Pineapple-Orange Upside-Down Cake

This cake came about because of ripe pineapples on sale at the produce store. Golden (not green) and fragrant, so ready to eat, but I had way more pineapple than I needed. I also had some oranges that were not getting any younger, so why not experiment with flavors? What to do? Smoothies? Muffins? Cake!

Fresh fruit makes a world of difference here. Ripe sweet pineapple marries so well with the brown sugar glaze, and the cake is moist and delicious, soaking in the fruity juices and rich sugar. Wonderful with whipped cream.

My first attempt was really quite successful as far as taste goes, but some of the fruit stuck to the pan when I flipped it, so it was kinda messy looking. No biggie . . . Sissy knew how to fix that.

Keep your cake from sticking to the pan:

Cut a parchment paper to fit the pan you are using. Grease the pan with a tiny bit of butter or shortening (enough to help the paper stick well), lay the paper in, and smooth it out.

Put the cake together as usual (butter and brown sugar, then the fruit, then the batter). When you flip it over after baking, gently peel off the parchment and voilá! Perfectly pretty pineapple upside-down cake.

4 Tbs butter (melted)
1/2 cup brown sugar
fresh pineapple rings
A few raspberries (cherries are classic)

1/3 cup shortening (or softened butter)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/4 tsp salt
Juice of 2 oranges +1 TBS orange zest

Peel, core, and slice the pineapple into rings.

Preheat oven (350° F) and line the bottom of a 9×9 pan with parchment paper.

Pour melted butter in pan and tilt to coat evenly. Mix 1/2 of the orange zest with brown sugar; sprinkle it over melted butter in the pan. Lay pineapple slices in rows, and add decorative  raspberries in the center of each ring.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and coconut  in a  bowl. In another bowl, mix shortening, sugar, vanilla, and egg until combined, then add dry ingredients. Add orange juice and remaining zest and mix well.

Pour batter into pan, covering the fruit to edges of pan.

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Let the cake cool briefly, then carefully flip it onto a plate. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the sides of the cake. Place a plate upside down on top of the pan, use potholders to grip the plate and pan together, then turn it upside down. Lift the pan and remove the parchment paper from the cake.

Give it a sprinkle of Gran Marnier for a deliciously boozy boost.

Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

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How to make a Fail Cake

Once upon a time, I tried really really hard to make a special cake for a special person. This is pretty much how it went down.

How to make a Fail Cake

1. Don’t read the recipe.
2. Hurry.
3. Mix in extra things because you want to be creative and exciting.
4. Underbake, then return cake to oven, increase heat, and overbake.
5. Fill and stack cake layers while cake is warm.
6. Watch cake lean like the Tower of Pisa while you try to decorate it.
7. Get lots of crumbs in the frosting.
8. Realize there’s not enough frosting.
9. Try to make up for lack of frosting by adding jelly beans.
10. Arrange jelly beans to make an attractive flower, then take a step back and notice it looks like Willy Wonka threw up on your cake.

Company has arrived and it’s time to bring out the glorious cake!

What are you gonna do?

A. Serve it with pride and a stiff cocktail.

B. Dump it in the trash, then hide and have a nice long cry.

C: Frame the dog.

I can haz cake? Iz not trapz? photo by Denzil~

How to frame the dog:

1. Place Fail Cake on the floor, call the dog and quietly encourage him to eat the cake (even if you have to frost it with dog food).
2. Appear in front of guests with expression of utter disbelief and exclaim “Oh no! My beautiful cake!” while gesturing at the unwittingly guilty dog.

NOTE: This option seldom works with cats, but might work with a small child or husband if a dog is unavailable.

flickr creative commons
Denzil~

Rainer Cherry Clafoutis

Clafoutis ~ I’ve heard the name tossed about on food TV frequently the past few days, and today it was all I could think about when I saw a stack of beautiful, blushy Rainer cherries at a Granville Island produce stand. This French dessert can be made with any stone fruit (think peaches, plums, apricots) or even with berries, but the classic version from the Limosin region of France uses black cherries.

Rainer Cherry Clafoutis with vanilla ice cream and cherry sauce.

Technically, a clafoutis using anything other than black cherries is a flaugnarde, so says the intertoobs, and in traditional recipies, cherry pits are not removed before baking. Leaving the pits is said to enhance flavour, but I didn’t want to have to pick around them, so I pitted my cherries.

Ingredients are simple: egg, milk, flour, flavour, a little butter or oil. Clafoutis batter is rather thin, like crepe batter, and is usually flavoured with almond or vanilla. It puffs up during baking and cuddles around the fruit as it sets. In fact, it’s very much like making a Dutch Baby pancake.

This was my first attempt at clafoutis, and it turned out quite well. Gingerman liked it, and we had the leftover portion for breakfast the next day. I half made up a recipe on the fly because I had only 2 eggs and a strangely shaped dish. A few more experiments, and I’ll come up with a reliable version of my own. Meanwhile, I found some inspiring recipes online and gathered a bit of clafoutis wisdom to share.

Baking Tips for Clafoutis:

• Butter & Sugar the baking dish: Butter the bottom and sides of the dish, toss in a couple of tablespoons of sugar, and shake it around to coat the dish. Dump excess sugar that doesn’t stick.
• Experiment with different fruits and flavour extracts or liquers.
• Sift the flour to prevent clumps.
• Bake individual clafoutis in muffin tins or ramekins.
• Do not open the oven door until the end of baking time!
  

Recipes for Clafoutis:

• Cherry Clafoutis from Cooking With Cream
• Chocolate Raspberry Clafoutis from Epicurious
• Peach Clafoutis from Earthbound Farm
• Apple Clafoutis from Michael Chiarello at Food Network

Leaving a comment? I’m curious . . . how do you like to eat cherries?

Vancouver’s First Cupcake Challenge

The moment I found out Vancouver was having a cupcake bakeoff, I looked at GingerMan and said, “We’re going. They’ll have free samples.” He smiled at me and said, “You had me at Free Cupcake.”

My choice for Best Cupcake: The Neopolitan by Frosting Cupcakery

It was an overcast Vancouver morning, but it was all sweet frosted happiness at Yaletown Roundhouse. Throughout the day, 1110 people came by to taste the wares of top-notch local bakers and cupcakeries. My only suggestions for improvement: a slightly larger room and a free glass of milk. 8)

Vancouver Cupcake Challenge organizers Nicole Marie Events and Follow Me Foodie invited the public to sample delicious treats and help select the People’s Choice cupcake, while a panel of judges (including a few local foodies) put in their votes for the Judges’ Choice and Blogger’s Choice.

Fabulous door prize at the Vancouver Cupcake Challenge.

Congrats to Frosting Cupcakery and Big City Cupcakes! You guys take the cake. As a cupcake connoisseur, I appreciated the unique flavour combinations presented by all the contestants. Several memorable participating bakers (including the challenge winners) are profiled below.

Frosting Cupcakery ~ Winner of Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice

Smiling bakers from Frosting Cupcakery!

Cake and ice cream is a birthday party classic. Frosting Cupcakery immediately won me over with their Neopolitan cupcake: a vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry combination that really tastes like ice cream! Their exotic Love Potion cupcake marries flavours of mango and passion fruit, and the Caramel Crunch is a divine confection of buttery caramel and madagascar vanilla with bits of Skor Bar.

Based in Langley, I’d say this cupcake shop is definitely worth a trip! They have a fantastic assortment of delicious treats and wonderfully creative recipes for holidays or any days, plus they host birthday parties for kids and offer custom cupcakes for special events and weddings. Take a peek at their cupcake menu!

Scrumptious samples from Frosting Cupcakery

Big City Cupcakes ~ Winner of Blogger’s Choice Award

When they say “big” the’re talking about the cupcakes, too. Way more than a mouthful and loaded with yummy frosting. No skimping on the good stuff. Many of their cupcakes also have fillings! The best of the bunch is the Lemon Drop: Vanilla cupcake with tangy lemon filling and lemony buttercream frosting. They also offered samples of the Strawberry Cheesecake (yes it has cheesecake filling) and the Truffle, which has a ganache truffle filling.

Big City Cupcakes has three Vancouver locations: Downtown (1015 Howe St.) ~ Kitsilano (2206 West 4th) ~ Point Grey (4481 West 10th). See their website at bigcitycupcakes.com for a complete list of locations and menu of yummy flavours, including gluten free or egg & dairy free options.

Indulgence

Sweet ladybugs and flowers!

Pastry chef Clare Thomas offered three luscious little cakes including Pistachio Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream, Vanilla Bean Cupcake with Tangy Lemon Buttercream, and a perfectly delectable Dark Chocolate Cupcake with Sweet Caramel Buttercream. The texture of the cake was divine (moist and not too dense) and it had a lovely deep chocolate flavour. I loved that some of their baby cupcakes were topped with candy flowers and tiny little ladybugs. So cute!

Cake Tease

Really creative and artistic bakers in North Vancouver with excellent taste. Their unique Oreo Cookie cupcake even had cookie crumbles in the cake! NOM! Not only does Cake Tease make yummy cupcakes, they also do fabulous structured and sculpted cakes, too. Have a look at their photo gallery.

Pink Sugar Cupcakery

Fresh ingredients, small batches, and no dairy or eggs! Pink Sugar calls their sustainable goodies “eco-chic party treats” and offered three fantastic little cupcakes to sample. The toasty coconut cupcake was a huge hit with Gingerman, and the Peanut Butter filled Chocolate cupcake was moist and delicious. An excellent flavour combo! The Chocolate Strawberry cupcake was also supertasty, with real strawberry puree in the frosting. People in Victoria are lucky to have Pink Sugar in their neighbourhood. Check out their inspiring menu of designer cupcakes.

Strawberry Cornmeal Cupcakes with Prairie Berry Frosting

A while back, I joined up with Iron Cupcake Earth in the interest of stimulating my baking muse. Each month they challenge bakers to come up with creative ways to use a particular ingredient and make nommy cupcakes. Of course, there are PRIZES, too! I love prizes.

The Milwaukee Cupcake Queen’s decree for June: SUMMER BERRIES.

Sweet Summer Strawberries by ellievanhoutte

So many possibilities! Raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, snozzberries . . . and so many ways to use them. This weekend, the farmers market was full of fresh organic strawberries, and it was high time I took up the Queen’s challenge. This is my first attempt at an Iron Cupcake, and I’m pretty well satisfied with the results. Ginger Man ate three right off the bat! It was a tasty adventure, plus I got to use some of my favourite things:

• Fresh Fraser Valley Strawberries
• Citrus Salt by Maison Coté
• Bonne Maman Prairie Berry Jam: a mixture of raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries. Made in France.
• Silicone Cupcake Liners: super-easy cleanup and no trash!

The addition of a little cornmeal to the batter enhances this cupcake’s texture without making it taste like cornbread. It’s a sweet cake, not savoury, and the baked tops have a pleasant toothsomeness.

Note: Mix the batter with a regular ol’ wooden spoon so the ingredients don’t get overmixed. For the frosting, use an electric mixer for best results.

Cook the strawberries:

In small saucepan, combine 1 pint fresh strawberries (quartered), 2 Tbs sugar, 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice, and a few grinds of Citrus Salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened and reduced by about half. Set aside to cool.

Mix the dry ingredients:

• scant cup sugar (not quite a full cup)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Mix the wet ingredients:

• 1 beaten egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbs melted butter
• 3/4 cup milk

Combine the mixtures:

• Gently stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until just combined.
• Do not overmix.
• Fold the cooked strawberries into the cupcake batter.

Bake the cupcakes:

• Divide batter among 12 lined muffin cups.
• Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes.
• Cool completely before frosting.

*At the last minute, I decided to add a little surprise when the cupcakes came out of the oven. While the cakes were still warm, I scooped out the center of six cupcakes and filled them with a few mini chocolate chips. Strawberries love chocolate, and so do I. Covered with frosting, they all looked the same. The little extra chocolate boost was fun to find!

Make the frosting:

• Whip 1/4 cup softened butter until fluffy.
• Gradually add 1 cup powdered sugar, beating well.
• Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 Tbs milk. Beat well.
• Stir in 2 Tbs Bonne Maman Prairie Berry Jam
• Spread frosting on cooled cupcakes.
• Garnish with berry of your choice.

Flickr Creative Commons Photo
by ellievanhoutte

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Thanks for your votes! This month’s winning cup cake was:

Not-so-blue-berry Cupcakes from How To Eat A Cupcake

It’s My Breakfast: Mango Peach Cobbler

Mango Peach Cobbler with Milk

I can hear it now: “You can’t eat cobbler for breakfast!”

Oh yeah? Watch me.

Mangoes are bountiful and ripe in the local produce markets, and these are one of my favourite tropical treats. June is Mango Month, and there are tons of ways to play with this delicious and sexy fruit in your kitchen. The flesh is firm and juicy, with a subtle flavour and an aroma that has hints of nutmeg. Mangoes come in several varieties and are available year-round. If the mangoes at the store are rock hard, pop them in a paper bag and let them rest on the counter for a day or two. Ripe ones smell like. . . well, mangoes, and are very slightly soft.

The tropical and subtropical climates of the world are the best places to grow mangoes. India produces more than half of the world’s crop, but mangos found in most North American markets come from Mexico and South America. I purchased Atulfo mangoes: cute and yellow, a bit smaller than their cousins, but just as delicious. They’re also loaded with nutrients (lots of fiber and over 20 vitamins and minerals). Mangoes can be pickled, dried, pureed, juiced, canned, or frozen.  Keep mango chunks in your freezer (up to 6 months) to use in smoothies—they compliment just about any kind of fruit.

In the center of the mango is a long flat hard seed covered in coarse fuzz (seen at left above). Stand the mango on its fat end and you’ll see it tapers toward the top on either side. Place the blade of your knife a bit off center and slice off one side, then the other.  You can feel a bit of resistance when you get too close to the seed. I use the tip of a knife to cut diagonal slashes in the flesh, then turn the mangoes out so the cubes of fruit stick up. It looks cool, and you get lovely chunks of mango easily. There’s more than one way to peel a mango. Watch this video from the National Mango Board to learn more.

I use chunky mango in salads, salsa, and stir-fry as well as desserts (or in this case, breakfast). Usually I make cobbler with berries, but I had this can of peaches layin’ around and figured maybe the peaches and mangoes might enjoy each other’s company.

Cobbler is an extremely versatile recipe, and so easy to throw together with just about any kind of fruit. This is a rustic and homey dessert. The topping falls somewhere between “cakey” and “cookie.” I like mine a bit coarse and packed with a lot of flavour.  Depending on the fruit I’m using, I’ll vary the ingredients a bit. You can find over 100 ways to use mangoes in recipes from the National Mango Board.

Mango-Peach Cobbler

Using fresh fruit is the best option, but frozen mango or peach is fine, and canned peaches will do well enough in a pinch. Unless you’re a purist (or lactose intolerant), please do enjoy a bit of milk, fresh cream, or ice cream with your dessert.

Prepare the Fruit

• 2 ripe mangoes, diced
• 1 can peach halves, drained and diced
• 1/4 Cup sugar to sweeten if needed
• dash of cinnamon
• dash of fresh grated nutmeg
• dash of salt

Mix the Cobble

• 1 Cup flour
• 1 Cup sugar
• 1/2 C ground walnuts
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• grated nutmeg (about 1/4 tsp)
• dash of salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 tbs melted butter

Mix with a fork until combined. Sprinkle over fruit in a 9×9 pan.

Bake at 375° for about 35 minutes until topping is golden. Serve with ice cream or a glass of cold milk.

Mango Facts and More Fun:

Plant Cultures: Mango

Luau Cupcakes two ways, both delicious.

I nom dis.

Macadamia nuts, pineapple, coconut, and ginger. Island flavours combine in a moist, tasty cupcake that is delicious with frosting or whipped cream, but don’t let that stop you from eating them buck nekkid.

I’ve been working on my luau cake recipe for a while, and this is an excellent version. I use minced ginger in a jar from The Ginger People—one of my favourite pantry items. If you want to use powdered ginger, reduce the amount by half.

This is a small volume recipe. It makes just enough batter for about 12 cupcakes, or 6 cupcakes and two baby cakes. I have two miniature springform pans that I use to make itty bitty cakes for two (since most of the time it’s just me and Ginger Man at the table and a whole cake is really just too much). Sometimes when I bake, I’ll throw part of the batter into my baby-cake pans and then freeze the layers for later. Long after the original goodies are gone, I can whip out these sweeties and voilá! The perfect size layer cake for two!

Grinding Nuts

I love using ground nuts in cakes, cupcakes, and muffins. It adds texture, flavour, and lots of good-for-you nutrients. Grinding works best in a food processor, but you can use a coffee grinder or blender, even a mortar and pestle. Got none of these? Put the nuts in a ziplock bag and whack them with a rolling pin.

Tip #1: Add a teaspoon or so of granulated suagar to the nuts just before grinding. This will help absorb oils and keep nuts from turning into nut butter.
Tip #2: Pulse the food processor on low speed until you get the grind you prefer.

Toasting Nuts & Coconut

If you like using nuts or coconut, you’ll be amazed at the difference toasting makes. Toasting heightens flavour and aroma, and in the case of coconut, pleasantly changes the texture. Coconut toasts more quickly than nuts, so keep an eye on it and be sure to stir for more even browning. You can toast nuts whole, chopped, or ground.

With vanilla ice cream and pineapple-ginger whip.

Luau Cupcakes

Prepare pan for 12 cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350°

Mix dry ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup macadamia nuts
  (toasted and ground)
• 1/2 Cup coconut flakes
  (toasted if you want)
• 1 Cup flour
• 1/3 Cup brown sugar
• 1/3 Cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg

Add wet ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup melted butter
• 1/2 Cup crushed pineapple
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 2 Tbs coconut milk (or sub regular milk)
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Spoon batter into lined cupcake pan. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 30-35 minutes. Cool completely, then frost with Orange Ginger Buttercream frosting OR split the cupcakes with a fork, then fill with vanilla ice cream, and top with a dollop of Pineapple-Ginger Whipped Cream.

Orange Ginger Buttercream Frosting

Whip 2 Tbs softened butter with 1 tsp minced ginger, 1 Tbs orange juice,  and the zest of 1 orange. Gradually add 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, blending well after each addition. This frosting is quite rich and sweet, so I don’t use a lot. Double the recipe if you want more.

Pineapple Ginger Whipped Cream

Whip 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream with 2 Tbs powdered sugar and 1 tsp minced ginger and 1 tbs pineapple juice until the mixture is stiff enough to dollop.

2009 Virtual Cupcake Crawl Participant
see all entries @ Kitchen Rap
GourmetGirl Magazine

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes and Whiskey Truffles

Edible "car bombs" will blow up your taste buds.

When I bring my cupcakes to the yard, all the ginger boys scream “Erin go bragh!”

A hint of beer, boozey and sweet, like an Irish lover’s kiss. These cupcakes are truly scrumptious. This recipe makes 24 cupcakes with enough leftover ganache, frosting, and cupcake middles to make a little plate of truffles.

This is not an ordinary cupcake recipe, and it’s definitely not for kids. The recipe is decadent and very rich (using real butter, heavy cream, and three kinds of alcoholic beverage). It also takes time to prepare and involves quite a few steps, but the reward is worth the effort.

The flavours are inspired by a pub concoction called an “Irish Car Bomb” (careful where you order these, or you could get a poke in the puss). It’s a type of boilermaker: a shot glass full of Jameson’s and Bailey’s gets dropped in a pint of Guinness, then you have to chug it down before the Bailey’s curdles and you end up drinking cheese. Ew. Trust me, the cupcake version is much better.

Hand out a few of  these decadent and delicious goodies and people will say the most wonderful things, like “You’re a genius! I love you! Marry me.”

Caution: Because of the complexity of this recipe, try to resist the temptation to finish off the extra beer or nip the wiskey while you cook. You could end up half in the bag and pass out in a pool of ganache . . . not that that has ever happened to me. *hic*

How To Streamline The Process:

1. Read the recipe through several times.
2. Make sure you have all the ingredients and equipment you need.
3. Make room in the kitchen and set up cupcake pans and piping bags.
4. Chop the chocolate and let the butter come to room temperature.
5. Make the cocoa beer butter, then preheat the oven.
6. While the beer butter cools and the oven heats, start making the cupcake batter.
7. While the cupcakes are baking, start making the ganache.
8. While the ganache and cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting.
9. Set up an assembly line for excavating, frosting, and filling the cupcakes.
10. Clean up as you go, be patient, and take your time.

Special Techniques

Making Ganache

• Ganache is the heavenly union of chocolate and cream (and usually flavouring—in this case, whiskey). Heated cream meets chopped chocolate, then gets stirred until smooth and thick. In this recipe, thickened ganache is piped into hollowed out cupcakes. Once it cools, it will set to a fudgy consistency.
• Ganache changes if you alter the temperature or the proportion of chocolate to cream.
  • Increase cream / decrease chocolate = lighter and thinner ganache (good for pouring)
  • Increase chocolate / decrease cream = thicker and stiffer ganache (good for truffles)
  • Heat ganache to thin it. Cool ganache to thicken it.

• Beating the ganache too much can make it grainy. To learn more about ganache, including how to smooth out a grainy mistake read on at The Global Gourmet.

Using a Pastry Bag

• Fit a pastry tip and coupler inside the bag, screw on the outer collar, then fill the bag about 1/2 full. Twist the end of the bag to seal it shut and push the filling forward to the tip. Hold the twisted end in your right hand and squeeze to control the flow. Direct the tip of the pastry bag with your left hand.
• If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can improvise with a Ziplock baggie. Fill the baggie about 1/2 full with icing or ganache, seal it by twisting, then snip off the corner tip and start piping. You can also make a simple piping bag with a piece of parchment paper. Watch Liv Hansen’s video to learn how!
• Pretty piping takes practice. If you’re new to the idea, experiment on a clean plate or a piece of parchment paper and start with simple designs like swirls, dots, lines, or stars.

The Recipes

You can find the original recipe @ Smitten Kitchen. Thanks to Sassy Radish and Bruce who turned me on to the idea. My version below uses the maximum amount of booze, and I added a bit of vanilla to the ganache to balance the flavour a bit. I used two kinds of dark chocolate (Cote d’Or Belgian 70% cocoa and Alprose Swiss 74% cocoa). In metric Canada, two 100 gram bars = about 7 oz of chocolate, slightly less than other recipe versions, but the end result was fine. I also took the trouble to sift the flour, cocoa powder, and icing sugar before using it, to prevent lumps. I used Canadian Club whiskey, as my bottle of Jameson’s was dry. *hic*

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Whiskey Truffle Filling and Bailey’s Frosting

Make the chocolate beer butter.

Can I get a Hail Mary?

• Over low heat, melt 1 cup unsalted butter in 1 cup Guinness (room temp).
• Remove from heat and blend in 3/4 cup cocoa powder.
• Allow to cool slightly.

Mix the cupcakes.

• Combine 2 cups all purpose flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 3/4 tsp salt.
• In separate bowl, mix 2 eggs with 2/3 cup sour cream.
• Slowly add cocolate beer butter to egg mixture, blending well.
• Gently stir in flour mixture until combined.

Bake and cool.

• Spoon batter into cupcake pan (fill each liner about 2/3 full).
• Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 17 minutes.
• Cool cupcakes completely before excavating.

Make the whiskey ganache.

• Put 7 oz (200gm) chopped bittersweet chocolate into a heatproof bowl.
• Heat 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream to a simmer.
• Pour hot cream over chocolate and DO NOT STIR.
• Let it sit and melt for a couple of minutes, then stir the ganache until smooth.
• Add 2 Tbs unsalted butter (room temp), 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 2 tsp whiskey.
• Let it cool until it thickens enough for piping.
• Spoon ganache into piping bag (I didn’t bother using a tip for filling the cupcakes).
• Reserve about 1/2 cup of ganache for the truffles.

Excavate the cupcakes.

• Using a grapefruit spoon or apple corer, dig a small hole in the top of each cupcake. Do not dig through the bottom.
• Reserve excavated cupcake “dirt” for making truffles.

Make the frosting.

Very Irish Creamy.

• Using an electric mixer, whip 1/2 cup unsalted butter (= one stick) at room temp.
• Gradually add 3 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar (about 1/2 cup at a time) and 4 Tbs Bailey’s Irish Cream (about 1 Tbs at a time). Beat well after each addition.
• Spoon frosting into a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip (I used a star tip).
• Save a small amount of frosting to decorate the truffles.

Assemble the cupcakes.

Ready to fill and frost.

• Fill each excavated cupcake with a generous blob of ganache. Smooth the top flat if needed.
• Decorate with Bailey’s frosting (a little goes a long way; it’s very sweet). Top with sprinkles if you want.

Storing the cupcakes:

• Refrigerate filled (or filled and frosted) cupcakes uncovered ~ 1 hour.
• Wrap individual cupcakes in cling wrap or pack sets in airtight containers. Store in fridge or freezer. Thaw to room temp before serving, if you can wait that long.

Irish Screams

They go oooh aaaah wooo!

• Mix leftover whiskey ganache with the excavated cupcake dirt.
• Chill.
• Roll into little balls.
• Decorate with leftover Bailey’s frosting and green sprinkles.
• Praise the Lord.

Key Lime Pie

Last week was Ginger Man’s birthday, and I promised I’d bake him any kind of cake he wanted. Of course, he wanted pie. Key lime pie. I’ve never made one before, but that hasn’t stopped me from cooking yet. So I turned to ol’ Faithful, my “Best Recipe” cookbook and got to it.

I love the science behind the food, and the people at Cook’s Illustrated really know what they are doing. They go through bunches of different recipes, tweak the methods and ingredients to achieve desired results, and test multiple versions before laying out the Best Recipe. They haven’t failed me yet. They promised a pie that was full of limey citrus flavour, with a creamy texture and a sweet graham cracker crust. The recipe delivered.

My favourite pie pan.

I wanted to toss a bit of toasted coconut on top of the whipped cream, but Ginger Man was so excited to eat it I barely had time to snap a photo, as you can see.  I love my hexagonal pie pan. It’s old and aluminum and my Sissy gave it to me, so I cherish it. The shape makes for perfect gigantical slices. The pie was absolutely delicious. We even had a slice for breakfast the next day (a full day’s supply of Vitamin C)! I did add two drops of green food coloring to the filling, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I think the crust could have used a bit less sugar (as could the whipped cream), but not too much less. Next time, I think that is the only other change I’ll make.

Some traditional recipes specify Key Limes, a tiny little lime with a thin skin that isn’t easy to juice or zest. Some say they are sweeter than regular limes, but they both taste limey enough to me. I say go with the big limes. Easier to find, easier to work with, and you only need three or four as opposed to a dozen. Speaking of zest, this is where a microplane grater comes in mighty handy.

Another interesting variation among recipes is whether or not the pie filling is baked. The recipe uses eggs, and even though the acidity of the lime juice will essentially “cook” the egg protein and curdle the milk to solidify the filling, I think The Best Recipe got it right by opting to bake the pie a few minutes. It sets up well, doesn’t hurt the crust, and there are no worries about a runny pie making for runny poo. Sorry, but it had to be said.

Happy Birthday Ginger Man!

Having never made a Key Lime pie before, I’m so glad to have started with The Best Recipe. There are so many variations available (using ingredients like sour cream, cream cheese, pudding, gelatin, flavourings, meringue topping, and more), the possibilities are endless. Here’s one from Martha Stewart that is pretty close to the version in my cookbook: Martha Stewart’s Key Lime Pie.

Lessons Learned:

• Take the photo before Ginger Man demands birthday pie.
• Leftover juice and zest can be frozen for later use.
• Make individual pies in a muffin tin!