Nutella Buttons - Tuesdays with Dorie

Nutella Buttons

I have 10 minutes to post this before I have to head out to work!

So...
I made these.
I didn't put enough nutella in some of them.
I topped some of mine with more nutella.
Because, really, you can't have too much nutella.
This is a post for the awesome baking group, Tuesdays with Dorie.
Eeck!
Out of time. See you later!
- mary the food librarian



Tuesdays with Dorie doesn't publish the recipe. You should get Dorie's book: Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere! You'll love the book. I promise

Be sure to check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and their take on this yummy recipe!

Pumpkin Cupcake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Cupcake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Oh, Pumpkin. The best time of the year.
Well, until Peppermint season comes around.
So, let's enjoy pumpkin season with these "Pumpkin Snack Cake baked in Cupcake cups and topped with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting." Kinda a long name, but that's what this is. It's not a true cupcake (which I feel should be lighter) - it's has a denser consistency. Not that that's bad! I love snack cakes...thus, with the muffin/snack cake texture, this is perfect 24 hours/day - including breakfast!

This cake uses a whole can of pumpkin - very pumpkin-y flavor. I've made it as a snack cake, but the cupcakes are easy to bake and serve. And they look all pretty!

The recipe is adapted from Everyday Food from the Martha Stewart empire (I really miss this cooking magazine) and it was baked on the PBS Everyday Food show back in the day.

The consistency is more snack cake/muffin. I like that in a pumpkin cake - you should taste and feel the pumpkin!

I made a Maple Syrup Cream Cheese Frosting. The original recipe had honey but I used maple syrup instead and added some powdered sugar to stiffen it so it was "pipeable" (that's totally a word, right?)

A lot of non-bakers don't believe me, but it is so much faster to pipe frosting with a big tip than spread it with a butter knife or offset spatula. I use disposable plastic piping bags and that makes it super easier.

As you can see, I'm kinda crazy about pumpkin and Trader Joe's is too! Have you tried the Pumpkin O's? I'm addicted. And that Pumpkin Brittle? OMG. So good. To tell the you truth, I was going to break off pieces of the brittle and put it on the frosting...but I didn't want to use all the brittle! (sorry co-workers). I love the Pop-Tarts and Pumpkin Butter every year. Oh, and the Pumpkin Mochi Ice Cream? YUM. The Pita Crisps aren't life changing - I'm going to skip them next time. I haven't tried the soup yet.

Celebrate Pumpkin Season by making these pumpkin treats!

Pumpkin Cupcake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from: Everyday Food Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 cups (350 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice (I used Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pie Spice). The original recipe says you can also use: 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon each allspice and cloves)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin puree (I used Trader Joe's organic pumpkin puree)

Frosting
1 stick (4 ounces or 1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep muffin tin with liners. I got 17 muffins from this recipe. (Original recipe bakes in a 9-inch square pan).
2. In a large, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
3. In a medium, whisk together eggs, sugar, butter, and pumpkin puree until combined.
4. Fold together the wet and dry ingredients until combined. Don't overmix.
5. Fill muffin cups. I use an ice cream scoop.
6. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. 25-30 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting
1. In a mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together until well blended.
2. Add maple syrup and powdered sugar and blend until smooth.
3. Pipe or spread on the cupcakes.

Chocolate Cupcakes for my 8th Work Anniversary!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

8 years ago, I started my second career as a public librarian (before I worked in non-profit accounting). It's my 8 year work anniversary today. Can't believe how fast that time has gone.

I have a meeting today so I'm bringing in some Cinnamon Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting. Both super duper easy to make, and always enjoyed by my library friends.

It's also my friend's birthday, so Happy Birthday Susan!

And it's Talk like a Pirate Day. Ahoy mates! Make some cupcakes and learn Pirate via Mango Languages' free course.


Recipe:
Cinnamon Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Frosting (Adapted from Hershey's)
1 stick butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup natural cocoa (40 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk (I used 1%)

Beat the butter until soft and fluffy.
Sift together the cocoa and powdered sugar.
Mix the milk and vanilla in a measuring cup.
Slowly add the dry ingredients and alternate with the milk mixture.
When combined, beat at high speed for 30 seconds until desired consistency. Also, if it is too thin, add more powdered sugar, and if too thick, add a little more milk.

Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

Sometimes I make recipes into bundts.
This time, I made something from a bundt.


I took my favorite cinnamon chocolate bundt and make them into cupcakes... topped with ganache. Easy peasy and delicious.

For this batch (above and below photo), the ganache was allowed to set for about an hour before use.


This recipe is really simple to make. Boil the ingredients, pour it over a flour mixture, stir in some buttermilk, eggs and other things you already have available in your kitchen, and in a few minutes you have a cupcake.

I think the best compliments are the ones overheard. My co-worker said she heard two colleagues talking about how much they enjoyed the cupcakes I bought to a meeting that day...while they were in the ladies room!


You don't need to drag out KitchenAid mixer and just a couple bowls will do you fine. The resulting cupcake is very moist because it uses both butter and oil.


So, I made this recipe twice in two days (I had two meetings to attend). The first day, I made the ganache in the morning and let it sit for about an hour before using an offset spatula to apply it to the cupcake. As you can see in the photos labeled "one hour ganache", the ganache was still pretty soft. After I glazed those cupcakes, I put plastic wrap around the remaining ganache and placed it in the refrig. That night, I came home, pulled out the ganache to put it on the counter, walked the dog, and then made the cupcakes again and let them cool. The ganache was set up more than the previous day so these cupcakes had more of a "frosting" look. I placed the frosted cupcake in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, the ganache looked dull on the cupcake - see the left photo above. I remember a hint from a cookbook (was it Dorie Greenspan?) to lightly blow dry the ganache for a few seconds with a hair dryer and the gloss would come back! I did that...and it totally worked. Don't go crazy with it...you don't want to completely melt it...just a few seconds do the job. Imagine that - your cupcake gets a blow out.

Cupcakes
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/4 c plus 1 T (or 5 T) cocoa (I have used both Dutch processed and natural cocoa with fine results). I used 30 grams of Hershey's Cocoa.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 c buttermilk
1 t baking soda

2 eggs
1 t vanilla

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, combine together with a whisk: flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon

2. Bring to a boil in a pot: Water, oil, butter and cocoa. Once it reaches a boil, remove from heat.

3. Add the chocolate mixture to the flour and whisk by hand until combined.

4. Add the buttermilk and baking soda and mix.

5. In a small bowl, combine the eggs and vanilla. Add to the batter and combine.

6. Pour batter into 24 cupcakes cups lined with paper liners (or sprayed with Pam with Flour).

7. Bake at 365 degrees for 16-20 minutes (depending on your oven), until a toothpick comes out clean.

8. While it is baking, make the chocolate ganache and let it set up before use. Frost with chocolate ganache.

Ganache
1 cup (8 ounces) heavy cream
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Ganache is a combination of heavy cream and chocolate. So easy and so delicious. You can use semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (or a mixture of both). The ratio is heavy cream (in fluid ounces) : chocolate (in weight)

Therefore, I used 8 fluid ounces (1 cup) of heavy cream to 8 ounces (weight) of semi-sweet chocolate.

Place the chocolate in a bowl. Bring the cream to a light simmer. Turn off heat and slowly pour the cream over the chocolate.

Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. Then slowly whisk the liquid and chocolate together. Mix slowly...you don't want to incorporate extra air into the mixture. Stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

You can use ganache in different stages of "set". When it is warm, you can pour it over a cake or cupcake. When it firms up a bit more, you can spoon it on the treats. A bit more settling and you can frost with it. You can also whip it up for a lighter frosting. Oh, the possibilities of ganache. It rocks. (It also freezes really well so you should always have some on hand for chocolate emergencies!)

Self-Frosting Nutella Cupcakes for World Nutella Day 2011

Happy World Nutella Day!

Make some Self Frosting Nutella Cupcakes today!

World Nutella Day celebrates its 5th anniversary today! Ms Adventures in Italy and Bleeding Espresso are the masters of ceremonies for this delicious foodie holiday.

Who doesn't love Nutella?! I hope indulge in some Nutella today...on toast, with peanut butter, on a crepe, or in a cupcake...or just straight from the jar! :)

 

After making the batter, one teaspoon of Nutella is marbled into the cupcake. The crumb is more muffin than light cupcake. The Nutella topping is rich and gives it enough sweetness.

Each one is very unique depending on how much your marble the Nutella. This would be a fun and easy recipe to make with kids!

Recipe:
Find the complete recipe on Esi's Dishing up Delights blog

P.S. I'm running in the LA Marathon's 5K in March and raising money for Noah's Wish animal rescue during disasters. Check out my fundraising plea (with cute doggie!) here and thanks for the support! 

Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes & Mascarpone Whipped Cream Frosting

Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes with Mascarpone Whipped Cream Frosting

Sweet Valley High books started in 1983. I was 13 years old and made my mom buy countless books for me. Yeah, I've always been into chick lit and the RomCom. Anyway, in these novels, there is often the, as I call it, "electric moment." You know, when the girl sees the guy and it is electrifying. Or when their hands touch and she can feel the deep connection.

Well, I had that deep emotional connection. No, not with the Sweet Valley High guy, but with Mascarpone Whipped Cream Frosting.

We celebrated two birthdays at the library earlier this week and I made some mini cupcakes. The cupcake is Martha Stewart's One Bowl Chocolate cake with added espresso, and JustJenn's Mascarpone Whipped Cream Frosting.

The Mascarpone Frosting was divine. I'm not a fan of super sweet, buttery frosting, so this was heaven. It is light, slightly sweet and did I mention light? One of the birthday people said she could eat a whole bowl of the frosting. It is dangerous and delicious. Make it. You'll find that electric moment too.

Recipe:
1. Martha Stewart's One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcake - Make the recipe here, but add 1 T instant espresso powder (I use this brand) to the warm water to dissolve. It isn't overpowering, but it brings out the chocolate flavor. I baked the mini cupcakes for 10 minutes.

2. justJENN recipe for Mascarpone Frosting. Make this. Save some for the cupcakes and grab a big spoon and eat the rest.

National Library Week Day 4: Jumbo Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes and Cupcake Liner Giveaway

Jumbo Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Whoo Hoo! It's Day 4 of National Library Week!

Today, it's a double duty post. I'm in the Martha Stewart Cupcake Club, and this month, Jess (super fun ex-pat California girl living in Connecticut) of Cookbook Habit selected Jumbo Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes of Martha's fantastic book: Martha Stewart's Cupcake Book

These were easy to make. A basic sour cream chocolate cupcake filled with...wait for it...Marshmallow Creme or Marshmallow Fluff. I have never purchased this product; it's kinda strange. You are supposed to make these cupcakes in Jumbo cupcake cups but I feel that is way too much Marshmallow Creme for one person. So, I made 1/2 a batch of regular cupcakes and got 16 cupcakes.

A quick squiggle of marshmallow creme (see here) is supposed to top the cupcake but where is the chocolate topping? If these are supposed to be Hostess Cupcake wannabes, they need a chocolate topping, right? I topped mine with chocolate ganache and heavy cream/powdered sugar squiggle icing.

I also didn't add butter to the fluff. I just threw it in a piping bag, cut out a little bit of the top (I found a paring knife to cut out a cone works best), and piped in the fluff.

The library staff found this cupcake superior to a Hostess Cupcake and way cute!

The Librarian Action Figure picks out her cupcake.

Each day, I'm talking about one library thing (um, it is called Library Week). Our public library often gets the question, "Can you tell me what I've checked out this past year?" Privacy is a big deal at the library so we purge borrower information when a book is returned. So, how to remember what you read? You may want to sign-up with a free online program that helps you keep track of your books. You can even post a badge on your blog to show what you're reading. Here are three companies to check out: Shelfari, Library Thing, Good Reads.

I'm having five days of giveaway during National Library Wee!

To celebrate Day 4 of National Library Week, I'm giving away the following to one lucky winner:
A boatload of cupcake liners

These orange, yellow and green tulip cupcake liners are awesome. So pretty. I'm giving away some of each color (big and mini)...probably 200 liners or so (purchased at Surfas in Los Angeles). You'll be making lots of tulip cupcakes!

To enter the Day 4 Giveaway, simply leave a comment below (one entry per person) and I'll pick the winner from a hat (aka Random). Deadline for all contests: Monday, April 19, 2010 at midnight PDT. If your comment isn't linked to a blog where I can find you, please leave your email. Shipping to U.S. addresses only. Librarian Action Figure not included.

Also, don't forget to enter the Day 1 Giveaway: Cookbook and Chef Post-its, Day 2 Giveaway: Loaf Pans, and Day 3 Giveaway: Disney Stuff.

Come back tomorrow for the last day of National Library Week! I hope you are planning your visit to the library! - mary the food librarian

Recipe:
Martha Stewart's Cupcake Book: Jumbo Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes, page 133

The Martha Stewart Cupcake Club doesn't post the recipe, but you can find it online here on Martha's website. You can use WorldCat to see if your library has it in their collection. Be sure to check out the other Martha Stewart Cupcake Club members and their version of the recipe!

Matcha Mochi Cupcakes - Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day from The Food O'Librarian

Today, I'm celebrating my Japanese and Irish roots.
What?
Yes, I may be 100% Okinawan, but somehow, my grandparents named my father Patrick!

My grandfather traveled from Okinawa, Japan to Hawaii in the early 1900's to work on the sugar plantations...as did many Issei (first generation Japanese Americans). Later, he went back to the little island of Okinawa and met my grandmother. They settled in California as farmers and began to raise their family of six kids. When son #3 came along, they named him Patrick. They were Christian (named the first two sons John and David), but not Catholic so I'm not quite sure where the name came from. However, I attribute this bit of Irish to my craving for some corned beef and cabbage every March 17th. And the McDonald's Shamrock Shake. :)

So, to combine the Irish and Japanese (hee hee), I whipped up some Matcha Mochi Cupcakes. Using matcha (green tea powder) and mochiko flour (sweet rice flour), these cupcakes are chewy and a bit dense. And they are such a pretty color of green! It is similar to my Blueberry Mochi Cake, Cherry Mochi Cake, and Matcha Mochi Bundt but it uses whole milk and oil instead of butter and evaporated milk. It is less buttery than the other cakes, and I enjoyed it a lot!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Recipe:
Find the recipe here on my friend Azusa's blog, Humblebean. Check out all her beautiful photos and food! This recipe is gluten-free too!

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Cupcake Club

For this month's Martha Stewart's Cupcake Club, Megan from My Baking Adventures chose Lemon Meringue Cupcakes on page 142 of Martha's book: Martha Stewart's Cupcake Book

I made half the recipe in minis (about 48 cupcakes). My torch was unavailable (don't ask) and my whisk was missing (again, don't ask). So I opted for a quick cream cheese frosting. I want to try them again with the proper meringue.

The combo of Meyer lemon zest and a dollop of lemon curd...delicious!

Be sure to check out the other Martha Stewart Cupcake Club members and their version of the recipe! I'm sure you'll see lots of yummy torched meringue!

P.S. On the Ides of March, I wish my friend Jun a happpppy birthday!

Recipe:
Martha Stewart's Cupcake Book: Lemon Meringue Cupcakes, page 142

The Martha Stewart Cupcake Club doesn't post the recipe, but you can find this one on Martha's website here. You can use WorldCat to see if your library has this book in their collection.

New School of Cooking - Pro Baking 1 - Class 5: Chocolate

I'm taking the Pro Baking 1 series at the New School of Cooking in Culver City (Los Angeles) this fall/winter. For Class 5, it was all about the Chocolate! As you can imagine, no one was absent from class! :)

We learned about cacao seeds, nibs, and the history of chocolate. We had a chocolate tasting with a bunch of Tasting Chocolates (these are expensive and NOT for baking). My favorites were the single origin chocolates of Michel Cluizel. These chocolates are made from a single plantation, not a combination of many growers.

Hint: The Trader Joe's Pound Plus blocks of chocolate are repackaged high end chocolate from Belgium. Get it. It's yum and way way cheaper. (By the way, you can usually find this chocolate above the freezer and near the little boxes of mini peanut butter cups and chocolate covered sunflower seeds, it is not in the baking section)

We made brown sugar chocolate cupcakes (made with Dutch-processed cocoa) and had a selection of frostings and toppings. So-called "Buttercream" (next week we'll make an Italian Meringue Buttercream - the real buttercream): Vanilla and Chocolate, and a chocolate gananche. We used jumbo cupcake holders to hold a nice topping of ganache.

Chef Carol, our instructor, also demonstrated making a Chocolate Decadence Cake or Flourless Chocolate Cake with a mound of chocolate ganache. The white lines are a combo of powdered sugar and heavy cream. You need heavy cream so you made the texture of the ganache...if you used milk, it would harden.

The next day, I practiced by making the cupcakes again and frosted them with some cream cheese frosting (just for you @justjennrecipes!) The little balls? Those are delicious Valrhona Crunchy 55% Chocolate Pearls (available at Surfas)

Recaps of the New School of Cooking, Pro Baking 1 course:
Baking Therapy: Going back to school
Class 1: Quick Breads
Class 2: Custards
Class 3: Soufflés & Pate a Choux
Class 4: Tarts, Pie, Crisps and Cobblers