The BEST Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Frosting

 Let me start by making a few bold statements about this recipe. 

First: If I only could make & eat one classic chocolate cake/cupcake for the rest of my life, this would be it. 

Second: I cannot think of when I've had a better chocolate frosting. Seriously. It's FABULOUS. 

 I love all chocolate. I'm a certified chocoholic. Borderline obsessed. Bittersweet, semi-sweet, milk, they all have their place. Even white chocolate (which only half counts...but I can put it to good use sometimes) 

 When it comes to cake, I'm extremely picky. Too dry, too dense, not chocolatey enough. That's typically the issues I always run into when making or eating chocolate cakes. Don't even get me started about store bought cake...I will not TOUCH it if it came from a grocery store. YUCK!!! As my mom says, you can taste the shortening coating your tongue when you eat it! Right?? Please don't do that to your kids, or loved ones. This cake is not difficult and will make you realize why I won't waste the calories on crappy cake. (Sorry, but there's just some things I'm snobby about) 

 The cake in this recipe is soooo rich and so chocolatey while staying moist and not at all dense. It's a wonderful balance and the most shocking part??...they are unbelievable even when made Gluten Free!! I'm not on a gluten free diet...as you've probably guessed. But I first made this cake for my hair dresser's wedding cake sample. And I was completely shocked that I couldn't taste the difference! The texture was still beautiful & tender. I will share with you the flour I used, so I CANNOT speak for other gluten free flours working as well. (I never claimed to know much about the Gluten Free lifestyle, but I do know what tastes great, and this did)

So let's talk frosting. I feel like with a rich, dark chocolate cake you need a milk chocolate frosting to balance it out. This is such a wonderful, wonderful recipe!! It has a luscious milk chocolate flavor and creamy, lush texture. It's quite heavenly. What makes it such a standout is that I use lots of melted, good quality milk chocolate! 

All I can say when this cake & frosting marry is, "WOW."

This is the only chocolate cupcake recipe you will ever need. It will impress friends, wow your family, and satisfy that chocolate craving better than anything out there. 

Let me give you a tip: Unless you are making a wedding/speciality cake, or you live in the desert with no air conditioning, Do NOT refrigerate your cake. You can make the most light, moist, beautiful cake and a few hours in the fridge and the texture will never be the same. It will still taste great, but there's nothing better than a cake at room temperature. So leave those beautiful cupcakes out to display on your counter and make your friends salivate! ;) 

 This recipe can be used to make a classic 3 layer cake instead of cupcakes. It also is 2 of the 3 components of my Perfect German Chocolate Cake (which I will post soon, I promise!!) As well as the Chocolate Cake Pop recipe I am making tomorrow, so I am also planning to post pics. See?? So versatile! Stay tuned for those great variations using this recipe! 

Look at this beautiful face! I take no responsibility for her being as much of a chocoholic as I am. 

Just EAT these NOW!! 

The BEST Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Frosting (makes about 3 dozen cupcakes)

 

For the cake:
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
1 cup brewed coffee (It really just brings out the flavor of the chocolate)
2 cups milk (or full fat coconut milk)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups cake flour (or this rice flour for gluten free. I was truly impressed by this flour. I found it at Sprouts)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

 

 

Milk Chocolate Frosting:
2 cups chopped milk chocolate or milk chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips- any grocery store)
2 sticks butter, softened
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups powdered sugar
5-6 tablespoons milk (or more)

 

I don't have a ton of pictures, sorry. But you get the idea! It's really quite easy. 

 

  Preheat oven to 350ºF.

  Combine the butter and cocoa and cook on the stove or in the microwave until melted. Slowly add the coffee and milk, whisking to combine. Add the sugars, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until smooth.

  Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to the rest and mix just until combined. Fill muffin pan lined with paper liners or sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out mostly clean.

 Cool slightly before removing from muffin pan. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting: (I do this while the cake is baking)

 Melt the chocolate (I do it in the microwave). If you're using chocolate chips instead of baking chocolate, make sure you turn your microwave power way down and stir often. Beat together the melted chocolate and butter. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla.

 

  Alternately add the powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency is reached. This makes a thick, creamy frosting. Mmmmm.....

Banana-Coconut French Toast Bake

 Ok, ok. So this is my second baked french toast recipe & probably my 20th breakfast recipe. But I'm ok with that & I hope you are too. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and I always look forward to our weekend breakfasts with my family. I made this as a surprise for Lana (my oldest daughter) this morning and she scarfed down every bite. 

 This week I've been pondering my Lana's 4th birthday. It's going to be a Maui, Hawaii theme (Maui is our family's "happy place"). We go every other summer with my mom, step-dad, sister & grandma. We have to most magical time and are depressed every time we leave. So I thought a hawaiian party would be a perfect warm weather theme this year. I've been scrolling through our pictures from our Hawaiian family trips for extra inspiration and it not only makes me wish I could transport ourselves there right this second, it has also made me want to bring that Hawaiian good feelin' to my home. That's probably what made me come up with this recipe. Clearly I've got that tropic inspiration going in this french toast. 

 

 I have a bag of Hawaiian rolls I was planning on using for sliders at my husbands birthday party last weekend, but I ended up using pretzel rolls (it was a Beer theme, after all). So I was trying to think how I could use up these delicious, fluffy bread rolls and french toast came to mind! I happened to have a little coconut & tons of bananas so POOF! Breakfast was born! Because it needs to bake, it takes about an hour in total to make. Only minutes to assemble though. After tossing the cubed bread in the yummy custard, I topped it with a coconut-brown sugar crumble. Delish!!! Syrup is optional. My daughter wanted it (mostly because she's a sugar junkie) but Chris & I found that the crumble sweetened it just enough. It really hit the spot on this beautiful Sunday morning, and for a few moments I was transported to our Maui house in Kihei...ahhhhhhh.....

Banana-Coconut French Toast Bake (serves 6-8)

12 King's Hawaiian Original Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, cut in 1/2 inch cubes

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cup milk (I used 1%)

2 Tbs maple syrup

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 heaping tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Zest of 1 lemon

2 bananas, sliced thin

1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Topping:

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/4 cup cold butter, diced small

1/4 tsp cinnamon  

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, zest until combined. Stir in the bananas & coconut. Toss in the bread cubes and toss well until it's all coated. The bread will start to absorb the egg custard immediately. 

This is when I preheat my oven to 350 degrees. The reason I wait to preheat is because it gives the bread a good 10 minutes to continue to sit & suck up all the custard. (Which it needs) Plus, you don't have to warm up your kitchen for longer than needed. :) 

 Pour the bread into a 9x13 casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Doesn't it look good already?? We're going to make it even better right now. 

To make the coconut-brown sugar topping: Toss all ingredients in a small bowl. Use you hands to work in the cold butter into the dry ingredients. Sprinkle evenly on top of bread mixture. 

(Tip: if you wish to make this recipe ahead of time, just cover it with plastic wrap at this point and it can sit in the fridge overnight. Just add 10 minutes to the baking time since it will be cold out of the fridge.) ;-)

 Bake for 35-40 minutes. Too should be golden brown & custard should be set in the middle. 

Smell the Hawaiian spirit filling your home? Yummy!!!!!

Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup & enjoy in all its tropical glory. Can't wait to make this next summer when we are in Maui again! 

The Donut Experiment: Round 2- Glazed Old Fashion Sour Cream Donuts

 Old fashion donuts are my absolute favorite of all donuts. Which if you read my last post, it's extremely difficult to make that decision because I adore donuts in all forms. I think I like them because they have a little more heft. I eat one and feel full & satisfied. The glaze suctions to every nook and cranny and makes them extra delectable. 

 I have these pictures with only a classic thin vanilla glaze, however I had leftover chocolate glaze from my cake donut testing and topped a few with the chocolate too. Let me tell you, when that chocolate glaze hardened on top of the donuts....oh my word. This was the closest to real donut shop donuts so far! I got this recipe from a donut place called Top Pot. They have a cookbook which I just ordered and so excited to check out! So I figure the best recipes to test are ones that come from an actual donut shop, right?? 

 Ok so my Official Rating of this recipe is: 8 1/2

It's not total perfection, but it is so close and I absolutely LOVED this recipe! (I'm a tough grader)

 My comments about these donuts: Overall texture is as it should be. Slightly dense, moist, flaky, sugary, fabulous. They need to be eaten at room temp, not hot. In fact, my mom, grandmother & I just split the last donut tonight (and I made them 4 days ago) and they were just as DELICIOUS!! Substituting any ingredients WILL effect the end result. It may not be bad, but  even substituting butter for the shortening really does make a slight difference! So just remember that. They easily last 3-4 days without losing much integrity. The vanilla glaze was perfect and super simple! Here's my chocolate glaze recipe if you need it again. I recommend glazing all donuts in vanilla then adding any chocolate or other glaze you like afterwards. Something about that thin glaze coating the donut that adds to the texture and flavor....Mmmmmm... 

 So try it out for yourself! (donut holes rock, by the way)

Glazed Sour Cream Old Fashion Donuts (about 1 dozen, plus donut holes)

Recipe from Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts: Secrets and Recipes for the Home Baker
From Chronicle Books, September 2011

 (Top them with Vanilla Glaze when they’re piping hot!)

For Donuts:

2 1/4 cups cake flour, plus more for rolling and cutting
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp iodized salt
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp shortening, trans-fat-free preferred
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sour cream
Canola or Vegetable oil, for frying

For Vanilla Glaze:
(Enough for 1 dozen cake or ring-shaped doughnuts)

3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp iodized salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp hot water, plus more if needed

First, make the glaze: Place the ingredients in a large mixing bowl or in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Using a whisk, or with the machine on low speed, blend until the mixture is smooth and all the sugar has been incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, if necessary. If the glaze seems to thick, add more hot water, a teaspoon at a time.
Cover glaze with plastic wrap touching the top glaze so it doesn't dry out while you are making the donuts. Set aside

Next up, the donuts!

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg together into a mixing bowl, and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the sugar and shortening for 1 minute on low speed, until sandy. Add the egg yolks, then mix 1 more minute on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if necessary, until the mixture is light colored and thick.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three separate additions, alternating with the sour cream, mixing until just combined on low speed and scraping the sides of the bowl each time. The dough will be sticky, like cookie dough.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for 45 minutes (or up to 24 hours).

Using a candy thermometer to measure the temperature, heat oil (at least 2 inch deep) in a deep fryer, large pot, or high-sided frying pan to 325°F. Roll chilled dough out on a generously floured counter or cutting board to 1/2 inch thick, or about 8 inches in diameter, flouring the top of the dough and the rolling pin as necessary to prevent sticking. Cut into as many donuts and holes as possible, dipping the cutter into flour before each cut. Fold and gently reroll the dough (working with floured hands makes the dough less sticky), and cut again.

Shake any excess flour off the donuts before carefully adding them to the hot oil a few at a time, taking care not to crowd them. Once the donuts float, fry for 15 seconds, then gently flip them. Fry 75 to 90 seconds, until golden brown and cracked, then flip and fry the first side again for 60 to 75 seconds, until golden. Drain a rack set over paper towels/absorbent paper.

Immediately dip them in the glaze and set them on a cooling rack. Let sit for at least 15 minutes before serving. Like I mentioned before, the flavor is actually much better when they are cooled completely. Enjoy!!

 

 

The Donut Experiment: Day 1- Chocolate/Vanilla Glazed Cake Donuts

 Ok, besides my baby sister, I don't know  anyone that can't say they don't love or crave a good donut. Donuts are probably my biggest weakness of all sweets. I could inhale 10 in a sitting if my conscious allowed me (and I didn't mind gaining 100 lbs). I see them and I WANT one so bad! Cake donuts, yeast donuts, old fashion, fritters, you name it. Omg so good!! On my birthday My husband brought me a HUGE box of fresh donuts for breakfast and I was in hog heaven. And I felt like a hog afterwards (haha) Yes, I know...I have a problem. So as much as I adore that beautiful fluffy fried dough dipped in scrumptious glaze, I just don't find myself in many donut shops. I actually rarely eat them. How can I??? You read how in love I am..I'm a danger to myself! I want another one just talking about one, I have no self control. Argh!! Curse you, tasty donuts!!!!

 Even with all of my pastry training & skills I have actually never attempted to make REAL DEAL donuts. Just baked donuts (which only HALF count as a donut, by the way). Not. The. Same....sorry. 

 I want to make a donut that I close my eyes and I feel like I bought it from the local donut shop, Ya know? So this is my new quest. I'm calling it The Donut Experiment. 

 I will share with you my ups & downs and my honest opinion hopefully getting some excellent donuts out of this. For my own health, I will be pacing this experiment. With my lack of self control around donuts, I'm gunna have to let a few days go by in between recipe testing. ;) this will be an ongoing series until I have my favorites in the following categories:

Cake Donut (plain & glazed)

Yeast Donut (chocolate & maple bars)

Old Fashion (chocolate & vanilla glazed)

 I'm starting pretty basic. Cake donuts with chocolate glaze. Then I decided to try a vanilla glaze as well which was a great idea. I actually loved the vanilla bean glaze I threw together. 

 

 My oldest (Lana) is helping me in my experiment. Not many kids are gunna pass up the opportunity to make donuts with mom, right? As you can see Lana  adorned ours with some fun springtime sprinkles. Adorable! 

(On a 1 to 10 scale)

 Official Rating for this recipe is: 7

My comments about it is this: Decent texture. Flavor is good, not great. Needs more spice (nutmeg). Next day they were a little more dry and a touch stale. Chocolate glaze was intensely chocolatey when still wet. When it dries it tastes a lot like the chocolate glazes you get in a donut shop...WIN! Would I be impressed if someone made them for me? Heck Yeah! Do they taste like the donuts you get in a donut shop? No. Therefore...testing in this category will go on. But here is the recipe to try for yourself!

 

Chocolate or Vanilla Glazed Cake Donuts (makes about 1 dozen)

 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour,( plus more for rolling out dough) (I'd also try cake flour to make it lighter if you have it)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 Tbs baking powder

1/4 tsp nutmeg (or cinnamon) < I'd at least double this amount so make it 1/2 tsp

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

5 Tbs unsalted butter, melted & cooled

2 tsp vanilla extract

Oil for frying (I used vegetable)

Sprinkles of choice (optional)

 

Yummy Chocolate Glaze:

 

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbs light corn syrup

2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 c. plus 2 Tbs cocoa powder

 

Simple Vanilla Glaze:

 

2 Tbs milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste if you like the fleck of real vanilla...which I do!)

1 cup powered sugar

 

For both glazes: In a medium bowl, whisk all ingredients together all ingredients until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap (plastic wrap touching the glaze to seal out air) and set aside until ready to use. If glazes are too thick, add a touch more liquid. If too liquidy, add more powered sugar. Should be a somewhat thick liquid, but not firm like cake frosting.

 

 For Donuts: In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt & nutmeg. Make a well in the center .

 In a large measuring glass, whisk together milk, butter, egg & vanilla. Pour into center of dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix! The dough will be sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

 Heat oil in a large pot or fryer with at least 2 inches of oil. Use a candy thermometer to gauge the oil temp and heat to 350 degrees.

After dough is chilled place on a well floured surface & flour rolling pin. Roll dough out to about 1/2 in thickness. Cut donuts using a donut cutter, or I used a larger & small circle cutters because that's just what I had. Don't have a cutter? Cut them in squares! Why not?? Use whatever you got and cut them to whatever shapes you want. (And save the centers for donut holes!) As you can see I had a very eager & adorable helper! (My daughter Lana)

Gently place a few donuts on a time in the oil. Fry for about about 2-3 min per side, or until golden brown. I used chopsticks to flip them (works perfect!!). Set finished donuts on a tray lined with paper towels to drain. 

Let cool slightly before adding the glaze of your choice. And add if you are adding sprinkles, this is the time, before the glaze dries. Lana can NEVER pass up sprinkles! Her favorite. I bought her some springtime sprinkles for the occasion :) 

Then let cool to room temp before eating. I don't know why, but they have more flavor when they sit and cool. and also give the glaze time to set. Devour & enjoy!!

Meyer Lemon Bars: Mastered

 So some tiny bits of exciting news before we dive into lemon bliss.

 

 I recently got one of my recipes published in a local San Diego magazine! My Korean Beef Tacos made the March/April issue!! Pretty exciting to see my picture, my story & my recipe in a local magazine.  (Which you can check out here: (92024magazine.com) Here's a screen shot I took, but it's a pretty poor quality pic

 So that was cool!

 

 Then this last weekend Chris & I tackled a home project that was a teeny bit out of our comfort zone, but came out wonderful!  We installed a subway tile backsplash in our kitchen! Man, it looks so fabulous. It has a bit of an urban edge, yet it's so classic. It makes me feel like we need a beautiful Italian wood fire oven in the corner to make pizzas all day. Haha! ;) Pretty impressive for 1st timers, huh?? I'm thrilled! 

(I took these right after we finished so I apologize for any unsightly messes) 

 

Ok, so onto these fabulous lemon bars!

This has been my latest quest. To make the most perfect lemon bars. Lemon bars that embody all that I adore about those vibrant, sugary, acidic, addictive treats. My journey has been filled with disappointment, anticipation, more disappointment, a glimmer of hope and finally.....SUCCESS!!

 Making lemon bars isn't like making a cookie. There is a lot more patience involved before you can shovel one into your face. You have to make the crust, bake it, let it cool. Make the filling, wait for it to bake, then finally wait for it to cool again....it can be torture!!! They don't taste as good warm, plus you can't get clean slices unless you wait for them to be room temperature, so you are kind of forced to wait. But the torture is worth enduring for such a luscious dessert. Even though it may require more minutes in your day than a cookie, it is incredibly simple to whip up. No really, I'd even say it's beginner level dessert. So why are good ones so hard to find??? I don't know...

 In my world, lemon bars have the following criteria: 

1- A buttery, delicious shortbread crust

2- Soft, luscious lemon filling texture

3- Sweet & Tart, almost puckering lemon flavor

 This recipe not only meets all the criteria, but by using my meyer lemons from my tree, it exceeded my expectations! (You can find meyer lemons in some grocery stores or farmers markets. But if you can't find them, regular lemons will of course be delicious too, so don't fret) 

This is my 2nd batch of lemon bars in the last week. The first batch I made was such a disappointment!!!! The crust was so over the top on the butter that they were beyond greasy. The filling got too brown on top and had a bit of a cakey texture. However, the biggest offender was the complete LACK of lemon flavor!!! I was so disappointed! What the heck, man! I wanted to educate the woman who titled them "The Best Freakin' Lemon Bars"....really? She claims she's been eating them all her her life and they are "the best". Well honey, maybe it's not your fault.  Because if you have been only eating all those flavorless lemon bars all those years, you actually think they are supposed to taste like that. How sad.  :-/

 I knew I could do MUCH, much better. And I did.

 For those of you that are not familiar with meyer lemons, they are basically the love child of a lemon and orange. They are sweeter than a regular lemon and when ripe the rind has a slight orange hue. They are sensational, and I feel very blessed to have a huge meyer lemon tree in my yard! (It also makes the BEST lemonade btw) 

 So make these and be in lemon heaven.

Meyer Lemon Bars: Mastered

(Makes about 20 squares)

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp kosher salt 

1 cup FRESH meyer lemon juice (nothing but fresh juice here!)

2 Tbs meyer lemon zest

6 extra large eggs

3 cups sugar

1 cup flour 

Powered sugar, for dusting 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

 In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add in flour & salt until dough forms.

 Press evenly into a 9x13" dish that is sprayed with cooking spray.

  Bake for 15-20 min or until starts to get a soft golden brown. Let cool. 

While crust is baking (or cooling) whip up the filling. Whisk remaining ingredients (except powered sugar) in a large bowl. Simple, right?? 

Pour over crust and bake an additional 30-35 minutes or until filling has set. 

Let cool to room temperature. (The hardest part!!) Dust with powered sugar and cut in clean slices. 

 Shovel into your face. (I won't judge.)