Key Lime Coconut Cupcakes

What to do when snowed in? Bake- of course! I have a long list of things I want to eventually get up on this (crepes, biscotti, etc) but lately it seems to be cupcakes, all day every day. To complement the cold, I made a lil taste of the tropics. The cake recipe is courtesy of the food network; I made my own frosting. The one on food network requited white chocolate which I am not a fan of.

Cake:

3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 heaping teaspoon of grated key lime zest
2 table spoons key lime juice (bottled or squeezed)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/3 cup loosely packed sweetened shredded coconut

Frosting:

4 ounces of cream cheese
2 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter
1 tablespoon condensed milk
2 cups confectioner's sugar
Key lime juice (to taste)
Cut lime to garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 325; line 12-14 cupcake tins.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy- about 5 minutes. Slow the speed and add egg one at a time. Add the vanilla, key lime juice, and zest. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry mix and buttermilk in parts to the cream and butter mixture. Start with dry and end with dry. Mix until juuuust combined. Fold in the coconut shredding.

Fill the tins 2/3's of the way. I filled them entirely and got this mushroom effect on some of them. This is fine, but makes it harder to get out of the tin. Bake for 25 minutes.

For the frosting, cream the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter, condensed milk, and confectioner's sugar. Add lime juice to taste!

These cupcakes were a big hit. Honestly, I don't think they tasted like "key lime pie" but I did not use key limes; I used regular, fresh squeezed limes. Key limes are smaller and more expensive; I did not see any at my grocery store. Key limes have a more orangey-lime taste so if you make a key lime pie- you MUST use key limes. For a cupcake though, a regular lime was sufficient. The cupcakes were light, moist, a smidgen of tart, and refreshing.

Vanilla Cupcake

Per request, I made some vanilla cupcakes with good ol fashioned chocolate frosting. Back to basics, you cannot go wrong- or can you? I found the cake recipe in same cookbook as the Cookies-n-Cream cupcakes from earlier this month (the ones with the Oreos).

Cake:

4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup of butter (2 sticks)

Frosting:

1 stick of butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons soy milk or regular milk
1/3 cup unsweetened, dark cocoa
1 tablespoon nutella

Preheat oven to 350 and line 18 cupcakes pans.

Beat eggs until fluffy. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and bake for 20 minutes.

For the frosting, beat butter till smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients until fluffy.

I have to say, I was not impressed with the cupcake. It's a little dry and a touch crumbly. This was the same impression I got from the Cookies-n-Cream but I thought that was because of the cookies crushed. This is a very easy and basic recipe, but not the best Vanilla cupcake. I made up the frosting. It's smooth and rich, with just a touch of hazelnut.

Banana Cupcakes

Did you know SugaBah's (Sugar Gliders) love bananas? It seemed only appropriate to bake these on a lazy sunday afternoon. It was grey and drizzly outside, so these offered a lil sunshine for the tummy!

Cake:

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 bananas)
4 tablespoons coconut milk (optional)

Frosting:

1 cup (8 ounces) of cream cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
Cinnamon
Sliced banana (optional)

Set the oven to 350 and line 18 cupcakes tins with paper liners.

Mix together the dry ingredients still smooth. Add the bananas and beat with an electric mixer till thick and fluffy. Mix in the coconut milk. Spoon into the cupcake tins.

For the frosting, mix the cream cheese till smooth. Add in the rest of the ingredients; add cinnamon to taste. If you do not care cinnamon, you can omit it all together.

Garnish with a slice of banana! If you dont want the banana to brown, sprinkle a lil lemon juice on top to help preserve it.

Remember to serve away from cats! I brought some to my brother's house and his kitty managed to get the tin foil off the tray. She licked the frosting off three cupcakes. These cupcakes are kitty approved?

The Navix 1.0

One of my best friends left today to teach in Korea for a year. He's on the plane right now, probably with some mixed feelings. Navix- you're going to have a blast. Relax and remember: it's an adventure! "Ready steady can't hold me back- ready steady goooooooo!!" This cupcake is for you but it's only version one- I couldn't find thin mints in time.

This cupcake is based off a recipe called Devil Food Cake by David Lebovitz but with some modifications. I chose this cake because it would compliment the sweetness of hazelnuts and Nutella.
Cake:

9 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup strong coffee/espresso liqueur/coffee liqueur/ or water
1/2 cup whole or low-fat milk

Spread:
Nutella

Garnish (optional):
Hazelnuts
Confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside. Mix the coffee/liqueur/water and milk together in a bowl. Set aside.

The beauty of this recipe is the versatility on that 1/2 cup of liquid. From what I read, you can use any of the above listed options. I used 1/2 cup of Godiva liqueur because I did not want to use the water and I did not want a coffee flavor (though I love cafe). Don't worry- the alcohol burns out and this expedites the baking time! These are fine for kids.

Mix together sugar and butter in a bowl. Add one egg in at a time until well blended. Using an electric mixer (this needs to be really fluffy), add half of the dry ingredients, mix well, and then add the milk/coffee mixture. Add the other half of the dry ingredients and blend till fluffy.

Pour into lined cupcake tins, about 3/4's full or a little more. Bake for 20 minutes and test. If you used alcohol, it will take less time to bake because the booze evaporates pretty quickly. Do not overcook!

Once they cool, you'll find the top is a lil crispy. This makes cutting off the top very easy. Once you cut off the cupcake top, carve out a tiny circle in the center of the top. Set the top aside.

Take the nutella and put a generous coat on top of the cupcake, with a little more in the center for the hole. Put the cupcake top back on. If you need to, dab a little more nutella in the hole.

Garnish with a whole hazelnut and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cupcake because the cake it self was not super sweet and you simply cannot go wrong with Nutella.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

For Christmas, I received an awesome cupcake recipe book. My goal is to try every recipe. I was down to three contestants for the night and the Cookies and Cream Cupcake won.

Cake:

1 cup superfine sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
4 eggs
10 smashed cookies (I recommend Oreo)

Frosting:

2 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup of unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
10 smashed cookies (garnish optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with metal or paper cupcake wraps. This recipe yields 18 cupcakes.

To smash the cookies, simply place in a Ziploc bag and crush with the back of a spoon. Get creative with it. I made half of this batch with oreos, and the other half with mint oreos.

Mix the cake ingredients together until smooth. Fill cake tins to about 3/4's full. Bake for about 20 minutes.

I beat the eggs whites separately for the fluffy factor and added them last. My friend Enrique's mom is a skilled baker and she once told me to always make sure the eggs are at room temperature as well.
For the frosting, mix ingredients together. Make sure not to over stir or else it will lose some of the thickness. You can either add the smashed cookies to the frosting, or use them as a garnish. Wait for the cupcakes too cool completely, and frost!

The cupcake itself was delightfully interesting. It was fairly moist but the top itself was a little crispier. I feel like I should have done a better job smashing the cookies in the cake batter because there were the occasional big chunk. This is at the discretion of the cook and what they want out of this recipe- big chunks, little bits, a lot of cookie, only a little... These cupcakes were delicious and truly lived up to their name. However, the health freak in me does panic a little at the sight of 2 cups of butter in a recipe.

Cold Season: Ginger Lemon Tea & Carrots

Recently I caught an annoying cough. The thing is- I only cough at the most inopportune times (i.e. discussions with supervisors, trying to fall asleep, middle of the night, trying to hide the cough, etc). Mom #2 got hold of me and enforced the magic of Ginger Lemon Tea. I'm a first generation American, so we tend to do things the old school way.

Water

1 inch of fresh ginger

Some honey
Half a lemon

Slice the ginger (you do not have to peel it, just make sure it's clean). Put some water to boil with the ginger. Once water reaches boil, pour into mug. Add as much as or as little honey as you want (honey is an overall awesome healing food). Then, squeeze in the entire half of the lemon. Drink up up in your favorite mug. Mine is a brown one with hearts on it : )

Another great remedy she recommended is on behalf of Dad#2. He's allergic to a lot of medications so they are generally avoided. It's an oldie but goodie: Brown Sugar & Carrots.

1-2 Carrots, chopped

1/2 a cup of brown sugar

Layer the bottom of some Tupperware with carrots. Sprinkle half the brown sugar on top. Make another layer of carrots and sprinkle the rest of the brown sugar. Place in the fridge for 2-4 hours. You'll find that the carrots of shrunk and brown sugar has pulled out the juices. Poor the formed liquid into a cup and drink. Don't question the physics- just listening to wisdom.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupy-Cakes

Happy Birthday Gerard! This one was by request of a friend in the office. I got the recipe from Food & Wine. Honestly, strawberry shortcake is not my thing. I'll admit though, this is a tastey cupcake and the flavor is on point. The cake reminds me of a lighter poundcake and the frosting is pretty clever. If you're a strawberry shortcake fan, you will like this.

Cake:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

Frosting:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
Strawberry jam
Strawberries for decoration (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the cornstarch, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the sugar with the eggs and vanilla extract at medium-high speed until smooth and thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the butter and oil and beat until incorporated, scraping the bottom and side of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients and milk in 3 alternating batches, beating well between additions. Pour the batter into the lined muffin tins, filling them about two-thirds full.

Bake the cupcakes in the center of the oven for 20 to 23 minutes, until springy.

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter at medium speed until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt and beat the mixture at low speed just until combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until smooth. Add the milk or heavy cream and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Mix the frosting with strawberry jam to taste. This is the fun part because you determine how much of a strawberry flavor you want. Just dont add too much jam or the frosting will lose some of its fluff. Spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes and serve.

To increase the taste of the strawberry, I spread a little bit of the strawberry jam on top of the cupcakes before I frosted them.

Monte Cristo

The French got a few things right, food and kissing being two of them. I studied French for 6 years and was always excited when we had a cultural event-- which translated in my head as food and music! Here's one of the sandwiches I remember having to practice ordering. It's a great brunch sandwich after a night of mayhem. It's not the healthiest, but it's pretty tasty. I strongly recommend Helen's in Richmond (near Carytown) for some amazing French based brunch.

Monte Cristo

1/2 cup of milk, plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 an egg (mix an egg and use half)

6 slices thin white sandwich bread, crust removed
1/6 pound sliced turkey
1/6 pound sliced smoked ham
4 slices Swiss cheese
Dijon Mustard

Butter for the pan
Berry jam (your choice)
Confectioner's sugar, traditionally

Whisk together the batter ingredients and place in shallow bowl. Set aside. Place a slice of bread on a clean surface and spread a thin layer of mustard. Layer with a slice of Swiss and a few sliced of turkey. Top with another slice of bread. Spread another layer of mustard and top with a few slices of ham and a slice of Swiss. Top with one more slice of bread.

Melt butter in the skillet (don't be shy- even tho i generally dislike butter). Dip each side of the sandwich in the batter- make you let it drizzle on the side too. Cook in the skillet till a golden brown and flip carefully using tongs. Cover the skillet if needed to disperse heat. Use the tongs to hold the sandwich vertically and cook the sides as well.

I found it helped to actually dip one side of the bread and let it brown slowly, then add the other layers of the sandwich while it was cooking in the skillet. This made the process less messy with the batter dripping. I coated the top of the sandwich while it was in the actual skillet so the batter could freely drip down the sides of the sandwich.

Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar (optional) and serve with jam to dip. Grab yourself a nice mimosa, put your feet up, and share stories with a good friend.

Vietnamese Coconut Waffles

Years ago, someone said to me, "you know it's good breakfast food when you don't need syrup." These waffles are soft, sweet, dreamy, and require no syrup. I fell in love with them a few months ago thanks to Phannarith. This is no Eggo waffle!

Dry:

1 cup flour
7 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Wet:

1 egg white
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or the entire can, depending on how strong you want the flavor)
2 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter
Coconut shavings optional
... and if you're feeling crazy, half a smashed banana or a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder can add a lil more dynamic.

If the butter is salted, do not add the pinch of salt. Also, I highly recommend the brand "Chaokoh" for the coconut milk; it's thicker. I tried the Goya brand once and it did not taste right. If you use sweetened coconut milk- make sure you cut back on the sugar by about 3 tablespoons and sub with flour.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

Divide the egg and in a separate bowl, beat the egg white till a fluffy peak appears; this allows air to get in and ensures your waffle is like a cloud.

Mix all the other wet ingredients together, including the egg yolk, and then combine with the dry. Gently fold in the egg white. You can also add some shredded coconut to add a little texture. Make sure not to over mix or you'll hurt the fluffy factor.

And voila! Quick, easy, and addictive.

These are an adaptation from Vietnamese World Kitchen .

The Go-To Chocolate Cupcake

Tonight's experiment is The Go-To Chocolate Cupcake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream from the blog Love and Olive Oil. I got excited the second I saw the word "coconut" in the ingredient list. The title made me think of my friend Flynn and I had to smile. One night out in Rosslyn, he got a lil tipsy and desperately wanted to get some pizza. He knew just the place and kept saying over and over again "It's the go-to spot!" Oh Flynn...

You can't go wrong with a good ol fashioned chocolate cupcake. I love the coconut milk and almond mead, it gives a professional taste.

This amazing frosting job is done pre-frosting tips! Don't let it fool you, this frosting has great texture.

Cake:

1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons almond meal
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
2-3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons soy creamer or heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper liners. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Whisk together the coconut milk, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract until incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, almond meal, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in coconut milk mixture. Stir until just smooth (do not overmix).

Sometimes recipes throw you a curve ball so you're wandering around the grocery store like you lost your damn mind- this one was "almond mead." As usual, a lil improv was needed. Almond mead is simply ground almonds it turns out so I smashed some almonds into a fairly fine powder. Ghetto yes- efficient, heck yah.

Pour into liners, filling each with 3 tablespoons of batter (cups should be no more than 2/3 full). Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

For frosting, cream butter until smooth and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and beat until combined. Mix in vanilla and cream. Continue adding sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition (depending on the temperature of your butter, you may need more or less sugar/cream to achieve the proper consistency). Continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.

If you do not have the soy/heavy cream, try to substitue with something thick like buttermilk or simply use less of reguarly creamer. The consistency depends on how much you put in.

These came out delicious! This has been added to my favorite's list!