Fantastidelic Amazingcakes

Got this crazy idea from this site, and found it pretty stunningly easy, as long as you have access to a cake decorating bag with some tips. It's not going to work very well if you are a Ziplock-bag-with-a-hole-cut-in-one-corner kind of person like me, since the fo od coloring will condense into droplets and run. I ended up having to duct tape the tip to my bag...hopefully you have less pathetic equipment.

Also, these cupcakes are special in more ways than just their decoration-each one has a different surpise hidden in the center. Some of these surprises were quite delectable, while others were less palatable. If you are looking for tasty surprises, I would advise nuts, nut butters, or fruits, such as cherries or strawberries for chocolate cupcakes. But it totally depends on what type of cupcakes you make. Apples and pears would go well in a spice cake.

"Surprises" I used:

Maraschino cherry

Walnut

Strawberry

Peanut butter

and here it gets less appetizing,

Dried mango

Gouda cheese

Prune

Cheerios

Even I didn't know which cupcake contained which surprise.

To make the cupcakes, there are several cake recipes within this blog, such as Chocolate Raspberry Cake, and Caramel Latte Cake.

Make the cake recipe like normal, pour into greased or papered cupcake pans, and bake at 350˚F for 25-30 minutes.

You know how to make cupcakes, I bet.

For the frosting, I used 1 pint of whipping cream, beaten until very thick and frosting-like (almost to the point of turning into butter), then added about 2 or 3 cups of powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 tsp almond flavoring. But the frosting can vary, as long as it will hold it's shape.

For the coloring, check out Chica and Joe. They'll walk you through the whole process.

And don't forget surprises! Those are half the fun.

I had a little frosting left over, so I thought I'd make a lil' sundae out of it...

Not exactly something I'd like to find in a restaurant, but splendid, nonetheless.

Browned Butter and Honey Biscuit Stacks

The whole stacking part really isn't necessary unless you are like, trying to impress someone, but if you have time and feel like making your biscuits unique, go for it! Otherwise, make either or both recipes and serve the biscuits with browned butter and honey.
Prepare the browned butter ahead of time (it will last as long as regular butter when refrigerated), so it is cold when you are ready to use it for baking.


Ingredients for brown biscuits:
2 1/2 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
8 tbsp browned butter*, cold
1 cup buttermilk

Browned butter
Honey

Browned Butter Biscuits:
Preheat oven to 375˚F.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Work in the cold browned butter until the mixture is the consistency of cornmeal. Sprinkle buttermilk over, and toss lightly with a fork until mixture comes together. Press into a ball. Sprinkle a bit of flour over a counter top. Flatten out the dough ball until it is about 1 inch thick. Use a cup or cookie cutter to cut out biscuit rounds the size that you want your biscuits to be. Place biscuits on a cookie sheet, and bake for 10- 20 minutes, depending on the size of the biscuits. Standard 2 1/2-inch biscuits will take about 20 minutes. Serve with brown butter and honey.

Ingredients for white biscuits:
2 cups AP flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter, cold
1 cup buttermilk

Butter
Honey

Buttermilk Biscuits:
Preheat oven to 375˚F.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Work in the cold butter until the mixture is the consistency of cornmeal. Sprinkle buttermilk over, and toss lightly with a fork until mixture comes together. Press into a ball. Sprinkle a bit of flour over a counter top. Flatten out the dough ball until it is about 1 inch thick. Use a cup or cookie cutter to cut out biscuit rounds the size that you want your biscuits to be. Place biscuits on a cookie sheet, and bake for 10- 20 minutes, depending on the size of the biscuits. Standard 2 1/2-inch biscuits will take about 20 minutes. Serve with butter and honey.

To make biscuit stacks:
Make a half or whole recipe of both types of biscuit. In small bowl, beat 2 tablespoons of softened browned butter and 2 tablespoons of honey until smooth and creamy. Slice each biscuit horizontally, and place a dot of butter on each piece, except for the piece that will go on top (this will be the opposite color of the bottom piece). Stack biscuit pieces and press together.


* To brown butter: Melt butter in light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Butter will pop and sizzle, then begin to bubble. The butter should begin to brown quickly, after foaming begins. Swirl the pan or stir to judge the color of the butter. When it becomes a dark golden brown, remove from heat. Chill butter in refrigerator in a covered container.

Strawberry Rhubarb Sundae

Warm rhubarb sauce can be eaten by itself, but it is even more delicious served over cold ice cream with strawberries!

For sundaes:
Rhubarb sauce
Strawberry jam (preferably homemade)
Vanilla ice cream
Fresh strawberries for garnish, optional

Rhubarb sauce:

2 cups chopped rhubarb
2/3 sugar
1 tbsp butter
a pinch of cinnamon

Cook rhubarb and sugar over medium heat, covered, for about 10 minutes. When rhubarb begins to soften, add butter, and cook uncovered for another 15 minutes. Sauce should darken as sugars caramelize. When slightly thickened and golden brownish, take off heat and add cinnamon.

Scoop one or two scoops of ice cream into each bowl. Top with warm rhubarb sauce and jam. Garnish with strawberries.

Brazilian Lemonade

Yes, there are limes in this recipe. So it could be called Brazilian limeade. However, apparently Brazilians don't use lemons, according to the blogger I developed this recipe from, which didn't use any lemons at all. This recipe is a little different than that one, since it uses both lemons and limes, and also sparkling water.




Ingredients:
2 limes
2 lemons
1/2 c sugar
3 cups water
1 can sweetened condensed milk
24 oz. (2 cans) sparkling water, seltzer water, or club soda

Equipment:
Blender
Sieve or strainer

Wash the lemons and limes thoroughly and remove any mold or bad spots. Quarter the citrus, and toss it in the blender. Add water and sugar, and pulse or blend on low to combine. Continue to blend or pulse until citrus has broken down to small chunks. The citrus shouldn't be pureed, but you want a very strong citrus flavor. The best way to ensure this is probably just to taste it. When the lemonade tastes good and strong, strain out the fruit, and return to the blender. Add sweetened condensed milk and blend until frothy. If not serving immediately, refrigerate. The lemonade will separate, so be sure to stir it before serving. Just before serving, add sparkling water and stir to combine. Serve over ice.

Sour Cream Rhubarb Pie

the absolute best rhubarb pie you will ever consume. the best. the end.



Crust:

Any crust will do, but this is my favorite pie crust-from The Joy of Cooking. You can use a double crust or just a single crust (I use a one-and-a-half recipe and lattice the top. Personal preference).

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup shortening or lard
3 tbsp. butter
6-7 tbsp. ice water (without the ice, of course)

Combine flour and salt in large bowl. With pastry cutter, butter knives, or fingers, work the lard into the flour mixture, until biggest chunks are about the size of peas. Work in the butter, until the entire mixture is like coarse sand. Sprinkle six tablespoons of water over the mixture, and toss with a fork to combine. If dough does not form a ball when pressed together, add more water, a teaspoon at a time. When dough forms into a ball, split into two balls, flatten each into a disk shape, place in airtight container or plastic wrap and refrigerate while preparing filling.

Filling:

3 cups rhubarb
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 400˚F.
Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Stir until sour cream and sugar have melted together to appear smooth and creamy. Roll out each disk of dough, placing one in the pan and pressing down the bottom and sides. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust. Top with second crust, if using.
Bake at 400˚F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350˚F and bake for an additional 40 minutes, or until filling has set and crust is golden brown. (You may want to check the crust a couple times during to make sure it is not getting too brown. If it is, cover the pie with foil for the rest of the baking.
Cool the pie for at least an hour to let the filling set up. Serve warm or chilled.

Raspberry Macchiato Sundae

1 pint vanilla bean ice cream
1 pint fresh raspberries, cold
4 oz. freshly brewed espresso (equivalent of 4 shots)
1/2 recipe Vanilla Caramel Sauce
1/4 cup crushed hazelnuts
4 glass ramekins or sundae cups

Construct these sundaes immediately before serving-the ice cream melts quickly!
In each ramekin, place 1 scoop (about a 1/2 cup) of ice cream. Top with berries. Pour 1 shot of espresso over each sundae, and spoon caramel sauce over. Sprinkle with hazelnuts, and serve.

Coconut Milk Yogurt

Despite the complicated-looking procedure, yogurt making is really quite simple, once you get the hang of it. It will naturally be thinner than store-bought yogurt, but this can be solved by draining the yogurt in a cheesecloth.


Ingredients:

1 can (about 15 oz.) coconut cream

1 can (again, about 15 oz.) coconut milk

1/2 cup milk or water (if making a vegan recipe)

1 tbsp yogurt or coconut milk yogurt, or appropriate cultures



Combine first three ingredients in large saucepan. Heat to 180˚F. Let the milk mixture cool to about 110˚F before mixing in the yogurt or cultures. While milk is cooling, prepare warm spot for yogurt to grow in (it should stay above about 90˚F for at least 8 hours, but if this isn't possible, keep it as warm as you can). A cooler with hot water and towels is what I usually use, and I have never had my yogurt not work. The water should be about 130˚ or 140˚, hot, but not boiling. Other options include crock pots, food dehydrators, or heated rooms. When milk has cooled to about 110˚F, stir in the yogurt or cultures. Pour into glass jar or container, and place in heated area for about 12-24 hours, depending on how thick you want your yogurt. For some reason that I cannot explain, coconut milk yogurt usually develops an egg-white-like layer. This can be dealt with by letting the yogurt drain in a towel or cheesecloth for a few hours. Eat the yogurt plain, or with honey or fruit. Yogurt can be stored in airtight container in fridge for several weeks.

Browned Butter Date Muffins

The browned butter makes the flavor of these muffins particularly rich and unique. This muffin batter can be stored unbaked in the fridge for up to a month. Baked muffins will last 3 days in an airtight container. Developed from St. John’s Jug Muffins in the Jan. 2003 edition of Gourmet.

1/2 cup muesli
1 cup grape nuts
1/2 cup dates, chopped
1 cup buttermilk (I used powdered buttermilk, reconstituted with milk, from Now Foods)

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 cup browned butter*
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

granola or streusel topping

Preheat oven to 350˚F, and grease 12 muffin papers placed in muffin pans.
Combine grape-nuts, muesli, dates, and buttermilk in medium bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, combine both flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom in large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, beat brown butter, sugar, and egg until smooth. Add vanilla. Add this mixture and cereal mixture to the flour mixture. Stir to combine, but do not beat the mixture excessively. Top with favorite granola, streusel, or chopped nuts. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Serve hot, with brown butter.

*To brown butter: Melt butter in light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Butter will pop and sizzle, then begin to bubble. The butter should begin to brown quickly, after foaming begins. Swirl the pan or stir to judge the color of the butter. When it becomes a dark golden brown, remove from heat. Use immediately, or store in refrigerator in a covered container.

Crepes with Pesto and Caramelized Onions

For Crepes:

1/2 c buckwheat flour
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/2 c milk
1 tbsp butter plus 1 tsp, melted
1/2 seltzer water

Combine flours, salt, egg, milk, and 1 tbsp butter in blender. Blend until smooth. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate overnight. Meanwhile, prepare fillings.

When ready to cook the crepes, heat 1 tsp butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Whisk seltzer water into crepe batter. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto pan, and swirl around to cover pan with an even layer of batter. Cook for 1 or two minutes on each side, until cooked through and edges begin to brown. Stack crepes on plate until ready to fill.

For filling:

Caramelized onions:
3 large onions, halved and sliced thinly
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

1/2 cup pesto (homemade or pre-made)
3 cups spring greens

For onions, heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions. Cook covered until soft and translucent. Remove lid and add salt and pepper. Cook until edges begin to blacken and onions are a light caramel color.

To prepare:
Spread a thin layer of pesto onto each crepe. Spoon a line of onions down the middle, and top with greens. Roll up or fold into quarters. Serve!

Dulce de Espresso Sundae

2 pints Dulce de Leche gelato
8 shots espresso or very strong coffee (about 1 cup)
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 recipe Vanilla Caramel Sauce
8 glass ramekins or sundae glasses

Immediately before serving, place 1 scoop (about 1/2 cup) of gelato in each ramekin or sundae glass. Pour 1 shot of espresso over each. Drizzle with Vanilla Caramel Sauce, and sprinkle pecans over. Serve promptly.

Creamy Mango Ginger Licuado

Serves 1-2

1 ripe mango
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 pieces crystallized ginger, chopped (about 2 tbsp chopped)

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth and thick. Pour into individual glasses, and chill in freezer for 20-30 minutes. Serve cold.