Chocolate Apple Cider Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

Oh, I love my new camera. Now I can take semi decent photos of food!

As promised, here are the Chocolate Apple Cider Cupcakes. Guess what else? An easy Apple Cider Marshmallow Frosting recipe. The cupcake recipe is of course based on Martha Stewart's One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes recipe from her Baking Handbook. The frosting is an improvisational recipe made with what I already had on hand in the kitchen. Can't skip the frosting; after all, everyone knows the best part of a cupcake is the frosting. Want to know what the somewhat wacky secret ingredient is? When you make these, you might want to keep this part a secret since it doesn't sound too sophisticated: Spiced Apple Cider Instant Drink Mix. Yep, you read that right.

Chocolate Apple Cider Cupcakes
makes 2 dozen

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 packets (0.74 oz each) of Spiced Apple Cider instant drink mix
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups water

Heat oven to 350F. In a large bowl (use an electric mixer if you have one), sir together flour, cocoa powder, apple cider mix, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs and yolk, milk, oil, vanilla, and warm water. Beat until smooth and evenly combined, about three minutes.

Spray 2 standard muffin/cupcake pans with non stick cooking spray, or preferably line them with paper liners. Divide batter evenly among the paper liners filling each to about 2/3 full. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Let cool completely.



Apple Cider Marshmallow Frosting

2 egg whites
6 Tbsp. cold water
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tarter
1 cup miniature marshmallows
2 packets (0.74 oz each) spiced apple cider instance drink mix

Combine all ingredients, except marshmallows and vanilla in a double broiler blending thoroughly over very rapidly boiling water. Beat vigorously with a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks begin to form (about 7 minutes). Slowly beat in marshmallows until melted and add in vanilla. Frost cupcakes immediately. I sprinkled mine with cinnamon and red sugar.

Enjoy!

Lemon Ginger Cake

A dear friend of mine had a birthday recently, and there is little I love more than making a cake for someone, especially a friend who has seen me through a lot of life's ups and downs. She doesn't have a huge sweet tooth, and is known for passing up the dessert tray at a restaurant and opting for buffalo wings instead. I am not sure how it's possible that we are still great friends given this disparity of respective weaknesses, but we are. Truth is stranger than fiction, folks. That said, she actually liked this cake (or so she said).
(BTW- we are only letting her pretend she is still 27, don't tell her we know)

The cake itself is not terribly sweet, but very good. The frosting is quite tangy and sweet, and I will probably keep it up my sleeve as a trusty go-to frosting.

Lemon Ginger Cake

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbs. lemon zest
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, grated
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 350F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest and ginger. Beat for one minute.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

Divide batter between two round cake pans, don't forget to grease or spray the pans with cooking spray first. There will be batter left over which is great for making cupcakes (see cupcake photo at the end of this post). Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Cool completely at room temperature.

Lemon Ginger Frosting:

2 tsp. lemon zest
4 Tbs. melted butter
3-4 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp. salt

Whisk together lemon zest, butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, lemon juice, ginger and salt until the mixture starts to stiffen. Add more powdered sugar until the frosting seems thick enough to stick to the cake.

After the cake has cooled completely, top one of the cake rounds with frosting. Place other cake round on top, and then frost the rest of the cake. I decorated mine with candied ginger and fruit jellies from Trader Joe's.


Here is a picture of the cupcakes. I took these to work, and there wasn't a crumb left after 11 AM.

Donuts!

"Donuts. Is there anything they can't do?" -Homer Simpson

When I first got the idea to make donuts from scratch, my eyes almost popped out of my head. I love anything even remotely kitchy.

I was warned they would take commitment. These aren't something you can just stir up in a bowl and stick on the skillet.... I think I underestimated that warning as I was up until one in the morning making these puppies.

They were pretty good, but I definitely learned a few things:

1. I need a candy thermometer.
2. I need a round pastry cutter set.
3. I'm 95% sure that its better to fry these at a lower temperature than the recipe calls for and to take them out of the oil well before you think they are done, otherwise they turn out dry and chewy instead of soft and melt in your mouth.
4. Only make as much as can be consumed or given away in one day,
5. These are a great gift to give to someone who needs a little happiness in their day.

I got the idea and the glazes from the amazing Joy the Baker. I did not use an electric mixer for the donuts, as I do not have one yet. I didn't find it to be a problem though, I just vigorously mixed the dough with my hands when the recipe called for it to be mixed for 3 minutes (kind of a bicep work out). Also, I think what was even better than the donuts themselves were the donut holes. I dropped them immediately from the oil into a bowl of cinnamon and sugar and rolled them around. I took the donuts and the holes to work, and the holes were first to go. Just as an FYI-These are not super sweet like the kind you buy at a grocery store bakery or Krispy Kreme. They taste more like a slightly sweet fry bread with a touch of cinnamon.

Though these were very good, I think next time I will try out these from Peanut Butter and Julie.

P.S. I know the picture isn't of the highest quality, I had to take it with my cell phone. Don't worry, I am working on getting my broken camera fixed.


Gourmet, December 2006

makes 1 dozen doughnuts

1 (1/4-oz) package active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons warm water (105–115°F)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for sprinkling and rolling out dough
1 cup whole milk at room temperature
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
About 10 cups vegetable oil for deep frying

Stir together yeast and warm water in a small bowl until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If yeast doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)

Mix together flour, milk, butter, yolks, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and yeast mixture in mixer at low speed until a soft dough forms. Increase speed to medium-high and beat 3 minutes more.

Scrape dough down side of bowl (all around) into center, then sprinkle lightly with flour (to keep a crust from forming). Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Alternatively, let dough rise in bowl in refrigerator 8 to 12 hours.)

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round (1/2 inch thick). Cut out as many rounds as possible with 3-inch cutter, then cut a hole in center of each round with 1-inch cutter and transfer doughnuts to a lightly floured large baking sheet. Cover doughnuts with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until slightly puffed, about 30 minutes (45 minutes if dough was cold when cutting out doughnuts). Do not reroll scraps.

Heat 2 1/2 inches oil in a deep 4-quart heavy pot until it registers 350°F on thermometer. Fry doughnuts, 2 at a time, turning occasionally with a wire or mesh skimmer or a slotted spoon, until puffed and golden brown, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. (Return oil to 350°F between batches.)

I also fried the doughnut holes for about 1 minute and them tossed them in powdered sugar and cinnamon sugar straight out of the hot grease.

Chocolate Glaze

recipe from Alton Brown

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup whole milk, warmed
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Combine butter, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla in medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Decrease the heat to low, add the chocolate, and whisk until melted. Turn off heat, add the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Place the mixture over a bowl of warm water and dip the doughnuts immediately. Allow glaze to set for 30 minutes before serving.

Maple Glaze

Bon Appetit November 1995

You might consider doubling this recipe and drizzling it on everything you know and love.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons whipping cream
6 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted

Melt butter with maple syrup and cream in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Cool glaze until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Dip doughnuts into glaze or drizzle glaze over doughnuts.

These glazes are really tasty, I ended up having left over glaze and used it as an ice cream topper.