S'mores Cupcakes

These cupcakes are summer goodness in the palm of your hand: a graham cracker-flavored cake with rich chocolate ganache filling and toasted marshmallow topping. If possible, make them a day ahead so that the marshmallow topping has time to firm up. 

Cupcakes: 

3 c finely crushed graham cracker crumbs (about 25 sheets ground in processor)
1 c all purpose flour
5 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 c milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 standard muffin cups with paper liners. Combine graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Combine milk and vanilla; set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in work bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating between additions. Add graham cracker mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with graham cracker mixture. 

Divide batter among muffin papers. Bake cupcakes until centers are springy, about 22 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a rack to cool.

Ganache:

12 ozs semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (55% to 60% cacao), chopped

3/4 c whipping cream

While cupcakes are baking, make ganache. Place chocolate and cream in medium Pyrex bowl. Microwave 2 minutes or until cream is warm. Stir mixture until smooth, then let cool to lukewarm.

Use a small paring knife to cut cones out of the tops of each cupcake. Fill with 2 teaspoons ganache. Spread 1 additional teaspoon ganache over top of cupcake to conceal hole. Set aside. 

Marshmallow Frosting:

8 egg whites

2 c granulated sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Place egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in work bowl of stand mixer. Set over pan of simmering water to make a double boiler. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and egg whites are frothy. Remove to stand mixer; add vanilla extract and whip on HIGH with whisk attachment for 5-7 minutes, or until fluffy stiff peaks form. Working quickly (before marshmallow sets), dollop 3 to 4 tablespoons (to your liking) atop each cupcake, spreading to edges and pulling up at the center to create a swirl. 

With a kitchen torch, brown marshmallow topping. If desired, sprinkle cupcakes with any leftover crushed graham crackers. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Flourless Chocolate Cherry Cake

I first tasted this at the blessing ceremony my friends gave me for my second pregnancy. I've reproduced it here exactly as written out by my friend Julie, who made it for me in my own kitchen. 

1 cup dried Montmorency sour cherries (about 5 ounces)
1/4 cup brandy
2 cups Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate chips
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
6 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fine-quality unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

PREPARATION

In a bowl* macerate cherries in brandy, stirring occasionally, at least 2 hours, or until brandy is almost absorbed. (*It's great if you stick the cherries and brandy in a Ziploc, the night before you bake, and just shake them every so often. --ed.)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line bottom of a buttered 10- by 2-inch round cake pan with wax paper or parchment paper and butter the paper.

In a double boiler or in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (or in a microwave oven! --ed.) melt chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat (or microwave! --ed.) and cool mixture.

In a bowl with an electric mixer beat yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Fold in cocoa powder until combined well (be careful not to overmix).

In another bowl with cleaned beaters (or in the same bowl if you do this step first --ed.) beat whites until they hold soft peaks and beat in remaining sugar in a slow stream, beating until meringue just holds stiff peaks. Stir about one fourth meringue into chocolate mixture to lighten and fold in remaining meringue gently but thoroughly. Fold in cherries.

Transfer batter to pan, smoothing top, and bake cake in middle of oven 40 minutes, or until center is just set. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of pan an invert cake onto rack to cool completely.

If ever a cake existed that honored women, mothers, goddesses and girlfriends as such, this is it.

Simple One-Bowl Chocolate Bundt Cake

This weekend I needed to make a cake for a function, but I was out of butter, and being a holiday, all the stores were closed. I made an oil-based recipe instead, which turned out to be easy and very tasty.

2 1/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour
2 c sugar
2/3 c cocoa, sifted (can use up to 2 Tbsp black cocoa)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp instant espresso powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 c water
3/4 c orange juice (I used more water)
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 c sunflower or other neutral-flavored oil

Preheat oven to 350 F. Set rack to second-lowest position. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all ingredients. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until very well combined.

Pour batter into pan. Tap twice on counter to remove bubbles. Bake 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with just a few crumbs. Cool in pan on rack 20 minutes. Unmold onto rack, let cool, and dust with powdered sugar just before serving. 

Double Chocolate Layer Cake

This is my go-to chocolate cake. It's simply excellent: moist with deep, rich flavor. I like my chocolate mascarpone frosting on it, although a chocolate espresso buttercream is good too. The recipe makes a tall cake, so please don't try to put all the batter in two 9" pans; make a few cupcakes too.

3 ozs semisweet chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli)
1 1/2 c hot brewed coffee
3 c sugar
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c unsweetened natural (not Dutch process) cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
3/4 c vegetable oil
1 1/2 c buttermilk
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease two 10" pans with shortening; line bottoms with rounds of parchment paper, then grease paper.

Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. Pour coffee over; let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. 

Sift sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. In a pitcher with a spout, stir together oil, buttermilk and vanilla.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs on medium-high speed until lemon-yellow and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Drizzle in oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar-flour mixture; beat on medium speed until just combined well. 

Divide batter between pans; bake in middle of oven until tester inserted in center comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans; invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove paper. Fill and frost as desired.

Natural Red Velvet Cake

The beet powder in this recipe replaces the customary red food coloring, producing a lovely hue and a complex flavor. This cake can also be made in 9" pans, but the recipe should be increased by half to compensate for the increased pan size. 

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups (9 3/8 ounces) sugar
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp beet powder, sifted to remove lumps
1/2 oz high-quality, natural (non-alkalized) cocoa powder, sifted
2 1/4 cups (9 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp high-quality vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8" cake pans by greasing them with shortening, lining them with parchment paper, and greasing the parchment. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, whip butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, at least 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, whipping between additions. Scrape down sides of bowl and whip 1 minute. Add beet powder, cocoa powder and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl as needed.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl; stir to blend. In a measuring cup with spout, combine buttermilk, lemon juice and vanilla. Stir to blend. Add flour mixture in 3 parts alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Beat only until mixture comes together. Scrape sides of bowl as needed.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Batter will be thick. Tap pans on counter to spread batter and remove bubbles. Bake 20-25 minutes, turning once, or until tops are slightly browned and sides pull away from pan. Cool 15 minutes on racks, then turn out of pans and cool thoroughly. Frost with Basic Wedding Buttercream or your favorite cream-cheese-based frosting. 

Chocolate Malt Madeleines

From "Baked Elements"

1/2 c + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp + 1 tsp malted milk powder, divided
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp dark unsweetened cocoa, divided
1 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 ozs (5 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and nearly at room temperature

Butter madeleine pans, dust with flour, and knock out excess flour.

Whisk together flour, 3 Tbsp malted milk powder, 2 Tbsp cocoa, and baking powder.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs, sugar and salt on high until frothy, about 3 minutes. Drizzle in butter on low until just blended.

Remove bowl from mixer; sift dry ingredients atop egg mixture. Gently fold to combine. Cover with a dry cloth; set aside 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375. Give the batter a quick stir, then spoon gently into pans, filling molds about 3/4 full. Bake 10-12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking.

Meanwhile, stir together remaining cocoa powder and malted milk powder. Set aside. 

Remove pans to wire racks to cool 1 minute, then carefully unmold. Sift cocoa-malt mixture over madeleines. Eat within a few hours of baking. Makes 24 madeleines.

Chocolate Plastic

Adapted from "Little Cakes from the Whimsical Bakehouse." The authors suggest sculpting flowers or bows with it, or even covering a cake with it (they say it tastes better than fondant).

7 ozs chopped dark, milk, white or wafer chocolate
1/4 c light corn syrup
Cornstarch

Melt chocolate for 3 30-second intervals in the microwave, stirring in between. Add corn syrup, stirring quickly just to combine. Remove from bowl; wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Let sit for a few hours or overnight at room temperature, or for 1 hour in the freezer.

When ready to use, dust a clean, flat surface with cornstarch. Knead dough to make it smooth and malleable. If too hard to work, soften for 5 seconds in microwave and knead again. Roll out 1/4" to 1/16" depending on design. Use dabs of water to adhere one piece to another. Do not let sit out unwrapped; chocolate plastic will harden and become unworkable.

Marshmallow Fondant

Adapted from "Kids' Cakes from the Whimsical Bakehouse." I found that I needed far more powdered sugar than they thought I would, and switched to cornstarch at some point in the kneading process as the mixture became tooth-jarringly sweet.

16 ozs marshmallows
2 Tbsp water
Food coloring as desired
1 lb or more confectioner's sugar
1/2 c vegetable shortening
cornstarch if desired

Heat marshmallows and water until melted. The book suggests using a microwave, but to avoid having to transfer, I suggest a double boiler. Stir marshmallows to hasten the melting process. Stir in food coloring as needed, remembering that your color will lighten when sugar is added. Sift 3 cups confectioner's sugar over the top; stir to combine.

Dust a work surface with powdered sugar. Generously grease your hands with shortening. Knead the fondant mixture, adding sugar as needed until fondant is smooth and malleable. Regrease hands and dust surface as needed. Knead until fondant is no longer sticky, is firm yet elastic, and does not rip. You can test this by rolling out a 1/4"-thick piece and placing it over a measuring cup. If it tears, add a bit of water and continue to knead, 8-10 minutes total.

Seal fondant in a zip-top bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Let sit overnight at room temperature. To use, roll out 1/4" thick on a powdered-sugar-dusted work surface.

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake

I served this cake tonight still warm from the oven, with warm glaze on top. It might have been better if it had had time to sit, but that said, I have never seen a dessert go so fast. If you don't have access to Meyer lemons, feel free to use a more commonplace variety.

For the cake:

1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/3 c sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp Meyer lemon zest
2 c unbleached all-purpose flour1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

For the glaze:
1/3 c Meyer lemon juice1/3 c sugar
2 Tbsp limoncello or other lemon liqueur (optional)

Butter and flour a 9" loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter in bowl of stand mixer for 30 seconds, until smooth. Add sugar; beat 3-5 minutes, until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add vanilla and lemon zest, beating until incorporated.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to bowl in four parts, beating after each addition. Scrape batter into loaf pan; smooth top. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes or until top is deeply browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes.

While cake is cooling, make glaze. Bring sugar and lemon juice to a boil in a medium saucepan. Boil 2-3 minutes, until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in liqueur, if using.

Run a knife around sides of cake in pan to loosen. Remove cake from pan; slice. Return slices to pan. Pour glaze over cake, cover and let stand 1 hour or overnight. Slice and serve.

Chocolate Lava Cakes with Pistachio Cream

These were absolutely the hit of my Thanksgiving menu this year. The sauce would be good on many many things; I took great pleasure in licking the spoon when no one was looking.

1 c shelled dry-roasted pistachios
1 3/4 c sugar, divided
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa
2 large eggs
5 large egg whites
2 ozs bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cooking spray
1 c milk
Dash of salt

Place pistachios in a food processor; process until a crumbly paste forms (about 3 1/2 minutes), scraping sides of bowl as needed.

Place half of pistachio butter in a metal bowl with 1 1/4 cups sugar, cocoa, eggs, and egg whites. Stir well (I used beaters). Add chocolate; cook over simmering water until chocolate melts and sugar dissolves (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat; add baking powder and vanilla. Stir with a whisk until smooth. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray and sugar. Chill a minimum of 2 hours. (I chilled them for 10 and they baked fine.)

Place remaining half of pistachio butter with 1/2 cup sugar in food processor; pulse until combined. Add milk and salt; process until smooth. Strain mixture through a sieve into a small saucepan. (Solids can be eaten on toast - YUM.) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes or until thick. Pour into a bowl, cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 450°. Bake cakes 8-9 minutes or until almost set (centers will not be firm). Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Invert cakes onto a cutting board, then place each on a dessert plate. Drizzle with sauce.

Buttermilk Marble Cake with Two-Toned Frosting

Adrashanti requested a marble cake for her 7th birthday. This recipe, adapted from Christopher Kimball's cookbook "Dessert Bible," did not disappoint. My efforts were rewarded with a tangy-sweet flavor, a tender crumb and a relatively level rise. The frosting, my go-to recipe, should be kept cold for best flavor and texture.

Cake:
2 c unbleached flour
1/2 c cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened but still firm
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used 65%)
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/8 tsp baking soda

Set oven rack in middle position; preheat to 350. Butter two 9" cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

Beat butter at medium speed in a stand mixer for 30 seconds. Continue beating, gradually adding sugar, until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl frequently. Beat in vanilla extract and paste.

Add half of flour mixture, beating to incorporate, then add half of buttermilk. When incorporated, repeat with remaining flour mixture and buttermilk. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat to fully blend.

Remove 1/3 of batter to a bowl. Stir in melted chocolate. Sift cocoa powder and baking soda together atop batter; stir in.

Divide white batter equally between prepared pans. Spread to cover bottoms. Dollop chocolate batter equally onto white batter in three large dollops per pan. With a cheese spreader or butter knife, swirl to marble, first in one direction and then at a 90-degree angle, marbling as minimally as possible to create the desired effect.

Place pans in oven; bake 25 minutes, or until top of cake springs back when lightly pressed in center. Remove to cooling rack; let rest 5 minutes. Run a butter knife around sides of pans; invert to remove, then set right sides up on a cooling rack. Let cool at least 1 1/2 hours.

Frosting:
2 c whipping cream
2 c good-quality white chocolate chips (containing cocoa butter and no hydrogenated oils)
3/4 c bittersweet chocolate chips
12 ozs mascarpone cheese

Place white chocolate chips and bittersweet chocolate chips in 2 separate heatproof bowls. Pour 1 1/2 cups cream atop white chocolate and 1/2 cup cream atop bittersweet chocolate. Place each atop a bowl of simmering water, whisking until chocolate is melted. Place bowls of ganache in freezer to chill.

When chilled, beat white chocolate ganache with chilled beaters until light and fluffy. Beat in 8 ozs mascarpone cheese. Take care not to overbeat. Repeat process with bittersweet chocolate ganache, beating until fluffy, then beat in remaining mascarpone.

Assembly:
Brush crumbs off cake layers. Trim dome off one layer if necessary. Place cake, cut or top side down, onto a cake pedestal. Top with bittersweet chocolate ganache, spreading to within 1/2" of edges. Place other cake layer atop ganache, top side up. Frost top and sides of cake with white chocolate ganache.