Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

So there is some little part of me that just wants to transport into the movie Ratatouille.  Maybe it’s because  I would love to go to Paris and eat great food and see some beautiful places.  Until then, I resorted to my beloved wall of books and grabbed Chocolate & Zucchini by Clotilde Dusouiler off the shelf.  The cover of it has a great shot of a market and immediately I dream of walking down a lovely cobblestone street and shopping at a Parisian market.  I thought it would be fun to try the signature recipe, Chocolate & Zucchini cake.  The batter uses shredded zucchini and dutch processed cocoa giving this cake a deep chocolate flavor.  If you have any zucchini to use up and are tired of typical zucchini bread you should probably give this a shot.  Happy baking!

Banana Bread Brownies

Banana Bread Brownie

I know the idea sounds weird, but think about it.  Bananas, chocolate, walnuts all mixed together, sounds pretty awesome, similar to Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream.  This recipe is from the fantastic Fat Witch Bakery in New York.  They make some pretty damn good brownies and every recipe I have made at home is a hit.  I decided to make these because I had some bananas that were perfect for baking.  I mashed a few bananas and mixed them with vanilla, sugar, eggs and flour.  Then, I melted some chocolate with butter and let that cool.  I poured the batter into a 9×9 and marbled the chocolate into it.  The brownies baked for 35 minutes at 350 and then we had to sample them.  The brownies were perfect and full of flavor.  So next time you have some bananas laying around, this may be a quick and yummy alternative to banana bread.  Happy Baking!

Birthday Cupcakes for Kathy

Vanilla Cupcake with Chocolate Buttercream

Yesterday I learned that Kathy’s Birthday was on Monday so I asked Jason if he could deliver a birthday treat to her at work.  After putting much thought into what I could come up with I decided to really have some fun in the kitchen….. Thomas Keller cupcakes from his new book Ad Hoc!

To date, this might just be one of the most fun kitchen episodes I have experienced.  I mean to start, the cupcake recipe is a buttery white cake with a crisp top.  The batter starts out like almost any other great cupcake batter (think along the lines of the recipes for a Magnolia cupcake or one from Billy’s Bakery- whole milk, butter, sugar, you get the idea) but near the end you whip up a bunch of egg whites until you have almost stiff peaks and fold the dream-like clouds into the batter.

Once the batter was complete I measured a level 1/3 cup dry measuring cup full of batter and placed it into a lined muffin tin (I was certain this would create a disaster but Mr. Keller would not publish this if it did not work).  I was simply in awe as none of the cupcakes ran over the edge or they did not rise enough, they came out perfectly.

After the cupcakes cooled and I enjoyed a relaxing glass of red, I got the energy I needed to make the chocolate buttercream.  Oh and I bet you’re thinking that this is just like any other buttercream recipe… Nope.  For this recipe I started out by making homemade marshmallow over the stove top.  Then, I whipped it on the stand mixed for ten minutes to cool it so the butter would not melt once I added it.  I added 3 1/2 sticks of butter, in 1/2″ slices, two to three pieces at a time until they were mixed in well.  I adjusted the speed and let Mr. Kitchen Aid work the magic.  After this came together I added 5oz. of cooled chocolate (I used 61% chocolate) and then threw it in the fridge to get to the right consistency to be piped onto the cupcakes.

These are the perfect treat for any celebration- happy baking!

P.S. Happy New Year and thanks again for stopping by.  I promise to have more kitchen adventures this year and appreciate your support.

*Full recipe can be found in the Ad Hoc cookbook available through The Cupcake Forest store*

Flourless Chocolate Valentino Cake

Chocolate Valentino Cake with Coffee Ice Cream

Yay!  I completed another fab Daring Bakers Challenge!  This month was kick ass- it was a breeze and I satisfied my chocolate intake for the year in one sliver of the cake!

I have always wanted to make a cake like this but have not gotten around to it so this was the perfect opportunity.  For the challenge I was faced with making the cake (only three ingredients!) and pairing it with ice cream, a historic moment in the lives of us Daring Bakers.
For this cake I used a pound of Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate – I knew that it was going to be a strong chocolate flavor to the cake so I did not try anything too intense otherwise I would be the only one making it disappear.
February’s challenge is a Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Valentino, inspired by Malaysia’s “most flamboyant food ambassador”, Chef Wan. Recipe comes from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan

 

 

 

Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time:  20 minutes
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

 

 

 

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

 

2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.

 

3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.

 

4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).

 

5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.

 

6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

 

7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}

 

8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C

 

9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.

 

Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold from the pan.
For the ice cream I first thought I was up a creek without a paddle since I have parted with my ice cream maker.  Then I remembered seeing a pomegranate ice cream recipe from Nigella Lawson that did not use an ice cream churner.  So I thought to myself, pomegranate ice cream and chocolate, yum.  The next day I went to the store and of course they didn’t have any pomegranates so I had to improvise.   What could work so well with such an intense cake?  Coffee!  Yes, I made a no churn coffee flavored ice cream.

 

I took a few cups of whipping cream and combined some powdered sugar and coffee with it.  I then whipped it until stiff peaks formed and then popped it into a container and froze it.  That’s it- easiest ice cream ever.  And, while I checked it during the freezing process it tasted heavenly, like really cold mousse.

 

This challenge was a great time and am excited for March- Cheers!

Malted Milk Cookies

Malted Milk Cookies

This is one of my top five favorite cookie recipes ever.  I remember baking these cookies for my brother and his friends while they played video games.

 

The recipe comes from the Mrs. Field’s Cookie Book my mom gave me for Christmas.  They are so simple to make but just enough difference from a Tollhouse cookie- and they are really good dunked in a glass of milk.

 

 

• To start, preheat the oven to 300.

 

• Combine 2 1/2 c ap flour, 3/4 c plain malted milk powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp. salt and whisk together.

 

• In another bowl blend 1 c sugar and 1/2 light brown sugar.  Then blend in 1c of salted butter.  Add two large eggs, 2 tsp. vanilla, and 2 Tbs. of sweetened condensed milk.  Mix until light and fluffy.

 

• Add the flour mixture and 2 cups of milk chocolate chips.

 

• Once combined, drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet and bake about 22-25 minutes.   Enjoy!

Eclairs

Eclair

So I found this really cool online baking group and thought I would give it a shot.  Every month, all of the members bake the exact same thing.  Since we were really busy last month I had to skip it so this is my first challenge I completed.  I was a bit nervous when I saw that the challenge was a Chocolate Eclair recipe by Pierre Herme.  Now I was really scared of f’ing this up.

 

 

I have made cream puffs before, which is a similar process but, to be baking a recipe from the man who is referred to as the “Picasso of Pastry” – holy crap I was nervous.  And of course, I wanted these to come out good and not make anyone I served them to sick.  Well with a little courage and and a few cups of coffee, I embarked on the challenge.

 

 

To begin, I started out making the dough- which is known as pate a choux.  I brought 1/2 cup of whole milk, 1/2 cup of water, 1 stick of unsalted butter (cut into pieces), 1/4 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a heavy bottomed saucepan.  When it came to a boil I added 1 cup of all-purpose flour and stirred like crazy for about three minutes.  Then I transferred the dough into my dear Kitchen Aid fitted with a paddle attachment and mixed in three eggs.  The dough was very silky and looked so perfect for my first shot at this.  After this part, I transferred the dough into a pastry big fitted with a 2cm plain tip and piped the eclairs about 4” long onto a baking sheet lined with a silpat.

 

I put the eclairs into our POS oven who has a mind of it’s own and prayed for the best.  I baked them for about 7 minutes at 375 and then placed the handle of a wooden spoon to slightly prop the oven door open and rotated the eclairs,then continued baking for 12 minutes.  Somehow, they turned out and looked so good.

 

 

After letting them cool, I cut them in halve and moved on to making the chocolate pastry cream and the chocolate glaze.  I was a bit intimidated to make the pastry cream because it uses eggs and heat and I sure did not want to end up with chocolate scrambled eggs-barf!  To start, I prepared an ice bath which would be used for cooling the pastry cream.  Next, I boiled 2 cups of whole milk.  In another pan, I whisked together  4 egg yolks, 6 tablespoons of sugar, and 3 tablespoons of sifted cornstarch.

 

 

Then I slowly added the milk to the tempered yolk mixture whisking vigorously and then whisked in 7 ounces of melted bittersweet chocolate.  After removing from heat I scraped the pastry cream into a small bowl and place into the ice bath and let it cool to 140F.    I removed it from the bath and then added 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter into the mixture, covered and refrigerated.  After it completely cooled, I piped the pastry cream into the bottoms of the eclairs.  So I thought I was doing pretty good for my first challenge after seeing and tasting along the way- so then I decided I need to finish them off with chocolate glaze.  I boiled 1/3 cup of heavy cream over medium heat in a saucepan and slowly incorporated 3 1/2 ounces of finely chopped bittersweet chocolate.  While stirring, I added 4 teaspoons of butter and and 7 tablespoons of homemade chocolate sauce (it is made with 4 1/2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup heavy cream, and 1/3 cup of sugar and a very similar process).

 

 

I let the glaze cool a bit and then thought to myself- not so bad for my first challenge but, how do I make them look nice and extra delicious?  Since the glaze was thin I knew it was probably going to be up to my spatula to help me out.  After looking at it again, I thought- why don’t I just dunk the tops into the glaze?  That is what I did and the glaze was even throughout.

After playing in the kitchen for about six hours, they turned out awesome and I am so happy I completed the challenge and my results were wonderful.

Mini Cupcakes

Mini Cupcake with Chocolate Mousse Buttercream

I decided to make some mini cupcakes for the show Joe and Tomo were having at Henry’s loft (pictured below).  At first, I was putting too much thought into what kind of cupcake do I whip up… something fancy or not.  Do I make the bacon cupcakes, maybe something with champagne, or classic red velvet… endless possibilities.  After talking with Jason I decided to follow his advice to keep it simple since most everyone would be intoxicated and they were just going to shove them in there mouth.  After exploring my options, I used the Buttercup Bakeshop’s Golden Butter cake recipe and I made Chocolate Mousse Buttercream for the frosting.  Both turned out great however, I will admit that making the frosting kinda freaked me out.  I just got really nervous with the process used to make the frosting.  I used eggs and they had to be whisked over a hot water bath and I did not want to have chocolate scrambled eggs!  In the end they were delicious and they were all gone by the end of the night.

Dark Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes

Dark Chocolate Bacon Cupcake

Some people are scared by this combination…but I promise it is pure genius.  This project was inspired by Vosges Mo’s Bacon Bar.  I created a dense dark chocolate cupcake studded with crisp, smokey bacon and then topped with dark chocolate frosting, sprinkled with grey sea salt.  I took a box into the Matchbox and people loved them.