I’m finding myself a bit stressed these days.  I will be out of the office all next week and have a very long list of things to get done at work before leaving tomorrow evening.  When I’m stressed, I bake.  There’s just something calming about pulling out my big Zak! pink mixing bowl, digging into some flour, and letting my creative kitchen juices flow.

I have made several of the vegan cupcake recipes from the amazing ladies of ppk and decided to try out their Chai Latte Cupcakes.  It was a choice made on two simple factors.  1: I love all things chai.  2: I had everything on hand.

I made mine with my new Pampered Chef mini muffin pan and the result was perfect bite-sized cakes of deliciousness.  You may not think a cupcake is really a cupcake without proper frosting, but the powdered sugar and spice mix to top these is just perfect.  Anything heavier would overwhelm the delicate chai flavors in the cake.

(Btw….I really loved the muffin pan.  Its heavy duty and baked everything very evenly.  Its also a darker color which will look nicer longer.  I’ve never had Pampered Chef baking trays before but I plan on purchasing them again.)

Chai Latte Cupcakes

from the Post Punk Kitchen

Ingredients -

For cake:

• 1 cup soy or rice milk (or regular milk if you are not vegan)
• 4 black teabags or 2 tablespoons loose black tea
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup plain or vanilla soy yogurt (regular dairy yogurt will also work)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• pinch of ground white or black pepper

For topping:

• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or ground mace

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 and line tin with cupcake liners. In a small saucepan heat soymilk till almost boiling, add tea bags, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 10 minutes.When ready to use stir teabags and thoroughly squeeze to insure as much tea is dissolved in milk as possible.

2. In a large bowl wisk together oil, yogurt, sugar, vanilla and tea mixture until all yogurt lumps disappear. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and pepper into wet ingredients. Mix until large lumps disappear; some small lumps are okay.

3. Fill regular-sized muffin tins full and bake about 20 to 22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  If you are using a mini muffin tin, reduced baking time to 10-12 minutes.  (I did mine for 10 minutes, but a lighter pan will need to stay in a bit longer.)

4. Make sure cupcakes are completely cooled before adding topping, or the sugar will melt and not look pretty or powdery.  To assemble, sift confectioners sugar over cooled cupcakes first, then mix cocoa, cinnamon, and nutmeg together and sift onto each cupcake.

I finally purchased Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World.  I could not be more pleased.  Each page is filled with whimsically-written, delicious sounding recipes and more often than not, a mouth-watering picture sits closely by.

I had already made Double Chocolate Cupcakes and Lemon Cupcakes with lemon filling and raspberry ‘buttercream’ frosting.  Both turned out truly amazing.  Moist and rich.   (I apologize for not posting on them…I’ve been a bit of a lazy blogger the past month or two… ) Last week I decided to try the rich Hazelnut Cupcakes and the surprisingly refreshing Margarita Cupcakes.

I strongly encourage taking the time to make any of the cupcakes I’ve posted about.  Cupcakes can take a bit of time (especially when you start talking about curd fillings and multi-ingredient frosting) but when people tell you that this is the best cupcake they have ever eaten in their entire life……you will be glad you put forth the effort.

Hazelnut Cupcakes with Mocha Hazelnut Mousse Filling

Adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Printer-Friendly Version

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients –

For the Cupcakes

• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup hazelnut meal of hazelnut flour  (I ground up hazelnuts in my food processor to make my own meal.)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup non-dairy milk of choice
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds (I didn’t have any on hand so I left them out.  They are not necessary for the recipe but add a bit of nutritional value so add them if you have them.)
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp hazelnut liqueur (like Frangelico)

For the Filling:

• 6 oz extra-firm silken tofu
• 2 tbsp soy milk
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 4 tsp instant espresso powder
• 2 tsp hazelnut liqueur
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (or 2/3 cup chips)

For the Ganache:

• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• Toasted hazelnuts for garnish

Directions -

Make the Mousse Filling first:

1. Crumble the tofu into a blender.  Add the soy milk, maple syrup, espresso powder, hazelnut liqueur, and vanilla.  Puree until completely smooth.  Set aside.

2. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate.  Once melted, remove from heat and let cool for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the chocolate to the tofu and blend in blender until combined.

4. Transfer the mousse to an airtight container or bowl covered in plastic wrap.  let chill for an hour to firm.  Remove from fridge 10 minutes before you are ready to use it.

Make the Cupcakes next:

1. Line cupcake pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, whisk together milk and flaxseed.  In a large bowl, sift together flour hazelnut meal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

2. Add the maple syrup, sugar, canola oil, vanilla, and liqueur to the milk mixture and beat well.  Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing till mostly smooth.  Pour into liners, filling them 2/3 of the way.

3. Bake 22-24 minutes till a toothpick inserted through the center of one comes out clean.  Cool completely on racks before filling or frosting.

Make the Ganache next:

1. Bring the milk to a gentle boil in a small sauce pan.  Immediately remove from heat and add the chocolate and maple syrup.

2. Stir until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth.  Set aside at room temperature until ready to use.

To Assemble:

1. Fit a pastry bad with a wide piping tip.  Fill the bad with the mousse filling.

2. Use a large wooden spoon handle (or something similar) to poke holes into the tops of the cupcakes.  Fill each cupcake with as much mousse as you can and use a knife to remove any excess cream from the tops.

3. Spread the ganache onto cupcakes.  Two layers (1 tsp at a time) can help create a smoother surface.  Garnish tops with toasted hazelnuts and place in fridge to set the ganache.

I began to fully appreciate cardamom this holiday season and am now always on the lookout for recipes which utilize it.  After loving it savory-style in Honey Cardamom Chicken I went back to a sweet baked good recipe in the form of the classic pound cake.

Pound cakes will actually taste better a day or two after being baked so make this the day before company arrives.  The cardamom contributes a lovely, subtle flavor to this rich, dense cake and the accompanying lemon caramel sauce and strawberries made it feel a little like Spring even as the snow fell outside….

The original recipe paired the cake with freshly whipped cream but I opted to go with a sauce instead.  I have included both recipes below.

Enjoy!

Cardamom Vanilla Pound Cake with Lemon Caramel Sauce

Adapted from Kay Chun’s recipe in Gourmet

(Printer-Friendly Version)

Ingredients –

For the cake -

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom  (I’m going to increase this to 1.5 teaspoons next time)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 vanilla beans, halved lengthwise  (I used vanilla extract)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup whole milk  (Based on some other reviews, I used buttermilk instead)

For the whipped cream -

• 1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream
• 2 1/2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the lemon caramel sauce -

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split

I wanted to post about one of my (many) favorite things….Wedding Cakes!  Why today?  Because tomorrow I venture up north for the 3rd family wedding of the year!  (Its a crazy-big-wonderful family that I have.)

When done by the right baker, a wedding cake can be a work of art and taste beyond amazing.  I’m not talking about your white sheet cakes with little pink roses here…I’m talking about lemon chiffons and hazelnut ganaches and raspberry creams and chocolate so rich you’ll moan without discretion while eating at the table.  And the looks of these cakes??  Nothing short of pure brilliance.

Here are some examples of truly stunning wedding cakes!

Fantasy extreme…

These rich colors remind me of a beautiful Indian wedding.  Would be a stunning holiday cake as well…

A perfect Autumn confection…

Spring is in the air….

Clean, classic…perfect for the elegant affair…

Baroque-inspiration tweaked with modern flair…

Easy serving cupcakes under a whimsical top tier…

(This last one is the lovely one my brother and his new wife had at their wedding.  My picture is so poor of it, but it was a beautiful and delicious cake!  I believe there were fillings of lemon, raspberry, and chocolate….mmmm)

October 23rd was a pretty good day…..and a pretty indulgent day.  Its a good thing the first thing I wanted to do on my birthday was run 8 miles…………not that 800 calories burned came even close to negating even a small portion of what I consumed that day.

handfuls upon handfuls of chocolate covered hazelnuts and razcherries, glasses of delicious west coast wine, homemade battered fish (courtesy of my brother), a plateful of mashed squash (by far my favorite veggie), and then came the birthday cake.

I had originally thought I would just whip up some kladdkaka, but then I decided that one only turns 28 once and one should have something fairly spectacular in the cake department to do so.  Plus, it was my birthday and all I really wanted to do was run, bake, and visit with my family.

I had been eying the Chocolate torte recipe from simplyrecipes.com for a while.  In fact, that’s where I got the crust that I had originally used on the kladdkaka.  This recipe is also known as Death by Chocolate….and good lord, what a way to go.

• 2 1/2 sticks of butter

• 2 cups of heavy cream

• 1 1/2 pounds of chocolate - YES.  One and a half POUNDS of chocolate.
  

I would say that you only serve cheesecake-size portions of this desert, but really, I can put down a decent size piece of cheesecake.  The portion I show in the picture below was far too big for me and was almost too large for my brother.  So please note, in all seriousness, this recipe could serve 20 people!

Chocolate Ganache Torte from simplyrecipes.com

Method

1 Prepare the crust. Chop/process the wafers and pecans until fine, add enough melted butter to press this into the spring-form pan (along the bottom and halfway up the sides). Bake in oven at 350°F for 20 minutes, put aside.

2 While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. In double boiler melt the butter and then add the chocolate. When chocolate is swirl-able, slowly add the whipping cream, stirring slowly, until mixture is blended and smooth. Pour mixture into the prepared shell. Refrigerate for at least four hours.

3 Prepare the sauce before serving (the sauce, served warm, should accompany the torte, served cold.) Melt butter over fairly high heat. Add sugar until saturated (the heat must be high enough for the sugar to dissolve; when no more will dissolve, the solution is saturated). Stirring only occasionally, let the mixture “burn” just enough to turn into a rich caramel. Add the cream, stirring briskly until well blended and smooth. Strain if necessary for smoothness.

This is a picture of the crust before patting it into the pie plate.

In case you were wondering what 1 1/2 pounds of chopped chocolate looked like.

(Sorry about the poor picture quality.  A proper DSLR camera is on my wish list….maybe in a couple of years.  *sigh*)

The final product.  I chose to drizzle the caramel sauce over the pieces individually rather than pour it over the entire torte.  By keeping the caramel in a separate container, we could then reheat the caramel and have the warm gooeyness with the many leftover pieces that would be eaten over the next few days.  And yes, you do need to serve something on the side with this.  I really thought the vanilla ice cream went perfectly.  You could do a simple whipped cream, but this cake is so rich and the warm caramel sauce works well with the cold ice cream.

I call this birthday torte a massive success.  It was not a cheap dessert to make (the chocolate alone was over $9 and I could have certainly purchased higher quality chocolate), but it does make for many servings.  The richness of it really made it a decadent treat that must be appreciated and savored slowly.  There was very little talking in the living room as we all sat contemplating the warm caramel, the dense chocolate, and the perfectly contrasting ice cream.  Or, we were probably all so silent because if we moved, our stomachs may have actually burst from the vast quantities of food we have been consuming all day!