Chocolate Fudge Frosting

This is the first time I have ever made Chocolate Frosting, but I would recommend this recipe to anyone. It is some of the best frosting I have ever had: Chocolaty, fudgy, spreadable, and has a nice finish. I used this to frost a basic yellow cake that had a Boston Cream filling.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Adapted from MarthaStewart.com: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chocolate-buttercream-frosting?comments_page=1

Ingredients:

2 Cups Sugar

1 Cup egg whites (About 6 large eggs)

2 ½ sticks unsalted butter (room temp and cut into pieces)
16 oz Semi Sweet Chocolate chunks

1 tsp Vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Place chocolate chunks in a heat safe bowl and place over a pot of simmering water. Whisk white chocolate melts, until smooth. Set chocolate aside, and keep pot of water simmering on stove.
2. Place sugar and egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set this over (but not touching) your pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar and egg mixture is heated and sugar is dissolved.
3. Attach bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and continue whisking on med/high speed until cooled and stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes.
4. With the mixer running, add butter, one piece at a time, until completely incorporated. Continue whisking until a light, fluffy cream has formed. Stir in chocolate  and vanilla until well combined.
5. Frost! I used a small silicon spatula to frost an even layer over my cake which worked out perfect. You could definitely fill your piping bag and go to town. This is a really versatile frosting with great texture.
   

FYI:

This recipe provides A LOT of frosting - way more than I needed for my 9” round, two-layer cake. I would suggest this recipe for about 24 cupcakes. If you do use this for cake frosting and have leftovers, pour into small aluminum loaf pans, place in the freezer, and you’ll have fudge for gift giving (…or for eating all by yourself. Whichever).  Wrap loaf pans with cellophane and tie with a tag and a bow, and you’ll have perfect holiday treats.

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Makes 18 cupcakes

CUPCAKE

recipe adapted from The Farm Chicks

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar
1 ¾  cup flour

¾  cup cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 ½  tsp baking powder

½  tsp fine sea salt

2 eggs
1 cup milk
½  cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla
½ cup melted semi-sweet chocolate

1 cup boiling water

Instructions:

1.    Preheat oven to 350°F, line muffin tins with cupcake liners.*

2.    Sift together dry ingredients into mixing bowl

3.    Chop about ½ cup of semi sweet chocolate chunks in a double boiler

4.    Add all wet ingredients to dry ingredients.

5.    With a paddle attachment, mix on medium/low speed until incorporated. Be careful not to over beat so that the finished cupcake consistency does not turn out bread-like.

6.    Ladle mixture into cupcake liners

7.    Bake for 20 minutes (or until toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean)

*I ran out of cupcake liners and improvised by cutting 5”x5” squares of wax paper and pressing them into the cups in the muffin tin and smoothing out any creases. I actually preferred the way this looked – more professional.

SALTED CARAMEL (Used for filling and garnish) adapted from Cupcake Bake Shop by Chockylit

Ingredients:

1 cup white granulated sugar

4 tbs water

2 tbs light corn syrup

½ cup heavy cream

½ tsp fine sea salt

2 tbs unsalted butter

½ tsp lemon juice

Instructions:

1.    Put sugar, water, and corn syrup in a large saucepan stir until sugar is incorporated.

2.    Cover and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.

3.    Uncover and raise temperature to medium/high and bring mixture to a boil. Make sure from this point on to constantly shake pan to circulate sugar mixture so it will not burn. It can turn to a burnt mess in NO TIME.

4.    Cook until sugar turns a nice amber color (on the lighter side of amber) then remove from heat.

5.    Add heavy cream and stir. Sugar and cream mixture WILL bubble up, so watch your fingers.

6.    Finish by adding salt, butter, and lemon juice. Stir until smooth and transfer to a heat safe bowl.

SALTED CARAMEL FROSTING  (I make frosting by adding “a little o’ this, a little o’ that” until I’m satisfied. This is my best guess as to measurements of the ingredients.)
Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter
1 stick salted butter

1/3 tbs fine sea salt
4 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbs water
1 tsp vanilla

1/3 Salted Caramel mixture

Instructions:

1.    Cream butter and salt together using a paddle attachment

2.    Alternate powdered sugar and heavy cream additions until all is incorporate

3.    Add caramel, vanilla, and water and beat until incorporated

4.    At this point I decided I wanted a fluffier frosting so I switched my paddle attachment to a whisk attachment and beat on high for about 8 minutes. Taste along the way to make sure it is the consistency you like.

ASSEMBLY

1.    Cut out a small hole in the center of each cupcake, reserving cut out cake piece.

2.    Fill with about 1/3 tsp caramel mixture and replace cake piece. Do this to each cupcake.

3.    To frost, fill piping bag with frosting. (I used an open star tip on my piping bag.)

4.    Frost in a circular motion beginning from the outside edge and ending in the center.

5.    Garnish by drizzling remaining caramel sauce and sprinkling coarse sea salt over top of each cupcake.

6.    Serve!

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backyard at the Candleberry Inn in Brewster MA - Cape Cod

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She Continues to Impress

I am dumbfounded by the quality of the photos my little cousin takes, and she's not even old enough to drive.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ali_campbell/

Banjo

This is our new puppy, Banjo! He is an 11 week old Australian Shepherd/Bue Heeler mix. Birdy and I rescued him from a shelter down in Arkansas and had him transported up here. He is the best little guy! Full of energy and a big snuggler. He is a great addition to our Family!

*http://www.petfinder.com/ is a great resource to find rescue pets!