Mint!

Last time I went to Vermont, Luann gave me this beautiful bunch of mint from her garden. Confession: I bought myself a little ice cream maker earlier this summer. So, when I saw the mint, I knew ice cream was inevitable. The finished product will be documented later--I promised to save it for a special upcoming occasion...


Still, I'll leave you with a couple photos of the process. Boiling mint leaves with cream and sugar...


Eggs waiting to turn into custard...


So why no ice cream posts yet? Mostly because I've eaten all of it too fast. There's some coffee frozen yogurt in the freezer now, though, and maybe I'll manage to photograph a couple scoops before it's all gone...

Early Grey Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze

Last weekend I had an absolute craving for the Earl Grey cupcakes that I had posted previously. I changed the recipe slightly from before--I was looking for a denser cake, so I adjusted the butter and baking powder proportions a bit, but otherwise it was mostly the same. In the past I had frosted these with both chocolate and vanilla frostings, but both of those overpowered the tea flavor a bit too much. This time I thought a glaze would be ideal--particularly a citrus-flavored glaze to complement the bergamot in the tea. I think it worked! I had always shied away from glazes prior to this because of the uncontrollable dripping, but enough paper towels can make me comfortable with almost any mess, I suppose...

Lemon Glaze
-the juice of 1 lemon
-1-2 c. confectioners' sugar

1. Whisk the lemon juice with quarter cup additions of confectioners' sugar until it is the thickness desired. (Very difficult to be exact with this--just wing it until it looks and tastes right.)
2. Dip the cakes into the glaze, let most of the excess fall off, and let them rest upright on racks over paper towels until the glaze has set.

Summer Squash Cupcakes

July was a very warm month--so much so that I had (sadly!) minimal desire to bake. I made a couple batches of cookies, sure, but nothing new, and nothing that was very labor-intensive. There have been little breaks in the heat since August started--enough for me to want to try making these cupcakes, at least. I probably won't get back into a full-baking swing until next month, but hopefully I'll have a couple things to share this week.

We have been getting a LOT of zucchini and squash from the farm lately--I think all of us are running out of creative ways to cook them. I had 3 small summer squash, and decided cupcakes might be fun. I suspected it would be feasible to substitute grated squash for grated zucchini, and it definitely is. Couldn't tell the difference! Hence, squash cakes...

Summer Squash Cakes
-3 c. flour
-1 t. baking soda
-1/2 t. baking powder
-1 t. salt
-2 t. cinnamon
-1/2 t. nutmeg
-1/2 t. cloves
-1/2 c. vegetable oil
-1/2 c. olive oil
-2 eggs
-2 t. vanilla
-2 c. packed light brown sugar
-3 c. grated summer squash, some of the excess water removed

1. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat together the oils, eggs, and vanilla. Add the sugar and beat until smooth, then stir in the squash.
2. Gradually add the flour mixture, taking care not to over-beat.
3. Pour the batter into lined baking cups. Bake 20 minutes at 350* F, rotating the tins halfway through.
4. Let cool. Top with cream cheese frosting.

Strawberry Shortcake

Last week after getting a lot of gorgeous strawberries in the CSA share, I decided to try my hand at strawberry shortcake. As it happened, I had about four different recipes for shortcakes in four different cookbooks. Most were cornmeal-based, so I decided to go in that direction. I think they came out very well--an excellent dessert to showcase the fresh fruit!

Strawberry Shortcakes
-1 1/2 c. flour
-1/2 c. cornmeal
-3 T. sugar
-4 t. baking powder
-4 T. unsalted butter (cold)
-1 c. heavy cream

1. In a food processor, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, and baking powder. Pulse.
2. Add cubes of cold butter and pulse again until it resembles a course meal. Transfer to a mixing bowl, and add the cream. Combine with a fork until the dough comes together.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead gently. Form it into a rectangle 1 - 1 1/4 inches thick.
4. Either cut the dough into squares with a knife, or use a 2 or 3 inch biscuit cutter to make rounds. The final count will vary depending on size. Work quickly, as the butter will begin to soften with repeated handling.
5. Bake on a greased or lined baking sheet for 12-15 minutes at 425* until golden.

Whipped Cream
-1 c. heavy cream
-1 T. powdered sugar
-1 t. vanilla

1. With the whisk attachment of a mixer, whip the cream until soft peaks form.
2. Add in sugar and vanilla and continue to whisk until combined.

Macerated Strawberries
-2 c. fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
-1 1/2 T. raw sugar
-1 T. marsala

1. In a large bowl combine berries, sugar, and wine. Stir, and let stand for at least an hour before serving.
2. Assemble as desired! (I split some of the cakes--as shown--and others just served as a base for the berry mixture; delicious either way!)

Thawing Cupcakes

I made a very large batch of red velvet cupcakes a few months ago--some to share, and others to hoard. Rather than eating all of mine at once (believe me, I was tempted), I decided to try freezing them to make the joy last a little longer. I wrapped them in plastic wrap, and then stored them in an airtight container in the freezer. When I was ready for them again (during finals week...), I took them out, unwrapped them, and left them to thaw on the counter. Within less than an hour, they were perfect and fresh, and exactly what I needed to keep my spirits up during the studying!

Not Baking

I considered in an earlier post the possibility of adding in documentation of my attempts at cooking actual food (I do try to eat things that aren't cake sometimes). My need to compartmentalize has led me to start a spin-off blog for non-baking recipes.

If you're interested, you can check the new site out here--if you're only into the baked goods, these posts will continue as usual!

An Order!

This week I put together a cupcake order for a friend throwing a bridal shower. It ended up being four dozen cupcakes--Devil's food and yellow cakes with buttercream or dark chocolate frosting. I was given the wedding invitation as inspiration--it was covered in blue flowers, so I tinted some fondant and tried to make some to match.

Apart from making a lot of consecutive little messes in my kitchen (that by the end had merged into one big one), it was fun to try something on a larger scale! And now I'll be ready for next time! A few photos of the finished products: