Happy Easter!

So yeah, I have been neglectful of the blog. So where to begin?

About two days after enjoying the Bailey's Cupcakes, I got hit with the worst stomach flu/food poisoning of my life. I don't know whether it was the fast food I had, or if I got sick from the kid sitting next to me at the Symphony (which I went to, to see my brother perform). Either way it was a long ass week of wanting to knock myself out so I could get some uninterrupted sleep.

And now, within the last two weeks I have had three (yes, THREE) family members pass away. One of them was a cousin who I was very close too, and who was only 34. To say I've been focused on other things is kind of an understatement.

But now I'm back, and ready to bake once more. Which includes my next project, making Red-Velvet cupcakes for my sister-in-law for her birthday. So I hope you're all having a wonderful Easter, and here are some pics of the Easter eggs I colored last night along with some of my peeps. Enjoy!

Carrot Cake w/ Orange Frosting

So not much going on for Easter this year, and seeing that my extended family isn't doing anything we are having a quiet ham dinner at home. Ham w/ a pineapple glaze, roasted red potatoes in herbs, garden salad and this lovely cake for dessert. You have no idea how hard it has been for me to keep my hands off it. Hopefully my patience will be rewarded later this evening.

INGREDIENTS:

From 1 Mix, 100 Cakes

oil or melted butter for greasing

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

generous 3/4 cup light brown sugar

3 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp. orange juice

scant 1 1/2 cups coarsely grated carrots

FROSTING INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup whole-fat cream cheese

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

finely grated rind of 1 orange

1 tbsp. orange juice plus extra if needed.

1) Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease and line a 9 in. round, deep cake pan.

2) Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger into a bowl and add the butter, sugar, and eggs. Beat well until smooth, then stir in the orange juice and carrots.

3) Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and spread the top level. Bake for 1 hour-1 hour 10 minutes, or until well risen, firm and golden brown.

4) Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

5) For the frosting, put all the ingredients into a bowl and beat until smooth and thick, adding more orange juice if needed. Spread over the top of the cake and decorate as desired.

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So, the recipe also calls for 1/2 cup of chopped pecans in the cake batter, but A) I didn't have any and B) that didn't sound write to me. So to each his own I guess. I got this from the companion book to 1 Dough, 100 Cookies, which I picked up at a bookstore near my house that was going out of business. It was SO worth the buy. Another thing I love is the size of the cake. Usually I find recipes that are all for quarter sheets or bigger. This is a lovely little cake I fit in an 8x8 in. pan and I love that it won't fester in my fridge. This is going to the perfect cake for dinner tonight!

Tiramisu Cupcakes w/ Marscapone Frosting

These cupcakes, are some of my favorite to not only eat but too bake as well. I've made them for my sister-in-law for her birthday, and this year for my brother's Masters recital. Now don't knock this cause it uses a packaged cake mix. It's a fantastic cupcake, one that's easy to make and one that is delicious to eat.

INGREDIENTS:

From Wilton's Cupcake Fun

1 package (18.25 oz.) yellow cake mix with no pudding in mix

1 1/2 cups double strength coffee

3 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

12 ladyfingers, cut into into bite-size pieces

1) Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line muffin tin with cups.

2) In large bowl, combine cake mix, coffee, eggs, and oil; beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Fold in ladyfinger pieces. Spoon into baking cups.

3) Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool cupcakes in tin on cooling rack for 5-8 minutes. Remove cupcakes from tin and cool completely.

FROSTING INGREDIENTS:

1 container (8 oz.) marscapone cheese

1 tbsp. milk

1/2 cup powdered sugar

In large bowl, combine cheese, milk, and sugar. Beat wtih mixer until ingredients are blended. Keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerate in an airtight container. After icing cupcakes, sprinkle chocolate to garnish. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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These cupcakes are so very, very good.  It's like a very deconstructed Tiramisu without the rum. Which though I like the booze, is A-OK with me. The batter makes about 6 dozen mini-cupcakes, which was perfect for what I needed. And they look pretty too after dusting them with unsweetened cocoa powder and chocolate sprinkles. Be sure to grab a couple though, cause these puppies will be GONE before you know it.

 (i've got ladyfingers baby, i've got kid gloves, baby I've got heart...)

Cappuccino Cookies

So my brother had his last recital before getting his Master's degree next month, and I was asked to once again cater with some desserts. Last year I made black & white cupcakes and chocolate-chocolate chip cookies which went really quick. Seriously, I made 12 dozen cupcakes and 6 dozen cookies, and came home with 8 cupcakes and 8 cookies.

I decided to go a little more posh this time around, and for the cookies I opted for something to compliment Tiramisu cupcakes. I figured a coffee-inspired cookie would do the trick, and thankfully it did.

INGREDIENTS:

From 1 Dough, 100 Cookies

2 envelopes instant cappuccino

1 tbsp. hot water

1 cup butter, softened

scant 3/4 cup sugar

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

6 oz./175 g. white chocolate, broken into pieces

salt

unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

1) Empty the cappuccino sachets into a small bowl and stir in the hot, but not boiling water to make a paste.

2) Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon, then beat in the egg yolk and cappuccino paste. Sift together the flour and a pinch of salt into the mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Halve the dough, shape into balls, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.

3) Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line 2 cookie sheets with baking parchment.

4) Unwrap the dough and roll out between 2 sheets of baking parchment. Stamp out cookies with a 2 1/2 inch plain cutter and put them on the prepared cookie sheets spaced well apart.

5) Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on the cookie sheets for 5-10 minutes, then using a metal spatula carefully transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

6) When the cookies are cool, put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and melt over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Remove the bowl from the heat and let cool, then spoon the chocolate over the cookies. Dust with cocoa powder.

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These cookies, were sinfully good. The cookie tastes just like coffee, but it's not too bitter or too strong. And the white chocolate isn't too sweet, it literally tastes like you're eating a cappuccino. And it was so painfully easy to throw together. Funny story, the recipe says you get about 30 cookies from this batch which I say is a big fat lie. I did one batch and got 6 dozen. So yeah, there are 8 dough balls in my freezer.

So if you need an easy cookie that will not only impress but taste amazing, than you should give these a try. It's hands down the best cookie I have made in awhile.