Blueberry & Strawberry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting
July 3rd, 2008 - Posted in Cupcakes, Dessert | Leave a comment (0)
I had to come up with something to celebrate the holiday with and for some reason around the 4th of July my mouth waters for every cake I see with whole blueberries and strawberries on top. This cupcake recipe was my answer! I used the Strawberry cupcake recipe from last week and simply reduced the amount of strawberries and added whole blueberries to the batter. Then to make it have all the red, white and blue flair I used whipped cream, whole blueberries and strawberries to top it off. The result is a festive, decadent, delight that we got to share with some friends the other night. Here’s what I did:
Ingredients for Cupcake:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 6 ounces Homemade Applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- About 15 medium sized Stahlbush Island Farm’s Frozen Strawberries (thawed slightly) cut into quarters
- 5 oz whole, fresh or Stahlbush Island Farm frozen blueberries (thawed slightly)
Ingredients for Whipped Cream Frosting:
- 8 to 10 fluid oz Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar (more or less to your sweet toothe’s taste)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions for Cupcake:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Beat sugar and butter together until fluffy
- Add your egg and applesauce and mix thoroughly
- Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl then add to your wet ingredients
- Fold in strawberries and blueberries
- Place in lined cupcake baking tins (I made about 14)
- Bake for 20 minutes or so, until toothpick comes out clean
Directions for Real Whipped Cream Frosting:
- Mix whipping cream, sugar and vanilla in a mixer
- Beat until extra thick (but definitely stop before you make butter)
Put it all together by spreading real whipped cream on each cupcake. Top with a whole strawberry and a bunch of whole thawed blueberries.
Steamed Homemade Hot Chocolate with Real Whipped Cream
June 20th, 2008 - Posted in Dessert, Drink | Leave a comment (0)
Heavenly! Pretty much sums up this delicious cup up of rich, chocolatey goodness. I have to admit, I am a coffee snob. I like my coffee so I go to a lot of good coffee shops. When I first saw someone order a hot chocolate at my favorite coffee shop downtown I was amazed to see them steam the milk and use REAL chocolate sauce. To top it all off they put fresh whipped cream on top — something we didn’t have very often growing up. I suppose it’s this attention to quality and freshness that makes Red Horse my favorite to begin with. The point is, their hot chocolate amazed me! I started noticing other coffee shops made it like that too and they were delicious! Some still use the powder and water method which usually tastes either too watered down, not rich enough or slightly like tin.
Last night I felt the urge to have one of these hot chocolates. Luckily Rachel bought me (us) an espresso machine for Christmas last year so I had everything I needed. Most importantly, I had the steamer! I made a cup for Rachel and I and we were truly in Heaven on Earth! Here’s what I did:
Ingredients (per cup):
- 8 0z milk
- 2-3 tablespoons chocolate syrup (like Hershey’s)
- Fresh whipped cream (heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract)
- Dash of cinnamon
Directions:
- Make the whipped cream (basically whisk heavy whipping cream with small amount of powdered sugar and vanilla extract in your mixer)
- Prepare your steamer or espresso maker for steam
- Steam milk and chocolate syrup together until the mixture reaches about 180 degrees Fahrenheit. The mixture will about double in size with all the foam it creates so make sure to have a container big enough or do it in 8-oz batches like I did.
- Pour the milk and chocolate mixture into your mug
- Top with whipped cream
- Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and serve immediately.
For a holiday flare you can serve it with a candy cane, or anytime you can serve it with a chocolate stick (just like every drink at Red Horse!! YUM!)
Strawberry Chiffon Shortcake
June 12th, 2008 - Posted in Cake, Dessert | Leave/read a comment (3)
Rachel has an obsession with this food blog, so naturally she always wants to try out recipes. I don’t blame her, the photos and ideas look so perfect. So my sister-in-law had her 21st birthday a few days ago so Rachel set out to make her the strawberry chiffon shortcake from the blog for her. I love strawberries and whipped cream (who doesn’t?) so I was sold on this cake the instant I saw the photo. When she finished it last night we sliced into the tall, beautiful, 3-layer treat and enjoyed it with the birthday girl. The cake was light and fluffy and the lemon zest did indeed offset the missing flavor of butter (as is suggested in the blog). The whipped cream and fresh strawberries added to the flavor and texture to create a delicate and delicious cake. We decided the only think we’d do different is put whipped cream around the sides next time.
I can’t wait until tonight when we get to eat another piece (leftovers!). I don’t think I’ll post the directions here because Smitten Kitchen’s are so complete (and Rachel doesn’t change recipes like I do), so check out our photos and then make it for yourself by clicking the link above.
I hope you enjoy it!
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Ginger-Infused Whipped Cream Frosting
October 14th, 2007 - Posted in Cupcakes, Dessert | Leave/read a comment (9)
Have I got your attention now? My mouth has FULL attention on these cupcakes! These cupcakes are so moist and melt-in-your-mouth! And the frosting, it’s the best frosting I’ve ever made (which I guess isn’t saying that much) but it’s up there on the best I’ve tasted list.
The pumpkin and spices in the cupcake blend so well with the ginger-infused whipped cream. You probably wouldn’t believe that this whipped cream frosting is good, and to be honest, by itself it’s pretty bad. My wife’s face did a 360 when she licked the spoon. I told her, “You have to try it WITH the cupcakes!” Here’s how it should be done:
The Frosting
A year ago I read an article in the Oregonian about flavor-infused whipped cream. I just tucked it away in my memory banks for a rainy day. Today was that day. I whipped out the recipe and got to work. The article/recipe lists a bunch of different flavors you can use, which makes this fun! I decided that the ginger would go really well with the pumpkin and other spices.
I boiled the cream and added the flavorings. I cut up a few thin slices of ginger and also threw in two cinnamon sticks for good measure. Next I let it steep for 45 minutes. Then, because I didn’t have enough time, I put the cream on an ice bath and put it in the refrigerator while I worked on the cupcakes. This REALLY cut down the cooling time called for in the recipe so if you’re in a hurry, it’ll do!
The Cupcakes
(Recipe adapted from here, here and Better Homes and Garden’s 2005 Cook Book Spice Cake Recipe)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 & 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup whole milk (I used whipping cream + skim to make whole)
- 1 - 15 oz can pumpkin (I used Stahlbush Island Farm “Farmer’s Market” brand Organic Pumpkin)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger together and mix in a bowl
- Beat the butter until “fluffy”
- Add the sugar and mix
- Add half of the dry mixture, then half the milk, repeat while mixing
- Mix in the pumpkin, stirring the sides with a spatula (if you are using an electric mixer).
Now fill about 24 cupcake tins (lined — and I did 12 at a time twice) half-way and bake for about 15 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).
Back to the frosting…
Now take the completely cooled flavor-infused whipping cream out of the fridge and place it in a clean mixer. Add about 4 oz of cream cheese and 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar per cup of whipping cream. Whip the cream until it is fairly thick, so that you can ice the cupcakes with it. Now you’re ready to put it all together.
The finale!
I had a lot of fun with this part. I handed my wife the camera and got to icing. I had to hand-make a piping/icing bag, for the first time ever. I made it way too short and got icing all over my hands, it was really fun though!
Take a cupcake, fill an icing bag and have fun. That’s my advice. I even made a little R + K in the cupcakes for my wife (I gotta keep her happy)!
I hope you enjoy it!
