Hi darling.  Hey sugarbear.  What’s shakin’ sweetums?  Lookin’ good sweetpea.  Hey loverboy!  Oooh darlin’.  

I’m practicing my terms of endearment.  Yea… I want to sound natural when the time comes to use them.  

Can I practice on you?  How does this sound?

     Hey loverbear, will you come on in here and help me with these dishes?

     Darlin’, will you hold the oven door open for me?

How about…

     Sweetpea, stay away from those cookies.  You know we have company coming.  

My favorite…

     Sweetums, I made you cupcakes… cause I love you like crazy.

How am I doing so far?  I’m a little stiff aren’t I?  I’ll keep working on it.    

Jump on over.  I have a lot to tell you!

I found a lovely new cookbook.  Super lovely.  Can I tell you about it?  It’s my new go-to book for cake and cupcake inspiration.  

Organic and Chic by Sarah Magid.  So sweet.  So classic.  So beautiful.  This book features breathtaking and totally doable cakes and cupcakes using all organic ingredients.  I’m not an all organic baker.  I’m afraid not.  Don’t judge me.  Organic and Chic is great inspiration to get my kitchen in gear.  

In this book are darling pictures of kids and husbands, and of course… gorgeous cakes.  The cake, frosting and filling recipes in this book are classic, modern, fool proof and so so sooooo yummy.  The decorating tips?  Great too!  This is stuff we can actually do friends!  It’s great.  

I don’t often pimp out cookbooks.  I just wanted you to know I found a good one.  Crazy yummy good.  

Now… about these cupcakes! 

Holy Yum!  This is the easiest and most moist chocolate cake you’ll ever encounter.  It also happens to be vegan.  Yea….!  Amazing!  I combined the moist chocolate cupcakes with a whipped rose buttercream.  This buttercream is far less sweet than a buttercream made out of butter and powdered sugar.  This whipped buttercream is made up of butter, granulated sugar, and a cooked milk and flour mixture.  Yep.  It works.  It’s not too sweet.  It’s delicious.  

Make these chocolate rose cupcakes for someone you love.  Who wants roses when there are rose scented cupcakes in the world!?  Heck yes!

The Easiest Chocolate Cake

     makes 24 cupcakes or 2 8-inch rounds

     from Organic and Chic

2 1/4 cups organic all-purpose flour

2 cups organic cane sugar

1 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract

2/3 cup organic canola oil

2 teaspoons organic white vinegar

2 cups cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.  

In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, water, vanilla extract and vinegar.  

Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients being careful not to overmix.  The mixture will be quite wet, but that’s ok.  

I poured my batter into a plastic pitcher to better divide the batter between the cupcake cups.  

Pour the batter until the cups are two thirds full and place in the oven for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cup comes out clean.  

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then place on a wire rack until completely cool before frosting.

Vanilla Whipped Buttercream Frosting with Rose Water

     makes enough to fill and frost one 8-inch layer cake or frost 24 cupcakes 

     from Organic and Chic

2 sticks (1 cup) organic unsalted butter, softened

1 cup organic cane sugar

1 cup organic whole milk

1/4 cup sifted organic all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons organic vanilla extract

1 teaspoon rosewater

Cream the butter on medium speed, 3 to 5 minutes, in a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer until soft, adout 30 seconds.  Add the sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes.  Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again.  

In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup mil with the flour and vanilla extract.  Whisk together until there are no lumps.  Over medium heat, slowly add the remaining 3/4 cups milk, whisking constantly and cook until the mixture comes to a low boil.  

Reduce the heat to low and continue mixing until the mixture starts to thicken slightly.  

When the mixture starts to thicken, immediately remove the pan from the heat but keep stirring.  After you have removed the pan from the heat, the mixture will continue to cook for a minute or two on its own.  

If you overheat the mixture and find that you have some lumps, try to whisk them out with a little elbow grease, or pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.  Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.  Place the mixture in the freezer for a few minutes to speed up the process.  

With the mixer on low speed, slowly poor the milk mixture into the butter and sugar mixture.  Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the rose water during this final mixing.

These are pretty, right?  Hot diggity dang, I think they’re precious.  

In the middle of frosting these cupcakes I looked down at my hands.  No big deal.  I was simply looking down at the cupcake in one hand, and frosting covered knife in the other.  I had to see what I was doing, right?  When I looked down at this particular moment, I saw… my grandmother’s hands.  There they were, the worn and wrinkled hands that had absolutely fascinated me as a child… only now spotted with powdered sugar and tinted with food coloring.  

When I was a kid I would hold my grandmother’s hand in my lap and study it like it like I might study my favorite picture book.  Somehow her hands weren’t at all different from reading an intricate a story.  

So there I was, frosting a cupcake with my grandmother’s hands.  The image was so strong that I even put down the cupcake and knife and bent my left index finger with my right hand.  It ached a little.  I don’t know why.  And just like that… those hands were gone from me.  

That was simultaneously perplexing and so comforting.  I had to share that with you…  I now only hope that I live long enough for my hands to be read like a story book.  

Now let’s talk cupcakes!

Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty… right?

I’m proud of these little gems.  I’m even more proud of the fact that it only took one stick (otherwise known as 8 tablespoons, 1/2 cup or 4 ounces) of butter to make both the cupcake aaaaaaaand the frosting.  That’s bonkers, right?  I know! Just three tablespoons of butter for the dozen cupcakes and 5 tablespoons for the buttercream. Who says you need a pound of butter for cupcakes?  

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

     adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

     makes 12 cupcakes

     Print this Recipe!

1 cup all-purpose flour

a scant 3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup whole milk

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or use a handheld beater and beat on slow speed until the mixture is a sandy consistency and everything is combined.  Gradually pour in half of the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.  

Whisk the egg, vanilla and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated.  Scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side or the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Continue mixing until the batter is smooth.  Just a few minutes.  Do not overmix.

Spoon the batter into paper lined muffin tins, dividing between the 12 cups.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until light golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.  

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

     from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

     makes enough for 12 cupcakes, double this recipe to frost an 8-inch cake

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons whole milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the powdered sugar and butter together in an electric mixer fit with a paddle attachment on medium low speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.  Turn the mixer speed to low.  Combine the milk and the vanilla extract and slowly stream it into the butter and sugar mixture.  Once incorporated, turn the mixer to high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes.  The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.  If you find that your frosting is getting to warm in the summer months, stop beating and set in the fridge for a few minutes.  Once chilled, hook the frosting back up the the mixer and beat once more until you reach the desired consistency.

Ok… first of all, stop looking at me like that.

Yea, I can see that crazy look of your face.  But it’s me.  The same person that brought you amazing Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls and Perfect Lemon Pound Cake. We trust each other.  We have an understanding.  Just go with me on this.

Something about hot summer weather gets me to thinking (or melts my brain) and brings some strange recipes to the surface.  Remember last year’s Blueberry Ice Cream with Homemade Hot Fudge?  Yea… I got a few strange looks for that too.

Because I still see those raised eyebrows on your face, let me tell you a little about this beast of a cake.  Believe me, I was super skeptical too.

The vegan chocolate cake is dense and moist, and everything you might want from a chocolate cake minus the eggs and butter.  The fat in the cake is almond oil (or anything you have on hand) and one whole mashed avocado.  It’s lovely, and I didn’t taste a lick of avocado in the cake.

The avocado buttercream is a dash more strange.  Yes, it’s bright green.  Yes, the only fat in the buttercream is avocado meat.  It’s sweet with slight hints of citrus.  I had my doubts, but when combined with the chocolate cake… holy wow!  It actually worked!  It was honest-to-goodness delicious!  Not to mention vegan and full of healthy fats!

Your thoughts?  Have I scared you off?

Vegan Chocolate Cake with Avocado

makes 2 8-inch rounds or 2 thinner 9-inch rounds

from Vegetarian in the Middle East

Print this recipe!

3 cups all-purpose flour

6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used almond oil)

1/2 cup soft avocado, well mashed, about 1 medium avocado

2 cups water

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour two 8 or 9-inch rounds.  Set aside.

Sift together all of the dry ingredients except the sugar.  Set that aside too.

Mix all the wet ingredients together in a bowl, including the super mashed avocado.

Add sugar into the wet mix and stir.

Mix the wet with the dry all at once, and beat with a whisk (by hand) until smooth.

Pour batter into a greased cake tins. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cakes cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting with avocado buttercream.

Avocado Buttercream Frosting

from Alton Brown

8 ounces of avocado meat, about 2 small to medium, very ripe avocados

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 pound powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peel and pit the soft avocados.  It’s important to use the ripest avocados you can get your hands on.  If the avocados have brown spots in the meat, avoid those spots when you scoop the meat into the bowl.

Place the avocado meat into the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment.  Add lemon juice and whisk the avocado on medium speed, until slightly lightened in color and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and beat.  Add vanilla extract until combined.  If not using right away, store in the refrigerator.  Don’t worry.  It won’t turn brown!

 By Sunday, my fridge is usually full of baking leftovers from the week-  a bit of cookie dough, scraps of cake, a tiny bit of frosting.  What to do with all these treats sometimes perplexes me.  This week, I married the leftover cookie dough I had in the freezer from my cookie extravaganza, and the Swiss Meringue Buttercream from my Blackberry Jam Cake.   Oatmeal sandwich cookies!  They’re great wrapped in wax paper and stacked in the fridge for a sweet snack.  They won’t last very long, I guarantee.  

 I remember the prepackaged, Little Debbie version of these cookies occasionally appearing in my lunch box.  The grown up version is crispy, buttery and so satisfying.   

Oatmeal Walnuts with Candied Ginger and Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  Delicious separate.  Over the moon when sandwiched together!

I come from a food lovin’ family, so nearly all of the treats I bake are an effort to rekindle a fond memory from my past.  My sister and I are so fixated on food, that all of our family vacations growing up are remembered soley for the food we consumed.  About 15 years ago, we took a 2 week long family trip to Washington DC.  It was a big deal for our middle class family, and my parents even took us out of school for the two week period with the gaurantee that we would write a full report on our educational trip upon our return.  After a tour of countless museums and battlefields, the only two things my sister and I remeber are- Uno Pizza and Cheetos.

Criminal isn’t it?  We ate at an Uno Pizza somewhere along the trip.  It was delicious.  Obviously.  And one day in DC, my parents let us buy a bag of Cheetos (we didn’t get to eat a lot of junk food) and my sister and I followed my parents around the city sharing our Cheetos with little brown birds on the street.  My sister and I now call those little brown city birds Cheetos…. still.  The school report, was probably a glowing review of Uno’s deep dish pizza crust.  Oh my.

What does all of this have to do with Blackberry Jam Cake?  Have patience and continue reading.

This Blackberry Jam Cake takes me back to my Aunt DeeDee’s kitchen.  Have I told you about my aunt?  She is only one of the most glorious people to grace this earth.  She was a renegade baker, and nothing could stop her.  See, she was blinded by a brain tumor in her 30’s, but she still knew her way around the kitchen and would create unbelievably good food.

DeeDee had a cake she called Arabic Spice Cake.  The recipe has since been lost, but this cake with it’s fragrant spice, crunchy nuts and delicate sweetness takes me back to her kitchen.

The cake has a cup of seedless blackberry jam, walnuts and golden raisins, and is spiced with allspice, cloves and cinnamon.  It’s  moist, warm, inviting, and feels like a hug from my Aunt DeeDee.  Truly priceless.

Also- I’m working my my next podcast this weekend, so stay tuned!!

Blackberry Jam Cake

adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

Print this recipe!

3 cups plus 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

5 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup seedless blackberry jam

1 cup golden raisins

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

For the Cake

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 13-by-9-inch baking pan, line bottom with parchment or waxed paper, and butter paper.

Sift together 3 cups flour and salt into a bowl.

Beat together butter, sugar, allspice, cloves and cinnamon in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium high speed until pale and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.  Add eggs and beat until well combined.

Stir together buttermilk and baking soda in a small bowl.  Working in 3 batches, alternately add flour and buttermilk mixtures to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition.  Add jam and beat until well combined.  Toss together raisins and nuts with remaining 1 Tablespoon of flour in a bowl, then add to batter and stir until well combined.

Pour batter into baking pan.  Bake until wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes.  Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then invert cake onto rack, remove paper and cool completely.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

4 ounces egg whites

8 ounces granulated sugar

12 ounces unsalted butter, softened

pinch of salt

Place a medium sized pan with about 3 inches of water over medium heat.  Place egg whites and salt in a medium sized bowl to create a double boiler over the simmering water.

Once water is simmering, place bowl of egg whites over water, making sure that simmering water does not touch the bottom of the egg white bowl.  Whisk egg whites and gradually add 8 ounces of sugar.

Whisk egg whites and sugar over double boiler, whisking constantly, until sugar is completely dissolved, about 5-8 minutes.

Remove egg white bowl from double boiler and pour egg white and sugar mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer.  With the whisk attachment, whisk egg white and sugar on medium speed for about 4 minutes.

While the eggs are whisking, cut softened butter into large chunks, about 8 chunks per stick of butter.  When egg white mixture has body and is slightly cooked, stop the mixer and switch to the paddle attachment.  With the mixer on medium speed, add butter one chunk at a time, letting each chunk of butter incorporate into the egg white mixture for about 20 seconds.

Continue to slowly add the butter chunks, stopping the mixer to scrape down the bowl as necessary.

As you are adding the last chunks of butter, the buttercream will start to look curdled.  Don’t worry, just keep the mixer going and add the remaining butter, it will all come together, and the curdled look will disappear.

To Assemble Cake

Place cake on large cake plate, or cake board.  Add a thin layer of blackberry jam on top of the cake if desired, this step is optional.  Dollop swiss meringue buttercream atop cake, and smooth.  I left the sides of the cake bare to show off the dripping blackberry jam and the gorgeous brown color of the cake.

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