Sasha's Kitchen: White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes a couple weeks ago, using some homemade raspberry preserves that I canned myself last August in my very first home preserving project.  They were delicious and have been great in several desserts, including the raspberry swirl cheesecake I made over the winter.  I haven't made cupcakes in awhile, and these aren't creatively decorated like some of my desserts, but are light, delicate and summery.  The white chocolate is quite lovely with the raspberry buttercream.

Sasha's White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
White Chocolate Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 whole eggs
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), softened
1/2 tsp salt
3/4  cup granulated sugar
5 oz melted white chocolate
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk

Raspberry Buttercream
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 cup raspberry jam
4 cups confectioners' sugar

To make the cupcakes, combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.  Melt the white chocolate chips in a double boiler and stir until smooth.  In a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light on medium high speed for about 3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs, adding one at a time.  Then beat in the white chocolate and vanilla.  With the stand mixer on low, alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures until incorporated.  Divide into cupcake molds that are lined and bake at 325 for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

To make the buttercream, beat the butter until smooth.  Beat in the sugar and jam until smooth and a lovely shade of pink.  Pipe on the cupcakes (once cooled) using a pastry bag.

Sasha's Kitchen: White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Sasha's Kitchen: Eclairs

As I have said in some recent posts, I've been trying out a new French recipe each week.  Before moving on to delve deep into the world of macarons, I decided to try making eclairs, once the darling of the French patisserie, before macarons came on the scene. The key to making delicious eclairs in making pate choux, the basis of the French cream puff, piping out the pate choux, and allowing it to puff up into eclairs in the oven.  Then, the pastries are filled with homemade pastry cream and glazed in a chocolate ganache glaze.  These only stay good for about a day, and are really best if you eat them right away, so I suggest making them for a party, perhaps for a French brunch.  I was really happy with how these came out - they were nice and puffy and filled up easily with the pastry cream.

Eclairs (recipe from Martha Stewart)
Pate Choux
1 stick of butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
four large eggs

Pastry Cream
six egg yolks
1 large egg
3/4 cup plus 2 T sugar
3 T cornstarch
3 T flour
3 cups milk
3 T unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz semisweet chocolate chips

First, to make the pate choux, bring butter, sugar, salt and one cup of water to boil in a medium saucepan.  Remove from heat and quickly stir in the flour.  Continue stirring constantly over medium high heat until mixture pulls away from the sides and a thin film forms on the bottom, about three minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed for a minute, then turn to high speed and add the whole eggs, one at a time.  Beat on high until soft peaks form when you touch with the tip of your finger

Preheat the oven to 425.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or use silpats.  Fill a pastry bag with a 1 inch tip and pipe oblong shapes onto the baking sheets at 2 inch intervals.  Run a wet fork along the top of each to ensure even rising.

Cover one sheet with oiled plastic wrap and put in the fridge, until the first sheet is done.  Bake 10 minutes at 425, then reduce to 350 and bake another 25 minutes.  Turn off oven and prop door with a spoon and allow to cool in the oven for ten minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool and bake the second sheet the same way.

The pastry cream can be made ahead of time.  Prepare an ice bath.  In a medium bowl, combine the yolks and 2 tablespoons of sugar.  Whisk in the cornstarch and flour and whisk until smooth.  Set aside.  In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and remaining sugar.  Stir over medium heat until milk begins to steam.  Then. whisk in the egg mixture, stir until smooth and return to the heat.  Bring the mixture to a boil and stir constantly to prevent scorching until it forms a thick custard.  Strain and place over icebath.  Chill.

Fill the eclairs with the pastry cream using a pastry tip.  To make the glaze, heat the cream in a saucepan, and pour the hot cream over the chocolate.  Let stand until melted and whisk until smooth.  Dip each eclair in the chocolate cream.  Allow glaze to set.

Sasha's Kitchen: Eclairs

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Coulis

Recently, I took a French cooking class, the essentials of burgundian cooking at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in Manhattan.  The class was a fun class where we broke into groups and made an entire French meal.  I perfected my boeuf bourguignon skills, which I will be making at home again this weekend.  The dessert for the class was this delicious French style chocolate cake, Gauteau ay Chocolate avec Framboise Coulis, which I made again at home, and it was even better.  My husband was a huge fan of this classic French dessert which is perfect for any dinner party.

Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Coulis
Cake
6 oz semi sweet chocolate
1 1/2 sticks butter, cut into 1 T pieces
4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
3 T pureed almonds, or almond flour
4 T flour
pinch of cream of tartar
pinch of salt

Glaze (I made a half recipe of the laze at home because I thought that was enough)
6 oz semisweet chocolate
4 T coffee
6 T butter

Rasberry Coulis
1 pint fresh raspberries
1 T lemon juice
1 T Framboise
powdered sugar to taste (I like the sauce to be tart, so I only used 2 T)

Spray an eight inch cake pan with pam and line with parchment paper, sprayed with pam.  Preheat the oven to 350.

Melt the chocolate and butter for the cake batter in a double boiler.  In an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the yolks with 1/4 cup of the sugar until the mixture forms ribbons that fall from the mixer.  This takes about four minutes at a high speed.  Add the chocolate mixture and blend together.  Add the flour and almond flour and combine.  Remove and clean the mixer and set aside.

In the mixer with a whisk attachment in a separate bowl, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until it forms a soft peak, on high speed.  Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.  Fold the beaten whites into the chocolate batter with a spatula.  Pour into prepared cake pan.  Bake for 30 minutes or ubtil cake pulls away from sides of pan.

Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes.  Invert and remove from pan and take off the parchment paper liner.  Cool completely before glazing.

To make the glaze, heat the chocolate and coffee over a double boiler.  Off heat add the butter and stir gently to combine.  Pour on cooled cake.

Blend the ingredients for the coulis in your blender.  Serve with cake.

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Coulis

Sasha's Kitchen: Rhubarb Crumble Pie

I love strawberry rhubarb pie.  Its my favorite.  I just love the tang of the rhubarb combined with the sweet strawberries.  Yum!  But I decided to go a bit tangier this time and try out a Martha Stewart recipe for a rhubarb crumble pie.  And you know what - it was amazing too! A bit tangier than the combined pie but just plain delicious and a perfect wait to start pie season while waiting for fresh farmer's market strawberries.  I'm going to do the strawberry rhubarb version soon, but just rhubarb was just perfect too!  This weekend, I plan on making some strawberry rhubarb jam for my first canning of the season.

Rhubarb Crumble Pie (from Martha Stewart's Pies and Tarts)
Bottom Crust
1 1/4 cup flour
1 stick cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
approximately 1/8 cup ice water

Filling
1 3/4 lbs rhubarb, ends trimmed and cut crosswise (about 6 cups)
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 T cornstarch

Crumble Topping
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 T granulated sugar
pinch salt
6 T cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

To make the bottom crust dough, follow the instructions for my apple pie dough.  You can also make it in a stand mixer, but don't overknead.  I made it in my stand mixer this time.  Stop mixing just when the dough comes together.  Chill for about 45 minutes wrapped in plastic wrap.  You are making a half recipe of dough because you are not making a top crust.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough and fit into a 9 inch pie plate, leaving a one inch overhang.  Fold overhang and press gently to seal.  Crimp edges as desired and chill for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 and in a large bowl, toss rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Pour into the pie shell.

Mix the crumble topping with your fingers until combined and large clumps form.  Sprinkle on top of pie and bake the pie until the topping is browned and the crust is lightly browned, about an hour and a half.  You can cover with foil if it browns too fast.  Allow pie to cool before serving.

Sasha's Kitchen: Rhubarb Crumble Pie

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Devil's Food Caramel Cupcakes

I made these delicious cupcakes straight out of the Magnolia Bakery cookbook and they were delicious.  The frosting is a light caramel frosting that gets its flavor from brown sugar, rather than from a complex caramelization process.  The Devil's Food chocolate batter results in a light and delicious cupcake.  The recipe in the cookbook makes two dozen, but I cut it in half and made just one which was plenty for our purposes.  I haven't been baking much the past couple weeks but these were a hit.  Tomorrow, I'll turn my focus back to pies, and I'll be making a banana cream pie.  I recently stocked up on my canning supplies and purchased a new Martha Stewart pie book at The Brooklyn Kitchen in Williamsburg, as spring nears - time for fun fruit canning and pies on the horizon.  I can't wait for the first rhubarb jam and strawberry rhubarb pie of the season.  I'm also itching for ramps to be in season already too!

Magnolia Bakery's Devil's Food Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting (from this cookbook)
recipe makes 2 dozen cupcakes (I recommend halving)
2 cups cake flour
1 cup unsweetened dutch process cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened
1 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs (I used two when I halved the other ingredients)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting (here's the half recipe, sufficient for 1 dozen)
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 T dark corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Now to make the cupcakes, combine the dry ingredients for the cupcakes in a bowl.  Cream the butter with the two sugars in the mixer and add the eggs one at a time and beat to combine.  Slowly alternate adding the buttermilk and dry ingredients and then add in the vanilla.  Beat until smooth and combined.  Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full and bake for 25 minutes or so at 325 until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Beat together the butter and sugars for the frosting and slowly beat in the milk, corn syrup and vanilla.  It should take a good 3 or 4 minutes to get a creamy, smooth frosting when beating in your stand mixer at high speed. 

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Devil's Food Caramel Cupcakes

Sasha's Kitchen: Strawberry Chocolate Chip Scones

I made these delicious breakfast and/or dessert scones a few weeks ago since I was able to score some delicious strawberries, even in the dead of winter.  The recipe comes from Alice's Tea Cup's cookbook, which is one of my favorite places in Manhattan to go for scones.  They are always a treat in any flavor!

Alice's Tea Cup's Strawberry-Chocolate Chop Scones
Makes about 12-14 scones
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/4 cups hulled and quartered strawberries
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1 1/4 cups of buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425.  In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  With clean hands work in the butter until thoroughly incorporated and has the consistency of fine breadcrumbs.  Add the strawberries and chocolate and combine well.

Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk and vanilla.  Combine the mixture but do not knead.  Pat the dough to make a rectangle about 1 1/2 inches thick.  Cut the scones into 3/12 to 4 inch wedges.  Lay on a non-stick baking sheet and brush liberally with the cream, sprinkling some sugar on top.  Bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Sasha's Kitchen: Strawberry Chocolate Chip Scones

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Stout Brownies

Brownies are one of the best sweet comfort foods of all time.  As a member of ShopRite's blog panel, I had received a huge bag of delicious chocolate chips and other baking supplies that came in handy when making this delicious recipe that I found in the recent Bon Appetit magazine for chocolate stout brownies that I made for the Super Bowl party that we went to for the now Championship NY Giants (whoo-hoo).  The stout adds a nice, rich flavor to the brownies, similar to the way it did when I made my chocolate stout cupcakes awhile back. These are just pure chocolatey goodness!  I adapted the recipe from Bon Appetit a bit and eliminated the frosting, because quite frankly they don't need anything else.  These are fudgy, chewy, moist and amazing.

Chocolate Stout Brownies (adapted from this recipe)
1 cup chocolate stout (I used local Brooklyn Brewery Chocolate Stout, but you could also use Guinness)
16 oz Shoprite chocolate chips
2 sticks uf unsalted butter
1 1/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

First, boil the stout, and reduce one cup to half a cup of stout.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Line a 9 x 9 metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch overhang.  Bring the stout to a boil in a medium sauce pan and cook until reduced to half a cup, about twelve minutes.  Allow to cool.

Stir 12 oz of the chocolate chips and two sticks of butter in a medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (like a double boiler).  until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally.

Whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl to blend, and then gradually whisk in the chocolate mixture.  Add about 1/4 plus 2 T of the stout from the pan, then fold in the flour and the salt.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies until the surface begins to crack and a tester comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool for at least twenty minutes before slicing.  No glaze needed!

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Stout Brownies

Sasha's Kitchen: Green Tea Cupcakes with Violets

I have a great book of vegan cupcake recipes that are sans-butter, and hence much healthier.  I had been meaning to try the green tea cupcakes for a long time because I like anything with matcha powder.  My husband Brad and I got married at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, so my first thought was to make little cherry blossoms out of marzipan to put on top of the green tea glaze.  However, I have two pink gels and with the one I used, the marzipan came out more purple instead of pink, so I made violets instead.  These cupcakes are cute little Japanese style cakes, flavored just like green tea.  The glaze is just perfect - much lighter than frosting, but still quite satisfying.  These dainty little cupcakes, remind me of a delicate little violet, or spring at the Cherry Blossom Festival at the BBG just the same.  This is a great book even for a non-vegan like me and I can't wait to make more recipes from it soon.

Green Tea Cupcakes (adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)
1/2 cup soy yogurt
2/3 cup soy milk (recipe called for rice milk but I used soy instead)
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 tsp matcha powder (there is no substitute)
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Green Tea Glaze
2 T margarine
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/8 to 1/4 tsp matcha powder
1 T soy milk (I used soy instead of rice milk)
1/4 tsp almond extract
drop of vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a cupcake tray with liners.  In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, soy milk, vanilla, oil and almond extract.  Combine the sugar, matcha powder, flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl.  Combine the two bowls together and beat until smooth, to break up any lumps and combine.  Fill cupcake liners 2/3 to 3/4 full and bake for about 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely.

To make the glaze, I used a mixer.  I beat the margarine in the mixer until fluffy.  Then beat in the confectioners' sugar to form a crumbly mixture and add a tablespoon or two of soy milk along with the almond extract.  I used a spatula to spread the glaze on each cupcake.

To make cherry blossoms or violets, dye a little marzipan purple or pink and form little flower petals.  I used a little yellow dyed marzipan for the center of each violet. Pretty!

Sasha's Kitchen: Green Tea Cupcakes with Violets

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Last week, my mom and I made this delicious cheesecake together when my husband and I were visiting my family in Rochester, NY.  Like a number of my recent baking recipes, this one comes from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook, of the famous New York bakery, since I've been on a bit of a Magnolia cook lately, working my way through the cookbook.  This cheesecake was delicious.  It had just enough chocolate to give some flavor and flair to the cheesecake but was not overpowering.  It was like a regular vanilla cheesecake with a tad of chocolate  in the swirls.  This was a recipe that was enjoyed by the whole family.  I know cheesecake has like a million calories, but I did use lowfat cream cheese, so there!

Here's my latest baking post on the ShopRite blog panel, as well, some new cupcakes for the winter season.

Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake (recipe adapted from Jennifer Appel & Alyssa Torrey)
Crust
5 T melted butter
2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs

Filling
4 eight ounce packages of cream cheese
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 large eggs at room temperature
2 T heavy cream
1 T vanilla extract

Topping
3 T heavy cream
4 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 325.  To make the crust, combine the wafter crumbs with the melted butter and press in a prepared 10 inch springform pan.  Bake for ten minutes and remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

To make the filling, this time I used a hand mixer rather than a stand mixer like I ordinarily do since that's what my mom had.  It's a little tricky to control it and not splatter the walls, but fun baking with my mom, who I am very close with.  Beat the cream cheese until smooth and slowly beat in the sugar, gradually.  Add the eggs one at a time, stopping the mixer several times to scrape down the sides.  Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.

Pour the batter into the springform pan on top of the crust.  Then prepare the swirl topping.  In the saucepan, bring the three tablespoons of heavy cream to a simmer.  Add the chocolate, turning the heat to low and stir constantly until the chocolate is melted.  Remove from the heat and cool slightly.  Drop this mixture by the teaspoonful on top of the cheesecake batter.  Using the top of a sharp knife, swirl in into the batter, forming a pretty decorative pattern.

The trickiest part about cheesecake is knowing when it is done.  Bake at 325 until the edges are set and the center jiggles slightly when the pan is shaken, about one hour.  I let it go a little longer because I thought it needed it.  It was totally delicious tasting, but it did crack, which is something I need to work on to perfect with my technique.  At the end of the baking time, turn off the heat and use a wooden spoon to keep the oven door slightly ajar.  Cool the cheesecake in the oven for one hour after you turn the oven off before removing.  Cover and refrigerate for at least twelve hours.

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Sasha's Kitchen: Chewy Ginger Cookies

I love gingerbread and ginger cookies.  This is part one of a two part gingerbread cookie baking extravaganza that I got into this season (the second part being gingerbread men).  I made these gingerbread cookies that were nice and chewy using the recipe from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook.  I love to bake.  I don't just love it, but I find it relaxing and calming, and it is one of my favorite things to do.  I always want to bake more than I have people to feed all the baked goods to, so I have to contain it.  It's a bit of a problem!  At any rate, recently, I received a whole box of baking supplies from ShopRite and used some of the supplies to make these cookies, which were absolutely fabulous and addictive.  The original recipe recommends icing the  cookies as well, but I didn't think they needed it.

Chewy Ginger Cookies (recipe adapted from Jennifer Appel)
2 cups ShopRite all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp ShopRite cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup ShopRite sugar plus 1 T for sprinkling
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsulphured molasses

Preheat the oven to 350.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  Using your stand mixer, beat the oil and sugar on high speed for three minutes, then beat in the egg and molasses.  Unsulphured molasses stinks in my opinion, but don't worry, your cookies won't as it changes it scent when baked.  Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Drop  rounded teaspoonfuls spaced apart  on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and sprinkle lightly with sugar.  Bake each sheet of cookies, one at a time for 12 minutes.  They'll be soft when they come out but cook more when removed from the oven.  Allow to cool and remove from the sheets.  Enjoy!

Sasha's Kitchen: Chewy Ginger Cookies

Sasha's Kitchen: Magnolia Bakery's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Magnolia Bakery is one of New York's most famous bakeries and also one of my favorites.  Recently, I stopped by and picked up a copy of the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, which I am so excited to explore.  So far I have made two recipes - I made Magnolia's chocolate chip cookies and I made their famous banana pudding, both of which were delicious.  I plan to make their apple walnut cake with cream cheese caramel frosting for New Years and explore some new baking recipes, including cupcakes, in January.  As I mentioned in a recent post, I received a whole box of baking supplies from ShopRite, which is right up my sleeve since I LOVE TO BAKE!  I figured chocolate chip cookies were another perfect recipe for using all of these goodies.  These were the best chocolate chip cookies I've made yet - chewy and chocolate-ey just like I like them.  The combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar is the trick that makes the cookie what it is.  Be sure to bake the cookies only the time allotted, even if they seem soft when they come out of the oven. They continue cooking after they come out of the oven and will be just perfect after 12 minutes or so in the oven, once they cool.  I used the brown sugar, sugar, vanilla, chocolate chips and flour that ShopRite sent me in this recipe.

Magnolia Bakery's Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.  In your stand mixer, cream the butter and the sugars for three minutes until smooth.  Beat in the egg and vanilla and mix well.  Add in the flour mixture and mix thoroughly, and then stir in the chocolate chips.  Drop well rounded, heaping teaspoonfuls of cookie dough onto cookies sheets lined with parchment paper, leaving space for expansion.  Bake 10-12 minutes, one sheet at a time, in the center of your oven until lightly golden brown.

Sasha's Kitchen: Magnolia Bakery's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Coconut Snowman Cupcakes

As you know, I love to bake and can never resist a new baking project.  I received a box full of wonderful baking supplies from ShopRite for use in some holiday baking, as my December installment of goodies for the ShopRite Potluck blog panel. Yay for sugar, flour, coconut, vanilla, nuts, and oodles of chocolate! For the first project using the new box of baking supplies, I made some chocolate coconut cupcakes, because the coconut from ShopRite seemed a perfect surrogate for snow, which is always in my thought this time of year.  Last year, at this time, of course, New York was paralyzed by the big blizzard!  At any rate, I created some lovely chocolate coconut cupcakes that were deliccious, using a vanilla buttercream under the top layer of coconut.  And for a seasonal twist, I added fondant snowmen to some of the cupcakes for decoration. What coudl be cute?  Happy Holidays!

Sasha's Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes
1 1/4 cups ShopRite's all purpose flour
1/2 cup ShopRite's unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup ShopRite's granulated sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp ShopRite's vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk

Frosting
1 stick unsalted butter
3 cups ShopRite's confectioner's sugar
1 tsp ShopRite's vanilla extract
2 T heavy cream
Dip in ShopRite's sweetened shredded coconut
Fondant snowman, created using fondant and gel food colors to dye the fondant.

Combine the dry ingredients for the cupcakes in a bowl.  Beat the egg and oilve oil with the sugar and vanilla.  Altnerate adding the dry ingredients and the milk until combined.  Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full in a silicon cupcake tray and bake at 350 for 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Beat the butter until smooth for three minutes in a stand mixer.  Beat in the vanilla and confectioenr's sugar until it forms a smooth frosting and slowly add in the heavy cream.  Frost the cupcake with a spatula and dip in shredded coconut.  Top with a fondant created snowman and serve.  Happy holidays and here's for some pretty white snow.

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Coconut Snowman Cupcakes

Sasha's Kitchen: Big Lebowski White Russian Cupcakes

The Dude would have definitely been a fan one one of these cupcakes.  The Big Lebowski is one of my husband Brad's favorite movies.  Bowling and white russians (the Dude's favorite drink) play a central role in the movie, as well as the rug that "brings the room together."  So it made perfect sense to create a white russian flavored cupcake that was themed from the Big Lebowski.  I haven't made cupcakes in awhile, so it was fun to make a batch.  The cupcakes are flavored with Kahlua and instant coffee granules, while I made a Kahlua flavored frosting. For the Big Lebowski bowling feel, I decorated the cupcakes with purple glitz (sugar crystals) reminiscent of a bowling alley, and added some fondant bowling balls and pins.

White Russian Cupcakes
(adapted from Julie Hasson)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1/3 cup Kahlua
2 tsp instant coffee granules
3/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter at room temperature
2 egg whites
1/3 cup milk

Frosting
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 stick butter
3 T kahlua
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 drop gel food coloring

Mix the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.  In a second bowl, whisk together the kahlua and the coffee.  Beat the butter and sugar in the basin of your stand mixer until smooth, for a couple minutes.  Add the egg whites and combine one at a time.  Alternatively add the milk, flour and kahlua mixture and beat until combined.  Scoop batter into lined silicon cupcakes anbd fill 3/4 of the way to the top.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Beat together the ingredients for the frosting and pipe on the cupcakes using a frosting bag.

Sasha's Kitchen: Big Lebowski White Russian Cupcakes

Sasha's Kitchen: Salted Caramel Apple Pie

I pride myself on my apple pie and my perfect apple pie crust.  But I am also a big fan of the salted caramel apple pie at Four and Twenty Blackbirds here in Brooklyn, and since learning how to make caramel when I made pumpkin flan last week, I figured it was time to give their salted carmel apple pie recipe that I found online a try. I love caramel apples in the fall so i knew adding caramel to a classic apple pie was going to be a perfect food combination.  The recipe I found online is for the filling only - you use your own recipe for the crust, so I am including that here as well.

Oh and by the way, one of my recent blog posts (for pumpkin flan) was quoted with a photo on Bon Appetit's website - for real! To find the reference to A Kitchen In Brooklyn, click on the link and scroll to photo number 10.  I'm so psyched!

Sasha's Apple Pie Crust (makes bottom and top portions)
2 sticks cold butter, chopped
2 1/4 cups flour
pinch of salt
large pinch of sugar

To make the apple pie crust, follow my instructions here, although I cheated this time and made it in my mixer rather than by hand.

Four and Twenty Blackbirds Salted Caramel Apple Pie (recipe found here)
Filling
1/3 cup raw sugar
2 T flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 to 3 dashes Angostura bitters (unfortunately I left this out this time because I forgot to pick it up)
6 apples
4-6 lemons juiced (I used four)

Salted Caramel
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup water
1 stick butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp sea salt

Glaze
1 egg, beaten
raw sugar for sprinkling on top
1/2 tsp sea salt

Prepare your bottom pie crust and chill in the refrigerator.  Combine the ingredients for the apple pie filling.  I used granny smith apples and golden delicious apples this time.  Core, peel and thinly slice the apples.  The recipe recommends using a mandolin but I just used a knife to produce thin slices.  Dredge the apples in the freshly squeezed lemon juice to prevent browning and add flavor.  Mix the seasons for the apple pie filling and combined with the apples, using your hands to mix.

To prepare the salted caramel, heat the sugar and water over low heat until dissolved.  Add the butter and bring to a slow boil.  Continue boiling, stirring or swirling only occasionally until the mixture turns a golden brown, almost copper.  If it blackens or smokes, you've overcooked it and will have to start again.  Remove from the heat immediately upon reaching the right color and add the heavy cream.  The mixture will bubble and steam rapidly.  Sprinkle in the sea salt.

To assemble the pie, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Put 1/3 of the apples in the crust and pour 1/3 of the carmel on top. Then repeat with the remaining apples and another 1/2 of the caramel.  Save 1/3 of the caramel for the top of the pie.  The recipe suggest stacking the apples (after slicing with a mandolin) but I really just threw them in - it doesn't bother me that they are not stacked neatly and densely.

Roll out the remaining dough for the top crust and prepare a lattice.  Drizzle the remaining caramel on top, then do a egg glaze and top with sugar.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 for another 25 to 30 minutes.

Sasha's Kitchen: Salted Caramel Apple Pie

Sasha's Kitchen: Coconut Cake

I love anything coconut.  Awhile back, I had received a Kosher baking book from the publisher to review, Paula Shoyer's The Kosher Baker, and I've enjoyed the recipes from the book that I make them from time to time.  I came across a recipe for a coconut cake with a lime curd filling and a meringue frosting in the book that looked absolutely fantastic.  I really intended on doing the whole thing for no reason (just for fun, not for a particular special occasion that necessitated a large two layer cake) and got lazy.  What I wound up with was a pretty fantastic coconut cake, minus the filling and frosting.  I do intend to make it again for a party sometime with the lime curd and meringue frosting, but it made a pretty tasty coconut cake this time that we enjoyed so I figured I'd share the recipe for the coconut cake that I did make.  The recipe is parve (non dairy), although I don't really keep Kosher, but it was still delicious.

Coconut Cake (recipe from the Kosher Baker) (makes tow nine inch cakes)
2 whole eggs plus four whites
2 cups canola oil
1 cup coconut milk
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease tow nine inch cake pans.  Separate the eggs and the yolks and place the two yolks in a bowl.  Add the coconut milk, canola oil, sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla and shredded coconut to the bowl and beat with a whisk until combined, or use your electric stand mixer, like I did.  Set aside.

Add the cream of tartar to the six egg whites and beat using the whisk attachment in your mixer on high until stiff peaks form.  Fold the whites into three parts into the batter until combined.  Pour into the two prepared pans and bake 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely before frosting or eating plain, like we did.   It was soft, light coconutty and delicious! Like a bite of the tropics.

Sasha's Kitchen: Coconut Cake

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Biscotti

I've been craving some good biscotti for awhile now so I figured I'd make my own chocolate biscotti with almonds.  I've always been a big fan of Dave Lebovitz, an American chef cooking from my beloved city of Paris, who focuses on the sweet life in Paris - desserts and pastries.  I came across this recipe for chocolate biscotti on Dave's blog, and it's truly great - decadently chocolate, crisp biscotti, perfect for dunking in a nice cup of hot tea (sorry i don't drink coffee, but you get the idea).  It's also not that difficult to make, either and made a nice large batch that you can enjoy for a couple of weeks as long as you store them in an airtight container.  This recipe is a great way to start the day with a cup of tea, or coffee if you prefer, and reminds me the chocolate croissants starting off a morning in Paris.

Dave Lebovitz's chocolate biscotti
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups good quality cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup almonds toasted and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup chocolate chips
For the galze
1 large egg
2 T of coarse sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat togther the eggs, sugar, vanilla and almond extract. I did this using a stand mixer.  Then I mixed in the dry ingredients, nuts and chocolate chips until the dough holds together in the mixer.  It doesn't quite come together in the mixer on its own - you're going to need to pull it together with your hands - very chocolatey!

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and divide the dough in half.  Roll the dough into two long logs, nearly the length of the baking sheet. Flatten the tops of the logs and glaze with the remaining egg. Sprinkle the remaining sugar on top and bake at 350 for 25 minutes, until the dough is firm to the touch.

Remove the dough from the oven and cool for 15 minutes. Use a serrated knife to diagonally cut the cookies into 1/2 inch slices.  Lay the cookies cut side down on the baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how crisp you like you biscotti. For my oven, which is brand new, I found 20 minutes to be perfect.

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Biscotti