Saturday, December 14, 2013

Beetroot Velvet Cupcakes

What can I say? That these are a real succes? That the cream cheese frosting is "the cherry on top"? I guess you have to make it yourself to see. :)

After ruining batches of cupcakes, I finally came up with this recipe that uses beetroot in the batter. Yes, heard me right: beetroot. This vegetable and its dark red colour adds moisture to the cupcake base and doesn`t affect the taste, because you have to use only the juice, which I`ll talk about in one minute.
See? It is just so pretty that eating one feels like a crime. I them to stay like this forever so I can keep them as a decoration in the kitchen. :) 

Now, back to the beetroot. So what you are actually doing is peel it and cut it in thin pieces (so the colour comes out too) and boil it in half a cup of water for 10 to 15 minutes or until the water is like blood. You discard the pieces and transfer the red water they`ve been boiling in, in a shallow bowl. Keep that bowl in the fridge until it is lukewarm or completely cool. This is your beetroot juice and you are ready to use it.

 
Another thing which adds moisture to the cupcakes is buttermilk. All the velvet cupcakes recipes out there require buttermilk because is also enhances colour. 
So what if you ran out of buttermilk and everything you have on hand is plain milk? You make your own!
Maybe you think I`m mad, but homemade buttermilk works just the same
Here`s how you do it:  
1 cup whole milk 
2 and 1/2 Tablespoons white vinegar
Add the vinegar to the milk and let it rest for 5 to 15 minutes. 
Just watch the magic happen: the milk will thicken and will have the same consistency as the store bought one. If you studied chemistry, you know that vinegar is acetic acid combined with water(usually between 3% and 18%). Also, the vinegar contains citric acid which curdles the milk, so don`t worry if your milk looks like that. 


Now...my favourite part: the cream cheese frosting! That smooth, glossy texture is just food porn. I mean, don`t you feel like licking the screen?
 

I`m warning you: these cupcakes are very high in calories because of the high fat content in the cream cheese (70% fat) and the butter (82% fat). So if you are on a diet, you might want to leave this page. :D There are no people who could resist the temptation of gobbling these up.

Ok, I`m done with introductions, so I`ll let you stare at them for a little while.

Ingredients:
Cupcake base
1 and 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 and 1/2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup betroot juice 
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar

Cream cheese frosting:
50 grams butter at room temperature
110 grams cream cheese 
320 grams powder sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven at 375 degrees F/180 Celsius. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with muffin paper or spray it with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda. These are your dry ingredients.

3. In another bowl, beat the eggs and the sugar until pale in colour. Add the vanilla extract, oil, buttermilk and mix. Gently pour the cold beetroot juice and stir once more. These are your wet ingredients.

4. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined. Do NOT overmix or you will have a dense, tough cupcake. Please note this batter is quite runny, but it is all right to be like that.

5. With a spoon or an ice cream scoop, divide your batter into the muffin cups. Each one should be 3/4 full.

6. Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with tiny crumbs on it. Let them rest in the pan for 5 minutes. After such time, take them out and let them cool completely before frosting them. 

For the Cream Cheese frosting
 Beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and half of the amount of sugar and beat more with your mixer. Incorporate the rest of the sugar. 

Now have fun decorating!


 
 
  

 
  


  

 

Friday, December 13, 2013

Extremely Fudgy Brownies

When I`m telling you that these Brownies are so sinfully delicious, you won`t believe me...until you try one yourself.

Behind this photo and recipe, lie a lot of unsuccessful attempts of creating the perfect, fudgy Brownie. A bitter chocolate taste, dry or cakey inside are just a couple of my results when trying to get that gooey, slightly sticky texture which I love.

Come on! Personally, I could not resist helping myself to a small piece. And when I`m saying "small piece"...I mean it! 
The reason I did not (but wanted to) eat more is that I had to bake some goodies for a charitable show. These Brownies, the Chocolate Chip Cookies, Biscotti, Brutti ma buoni (this means "ulgy but good" in italian), Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins and Carrot Muffins were to be sold during the break of the show. The money is to help poor children. 
I have to admit that I baked a total of 6 hours and didn`t feel a bit tired when I remembered I was doing it for a good cause. Plus, I love baking so I`m not complaining. 

Whatever, the recipe is quite easy, but beginners beware! I melted the butter and cocoa powder on a double-boiler. 
For the ones who don`t know what a double-boiler(aka "bain marie') is, you just bring a pot of water to a simmer. After that, just find another pot that fits over the first one and put that over it! Sounds complicated? Google or search on youtube "How to Cook in a Bain-Marie or Water Bath". 
Why use this method? First of all, if you try melting cocoa powder or chocolate together with butter over flame...you are going to obtain bad results. Just trust me when I`m telling you this. I might be only 15 years old, but I`ve done a lot of mistakes and learned from them.

Now, you probably want to know how a Brownie gets its fudgy texture. There are three ingredients: butter, brown sugar and extra egg yolks. Also, the amount of flour you put into the batter matters. If you put quite much flour, you will have a cakey brownie, but if you use just a couple of tablespoons: POOF! Fudgy Brownies for ya. 

 I know they are thin, but that depends on how big or small your pan is. Also, you should know that this Brownie does not rise! So if you want a sky-high one, then you`ve come to the wrong place. 
Of course there will be a cakey, fluffy and light brownie recipe on my blog, but not now. I like the slightly stickiness of a brownie and I finally got it.

Ingredients:
200 gr butter
300 gr sugar
35 gr unsweetened cocoa powder
1 whole egg+2 egg yolks
75 gr all purpose flour
75 gr nuts (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven at 325 degrees F/160 Celsius. Line a square(works best) 9X9 (or smaller) baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
Advice: ALWAYS use parchment paper when making brownies, because they are very sticky and you won`t be able to take them out. Especially because fudgy brownies are crumbly and will easily break apart.

2.Over a pot of simmering water, put another pot where you put the cubed butter. Add the cocoa powder and stir it constantly until the butter has melted completely.
Advice:After the butter melts, it will separate from the cocoa powder and it will look like a mess. Don`t worry, once you add the sugar everything will come together beautifully. 

3. Take the pot with the butter+cocoa mixture off the pot with simmering water. Add the sugar and vanilla extract, mix well until everything looks smooth.

4. Whisk the whole egg until completely blended, then do the same with the egg yolks, beating well after each yolk.

5. Sift the flour and using a spatula, incorporate it. Add the nuts and mix one more time, but only to fold them in. Over-mixing will give you a tough brownie.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake the brownies for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with moist crumbs on it. 
Advice: You don`t want to let the brownie bake for more than that, because it will burn and you won`t have anything but a dry chocolate cake.

7. Let the brownie cool completely into the pan before cutting it. I know it is so hard to wait, but if you try to cut it while it`s still hot, it will break apart. Grab a glass of milk and enjoy!



Chocolate Chip Cookies

Well...how could words describe this famous treat? 

Just...look at them and I`ll try to figure out what to say.

Maybe you never had one (but I don`t think there is a person who did not have the occasion of taking a bite of this piece of heaven) and I`m not sure why, because almost every cafeteria or coffee shop or bakery or whatever, sells this beauties. And the best part is that they are not expensive.

But why spend a lot of money when you can have as many as you want (I am exaggerating a little) straight out of the oven, when the chocolate is still warm and gooey? Just dunk them in a glass of milk. 
Wait, if you still need a reason for baking them, here`s another one :they are extremely quick and easy to make.
You don`t have to wait hours for the butter to soften, because my recipe uses vegetable oil. Yes, oil. That thing you fry food in and people avoid because they say it`s fattening. I know I`m being a bit too indulging but it`s the cold season and winter is giving me a bad mood, so I need something to cheer me up while watching my favorite movie and so do you.

Like many of my recipes, this one requires something to ensure softness. An additional egg yolk. The yellow stuff I normally don`t eat because it is high in cholesterol...but I`m not here to discuss health business. So, after testing several recipes and failing, the baker which lies inside me is so excited to share the recipe with you! 


Without any other introductions, I present to you Chocolate Chip Cookies:

(This recipe makes a batch of 15-20 cookies, depending of how much dough you use per piece)

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt ( that is about 1/4 teaspoon)
3/4 a cup of vegetable oil (canola, sunflower or walnut oil, not olive or other stuff because it affects the taste of your cookie)
2 or 3 Tablespoon of buttermilk
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon honey (glucose or corn syrup work too)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or your favorite chocolate cut into small cubes 

Directions:
1.Preheat your oven to 375 degrees/180 Celsius. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the chocolate chips.These will be your dry ingredients.

3. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the whole egg + egg yolk. Whisk in the sugar and beat more. Add the oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract and honey. Combine everything. This is your wet mixture.

4. Make a small well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour your wet mixture in. With the help of a spatula, mix it together until it forms a spoon-able dough. 

5. An ice cream scoop works best when putting the dough on the baking tray. Use that for perfect sized cookies. But if you don`t have one, just use two tablespoons. 
Advice: Leave a generous space between your dough because, as the cookies bake, the dough will spread and you don`t want anything to stick. So think carefully before putting all the dough balls on the tray. 

6. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. You know they are done when the edges start browning a bit. Take them out of the oven and let them sit for 5-10 minutes on the tray. Now you can finally enjoy them!