Spring Cupcakes

 
I used a variety of inspirations for these cupcakes.  The baby bird, or peeps as everyone called them, cupcakes have been on my "to bake" list for quite a while after seeing them on Martha Stewart's site.  I used Magnolia Bakery's birthday cake and buttercream recipes.  The toasted coconut was very yummy and baby birds were easy to create.  I saw the ridiculously cute Easter Basket cupcakes on Bakerella's site and threw some eggs into the mix.  

 

Lemon Bars

I've always been a huge lemon bar (or square, whichever term you prefer) fan.  They remind me of when I was little and used to go to this one bakery in town with my mom.  I've been wanting to try out the Barefoot Contessa recipe for them for some time but had never gotten around to it.  Finally on Sunday, I realized I just happened to have all of the ingredients on hand and got to baking.  It's a really basic recipe, which is one of my major loves of Ina Garten.  So basic, so tasty.  

I shared them with my neighbors that night and took the rest to school the next day.  After lunch with the other teachers I still had several left and my students were begging me for them.  So at the end of the day I divided them all up so everyone could have a taste.  To quote my student Jennie: "This is what I would call gooooood baking!"

Lemon Bars

~The Barefoot Contessa cookbook

For the Crust:

1/2 lb unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 cups flour

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Filling:

6 extra large eggs, room temperature

3 cups granulated sugar

2 grated lemon zest (from 4 lemons)

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup flour

confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed.  Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball.  Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2 inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2 inch edge on all sides.  Chill.

*Self tip-Line the pan with aluminum foil!  It makes it so much easier to remove them from the pan.  

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned.  Let cool on a wire rack.  Leave the oven on.  

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour.  Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set.  Let cool to room temperature.  

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Raspberry Chocolate French Macarons

For macaroons

• 6 oz sliced blanched almonds (not slivered; 2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Red or pink food coloring

For chocolate raspberry ganache

• 3 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (60 to 64% cacao), finely chopped
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 1/16 teaspoon raspberry extract (preferably McCormick brand)

Make macaroons:
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Pulse almonds with 1/2 cup confectioners sugar in a food processor until very finely ground, 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Sift in remaining cup confectioners sugar, stirring to combine.

Beat egg whites with salt in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks. Add granulated sugar, a little at a time, beating, then increase speed to high and continue to beat until whites just hold stiff, glossy peaks. Add drops of food coloring to reach desired shade and mix at low speed until evenly combined. Stir almond mixture into meringue with a rubber spatula until completely incorporated. (Meringue will deflate.)

Spoon batter into bag, pressing out excess air, and snip off 1 corner of plastic bag to create a 1/4-inch opening. Twist bag firmly just above batter, then pipe peaked mounds of batter (the size of a chocolate kiss) onto lined sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Let cookies stand, uncovered, at room temperature until tops are no longer sticky and a light crust forms, 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 300°F.

Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until crisp and edges are just slightly darker, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely on sheets on racks, about 30 minutes.

Make ganache while macaroons bake:
Melt chocolate with cream in a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water or in top of a double boiler, stirring until smooth. (Bowl should not touch water.) Remove bowl from heat, then add butter and raspberry extract, stirring until butter is melted. Let stand at room temperature until cooled completely and slightly thickened.

Assemble cookies:
Carefully peel cookies from parchment (they will be fragile). Sandwich a thin layer of ganache (about 1/2 teaspoon) between flat sides of cookies.

Dad's Birthday Cake

Here is a new cake recipe I tried out for my dad's birthday.  The cake is good.  The icing is amazing.  I'm making another cake for a friend's birthday at work this week and everyone has requested this icing.  

Yellow Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter at room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 eggs at room temperature

3 cups self rising flour, sifted

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour (3) 8 inch cake pans (or use Cake Release by Wilton, soooo much easier).  Using a mixer, cream butter until fluffy.  Add sugar and continue beating for 7 minutes.  Add eggs one at at time.  Beat well after each egg is added.  Add flour and milk (alternating to butter mixture), beginning and ending with flour.  Add vanilla and butter flavoring to mix; until just mixed.

Divide batter equally into three cake pans.

Bake 25-30 minutes until done.  Cool in pans 5-10 minutes.  Remove and immediately wrap each layer in plastic wrap to seal in moisture.  Cool completely on wire racks.

Easy Buttercream

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 lb 10x powdered sugar

1-3 teaspoons milk, half and half, or cream

Using a mixer, cream softened butter and vanilla until smooth.  Add sugar gradually, allowing butter and sugar to cream together before adding more.  

If you want your frosting a little creamier, add a teaspoon of milk at at time and beat on high until you get the right texture.  (I used heavy cream and it turns out really smooth.)

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Another Barefoot Contessa recipe from her Parties cookbook.  After typing up this recipe I realized I put in more sour cream than called for but it's very tasty.  I also doubled the streusel recipe which I think worked out better.  

The weather is forecasting 2-4 inches for Inauguration Day so I'm already looking forward to sitting on my couch with my cup of coffee and coffee cake to watch Obama take his oath of office.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

~Ina Garten - Barefoot Contessa Parties!

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sour cream

2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self rising!)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Streusel:

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 ground cinnamon

1/4 kosher salt

3 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cut into pieces

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

For the Glaze:

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 teaspoons maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 1o inch tube pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light.  Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream.  In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined.  Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.  

For the streusel, place brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble.  Mix in walnuts, if desired.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it around with a spatula.  Sprinkle with 3/4 of streusel.  Spoon the rest of the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top.  Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.  

Let cool on rack at least 30 minutes.  Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate.  Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary to make the glaze runny.  Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.  

White Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Here is another new recipe I tried out for the New Years party.  Instead of peppermint candies I used some "Peppermint Snow" from William-Sonoma that I had bought earlier but not used yet.  

It came out really well.  By far one of the easiest things I made during the holidays.  Use good white chocolate!  It's sorta hard to find but Ghiradelli makes white chocolate bars and chips (use the bars for this one).  It's the best white chocolate I've found.  Everything else I've ever seen is called "premiere white" or something and seems really sketch in my opinion.  The rice krispies made it very light and crispy.  I'd like to try out a few variations of this recipe at some point.

White Chocolate Peppermint Bark

~MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients

1 lb white chocolate, chopped

2 cups rice cereal

1 bag (7.5 oz) peppermint candies, crushed

1. Spray a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; line with a piece of waxed paper.

2. Place white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in rice cereal.

3. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; with a spatula, spread to edges of pan.

4. Sprinkle with crushed candy; with a piece of waxed paper covering the entire surface, press in gently. Chill until firm, 20 to 30 minutes (no longer, as candy will begin to soften).

5. Peel waxed paper off. Break bark into 2-inch pieces. Store at room temperature in an airtight container, up to 1 week.

New Year, New Recipes

I've thought and thought about a good New Year's Resolutions.  So besides being more productive with my lesson plans I'm thinking of trying out a new recipe every week.  I did this for a while last year but after moving to my new apartment and having computer issues I got off track.  

So, Happy New Year.  My first recipe I actually made yesterday for my New Year's gathering at my apartment and it's another Ina classic.  I bought another Barefoot Contessa cookbook several days ago with some Christmas money and this recipe had to be tried out immediately.  

They were just the right amount of sweetness and very chewy.  I have to admit I don't even think I've ever eaten a Macaroon until I made these but I'm pretty sure these are better than all the rest.  

Coconut Macaroons

~Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Makes 20-22 cookies

14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut 
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature 
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.