Baking + Hello Kitty + Birthday = New Tattoo

As an early birthday present to myself, I finally got my Hello Kitty tattoo. I've wanted a Hello Kitty tattoo since I was 15. I had a specific sketch in mind, and when I was finally ready to have it done, I lost it. It was of Hello Kitty looking sad, holding a sad teddy bear. Yeah, makes sense to a 15-year-old, not so much as an adult.

Now that there are a ton of Hello Kitty collaborations, I had seen some baking-related images. It made me realize I should update the Hello Kitty tat idea and make it relevant to who I am today. I decided on this one, which is based on a Johnny Cupcakes design. Not quite the same, as I wanted some tweaks to make it more personal to me. I'm quite happy with it.

Now, to decide when to get my cupcake tattoo... ;)

PB&J Cupcakes / Cupcake Corer

RJ had asked me a while ago if I could make him PB&J cupcakes. Since he was participating in this weekend's Warrior Dash, I made him some. This version is definitely custom-made for RJ.



I used the vanilla cupcake recipe from Penzeys; used a cupcake corer and filled it with Strawberry Polaner All Fruit with Fiber; topped it with natural creamy peanut butter. Yup, it's not even frosting. [Side note: RJ doesn't really like frosting.]



I wanted to share my user experience regarding the cupcake corer. I like filled cupcakes, but I do not enjoy filling cupcakes. I like my cupcakes uniformly filled so that you can expect consistency. I find jamming the tip into a cupcake and squeezing the pastry bag makes me feel like I'm doing it consistently, but the results say otherwise.

So I saw the cupcake corer during a quick errand of picking up random baking supplies and decided to try it. I didn't actually get to use it until last night since i haven't made filled cupcakes since purchasing it. Overall, the product worked exactly as it was demonstrated on the package.



The only drawback in the product is it's way too wide to use on a normal-sized cupcake. The first two cupcakes I cored pretty much fell apart after I cored, filled, and frosted them. In the subsequent cupcakes, I didn't insert the corer as deep, which helped tremendously with the cupcake's structural integrity. Ideally, if I could find a narrower corer which functions exactly like this, I would definitely pick it up.

Rhubarb Dream Bars

Craig bestowed upon me one massive rhubarb harvest from his garden. To thank him for his efforts, I made Rhubarb Dream Bars for him and his department.

For the Crust
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp Penzeys lemon peel + 1 tsp lemon juice

For the Filling
4 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
4 cups (1 pound) packed diced rhubarb

Crust: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Using your fingers, cut in the butter until crumbly. Add the lemon peel and juice, and press the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan.



Bake the crust in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until it's lightly browned. Remove it from the oven (leave the oven on) and allow it to cool slightly.



Filling: While the crust is baking, make the filling. Beat the eggs and salt until foamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until the mixture is thick and light yellow. Blend in the flour, then fold in the rhubarb.





Pour the rhubarb mixture over the still-warm crust.



Return the pan to the oven, and bake the bars for 40 to 45 minutes, until they're lightly browned. Remove them from the oven, and cool for several hours for easiest cutting. The top layer separates a bit from the filling when you cut; just press it back lightly.

Inspired by Voodoo Doughnut...

Last weekend, my brother, sister-in-law, and niece were in town to visit. I don't usually go to cupcakeries because I'm a baking snob and I know what good quality baking is. However, I decided on a whim to make an exception because we were in the vicinity of a cupcakery that people at work have recommended to me multiple times. And yes, these same people have all eaten my baked goods, and this was also the first cupcakery they have lauded.

The thing with me is I will pick desserts or flavors that I don't usually make. My sis-in-law and I saw a cupcake that sounded deceivingly similar to the beloved Bacon Maple Bar that we've had at Voodoo Doughnuts, and we decided to get that to try.

We ate it and we were disappointed, maybe because we thought we were getting the Bacon Maple Bar in cupcake form. It wasn't. This cupcake had different flavor profiles and we recognized what was good about it, but it still wasn't what we wanted.

Fast forward to today. I'll be celebrating my friend Lisa's birthday tonight, and her favorite doughnut is the Bacon Maple Bar. I decided to try making my version of it in cupcake form to give to her.

For the Cupcakes (original recipe from Penzeys but I can't find it online to link)
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp double-strength vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a muffin pan with liners.

2. Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl.

3. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.

4. Spoon the batter into the cupcake papers, half full.

5. Bake 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

For the Maple Glaze
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp maple extract

Mix together. I don't normally add maple extract, but I did this time for more flavor since I only had grade A maple syrup.

Bacon was prepared in the oven and broken into sections to fit across the cupcake.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

For Shelby's birthday, I decided to make Snickerdoodle Cupcakes. Since they were for a party, I decided to make it with frosting instead of my usual cinnamon sugar crust.

I didn't use the frosting recipe that goes along with these cupcakes. I decided to go with a simple vanilla buttercream.

Mexican Rhubarb Chocolate Chunk Brownies

Craig was rad enough to harvest rhubarb from his garden, and I grabbed the whole loot, mwahahaha! Admittedly, I've never worked with rhubarb before. I've eaten it, but I haven't ventured in using it as an ingredient.

I wasn't sure what I was going to make with it. Pie is the obvious answer, but if you know me, you know I don't go for the obvious. Decided to go with Mexican Rhubarb Chocolate Chunk Brownies.

Rhubarb Compote
1 cup rhubarb, strings removed, cut in 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Brownie Batter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 oz. Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon dark rum
2 oz. Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the rhubarb compote: In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring rhubarb, water and sugar to a boil. When sugar is dissolved, lower heat to a simmer and cook until rhubarb is soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Puree in a blender until smooth, if necessary. The rhubarb should break down to a smooth compote.



To make the brownie batter: In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. In a clean microwavable glass bowl, melt bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate together in the microwave at 50 percent power or in a double boiler. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium speed. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, combining well. Add in the vanilla and rum. Stir the rhubarb into the chocolate mixture, then add to the batter. Mix until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and gently fold in the semisweet chocolate and pecans. Do not over mix. Spray an 8 by 8 by 2-inch clear glass baking dish with shortening spray. Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth out top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Cut into squares and serve.





[Edit 6/13] Lessons learned: I thought it could've used more heat. I made these again over Memorial Day weekend and added 1/2 tsp of cayenne instead and I didn't think it made much difference. I would need to rethink how much heat to add in next time, or go on a quest for the chile powder so I can use as directed.

The other thing is the nuts didn't make much of an impact. I skipped them and added more chocolate chunks the second time I made them. Can't have too much chocolate, right? ;)

Brown Velvet Cupcakes

I like to make treats for my project team at work because:

1. I love to feed people.
2. Some of my favorite people at work are on that project team.

Matt had asked that I make red velvet cupcakes. I've made red velvet cupcakes before and I've been pretty meh about the results. I don't get the allure of red velvet. I hate that it's dyed (though I am open to using beet powder, I didn't do that for this round, hence brown velvet) and if I'm going to eat a chocolate cupcake, I want to be able to taste the depth of chocolate, not just a hint. But, I do like being challenged, so I looked for a new recipe to try.

I found this one on foodnetwork.com and thought I'd give it a whirl.

For the Cupcakes
3 cups plus 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 7/8 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with liners.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a medium bowl.

3. Mix the vegetable oil, buttermilk, sugar, eggs, food coloring, applesauce, vinegar, and vanilla on medium speed until incorporated.

4. Add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time. Mix until just combined.

5. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 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

4 tbsp butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Mix butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the extracts and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until incorporated.