Easter Cupcakes

If you give a nine-year-old, six-year-old, and four-year-old a lot of pretty sprinkles and a lot of very tasty frosting, after letting them help make the frosting and therefore taste the frosting (a lot of it), you might have a good time. I did. I love my nieces.

Easter Cupcakes

This part I made aforehand, so that we, as a group, didn’t have to wait around while the cupcakes baked. We started with the fun stuff. So, here’s the “aforehand” stuff for you.

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Inspired by: Smitten Kitchen

2 c + 2 T cake flour
2 c whole white wheat flour
2 t baking powder
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt, small grained
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 c sugar (I used demerara sugar and pulsed it in a spice grinder until finely grained.)
2 t vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
4 eggs, large, at room temperature
2 c buttermilk (which I didn’t have, so I used milk + lemon juice. Because I used too much lemon juice, these cupcakes tasted a little bit like lemon, but not in a bad way.)

Preheat oven to 35o degrees F.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.

In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add vanilla.

Add eggs one at a time. Beat until incorporated.

Add buttermilk or milk mixture. Mix. Incorporate.

Then, add the flour mixture.

There it is. The flour mixture. Now, add it in three batches to the batter. Mixing after each addition. Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake cups.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then, transfer to a cooling rack.

Use your favorite frosting recipe. Go to town. Have at it.

Why, yes, I did put plastic wrap on the counter to ease in clean-up. What’s that? Applause? Applause for brilliance? Oh, thanks. Thanks.

We washed our hands a bunch of times.

A lot of sprinkles were used in the making of these Easter Cupcakes.

Tada.

French Silk Pie

I made this on Pi Day. Do you know about this holiday? 3.14. Pi. Get it? I hope your March 14th was delightful. And Pie-full. If not, there is always next year.

Some forewarning: 1) This pie is delicious. I mean it. So good. Oh, my lordy. Amazing. You’ll love it. You’ll wonder when you’ll have another excuse to make it. You’ll figure it out. I promise. Because tomorrow seems like a pretty good excuse to me. 2) This recipe requires a lot of beating. A lot. Your electric mixer will be tired.

But, oh, the good. The good that will come!!

French Silk Pie
Inspired by The Pioneer Woman

4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
1 c butter, softened
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 c sugar
2 t vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 Pie Crust

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a microwave-safe dish. Set aside to use.

Now begins the beating process. Beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. This will take a few minutes.

 Pour in cooled chocolate, and add the vanilla. This is the second stint of mixing. Mix until incorporated.

Add each egg one at a time. After each addition, beat five minutes.

Keep going.

Pour well-mixed filling into baked pie shell. Smooth top.

Refrigerate for at least two hours. Truth be told, over night is even better.

To make the whipped cream topping:

Take whipping cream and powdered sugar. Mix on high for a couple of minutes. Add a touch of vanilla. Mix until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until you’re ready to top each slice.

Add chocolate curls.

Take a bite.

Take another. And pretty soon,

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

The snow!!! The majestic snow. The world is icy and bright and fluffy. There was no work and no driving, which made a perfect day for cupcake creating. Today, I made snow day cupcakes. I must say, these are the best cupcakes I have ever made ever. They were perfect.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting
Inspired by Amy Wisniewski

1 c A-P flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t fine salt
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 T vanilla bean paste, or the insides of 1 vanilla bean
1 large egg white, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
6 T lowfat vanilla drinkable yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the rack in the middle position.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In order to bring the butter to room temperature, you can put it in the microwave for nine seconds.

Beat on medium-high speed until light for about 3 minutes. Add sugar; beat until combined….

…and vanilla bean paste. Oh, the good stuff.

Beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the egg white. Mix until combined.

Add the egg and mix well.

Add the drinkable yogurt in three installments. Mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Mix until combined. Scrape down the sides.

Put the beater on low. Add flour mixture in three installments. Mix well and completely incorporate.

Dollop batter into muffin tin (fill about halfway for each).

 

Bake until a fork or toothpick comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

Salted Caramel Frosting

1/4 c granulated sugar
2 T water
1/4 c heavy cream
1 t vanilla extract
6 T (or 3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 t kosher salt
1 c powdered sugar

In a small saucepan, stir sugar and water together. Boil over medium-high heat.

Cook about 6 minutes until light amber in color. Remove from heat. Slowly add cream and stir with wooden spoon until smooth.

Let the caramel cool for about 25 minutes until it’s cool to the touch. Add vanilla extract. While cooling, mix the rest of the frosting.

Put room temperature butter into mixing bowl with salt.

Beat on medium-high speed when light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar.

Mix on low until completely incorporated.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then add the beautiful, beautiful caramel.

Mix until combined.

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled…

…completely,

(And you can choose how to ensure they are completely cooled. If you have a handy winter wonderland, use that, or just let time do its trick.)

…frost them with the oh so magnificent salted caramel delight. When frosting the cupcakes, watch out. That frosting is sneaky.

Sleeve frosting.

But… delicious. So good. So perfect.

**Please note, these were baked in the new house. I was so excited about these. SO excited that I posted these before the first official recipe in the new house. Please forgive me. But enjoy this. And try to understand how perfect these are:: A cake that can stand up on its own and be absolutely, not-too-sweet delicious and is paired with a perfect match. You cannot get better than fluffy icing that’s strong enough for a muffin but made for a cupcake. Ugh. Scratch that last part and just enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Scones

Oh. My god.

Petite Vanilla Bean Scones
Inspired by the Pioneer Woman

3 c A-P flour
2/3 c sugar
5 t baking powder (or 1 T + 2 t)
1/2 t salt
2 sticks of butter, chilled
1 large egg
3/4 c heavy cream
2 whole vanilla beans

Glaze
3 c powdered sugar
1/2 c heavy cream
1/8 c milk
1 whole vanilla bean
dash of sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

Split the vanilla beans, and scrape out the insides. Mix with heavy cream.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Cut cold butter into pats, then use two knives to cut the butter into crumbs.

Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture. Gently fold until combined.

Turn dough onto floured surface and lightly press together until it forms a rough rectangle. Rectangle should be about 1/2 in to 3/4 in thick and will definitely be very crumbly.

Use a knife to trim into a more refined rectangle. Then, cut the rectangle into 12 equal squares. Cut squares diagonally to form two triangles.

Transfer to baking pan. Parchment paper or silpat would be very handy here.

Bake for 19 minutes, removing the oven just before they turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.

For glaze::
Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape out all the insides. Stir the vanilla into the milk/cream mix. Let it sit for a bit. Mix powdered sugar with the vanilla milk (add more powdered sugar or milk to get right consistency). Whisk until completely smooth.

Dunk each scone (one at a time) into the glaze, turning it over to coat all sides. Let set for about an hour before devouring. I mean, before serving or packing up. These can keep several days, if they last that long.