Lemon Goodness

I had a free day, so what do I do with my time? Do I do things I should do, like read or work on the presentation I'm giving next week? Of course not. Instead, I go to the grocery store, buy 2 pounds of powdered sugar, a pound of butter, and a few lemons.


I have previously listed a few cupcake recipes I'd like to attempt, and this is one of them. I used my time today to make these lemon cupcakes from mybakingaddiction.com.

Lemon Zest Cupcakes 

with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients (Cupcakes):
2 1/4 cups flour (The recipe actually says "cake flour". Is there a difference? I don't know. I used "regular old flour," and they turned out just fine.)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 large egg whites (I use eggbeaters or the equivalent. Too much work to separate the whites from real eggs.)
1 1/2 cups sugar
Lemon zest from 2 lemons
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature (I only had salted butter. Again, turned out ok.)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. (I don't have a sifter, so just mixed them together in a bowl. If you're using a stand mixer, use a different bowl for this. You'll need your stand mixer in step 4.)
3. Whisk together the buttermilk and egg whites in a medium bowl.

4. Put the sugar and lemon zest in your mixer bowl (or other large bowl) and rub together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
5. Add the butter to the sugar and lemon zest. Then beat at medium speed for 3 minutes.
6. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extract.
7. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture still beating at medium speed.
8. Beat in 1/2 the egg mixture.
9. Beat in 1/2 of the remaining flour mixture
10. Add the rest of the egg mixture.
11. Add the rest of the flour mixture and beat for another 2 minutes to ensure it is thoroughly mixed

12. Place the batter into cupcake tins (Makes 24 large cupcakes. I made 12 large cupcakes and 24 mini-cupcakes.  And yes, those are aluminum mini-cupcake pans. Someday, I'll buy a real one.)

13. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
14. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Ingredients (Frosting)*:
2 packages of cream cheese (8 oz), softened
1 stick butter, softened
2 pounds confectioners' sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Juice of one lemon


1. Mix the butter and cream cheese together until well-combined (a mixer is definitely helpful for this).
2. Gradually add in the confectioners' sugar until fully mixed.
3. Add vanilla extract and lemon juice.
4. Frost!


*This makes enough frosting to thoroughly cover approximately 112 cupcakes. As the recipe doesn't make quite that many, you could probably safely cut this in half.

The wife of my co-worker is due to have their second baby tomorrow. I'm hoping that happens, so these cupcakes can become a bit more celebratory. Everything tastes better with an occasion!

Guess which I like better, Top Chef or Top Chef: Just Desserts

For the most part, cookbooks don't hold any attraction for me. I am not a very good cook. I learned the joyous ease and versatility of a microwave at my mother's knee, and have happily nuked my way into adult life. Because of this, cookbooks serve merely to remind me of my chefly shortcomings. 

However, a bakebook is an entirely different story. Butter is something I can get excited about. I just read about this new collection of reinvented American dessert recipes entitled Baked Explorations on Design*Sponge, and now I have cookbook envy.

Check out Design*Sponge's description of the Monkey Bread, Whoopie Pies, Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins, Mississippi Mud Cake, and the unusual Tomato Soup Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting. *Sigh*

How can you go wrong with cupcakes??

One of the things I miss about Chicago are the "cupcakeries." (My favorite is Molly's Cupcakes in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Although Sugar Bliss downtown has mini cupcakes, so you can try a few!)

One of my dreams in life is to open a bakery/ice cream sandwich shop, and I think the recent cupcake fad is a fun one. I haven't had time to bake any in awhile, but I'm starting to get the itch. Here are a few fun recipes I've made before and a few more I'd like to try.

1. Orange Chocolate Cupcakes 

Alyson Baker's Day to Day Wonderments (allysonbakerdesign.blogspot.com) 

(Click on the above title to get the recipe)

These cupcakes are easy because they start with a chocolate cake mix. I made them mini-cupcakes, and they came out moist and delicious. The orange and chocolate combination is tasty, pretty, and fun for a classy party.

2. Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow

Martha Stewart (marthastewart.com)

These cupcakes are a bit more time intensive, but worth the dedication. The graham cracker and chocolate crust at the bottom is a crunchy surprise, and the chocolate cake itself is good as well. The only thing I struggled with was the frosting. Mine turned out more liquid than any marshmallow I've ever eaten. I'm sure this is secondary to my skills (or lack thereof), but next time I'll get a jar of marshmallow fluff. I also toasted the (runny) marshmallow using the broil setting on the oven, which worked pretty well.

3. Lemon Zest with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

My Baking Addiction (mybakingaddiction.com)

I haven't tried these, but they are next on my list. I am a chocolate fan, of course, but there's something about the sweet/sour combination of lemony baked goods that I absolutely love.

4. Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Woman's Day Magazine (womansday.com)

I think peanut butter and chocolate is the most sinfully delicious combination. Filled cupcakes are also on my "things to bake" list, and these look simple enough for a first attempt.

5. And finally, check out this treasure trove of cupcake recipes! Top 20 Unique Cupcake Recipes from 2010 by myfindsonline.com. I especially want to try the Guiness cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Creme frosting, the Margarita cupcakes (with tequila in the frosting), and the Cinnamon roll cupcakes. I'm drooling just thinking about it!

No fairweather fans here!

Once a year, in late summer, occurs this state's most emotional football match-up of the season. 

Now, my alma mater is the perpetual underdog in this annual event. As we rejoice in small victories, celebrating positive yardage, first downs, and successful open-field tackles, nothing softens the blow of inevitable defeat like a certain quantity of beer. However, before the game begins, while we still have hope that a day of upset after upset in other match-ups may somehow mean the same outcome for us, nothing tastes better than a great tailgate burger.

I'm not usually the one to host the tailgate, but this year, living minutes walk from the stadium made my place pretty ideal. In honor of my beloved team, I thought I'd class it up a little and attempt making my own burger patties.

I found an easy recipe with a relatively short list of ingredients, something I could make quickly and easily that morning.

Tailgate Burgers

Ingredients:

I used 3 pounds of 85/15 (15% fat) ground beef for about 12 patties.

1/2 onion, finely chopped

3 tsp soy sauce

3 tsp Worcester sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper (or, my personal method, a few good shakes from the shaker)

1. Place ground beef in a large mixing bowl and add the above ingredients.

2. Knead until the ingredients are spread evenly throughout.

3. Form into burger patties. I made 12, about 1/4 pound burgers, but bigger would be tasty too.

4. Grill! And add toppings of your choice. (I found some amazing Wisconsin cheddar-bacon cheese, does it get better than that?)

5. And pair with a great beer. I love local beers and have found a good one brewed in Knoxille, IA. I have to admit, I bought Cornucopia by Peace-Tree Brewing Company for the great-looking bottle, and I'm going to keep buying it for the great taste!

Carrot Cake

While both were unappreciated in their life time, unlike Gregor Mendel, the first person to put carrots in cake batter is still unknown. This is quite unfair, as carrot cake is far more enjoyable than genetics.

This is a particularly easy and delicious recipe from my cousin Maggie (who's actually my mom's cousin, but I don't know the appropriate title for that) who lives in Alabama. I have no idea why, but I think that carrot cake probably tastes better in the South, and that's why this recipe is so great.

Cousin Maggie's Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup grated carrots (buy the pre-shredded ones)

1 cup coconut

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained, but leave very moist

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix dry ingredients.

3. Add eggs, oil, and vanilla. Mix well.

4. Stir in carrots, pineapple, and coconut.

5. Bake at 350 degrees in two 9 inch or three 8 inch greased or floured round cake pans for 50 minutes, or until done.

Two layers! Although I think 3 smaller
layered circles would look elegant.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

12 ounces (1 1/2 packages) cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

6 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Beat cream cheese and butter together. Add confectioner's sugar and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

This recipe makes a LOT of frosting. Although, the more layers you have,
the more you need to frost between the layers and cover the increased height.
And if you don't use it all, it makes a perfect snack with graham crackers.

I made this for my friend's birthday dinner, and we all ate until we we could barely walk. 
I may still be full next Tuesday.

So darn good.