New Website & Branding

Hey all!

No baking this time! Just wanted to invite you to check out my new website and branding.

www.kathleensconfections.com

Thank you to everyone who piped up and gave me their two cents; it is always appreciated! I have been contemplating the rebranding for quite sometime, and have been ridiculously inspired to go with a more nostalgic feel since some of my favorite flavors pay homage to an earlier era (see Orange Creamsicle & Soda Pop). And I've been over-watching some really classic TV shows lately, so I guess it's just on the brain (examples: Star Trek TOS, Bewitched & Get Smart). I love the funky designs and cool color schemes they played with back then, as well as space inspired imagery. It was an exciting time for "progress", and I ironically am looking back to it for the my own future. I guess for what's its worth, I also find that I am compelled to bake things that could be considered glorified bake sale items (have you tried my brownies???), so hailing back to the days of domestication seems appropriate.

As far as design, I wanted to keep things simple and straightforward. If you follow this blog, you know that I bake way more than what appears on the menu, and I'm always ready for a baking challenge if you throw one my way, but sometimes decisions are easier made when you aren't confronted with 1000 options (hello In-and-Out. Yes, I just compared my blog to the secret menu. I guess I'd better dream up an "animal style" cupcake now).

Also, I liked the idea that everything could be on one page, which is why I (with help) figured out how to get the thumbnail images, when hovered over, to pop up with their corresponding flavor. I am inspired to see what else javascript can do for me. Ideas include an order "form" page, instead of the mailto option that comes up when you click "place an order."

So, stay tuned for what's coming. I am excited to roll out the packaging and printed matter that accompanies this new branding - the holidays are already on my mind!

S'more Cupcakes

As the summer season begins to wane, I begin to feel nostalgic about those last few days we used to have before school would start; trying desperately to hold on to the freedom and adventure we so foolishly took for granted in early July.

As an adult, the sense of panic doesn't get much better. I question whether or not I really appreciated all that the summer had to offer: did I enjoy the warm weather enough, the late daylight saving's evenings, or the fresh ingredients of the season, etc. And as much as I adore and eagerly look forward to what Autumn has to offer, I find I'm still scrambling to hold on to all the good things about summer before it's all washed away in the sea of Halloween Costume stores.

So, to keep it alive with just one more recipe, I fall back on family tradition: camping. And what makes camping really camping? Roasting s'mores over an open fire, of course.

I have over the past couple years been on a fairly epic quest to perfect a s'more cupcake recipe. Sadly, I don't think I'm 100% there, but this latest version does have a very appealing look about it. AND I got to use my little kitchen torch, which is always fun.

To start, I attempted to combine a vanilla cupcake recipe with a graham cracker twist:

Graham Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350˚

Line approximately 20 cupcake tins.

• 2 C Flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 C butter
• 1 C brown sugar
• 2 tbs honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 C buttermilk

Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. In electric mixer, blend butter, sugar and honey until creamy, scraping down sides occasionally. Add honey and one egg at at time until incorporated. Beginning and ending with flour mixture, add flour and buttermilk alternately. Fill cupcake tins. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool.

Then dip each cup

cake top into

Chocolate ganache:

• 8 oz chopped chocolate (I used semi-sweet) or chocolate chips
• 4 oz heated cream (warm but not boiling)

Pour warmed cream over chocolate and let sit 1-2 minutes, then whisk together until smooth. I occasionally have to stick the mixture in the microwave for 10 second intervals until all the chocolate is melted. Be careful not to overheat, as it will begin separate. Bad.

Once your cupcakes have a healthy topping of chocolate, then comes the marshmallow! With a stand mixer, making marshmallows from scratch is a cinch, albeit messy. Luckily, I was able to get the freshly made marshmallow cream to my piping bag without much hassle, and it piped onto the tops of the cupcakes perfectly.

Marshmallow "Frosting":

• 3 envelopes (1/4 oz) unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

In bowl of a stand mixer sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold cold water, and let stand to soften (about 5 minutes are needed).

In a heavy sauce pan cook sugar, corn syrup, 1/2 cup water, and salt over low heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. When it begins to boil, stop stirring. Boil until candy thermometer reaches 240°F. Pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.

Beat mixture on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, approximately 6-8 minutes.

In a separate bowl beat egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Beat whites and vanilla into sugar mixture until just combined.

Gently spoon this mixture into a large piping bag and start topping the cupcakes.

(To be honest, I think I only made half the recipe for this many cupcakes, but there's never any problem with too much marshmallow mix. See my marshmallow recipe for instructions on how to deal with the "leftover" if necessary. )

After cupcakes are topped, let them refrigerate for an hour or so until the marshmallow is set. It'll still be pretty sticky no matter how long you leave them for, so in the interest of not drying out your cupcakes, I recommend not leaving them in there too long.

Now it's time for the torch. Be careful, have supervision, all those disclaimers, etc, etc, and try not to overly scorch the cupcakes. Or, I guess it really just depends on how you like your marshmallow. I was going for looks, so didn't let it get too burnt or mushy.

As I was saying earlier, I don't think I'm quite there yet. The graham cracker cupcake wasn't bad, but it didn't quite fulfill the role of graham cracker, likely because there was no crunch, but was also a little dry. As well, many people thought it needed a higher chocolate to cupcake/marshmallow ratio. No complaints on the marshmallow, as far as flavor, but I did find that in some instances, the marshmallow was not completely adhered to it's ganache partner, which was noticed mainly when you took a bite of the cupcake, and the marshmallow stuck to your lip, popping right off the cupcake.

So, there is more work to be done, but all in all, I'm moving in the right direction.

With that, I will say adieu to the summer of 2010, and with a clear conscience, I can eagerly move forward into the brimming and wondrous season of Autumn.

Zucchini Cupcakes

For me, summer is incomplete without home grown zucchini. Growing up, it was the dinner-time staple. Sadly, my mother wasn't aware of the many delicious ways that zucchini could be prepared, so too many of those summer dinners had a side helping of boiled and wilted zucchini. Luckily, zucchini had one saving grace, and that was in her amazing zucchini bread.

I have adapted the recipe I got from her slightly by adding some vanilla, omitting nuts, and turning it into a cupcake.

Preheat oven to 350˚. Line cupcake tins with wrappers. Makes approximately 24.

Mix wet ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini

Whisk together dry ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix dry ingredients into wet and fill cupcake tins. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool completely and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Beat together until smooth:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter

Gradually add:

• 3 cups powdered sugar

and then:

• 1 tsp vanilla

Iron Cupcake SF Contest

So it was a huge success. My friend, and fellow baker, Carol has been forwarding me Iron Cupcake emails for a couple months now and we just haven't quite made it. But when she sent me the email saying this month's ingredient was "alcohol," I decided to clear the calendar, and made a batch of my Margarita cupcakes.

And lo and behold, everyone loved them - I won first place! Rumor was, these events don't usually go over 30 people, but this time there was an influx of contestants and taste-testers, which caused the hosts of the event Leland Tea Company to rent a space nearby to accommodate the 24 bakers and over 100 testers. And it was steep competition too! There were some very creative and tasty creations to choose between.

Some highlights were the Absinthe, "the Hangover" a Bloody Mary cupcake with maple bacon mimosa buttercream, coffee candy, and chardonay toasted sea salt (!), "The Dude" which was a White Russian a la Big Lebowski, Violet Beauregarde which was a port and chocolate cupcake with ganache and a Zinfandel soaked blueberry, and of course "Sex on the Beach", which was a very clever decorating experience. Needless to say, I was proud to be in such good company.

Thanks to everyone for being so friendly and welcoming, it was a wonderful experience and am totally jazzed about future competitions! Special thanks to the hosts, the donators of prizes, and my friend Tom who came out to help sway the vote in my favor by at least one more opinion!

Margarita Cupcakes

So, I know Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday that has been blown way out of proportion here in America, but as always, I embrace any holiday that brings with it tasty treats and special foods just for the occasion. Not that you need much of an excuse to enjoy a good margarita.

My cupcake of the month is inspired by the quintessential Mexican beverage. Using a recipe that is a spin off of what I've done with my lemon meringue cupcakes, but I adjusted the filling and toppings a bit to bring out the best of a good margarita. Sadly, it is not best when served on the rocks.

First I made a lime yogurt cupcake, then filled it with a special lime curd that was made with a lot of fresh squeezed lime juice and good Don Julio tequila (thanks Heather for grabbing me a bottle while you were in Mexico!). I was missing the triple sec, but I don't think the flavor failed for it. I then piped the curd into the cupcakes and topped with a buttercream that was flavored only with lime juice. I then rolled the edges of the cupcakes in a special mix of lime zest, coarsely ground sea salt and a little bit of sugar.

I have had the pleasure of showcasing this cupcake at 2 large events and have had nothing but awesome reviews. It is a little more time consuming that your usual cupcake, but the pay off is so sweet. A great balance of zesty, tangy, sweet, and saltiness all in a moist cupcake that pretty much melts in your mouth.

Recipe:

I recommend making the filling a little bit ahead since it will take a couple hours for it to chill completely. You can make it a day ahead. I believe the curd lasts in the fridge for about 2 weeks, but let's not take my word for it. Maybe 1 week max to be safe.

Margarita Curd:
2 egg yolks + 1 whole egg
1/3 cup lime juice and tequila (you can choose what ratio, but I did 1 part tequila: 3 parts lime)
1 tbs lime zest (2-3 limes)
3/4 cup sugar

Whisk eggs and sugar together until creamy. Place over a double boiler and whisk constantly for about 20-25 minutes (tedious, yes, but don't quit too soon or else it will all be runny). The mix should be kind of thick. Add the liquid and zest and mix until pudding consistency, probably another 10-15 minutes. Cool completely with a layer of saran wrap touching the top of the curd so a crust doesn't form.

Lime Yogurt Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated lime zest (2-3 limes)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prep 12-18 cupcake liners in tins.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, and zest. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared tins and bake for about 20 minutes. Cool, and cut out dime sized holes in the tops of each cupcake. An apple corer works pretty well for that; otherwise a melon baller.

While cupcakes cool, make the buttercream frosting:

3/4 cups butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar

Whip on high until either crumbly or they start incorporating into a paste. Add a couple teaspons of lime juice at a time until the consistency gets fluffier.

You can also prep the zest rim by taking about 1/2 - 1 tbs of lime zest and mixing it with coarse sea salt (I dunno, maybe 2 teaspoons worth) and a tablespoon or so of regular sugar.

Then fill the cupcakes with the lime curd. I use a pastry bag, but if you just have a ziplock, go ahead and fill that and cut a small hole in the bottom corner and pipe it that way. You will probably have leftover curd. You can cut the recipe down by 1/3 and probably have enough for this recipe. Or just make more cupcakes. :)

Once the cupcakes are filled, frost with buttercream. This can be a smidgen tricky because any pressure on the filling will make it ooze out in directions you don't want it to. I used my pastry bag for this as well, and just made unpretty swirls on the top, then took my spatula and flattened the frosting. Then I rolled the edges of the cupcakes in the salt rim.

Buen Provecho and happy Cinco de Mayo!

Tropical Carrot Cupcakes

Easter came a bit early this month, but I figured it was ok to accommodate the flavor of the month to it anyway. And who doesn't love carrot cupcakes? Ok, I know one person. She discriminates against vegetables in her desserts, and as much as I love carrot cupcakes and cannot be swayed against them, in a way I can see her point.

But she's missing out on these ones! A nice little variation on the original, this one boasts a variety of tropical flavors. It has pineapple, coconut, macadamia nuts, and ginger, as well as the usual carrot and cinnamon. Topped with a lightly vanilla flavored cream cheese frosting that is loaded up with toasted coconut flakes.

I was inspired by the recipe posted on epicurious but cut out the candied ginger and put a dash of powdered ginger instead. I also did my own cream cheese frosting and just added the toasted coconut on top.

Preheat oven to 350˚. Line cupcake tins with wrappers. Will make approximately 36 cupcakes.
Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl:

• 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
  
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup dry-roasted macadamia nuts, chopped
  
• 1 tsp ginger
  
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Mix wet ingredients together in medium bowl

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups finely grated, peeled carrots
• 16 oz canned crushed pineapple in its own juice (I actually used 20 oz.)
  

Gently stir wet ingredients into dry until incorporated. Spoon into cupcake tins and bake 20 minutes.

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese
2-1/2 - 3 C powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Trying not to make a mess, gently add in powdered sugar. After about 2 cups of sugar, add the vanilla and continue to add more sugar. I find that cream cheese frosting usually holds its own without any other liquid, but if it really seems too stiff, go ahead and add a smidgen of milk to smooth it out. But be careful, as it can get runny all too quickly.

To toast coconut, spread about 1-1/2-2 cups of flaked coconut evenly on a baking sheet. Toast in 5 minute increments on the higher rack of a 300˚ oven. I think 15 minutes total does just the trick, and 20 minutes is pushing too far, so keep an eye on it. At each 5 minutes, mix the coconut around to get the best distribution of browning.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost them. I had the pleasure of making mine look like little birdie baskets with robin's eggs (um, I really just was looking for an excuse to finally buy the robin's eggs, which I'd been eying all season but couldn't bring myself to indulge in). So, if you don't need to make them look seasonal, just sprinkle the coconut generously on top of the frosting.

Enjoy!

Guinness Cupcake

Happy March!

I'm ringing it in on time, with a lovely festive cupcake. Being that I'm about 50% Irish, I do take pride in the heritage, minus the incessant freckles, so am very happy to have found a way to celebrate it in cupcake form.

I did have the pleasure of visiting the lovely Emerald Isle, and on that trip, went on a tour of the famous Guinness Brewing Factory - a worthwhile venture, if you happen to be visiting the area. We got a special lunch of delightful Guinness beef stew and pints of a type of beer they don't export to the states. Not that it was appreciated by everyone.

When I was sent a Guinness cupcake recipe from a friend, I was intrigued. Knowing that the stout has a rather strong, roasted flavor, and seeing the combo of Guinness and chocolate before, I had a feeling the two would compliment each other well. And so they do! This cupcake is rich, very moist, and does have a lingering stout flavor - a truly unique cupcake experience.

I did see quite a few variations on the stout cupcake posted online, but seriously have no qualms with the recipe I used, so recommend it and would use it again in a heart beat.

Ingredients

1 cup Guinness
1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat oven to 350° and line 2 cupcake tins.
Pour the Guinness into a large saucepan and add the sliced butter. Heat until the butter is melted and remove from the heat. Whisk in the cocoa and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla. Add the sour cream mixture to the Guinness mixture in the saucepan. Finally, beat in the flour and baking soda.
Pour the batter into the tins and bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
Frost with vanilla cream cheese frosting (1 stick of room temperature butter whipped with 1 bar (8 oz.) cream cheese, along with 3 cups of powdered sugar and 1-1/2 tsp vanilla).

If you are too skeptical to try the beer-in-cupcake method, but still need a St. Patty's Day option, there's always Irish Cream Cupcakes.