There’s a number of reasons I prefer making cupcakes over full cakes. Number one is probably my ineptitude with cake decorating. Beyond that, they just seem easier–easier to make, easier to serve, easier to eat, and they taste just as good. It had been a long time since I last made cupcakes, and I wasn’t about to endeavor on a full on cake.
For these particular cupcakes, I opted for the flavor that always seems to draw my wife and I to cakes: chocolate. I wanted it to have some intrigue to it though, so its not just chocolate–I wanted something darker. So for the cupcake batter, the foundational flavors are both cocoa and molasses for something a bit more like Devil’s Food. Then, to compliment that: a tangy cream cheese frosting flavored with toasted, honeyed pecans. All together very tasty and a fun change from the everyday chocolate cupcakes out there.
- Cupcake batter
- 1.5 cups flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup
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Posted by mike on June 13th, 2009 in Cake, Dessert
When I made this, we were in that seasonally awkward period where no fruit is really in season or all that appealing. Plus, my wife and I were on something of a banana kick, so it only seemed natural that I make ice cream.
This was really simple to make a far as ice creams go–no eggs, no custard, etc. Instead, you roast some bananas with a bit of butter and brown sugar to really intensify the sweet and unique flavor. Once pureed, this gives the same texture an body as a more traditional egg-centric ice cream.
The ice cream had a very strong, molassesy banana taste that I fell in love with. I also mixed in chunks of banana and swirls of dulce de leche just to make things more addictive and punchy in flavor, and all I can say is wow, this is an incredibly delicious ice cream. I would double the batch though–the yield is a bit smaller than what
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Posted by mike on June 9th, 2009 in Dessert, Fruit, Ice Cream/Sorbet
After having made sticky buns recenly, I found myself with brioche dough handy. I’ve finally come to terms with a fundamental part of the breakfast food pyramid missing from my repetoire of go-to day-starters: the morning-time cousin of bread pudding, yes, French Toast.
French Toast, like many “common” breakfast items, might seem less than exciting to many given how many sad, sorry versions are so readily available out there. This is meant to change that in a big way. Heck, this borders on dessert given how incredibly rich this is.
The secret here is simple: the key behind a good French toast is good bread. For this, I baked a loaf of brioche–a dense, rich, buttery bread that is delicious in it’s own right (which is why I had to eat some just with a dab of jam). You want a bread that can absorb a respectable amount of custard, has a lot of flavor, and can hold it’s shape reasonably well (translated: not
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Posted by mike on May 24th, 2009 in Breakfast, Dessert, Fruit
Sticky buns are an odd thing for me. Are they breakfast or dessert? I could swing either way and be happy. I remember eating them as a treat after dinner when I was younger or as an on-the-go breakfast when heading out on a boat in the wee hours of the morning. Granted, I’ve always said that some of the best breakfasts are essentially desserts, so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised.
The core behind any sticky bun recipe is simple: awesome, sweet, sticky buns. The variety then comes in two fashions: how to make the dough and what to dress the buns up with (e.g. glaze, cream cheese frosting, nuts, etc). In making these, I chose to follow the sage approach from one of my favorite baking-oriented books: Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. The buns themselves are made of brioche, a dense, rich, buttery, yeast-based bread. The topping: a simple but delicious, guilty pleasure: a dark, honeyed
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Posted by mike on May 20th, 2009 in Breakfast, Dessert
I’ve never actually had pomegranate ice cream or frozen yogurt before, but always had it in the back of my mind. As I’d read about it though, it seems to be quite popular with some upper-scale ice cream/frozen yogurt joints like Pinkberry and Red Mango. However, nearly everything I’ve read about pomegranate frozen treats (both commercial and home-made) all had the same review: too subtle and almost indistinguishable pomegranate flavor. This was a downer, but I was still determined to try my hand at it, so I thought I’d try to pump up the pomegranate flavor by focusing on supporting flavors to enhance it (sort of like balsamic and strawberry, chocolate and chili, etc) rather than just throwing more pomegranate at it.
Much to my delight, my gambit worked out better than I had expected. I infused the pomegranate juice with both fresh mint and green cardamom–enough to add a flavor of intrigue, but not so much that either of these additives took
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Posted by mike on May 8th, 2009 in Dessert, Fruit, Ice Cream/Sorbet, Middle Eastern
A good while back, I made a different kind of brownie that was light, fluffy, and strongly flavored with honey. These brownies fall on the opposite end of the spectrum, restoring balance to my ultimate zen state of brownie satiation. These brownies are dark, dense, and incredibly chocolatey. The kind that requires you to approach them armed with a tall glass of milk and a willingness to fend off any passers-by who think they can share in the bounty. These are brownies well worth being selfish about…unless you’re looking to bribe someone, I suppose–then these would be a great thing to share.
This is more than comfort food. Its too rich and indulgent to be called comfort food. You have the crisp, buttery, crinkly edges that seem to contradict the dense, fudgy, moist interior. And this is a situation where if you have a cache of chocolate, splurge and use the best you’ve got, because this is a recipe where it
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Posted by mike on April 26th, 2009 in Cake, Dessert
