Daring Bakers November Challenge: Caramel Cupcakes with Browned Butter Caramel Frosting

As with most things lately, I procrastinated in making this month's Daring Baker's Challenge. It's been a busy, month filled with baking many things, some of which I have yet to find the time to post! Lately I've been a little uninspired by the last few savory DB challenges, but I was eager to rejoin the group when I read that this month's challenge was bringing sugar back to the table.

This month's challenge was hosted by Dolores of Culinary Curiosity and co-hosts Alex of Blondie and Brownie and Jenny of Foray into Food. Natalie of Gluten-a-Go-Go also helped by providing gluten free baking instructions. The recipe they selected was a favorite of Shuna fish Lyndon of Eggbeater. She found the recipe in the SF Chronicle.

First let me say that when all was said and done, I liked the way the recipe came out, but I was not a big fan of the way the recipe was written. Perhaps it's because Ms. Lyndon is a professional pastry chef (she's worked at The French Laundry and Citizen Cake) but I got the impression that it was written down in a hurry or for an audience of other professional chefs. Personally, I like recipes that have lots of good information. I think maybe I've been ruined by Dorie Greenspan's style, but to say "a splash of vanilla" really put me off a bit. I also found the instructions for making the caramel sauce difficult to follow. The recipe said to boil the sugar until it was dark amber in color but when I heated my sugar to that point, it tasted burnt and bitter and I had to throw it out and start over. I would have appreciated having the exact temperature provided.

The batter was definately yummy (I sure sign of a good tasting cake in my opinion) and the frosting was really something special. Just for something different and to break-up the sweet caramel flavor, I added good quality apple butter to the centers of the cupcakes. It wasn't so much that it was overwhelming but I think it added a little something extra to the little cakes.

The challenge included instructions for making caramels, but I thought that the cake and frosting was caramel enough. Here's the cake and frosting recipes with some "Julia" commentary included:

Caramel Cake with Browned Butter Caramel Frosting

Cake
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 each eggs, at room temperature
splash of vanilla (I used 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F.Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan or put 18 cupcake lines in a cupcake pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until it's smooth - about 30 second. Then to that add the sugar and salt. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform (about 2 minutes).

Sift flour and baking powder.

Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.

Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it.

For the cupcakes, fill the cups about 3/4th of the way full. Drop 1 teaspoon of good quality apple butter in the center of each cupcake and swirl with a toothpick. Bake cupcakes 17-22 minutes until toothpick entered into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

Caramel Syrup

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for “stopping” the caramelization process)

In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber. (Note, when I followed these directions, the caramel was bitter and was basically burnt. Instead I cooked the sugar until it turned a golden honey color)
When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back. (Note: First, remove the pot from the flame. Place a piece of heavy foil over the top of the pot, loosely sealing it. Cut a hole in the center using a knife. Use this hole to pour the water into the molten caramel. It will still sputter but it will keep you safer as well as your kitchen.)

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. (Be sure to dip a a spoon into cold water first, dry slightly and then dip into the sugar, then test it between your fingers.)

Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

Caramelized Butter Frosting

12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted (I only used 1/2 lb)
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used vanilla paste)
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Cook butter over medium heat until brown, stirring a few times to kick up the dark brown bits that form on the bottom of a pan. Remove the browned butter from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool for another 10 minutes. (Note: Be sure to put the butter in the saucepan first on a cold burner and then heat. Don't heat the pan first and then add the butter.)

Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner’s sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner’s sugar has been incorporated. Add vanilla and mix until smooth.

Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.
To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light.

Yield:18 cupcakes or one 9" cake
Would I Make This Again?I think so, yes. I absolutely loved the browned butter frosting. It had a flavor that was so unique! The cake was really good too and would be a nice change to a lemon or plain vanilla.

Hint o' Mint Truffle Cake

If you're looking for a rich, sinful chocolate cake, this isn't the cake for you. No, this cake is on the other end of the chocolate cake spectrum. It's light, delicate crumb is perfectly paired with the fluffy, not-too-sweet minty whipped cream. And it's flavor? All I can say is that it wasn't a chocolate cake with some mint or a mint cake with some chocolate; it was the perfect balance of both.

The light, ethereal quality of this cake comes from the fluffy, air bubble-filled batter. This is achieved by spending some time at the beginning of the recipe to cream the butter and sugar together. We're not talking about thirty seconds here, no, not even a full two minutes of mixing. No, my friends, we're taking a full six minutes of creaming here. And then after that, you take time to blend in the eggs, one at a time, taking a full two minutes for each one. By the time you're done mixing the butter, sugar, and three eggs together, the batter it will have almost tripled in volume.

And if the cake itself isn't enough, its creamy, minty ganache center is like a Foodie's version of a peppermint patty. This just might be the best chocolate mint cake, ever.

Hint o' Mint Truffle Cake
Adapted from Epicurious

Cake
1 3/4 cups white cake flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I recommend Droste brand cocoa)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

Ganache Filling
3.5oz Lindt mint chocolate bar (or other high quality mint chocolate bar), chopped (optional: reserve 2 of the large squares for the garnish)
1/2 cup whipping cream

Mint Whipped Cream
3 cups chilled whipping cream
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour two 10-inch cake pans with high sides (1 1/2-inch-high sides or higher). Line bottom of pans with parchment paper.

Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until very pale yellow and fluffy, about 6 minutes (see photo below). Be sure to stop and scrap the bowl at least once every two minutes.

Add eggs 1 at a time, beating 2 minutes after each addition (yes, I know it's a lot but trust me). Mix in vanilla and the peppermint extracts. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions each, beating until well blended. Divide batter equally among prepared pans; smooth top of batter.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out with some moist crumbs still attached, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks; peel off paper. Let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes. Transfer each cakes on a plate.

Heat the whipping cream in the microwave in a glass measuring cup or heat proof bowl just until it comes to a boil (this should take 1-2 minutes depending on your microwave). You can also head the cream on the stove top if you should choose.

Remove the cream from the microwave and add the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for about a minute and then slowly stir the melted chocolate and cream together until they are well combined. Using a big spoon or rubber spatula, spread half the chocolate on the top of each cake, being sure to saturate each cake.
Put the cakes in the refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour or overnight until the ganache is good and firm. Put your whisk attachment and metal mixing bowl in the fridge now too (this will make your whipped cream come out better).

When you're ready to assemble the cake, remove whisk attachment, metal bowl, cream, the two cake layers from the fridge and place one on a cake board or plate (if you haven't already done so.)

To make the whipped cream, beat cream on the highest setting until it has soft peaks (if you're using a stand mixer, this will only take a minute or two, but if you're using a hand mixer, it could take 5 minutes or longer). Add powdered sugar, cream of tarter, and extract until stiff peaks form.

Spread 1 1/4 cups whipped cream on top of the cake. Top with second cake, making sure the chocolate ganache side is face down against the whipped cream (you're essentially forming a ganache/whipped cream sandwich). Spread remaining whipped cream over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.

To make the garnish, use a sharp knife and slice very thin, long strips of chocolate. Pile it in the center of the cake just before you're ready to serve.

Yield: About 15 servings
Would I Make This Again? Without a doubt. I got so many compliments on this cake! It was probably one of the best I've ever made.

a ladybug lullaby

About a month or so ago, an colleague of mine "put in her order" for two dozen cupcakes and one mom-to-be cake for a baby shower she was hosting. She gave me the freedom to do whatever I wanted, with the exception that they had to have pink and brown ladybugs. I have been so excited to make them I think I got a little carried away...
Sixteen of the cupcakes had a ladybug and eight didn't. I did this to help break up the monotony and give me the opportunity to do add a few alternative designs. Every cupcake was a little bit different, with no two exactly the same. Assembly of each cupcake averaged about half and hour.
I made the ladybugs and flowers out of gum paste and the branches, mushrooms, and everything else out of fondant. Since the mom-to-be was a huge chocoholic, a used a dark chocolate brownie cupcake recipe from Guittard (it was on the back of the box of wafers!).

I was a bit fearful that the cupcakes were a bit over baked, so I topped them all with a generous dollop of dark chocolate ganache to add a bit of moisture and keep them from drying out. On top of that I piped a small amount of light pink vanilla buttercream and topped that with a thin disk of fluted-edged fondant on which I built the ladybug-scape. I like building the scene on the fondant because it's easy to just lift off the cupcake if the recipient doesn't want to eat the decorations on top.

I made all the ladybugs first since I knew they would take a while to fully dry. Their little antanne were made from non-edible flower stamens. I really didn't want to use something inedible but I just couldn't find an alternative. After that made about 75 flowers of different shapes, colors, and sizes. Once they had dried fully, I trimmed them all to get rid of any straggly edges and hand painted several of them to give them some personality.

As I sit here looking at the photos, I am a bit amazed that I made them. While they did take over my kitchen for the better part of a week, I am beyond thrilled with how they came out. I'm actually at a loss for words...:-)

Here's a little slide show if you'd like to see more:

Vinny's Non-Alcoholic Tiramisu

When I was growing up, my mom worked as a waitress in several family owned Italian restaurants. From the age of about ten, I'd tag along with her on the weekends and work in the kitchen washing dishes, busing tables, or doing any odd job that needed to be done. In the early afternoons I used to watch the cooks make tray after tray of Tiramisu, but never understood its appeal. This was in large part due to the fact that it was drenched in alcohol, something to this day I've never been much of a fan.

A few years ago, I discovered either this Tiramisu recipe (or one that was very similar to it) and made it several times with lots of success. No one noticed that I had substituted white cake for ladyfingers. Considering that a small package of them can go for $4 each and most tiramisu recipes need at least three, this was a great way to save a few pennies without sacrificing much in taste or texture.

When I made this dessert for Vinny, I challenged myself to make it without alcohol. If I could swap out the ladyfingers for boxed cake mix, then perhaps I a coffee flavored espresso drink would work for the coffee liquor? I decided to use Starbucks Doubleshot as my coffee drink of choice and I have to say that it really worked well! It gave the dessert a great coffee flavor without making it too sweet. And, the best part about this dessert was that my coworker Stephanie, who is very pregnant, was grateful to not have been excluded from our bithday celebration. I'll definately make this one again!

Non-Alcoholic Tiramisu
Cake
1 package moist white cake mix

Filling
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1 can mocha flavored espresso drink, such as Starbucks DoubleShot

Whipped Cream
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons mocha flavored espresso drink

Garnish
1-2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa

Prepare the cake mix according to package directions in a 9x13" pan. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Using a serrated knife, slice the cake in half horizontally, so you have two large pieces. If this is too difficult, try cutting the cake in half or in fourth first and then separate into top and bottom layers. Set aside.

Filling: In a small bowl, using an electric mixer set on low speed, combine mascarpone, 1/2 cup confectioners sugar and 2 tablespoons of the espresso beverage; beat just until smooth - about 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Whipped Cream: In a cold metal bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat the cream and 1/4 cup confectioners sugar until stiff. Then add the coffee beverage and mix on low just until it's combined. Fold 1/2 cup of whipped cream into the filling mixture.

To assemble the cake: Place one layers of cake a cutting board and cut the cake in half lengthwise (so you have two long rectangle pieces). Then cut the cake into strips or smaller rectables (that sort of resemble ladyfinger shapes). Place a complete layer of strips, white crumby side up into the bottom of a serving dish. There can be some spaces in between pieces, but you want to avoid any large gaps. If you're using a glass serving dish, use the prettier pieces of cake towards the edge. This will make it look prettier when you serve it.

Using a pastry brush, paint the surface of the cake with the coffee flavored beverage, covering one cake strip at a time. If you don't have a pastry brush, use a teaspoon and dribble the coffee instead. Don't worry about how it looks at this point, just go for even coverage.


Spread half the filling mixture over the drenched cake.


Then spread half the whipped cream mixture.
Repeat steps one, two and three again. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour before serving, but I strongly recommend waiting a minimum of 4 hours before servings. When you're ready to serve, smooth out the whipped cream and lightly dust the surface with cocoa.

Yield: Depending on how you cut the cake, roughly 8 to 16 servings
Would I Make This Again?Yes, and I have several times, although this is the first time I've made it non-alcoholic. You can easily substitute coffee liquor if you'd prefer.

tootsie roll art

Did you know that you can use Tootsie Rolls like edible Play-Doh? Yup! It turns out that they are good for more than just removing your fillings or unhinging your jaw (giggle).

Tootsie rolls will go from a solid to a soft, malleable state with just a minutes or two of kneading in your hands or by heating it briefly in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds. Once they are soft, you can make just about anything you can think of! Now that Tootsie rolls come in a variety of flavors and colors, such as yellow, orange, white, green, and the traditional brown, it gives you a great palette to work with too. So the next time you make a cake that needs that little something on top, whip up a few of these.

Here's a few examples of things I made in about an hour...

Pineapple, orange, and coconut

Rolling pin and cookie dough

Lollipop

Teacup and saucer

And look at the beautiful sushi that my son made!

You can even write with it!

So get out the Halloween candy and dig out all the Tootsie Rolls and gather the kids around the table and make something fun! Heck, it's not like anyone actually eats Tootsie Rolls any way, right?:-)

Congratulations President Obama!

I witnessed history tonight and it was beautiful.

Pooja's Super Easy Chocolate Fudge

Looks a little like a martian landscape, or an electron microscope image, doesn't it? Actually it's just a close up of the surface of the incredible fudge I made for my friend Pooja for her birthday today. She wanted something "very chocolaty" and left the rest up to me.

Last night, about half an hour before I needed to go to bed, I realized that I completely spaced her birthday. Since I try to keep my pantry stocked with the baker's basics I hoped I have everything I needed to make her something she would enjoy.

The first thing I reached for was a little cookbook I received as a birthday gift from my boss. It's called, "Perfect Chocolate" boy, what a cookbook! It has a ton of great recipes like Mocha Layer Cake, Lebkuchen, and Brazil Nut Brittle. It didn't take me long to find the fantastic fudge recipe towards the back. Not only did I have all the ingredients ready to go, but it only took about ten minutes to make (and that included clean up too!)

What I loved about this recipe is the texture of the fudge. I normally don't like fudge at all because it tends to be grainy and overly sugary. But this fudge was exceedingly smooth and not too sweet. Plus if you wanted to add your favorite nuts, dried fruit, or use something other than chocolate chips like butterscotch. I bet it would work just as well.

Easy Chocolate Fudge
6 tablespoons, 2 3/4oz, or 75 grams of unsalted butter, cut into even-size pieces
1 12oz package + 3/4 cup, 1 pound 2 ounces, or 500 grams semisweet chocolate chips or block chocolate, chopped evenly
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup of semisweet chocolate chips, nuts, or coconut (optional)

Line a 8-inch square pan with waxed or parchment paper.

Place the chocolate, butter, and condensed milk into a medium sized saucepan. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until the chocolate and butter melt and the mixture is smooth. DO NOT BOIL. Remove from the heat and beat in the vanilla and continue to mix for a minute until thickened. Pour it into the pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the chocolate chips, nuts, or coconut on top, if desired.

Let the mixture chill in the fridge for at least one hour or until firm. Remove from the pan by lifting the waxed paper out of the pan. Peel off the waxed paper and using a heavy knife, cut into squares.

Store at room temperature for slightly soft fudge or in the fridge for firmer fudge.

Yield: I cut the fudge into fairly small, bite sized pieces and got about 50 servings.
Would I Make This Again? Without a doubt, yes! I plan to make this for parties and as gifts over the holidays. If I make any other varieties, I'll be sure to post them.

Maddy's Spider Cake

My new buddy Sonja asked me to make her daughter a cake for her fourteenth birthday party. We tossed around a few ideas, but eventually decided on a tiered cake with a big black spider on the top. I got inspired by thiscake which was made by theI Dream of Cake bakery in San Fransisco.

After studying the photo for what seemed like several hours, I thought was something I could replicate and be a good challenge. I started with the spider about five days before the cake was due. I made the head and body out of rice crispy treats and formed the legs out of gum paste. I put the gum paste in a covered container which I now know was a bad idea. Since gum paste needs to dry out completely before using, covering it in an air tight container prevented that from happening and kept the legs somewhat hydrated. This meant that come Friday when I was to cover the legs in fondant (that was so difficult!! I ended up having to slather the gum paste in a thin sheen of shortening to give the fondant something to stick to), the legs broke at the foot, knee and other random places. Albeit frustrating, it actually was a mixed blessing. Once it was time for me to assemble the spider, the broken pieces came in handy in getting the spider's feet to actually "stand" on the top tier.

Since I've struggled with covering a cake perfectly with fondant in the past, I thought it would be a good idea to get a lesson but I ended up canceling it after having an "ah-ha!" moment while doing of all things, housework. One evening as I was cleaning up my living room before bed, I was shaking out a large blanket over the round, cake-shaped ottoman. As the blanket floated up and over the ottoman, it fell perfectly over its surface, with the excess blanket falling on the floor. The top and sides were completely covered in the blanket and that's when I knew what I was doing wrong when I was covering my cakes! I wasn't rolling out the fondant big enough! By rolling the fondant larger than the cake, it couldn't help for cover the tops and sides of the cake evenly. Seems like a no-brainer but unfortunately it took me four cakes for the light-bulb to finally go on.

Once the cakes were properly covered in fondant, I thought it would be a good idea of etch the spider web into the surface before I piped it on. However after I was finished, I thought the cake looked really good just as it was and really didn't need the black spider webs piped on. It took me a few minutes to arrive to that conclusion though. I sat at the table with my piping bag set and ready to go. Each time I started to pipe, my hands started shaking and every part of me was telling me not to do it. I finally called up to my husband and said, "I just can't do it!Ahh!". I ended up using the black icing to create the glue I needed to stick on the adorable gummy eyes (left over Halloween candy) and the orange sprinkle smile.

The spider was supposed to be holding up a spiderweb shaped banner that was made out of gum paste and said Happy Birthday Maddy. But the banner broke in three pieces and I didn't have the time to make another one. Although you can't really see it in the photographs, the spider wasn't as "clean" as I wouldn't have liked. I find that it is difficult to cover rice crispy treats with fondant without your finger prints being visible. I tried to smooth them out, but most were still there. Perhaps it's just an experience thing. Anyone else need a cake? I need more practice! :-)

Blogging By Mail - Package Arrived!

I am a week late in posting, but I received my Blogging By Mail package! What a treat it was to find a package chock full of Swedish specialities sent to me all the way from Sweden! Kristina of Clivia's Cuisine was kind enough to send it.
Kristina's package contained the following items:

• little jar of pink peppercorns


• big pouch of cloud berry tea


• a jar each of yellow and blue sprinkles and a pack of Swedish flags. This way I can properly celebrate Sweden's National Day on June 6th)


• two delicious Diam chocolate toffee bars


• toasted oat flour Swedish Traditional cracker bread


• big bag of raisins


• and the most amazing Swedish Cakes and Cookies cookbook! Kristina thoughtfully went through the book, taking time to highlight several of her personal favorite recipes too. I cannot wait to make several of these gems!

Kristina also wrote me a very sweet letter and took the time to hand write a recipe for Pink peppercorns, ginger, and almond cantuccini (which I believe is similar to biscotti). How sweet is she? Thank you Kristina for sending me such a sincere package and to Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness for organizing the event.