Rolo Cupcakes

yield | 24 cupcakes


For the cupcakes:
1 (18.25 ounce) package Devil’s Food Cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs; lightly beaten
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon of vanilla
24 frozen Rolos (freeze for at least 2 hours)

For the frosting:
4 sticks unsalted butter; room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
⅓ cup caramel syrup
1 1/2 pounds confectioners’ sugar

For the ganache:
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into very small pieces
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla

24 Rolos for garnish
Preparation

For the cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line (2) 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, water and vanilla until well combined and smooth.
4. Evenly divide the batter amongst the prepared pans. {I use a large cookie scoop from OXO to scoop my batter; it holds 3 tablespoons}.
5. Gently push a frozen Rolo into the center of the batter and smooth the surface making sure to cover the candy with batter.
6. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch. A small divot may appear in the center of the cupcake, no worries though because you’ll cover that with frosting.
7. Cool cupcakes thoroughly on wire rack.

For the frosting:
1. Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the vanilla extract, salt and caramel syrup and combine well.
2. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, give it a taste and decide if you want to add in more caramel syrup. For thicker frosting you can gradually add in a little more sugar.

For the ganache:
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until very hot, but not boiling.
2. Place chocolate pieces in a heat safe bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk the cream and chocolate until smooth and thoroughly combined. Whisk in the honey, corn syrup, and vanilla. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Do not let the glaze sit for too long or it will harden up before you spoon it over the frosting.
3. Spoon the glaze on the tops of the frosted cupcakes, allowing it to drip down the sides a little bit. Don’t add too much glaze or it will drip all over your liners.
4. Top each cupcake with a Rolo.
5. Store cupcakes in the refrigerator. Remove them to room temperature one hour before serving.

Rainbow Cake

This is really cute for birthday cakes and cupcakes.

2 boxes white cake mix
24 oz of clear diet soda (2 cans, ginger ale and sprite work well)
gel food colouring
16 oz whipped topping
2 oz instant fat-free sugar-free pudding mix (2 smallish boxes)

The Dieting
Mix the cake mix with the soda according to regular instructions on box. It will be lumpy afterward. Again, you can use any white cake recipe you want, this is just how I do it.

The Rainbowing
Measure the total volume (by my estimate, 64 oz), then divide by 6 and measure into separate bowls. There are 8 oz in a cup, so 64/6 = 10 to 11 oz, or 1 cup + 2 tbsp.

Stir colour into each bowl with its own spoon. For the first colour into the pan, measure out 2/3 to 3/4 of your mix (in this case about 1 c) as close to the middle as you can. Drop in your first three colours, then work on the other pan with the last three colours. So if you’re doing rainbow order, the first pan should have red, then orange, then yellow, and now the purple, blue and green go into the second pan. As a recap, this is so both layers are roughly the same size.

Bake the cake for however long the box tells you to bake it. Check it when the box says to, but usually it’ll need an extra 5 or 10 minutes or maybe more because of the density of the soda method. Just keep baking, checking back every 5 minutes or so until a toothpick to the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before moving to a wire rack.

Pretty in Pink Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes

Saw this recipe on the Cupcakes Wars. Hope to try it soon.

Recipe courtesy Jenny Harrison and Mariel Williams, Cupcake Wars, 2010

Prep Time:20 min

Cook Time: 20 min
Serves: 18 to 19 cupcakes

Ingredients
Cupcakes:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh strawberries
3 eggs
1 cup extra-dry champagne
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Strawberry Whipped Cream Frosting:

4 cups heavy whipping cream
8 large marshmallows
2/3 cups powdered sugar
Champagne Simple Syrup, recipe follows

Directions

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin pans with 18 to 19 cupcake liners.

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Place the strawberries in a food processor and process until pureed. Measure out 1/2 cup of the puree, and reserve the extra for the frosting.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the strawberry puree, eggs, Champagne, butter, and vegetable oil on medium speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Turn the mixer to medium-low speed, and add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Mix until just combined.

Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely.

For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy whipping cream on high speed until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. (While whipping the cream, place a washcloth over the mixer to prevent splatters on countertop.)

While the cream is whipping, melt the marshmallows in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave on high for 15 seconds. Stir with a rubber spatula, and plop the melted marshmallows into the whipping cream once the soft peaks are reached. Continue to whip until stiff peaks are formed. Turn the speed to medium and add the sugar and 1/4 cup reserved strawberry puree. Whip until all the ingredients are incorporated, about 30 seconds.

To assemble: With a pastry brush, brush the tops of the cooled cupcakes with the Champagne Simple Syrup. Place the frosting in a piping bag with a tip of your choice, and pipe a large dollop or multiple swirls on the tops of the cupcakes.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.
Champagne Simple Syrup:

1/2 cup extra dry champagne
1/2 cup sugar

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stir the Champagne and sugar together with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium, and continue to cook until the mixture has reduced to about half and can line the back of the spoon, about 5 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly.

Bruce Paltrow’s World Famous Pancakes

Featured in today's GOOP newsletter. Sounds yummy.

Yield: 3 dozen 5-inch pancakes

Active Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes + overnight resting

3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons fine salt
3 cups buttermilk
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, plus more butter for cooking
6 organic large eggs
Up to 1 cup milk, as needed to thin batter
Real Vermont maple syrup, warmed

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, butter and eggs together in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones whisking just enough to combine (small lumps are okay). Let the batter sit, covered, overnight.

The next morning, heat up your griddle or favorite nonstick pan and slick it with a little butter. Add enough milk to the batter to thin it to the right consistency—the thicker the batter, the thicker and heavier your pancakes; the thinner the batter, the more delicate your pancakes—neither is wrong.

Cook the pancakes on the griddle, flipping them after bubbles appear on the surface of the uncooked side. Let cook 2-3 minutes more, then remove, and eat with lots of warm maple syrup.

fruit dip

there are a LOT of fruit dips out there, but for the past 12 years this is still my favorite.

ingredients:
2 pkgs cream cheese softened.
-if you need to soften the cream cheese, put it in a microwave safe dish, and pop it in for 30 seconds. it will be perfectly soft.

1 cup brown sugar
1 small package white chocolate pudding mix
16 ounces vanilla yogurt

mix all four ingredients together till smooth with no lumps. refrigerate till served.
serve with fruit, best choice – strawberries & fuji apples.

to keep your apples from turning brown, dip them quickly in lemon juice.

Lemonade & Popsicles

LEMONADE BASE RECIPE

1 cup sugar
1 cup room temperature water
3 cups cold water
1 cup lemon juice
FOR PINK LEMONADE

3 teaspoons grenadine
FOR PASSION TEA LEMONADE

4 Tazo Passion tea bags
3 to 4 cups boiling water


Create simple syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and place the saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture occasionally to help it dissolve, if necessary, then remove the saucepan from the heat when the sugar has completely dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Pour the lemon juice (either fresh squeezed or store bought is fine) into a pitcher. Dilute the lemonade with the cold water, then add the simple syrup and stir thoroughly to combine.

Create additional batches of the basic lemonade for the other flavors. To create pink lemonade, add the grenadine and stir thoroughly to combine. To create the Passion tea lemonade, steep the tea bags in the boiling water. If you’d prefer a stronger Passion flavor, use a lower amount of water, as the lemonade will dilute it (I generally use, and recommend, only three cups for a more concentrated flavor). Set the tea aside to cool, then combine with the base lemonade recipe.

To assemble the popsicles, arrange a line of small paper cups in a line and pour in the desired amount of lemonade. To create even, equal sections as shown, I used a ¼ cup measuring spoon to measure out the liquid. When all the cups are filled with their first flavor layer, carefully transfer them to the freezer and let them set for about 30 minutes or until almost solid through – soft enough to insert the stick, but firm enough to support it. Insert the popsicle stick part way through the first layer (but not clean through to the bottom of the cup). Transfer the cups back to the freezer to allow the first layer to set completely.

Continue to add additional layers of the various flavors as desired, ensuring each layer is allowed to be frozen through before continuing. If the layer isn’t completely set, you may get a little bleeding between the layers rather than a crisp line (which you may prefer!). Stop creating layers once the cup is about ¾ of the way full to avoid any accidental overflow. After the last layer is frozen, serve when ready by ripping open the paper cup.