Chai in the Summer Time

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YUM.

BEST Chocolate Cupcakes!

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BEST CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE EVER!!!!

Of course these cupcakes were made using my only trusted chocolate cake recipe. This recipe is just perfection in my eyes. The crumb is tender, the cake is moist and fluffy, and the overall flavor is chocolatey but not enough to overwhelm the buttery buttercream on top.

If you really want to know how good these cupcakes were just go ahead and make them, but if that's not enough advice to coax you into trying it out I can tell you my sister devoured half of the entire batch.

Yes, half.

May I remind you that we're all trying to lose weight in time for my cousin's wedding later this month. Apparently the goal to fit into our dresses without sucking in our stomachs and extreme tugging at the zipper was pushed aside in favor of stuffing our faces with cake. Or maybe I should say stuffing her face with cake. The combination of the white chocolate buttercream and chocolate cake was a big winner. Simple flavors are truly profound.

Not much more I can say about these pint sized pillows of heaven. Good cupcake. Good frosting. Nothing can really beat that pairing.

Enjoy!

Best Chocolate Cupcakes

Adapted from Allrecipes

Yields 2 dozen cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter,  softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon baking cocoa
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup boiling water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a mixing bowl, cream brown sugar and butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla.
2. In another large mixing bowl sift to combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
3. Alternately add the flour and sour cream to creamed mixture. Mix on low just until combined. Stir in water until blended.
4. Pour batter into the cupcake liners and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes.

White Chocolate Buttercream

Yields  4 cups

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 egg whites
• 14 tablespoons (256 g) unsalted butter, softened slightly and sliced
• 1/3 cup white chocolate, melted and cooled

INSTRUCTIONS

1)      Cook the egg whites and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. A candy thermometer should read roughly 160°F.

2)      Pour egg whites into another bowl (a stand mixer is preferable) and whip on high speed until room temp and glossy peaks have formed.

3)      On a medium-slow speed, add the butter, waiting until each piece is completely incorporated before adding the next.

4)      Once the buttercream has reached the ideal consistency, add the melted and cooled white chocolate carefully. Once the buttercream has been whipped, store in an air tight container until ready to be piped onto the cupcakes. 

Baked with LOVE

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Ahh, what a beautiful pound cake. Drenched in a tangy lemon glaze, sealing in the most lucious and moist loaf I have ever made. 

Then WAPOW! Cut yourself a big slice and be surprised by the most darling heart baked right into the center!

Honestly, the most requested flavor in my family has got to be lemon, and I cannot argue with the love for the citrus fruit. The zest and juice brightens up every baked good and the rays of sunshine tingle your nose as they bake in the oven. Simple and straight forward, I love lemon. <3

In fact, I adore the tartness so much that it inclined me to make the scrumptious pound cake right after I got home from school. I had seen several blogs in which they used a Wilton cake pan that baked a perfect heart into the center of a round cake. You could then fill the center with mousse or jello or whatever fillings that tickled you taste buds. I unfortunately had no such convenience of this cake pan contraption and so I made do with a little innovation. I must conclude that my tactics proved to be successful.

After contemplating for a while on how to execute this pound cake it hit me. I whipped up the batter that took a mere fifteen minutes to pull together. I separated a little less than a third of the batter and added in about two drops of red food coloring. Since the batter itself is a little yellow the dyed batter transformed into the most vivid shade of coral! So pretty. I then spread the pink batter into my loaf pan and baked it off. After cooling in the freezer I took a simple heart shaped cookie cutter and stamped out the cake that would become the center of the loaf.

Simple enough. I poured half of the remaining batter into the loaf pan again and placed my heart cut outs standing up in a row similar to the first picture of this post. Then finally I poured the last of the tasty batter on top, smoothed everything out and popped that baby into the oven, crossing my fingers in hopes that my vision would be portrayed. No worries about the center being overcooked though. This cake is insanely moist, so I would assume that it would take some extreme heat and time before it ever became dry. 

Enjoy!

Lemon Love Pound Cake

Adapted form Allrecipes

Yields 2 loafs

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup butter,  softened
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 5 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in lemon juice, peel and extract. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Beat just until combined.
2. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon Glaze

Yields 1 cup

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the powdered sugar and zest in a mixing bowl.
2. Slowly add the juice until it reaches the desired consistency for spreading or pouring over the cooled pound cake.