An affair…

I have a confession to make: I’m having an affair… with white chocolate!  I’ve always loved white chocolate.  I can’t explain why exactly I like it better than the other types of chocolate.  Perhaps because I feel it resembles the vanilla flavor that I love so much.  White chocolate is light, silky, elegant, and it’s the chocolate I run to when I’m in the mood for chocolate.  So, when I came across Giada’s Mascarpone and Dark Chocolate Cream in White Chocolate Cups recipe, there was no doubt in my mind – I had to try it!

It’s true.  Making these cupcakes was different and slightly more challenging than making other cupcakes.  There is actually no baking involved.  These are definitely my first cupcakes, which I didn’t have to bake in the oven.  When I was making them, I felt like a painter.  I wasn’t painting the Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel, but I was painting the ultimate chocolate treat!  I’m no Michelangelo; however, these cupcakes are a work of art!  Not to mention that the whole confection is edible. 

These cupcakes are creamy, rich, crunchy, and just fabulous!  The contrasting colors make them elegant and sophisticated.  When you unpeel the cupcake liner, the white chocolate shell displays perfect ridges.  They are like small, delicate trinkets – you don’t know whether to eat them or to admire them.  If you are not a fan of white chocolate, you’ll be converted!  

Mascarpone and Semisweet Chocolate Cream in White Chocolate Cups

Adapted slightly from Mascarpone and Dark Chocolate Cream in White Chocolate Cups by Giada De Laurentiis

Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients:

·         8 ounces good-quality white chocolate like Ghirardelli, chopped

·         4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used semisweet chocolate because I’m not a big fan of dark chocolate, but if you love dark chocolate I would definitely use that, instead)

·         1 cup heavy cream

·         3 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

·         8 ounces mascarpone cheese

·         1 teaspoon grated orange peel

·         ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

·         White chocolate curls, for garnish

Instructions:

Line 8 muffin cups with paper liners.  Melt the white chocolate in top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth.  Spoon 1 Tablespoon melted chocolate into each paper liner.  Using a pastry brush, coat the chocolate evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the liners.  Freeze until the chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes.  Remelt the white chocolate in the bowl.  Spoon 1 Tablespoon into each cup and brush over the bottom and up the sides, forming a second coat.  Freeze until completely set, about 1 hour. 

Melt the semisweet or bittersweet chocolate in top of a clean double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth.  At this point, set aside to cool completely.

Using an electric hand mixer beat the cream and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl until soft peaks form.  Set the whipped cream aside. 

Using an electric hand mixer, beat the mascarpone cheese, melted semisweet chocolate, orange peel, and vanilla extract in a large bowl just until smooth and glossy, about 30 seconds (do not overmix).  Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture in 2 batches.  Transfer the mousse to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.  Pipe the mousse into the white chocolate cups.  Sprinkle the white chocolate curls over the mousse and serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate overnight, and then let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.  

Once you try these cupcakes, you’ll definitely fall in love with white chocolate.  Your guests will also be blown away and you’ll receive nothing but compliments.  These are the ultimate treat for any chocoholic!  Enjoy!     

Chocolate land

We are entering chocolate land.  And when I’m saying chocolate land, I’m not kidding, I’m getting down to serious business.  I’m not a chocoholic, I’m more of a vanillaholic (is that even a word…well…it should be), but who doesn’t like chocolate?  I definitely have to have some chocolate from time to time.  And the holidays are the time to have it.  Dark, milk, white, you name it; this will be a chocolate adventure!  Chocolate is and always will be paramount when it comes to desserts.  One might even say that anything tastes better with chocolate.  Chocolate is rich, luscious, bold, decadent, and an eternal aphrodisiac.  If you want to impress a girl, bring her chocolate.  All right…maybe some flowers, too. 

Chocolate is everywhere and has a positive impact on everyone.  In the movie Chocolat, the main character, Vianne Rocher, moves to a small French village with her daughter, Anouk, and opens a chocolate shop.  At first, Vianne is met with skepticism and resistance. But little by little, her friendly personality and mouth-watering chocolate confections win the locals over.  I guess that chocolate can work its magic on anyone.        

Chocolate is so important in the sweet world that famous pastry chef Ron Ben-Israel, the so called Sweet Genius on the Food Network’s newest show, dedicates an entire challenge to chocolate on his show.  In this competition, the contestants, who are all premier pastry chefs by the way, have to create whimsical and delightful desserts using the surprise ingredients and inspirations provided by Ron Ben-Israel, the host of the show.  Did I mention that they have to come up with these sweet creations in a finite amount of time, and that chef Ron critiques their work?  And he’s not holding back a thing.

The three challenges are: frozen, baked and chocolate.  In the first challenge, the competitors have to create something frozen, in the second one something baked, while in the third one something chocolaty.  The show is so intense and keeps you on the edge of your seat for a whole hour.  You cheer and suffer together with the contestants, and wish to be able to taste their desserts alongside chef Ron.  Some of the combinations that the chefs put together makes you think that would never work.  But when you see chef Ron mesmerized by the taste of some of the creations, it makes you curious, you want to try them, and, ultimately, invent a delicious and whimsical sweet treat, too.  

I’m no sweet genius… yet, but these chocolate chip and mascarpone cupcakes might just well be!  In addition, they incorporate a bit of all the three challenges on the Sweet Genius show (not that I was looking to do that) – frozen, baked and chocolate.  Most importantly, they are rich, luscious, moist, crunchy and oh, so chocolaty.  If you didn’t have an affinity for rich, chocolaty, indulgent sweets, you will now. 

Chocolate Chip and Mascarpone Cupcakes

Adapted slightly from Chocolate Chip and Mascarpone Cupcakes by Giada De Laurentiis

Serves: 22-24 cupcakes

Special Equipment: 2 (12-count) muffin pans with paper liners

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

·         5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

·         1 cup water

·         1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

·         2 ¼ cups sugar

·         1 cup vegetable oil

·         3 large eggs, at room temperature

·         1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

·         3 cups all-purpose flour

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon baking powder

·         6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (recommended: Nestle morsels)

Ingredients for the ganache:

·         6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (recommended: Nestle morsels)

·         2/3 cup heavy cream

·         ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

For the cupcakes:

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F.

Combine the unsweetened chocolate and water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes.  Cool for 2 minutes.  Off the heat, whisk in the mascarpone cheese until the mixture is smooth. 

Using a hand mixer, beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large bowl for 30 seconds.  Using a rubber spatula, stir in the mascarpone and chocolate mixture.  In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and chocolate chips.  In 3-5 batches, add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture.  Stir until just blended. 

Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter among the prepared muffin pans filling them three quarters of the way up.  For puffier cupcakes, allow the batter to rest in the muffin pans for 20 minutes before baking.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with no crumbs attached.  Cool the cupcakes completely before dipping, about 1 hour.  

For the ganache:

Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl.  Combine the heavy cream and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Cook until small bubbles appear on the outside edge of the cream.  Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate chips.  Using a fork, gently stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Dip the tops of each cupcake in the ganache and transfer to a baking sheet.  Place the dipped cupcakes in the refrigerator to set, about 15-20 minutes.  Allow cupcakes to return to room temperature before serving.  

When I first made these chocolate cupcakes, I thought that the vanilla side in me would not be able to handle this much chocolate.  I was wrong.  Once I ate one, I wanted more.  Now, I make these cupcakes almost all the time.  They are pure chocolate goodness.  I can say that our chocolate therapy has already begun!

A vision in red

Do you know that store, Anthropologie?  It’s a unique clothing and home store.  It has a bohemian flair that just draws you inside.  My friend Rachel introduced me to this store for the first time.  Before her initiation, I had only heard about this store, but I hadn’t known about it.  Today, I do frequent the store from time to time.  Every time that I’m in there, I feel as if I were in an antiquity museum.  The atmosphere, with scented candles burning all over the store, transcends me to a different era.  It is magical.  Sometimes, I feel that I go there only to relax and clear up my mind.  For me, this works better than yoga!   

Unfortunately, clothing wise, I hardly ever find anything that would fit me.  But I always find something in the home section that would fascinate me.  I practically get lost in their house & home area.  From their colorful cups and lemon-shaped sugar holders, to their interior design ideas and cookbooks, Anthropologie has it all, and they all catch my eyes and curiosity.  Sometimes, I get lost in there, in the ideas and selections.  I simply forget about the world outside, and get transported into a whimsical world.  

I can’t help myself and I always skim through the pastry books, especially those about cupcakes.  I sprawl onto a sofa and start getting mesmerized.  I really like cupcakes!  They deliver a delectable array of flavors and colors in a petite, elegant, individual package.  You can make them extra special on top, and dress them up in any kind of paper costume you like.  Not to mention that they are so fun and easy to make.  What else can you ask for?

This week, I’ve decided to try something new.  I’ve never made red velvet cupcakes.  I’ve always been intrigued by the red velvet cake, so I thought, why not transform the cake into cupcakes?  And for that, I found the perfect recipe – Chuck Hughes’s Red Velvet Cupcakes recipe.  Chuck Hughes is a world-renowned Canadian chef.  He loves food so much that he has his favorite foods tattooed on his arms.  If you didn’t know he was a chef, you would think he’d be a tattoo artist or some rock and roll, unconventional, tough guy.  But, fortunately for all of us, he is an amazing chef, who shows a lot of finesse and creativity in his food.  And these cupcakes are here to prove it!

 
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Adapted slightly from Red Velvet Cupcakes by Chuck Hughes

Yield: 20 - 24 cupcakes

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

•    1 ½ cups sugar
•    2 eggs, at room temperature
•    1 ½ cups vegetable oil
•    1 cup plain yogurt, such as Dannon
•    2 Tablespoons red food coloring
•    1 teaspoon vinegar
•    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•    2 ½ cups flour
•    1 Tablespoon cocoa
•    1 teaspoon baking soda
•    1 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for the icing:

•    2 cups mascarpone or cream cheese, at room temperature
•    1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
•    ½ cup heavy cream
•    Zest of 1 lemon

Instructions:

For the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, oil, yogurt, vinegar and vanilla with an electric hand mixer.  Using a rubber spatula, mix in the food coloring.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the red mixture and blend until just incorporated.

Place paper cupcake liners into a muffin pan, and divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, pouring only halfway so the batter doesn’t overflow.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Remove the cupcakes and let cool.
 

For the icing:

In a bowl, blend the mascarpone, confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and lemon zest together until the mixture is smooth.  Spoon a dollop of mascarpone cream on the cupcakes.  

The cupcakes are red and elegant on the outside, velvety and moist on the inside, and the lemon zest in the mascarpone icing brightens them up.  Like Chuck says, “these sweet bundles of heaven are just delicious”.  And they will definitely bring a pop of color to your holiday table.  Enjoy!

A bake sale

Today, Adrian had a bake sale at work.  People brought all kinds of baked goods, they sold them for $1 apiece, and the money was donated to a charity.  I couldn’t let my darling husband go empty handed, so I decided to bake something lovely. 

Thus, yesterday morning at 9:00 AM I was already baking away my carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting before I went to my weekly racquetball workout.  (After you satisfy your sweet cravings you’d better do some cardio).  By 10:00 AM the entire apartment was infused with warm aromas of cinnamon, carrot, ginger and vanilla.  However, the combination of aromas was brought to glory by the rich smoky bouquet of my hot French press coffee that was impatiently waiting for me on the coffee table.  Suddenly, I realized I was surrounded by autumn scents.  I guess autumn is just around the corner anyway.  

The cupcakes looked gorgeous in their colorful polka dots paper liners, smelled amazing, and, most importantly, were delicious.  I couldn’t help myself, so I tasted one before my workout and enjoyed it with my cup of French Roast coffee.  Yum!  The carrot cupcakes were moist, crunchy, and scrumptious.  They were ready for the bake sale.  There was a little bit of leftover frosting, but I was generous enough and left it for Adrian.  Just as I expected, he cleaned up the bowl.
 

Carrot Cupcakes

Adapted from Food Network Magazine (June 2011)

Makes 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

·         1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

·         ½ cup sliced almonds

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         ½ teaspoon baking soda

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         ½ teaspoon ground ginger

·         1 ½ cups grated carrots

·         2/3 cup vegetable oil

·         1 cup granulated sugar

·         3 large eggs

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

·         2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

·         8 ounces cream cheese, softened

·         2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

·         1 teaspoon lemon juice

·         ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the cupcakes

Raise the oven temperature to 350°F.  Line one 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, almonds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger.  Whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, grated carrots and vanilla extract in a large bowl.  Stir in the flour mixture.  Fill each paper liner with the dough three-quarters of the way.  Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 30-35 minutes.  Transfer to a rack and let cool for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan to cool completely.

To make the frosting

Beat the confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer until fluffy.  Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla extract.  Pipe or spread on the cupcakes.
 

My carrot cupcakes were sold out before noon.  They were a total hit at the bake sale!  I hope you will enjoy making and especially eating these superb carrot cupcakes.