Candy -and- Cake: Reese's Cupcakes.

I've never really liked peanut butter. I've never hated it. I think it's OK. If there's something else around to eat, I wouldn't first go for peanut butter. Even when paired with chocolate as in Reese's candy, I'd still usually rather have a different candy or dessert.

I think these cupcakes might have changed my mind.

While I have a few recipes for vanilla or birthday cakes that I honestly think taste just as good using a doctored-up cake mix, I've never found the same to be true for chocolate cake. Even from-scratch ones can easily turn out dry and crumbly or simply... somehow not chocolate-y. I don't know if I've mentioned it on this blog before, but the first time I made this chocolate cake/cupcake recipe from Foodess, I knew it would become my go-to. I don't even bother looking for other recipes anymore. Although the recipe has a lot of ingredients, it's also an easy recipe to follow. I used Hershey special dark cocoa powder this time, but it does work just as well with regular cocoa powder. For these cupcakes, I used this peanut butter frosting which uses the same basic formula as a regular buttercream. The most tedious part of the whole process was unwrapping the Reese's candy to go inside the cupcakes and to top them, and even that doesn't take too long. (Of course, if you're making more than one batch, it might get old... )

What I did that worked well/would do differently:
1) Next time I would fill the cupcake tins with more batter before putting the candy pieces inside and cover with less batter. Having the candy so close to the bottoms caused some of them to melt in the oven and then harden on the liners after baking, making it difficult to remove them without tearing off the bottom of the cupcakes.
2) I used unsalted butter for the frosting. In a previous cupcake post, I mentioned that this does make a substantial difference with buttercream in both taste and texture. So if at all possible, use unsalted butter.
3) I used Jif creamy peanut butter. I don't have sponsored posts, so I'm not advertising either Jif or Reese's in this post, but I will say that it turned out exactly as I wanted. I'd at least use a smooth and not a crunchy peanut butter. I think while the latter might taste good for those of you who like their peanut butter crunchier, it might be difficult to gauge the ending point of your frosting and make it harder to pipe.

For the cupcakes...

 

I first mixed together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. I did use a spatula to stir from the bottom a few times to thoroughly mix the ingredients together.

Then, I mixed in the eggs (having the eggs at room temperature makes them blend better without overmixing), buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla. At this point, the batter became quite thick. 

I took the bowl off the mixer and stirred in the cup of hot coffee. At this point, the cake batter was much thinner. 

I filled lined cupcake tins about 1/4 way full with batter, placed a Reese's miniature in the center of each, and covered with more batter, until the tins were roughly 2/3 full. Next time, I would fill each more like halfway or even slightly more and then top with just a little batter. 

I baked at 375F for about 22 minutes, until the tops sprang back and the tines of a fork came out with just a few crumbs. I then immediately placed them in the freezer while I made the frosting (freezing right after baking holds in moisture). 

For the frosting, I beat the butter and peanut butter together until thoroughly combined and smooth, about a minute. 

I then added most of the confectioner's sugar, beat on medium speed for about two minutes, then added one tablespoon of milk, beat for about thirty seconds, then added the rest of the sugar and milk and beat for roughly another minute, until thick and smooth. If you want to test for consistency, put a scoop in the tip of a piping bag and see if you can squeeze it out onto a piece of parchment paper. If it comes out without applying too much pressure but still holds its shape, then go on and fill the piping bag more and decorate your cupcakes. If it's too thin or comes out of the tip almost on its own, scrape it from the parchment paper back into the bowl and beat in a little more confectioner's sugar (about a tablespoon at a time; there's probably no need to just dump another half cup in!). If you find you have to squeeze hard, do the same but add milk instead of sugar.

I piped the frosting onto the tops of the cupcakes and topped each with half of a Reese's miniature candy.

DEEMS THIS RECIPE:
... Much, much easier than pie. 

Sugar, Sugar (Cookie Cheesecake).

In the last post, I told a bit of a half-truth. There won't exactly be cookies... but there will be sugar cookie cheesecake! I've probably mentioned before that I have a major sweet tooth. Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts, so when I saw this recipe on Cookies and Cups for sugar cookie cheesecake, I knew I had to try it. For some reason, when I make cheesecake for blog purposes, I almost always end up under- or over-baking. Of course, things usually turn out just fine whenever I'm not documenting the process! So unfortunately I didn't get the right cheesecake texture this time to really properly analyze the end result; I can tell you that the flavor, overall, was good, and I will definitely be trying it again and suspect it will be delicious.

Also, and this will likely be one of the only times I will say this in reference to generic vs. brand name ingredients: the recipe calls for good cream cheese, and you should heed the recipe. I had previously purchased a big block of it and used that because I didn't want to make another grocery run, but its texture, in comparison to the brand name, turned out to be like the difference between under-whipped whipped cream and just-right whipped cream.  I'm convinced that it contributed to the cheesecake cooking a lot longer than the stated cooking time and still being under-done.

With all of that in mind, here are three things I would do differently next time:
1) Use brand name cream cheese, because I do think a good starting texture makes a difference in final taste and cooking time.
2) Use less salt in the cookie crust. I think the purpose of a whole teaspoon of salt and a whole teaspoon of baking soda in what would be the equivalent of about 1/2 batch of cookie dough--I would normally use that much in a full batch of sugar cookies--was to offset the overall sweetness, but I found that I could really taste the salt in the end result and would probably use 1/2, maybe even a 1/4, teaspoon of salt next time.
3) Trust my instincts on when to take the cheesecake out of the oven instead of trying to fit it to the instructions. First, some ovens run hotter, other cooler. As soon as you have chilled a cheesecake, it becomes a lot harder to correct under-baking. You can use a warm water bath, but even that is a hit-or-miss fix. I checked the cheesecake a few times and ended up leaving it in the oven for a good twenty minutes longer than instructed. I finally decided to take it out even while it was still much more jiggly than other cheesecakes, because I thought perhaps that was how this particular cheesecake was meant to be served (I don't think it was...).


Now with the preliminaries out of the way, here is the cheesecake. First, the crust...

First, I beat the sugar and butter for about 2 minutes until fluffy.

Then I added the egg and vanilla, beating until smooth.

I added the salt and baking soda and mixed, then added the flour--note: I  didn't get a picture of pouring the flour in--and mixed until the dough just came together. I would suggest adding the baking soda and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt, then tasting the dough after mixing; if it tastes like usual sugar cookie dough to you, then keep going without adding the rest of the salt. If you think it could use more, then add another 1/4 and continue adding to taste (always make sure to wash your hands/have clean utensils on hand!). Finally, I stirred in the sprinkles and pressed the finished dough into the bottom of a greased springform pan.

I set that aside, cleaned out the mixing bowl, and got to work on the cheesecake itself. 

First, I beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Then, I added the vanilla and added eggs one at a time, beating after each until just blended (no visible streaks of egg). With cheesecake, the goal is a pudding-like consistency. I only showed doing one egg in the pictures; I think you can imagine the process with the other three!

I poured the cheesecake into the springform pan, smoothed it over the crust, and baked. Normally, cheesecakes baked at 325°F will follow the recipe's guidelines: 55-60 minutes. However, mine took about 80 and even then wasn't done for reasons described above. The best way to tell if a cheesecake is done is that the edges should be raised and slightly browned, and the middle should be almost, but not quite set (a bit jiggly still). Definitely go by that more than by the timer on the oven. 

I got it out of the oven and let it cool. Always let your cheesecake cool completely before unmolding, or you run the risk of it falling apart. It will "fall" a bit during cooling (i.e. lose the puffiness and become flat on top) and will do so a bit more while chilling. You might be able to tell that although the edges were raised and a bit brown here, the cheesecake was still much more jiggly than it ought to have been when taken out of the oven.

I put it in the fridge to chill for about 6 hours, then took it out and topped it with whipped cream and sprinkles. It might not have been a 100% success, but it definitely looked pretty:

DEEMS THIS RECIPE:

... Easier than pie, if you keep an eye on the cheesecake throughout baking.

Coming Soon...

The blog will be on temporary hiatus during a vacation, but as soon as it's back...

Cooooookies!

Harry Potter-Inspired: Butterbeer Cupcakes.

Hello, everyone.  Sorry about the gap in posts; we found out that we're expecting a new addition to the family in September, so things have been a bit slow on the blogging front.  Now that my energy has picked up, more recipes will be forthcoming!

If you or anyone in your family likes Harry Potter, you've probably wondered, "What the heck is butterbeer anyway?"  Even though I knew it was described as "a little bit like less sickly-butterscotch," for reasons unknown, I always imagined actual butter-flavored (not butterscotch-flavored) beer.  Ick.   In the books, it does have some alcohol in it--it's enough to affect house-elves but not humans, so not a large amount--but for obvious reasons, I went for a recipe without alcohol.  I think if you wanted to add a kick to it, you could.  Family-friendly versions of butterbeer, as I imagine the version served at Universal Studios would be, often include cream soda.  I'm not really a cream soda fan, but being both a fan of Harry Potter and butterscotch, I was excited to try this recipe for butterbeer cupcakes.  They turned out exactly like I imagined butterbeer in cupcake form would taste--success!  Also, they were yummy, which is the more important part.  I will say that this recipe isn't for anyone who doesn't like rich, sweet desserts.  I personally didn't find them overly sweet, but it's definitely a personal preference.

harrypotter.wikia.com

Here are a few things I did/noted while making these cupcakes:
1.  I didn't use butter flavoring.  I used an extra two tablespoons of butter for the cupcakes and left it out of the buttercream entirely.  I prefer to avoid artificial flavorings when possible.  The extra butter probably didn't give the cupcakes as intense a flavor, but it gave it some extra and lent a nice richness to the finished cake.  Cooking time seemed unaffected by the addition; it might have added a minute or two.  You might even be able to get away with adding more, but these were plenty rich for me and others who sampled them.
2.  This recipe opened my eyes to the world of correctly-made buttercream.  The keys?  Unsalted, soft butter, whipping long enough, and not adding milk or cream until you've finished whipping to see how much is needed.  If you're piping it, you can pipe some onto a sheet of parchment paper and see if it holds its shape.  If it comes out runny, add confectioner's sugar, and if it's taking sheer willpower to squeeze, add a bit more liquid.
3.  Waiting to eat the cupcakes for a time lets the ganache settle into the cupcake.  I know it's hard to resist sampling, but I ate one straight away and didn't get the nice filled-cupcake bite I was hoping for until I had one later.

On to the cupcakes...

The first step was sifting the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.  I used a fork, because I couldn't find my whisk, and the whisk would have been too large for the measuring cup I chose to use anyway.  Then I beat the butter and sugar together in a mixer until fluffy. I don't have a picture mixing in the last bit of flour.  I know the lighting changed for the final picture; I had taken it off the mixer at that point :-).

Then I beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each, and added the vanilla.

Next, I added 1/3 of the flour mixture, then the buttermilk, then another 1/3 of the flour, then the cream soda, and then the rest of the flour, beating after each addition. I don't have a picture for adding in the last of the flour; the last picture, taken after I had removed the bowl from the stand mixture, is an accurate representation of what the batter should look like (sorry about the sporadic changes in lighting!).  

I filled cupcake liners between 2/3 and 3/4 full, so it made 15 cupcakes instead of the recipe yield of 18... pretty close, though!  Also, a trick I learned is to fill any empty molds about 1/2 full with water so that the cupcakes in that tin will cook more evenly.  

I popped them into a preheated 350˚F oven, and they turned a nice golden brown and were springy to the touch after 18 minutes.  

As the cupcakes cooled, I made the ganache and buttercream.  I melted the butterscotch chips in the heavy cream and stirred until smooth.  (Oh, I did actually stir in 1tsp of vanilla after I took the ganache off the heat to cool to room temperature.)  I set aside 1/4 cup of it for the buttercream and poured the rest into squeeze bottles.

For the buttercream, I whipped the butter until lighter in color and fluffy, then mixed in the ganache and vanilla, and salt  I added just a smidge less than 3 cups of the confectioner's sugar and beat for about 3 minutes on medium speed (slow at first... you don't want to end up covered in sugar!) until it had about the consistency of smooth peanut butter.  Without adding all the confectioner's sugar, I didn't need to add cream, but if you find yours is too stiff, add one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

When the cupcakes had cooled, I stabbed the tops of each with the tip of the squeeze bottle of ganache and squeezed gently until the ganache started to overflow.  Then I filled a piping bag fitted with a 1M Wilson (large star) tip about halfway with buttercream and piped it onto the cupcake tops.  I had to refill the bag a couple times, but not filling it all the way makes it easier to control and to twist at the top for no spillage.  I drizzled some of the ganache on the tops of the cupcakes to finish and, because I liked the idea of signs for the cupcakes, made a few signs of my own:

And there you have it: butterbeer cupcakes!

DEEMS THIS RECIPE:

... Actually a lot easier than pie, despite multiple steps.