Chocolate Hazelnut Nutcracker Cake and a winner...

First, I want to announce the winner of the Megan Hearts Baking book. I used "random integer" and ta-dah...

Jodie ( Beansy Loves Cake) said... Fun! My daughter is only 2, but loves helping in the kitchen. What a fun book! December 15, 2008 7:30 AM

Jodie when you a get a moment please send your address to gigicakes at gmail dot com (gigicakes@gmail.com) and will mail your book ASAP!

Now, onto the cake. This is the third cake that The Cake Slice Bakers have baked as a group. This month we chose Chocolate Hazelnut Nutcracker Cake with a rum syrup.

The cake had very little flour in it. We had to grind hazelnuts to a "meal" consistency. Then we "shaved" unsweetened chocolate into the "flour" part of the cake. The cake turned out light and fluffy. After the cake cooled we brushed the tops of the cake with a rum simple syrup. (YUM) The cake was iced in a Chantilly Cream ( OMG this is the best stuff on Earth).

Since most of The Cake Slicers said the cake tasted the best the second and third day, I added a little agar-agar to the whipped cream in order to keep it from weeping. I really enjoyed this cake a lot. I called a couple of neighbors over and I served it with espresso. I can't wait to see what next month's cake will be!

Thank you for typing the recipe Katie!

Chocolate Hazelnut Nutcracker Cake
Makes one 9inch triple layer cake
Ingredients – for the cake layers
1 cup skinned hazelnuts (about 4 ounces)
10 whole graham crackers (5½ ounces), broken into pieces
1¼ cups sugar
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely grated
10 eggs, separated
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup all purpose flour
1½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking powder

Dark chocolate curls for decoration

Method – for the cake layers
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of 3 9inch cake tins. Line the base with parchment paper and dust the sides with flour, tap out any excess.
2. Spread the nuts onto a baking tray and toast for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Leave to cool completely. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
3. In a food processor, grind the graham crackers to crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add the toasted nuts to the processor (no need to wash) and add ¼ cup of sugar. Pulse until the nuts are finely ground, but do not blitz too much or else it will form a paste. Add the nuts, graham cracker crumbs and grated chocolate together in the bowl and mix.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and ½ cup of sugar using an electric mixer until well blended. Add the oil and vanilla slowly, beating until ribbons begin to form on the surface of the mixture. Then, fold in the chocolate nut crumbs.
5. Place the egg whites in a clean bowl and beat until thick and foamy. Gradually add the remaining ½ cup of sugar, continuing to beat until the whites form stiff peaks. Fold a third of the egg whites into the yolk mixture and mix well to slacken the mix. Sift over the flour, spice and baking powder and fold in. Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites until no streaks remain but do not over mix.
6. Divide the batter between the three pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire wrack to cool completely.
7. To assemble the cake, place a layer on a cake stand, flat side up. Sprinkle it with a third of the rum syrup and let it all soak in for 1-2 minutes. Spread ¾ cup of crème Chantilly over the top, right to the edge. Repeat with the remaining layers, letting the syrup soak in before adding the crème.
Use the rest of the crème to cover the sides of the cake. Decorate the top with dark chocolate curls.

Rum Syrup
¼ cup sugar
¼ water
¼ cup dark rum

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Place over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the rum. Allow to cool before using.

Crème Chantilly
2 cups heavy cream
3 tbsp confectioners sugar
1½ tsp vanilla extract

Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla in a chilled bowl and whip until the cream is stiff but not too thick or buttery.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

I was not going to post these cupcakes at first that is until Laurie of Quirky Cupcake convinced me to. You see, while I was waiting for the oven timer to go off, I decided to browse the net. And as luck would have it, I discovered Laurie’s Black Bottom Cupcakes! I leave her a comment stating that mine are in the oven as “we speak”. Laurie leaves me a comment to make sure that I go ahead and post them anyway. So here I am, posting Laurie’s world famous Black Bottom Cupcakes courtesy of David Lebovitz.

This is the second time this has happened to me. Not too long ago Katie of Apple and Spice baked a batch of cookies that I was going to post. Because of these lovely bakers beating me to the oven, I am going to keep next week’s post top secret.

I have not even decided on what to bake yet. When I do decide, I will make sure to close the windows, pull down the blinds, and turn off the lights. I cannot have anyone getting a hint of what is in the oven.

Before I go, let me share this bit of info: these cupcakes are outrageous! Deep dark chocolate cake with a layer of cheesecake. Yes, cheesecake! There are also chunks of chocolate throughout the cake. Hello?! Can we say …death by chocolate cake with a smidgen of cheesecake heaven!

Grab the recipe here.

Chocolate Malted Layer Cake

I cannot tell you how many malted milk chocolate cakes I have made in my lifetime. Too many. The problem seems to be that most recipes call for crushed “Whoppers”. Which is okay, but the malted milk flavor seems to get lost during the baking. The recipes then try to redeem themselves by adding more “Whoppers” in the frosting. That only results in a cake looking bumpy and unappetizing. Until now.

The cake before you is from “The Sweet Melissa Baking Book” written by Melissa Murphy. The Chocolate Malted Layer Cake …oh does it live up to its name. It has a whole cup of malted milk powder in the frosting. I could have ate the icing with a spoon and then died utterly content. The cake is moist, tender and absolutely chocolate-y. Paired together, it has a too die for combination.

There are a myriad of recipes in the book that I want try. So many recipes, so little post-its. Yes, the book is under attack by post-its. Almost every single recipe has a post-it on it to remind me “I must try this soon”.

There are over a 100 recipes in the book! The book is divided into six chapters: dessert for breakfast, after school snacks, birthday, and gifts and so on. The recipes are written in a manner that allows one to “set-up” their “mise en place”. Melissa even offers “pro-tips” which I found extremely helpful. Simply a great book packed full of recipes and tips that can only lead to stunning delicious desserts.

I cannot wait to try more of the recipes out. For example, Orange Scented Scones, Bee Stings, Pistachio Linzer Thumbprints, Lemon Icebox Cake, and Pistachio Opera Fudge. Are just a couple of the recipes at the top of my list.









FOR THE CAKE:
6 ounces best-quality unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup canola oil
2 & 2/3 cups sugar
1 & 2/3 cups AP flour
1/3 cup of unsweetened dutch cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon of kosher salt
2/3 cup of sour cream
3 large eggs
1 & 1/3 cups of hot fresh brewed coffee


FOR THE CHOCOLATE MALTED FROSTING:
1 pound best quality milk chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup malted milk powder
¼ cup light corn syrup
8 tablespoons of butter, at room temp.
8 ounces of malted milk balls

Position the rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter and flour two 9x2-inch cake rounds (I used two 5x2-inch pans and halved the recipe). Line each pan with parchment paper.

1. In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. When the chocolate is melted whisk in the oil until smooth. Remove from the heat and keep warm over the water.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

3. In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and the sour cream smooth.

4. Add the egg mixture to the flour and mix until well combined, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the melted chocolate and mix well. Add the hot coffee in a steady stream until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl (the batter is thin).

5. Divide the batter evenly among the pans. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool for 25 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and cool completely on the wire racks.

FROSTING:

1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a medium bowl.

2. In a small saucepan over medium heat bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Whisk in the malted milk powder to combine. Pour over the chocolate. Do not stir. Wait five minutes, and then whisk chocolate until creamy. Stir in the corn syrup. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the chocolate and let cool to room temperature.

3. When the chocolate is cooled, place it in the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter one tablespoon at a time and mix on low until smooth.

4. The icing is the filling and frosting for this cake. I chose to cut my cake into four layers and placed a small amount of icing in between each layer. I stored the cake in the fridge.

Mini Chocolate Raspberry Turnovers

I know I am still stuck in raspberry-chocolate mode. But hey, at least it’s not a cupcake. These are mini turnovers filled with raspberry jam and dark chocolate. The recipe is from Gourmet magazine and is super easy to put together.

The recipe calls for a package of puff pastry. That’s right, from the store but you could make yours if you like. I’ll still like you. I used raspberry jam and dark chocolate, but I believe Gourmet used milk chocolate and strawberry jam? My point is you can use anything you like. Heck, you could even leave out the jam. But if you leave out the chocolate, we’re done. Ah, just kidding.

I dusted the turnovers with powder sugar and served them with espresso. Yeah, I can get fancy. Oh, before I forget, you can make them any size, just make sure you cut the pastry into squares. That way when you fold them over you’ll get perfect triangles.


Mini Turnovers
Adapted from Gourmet

1 package of puff pastry
1/3 cup of jam
4 ounces of chocolate
1 egg
Powdered sugar, optional



1. Dust the counter with flour and roll pastry dough into a 12x12 squares. Cut each square into 16 squares. Crack egg into a small bowl and whisk, set aside.

2. Place a ½ teaspoon of jam & 1 teaspoon of chocolate in each square. Brush the edges with egg and fold over. Press the edges together to seal. Place the turnover on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Then brush the tops of turnovers with egg.

3. After all the turnovers are sealed place them in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 F degrees. Bake the turnovers for 20 minutes making sure to rotate the pans half way through baking.

4. Cool on a wire rack and with powdered sugar, if you want. Store in an airtight container.

Cupcake Hero

It’s Cupcake Hero time! The lovely Laurie of Quirky Cupcake is holding her monthly mingle titled ...Cupcake Hero. Every month she chooses an ingredient and those of us who are brave bake a cupcake around the chosen ingredient. This month's ingredient was liquor. I was so excited about this month’s theme. Mostly due to the hundreds of possibilities.

However, I finally decided on a chocolate raspberry cupcake. I used Chambord, which is a raspberry liquor. If you have never tried Chambord, then shame on you! This stuff makes amazing drinks/cocktails. I don’t even think it has a high alcohol proof. Any who, get some Chambord and bake chocolate raspberry cupcakes or any of the lovely recipes on their site.

The cake part of the cupcake does not retain much of the raspberry alcohol taste, but the aroma of raspberries remains. That’s because Chambord has a strong raspberry scent. To the buttercream, I added raspberry extract, which made the icing incredible.

The cupcakes were so scrumptious and smelled heavenly. They smelled so good that I was thinking this should be a car air freshener. You know, one of those of little trees you hang from the rear view mirror. If you find yourself in the mood for delicious cupcakes and in need of an air freshener for your car, then look no further. (Tee-hee)

If you’d like to participate in Cupcake Hero then click here. The entries are due February 23 and the round up will be here. I’ll see you there.

For the cupcakes:
6 tablespoons of flour
5 tablespoons of Dutch cocoa
6 tablespoons of sugar
½ teaspoon of baking soda (heaping)
¼ teaspoon of baking powder (heaping)
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 large egg
5 tablespoons of milk
2 ½ tablespoons of oil
½ teaspoon of vanilla
5 tablespoon of Chambord (raspberry liquor)

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line a muffin tin with 6 liners. Sift the dry ingredients (this includes the sugar, I know technically considered a wet ingredient) into the bowl of an electric mixer. Place all the wet ingredients into a 2-cup measuring cup and whisk until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry.

Divide the batter among the liners and bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool, then remove the cupcakes and cool completely on a wire rack.

Raspberry-Chocolate Meringue
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s “Baking Handbook”
2 large egg whites
½ cup of sugar
¾ cup of butter at room temperature
½ teaspoon of raspberry extract
4 ounces of melted bittersweet chocolate, cooled

In the bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water, combine the eggs and the sugar. Cook whisking constantly until the eggs reach a 160F degrees on a candy thermometer.

Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg white mixture on high speed until stiff peaks (not-dry) form. Continue beating until fluffy and cool about 6 minutes.

Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium-low speed add the butter a couple tablespoons at a time. When all the butter has been added, beat on high speed for 3-5 minutes until smooth. On low speed add the raspberry extract and beat 2 minutes to eliminate any air bubbles. To the buttercream add the 4 ounces of melted chocolate and beat until incorporated.

It's been 1 year since we met!

I am completely stunned and mystified that a whole year has passed for my "blog". Wow! I started this blog because my family and friends kept asking for “the recipes”. They would say “…remember that cake you made?” or “what was the name of those cookies?” And my favorite “…can you make a copy of this recipe and that one?” That is how this little blog came into existence, as an archive of recipes for my family and friends to print and view. (I still have to figure out how to add a print page.) Soon I was knee deep in sugar, flour, and new friends.

I remember when Garret from Vanilla Garlic welcomed me into the blogo-sphere. Who knew this blog would lead to so much fun, lovely comments by you, and e-mails with new friends across the world. Amazing! I have had a great time here, because you guys have made it a fun and loving place to be.

I want to thank you for all the support you have given me over the last year. C’mon, stay awhile, have a piece of cake and a glass of champagne with me. We’ll toast to friendship, new recipes, and fun. Cheers!


For the cake: From Ina Garten

• 2 ¼ sticks of butter, softened
• 3 cups of sugar
• 6 extra large eggs
• 8 ounces of sour cream, room temperature
• 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
• Zest of one lemon
• 3 cups of flour
• 1/3 cup of cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda

1. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at med-high speed until light and fluffy, 5 minutes.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl if necessary. Then add the sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest. Scrape down the bowl.
4. On low speed slowly add the flour until just combined, finishing the mixing by folding. Pour the batter into a 12x18x2 buttered and parchment paper lined pan.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a cake taster comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

For the frosting use your favorite chocolate frosting. On this cake, I used a whipped chocolate ganache icing.

• 8 ounces of chocolate
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon of Grand Marnier
  

1. Place the chocolate in the bowl of an electric mixer. Scald the cream and pout over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit without stirring for 5 minutes.

2. Next, whisk the chocolate until smooth and shiny. Add the Grand Marnier and whisk.

3. Let the mixture sit add room temperature until cool to the touch. Then add the whip attachment to the mixer and whip on med-high speed. Whip for 5-8 minutes (if you have a hand held mixer or small mixer this will take a while) until fluffy and the chocolate has changed to a lighter color.

4. Spread the icing on top of cake and make pretty swirls. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Spicy Pistachio Truffles

If you're a chocolate lover, you know there's chocolate and then there's truffles. Chocolate is something you enjoy and share with others. And truffles? Well, lets just say, that truffles turn the best of us into greedy chocolate addicts that hide their stash behind law encyclopedias. If you know of a person who fits that description, then this is your Christmas gift to them.

Earlier this week I received my Christmas gift from my friend K. In this wonderful box of sugar delights was a bar of Montezuma's dark chili chocolate. I wanted to use it in a way that would highlight the dark and spiciness of the chocolate. At first, I thought a buttercream for a cupcake would be great. Hmm? No, something better. Then I remembered what K. said, "...the heat slowly builds up as you eat the chocolate". That's when it hit me ...truffles.

These truffles are easy peasy. In no time, you'll have a couple of boxes of truffles for the chocolate lovers in your life. The truffle base is a mixture of dark and milk chocolate. The pistachio's are roasted and salted, yes salted, trust me it works.

On a side note, if you live in the Los Angeles area and want to make truffles but need the packaging supplies, I know a place. (Prices very reasonable) Shoot me an e-mail and I'll send you all the info. Now on to the gift making and giving!

Spicy Pistachio Truffles

• 3/4 cup of heavy cream
• 8 ounces of dark chocolate & 8 ounces of milk chocolate
  
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla ( or any extract that you like)
• 3-1oo gram bar of Montezuma Chili Chocolate Bar
• 3 teaspoons of flavorless oil, like canola
• 1/2 cup of halved pistachios, salted & roasted

1. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is smooth. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour into a bowl and lightly cover (no condensation) and chill until firm, 3 hours or more.
2. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper. Scoop the chocolate by rounded teaspoons and form into balls and place on baking sheet. (I yielded 50 truffles) Place in freezer for 45 minutes.
3. In a doubler boiler melt the chili chocolate. Once melted add the oil and whisk to combine. I used a bamboo skewer to dip my truffles with; a fondue fork or candy fork will work also.
4. Dip the truffles and as they come out place a pistachio half on top. Once all the truffles are dipped place in the freezer for 5 minutes to set chocolate and then place in liners.
   
5. Cover the truffles well and keep chilled until ready to use. The truffles can be made up to 2 weeks in advance.
   

Applesauce-Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Awhile back, okay weeks, I bought a jar of applesauce. I was intent on making apple cupcakes, I think. I was always too busy or not in the mood for cupcakes. (On a side note: I know I have not baked cupcakes for awhile. The reason is, I know longer have co-workers. No, do not worry. I have decided to take a sabbatical before I pursue a job that actually relates to what I am currently going to school for.) However, I digress. The jar of applesauce has been staring at me for weeks. Every single time I went into my baking pantry I could feel it looking at me. I could feel its need to be baked into something glorious. Well, I hope I have appeased my apple friend.

I was drawn to this recipe because it called for black pepper. Yep, black pepper in cake. Some how the black pepper gives the cake a certain spicy kick. It seems to “wake up” the apples. It is a really good holiday cake. I can picture it now …eggnog, hot toddies, champagne, Christmas music, and my family enjoying this wonderful cake. Can you envision it? Happy Holidays~Gigi

Applesauce-Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
from Food and Wine December 2007

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup vegetable oil
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
One 12-ounce bag semisweet-chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, cloves and pepper. Whisk in the applesauce, eggs, oil and melted butter. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached.
3. Transfer to a rack and let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then invert it onto the rack and let cool completely, about 20 minutes.

Double Chocolate Cookies

As I’ve mentioned before, I love to give out cookies for the holidays. Don’t laugh, I refer to them as the “twelve days of cookies”. For weeks I bake cookie recipes that have caught my eye, or that just seemed to scream “I’m delicious!” The cookies that I love go into a “Yes!” pile. The “yes” pile has to meet certain criteria besides being yummy. One of the big deal breakers is when a cookie is not shippable. You see, most of the cookies are shipped across the country. So they must arrive intact, no crumbs allowed. Which brings me to this lovely cookie.

This cookie is the result of a sugar cookie and a brownie merging together to create a new dessert life form. The cookie is soft and buttery, like a sugar cookie, but the center is chocolate-y and fudgy like a brownie. It’s like two desserts rolled into one! The recipe is also very easy to make and has very few ingredients. I did make one variation from the recipe. Instead of melting the butter with 4 ounces of milk chocolate I used bittersweet. It gave the cookie a more “brownie” taste to them. The chocolate that you fold in, I did keep as milk chocolate. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Cookies
Adapted from Holiday Cookies (2005)
By Martha Stewart Makes about 3 dozen

1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened dutch cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces of good-quality milk chocolate ( 4oz. cut coarsely chopped, 4oz. cut into 1/4" chunks)
1/2 cup of butter
1 & 1/2 cups of sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 325'F degrees. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt; set aside. Melt 4oz. of the coarsely chopped chocolate with the butter in a small heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water; let cool slightly. (I melted mine in the microwave on a low setting.)

2. Put the chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

3. Using a 1.5-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough unto parchment lined baking sheets, (must use parchment cookies will stick) spacing two inches apart. Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces crack, about 15 minutes (cookies will be soft). let cool on parchment on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of wax paper in air tight containers for at room temperature for 3 days.

Chocolate Chip Mint

It's been a long time time since I posted a cupcake. The last couple of weeks have been very busy. School started and I have tons of reading to do. Which is hard when your textbooks are trapped in a warehouse somewhere in Vermont. Hopefully, they'll be shipped soon.

Then I became obsessed with blueberry muffins! I had wanted to share the muffins with my fellow classmates. You see, we arrive at school an hour or so before class. No, we're not that nerdy. The parking at school is a nightmare. If you don't get there at the crack of dawn, you'll never find a spot. We usually grab a table in the cafeteria and drink our weight in coffee. I thought a muffin would be a nice addition to our routine. But it took a couple of tries before I was successful with the muffins.

Now that the stress of the muffin failure is over, I can concentrate on cupcakes! This week I decided to make chocolate chip mint cupcakes. These are one of my favorite cupcakes. I've made the cupcakes from different chocolate cake recipes and they have always turned out great. Just use your favorite chocolate cake recipe, then fold in chocolate chips, and bake according to the instructions.

The peppermint icing is also very easy to make. The ingredients are: 160z of sifted powdered sugar, 2/3 cup of softened butter, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon of peppermint oil, and a 1/4 cup of milk. Cream the butter until fluffy. Add the salt and oil. Add half the sugar & then half the milk. Repeat with the remaining sugar & milk and then beat until light and fluffy. (I dyed my icing green solely for looks.) Have a great week!

...Are You A Hostess Cupcake?

I've seen this recipe floating around the net for several months now. At first, I was hesitant about one of my cupcakes being compared to a factory packaged cupcake. Not to mention that I secretly love Hostess cupcakes and would be crushed if my cupcakes sucked. The recipe is from Food and Wine, and while it is reminiscent of the Hostess version it does not come close to being a "real" Hostess cupcake. The problem was the marshmallow filling, it just wasn't as good as Hostess's. The cake part had a mild chocolate taste, not too dark. The icing on top was great, I liked it better than Hostess's but alas, the marshmallow goodness was not there. Do not fret my cupcake lovers, these cupcakes were a crowd pleaser. Even though they did not meet my standards, everyone at work squealed and cried for one. I felt like some sort of cupcake rock star. It was great!

No Campfire Needed

A while back I found this cupcake recipe and agreed with author that it was darn cute! Then a couple of days later, Cheryl made her own version of this cupcake. That was it. I decided that I had to make this cupcake!

The recipe from "Sew Darn Cute" is delicious. I have not had the chance to make Cheryl's version, which I'm sure is divine! (I have made several of her past recipes, always a success never a failure.)

I took the cupcakes to work and they were devoured within minutes. The best part is "no campfire needed"!

Bacardi and Coke

This cupcake actually started off as joke between my boyfriend and me. He said it couldn't be done. Ha!

It's just a basic chocolate cake recipe that calls for coffee. The recipe I used called for 3/4 cup of warm coffee; I used 1/2 cup of warm coke and 6 tablespoons of rum.

Those were the only two changes I made to the recipe. I replaced the milk in the buttercream with rum. I did search for a recipe and found a lot of inspiration; but the deciding factor was that (BF) does not like lime.

I opted instead for a faux lime instead of lime juice in the recipe. The cupcakes were tasty, and BF was shocked when I presented his favorite drink in the form of a cupcake!