For my dear friends Vadim and Artem's birthday, I decided to whip up some cupcakes. After digging around to come up with the right flavor profile, I thought the combination of rich chocolate cake and tangy raspberry frosting would certainly fit the bill. Nothing says happy birthday like some baked goods from the heart :).
Recipe
For the cake
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder (Dutch processed)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup brewed strong coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 jumbo eggs
For the frosting
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 pint raspberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 oz. package of powdered sugar
pinch of salt
Aside from lava cake, my go-to dessert recipe of choice is bread pudding. It's such a versatile dessert and even after a few days in the fridge, still delicious, even cold. In fact, I'm going to get me a ladleful right now! Pair it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, or go over and top with a whiskey sauce, it'll be a great way to finish any dinner. Pass the Tums!!
Recipe
1 loaf of egg bread (Challah or brioche work best)
2 cups half and half
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 ounces good semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 very ripe bananas
pinch salt
My near and dear bestie Nahal is celebrating her first birthday in the States. I've decided to make my first ever fully frosted cake to mark the occasion. The last time I made chocolate cupcake, a friend told me the cake is a bit on the dry side because I tried to make it healthier (using cocoa powder instead of chocolate chips). This time, I'm not messing around -- I'm going straight to my WDM recipe for the cake case: the red velvet cake. I'm going to modify the recipe by adding more cocoa powder to punch up the chocolate content and pair it with hazelnut buttercream frosting.
Recipe
For the cake base:
1 cut butter (room temperature)
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 eggs (room temperature)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon distilled vinegar
For the frosting:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup hazelnut syrup
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For decoration:
10 Ferrero Rocher candies
I made strawberry cheesecake cupcakes for a friend's housewarming and they were a hit. I decided to walk on the wild side and turn the recipe into a cake. To be honest, it was less for the sake of innovation and more just old fashioned laziness that drove me to tinker with the recipe. This is also the first time that I've decorated a cake. Altogether, I must say that it was a rather ambitious project. The cake consists of 4 components: the graham cracker crust, the cake, the whirled-in cream cheese and the frosting. The process is a bit intricate, but I assure you that the results are well worth the effort.
Recipe
For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups blackberries
pinch of salt
For the cheesecake filling:
8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon strawberry jam
For the raspberry butter cream frosting:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup raspberry syrup
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
For crust and decoration:
1/3 box graham crackers (11 sheets, crumbed)
3 sheets of graham cracker broken up into 4 pieces each
Special equipment:
12 inch spring form cake pan
For my dear friend Aleks' house warming, I decided to whip up a few cupcakes. Tired of my traditional red velvet creations, I decided to mix it up a bit. It being a Russian party, I determined there must be alcohol involved. After much contemplation, I came up with chocolate cake base topped with Kahlua butter cream frosting cupcakes. The recipe makes around 30 cupcakes.
Recipe
For the cupcakes:
1 cup butter at room temperature
2 1/2 cup white sugar
2/3 dutch processed cocoa powder
4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups hot strong coffee
For the butter cream:
1 cup milk
7 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup Kahlua
1 1/2 cups butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
