Getting High with Hi-Hat Cupcakes

I believe it was a year or two ago, before I started my little blog, that I first heard of Hi-hat Cupcakes. I then found a recipe for them on Martha Stewart's site. I then searched a bit more and found quite a few people had terrible issues with the recipe on that site (which doesn't surprise me, as the recipes there tend to be hit and miss) and had worked out their own way of making them from trial and error. I set the idea to make them aside and it got buried in my ever churning thought process. Hi-hats seem to have broken through to the surface of my brain with perfect timing. I need an excuse to get out of this terrible slump I've been in. I know you've all noticed it. I haven't baked for weeks. I was lucky that I had baked the tart for my Daring Baker's Challenge early in the month of August, or I don't believe I would have completed my first challenge. I'll just say mid-month August we had a bit of a shake-up here at Casa del Barmy Baker, I was derailed for a bit but now I believe things are returning to some sort of equilibrium. I just need to kick myself in the arse a bit and bake.
I have decided to just combine a few of my favorite things ("Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with strings. These are a few of my favorite things....Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels. Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles..." sorry about that, I just had to try get it out of my head by embedding it in yours) and try to come up with something that resembled a Hi-hat. The recipe starts with a chocolate cupcake. No problem there, I have my wonderful, moist fabulous chocolate blackout recipe to use for those(these cupcakes also bake up very flat-topped and i think this will help with the mounds of marshmallow). They are topped with a marshmallow topping that looks suspiciously like a very thick Italian Meringue (where very very hot sugar syrup is whipped into egg whites), which I have no problem making and can pretty much just wing it on that. Then the topping. It seems this is what was giving people the biggest problem. When they tried to dip the cupcakes into the chocolate coating it was too thick and killed the marshmallow. Well, I'm going to try the chocolate and oil mixture to dip them in and see how I fare. If it doesn't work well, I'll try a ganache. So, with those three favorite things of mine, I present to you my idea of how to get high(hat cupcakes).

Chocolate Blackout Cake (makes 20 cupcakes, or one nice 9x12" pan o' cake) This recipe first appeared on my blog here

2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cocoa powder (natural, not dutch-processed)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
4 ounces melted butter
1 cup brewed coffee (I used instant espresso powder in one cup boiling water)
3 large eggs
_____________________________
-Preheat oven to 350f
-Prepare 2 muffin tins by lining with 20 or 21 muffin liners.
-This is just like making a quick bread. Sift the dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl.
-Mix together the wet ingredients, Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. This will be a fairly wet batter.
-Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling until about a quarter of an inch from the top of the liner.
-Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger.
-Remove from oven, let cool in pan about 10 minutes and then finish cooling on a rack. Place the room temperature cupcakes in the refrigerator while you make the Italian meringue. These cupcakes (or cake if you make one from this recipe) do tend to taste better the next day after the flavors have all come together.

Italian Meringue: (adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours)

1/2 cup (4 egg's worth) egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 tsp corn syrup
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract (or if you want to flavor this with something else, feel free)
_______________________
-Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer.
-Place the sugar, water and corn syrup in a heavy bottomed saucepan with a candy thermometer placed on the side of the pan dipping into the mixture. Bring the mixture to 238F.
-When the sugar syrup is about 10 degrees away from 238F, add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and begin whipping them to firm shiny peaks. If the whites get to this state before the syrup is at 235, turn your mixer to low speed and just let them keep moving.
-Once the syrup is at 235 and your egg whites are firm and pretty, Carefully (hot sugar=ouch, I know from past experience) and slowly pour the syrup into the egg whites with the mixer running on high speed. Don't worry about any spatter on the sides of the bowl, it happens and won't effect the final product. Add the vanilla extract and continue whipping the egg whites until they cool to room temperature (I also add about 1/2 tsp salt, as I like my icing a bit salty with the sweet). Once the mixture is cool, scoop it into a pastry bag fitted with a large piping tip (or you can just use a plastic baggie with the corner cut off to pipe).

-Pipe coil mounds on top of the chilled cupcakes, mounding each high to form the marshmallow "hat". Place the cupcakes in the refrigerator and make your chocolate coating.

The first coil goes on like this:
Then you want to do a second smaller coil:
and a third coil:
Until it looks something like this:
I have yet to decide if these all standing together look like a Michelin Man convention or a forest of soft serve cones:


Chocolate coating:

14 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used a 72%)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
______________________________
-Place chocolate and oil in the top of a double boiler (I just use a stainless steel bowl) and place over just simmering water and let sit about 5 minutes, then stir until chocolate is melted and you have a nice smooth dipping chocolate.
-Scrape the melted chocolate mixture into a deep container (one that is narrow and deep enough to dip the "hats" in). Dip your cupcakes in one at a time, allow excess to drip off and place the cupcakes on a rack over a sheet of parchment to catch the extra drips.
Here is the forest of Hi-hats:

-Put in the refrigerator to allow the chocolate to set up. I believe these also can be stored in the fridge for a day or so. G will be taking them to work tomorrow morning, and I'm sure I'll hear how they survived the night in the cooler.

Happy Baking!


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Drunk with Power Rum Raisin Carrot Cupcakes (not really drunk with power, but it's so fun to say!)

I've had these raisins in my refrigerator for some time and had been looking for something to use them in. I know there's nothing extraordinary about raisins sitting in a refrigerator...but these raisins are special, they've been sitting in the refrigerator in rum since early January. These are powerfully drunken raisins (not drunk with power) that need to be used in something that would benefit from their strong presence. Now, I've been wanting to make cupcakes for some time and I've also been wanting to make carrot cake with drool inducing cream cheese frosting...so I've decided to make rum raisin carrot cupcakes. I've always found rum to be a nice addition to carrot cake and these raisins should ooze rum throughout. I've also been itching to try out some recipes from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. Some of you may remember me mentioning that I won this book in the Menu for Hope raffle from Meeta of What's for Lunch Honey?. I've followed the recipe as is with the exception of having the raisins soaked a ridiculously long time in the rum, adding vanilla, adding extra cinnamon and making cupcakes instead of one big cake.

Drunken Raisin Carrot Cupcakes (adapted from Dorie Greenspan's "Bill's Big Carrot Cake" recipe)

for the cuppy cakes: (yields about 2 dozen cupcakes, or 3 9x2" cake rounds)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups grated carrots (9 carrots or so....Dorie says she grates them with her food processor shredding blade, I had to resort to risking my knuckles with my box grater)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (I had unsweetened on hand, the recipe calls for either sweetened or unsweetened)
3/4 cup rum raisins (you can get yours drunk by soaking them in about 1/3 cup rum overnight)
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract (add it right into the oil)
4 large eggs
__________________________________

-Preheat the oven to 325f. Prepare muffin tins with paper or foil or silicon cupcake cups.
-Sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt
and cinnamon, set aside.
-In another bowl, mix together the carrots, coconut, nuts and drunken
raisins, set aside.
-In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar until smooth, add
the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk
until smooth.
-Add the flour mixture and mix in until it just disappears, gently
fold in the carrot mixture.
-Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling about 3/4 full.
-Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched.
-Cool on a rack to room temperature.
I must warn you the smell of these as they are baking is gorgeous and will have you salivating...you may want to have a mop handy.

And now for the icing. I swear if I ever meet the person who decided
to put cream cheese into their icing, I will run up to them and give
them a huge hug (I may even go so far as to kiss them on the cheek).

Cream Cheese Icing:

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 stick (4 ounces, 8 Tbsp) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 pound (3 3/4 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup shredded coconut (this is optional, and more likely if you are
going to make this as a cake instead of cup cakes, as it would be
added to half the icing and used to fill the cake)
finely chopped toasted nuts or toasted coconut to garnish the top if
you so desire
_____________________________________________
-Beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
-Add the powdered sugar and lemon juice and continue to beat until
smooth. If you want to add coconut to the icing, stir it in (or if
making this a cake, stir into half the icing and use to fill it....I'm
repetitive today).
-Ice the cooled cupcakes, sprinkle with the garnish of your choice,
pour yourself a tall cool glass of milk (or some hot tea or whatever
beverage you choose) and savor!

These really hit the spot after a long time without carrot cake. Yum!

Happy baking!

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Boo-tacular Jack O' Lantern Cupcakes!

I love Halloween. What other time of year can people dress up and go door to door begging for treats? It is a great time to put on another face and be free from your everyday self, even if for just a few hours. This year, I will be missing my usual Halloween ritual. My wonderful friend B, who refers to herself as a witch (as do some others who don't understand her way), always let me participate in her family Halloween (as I am the witch's apprentice,
it was only appropriate that I participated). I would go to her home, get dressed up, watch her kids act like nuts, have a bit of wine, sit outside with her and a few others, hand out candy and probably frighten a few children(probably not on purpose). Due to our move 2000 miles west and G working long hours, I will be on my own for most of the day.
I decided to bake a treat for G's co-workers, and since I've already posted the Killer Chocolate Cupcakes that I used to make for Halloween, I decided to dust off a recipe I haven't used for years and try it out in cupcake form. I don't recall the origin of this recipe, I just know it makes wonderfully moist dark chocolate cupcakes. I present, for your eating and viewing pleasure, Chocolate Blackout Cupcakes with Jack o' Lantern decor!


Chocolate Blackout Cake (makes 20 cupcakes, or one nice 9x12" pan o' cake)

2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cocoa powder (natural, not dutch-processed)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
4 ounces melted butter
1 cup brewed coffee (I used instant espresso powder in one cup boiling water)
3 large eggs
_____________________________
-Preheat oven to 350f
-Prepare 2 muffin tins by lining with 20 or 21 muffin liners.

-This is just like making a quick bread. Sift the dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl.
-Mix together the wet ingredients, Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. This will be a fairly wet batter.
-Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling until about a quarter of an inch from the top of the liner.
-Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger.
-Remove from oven, let cool in pan about 10 minutes and then finish cooling on a rack. These cupcakes (or cake if you make one from this recipe) do tend to taste better the next day after the flavors have all come together.


I used a pretty basic icing for these:
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 32 ounce bag of powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
milk or cream as needed to make a fairly stiff consistency

_______________________________
-Cream together butter and powdered sugar, adding the sugar a bit at a time to incorporate, add vanilla and cream as needed. Icing should be smooth and of a good piping consistency.
-Color the icing however you want to decorate and have fun with it! I used some red and yellow food coloring to make the orange. Make bats, ghosts, pumpkins, spiders, witch hats, mummies,
the limitations are only that of your imagination! If you are strapped for time, do a quick frost and sprinkle with candy corn, Halloween M&Ms or other candies. Yum!

Wishing you all an enchanting Halloween and happy baking! Boo!

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Caramel Apple

Cupcakes. Apples, like pumpkins, are another fall staple. When I was a wee barmy baker this was the time of year to go to the apple orchard with the family. We would pick apples, pick our pumpkins, and get apple cider. Mmmmmm the memories. We would then go home and make gooey delicious caramel apples. Definitely a fall favorite. So, when my Mom sent me this recipe she had from King Arthur Flour I knew I had to try it.

The recipe calls for boiled apple cider which is a product found at King Arthur. I took it into my own hands to reduce a half gallon container of apple cider to a thick syrup. It yields about a cup and a half of caramel-y sauce with an intense apple flavor. I will definately have to experiment with the boiled cider on a few things in the future.

The recipe is from King Arthur Flour, I have modified it a little bit.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes:

Batter
3/4 cup (5 5/8 ounces) brown sugar
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoons apple pie spice, or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon ginger + 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vinegar, apple cider vinegar preferred
1/4 cup (2 1/2 ounces) boiled cider or frozen apple juice concentrate
1 1/4 cups (5 1/4 ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) peeled, diced apples (about 3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced into 1/4" cubes; about 13 ounces before preparation)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped walnuts


Icing
1/2 cup (5 1/2 ounces) caramel, from a block or about 20 unwrapped caramel candies
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) butter
1 tablespoon (3/4 ounce) light corn syrup
2 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) boiled cider or frozen apple juice concentrate
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice


Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a muffin pan with 12 silicone muffin cups or muffin papers; spray the cups or papers with non-stick vegetable oil spray.

To make the cupcakes: Beat together the sugar and butter till well combined. Add the baking soda, salt, and spice(s), then the egg and vinegar, beating till smooth. Beat in the boiled cider or concentrate. The mixture may look curdled; that's OK. Add the flour, mixing until the batter is smooth, then stir in the apples and walnuts.

Scoop the batter into the lined muffin wells. Bake the cupcakes for 25 minutes, till a cake tester inserted in the middle of the center cupcake comes out clean. Remove them from the oven, and after 10 minutes transfer them to a rack set over a piece of parchment to cool; the parchment will corral any excess icing. When the cakes are cool, peel off the muffin papers or slip them out of the silicone cups.

To make the icing: Melt the caramel with the butter in a saucepan set over low heat. Stir in the remaining ingredients, then bring to a rapid boil. Boil, stirringconstantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir briefly to calm the bubbles, and immediately pour over the cupcakes while the icing is hot, using about 2 teaspoons icing for each cupcake and covering their tops completely; some excess will drip down the sides. If the icing cools down and you can no longer pour it, reheat very briefly in the microwave. Yield: 12 cupcakes


This did make a beautiful cupcake, however I like them best without the topping :). I think I may have let the icing boil a bit too long. It was difficult to bite into the cupcake and the icing together as the icing is very chewy. I believe next time I make them I will try a more creamy type of caramel icing. All in all though, I'd rate these as a wonderful way to enjoy caramel apples in a different form :).

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Coconut Cupcakes with Chocolate Icing

I am a big fan of coconut cake with boiled icing (which I do plan on making and posting in a few weeks or so) so when I came across these cupcakes in Baking in America by Greg Patent, I thought "why not give these a try". Coconut and chocolate are always a good combination. These cupcakes, like all the cupcakes I've been making, did find their way to G's office. They enjoyed them thoroughly. I admit that they were not my favorites, but since the people who seem more than happy to accept my experiments liked them, then I think they are post-worthy. I think I was hoping for more of a "Mounds Bar" or "Almond Joy" kind of flavor. Although they did grow on me after the first one (I only had one and a bite of one...but the bite after the first one I liked much better...hmmm). The recipe is from the book mentioned above, with the directions in my own words (as almost always seems to be my way). I think the icing was my favorite part.

Chocolate-Frosted Coconut Cupcakes

1 ½ cups sifted cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
4 Tbsps butter, r.t.
½ cup sugar
1 tsp pure coconut extract
½ tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 yolk
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk (or whole milk)
1 cup chopped sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut
_______________________________________________________
-Heat oven to 350f, line 12 cup muffin tin (just a note: this recipe said it made a dozen cupcakes, I only ended up with 11. I may have over scooped the cupcakes, or perhaps my flour was very loose in the cup, just thought you should know).
-Sift together dry ingredients.
- Beat butter on medium until smooth, gradually beat in sugar, 2 Tbsp at a time, scrape, add coconut and vanilla extracts and beat on high for 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 egg and the yolk and beat for 1 minute. Add the remaining egg and beat for 1 minute.
-on low speed, add the flour in three additions, alternating with the coconut milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat only until the flour is just incorporated. Stir in coconut (this was a very good tasting batter). Fill muffin tins 2/3 full.
-Bake for about 20 minutes. Cool.

Frosting:
1 ½ ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
____________________________________________
-Melt chocolate and butter, whisk in the sour cream, vanilla and salt. Gradually whisk in the sugar, until the icing is smooth enough to spread, thin with milk or cream if needed (just a side note: this icing did look broken to me until I added the icing and whisked, it all came together as the icing was added to a tasty smooth topping)
Frost cooled cupcakes quickly…frosting sets up fast!

I garnished these with toasted coconut flakes, but you can use whatever you like. I think toasted blanched almond slivers would be excellent.

Enjoy your sugar high!

Evil Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes!

Well...they aren't exactly evil, but G's coworkers have dubbed them just that. I believe his boss said he liked the way the chocolate "got" him in the back of the throat. I think I will take that as a compliment! These are serious chocolate cupcakes that will require a big glass of milk.

I was making these every year for the past few years for a friend's Halloween gathering. They were loved by her teenage son and his friends. I think they tried to eat as many as they could to see who could achieve a state of supreme sugar buzz! Unfortunately moving 2200 miles away will put an end to that tradition. But, never fear, I have a new audience to bake for..and I believe they are enjoying it.

The recipe is from Marcel Desaulniers' book Death By Chocolate, as usual, I have shortened the directions and they are in my own words. Happy Baking!

Serious Chocolate Cupcakes:
-10 semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces (10 ounces)
-8 heavy cream (8 ounces)
-2 unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces (2 ounces)
5 eggs
½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
¾ cup flour
½ tsp baking soda
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
_____________________________________________________
-preheat oven to 325f
-place broken chocolates and cream in double boiler, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir till smooth.
-Place eggs, sugar and vanilla in mixer w/paddle. Beat on medium until lemon colored and slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate, beat on med 15-20 seconds. Add baking soda, flour and chips, beat on low 10 seconds, increase to medium and beat 10 more seconds.divide into 18 muffin tins, fill ¼ inch below the rim. Baker about 25 minutes, cool..dip tops in icing and garnish with white or dark chocolate chips or curls or something pretty...I also will do seasonal sprinkles on these, such as: pumpkins at Halloween, Holiday M&M's at Christmas..etc....

Ganache topping:
-4 heavy cream (4 ounces)
-6 semi sweet chocolate (6 ounces)
__________________________________
-heat cream to boiling, pour over semi sweet chocolate. Let sit for about 8 minutes. Whisk until smooth and dip in cooled cuppycakes.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm chocolatey goodness to bring a smile to anyone's face!

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Three Ginger Cupcakes

I found this recipe in Baking in America by Greg Patent. They are actually quite light and very gingery...which is what i had hoped for, as I love ginger. I have written the instructions a bit shorter than they appeared in the book, as I tend to try to simplify things. Also, I upped the amount of crystallized ginger because you can never have too much ginger!

Triple Ginger cupcakes

1 ¾ cups sifted cake flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon allspice
4 ounces butter, r.t.
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
3 Tablespoons grated ginger root
Zest of one orange, minced
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
¾ cup buttermilk
½ cup chopped crystallized ginger

Frosting
3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
3.5 ounces white chocolate chopped
2 Tablespoons sour cream
________________________________________________
-heat oven to 350, prepare muffin tins for 14
-sift flour, baking soda, salt and spices together
-Beat the butter with an electric mixer on med until smooth, add vanilla, fresh ginger, orange zest, and ¼ cup brown sugar. Beat for 1 minute, beat in remaining brown sugar, ¼ cup at a time, beating for about 20 seconds after each. Scrape and beat on med/high for about 4 minutes. Add the egg and beat one minute.
- on low, add the flour in three alternating with the buttermilk. Beginning and ending with the flour and only beating till it’s just incorporated. Stir in crystallized ginger, fill muffin tins 2/3 full.
-bake for 25 minutes or so.
-,make the frosting….heat cream, add chocolate, whisk till smooth. Whisk in sour cream….frost cool cupcakes. Mmmmmmmm.