Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

One of my friends celebrated a big birthday recently, and I made her cupcakes to celebrate. I wanted them to be special, exciting, and delicious. She likes chocolate and raspberry, so I decided on a vegan chocolate cupcake stuffed with chocolate raspberry ganache and topped with raspberry buttercream. I also wanted them to look super girly and pretty, so I decorated them with pink edible pearls and sparkling white sanding sugar and baked them in zebra-striped cupcake liners. These cupcakes were rich and sweet. The bittersweet ganache in the center was a nice surprise and a perfect complement to the sweet raspberry buttercream.

Chocolate Cupcakes
adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcakes
(makes 12 cupcakes)

1 and 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa (unsweetened)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups water 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake tin with 12 paper cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In another bowl, beat together oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water with a hand mixer on medium-high speed. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake about 20–25 minutes.

Chocolate Raspberry Ganache
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

4 oz. chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter (room temperature)
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves

Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Simmer the heavy cream in a small saucepan until hot and simmering. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for one minute. Stir until silky and smooth. Add butter and raspberry preserves and stir until combined. Let cool for a few minutes.

Raspberry Buttercream
2 sticks salted butter (room temperature) 
3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves
1 - 2 tablespoons water or milk (or any other liquid)

Beat the butter on high speed for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Turn mixer to low-medium speed and add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add raspberry preserves and water, until desired consistency is reached. Beat well.

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes

This month's What's Baking theme is Back to School. At first I was unsure what to think until the theme was further explained. We were asked to make our favorite childhood treats with a modern twist. I racked my brain and remembered that one of my favorite childhood treats was chocolate cupcakes. There is just something about a chocolate cupcake that brings me back to when I was a child. My twist on chocolate cupcakes was to top them with a very adult salted caramel buttercream. Salted caramel is all the rage right now, and it has swept me off my feet! I can't get enough of it. 

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Source: Hershey's 
(I halved this recipe to make minis.)

2 cups sugar 
1 and 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 
1 teaspoon salt 
2  eggs 
1 cup milk 
1/2 cup vegetable oil 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
1 cup boiling water 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a mini cupcake tin with 24 cupcake liners. 
Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. 
Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. 
Carefully stir in boiling water and fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Salted Caramel Buttercream
2 sticks butter, room temperature
4 - 6 cups powdered sugar
1/4 caramel sauce (homemade or store bought)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt
2 - 4 tablespoons water

Cream the butter on high speed for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix on low. Add caramel, vanilla, salt, and water one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Beat well.

Coconut Raspberry Cupcakes

I've been on a coconut kick. While there is nothing wrong with that in my opinion, I'm not fully to blame. You see everyone keeps requesting coconut. Who I am to deny a request? Especially when it's for one of my favorite flavors (and for my favorite person!). My husband and I have transformed our bodies over the past two years with diet and exercise. Because of this, I have been baking much less. For his birthday, he decided he didn't want cake. I know, right? He's crazy! So I didn't plan on making him a cake like I normally do. Well at the last second, my husband broke down and asked me to make him coconut cupcakes for his birthday. I obliged, but I didn't have many ingredients on hand. I found some shredded coconut and raspberry jam in the pantry and came up with raspberry-filled vanilla cupcakes with coconut buttercream. These were sweet and fruity and devoured by the birthday boy! 

Coconut Raspberry Cupcakes
Vanilla Cupcakes
1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves
Coconut Buttercream
1/2 shredded coconut (optional)

After the cupcakes have cooled, fill them with the seedless raspberry preserves, using the cone method. Then top with a swirl of coconut buttercream and some shredded coconut if desired.

Chicken & Waffles with Spicy Maple Drizzle

I never had chicken and waffles until I met my husband. I know it's a Southern dish typically made with crispy fried chicken, but here in the Northeast, it's made with shredded chicken in a cream sauce. I wasn't a fan of the creamy kind and wrote off chicken and waffles—that was until I had the real deal at a pop-up dinner that I attended. (Read about Pop-Up dining here. It's an amazing experience.) This version, which included a popcorn dusted chicken thigh on top of a cornmeal waffle with a drizzle of jalapeno syrup, was the perfect combination of salty, sweet, and spicy. I couldn't stop thinking about the dish afterward, so I decided to recreate it. While it wasn't as good as the original dish, it satisfied my chicken and waffles craving.

Chicken & Waffles with Spicy Maple Drizzle
Inspired by Peculiar Culinary Company

Breaded Chicken
3 chicken breasts, sliced in half
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together bread crumbs, panko bread crumbs, salt, and pepper and place on a plate. Whisk the eggs together in a bowl. Dip chicken into the bread crumbs, then the egg mixture, and again into the bread crumbs. Place chicken in a greased baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Belgium Waffle
Bake your favorite waffle, using a waffle iron. I used a box mix, but you can make your favorite waffle recipe. This one from Alton Brown is really tasty! 

Spicy Maple Drizzle
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Whisk all ingredients together in a small saucepan over low heat until syrup is warm. Drizzle on top of chicken and waffles and enjoy!

Coconut Creme Cupcakes

If you already didn't know, I love coconut. It's my favorite flavor. I think you either hate it or love it. Many don't like it because of its texture. I love the flavor and the texture, and I tend to gravitate toward coconut-flavored treats. I made these coconut creme cupcakes for my coconut-loving friend's birthday, and they were well received—even by the self-proclaimed coconut-hating partygoers. I stuffed chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with coconut pudding and topped them with coconut buttercream and then dipped the tops in shredded coconut. They are a coconut-lovers dream!




Coconut Creme Cupcakes
Vanilla Cupcakes (makes 1 dozen)
Chocolate Cupcakes  (makes 1 dozen)
1 cup shredded coconut

While the cupcakes are baking, make the coconut creme filling.

Coconut Creme Filling
1 package coconut cream Jell-O pudding
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Whisk together all ingredients and chill for one hour. 

Coconut Buttercream

2 sticks butter, room temperature

4 - 6 cups powdered sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 - 4 tablespoons water

Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add coconut and vanilla extracts and beat well. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time and water until desired consistency is reached. Beat well.

Assembly
After the cupcakes are cooled, remove the centers of each cupcake using the cone method. Fill the centers with coconut creme filling and then top with coconut buttercream. Dip each top in shredded coconut and enjoy!

French Dip Sandwiches

I love Pinterest, but I am weary when it comes to recipes from the site. I've had a few flops along the way. Sure, I pin a ton of recipes that I want to try, but I usually read the comments and reviews before I give them a whirl. Boy was I happy that I gave this one a try. I was hesitant because of how salty dry onion soup mix could be, but everything turned out great! The roast beef for these French dip sandwiches was tender and succulent while the au jus was beefy and not too salty. 

French Dip Sandwiches
Source: Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body via Pinterest

4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast (or sirloin roast, tri tip, brisket, rump roast, etc.)

2 envelopes dry onion soup mix
3 cups beef stock
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
10–12 rolls
5–6 slices provolone cheese (optional)

Whisk together onion soup mix, beef stock, and pepper. Pour a little of the liquid on the bottom of the slow cooker and place the roast on top. Pour the rest of the mixture on top of roast.

Cook on low for 6–8 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove meat from slow cooker and shred with two forks on a cutting board. Strain the liquid left in the slow cooker with a fine mesh strainer and discard any chunks. Add about 1/2 cup of the liquid to the shredded beef to keep it moist and reserve the rest.

Preheat broiler. Place shredded beef on rolls and top with 1/2 slice Provolone cheese. Place in broiler until cheese is melted and buns are toasted. Serve with au jus on side for dipping.

What's Baking: Bake Your Favorite Cocktail

July was my month to host the What's Baking challenge for my monthly blogging group.
I chose Bake Your Favorite Cocktail because who doesn't love a nice cold cocktail in the summer? I asked the group to transform their favorite drink into a baked treat.
They came up with some great ideas, so have a look and enjoy! 

Eva from Eva Bakes made White Russian Cupcakes

Nicole from Seven Ate Nine made Guinness Cupcakes

Kate from Kate's Recipe Box made Rum & Coke Cookies

Amanda from Our Italian Kitchen made Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes 

Catherine from Pursuing Domestic Goddess-ness made St Germaine Cookies

Steph from Brownies and Blondies made Creamsicle Bundt Cake

And I made Strawberry Colada Cupcakes