Wedding Desserts

Recent my good friends Jessica and Eric Weber got married.  Jess and I went to culinary school together and immediately became friends based on our common backgrounds and love of small town live.  I was more than excited to be invited to her wedding and thrilled when she asked me to help her prepare some of the desserts.  Jess is an amazing baker and took on the ambitious task of making all of her wedding desserts by herself and from scratch.  The menu included fruit tarts, chocolate tarts, individual pies (cherry, apple and strawberry rhubarb), cake balls (cherry, coffee, almond, strawberry), homemade marshmallows and Carmel corn.  Most everything was prepared when I arrived two days before the ceremony, however the fruit tarts needed to be done as close to service as possible so they became my task.  I haven't had a large scale baking project in months and I almost forgot how much I love it.  I had such a great time making pastry cream, chocolate silk and fruit glaze.  The tarts turned out beautifully and tasted amazing!  The dessert display at the wedding was phenomenal, people were stealing treats before they even had their dinner!  I count myself blessed to have wonderful friends like Jess and Eric and to have been able to be a part of their big day. 

The Cup

One thing I love about moving around as much as I do is discovering new favorite places in every city.  A few months ago, while catering the appetizers for a 80th birthday party I was treating to an amazing strawberry cupcake.  It was moist and flavorful without being sticky; the icing was thick and creamy.  The ratio between icing and cake was just right.  The styling was simple and elegant, smooth creamy swirls of icing with just a touch of the strawberry colored cake showing on the edges.  A deep red parchment wrapper to match the pink cake and off white icing.  I've always appreciated it when a chef goes the extra mile with a little detail like color coding the packaging to the food inside.
These cupcakes stuck with me for months.  I constantly had the thought in the back of my mind, if I drive by this shop I will stop in and get a second taste.  However, I've never came across this delicious bakery on my own.  Finally I reached my breaking point and set out on a specific trip to fulfill my carving for these cupcakes.  I learned that I've never found this place on my own because it is in one of Lincoln's more historic areas.  Sweetly nestled inside and old bottle factory covered in lush green Ivy is The Cup.  A bakery / coffee shop / local artist haven / foodie heaven.  My soul was instantly soothed as I stepped out of the muggy Nebraska summer heat into a cool, dimly lit little shop.  The exposed brick walls covered in eccentric prints by local artists, the colored light bulbs that reflected off the high ceilings and most importantly the sweet smell of cake batter and a warm oven.
There were several varieties of goodies for sale in the display case, I skipped over the muffins and cakes and focused solely on my mission, cupcakes.  There were four flavors in the case so I took one of each.  I decided to gift them to my dad as a father's day present, which he was more than pleased to accept.  I did take a vanilla bean strawberry for my own and it did not disappoint.  My memory served me well, these cupcakes are to die for.  Anyone in the Lincoln area looking for a good cup of coffee and a perfectly sized couple bites of deliciousness, The Cup is where you need to be.  Correction, where we need to be.  I would not pass up the opportunity to sample some more flavors from this bakery.

Vanilla Bean with Strawberry Icing

Mocha with Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans

Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Icing

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing and Pecans

The Cup

Simple food, fair trade coffee and tea, organic baking

643 South 25th Street #7, Lincoln Ne

402-475-0494

www.thecuplincoln.com

MONSTER cupcakes!

These cupcakes were supposed to go up in May, as they were apart of my cupcake month.  I made a few different versions of these themed cupcakes for my too-cute-for-words nephews for their birthday parties.  I had planned to do all the photo editing and blog updating over memorial day weekend, however, mother nature had other plans for me.  I ended up spending the long weekend fussing over the wreckage of my car after it hit a deer.  No injuries, thank goodness, the only casualty was my time.

So here we go, MONSTER cupcakes! 

Since these cupcakes were meant for children ages one to five, I didn't bother with fancy flavors.  I made half chocolate and half vanilla to suit the taste buds of my little dinners.  The frosting is a basic butter cream with food coloring added.  I like to use butter cream for this type of decorating because you can pop them in the fridge or for a couple hours before delivering and the frosting will firm up making them a little more durable.

To make the 'furry' texture you need a star shaped pastry tip.  To start build up a bit of frosting in the center.

  Apply a little pressure to get the base started and ease up as you pull away.

Move your pastry bag in different directions to give the fur an unkempt look.

Use whatever candies you desire for spots, eyes, hair, tongues, ect.... M&M's, skittles, air heads and twizzlers are all great candy for these cupcakes.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

Oh my gosh, I have really out done myself this time.  As I am sitting here writing this blog, I am suffering from a tummy ache from stuffing my face with one to many of these cupcakes.  I've always had an obsession with chocolate covered fruit, sign me up for the cheesy chocolate fountains at any major celebratory event.  Or heck, sign me up for one in my kitchen!  What's not to love about chocolate and fruit?  Two of natures sweetest treats mixed together could only mean more sweetness.
When I decided to try this cupcake the image I had in my mind was a cupcake that looked like a chocolate covered strawberry.  I kept it as simple as possible, a strawberry cake with a chocolate topping.  Here's what you need:
1 Box white cake mix (plus ingredients asked for on box: usually water, oil and eggs)
1 pint fresh strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons water
melting chocolates

Clean your berries, remove stems and roughly chop them.  In a bowl mix the chopped berries with the sugar and water.

Let set for 1 hour, then strain and reserve the strawberry juice.

Make the cake according to package directions with the following alterations: 
1. Use your reserved strawberry juice in place of the water.  But make sure you have the correct amount of liquid.  For example if the cake mix calls for 1 cup water and you only have 3/4 cups juice, use the juice and supplement in 1/4 cup water.  Or if the mix calls for 1 cup water and you have a 1 1/2 cups juice, only use 1 cup.
2. Gently fold in your chopped strawberries right before baking.

Prepare cupcake pans according to box directions (with cooking spray or liners) and bake as directed.  When they are finished baking, remove them from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.

 
Now, on to your melting chocolates.  The topping can be accomplished one of two ways, If you found melting chocolates at your local store you can melt them in a double boiler (a stainless steel bowl over a simmering pot of water) be careful to not allow any water to come in contact with the chocolate.  Or you can search out a microwavable version of dipping chocolate.  If this is the route you choose, follow the directions on the package.  

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, dip them in the chocolate.  make a swirl motion as you pull the cake out of the dip to avoid lines or streaks in your topping.  Give the chocolate time to set, then enjoy!  If you want a fancier cupcake, you can melt white chocolate as well and drizzle over top. 

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

 So I've recently come to the realization that if I want this blog to be taken seriously, I need to be more serious about it. Which mean spending some serious cash to upgrade my equipment.  This weekend I purchased a new camera. It isn't top of the line, but it is a huge step up from what I have been working with.  I can already tell I want to upgrade further but I will take it one day at a time, learning as I go.  Comments and encouragement are more than welcome as I move along in this journey.

The photos and recipes for today are for Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes.  I love this combination of flavors, the lemon is so refreshing and the blueberries give it a sour twist.  It is much more common to see raspberries paired with lemons to achieve the sweet and tart combination these cupcakes have.  Using blueberries instead of raspberries is a nice twist on tradition.  As a further surprise, I decided to make these stuffed cupcakes.  A beautiful lemon treat packed with a blueberry center.  The basics of this cupcake are a lemon batter, lemon curd and fresh blueberries.

The Lemon cake recipe is a modified version of one of Martha Stewards recipes.  This recipe will make 12 cupcakes.  Preheat your oven to 350, line your cupcake pan with parchment liners and spray the liners with pan spray.  (It will make removing them easier and cleaner)

For the lemon cake base you will need:

1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup and 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

keep the sugars separate, they will be used at different times

1/2 cup skim milk

1/3 cup oil (canola or vegetable)

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons, plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Finely grated zest of 1 small orange 

4 large egg whites, room temperature

Mix together your flour, salt and baking powder, set aside. 

In a separate bowl mix together your first sugar, milk, oil, vanilla, zests and lemon juice.

In a electric mixer whip you egg whites until they begin to foam (medium speed works well for this). Slowly add your second sugar a tablespoon at a time at a high speed until you get silky smooth stiff peaks.

Now its time to mix together all the bowls you set aside. Use your milk mixture as your base, and starting with your flour mixture add the flour and eggs in three stages. Make sure your ingredients are fully mixed before adding the next, but be careful! The key here is to gently fold in your egg whites. You don't want to knock out all that air you just beat into them.
These cupcakes will bake for 8 to 10 minutes, be sure to rotate half way through baking. When a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, they are done. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack.
I tried two different recipes for the lemon curd filling and decided on the butter based version. It is not as healthy for you, but you cant beat the creamy texture. I got my butter based lemon curd recipe from The Joy of Baking, here is the recipe.
3 large eggs
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (do not use the bottled kind)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces at room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon zest
In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar and lemon juice until blended. Cook, stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes thick (like sour cream). This will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a clean bowl. Add the butter one piece at a time, whisking while it melts. Add the lemon zest. Cover with plastic wrap, firm against the curd, not the edge of the bowl and refrigerate until completely cool.

Once your curd is cool, you can add your blueberries.  Lightly crush them but rolling a rolling pin over them on a hard surface.  Fold them into the lemon curd. 

Next, with a melon baller, remove the bottom of each cupcake.  Set aside the initial cake bottom, then very carefully hollow out the inside of your cupcake.  The insides are great for snacking on after you've finished assembling these.  

 With a pastry bag or small spoon, fill the insides of each hollowed out cupcake with the lemon curd blueberry mix.  Leave a little extra space to seal up with the cake piece you set aside.  

Serve with a light dusting of powdered sugar and fresh blueberries!  

Cute as Bugs

I saw these adorable little buggies on the cover of a magazine in the grocery story.  I thought they would be perfect for a spring photo shoot.  They were so much fun to make, just think of all the possibilities.  The magazine cover I saw was defiantly for spring, all pastel colors.  I wanted some of my bugs to have a bit more punch, hence the bright red lady bugs.  The butterflies didn't turn out as well as I had hope for, but still a cute little treat.  I definitely had all my 'mommy' friends in mind this day, what a fun way to spend the afternoon with your kids.   

Bake any flavor of cupcake you like and allow them cool.  With a serrated knife cut off the tops of each cupcake.  Cut the tops in half.  With a smooth icing (like a butter cream), ice the top of your cake and use the frosting to attach the wings.  For a bug, attach the flat side down with one tip of each wing connected and a the other tips about 1/2 inch apart.  For a butterfly, attach the wings curved side down, connected in the middle.  Ice your wings as you see fit.  If you're in a hurry use the same color that you started with.  If you've got some time, play around with complementary colors (purple and green, blue and yellow, ect...)  With a steady hand, a pastry bag and some tips you can add all sorts of details.  If you're not a crafty decorator, stick with sprinkles, sparkles and candies. 

These were so much fun to make, I must say I've been bitten by the baking bug.  I'm feeling very cupcake inspired so stay tuned for more fun decorating tips and yummy recipes.

Sabayon

Have you ever seen that show 'The Best Thing I Ever Ate"?  It's a food network special where they ask famous chefs and T.V. personalities about their favorite dish of all time.  Now, I don't by any means consider myself to be in the ranks with the members of that show but I do have an all time favorite, favorite, favorite thing I have ever eaten.  And now I'm sharing it with you. 

SABAYON....mmmmm, even the name for it is delicious.  Simple, sweet and smooth, the flavor is one of a kind.  The creamy texture coats the inside of your mouth and mixes with a burst of fresh fruit flavor, the minty finish is a refreshing ending to every bite.  This dessert will quickly climb to the top of your cravings list.   

And here's the best part, you can probably find all the ingredients in your kitchen right now. 

4oz egg yolks
8oz sugar
8oz dry white wine or champagne

Over a hot bain marie (double boiler) whisk all ingredients in a stainless steel bowl until pale and at the ribbon stage.  (when you pull the whisk out, the batter that falls will momentary stand on the batter in the pot, creating the illusion of a ribbon)  Remove from heat and chill slightly. 

Pour over fresh berries (any combination) and top with fresh mint. 

That's it.  Two simple steps to a taste of heaven.  Enjoy! 

***photos courtesy of the world wide web

Chocolate Truffles

This was one of the first desserts I learned to make on my own.  I taught myself this timeless treat prior to culinary school.  I used to spoil my coworkers with them.  Unbelievable rich, yet I never had trouble getting rid of them. 

For the inside of the truffle you start with a hard ganache

4lbs dark chocolate, finely chopped
32 fl oz heavy cream

Place chocolate in a stainless steel bowl.  On the stove bring the cream to just a simmer (careful not to boil or scald).  Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, allow to stand for 1 min and then stir until the chocolate and cream are one smooth mixture.  Chill for at least 2 hours.

Once chilled use a small ice cream scoop or melon baller to carve out bite size rounds.  Place on a parchment lined sheet pan and refrigerate until firm again (10 mins).  Remove from the fridge and smooth with fingertips (use gloves if you don't want a huge mess).  Refrigerate one more time until firm. 

final touches.....

the easiest finishes are fine toppings you can roll the truffles in.  Coco powder, powdered sugar, chopped nuts....

your next option is a Tempered Chocolate Shell.  My personal favorite way to finish these treats. 

2lbs dark or milk chocolate

Chop into large piece, place 3/4's of your chocolate in a double boiler (pot of boiling water with a stainless steel bowl on top).  No moisture should come in contact with the chocolate.  Heat until between the temps of 105-110.  Remove from heat but keep the heat source on.  One at a time add the large remaining chunks of chocolate to the melted bowl stir until the seed melts, do not let the temperature drop below 87 or you will need to reheat and start over.  This is why you keep your heat source on, if the temp starts to drop you can warm it back up for a few seconds.  The tempered chocolate will evenly coat the back of a spoon and harden into a shiny shell. 

If your going to use the tempered shell you need to let your truffles come to room temperature, or they will crack before they are finished.  Using gloves place a small amount of chocolate in your palm then roll a truffle in it until it has a thin even coat.  place on a parchment lined sheet pan to set.  These are sooo pretty when finished. 

If you want to go one step further you can melt white chocolate and drizzle it over the shinny shells. 

If you are serving these to a party, cover a couple strawberries with the chocolate as well for a sweet presentation. 

****more variations******
roll a cordial cherry, strawberry piece, blueberry or soft carmel candy into the center of your hard ganache before adding the candy shell. 

If coco dusting mix one teaspoon chili powered, two tablespoons coco powder for a sweet and spicy treat

strawberry trifle

Whenever I think of trifles I remember the episode of Friends where Jenifer Aniston's character, Rachel, tries to make a holiday dessert. The pages of her cook book got stuck together and she ended up mixing fruit, whipped cream, beef and onions. Not wanting to hurt her feelings her friends devoured the disgusting mixture. What a sign of devoted friends! Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all had friends that were so daring as to eat whipped cream and sauteed beef to spare our feelings? We all know that is unrealistic, so I suggest a dessert that won't be so challenging to their taste buds. In fact this dessert is so delicious it will even make your enemies smile. And with less than ten ingredients it is practically fool proof. Here is what you will need.

1 package jello cheesecake flavored pudding

2 cups cold milk (for pudding)

1 8oz container cool whip

1 bunch of fresh strawberries (frozen sliced berries work just as well)

1 pound cake (found in the freezer section near the pie crust)

Chocolate for dipping (you can melt your own chips or use a pre made container of dipping chocolate)

slice the pound cake 1/4 inch thick

make the pudding according to package directions

once the pudding is set fold in the whipped cream

dip one side of the pound cake in the chocolate and layer it chocolate side down in your dish of choice. A glass dish makes for an amazing presentation.

pour a layer of pudding over the cake.

Then top the pudding with a layer of sliced strawberries.

repeat the layers until all your ingredients are gone.

let set overnight before serving. It is very important to follow the layers in this order. As the dish sets overnight the pudding mixture will soak into the cake. Make sure the chocolate dipped side of the cake is facing away from the pudding so it does not create a barrier between the pudding and cake.

This recipe is easily adapted to your personal tastes. Try substituting the strawberries with raspberries, blueberries, bananas, peaches or any of fruit or combination of fruits. The pudding flavor is flexible too. Although the cheesecake flavor is my absolute favorite flavor for this dish, check out your local grocery stores selection to see if they carry another flavor you prefer.