp lemon extract (optional)
1 lemon, zested

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta, lemon juice, extract and zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

3. Line 2 baking sheets. Do not grease sheets. Spoon the dough (about 1 1/2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. (Watch the bottoms! The tops will still be pale but the bottoms brown quickly) Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 20 minutes. I put mine in the refrigerator because I was impatient.

4. Glaze: Combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let stand until glaze is set (or put in the fridge to speed this up this process).

Apple Ricotta Coffee Cake

Beneath a crunchy, nutty topping lies a pleasantly sweet, velvety cake layer. In between the cake there are wonderfully tender apple pieces and more streusel. It's also a good keeper. While it's not obvious that there's ricotta in this cake, it brings a depth of flavor and moistness - that 'je ne sais quoi' - to the finished product. With 2 whole apples I like to delude myself into thinking that I'm getting a serving of fruit when I have a slice.

This would be a great coffee cake to serve to guests as it stands tall and proud and slices beautifully. The cake filled my spring-form pan to the top and didn't shrink down even after cooling. I already have a ton of apple recipes in my recipe box but this one is definitely going to join my ever-growing collection.

Apple Ricotta Coffee Cake
9" Round Cake | adapted from Mostly Foodstuffs

Streusel:
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cake:
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
2 crisp apples

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9" springform pan.

2. Streusel: Place the brown sugar, flour, rolled oats, cinnamon and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the 6 tablespoons of butter, and pulse until you can no longer see lumps of butter. Refrigerate until ready to use (can be done ahead of time).

3. Cake: Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside. In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Alternating the two, add flour mixture and ricotta until just combined. It will be a stiff batter.

4. To assemble: Spread half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the streusel filling, and all of the apples. Spread the remaining batter of the top -- Glob spoonfuls over the top and spread gently. Sprinkle with the all the pecans and the remaining streusel. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about an 60 minutes. Cool before serving.

Seeded Mustard Thyme Crackers

I've been baking more savory and healthy snacks lately. Maybe it's to try and get my son to eat more of my baking. The kid does not have a sweet tooth in the least. He would (honest-to-God) choose broccoli over chocolate. People often wonder how he could possibly be a child of mine seeing as I'm the kind of girl who eats dessert first if given the option (like at a buffet).

These sturdy crackers have a nice mixture of textures from the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, oats and whole wheat flour. There's no white flour in this recipe! They even TASTE healthy and that's not a bad thing! They are a little thicker than "thins" but they have an oh-so-satisfying crunch. With shredded cheese baked right into them, they are easy to pack for snacks. There's no need to fiddle with sliced cheese on the side when serving these, although you can never have too much cheese, so feel free top with sliced ham and cheese if you like.



Seeded Mustard Thyme Crackers
adapted from The Cookie and Biscuit Bible

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 cup grated cheddar
1 tbsp dried thyme

1/4 cup butter, diced
2 tbsp shortening
4 tbsp milk
2 tsp dijon mustard

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone liners. Combine milk and mustard in a small bowl.

2. In a food processor combine flour, oats, salt, sugar and seeds. Add cheddar and thyme and pulse just to incorporate - don't overdo it, you still want the oat/cheese/seed texturedness.

3. Add butter and shortening and pulse. It should resemble coarse meal. Drizzle mustard/milk mixture into the food processor and pulse until it comes together slightly. Sparingly add more milk if needed, just enough to form a rollable dough.

4. On a floured surface roll out as thin as you can. Cut into desired shapes (I like squares) and bake for 5-8 minutes, rotating and watching closely as they can go from pale to burnt in seconds.

TWD: Burnt Sugar Ice Cream

This is the first ice-cream recipe I have made this year. My Cuisinart ice-cream maker is one appliance that I feel guilty for owning. I have way too many appliances and kitchen gadgets and with the weather here in B.C. this one sits unused in the back of my storage cabinet for 3/4 of the year. However, every time I get THISCLOSE to giving it away or selling it, a wonderful recipe like this one presents itself and makes me think that I just can't live without it.

It tastes unique but in a familiar and comforting way. Creamy, sweet and delicious. It was homey, dreamy caramel ice-cream with a twist. This recipe (p. 432) from Baking: From My Home to Yours was chosen by Becky of Project Domestication. The recipe can be found on her blog.

I'm already thinking about the next time I make these. I will add one or all of these mix-ins: Rolo pieces, Heath bar bits... perhaps a swirl of dulce de leche.

Whole Orange Poppyseed Loaf

Waste not want not. That's why I love this recipe. You use the whole orange in this cake! Yep, the entire fruit gets thrown into the food processor and pureed. I expected the flavor to be overpoweringly orangey but that wasn't the case. The cake was filled with refreshing sunny flavor and a nice crunch from the poppy seeds.

As you can see, the cake doesn't rise very high and doesn't have a nice domed top, but that doesn't make it any less delicious. This recipe is as easy and as quick as using a cake mix. Don't be tempted to skip the glaze. It's a sweet, sticky and really addictive. I think it will be making future appearances on all sorts of baked goods from here on out - chocolate cake with orange glaze anyone? orange glazed vanilla muffins? I think so!

Whole Orange Poppyseed Loaf

1 loaf | Adapted from the Sweet Melissa Baking Book

Cake:
1 whole orange, well washed
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tbsps poppy seeds

Glaze:
4 tbsp orange juice
3 tbsp sugar

1. Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter and flour a 1 1/2-quart loaf pan.
2. Using a paring knife, remove the little green stem from the orange skin. Cut the orange into 8 pieces. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the orange pieces (skin and everything but the seeds) and 1/2 cup of the sugar until pureed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, so that no large pieces remain.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Stir in the orange pulp. whisk in the melted butter to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds to combine. Sprinkle over the orange mixture and, using a rubber spatula, gently fold until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
4. Bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. Make glaze while cake is baking: In a small saucepan, combine the orange juice, lemon juice, and sguar at a high simmer. Simmer until reduced by half. The cake is done when a wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes before unmolding the cake onto the rack for glazing. Using a pastry brush, brush the hot glaze all over the cake while it is still warm.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

This pizza is one of the best things I've ever eaten and as most pizzas are, it's incredibly simple. Ranch dressing is an amazing accompaniment to the smoky bacon. Just a heads up: this pizza doesn't have any tomato sauce on it, just in case you thought you read the recipe wrong.

While there is no such thing as "bad" pizza in my world, I have yet to jump on the thin-crust bandwagon that seems to be taking over these days. The crust is one of the best parts of the pizza. A nice crust that can stand up to a lot of toppings is my preference. I like the simplicity and ease of the Canadian Living dough recipe from May 2007, but everyone has their go-to dough recipe, so use your favorite.



It is incredibly sinful and over the top, but just before serving, drizzle with Japanese mayo for a delightful tang and creaminess. Try it once and you'll fall in love. Japanese mayonnaise is made with apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar and a small amount of MSG, which gives it a different flavor from American mayonnaise made from distilled vinegar. In Japan many fried dishes are served with mayonnaise for dipping and it's also common to put it on pizza there. By the way, I didn't know that prior to my own experimentation. It just sounded good in my head, lol. Kewpie (Q.P.) is the most popular brand (clear plastic squeeze bottle with red lid, Kewpie doll logo).





Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
14" Pizza | Dough from Canadian Living, May 2007

Dough for 1 pizza - homemade or storebought

1 cup cooked chicken (chopped) - I used cooked ground chicken this time
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped bacon
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 small onion, thinly sliced (I like red onions)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Roll pizza dough out to a 12-14" round. Bake crust (no toppings) for 8-10 minutes. Prepare toppings during this time.

2. Combine the chicken, ranch dressing, tomatoes, pepper and bacon in a mixing bowl. Evenly spread mixture over warm pizza crust. Top with mozzarella then scatter onions on top. It will look like a lot of onion but the onions mellow out and turn sweet and fragrant in the oven. Cut back on the onion if you like though.

3. Place topped pizza back into oven for another 12-15 minutes until nicely browned and cheese is melted. Remove pizza and lightly sprinkle with parmesan (and Japanese mayo!)