Thursday, February 27, 2014



Tiramisu Cupcakes





Finally, another recipe!!!!

I tried to make a recipe in the beginning of the week, but alas, we had no eggs :'(. I LOVE tiramisu! It's made up of only things that I love, so it would just be impossible for me not to love it. My dad also loves tiramisu, so i definitely wanted to try to make it into a cupcake. 



Tiramisu Cupcakes
Yields 18

Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup almond milk

Frosting:

1/3 cup brewed espresso (or strong coffee)
2 tbsp raw sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
16 oz. mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup confectionery sugar


In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside


Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, and then slowly add the sugar a little at a time while still whisking.


Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and the oil, and whisk until completely combined. 

Alternately whisk in half of the flour and half of the almond milk until they are both completely combined.

Fill baking cups about half way, and bake on 350 for 15/20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean and cupcakes are golden yellow.



 Let the cupcakes cool to warm, then remove them from the pan.


Aren't they pretty??


I'd like to give a quick shout-out to the scavenger that keeps my kitchen floors clean...

       Jewel-bug!


While your cupcakes are cooling, you can start to work on the frosting!


Combine hot brewed coffee with the raw sugar until it dissolves completely. Add the vanilla and almond extracts.

Brush this coffee syrup on the tops of the cupcakes to add some of the coffee flavor into the cupcakes.

In a medium bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese and confectionery sugar.

Beat in the remaining coffee syrup


Using a circle tip, pipe the frosting onto completely cooled cupcakes.

Top with cocoa powder and shaved chocolate.




That's it! Enjoy your cupcakes! :)

Monday, February 17, 2014

German Chocolate Cupcakes


Two of my favorite things together: coconut and chocolate! This is my first attempt at German chocolate cupcakes, and {although they had its challenges}, I still think they came out great! 


German Chocolate Cupcakes
yields 24+ (about 30)


Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes:

1 cup butter substitute

4 ounces semi-sweet dairy, soy, nut-free baking chocolate chips

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flower

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

4 eggs

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup almond milk


Coconut Pecan Frosting:

1 1/2 cup almond milk

4 egg yolks

1 1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter substitute

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup corn starch {mixed with 2 tablespoons of water}

1 cup chopped pecans

2 1/2 cups shredded coconut


Directions:


Melt the butter substitute and chocolate together in the microwave.

Mix the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and baking powder.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla together until smooth.

Add the cooled butter substitute/chocolate and whisk until smooth.

While still whisking, add half of the flour mixture, then half of the almond milk.

Repeat until everything is added. Stir until just combined

Bake on 350 for 18-22 minutes



Don't they just look yummy and perfect?!


For the frosting:

Whisk the almond milk and egg yolks in a medium sauce pan until blended. 

Add the sugar, butter substitute, and vanilla. 

Heat over medium heat until the frosting has started to boil {about 5/10 minutes, depending on your stove} and is golden brown.

In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and cold water until it has a consistent paste-like texture.

Whisk the paste into the frosting slowly; this will help thicken your frosting.

Remove from the heat.

Mix in the coconut and pecans.

Let cool completely {even refrigerate} before frosting your cupcakes.


Assembly:


Wait until the cupcakes are completely cool to touch on the bottom.

With a small paring knife core the cooled cupcakes, leaving a space inside of the cupcake to fill with frosting. Take a decently sized chunk out of the cupcake, but don't cut all the way to the bottom; you still want some cupcake in there :P



See, just cut a deep crater in your cupcake, so the frosting {which won't be very stiff}, can still be in every bite.


Ummm...and by no means throw out that core!!!!!!!! Put them in a bowl and eat them! Go ahead and indulge yourself, these happen to be the best chocolate cupcakes I've ever eaten, so I always put them in a bowl and either share them with my sisters or my mom, or cover and hide them in the fridge and eat them when I need some chocolate :)




Next, scoop some of your chilled frosting into the center of the cupcakes. There should be enough in each one to fill the cored center, but make sure it doesn't overflow too much. 

For the chocolate drizzle topping, I melted 2 tablespoons of the dairy, soy, nut-free baking chips with a teaspoon of the butter substitute and a teaspoon of coconut oil.

Top with a whole pecan and the chocolate drizzle.




And that's it! These cupcakes are some of my favorites :)

Be sure you store these cupcakes in the refrigerator, just to help the frosting stay firm. If you plan on serving them a day or so after you make them, take them out of the fridge 15 minutes before you do.




I hope you guys enjoyed this recipe, and I know you'll enjoy your cupcakes :)

Sunday, February 16, 2014

The Products I Use...

I mentioned in the About section of this blog, that the majority of the things on this blog will be dairy and soy free because my wonderful, amazing, sweet, gorgeous...*sigh* boyfriend is allergic to both. That being re-stated, in many recipes I will use some ingredients as substitutes, and I generally use the same thing every time. I just want to put out there the exact products that I use so you know what to look for if you can't find one of your own.

The first one is a butter substitute:

I have nothing against other butter substitutes, this is just the one my boyfriend is used to having, so it was easier for me to start using. 

I will say that I use this {or any} butter substitute when I need to have the yummy, buttery flavor that only butter can offer :) But there is a downside to using it..if you're using it in a frosting, or for anything else really, you often need to add a thickening agent, because at room temperature, unlike butter, margarine and butter substitutes are soft and almost liquid. So if I need to have a thicker frosting or anything like that {and I don't need the butter flavor}, I use coconut oil, which is solid at room temperature and gives whatever is being made a little extra sweetness.

The next ingredient is my favorite so far: dairy, soy, and nut free chocolate!!!

I honestly did not think this was possible. My boyfriend said he went years without chocolate and he loved it and missed it so much, when one day I stumbled upon this amazing brand in Whole Foods. They not only have semisweet baking chips, they also have milk and dark chocolate bars, and other candy bars that taste just as good as regular chocolate! It melts normally and spreads just as easily as regular chocolate would too; I am a huge fan of this product! 

I was not reimbursed for mentioning these products, and I expressed my real opinion of the products that I used. 


Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Hello, and welcome to my new food blog!

This is something that I've always wanted to do, and I've decided that I'm just not going to wait any longer! It's true when people say that tomorrow never comes, and I've been lazy about this for far too long! Bear with me as I get this blog up and running, I've never done this before. I hope you enjoy all of the yummy recipes I'll be posting in the future! 
                         xo
                           emily