Tiramisu Cupcakes

 April seems to be birthday month around here, and I love it.  Last weekend I got to spend all Saturday afternoon baking cupcakes with Clare, and helping Jake (along with Clare, Stewart and Alicia) prepare an amazing gourmet pizza party for Michele.  If you're looking for a good party idea, this one turned out splendidly.  We were expecting twenty guests around 7:30.  So at 4:00 we started 6 recipes of this pizza dough.  It's my absolute favorite pizza dough recipe (although beware, it needs more flour than it calls for).  We let the dough rise while we made a trip to the grocery store for the sauce ingredients, then began the sauce.  About an hour later, I divided the dough into 24 equal personal-pizza-size portions, and began rolling them out while Jake and Stewart fired up the grill.  We grilled each dough for just a couple minutes, until they were about half cooked.  Then all the guests brought different ingredients with them, and everyone got to make their own personal pizza!  Once the toppings were arranged to each person's liking, it was just popped back on the grill for less than 5 minutes, and voilà! delicious, gourmet, piping hot personal pizza!  It was a blast.

And these cupcakes were the perfect way to round off the meal :)  Clare and I discovered the recipe over at the BrownEyedBaker.


Ingredients (makes 18 cupcakes)

For the Cupcakes
1 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted (I didn't have any, so I made my own using this tutorial)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
4 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
3 whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar

For the Coffee-Marsala Syrup
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly brewed espresso
1 ounce sweet marsala wine
1/4 cup granulated sugar

For the Mascarpone Frosting
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Procedure
For the cupcakes

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Heat milk and vanilla-bean pod and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles appear around the edge. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter until melted, and let stand 15 minutes. Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, and discard vanilla-bean pod.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk together whole eggs, yolks, and sugar. Set mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk by hand just until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm, up to 6 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. With an electric mixer on high speed, whisk until mixture is fluffy, pale yellow, and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds when whisk is lifted.

Gently but thoroughly fold flour mixture into the egg mixture in three batches.  Stir 1/2 cup batter into the strained milk mixture to thicken, then fold milk mixture into the remaining batter until just combined.  Don't over mix, or the batter will deflate!

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full (they rise a lot!). Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until centers are completely set and edges are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

For the syrup
Stir together hot espresso, marsala, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Let cool.

Brush tops of cooled cupcakes evenly with coffee-marsala syrup; repeat until all syrup has been used (don't worry, they won't be soggy!). Allow cupcakes to absorb liquid 30 minutes.

For the frosting
With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until very stiff peaks form (be careful not to overbeat, or cream will be grainy). In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated.  Do not beat further after the cream and cheese are combined, or the cream will break. Use immediately.

To finish, dollop or pipe frosting onto cupcakes; refrigerate for an hour or up to overnight in airtight containers. Dust generously with cocoa powder just before serving.

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Tiramisu

Baking is pretty much my favorite distraction or method of procrastination.  We were having a girls night a few months ago, and I volunteered to make the dessert.  I thought I'd make something yummy but simple, after all, I was supposed to be studying for my Complex Analysis qualifying exam.  But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to spend my evenings baking instead of studying.  Everyone needs a break from working the brain too hard every now and then!  So I took on the challenge of making tiramisu, completely from scratch :)  Well, almost completely.  I did buy the mascarpone cheese.  Maybe next time I'll try making the cheese too.

It was worth it.  So worth it.  I should have taken more pictures.  I'll just have to refer you to one of my favorite baking blogs, Sprinkle Bakes, where I found the recipe I used.

I thought it would be fun to make little individual portions, so instead of making regular shaped lady fingers, I made them round, about 3 inches in diameter.  And used two per portion.  I didn't have little spring form pans, or molds, so I ended up making cylinders out of parchment paper around the lady fingers.  They turned out beautifully!

lady fingers in the oven :)


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Tongue-hugging Coffee Chocolate Bundt

Ingredients

For cake
1 cup water, boiling
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp instant espresso or instant coffee powder
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

For Frosting
1/2 can sweet and condensed milk
2 Tbs butter (at room temperature)
3 heaping Tbs instant coffee crystals
1 tsp vanilla
1+ cups powdered sugar

Procedure
Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Whisk together boiling water, cocoa powder, and 2 tsp espresso powder in a small bowl or glass measuring cup. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In electric mixer, beat 2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil and vanilla until blended. Add eggs and beat well, until smooth. Beat in half of flour mixture, then add cocoa mixture, beat. Mix in remaining flour mixture, then fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into well-greased bundt pan. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean. Cool 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. As cake cools, make frosting.

To make the frosting, combine sweet and condensed milk and butter. beat in a mixer, or with a hand mixer. In a small dish, combine coffee crystals with vanilla and mix until coffee crystals dissolve. Stir until smooth, and add to the sweet and condensed milk. Stir in powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency.

Drizzle frosting over cake, add a few chocolate chips on top for decoration if desired.

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cake recipe from epicurious.

Espresso Chocolate Mini-Muffins

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp instant coffee powder
1/2 tsp ground coffee
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup applesauce
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl combine dry ingredients. Add egg, milk, melted butter, vanilla, and applesauce. Mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into greased mini-muffin cups. Put muffin cups on baking sheet or in normal muffin pan. Bake for 15 minutes.


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Coffee Brownie Cake

For Brownie

6 oz bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 Tbs cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbs espresso

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup whole wheat flour

For Topping

3/4 cup cream

1/8 cup cold strong coffee

1 Tbs powdered sugar

Chocolate, peppermint to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat chocolate and butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until evenly melted. Remove from heat. In mixing bowl combine eggs, sugar, cocoa, vanilla, espresso, and salt. Add melted chocolate and flour. Mix until evenly incorporated. Pour batter into greased round 9 inch baking pan. Bake for 25- 30 minutes.

Remove form oven and let cool to room temperature. Whisk cream until soft peaks form. Add

coffee and powdered sugar. Whisk to desired consistency. Dollop onto cake and garnish with topping of your choosing.

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Adapted from a CHOW recipe.

Chocolate Espresso Cake

Ingredients

For Cake:
1 3/4 cup flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbs light corn syrup
2/3 vegetable oil
2/3 cup milk

For Filling:
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1-2 Tbs oil

For Frosting:
1/2 can sweet and condensed milk
2 Tbs butter (at room temperature)
3 heaping Tbs instant coffee crystals
vanilla
1+ cups powdered sugar

For decoration:
1/2 cup chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the cake, lightly grease two round cake pans (8 or 9 in). Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda??, salt?? and cocoa in a large mixing bowl. Stir in sugar. Make a well in the center, and put in eggs, corn syrup, oil, and milk. Beat the liquids with a wooden spoon, gradually mixing in the dry ingredients to make a smooth batter. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake 25 -35 minutes, or until springy to the touch, and a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks and let cool completely.

while cake is baking, prepare decorations by melting chocolate chips, and pouring melted chocolate onto a piece of wax paper. Place in freezer.


To make the filling, add the oil to the chocolate in a small saucepan. Let melt over medium heat until just melted. Let cool slightly (no longer hot, but still liquid and spreadable). Begin assembling the cake by placing the first layer on cake plate, and spreading the filling over the top of the first layer (not down the sides). Place the second layer atop the first. Set aside to make the frosting.

To make the frosting, combine sweet and condensed milk and butter. beat in a mixer, or with a hand mixer. In a small dish, combine coffee crystals with enough vanilla so that the coffee crystals dissolve. Stir until smooth, and add to the sweet and condensed milk. Stir in powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency.


Spread frosting over top of cake, letting it drip down the sides.

To decorate, remove chocolate from freezer and using a sharp knife at a 45 degree angle, scrape chocolate curls (see picture below). Scatter your chocolate curls over the cake, and enjoy. Best if eaten the day of or the day after.


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adapted from a Cook's Library recipe.

Espresso Pear Panna Cotta

Ingredients
1/2 cup strong coffee
1/3 cup sugar
1 medium pear
1 1/2 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
3 Tbs milk
3 tsp powdered gelatin


Heat coffee and sugar over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Slice pears into 1 cm thick slices. Add pear slices to coffee mixture and cook over medium heat until soft (10-20 minutes) and syrups has thickened slightly. Remove from heat and place pear slices in the bottom of 4 small bowls or ramekins. Evenly distribute syrup over pears.

In a medium sauce pan, combine cream, milk, brown sugar and contents of vanilla bean. Heat until boiling on medium high, then remove from heat. Meanwhile, combine 3 Tbs milk and powdered gelatin. Stir until gelatin has dissolved. Whisk gelatin mixture into cream mixture, and set aside to cool.


When cream mixture has cooled, evenly distribute between bowls. Cover with plastic wrap, be careful not to let the panna cotta touch the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.

To serve, place each bowl in a larger bowl of hot water to loosen the edges. Place a small plate on top of the bowl, and quickly invert.



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Adapted from a spicyicecream recipe.

Espresso Chocolate Shortbread

Ingredients
2 tbs instant espresso powder
1 tbs hot water
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 oz unsweetened baker's chocolate coarsely chopped
3/4 cup chocolate chips coarsely chopped (or mini chocolate chips if you have them)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Dissolve espresso power in hot water. In mixing bowl beat together butter and powdered sugar. Beat in vanilla and espresso. Stir in chocolates.  Mix in flour until dough just forms. Transfer dough into a greased 9x9 baking pan. Press dough down, and stab it with a fork over and over again. Cut into squares. Bake for 25- 30 minutes, or until the edges get very brown, and pull away from sides.

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Adapted from a SmittenKitchen recipe