Very Vanilla Cupcakes

I'm not sure why I've been avoiding the basics for so long, but before today I have never made a (from scratch) classic vanilla or classic chocolate cake. How on earth has this happened?! Well, to fix this problem right away, I've made vanilla cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting. I have discovered one of the most amazing secret ingredients known to (wo)man - Vanilla Bean Paste. It's much more intense than vanilla extract, but I was looking for a vanilla cake that would stand out from the norm so I am A-OK with that. I incorporated it into both my cake and the icing but depending on your personal preference, it may not be something you're interested in. I was told by someone whose taste buds I trust whole-heartedly that it tasted like vanilla bean ice cream...that being one of my go-to ice cream flavors, I will pass this recipe on with no hesitation!

Vanilla Cupcakes:

3 C Flour

1 C (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened

2 C Sugar

4 Large Eggs, at room temp

1 C Milk

1 tsp Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two 12 cup muffin tins with cupcake liners. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Mix the milk and vanilla in a small bowl (I just used my measuring cup) and set aside as well.

In a large bowl, on medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk mixture (about 3 parts each). With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Remove the mixer bowl and scrape the sides with a spatula & stir to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool in tins for about 15 minutes, remove and cool completely before icing.

Frosting:

1 C (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened

5-6 C Confectioners' Sugar (I probably used more like 4 or so C)

2 tsp Vanilla

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. In about 3 parts, add the powdered sugar until well blended. You'll need to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times during this process. Mix vanilla into the frosting and ice the cakes!

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Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Buttercream

A recipe that combines anything red velvet, brownies or white chocolate is a friend of mine. Add a Ghirardelli twist and I'm in a state of absolute bliss! Instead of making these in an 8x8 pans, I made individual brownies in a cupcake tin. The edges were crispy but the insides were perfect, so if you're a corner brownie kind of guy/gal I would suggest making (and eating) the smaller servings. You'll notice a lot of my recipes are made for easy sharing and that's because I like to keep things simple for my amazing group of taste-testers at work & home. No dishes to clean up, no long lines to wait in, no messy knife to cut with that someone blindly left in the middle of the cake pan...you know, just easy. However, any recipe listed so far can also easily be made into a standard cake size as well. These red velvet brownies would be fabulous made either way! Oh, and the icing is a definite keeper for ANY cake that white chocolate could work for. Just be sure not to overheat the white chocolate when you're melting it as it will burn quickly.

Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Buttercream

For the brownies:

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 oz red food coloring (yes, a whole bottle)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, slowly stir together the cocoa powder, food coloring, and vanilla into a thick paste until no lumps of cocoa remain. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. With the mixer off, add in the cocoa mixture, then turn the mixer to medium and beat the two mixtures together until they are one uniform color. Mix the flour and salt together and slowly add to the main mix on medium-low speed, just until combined. Do not overmix.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir up the batter with a rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all of the flour has incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl. You’ll want one uniformly colored batter (velvety Red, of course).

Pour the batter into a prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the brownies. Allow brownies to completely cool in the pan on a baking rack before frosting.

For the white chocolate buttercream frosting:

1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 oz good-quality white chocolate (not chips), melted

In a stand mixer, cream butter until soft and fluffy then beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time; allow the sugar to mix in before adding the next 1/2 cup. Once all of the sugar has been added, beat on medium speed for 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the melted white chocolate and beat on medium speed until incorporated.

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A Lil Bit of Everything = Delicious

These are amazingly simple yet so delicious. The part that takes the longest is unwrapping all the Reese's - they should really sell these in bulk and unwrapped. What would really be delicious is to make bite-size versions of these in a mini-muffin tin. They're extremely rich and although I had no problem eating one (or two...), they would be best shared in mini form in my opinion.

Brownie Cookie Surprise

Makes 24 standard cupcake sized goodies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Smoosh one square of break apart refigerated chocolate chip cookie dough into the bottom of each well.

Please Reese cup upside down on top of cookie dough.

Top with a spoonful of (prepared by the box) fudge brownie mix.

Bake for 18 minutes, let cool slightly, then flip out onto a plate to finish cooling.

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White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Sometimes things just don't turn out exactly how we would like them to. Even in those instances, there is always something positive to take away. In this instance, I had a case of screwy-recipe-itis. So, I didn't really like the recipe for these too much as the cake was too dense/sticky, the filling was nixed due to texture issues and I completely re-did the icing recipe. The positive spin I am taking on these is that I thought they turned out kind of pretty and I just can't resist sharing the things I find pretty in life!

Hopefully I'll find a good recipe for these (or create my own) and will post an update, of course.

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Let Them Have Cake (& Time to Eat It, Too)

Here's a quickie recipe if you ever need something light and heavenly but don't have a lot of time for baking. I cheated a little on this one and took the super quick route... I bought one of the angel food cakes from Marsh. But SSHHH, that can be our little secret! I think this took me about 15-20 minutes total to make, which includes prepping the strawberries. The fresh fruit and light cake not only provides a beautiful presentation but also makes this a perfect summer treat.

Angel Lush Cake

1 Can (20 oz.) Crushed Pineapple, in juice, undrained

1 Pkg. (1.5 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Pudding

1 C Thawed COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping

1 Pkg. (10 oz.) round angel food cake, cut horizontally into 3 layers

1 Pkg. fresh strawberries, blueblerries, or any other fresh fruit you deem necessary

Mix pineapple and dry pudding mix in medium bowl with whisk until well blended.

Stir in COOL WHIP.

Stack cake layers on plate, filling layers and topping with pudding mixture.

Refrigerate 1 hour. Top with berries just before serving. (I think we made it about 30 minutes before we had to dig in and it was still good to go!)

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No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake Bites

These little bite-size goodies were delicious! I was going to try something different with the recipe because I wanted to have enough to share at work and make them easy to grab-n-go. So, I used mini-muffin tins and ended up making 40 mini versions, 1 8" cake pan version AND I still had a good portion of filling left over...after nomming on some, of course, because how could I let any of it go to waste? The recipe below has my tweaks added in so please don't ignore my earlier warning, you will have LOTS of the cheesecake mixture to work with so don't be shy.

No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake Bites

Crust:

1 1/2 cup crushed graham cracker

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

7 Tbsp unsalted butter(melted)

1. Combine graham cracker crumbs with sugar.

2. Add melted butter and blend until combined.

3. Press into pan. I measured about 2 Tbsp and used the bottom of a medicine cup to really press the crust into the pan. Set aside.

Cheesecake:

2 1/4 C heavy cream

1 pound cream cheese, softened

2/3 C sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla powder

3/4 cups Oreo Cookies, crushed

1. Beat heavy cream until medium peaks form. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl: add cream cheese, sugar, salt, vanilla powder, lemon juice to a bowl and beat with the whisk attachment until smooth (approximately 3-5 mins). If you do not have a stand mixer or a whisk attachment a hand beater will work as well, but will take twice as long to achieve a smooth consistency (but everyone needs a stand mixer in their life!).

3. Add cream cheese mixture to heavy cream and beat until incorporated.

4. Gently fold in Oreo cookies.

5. Fill chosen pan with a slight mound at the center, as the cheesecake will become slightly sunken at the center.

6. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours to set or overnight for best results.

7. Remove from refrigerator and smooth top to level with edges. Serve with whipping cream and garnish with mini Oreos.

I would also suggest not putting the whipped cream on these little babes until you are ready to serve. Even just a couple of hours in the fridge, the whipped cream on mine started to fall and they just weren't as pretty. We all know this doesn't affect the taste, but it will most definitely affect the appearance.

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"Mountain Dew" Cupcakes

As a Mountain Dew junkie, I can honestly say that these were a little disappointing. As a citrus fan, I would say these were fantastic! The crew at work liked them, but I am probably going to tweak the recipe if I attempt these again. The flavor was excellent (as long as you're a citrus fan) and the consistency was fine, I just feel a little misled with the Mountain Dew Cupcake title.

"Mountain Dew" Cupcakes

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

3/4 cup Mountain Dew

1/4 cup of lemon and lime juice (juice from 1 lemon and 1 lime)

Zest from half of one lemon and 1 whole lime

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat butter on medium for 30 seconds. Add sugar and lemon, lime zest. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, Scrape sides of bowl in between additions

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add to mixer bowl. Turn on low for 5 seconds.

Add the Mountain Dew, lemon/lime juice, and lemon extract . Mix to combine.

Scoop into cupcake papers about two-thirds full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

"Mountain Dew" Buttercream

1 cup butter

4-5 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons Mountain Dew

Juices from half of 1 lemon and half of 1 lime

Zest from half of 1 lemon and 1 whole lime

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Neon green food coloring OR Yellow & Green Sprinkles

Beat butter at medium-high speed until creamy - about 5 minutes. Mix in about half of the powdered sugar.

Add the Mountain Dew, zest, and lemon extract . Beat until combined. Gradually add remaining powdered sugar until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.

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Cookie Dough Truffles...YES Please!

I took these in to work today and they were a HIT! One of the best things about this recipe is the fact that it's egg free so you can finally feel guilt free while eating chocolate chip cookie dough. I would love to experiment more with recipes like this. It is a little time consuming and you should make sure you have lots of fridge/freezer room to chill the dough balls, but they are well worth the effort. It's honestly hard to eat just one...or two...or three...

Makes About 4 Dozen Truffles

Ingredients

1/2 C butter

3/4 C brown sugar

1 t vanilla

2 C all-purpose flour

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 C milk chocolate chips

1/4 C rolled oats

For the coating (next time I would make 1.5x for the coating since there wasn't enough left to actually do the drizzle/sea salt bit):

1 C milk chocolate chips

1 Tb vegetable shortening

sea salt

Instructions

Cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla and combine. Add flour and sweetened condensed milk and combine well.

Mix in chocolate chips, toffee bits, and oats using a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.

Scoop teaspoon sized balls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator or freezer for about 15 minutes until firm.

Place chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl and heat on 70% power for about 1 minute to melt. Stir until smooth and glossy.

Remove baking sheet from refrigerator or freezer and dip each ball into the melted chocolate with a spoon. Hold the dipped truffle over the melted chocolate bowl for a few seconds and gently tap on the side of the bowl to allow the excess chocolate to flow back into the bowl. Place the dipped truffle back onto the parchment paper to allow to cool and harden. Repeat until all have been dipped.

Using your fork or a spoon, drizzle little bits of melted chocolate over the top of truffles. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Set aside to allow to thoroughly harden. These can be stored in the freezer up to a month.

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Monday Morning Pick Me Ups

I definitely found a new personal fave this past Monday!  These glorious concoctions are any coffee lover's dream dessert.  If I could eat one (or two) of these in the morning instead of drinking coffee and NOT put on ten pounds a week, there would be no hesitation here.  The cake portion is moist & the icing literally melts in your mouth.  The coffee flavor is definitely present (mostly in the icing) without being overwhelming.  These are absolute heaven to me.  The recipe can be found here - along with other recipes and tips - but I've also included it below for easier reading.  And a special shout out goes to my dad for helping me locate the elusive "espresso powder"...I was searching high and low for some fancy powder, but it turns out it's just instant espresso grounds.   I used the brand shown above and it worked fabulously.  Word from the wise, store the opened container in the freezer if you don't plan on using it often.

Mocha Cupcakes & Espresso Buttercream Frosting

Yield: 12 cupcakes

1-1/3 all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup whole milk
½ cup strong brewed coffee
1½ teaspoons espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature

1. Mix the espresso powder into the brewed coffee until dissolved; set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard-size muffin tin with paper liners.

3. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

4. Beat the butter and both sugars together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined. In a measuring cup, combine the milk, brewed coffee mixture and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with the coffee mixture, ending with the flour mixture.

5. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 liners. Baking for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting cupcakes.

Frosting (makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes):

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons espresso powder

1. Mix the espresso powder into the vanilla until dissolved; set aside.

2. Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar a little at a time, waiting until it is mostly incorporated before adding more. Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, scrape the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to medium-high and whip until fluffy, about a minute or two. Add the espresso and vanilla mixture and continue to mix at medium-high until it is completely incorporated, scraping the sides as necessary.

*Personal tip - serve these chilled.  I stored them in the fridge overnight and they softened a little on my way into work (which was over an hour that AM so these were a much deserved treat!).  The slightly chilled temperature was a perfect finishing touch.  :)

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Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

In true Irish spirit for St. Patrick's Day, I tried out these Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes.  This will definitely make it to my top ten favorite dessert recipes!  It tastes just like it's cocktail counterpart, but doesn't have the negative side effects - possible curdling, fuzzy memories, nasty headache, etc.  And let me tell you, the reviews were RAVE!  But then again, you can't go wrong when you add Guinness cupcakes with Jameson ganache and top it off with a Bailey's frosting. The name is the only thing that could possibly be taken as offensive with these celtic inspired beauties.  :)

I had the best St. Patrick's Day I've probably ever had and spent it with some of my favorite people (and IU won - woot!).  Life is beyond good and beautiful.  A HUGE congrats goes out to my friends, Megan and Keith, on their engagement yesterday.  It made one of my favorite days of the year an even more amazing day.  Plus, now two of my closest girl-friends are engaged and with people I adore - I'm so happy for everyone!

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Dirt Cake

My fondest memories of Dirt Cake will always be when my mom would make it for the Kentucky Derby parties back in Louisville.  Mine are not as elaborate as the ones she would make (I remember it being made to look like the Churchill Downs track for those).  The picture I'm posting is a single serving but the recipe makes a ton of this delectable treat.  It's a great dessert to help cool down a warm day and it doesn't sit too heavy so I like to make it in spring/summer.  For kids (and for those who are still kids at heart) it's also fun to hide a gummy worm within the layers - the person who finds it in their serving can get a prize, as if finding a gummy worm in your cake isn't good enough!  

Dirt Cake Recipe:

Crush 2 Rows of Oreos - easiest way to do this is in a food processor 

(I personally like to use the double stuffed Oreos and I usually use about 2.5 rows)

Blend:

1/2 Stick Butter

1 Pkg 8oz Cream Cheese

1 C Powdered Sugar

12 oz Cool Whip

Mix:

2 Boxes French Vanilla Pudding

3 1/2  C Milk

Combine the two mixtures and layer with the crushed Oreos, ending with Oreos.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

Eek, I have been slacking and haven't updated in a week.  To make up, there are big plans for this week!  :)

For starters - I needed some comfort food this weekend and made homemade chocolate chip cookies (grandma's style).  Homemade chocolate chip cookies seem to melt away any worries or issues at hand, especially straight out of the oven and with a giant glass of milk.  I doubled the batch as I usually do and they were gone in a day, as they usually are.  No recipe for this one, but I will be making a Dirt Cake tonight and then some amazing cupcakes for St. Patty's day toward the end of the week and will post recipes for both of those.  I also start my cake decorating class tomorrow and hope to post some interesting info from those classes as well.  Until next time!

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Buttershots Cake

So, this one is super easy but always a smash hit (it was reduced to near crumb-status in about 2 hrs at work today)! It's one of the only recipes I have that uses a boxed cake mix anywhere NEAR the mixing bowl, but even the most dedicated of baking queens needs a short cut every once in a while.  I also usually "splash" a little extra buttershots in both sections of the recipe for good measure.  :)

Cake:

1 Box Moist Deluxe Yellow Cake Mix

1 Pkg Vanilla Instant Pudding

1/2  C Buttershots

1/2  C Veggie Oil

1/2  C Water

4 Eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease the bundt pant thoroughly.  

Mix cake mix and pudding in a bowl.  Add everything else and beat well.  Pour batter into bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and immediately pour glaze evenly over cake.  I use a plastic spoon or other such nearby kitchen utensil to ensure the glaze gets to the bottom of the pan.  If it doesn't really get down into the pan, it doesn't soak into the cake as well - and the soaked portions of the cake are to live for!  Let the cake cool completely for at least 30 minutes before turning over onto a plate.  It's totally optional to sprinkle with powdered sugar, but do that after the cake has set out for a while so it doesn't absorb into the cake.

You should start the glaze about 5 minutes before the cake emerges fully cooked from the oven.  

Glaze recipe (simply mix all ingredients over low heat until smooth):

1  C Sugar

1/2  C Buttershots

1 Stick Margarine

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Pinterest!

Pinterest is the devil in disguise, I am officially addicted.

If you have the same problem, I am willing to feed your addiction.  :)   Please keep an eye out for cool dessert recipes and pin them to this board.  I will try and get to as many of the recipes as I can!  Happy Pinning!

http://pinterest.com/sarahg333/wish-list-for-http-confectionsofamodernwoman-tumbl/

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Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt

Get ready, get set, prepare your appetites (and waistlines)! I hold the firm belief that chocolate is a deliciously effective healing tool, which is based on years of personal research & testing.  Assuming my research goes undisputed, this recipe could probably bring world peace and a spiritual calm the world has yet to witness.  I have been a bit skeptical of all the desserts popping up that have sea salt as an ingredient, but to all the naysayers - you will want to give it a go, trust me.  The below recipe is for Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt.  It is beautifully simple and there's not a thing I would change.  I do think a caramel addition would be nice; maybe drizzled on top?  Anywho, here's the recipe, enjoy!

Grease an 8x8 pan and line with parchment paper.  
*side note, I didn't learn about this parchment paper trick until last year - if you line the pan and leave a couple of inches overlapped on the sides, the fudge lifts right out of the pan.  You can also then cut the fudge on the paper and have a near mess free clean up.

In a double broiler (or glass mixing bowl over gently boiling water - don't let the water touch the bottom of the bowl) mix the following ingredients:  1 C Nutella, 1 Bag (10oz) High Quality Bittersweet Chocolate Chips, 1 Can (14oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk, 3 Tbsp  Unsalted Butter and 1 tsp Vanilla.  I used Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips.  I also couldn't really mix anything until it sat on the broiler for a minute.

Stir the mixture until completely melted and smooth.  This should take about 7-10 minutes.  Pour into prepared 8x8 pan and let cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours before cutting.  I use a rolling pizza cutter to cut the fudge since it's a smother cut.  Whether you use that or a knife, be sure to run it under hot water (and dry it) before cutting. I would recommend serving this slightly chilled - so maybe let it sit out for 30 mins or so, but not too long because it does get really soft REALLY quickly.

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Whoopie! Pumpkin Cookie Style

Another success - pumpkin cookie whoopie pies!  So successful that I didn't get to take a picture of them before they were gone so I borrowed the picture above from the wonderful world of google images.  I used my favorite pumpkin cookie recipe (in the post below) for these and debated between a few recipes for the filling.  My first instinct was to use the marshmallow fluff recipe I found, but read a lot of reviews that it was much too sweet.  I knew a cream cheese frosting filling would work well with the pumpkin cookies, but wanted to try something new since not everyone is a fan of cream cheese frosting.  So, I landed on this recipe - a classic whoopie pie creme filling.  I only used 1/2 C shortening as 1 1/2 C seemed quite excessive (thanks, Nana Bessie, but we're trying to be a little more health conscious these days).  It made a TON of filling so I probably could have cut the recipe in half - I would also probably try a different filling next time or at least leave these in the fridge for the day before serving since it wasn't a very solidifying filling.  Other than that, the next time I make whoopie pies I will probably use a cookie press or something similar to get a more uniform shape/size.  An all-in-all success with a few noted tweaks for next time.  Enjoy, I know I did!

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Pumpkin Cookies in the House!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C Flour                       1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Powder             1/2 C  Butter, softened

1 tsp Baking Soda               1 1/2 C White Sugar

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon       1 C  Canned Pumpkin Puree

1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg       1 Egg

1/2 tsp Ground Cloves         1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla to butter mixture and beat until creamy.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Drop onto cookie sheet by tablespoons and flatten slightly.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cool cookies before decorating.

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The Infamous Carrot Cake

This was my first attempt at Carrot Cake, had I known it was 8/10 people's favorite cake I would have been making it long ago!  The recipe for the cake is below, but I used Paula Deen's recipe for the frosting (will post later) thanks to a recommendation from my Aunt Catherine.  She was definitely right, an amazing frosting recipe by Ms. Deen!  :)   Also by recommendation of the Carrot Cake Connoisseur  (Richard) I used a recipe that incorporated crushed pineapple...I know, it sounds bizarre and otherworldly, but it's actually quite delicious.  This cake was extremely moist and flavorful - my only suggestion is to make sure your grated carrots are small enough.  The ones I labored over for hours *cough*and by labor I mean bought and opened the bag of grated carrots from the grocery store*cough* were almost more of a julienne cut and although they weren't bad, I felt they were more noticeable then they should have been.  Everyone gave rave reviews so this will be added to my cake bible.  Anywho, this cake diva needs her beauty rest so until next time, happy baking!!

Carrot Cake Recipe Here!

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Chocolate Mousse

I made this quickie recipe the other night before the Super Bowl so I had something to cheers with when the Giants won!  ;)   It's super fast (faster than it may initially seem) and has a really light texture with a bang of chocolate flavor.  I never tried making a mousse before this blog...I guess it sounded like so much energy for a frou-frou dessert.  Well, I'll tell you one thing, this is going to a staple in the dessert section of my cookbook from now on.  I would probably pair it with fruit if serving (instead of self-indulging) to lighten the flavor and match the texture.  The picture doesn't do it justice but heck, it's late and I'm sure I'll make it again when there is perhaps better lighting or a better presentation.  

I'm trying to think ahead for my next endeavor; maybe carrot cake...maybe a new cookie...any suggestions out there?

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Lemon Citrus Cupcakes

So I used this recipe to make a cake for my ex's 30th birthday and it was a huge hit.  I wanted to make new memories with this recipe as well as change it up a little so I made cupcakes instead (yeah, I know, living on the edge here).  I personally think it's better as a cake but it was still a success in these delectable miniature forms. If you choose to make cupcakes with this recipe, I would suggest using a little more butter in the icing and not putting much icing on the cupcakes as it is RICH.  The cake itself is light with a hint of citrus and the icing is, as I mentioned, extremely rich and creamy.  The zest in the icing is not only a flavorful addition but really creates a visually pleasing dessert.  This would be a great summertime treat!

Lemon-Orange Cake Recipe Here!

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