Imagine this:
You're standing in a single-file line, your left hand on the shoulder in front of you.
Your eyes try to adjust to the pitch-black, but all there is is darkness, and all there is to do is to keep moving forward. Suddenly, you're told to reach to your left. You do, and your hand recognizes the back of a wooden chair that your eyes can't see. You let your body slip into the chair and now all you can do for the moment is wait. You reach in front of you, and you can feel cloth, and wood, and, a little to the right, cold metal.Your eyes keep trying to make out shapes in the darkness but you can't even make out your hand in front of your face (and if you are as pale-white as I am, you know that's a pretty big deal), so you focus on a sense that you do have use of: your hearing. You can hear the sound of others being lead through the darkness, and beyond that, you can hear faint chatter that seems like it's coming from far away. How long have you been sitting here?
Then, from out of nowhere and directly to your right, a voice startles you, and it says:
...
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
Sunday, 3 March 2013
Movin' On Up!
Hello dear readers!
Blogspot has been wonderful to me, but I announce with much excitement that Simply Sweet now has it's own domain! So my loves, head on over to simplysweetwithsarah.com as we embark on more sweet adventures together!
Happy Baking!
Blogspot has been wonderful to me, but I announce with much excitement that Simply Sweet now has it's own domain! So my loves, head on over to simplysweetwithsarah.com as we embark on more sweet adventures together!
Happy Baking!
Thursday, 27 December 2012
The Break (C)Upcake
I'm about to blow your minds dear readers.
Ready?
...
Breakups suck.
On the Suck-Meter I think I would place them somewhere in between losing your metro pass a week before the end of the month, and being forced to watch a neverending marathon of Jersey Shore ... while on fire, and surviving purely on a diet of Thrills gum for all eternity (mmm ... chewy soap pellets).
I'm sure you get the picture, friends; it isn't pretty. And whether you're the "dumper" or the "dumpee" the fact still remains: you were with someone, be it for two long years or two magical hours, and now it's just you, yourself, and, well, you. Cue the dreaded facebook relationship status change, followed by a barrage of concerned questions with exaggerated punctuation (how could this happen?! are you okay?!!), the occasional feminist-flavoured comments of support (screw men! who needs them?) and sometimes your friend with the mafia-ties comes out of the woodwork (I know a guy ...).
But despite all of the concern, support, and hitman connections, the process of getting over a breakup is not an easy one. You may find that your way of life has changed temporarily: where once you were thriving, you are now simply surviving. You may find that your personal hygiene has changed: where once you were constantly flat-ironing your hair to glossy perfection, it is now a miracle if you've washed it in the last 4 days. You may even find that, in your misery, a name change is appropriate: "Hi you've reached Helga the Hermit. Since no one loves me, you're probably a telemarketer or have dialled the wrong number and won't leave a message anyway. But on the off chance that you are trying to contact me, leave a message after the beep. and I'll get back to you ... if I haven't died of heartache, or been mauled to death by the 26 cats I'll inevitably purchase". (For the record, dear readers, this particular shade of self-pity looks good on no one and will just incite worry, and drop-in visits from friends ... and probably the humane society).
It is important to remember, friends, that you are not alone in this. Everyone goes through it sometime or another, and we always come out the other side. How do we do it? There's no magical cure for a broken heart, but there are things, and people, that make the process a lot more bearable. For instance:
1) You know those people that hold you while you cry, and never once mention the fact that you've slobbered all over their favourite sweater? Those people that forcefully shove you into the shower as they ring out your tear-soaked pillow and dispose of the landfill of tissues on your bedroom floor? The ones that ignore your protestations and declarations of a "heart-broken hunger strike" and bring a plate of food up to your room because they don't want you to starve to death? Those people are your family and friends and they love you no matter what.
2) You know those movies that are so saccharine you get a cavity just by watching them? The ones that make you cry for some inexplicable reason? The first fifteen minutes of Up? Buy stock in Kleenex, lock yourself in your room for the day, turn on these movies, and cry your eyes out. "You want me to cry more, you heartless woman?" I hear you cry in dismay, possibly. Crying is actually cathartic, so you'll feel better when you're done. Also, this way you're using up all of your tears so there'll be none left to cry for your loser ex. Bonus!
3) You know that magical thing called junk food? ...
Calories be hanged! C'mon, you know as well as I that sweets were practically created for breakups. Aside from maybe pregnancy, this is the only time you can stroll into your local grocery store wearing pyjama pants and a hoodie sweater, make a beeline for the freezer section, and slam those two pints of Ben and Jerry's down on the counter, giving Doreen, your friendly neighbourhood cashier, "the look". Fair warning, this look is something that can only be mastered if you've had your heart broken, or if there is a child growing inside of you; it's a look that says "don't judge me, yes I intend to eat both of these myself [today], no I do not have air miles, yes I would like a plastic bag, and you have yourself a nice day" all in one. "The look" is pretty much a science, and as I said, if you do not meet the above criteria, do not try it at home.
But as good as our friends Ben and Jerry are to us in our times of woe, we can certainly do better. Think about it: it's out of the freezer for less than ten minutes and it dissolves into a drippy mess (kind of like us during the first fifteen minutes of Up! ...). There's only so many times a girl's Chunky Monkey can turn into a Soupy Snoopy before she begins to develop trust issues. So ladies and gents, I believe that we deserve something much more stable in our time of great instability. Something temperature resistant. Something sweet, satisfying, and bite-sized. Something like, say, a cupcake.
**I know dear readers, I am about as subtle as a train wreck. But I think we've now reached the point where we can gather ourselves together and head into the kitchen**
I've said many times that I bake for every occasion, and I was willing to give it a shot to get me through my own share of heart ache. I knew that getting out of bed, getting into the kitchen and being creative would take my mind off of my woes, and would keep me busy doing something that I love. Having gotten myself into this frame of mind, deciding to come up with a cupcake was a no-brainer for me. The flavour of said cupcake? Not so much.
Like many going through this hard time, I wanted something sweet and indulgent to lighten my spirits (though perhaps not my waistline). But let any heartbroken girl, let alone this one, loose in a grocery store and you have opened your doors to a weepy hurricane on the path of sugary destruction; aisles of cookies, cakes, chocolate and candy, and we turn into Freddy Mercury (we want it all, and we want it now). Well, this certainly was not the time for a plain old chocolate cupcake but did I dare combine all of those indulgences into one little package? ... You bet I did.
So how did I do it? Well, it's a little bit of a franken-cake of sorts, keyword: indulgence. I used my chocolate cake recipe from here and my peanut butter marshmallow frosting from here, but as decadent as this combination is already, we're talking heartbreak here people! So what else could I add to up the theme of the day? Well, I remember many blissful afternoons with my grandmother making cookies in our cottage kitchen, more cookie dough ending up in my stomach than on the baking sheet, and to this day raw cookie dough is to me a nostalgic indulgence. All I had to do was make a "safe" version of that cookie dough (egg free), and bam! Delicious filling. With the addition of a Skor bar garnish as the figurative cherry on top (this is no time for fruit!) I knew I'd done it: indulgence personified.
Was it a dainty process? Heck no. Did it cure my heartache completely? No. But as I looked at my finished product, and especially when I took that first bite, smiling, I knew: I deserve this indulgence, this feeling of happiness, and I don't need another person to make that happen. And neither do you dear readers.
So whether it's baking, or crocheting, or even taxidermy (yikes), do what you love, and take the time to indulge. The journey back to happiness, and to the old you, won't be an easy one, and it isn't something that can be found in the bottom of a cupcake liner. But, my loves, I guarantee that the spark of happiness and pleasure that you'll feel will remind you of what's to come; you will get through this. Trust me.
Much Love, and Happy Baking.
Ready?
...
Breakups suck.
On the Suck-Meter I think I would place them somewhere in between losing your metro pass a week before the end of the month, and being forced to watch a neverending marathon of Jersey Shore ... while on fire, and surviving purely on a diet of Thrills gum for all eternity (mmm ... chewy soap pellets).
I'm sure you get the picture, friends; it isn't pretty. And whether you're the "dumper" or the "dumpee" the fact still remains: you were with someone, be it for two long years or two magical hours, and now it's just you, yourself, and, well, you. Cue the dreaded facebook relationship status change, followed by a barrage of concerned questions with exaggerated punctuation (how could this happen?! are you okay?!!), the occasional feminist-flavoured comments of support (screw men! who needs them?) and sometimes your friend with the mafia-ties comes out of the woodwork (I know a guy ...).
But despite all of the concern, support, and hitman connections, the process of getting over a breakup is not an easy one. You may find that your way of life has changed temporarily: where once you were thriving, you are now simply surviving. You may find that your personal hygiene has changed: where once you were constantly flat-ironing your hair to glossy perfection, it is now a miracle if you've washed it in the last 4 days. You may even find that, in your misery, a name change is appropriate: "Hi you've reached Helga the Hermit. Since no one loves me, you're probably a telemarketer or have dialled the wrong number and won't leave a message anyway. But on the off chance that you are trying to contact me, leave a message after the beep. and I'll get back to you ... if I haven't died of heartache, or been mauled to death by the 26 cats I'll inevitably purchase". (For the record, dear readers, this particular shade of self-pity looks good on no one and will just incite worry, and drop-in visits from friends ... and probably the humane society).
It is important to remember, friends, that you are not alone in this. Everyone goes through it sometime or another, and we always come out the other side. How do we do it? There's no magical cure for a broken heart, but there are things, and people, that make the process a lot more bearable. For instance:
1) You know those people that hold you while you cry, and never once mention the fact that you've slobbered all over their favourite sweater? Those people that forcefully shove you into the shower as they ring out your tear-soaked pillow and dispose of the landfill of tissues on your bedroom floor? The ones that ignore your protestations and declarations of a "heart-broken hunger strike" and bring a plate of food up to your room because they don't want you to starve to death? Those people are your family and friends and they love you no matter what.
2) You know those movies that are so saccharine you get a cavity just by watching them? The ones that make you cry for some inexplicable reason? The first fifteen minutes of Up? Buy stock in Kleenex, lock yourself in your room for the day, turn on these movies, and cry your eyes out. "You want me to cry more, you heartless woman?" I hear you cry in dismay, possibly. Crying is actually cathartic, so you'll feel better when you're done. Also, this way you're using up all of your tears so there'll be none left to cry for your loser ex. Bonus!
3) You know that magical thing called junk food? ...
Calories be hanged! C'mon, you know as well as I that sweets were practically created for breakups. Aside from maybe pregnancy, this is the only time you can stroll into your local grocery store wearing pyjama pants and a hoodie sweater, make a beeline for the freezer section, and slam those two pints of Ben and Jerry's down on the counter, giving Doreen, your friendly neighbourhood cashier, "the look". Fair warning, this look is something that can only be mastered if you've had your heart broken, or if there is a child growing inside of you; it's a look that says "don't judge me, yes I intend to eat both of these myself [today], no I do not have air miles, yes I would like a plastic bag, and you have yourself a nice day" all in one. "The look" is pretty much a science, and as I said, if you do not meet the above criteria, do not try it at home.
But as good as our friends Ben and Jerry are to us in our times of woe, we can certainly do better. Think about it: it's out of the freezer for less than ten minutes and it dissolves into a drippy mess (kind of like us during the first fifteen minutes of Up! ...). There's only so many times a girl's Chunky Monkey can turn into a Soupy Snoopy before she begins to develop trust issues. So ladies and gents, I believe that we deserve something much more stable in our time of great instability. Something temperature resistant. Something sweet, satisfying, and bite-sized. Something like, say, a cupcake.
**I know dear readers, I am about as subtle as a train wreck. But I think we've now reached the point where we can gather ourselves together and head into the kitchen**
I've said many times that I bake for every occasion, and I was willing to give it a shot to get me through my own share of heart ache. I knew that getting out of bed, getting into the kitchen and being creative would take my mind off of my woes, and would keep me busy doing something that I love. Having gotten myself into this frame of mind, deciding to come up with a cupcake was a no-brainer for me. The flavour of said cupcake? Not so much.
Like many going through this hard time, I wanted something sweet and indulgent to lighten my spirits (though perhaps not my waistline). But let any heartbroken girl, let alone this one, loose in a grocery store and you have opened your doors to a weepy hurricane on the path of sugary destruction; aisles of cookies, cakes, chocolate and candy, and we turn into Freddy Mercury (we want it all, and we want it now). Well, this certainly was not the time for a plain old chocolate cupcake but did I dare combine all of those indulgences into one little package? ... You bet I did.
So how did I do it? Well, it's a little bit of a franken-cake of sorts, keyword: indulgence. I used my chocolate cake recipe from here and my peanut butter marshmallow frosting from here, but as decadent as this combination is already, we're talking heartbreak here people! So what else could I add to up the theme of the day? Well, I remember many blissful afternoons with my grandmother making cookies in our cottage kitchen, more cookie dough ending up in my stomach than on the baking sheet, and to this day raw cookie dough is to me a nostalgic indulgence. All I had to do was make a "safe" version of that cookie dough (egg free), and bam! Delicious filling. With the addition of a Skor bar garnish as the figurative cherry on top (this is no time for fruit!) I knew I'd done it: indulgence personified.
Was it a dainty process? Heck no. Did it cure my heartache completely? No. But as I looked at my finished product, and especially when I took that first bite, smiling, I knew: I deserve this indulgence, this feeling of happiness, and I don't need another person to make that happen. And neither do you dear readers.
So whether it's baking, or crocheting, or even taxidermy (yikes), do what you love, and take the time to indulge. The journey back to happiness, and to the old you, won't be an easy one, and it isn't something that can be found in the bottom of a cupcake liner. But, my loves, I guarantee that the spark of happiness and pleasure that you'll feel will remind you of what's to come; you will get through this. Trust me.
Much Love, and Happy Baking.
Wednesday, 13 June 2012
Vegan and Gluten-Free Vanilla and Chocolate Cupcakes With Vanilla Chai Frosting
As a child I was very sick.
Not constantly mind you. It wasn't a scarlet fever-Velveteen Rabbit kind of situation (Though I did have about a million stuffed animals ... none of them became real by crying while waiting to be incinerated though ... look it up). But it did happen quite a bit, and neither I, nor my parents, ever knew why.
When I was 17, I guess it became particularly bad. After multiple hospital visits and tests, my doctor finally had the answer: celiac. For those that don't know, celiac is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine caused by ingesting gluten found in wheat and other such things (barley, rye etc) .... basically everything that makes up the foods I like to eat (pizza, pasta, bread, CUPCAKES).
** Okay, I need to pause for a second. I looked up Celiac disease on wikipedia (to come up with a more cohesive definition than "it makes your tummy hurt really really bad" [it's embarrassing that I don't know this]) and under their list of symptoms it says, and I kid you not, causes FAILURE TO THRIVE (but don't worry, this apparently only happens in children ... :I). Now this, to me, sounds not only terrifying ... well no, that pretty much sums it up; it sounds terrifying. But thanks to the handy dandy clickable links on wikipedia, I found out that it's more a case of poor physical growth, which is bad, don't get me wrong, but I'd say it's much more preferable to any of the other possible definitions I could come up with**
So anyway, here I was being told that my bready-food days were over, and, as you might imagine having gotten to know me a little bit, gluten-loving me did NOT react well. Seriously. If you told Shakespeare that he had to stop writing plays, he'd probably stab you in the eye with his quill (poetically, of course. Forsooth ...). If you told Beethoven that he had to stop composing music, he'd probably say "what? I can't hear you" but if you were to sign it to him, he'd probably be very unhappy ... or at the very least he'd ignore you. So stubbornly (as I do most things) I went the route of my fellow genius (that's right) good ol' Ludwig; I decided that I was going to ignore the diagnosis and continue on with my gluten devouring ways. After all, it's not like I suddenly had a new thing wrong with me; it was the same disease I'd had all my life, except now it had a name. So why not keep living the way I'd always been living?
Well former self, I will tell you why not (I'm sure, dear readers, being the spectacularly not-dim people that I know you all to be, you know exactly why this is a BAD IDEA. And yet I continue ...). No food, not even cupcakes (no really, I'm serious), is worth making yourself sick over. I am fortunate enough not to be diagnosed with a more severe case of celiac, so luckily when I do slip up (and trust me, I do), I don't always feel the repercussions (though I still have a big problem with bagels ...) but now that I'm much more educated about food and dietary restrictions, one of the main reasons I say it's not worth it is because there are so many ways to adapt your food so that it can satisfy not only your taste buds, but the rest of your body as well!
And that's what brings me to today's recipe, dear readers.
Now, I know that there are many many different kinds of dietary restrictions, but today I'm tackling two of the main ones that I have had experience with, both first and second hand: Gluten-Free and Vegan diet.
** If you have a specific dietary need I'm not mentioning and you'd like to know how you can adapt this and other recipes to suit you, leave a comment and I'll get back to you!**
**Also, since I've discussed celiac, I should also briefly describe veganism to you all (in case there are those of you who are not familiar with this). A vegan is someone who does not ingest animal products (not only the meat of the animal, but things such as dairy and eggs as well) and those who partake in a vegan diet do so for a variety of reasons. Some vegans have certain allergies that prevent them from ingesting things like milk or the eggs (a close friend that I have is a vegan and is allergic to lactose). Other reasons include things like ethical and environmental choices, but for the purpose of this blog post, I won't so much go into those (but if you're curious, definitely look it up to educate yourselves).**
Back in (what I will call) "the day" (which really wasn't that long ago) options in the way of gluten-free and vegan baked goods were at a minimum; after all, if you can't use eggs or milk, and you can't use flour, you can't bake right? Wrong! Not only is it possible to bake, it's possible to bake DELICIOUS baked goods (that have the added bonus of not making you lock yourself in the washroom for the rest of the night).
And speaking of delicious and inclusive baked goods ...
my horn: "toot toot"
This recipe is so easy to make, even the most novice (the novice-est?) of bakers can seem like a dietary, culinary expert (wouldn't that look impressive on a resume?). I've included two cake recipes, one chocolate and one vanilla (because I've acknowledged you chocolate haters out there, and I respect you, even though I don't understand you ...) and I've left them plain, mostly because the chai icing does most of the work for you flavour-wise, but also because you have the ability to play around with them and have a little fun (add in some citrus zest, some flavoured extracts, etc and it's a whole new cupcake!). Those delicious cakes with the dreamy I-can't-believe-this-is-vegan chai icing will have you and your tasters coming back for more (and hey, you don't HAVE to let them know they're vegan and gluten-free until after they're licking the icing off of their fingers).
Now, I can tell that some of you are probably pretty skeptical about this, and that's okay! I have interviewed for pastry positions where the chefs don't bake what I like to call "inclusive desserts" because they "just don't taste as good as 'regular' desserts". This opinion, I feel, is based on a few different things: 1) they haven't educated themselves enough to know how to do it right 2) based on the previous fact, they aren't doing it right and 3) they've never had an inclusive dessert and are going off of assumptions. It's true, in a lot of these recipes the ingredients aren't exactly what you would call standard (flour out of rice, and milk out of beans and nuts? What is this sorcery?), but it's the finished product that truly counts; the proof is in the pudding as they say (or in this case, the cupcake). So, I guess this is me daring you to give these a try, dear readers; step out of your culinary comfort zones for this one and you may just be surprised.
Happy (inclusive) Baking!
Not constantly mind you. It wasn't a scarlet fever-Velveteen Rabbit kind of situation (Though I did have about a million stuffed animals ... none of them became real by crying while waiting to be incinerated though ... look it up). But it did happen quite a bit, and neither I, nor my parents, ever knew why.
When I was 17, I guess it became particularly bad. After multiple hospital visits and tests, my doctor finally had the answer: celiac. For those that don't know, celiac is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine caused by ingesting gluten found in wheat and other such things (barley, rye etc) .... basically everything that makes up the foods I like to eat (pizza, pasta, bread, CUPCAKES).
** Okay, I need to pause for a second. I looked up Celiac disease on wikipedia (to come up with a more cohesive definition than "it makes your tummy hurt really really bad" [it's embarrassing that I don't know this]) and under their list of symptoms it says, and I kid you not, causes FAILURE TO THRIVE (but don't worry, this apparently only happens in children ... :I). Now this, to me, sounds not only terrifying ... well no, that pretty much sums it up; it sounds terrifying. But thanks to the handy dandy clickable links on wikipedia, I found out that it's more a case of poor physical growth, which is bad, don't get me wrong, but I'd say it's much more preferable to any of the other possible definitions I could come up with**
So anyway, here I was being told that my bready-food days were over, and, as you might imagine having gotten to know me a little bit, gluten-loving me did NOT react well. Seriously. If you told Shakespeare that he had to stop writing plays, he'd probably stab you in the eye with his quill (poetically, of course. Forsooth ...). If you told Beethoven that he had to stop composing music, he'd probably say "what? I can't hear you" but if you were to sign it to him, he'd probably be very unhappy ... or at the very least he'd ignore you. So stubbornly (as I do most things) I went the route of my fellow genius (that's right) good ol' Ludwig; I decided that I was going to ignore the diagnosis and continue on with my gluten devouring ways. After all, it's not like I suddenly had a new thing wrong with me; it was the same disease I'd had all my life, except now it had a name. So why not keep living the way I'd always been living?
Well former self, I will tell you why not (I'm sure, dear readers, being the spectacularly not-dim people that I know you all to be, you know exactly why this is a BAD IDEA. And yet I continue ...). No food, not even cupcakes (no really, I'm serious), is worth making yourself sick over. I am fortunate enough not to be diagnosed with a more severe case of celiac, so luckily when I do slip up (and trust me, I do), I don't always feel the repercussions (though I still have a big problem with bagels ...) but now that I'm much more educated about food and dietary restrictions, one of the main reasons I say it's not worth it is because there are so many ways to adapt your food so that it can satisfy not only your taste buds, but the rest of your body as well!
And that's what brings me to today's recipe, dear readers.
Now, I know that there are many many different kinds of dietary restrictions, but today I'm tackling two of the main ones that I have had experience with, both first and second hand: Gluten-Free and Vegan diet.
** If you have a specific dietary need I'm not mentioning and you'd like to know how you can adapt this and other recipes to suit you, leave a comment and I'll get back to you!**
**Also, since I've discussed celiac, I should also briefly describe veganism to you all (in case there are those of you who are not familiar with this). A vegan is someone who does not ingest animal products (not only the meat of the animal, but things such as dairy and eggs as well) and those who partake in a vegan diet do so for a variety of reasons. Some vegans have certain allergies that prevent them from ingesting things like milk or the eggs (a close friend that I have is a vegan and is allergic to lactose). Other reasons include things like ethical and environmental choices, but for the purpose of this blog post, I won't so much go into those (but if you're curious, definitely look it up to educate yourselves).**
Back in (what I will call) "the day" (which really wasn't that long ago) options in the way of gluten-free and vegan baked goods were at a minimum; after all, if you can't use eggs or milk, and you can't use flour, you can't bake right? Wrong! Not only is it possible to bake, it's possible to bake DELICIOUS baked goods (that have the added bonus of not making you lock yourself in the washroom for the rest of the night).
And speaking of delicious and inclusive baked goods ...
my horn: "toot toot"
This recipe is so easy to make, even the most novice (the novice-est?) of bakers can seem like a dietary, culinary expert (wouldn't that look impressive on a resume?). I've included two cake recipes, one chocolate and one vanilla (because I've acknowledged you chocolate haters out there, and I respect you, even though I don't understand you ...) and I've left them plain, mostly because the chai icing does most of the work for you flavour-wise, but also because you have the ability to play around with them and have a little fun (add in some citrus zest, some flavoured extracts, etc and it's a whole new cupcake!). Those delicious cakes with the dreamy I-can't-believe-this-is-vegan chai icing will have you and your tasters coming back for more (and hey, you don't HAVE to let them know they're vegan and gluten-free until after they're licking the icing off of their fingers).
Now, I can tell that some of you are probably pretty skeptical about this, and that's okay! I have interviewed for pastry positions where the chefs don't bake what I like to call "inclusive desserts" because they "just don't taste as good as 'regular' desserts". This opinion, I feel, is based on a few different things: 1) they haven't educated themselves enough to know how to do it right 2) based on the previous fact, they aren't doing it right and 3) they've never had an inclusive dessert and are going off of assumptions. It's true, in a lot of these recipes the ingredients aren't exactly what you would call standard (flour out of rice, and milk out of beans and nuts? What is this sorcery?), but it's the finished product that truly counts; the proof is in the pudding as they say (or in this case, the cupcake). So, I guess this is me daring you to give these a try, dear readers; step out of your culinary comfort zones for this one and you may just be surprised.
Happy (inclusive) Baking!
You better get some before the photobombing cupcake monster eats them all ...
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes:
1 cup almond/rice/soy milk
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sifted all purpose flour (regular or gluten free)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix vinegar with milk of choice and let stand for 10 minutes. Whisk vinegar/milk mixture with oil, sugar, and vanilla. In another bowl combine dry ingredients (excluding sugar which you’ve already used!) Add wet to dry and mix until combined. Bake for 25 minutes.
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes:
1 cup almond/rice/soy milk
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour (regular or gluten free)
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
¾ cup sugar
2 ¼ tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix vinegar and milk of choice and let stand for 10 minutes. Whisk vinegar/milk mixture with oil, sugar and vanilla. In another bowl combine dry ingredients. Add wet to dry and mix until combined. Bake for 22 minutes.
Vegan Vanilla Chai Frosting:
½ cup vegan margarine
4 cups powdered sugar
2 chai tea bags
cinnamon (sprinkle as much as desired)
3 Tbsp. boiling water
2 Tbsp. vanilla almond/rice/soy milk
¼ tsp. salt
Let chai tea bags sit in 3 tablespoons of boiling water for 10 minutes. Add vanilla almond/rice/soy milk. Put aside. Beat margarine until soft, and add powdered sugar, salt, and tea mixture, alternating a little at a time. Add in Cinnamon to taste.
1 cup almond/rice/soy milk
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sifted all purpose flour (regular or gluten free)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix vinegar with milk of choice and let stand for 10 minutes. Whisk vinegar/milk mixture with oil, sugar, and vanilla. In another bowl combine dry ingredients (excluding sugar which you’ve already used!) Add wet to dry and mix until combined. Bake for 25 minutes.
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes:
1 cup almond/rice/soy milk
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour (regular or gluten free)
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
¾ cup sugar
2 ¼ tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix vinegar and milk of choice and let stand for 10 minutes. Whisk vinegar/milk mixture with oil, sugar and vanilla. In another bowl combine dry ingredients. Add wet to dry and mix until combined. Bake for 22 minutes.
Vegan Vanilla Chai Frosting:
½ cup vegan margarine
4 cups powdered sugar
2 chai tea bags
cinnamon (sprinkle as much as desired)
3 Tbsp. boiling water
2 Tbsp. vanilla almond/rice/soy milk
¼ tsp. salt
Let chai tea bags sit in 3 tablespoons of boiling water for 10 minutes. Add vanilla almond/rice/soy milk. Put aside. Beat margarine until soft, and add powdered sugar, salt, and tea mixture, alternating a little at a time. Add in Cinnamon to taste.
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Key Lime "Hillary" Cupcakes - A Tribute to Camp Merrywood and to Hillary
This post has been a long time coming. It's just been so difficult to write, but I've finally been able to straighten my thoughts enough to write it in the way I think it should be written. If you're here for the recipe, by all means scroll down to the bottom - this one's going to be a little long. But for those of you here to share another little piece of my life, read carefully. This blog post, and this cupcake mean the most to me out of any I have ever written or made, and soon you will understand why. Thank you, as always dear readers, for allowing me into your homes/offices/wherever you're reading this and for letting me share with you.
The summer of 2011 changed my life.
The summer of 2011 changed my life.
I should probably back-track to January 2011. It was at the annual family Christmas gathering, the first not hosted by my aunt Nancy as she had past away the previous February from cancer. All of us were sitting around chatting about what was new and what we had been up to that year, and, I guess more pertinent to the story, what we had planned for the rest of the year. I was in first year university at the time, and other than finishing off the year, I had no plans. I figured when summer hit, I would be back in my hometown and working at the same grocery store I had been working at for three years, seeing some old friends and buying time until I came back to Toronto for second year.
Among the family that was present was my first cousin once removed, Barb (My dad's first cousin). For as long as I could remember, she was the director of an Easter Seals camp, a camp for children and young adults with physical disabilities, and, sure enough when the conversation came around to her plans, she was busy hiring and making arrangements for the 2011 camp session. I heard myself saying "maybe I should apply" half-jokingly, figuring the hiring had probably been wrapped up by now. To my surprise, she said "you should! Here's my email and here's where to find the application".
As I said, for as long as I can remember, this is what Barb did during the summer. And every Christmas she would be full of amazing stories to share about camp. But I had never thought about being part of the story. I had worked in retail since I was 16 years old, and sure I had attended camp when I was younger, but I had never pictured myself travelling 6 hours away from everyone I knew to spend my summer working at a camp, particularly one with campers who had physical disabilities.
I will clarify that this is not because I had anything at all against people with physical disabilities. I just never pictured myself being thrown into that environment and being the person that they were to depend on for their time at camp. I had no experience in this kind of environment, and it sounded like something way out of my comfort zone! What if I messed up? What if I didn't know what to do? But the more I thought about it, the more excited I became. Up until this moment in my life, I had been a very safe person; always make the safe choice, always take the sure thing, limits are there for a reason, were just some of my mantras. I didn't want to leave my teenage years not having taken a chance on anything, and the more I thought about it, the more I thought, why not? It was nerve-wracking, exciting, and exhilarating all at the same time (and this is before I even filled out the application. Jumping the gun or what?) but it was a chance I wanted to take.
I'll fast forward now. Me on the phone interviewing for a councillor position and getting accepted (hold your applause please), then hearing about a programmer position where I had the chance to run music and drama programs for the campers. This was me up, down, and sideways! Back before cupcakes ruled my life (haha) music was my biggest passion and probably my biggest talent as well. Cue separate phone interview, me getting the position (okay now you may applaud) and the LONGEST TWO MONTHS EVER as I sat at home waiting to go.
I'll fast forward again and give you a brief overview of what was, I can officially say, the most amazing and life-changing summer I have ever had in my life (and for those of you Merrywood-ers, you know exactly what I'm talking about). I found out that all of my worries about not knowing what to do were for not, as the staff was put through a rigorous pre-camp session of practical training, information sessions, and last but CERTAINLY not least, lifting passports (think endless bouts of rigorous squatting; if my legs could talk they would have been screaming!). After pre-camp. any of the worries that may have been lingering were melted away when I interacted with my first camper. I can honestly say that I have never seen anyone so full of life as I have when the campers came through those gates. Every day a camper would give me a new reason to smile (more accurately every other minute I would have a new reason to smile. I was just smiling all the day long), and a new reason to appreciate life. That isn't to say that the summer was easy. It was very physically and emotionally demanding, personal space was at a minimum and limits were being tested left and right, but without a word of a lie, when I left those gates on August 19th with tears streaming down my face, I was a new person, and I still am today. Camp taught me to appreciate every moment, to stop and smell the flowers and really EXPERIENCE the life that I'm living. It taught me that I am so much stronger than I think (both physically and emotionally) and it even helped me overcome the fear of water/boats that I have had ever since I was little.I truly believe that Camp Merrywood is the most magical place in the world, and I can't wait to be able to visit it again someday.
Another huge thing that camp gave to me was strong life changing friendships. Since day one, the Merrywood staff bonded quicker than I have ever seen a group of people that size bond. On days off we would dress up and go to Walmart (yes, this actually happens), or go out to Perth together to a restaurant or a dance club and dance the night away, none more determinedly or veraciously as one of the councillors named Hillary. She was always the first person to start a dance circle and the last one to leave it, dancing like no one was watching her with a determined look in her eyes and a grin on her face. But this was so different than the first impression that I had of her. When I first met her, I remember thinking that she was quiet and reserved, but I suppose that's before I got to know her. I first saw her come out of her shell during one of my programs called "Musical Jenga". Basically the game was just like regular Jenga, but each block would have an instruction like "sing your favourite camp song" or "what would your rockstar name be?". During the game a camper pulled a block that said "Sing a Lady Gaga song" and they were a bit shy and didn't want to do it. All of a sudden from across the circle Hillary burst into the beginning of 'Bad Romance' (The Ra Ra A-A-A part) and had everyone in stitches. From that day on I got to know the real Hillary; the hilarious, country-loving down home girl who loved kids and could brighten anyones day with a smile. Hillary and I became close friends and this friendship lasted even outside of those camp gates, even though she was in Sudbury and I was in Toronto. We didn't talk as much as I would have liked, but when we did it was like no time had elapsed and conversation flowed like ever. I thought I had really found a lifelong friend in Hillary, and her in me. This brings me to the next part of my story.
January 4th 2012 changed my life.
It started as a pretty normal Wednesday. I remember that I had just had a particularly vexing French class, and I had just got home, ready to unwind. I checked my Facebook like I usually do after class and that's when I saw it; a facebook status from a mutual friend and coworker, and someone she was very close to, named Chris, saying "I will always miss you. Someday we will go fishin in the dark, I promise. And I keep my promises. Will always be the brightest star in my sky....". I knew it was about Hillary and my heart fell into my shoes.
It turns out that she had been in a car accident the previous day, while heading back to Sudbury. She was taken to hospital where she then passed away. I didn't know how to respond. a simply "RIP Hillary" in a facebook status would not be enough to sum up the amazing, funny, selfless person that she was, and the great loss that came with her death. The entire Merrywood family was in shock and everyone grieved together over facebook, even though at this point we were all spread out across the globe. We all wanted to do something to commemorate Hillary, to show what an amazing person the world had lost, but none of us were quite sure how to do it ... then I had an idea.
If you know me personally, or have been reading this for a while, dear readers, you'll know that I bake for every occasion: when I'm happy, when I have an assignment I want to put off, when I'm lonely, and when I'm sad. Well, I don't know about you, but to me there are very few things that are sadder than losing a friend, so I did what I do best; I baked.
I created a key lime cupcake in memory of Hillary; I chose this flavour because it reminds me of summer, the time that I got to know her and become her friend. I then created a fundraiser called "Cupcakes for Hillary" where I would make and sell these cupcakes to people that I knew, all the proceeds going to Easter Seals in her name. I told my fellow Merrywood staff about it, and the idea took off like a rocket. I made an online fundraiser so that people who didn't live near me could still learn about the cause and donate if they felt so inclined. And did they ever! In a little less than a month $4,200 dollars was raised in her name. Now, I should explain the significance about this amount of money. It takes $2,000 to send a deserving child to camp who would not have the chance to go otherwise due to financial troubles or what have you. This means that in Hillary's memory, two children will be entering those gates this summer who would not have otherwise gotten the chance. This outpouring on support from friends and strangers in Hillary's memory has touched not only me, but fellow Merrywood staff, Easter Seals, Hillary's own family, and everyone that knew her, because she truly was a wonderful person, and she truly did love working at Merrywood (she even submitted her application to come back this summer before she passed away). She is well missed, and she will never be forgotten.
So as you can see, dear readers, these cupcakes mean a lot to me. I make them when I'm sad, or when I'm particularly happy about something, or when I find myself missing her more than usual. I know she's with me and I know she'll be watching over the campers and the councillors at Merrywood this summer. If you've stayed with me this long, thank you for letting me share this with you. I really hope that you make these yourselves, because in a way I think they're kind of magical. I hope when you make them, you feel a little bit of that magic too.
Happy Baking.
Among the family that was present was my first cousin once removed, Barb (My dad's first cousin). For as long as I could remember, she was the director of an Easter Seals camp, a camp for children and young adults with physical disabilities, and, sure enough when the conversation came around to her plans, she was busy hiring and making arrangements for the 2011 camp session. I heard myself saying "maybe I should apply" half-jokingly, figuring the hiring had probably been wrapped up by now. To my surprise, she said "you should! Here's my email and here's where to find the application".
As I said, for as long as I can remember, this is what Barb did during the summer. And every Christmas she would be full of amazing stories to share about camp. But I had never thought about being part of the story. I had worked in retail since I was 16 years old, and sure I had attended camp when I was younger, but I had never pictured myself travelling 6 hours away from everyone I knew to spend my summer working at a camp, particularly one with campers who had physical disabilities.
I will clarify that this is not because I had anything at all against people with physical disabilities. I just never pictured myself being thrown into that environment and being the person that they were to depend on for their time at camp. I had no experience in this kind of environment, and it sounded like something way out of my comfort zone! What if I messed up? What if I didn't know what to do? But the more I thought about it, the more excited I became. Up until this moment in my life, I had been a very safe person; always make the safe choice, always take the sure thing, limits are there for a reason, were just some of my mantras. I didn't want to leave my teenage years not having taken a chance on anything, and the more I thought about it, the more I thought, why not? It was nerve-wracking, exciting, and exhilarating all at the same time (and this is before I even filled out the application. Jumping the gun or what?) but it was a chance I wanted to take.
I'll fast forward now. Me on the phone interviewing for a councillor position and getting accepted (hold your applause please), then hearing about a programmer position where I had the chance to run music and drama programs for the campers. This was me up, down, and sideways! Back before cupcakes ruled my life (haha) music was my biggest passion and probably my biggest talent as well. Cue separate phone interview, me getting the position (okay now you may applaud) and the LONGEST TWO MONTHS EVER as I sat at home waiting to go.
I'll fast forward again and give you a brief overview of what was, I can officially say, the most amazing and life-changing summer I have ever had in my life (and for those of you Merrywood-ers, you know exactly what I'm talking about). I found out that all of my worries about not knowing what to do were for not, as the staff was put through a rigorous pre-camp session of practical training, information sessions, and last but CERTAINLY not least, lifting passports (think endless bouts of rigorous squatting; if my legs could talk they would have been screaming!). After pre-camp. any of the worries that may have been lingering were melted away when I interacted with my first camper. I can honestly say that I have never seen anyone so full of life as I have when the campers came through those gates. Every day a camper would give me a new reason to smile (more accurately every other minute I would have a new reason to smile. I was just smiling all the day long), and a new reason to appreciate life. That isn't to say that the summer was easy. It was very physically and emotionally demanding, personal space was at a minimum and limits were being tested left and right, but without a word of a lie, when I left those gates on August 19th with tears streaming down my face, I was a new person, and I still am today. Camp taught me to appreciate every moment, to stop and smell the flowers and really EXPERIENCE the life that I'm living. It taught me that I am so much stronger than I think (both physically and emotionally) and it even helped me overcome the fear of water/boats that I have had ever since I was little.I truly believe that Camp Merrywood is the most magical place in the world, and I can't wait to be able to visit it again someday.
Another huge thing that camp gave to me was strong life changing friendships. Since day one, the Merrywood staff bonded quicker than I have ever seen a group of people that size bond. On days off we would dress up and go to Walmart (yes, this actually happens), or go out to Perth together to a restaurant or a dance club and dance the night away, none more determinedly or veraciously as one of the councillors named Hillary. She was always the first person to start a dance circle and the last one to leave it, dancing like no one was watching her with a determined look in her eyes and a grin on her face. But this was so different than the first impression that I had of her. When I first met her, I remember thinking that she was quiet and reserved, but I suppose that's before I got to know her. I first saw her come out of her shell during one of my programs called "Musical Jenga". Basically the game was just like regular Jenga, but each block would have an instruction like "sing your favourite camp song" or "what would your rockstar name be?". During the game a camper pulled a block that said "Sing a Lady Gaga song" and they were a bit shy and didn't want to do it. All of a sudden from across the circle Hillary burst into the beginning of 'Bad Romance' (The Ra Ra A-A-A part) and had everyone in stitches. From that day on I got to know the real Hillary; the hilarious, country-loving down home girl who loved kids and could brighten anyones day with a smile. Hillary and I became close friends and this friendship lasted even outside of those camp gates, even though she was in Sudbury and I was in Toronto. We didn't talk as much as I would have liked, but when we did it was like no time had elapsed and conversation flowed like ever. I thought I had really found a lifelong friend in Hillary, and her in me. This brings me to the next part of my story.
January 4th 2012 changed my life.
It started as a pretty normal Wednesday. I remember that I had just had a particularly vexing French class, and I had just got home, ready to unwind. I checked my Facebook like I usually do after class and that's when I saw it; a facebook status from a mutual friend and coworker, and someone she was very close to, named Chris, saying "I will always miss you. Someday we will go fishin in the dark, I promise. And I keep my promises. Will always be the brightest star in my sky....". I knew it was about Hillary and my heart fell into my shoes.
It turns out that she had been in a car accident the previous day, while heading back to Sudbury. She was taken to hospital where she then passed away. I didn't know how to respond. a simply "RIP Hillary" in a facebook status would not be enough to sum up the amazing, funny, selfless person that she was, and the great loss that came with her death. The entire Merrywood family was in shock and everyone grieved together over facebook, even though at this point we were all spread out across the globe. We all wanted to do something to commemorate Hillary, to show what an amazing person the world had lost, but none of us were quite sure how to do it ... then I had an idea.
If you know me personally, or have been reading this for a while, dear readers, you'll know that I bake for every occasion: when I'm happy, when I have an assignment I want to put off, when I'm lonely, and when I'm sad. Well, I don't know about you, but to me there are very few things that are sadder than losing a friend, so I did what I do best; I baked.
I created a key lime cupcake in memory of Hillary; I chose this flavour because it reminds me of summer, the time that I got to know her and become her friend. I then created a fundraiser called "Cupcakes for Hillary" where I would make and sell these cupcakes to people that I knew, all the proceeds going to Easter Seals in her name. I told my fellow Merrywood staff about it, and the idea took off like a rocket. I made an online fundraiser so that people who didn't live near me could still learn about the cause and donate if they felt so inclined. And did they ever! In a little less than a month $4,200 dollars was raised in her name. Now, I should explain the significance about this amount of money. It takes $2,000 to send a deserving child to camp who would not have the chance to go otherwise due to financial troubles or what have you. This means that in Hillary's memory, two children will be entering those gates this summer who would not have otherwise gotten the chance. This outpouring on support from friends and strangers in Hillary's memory has touched not only me, but fellow Merrywood staff, Easter Seals, Hillary's own family, and everyone that knew her, because she truly was a wonderful person, and she truly did love working at Merrywood (she even submitted her application to come back this summer before she passed away). She is well missed, and she will never be forgotten.
So as you can see, dear readers, these cupcakes mean a lot to me. I make them when I'm sad, or when I'm particularly happy about something, or when I find myself missing her more than usual. I know she's with me and I know she'll be watching over the campers and the councillors at Merrywood this summer. If you've stayed with me this long, thank you for letting me share this with you. I really hope that you make these yourselves, because in a way I think they're kind of magical. I hope when you make them, you feel a little bit of that magic too.
Happy Baking.
Cupcakes:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature and diced
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 cup half-and-half
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 cup half-and-half
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners and sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of each cup. In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Mix until butter is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With mixer running on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down sides of the bowl and mix well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, salt and baking powder. Add about one-third of the flour mixture to the batter. Beat on low speed until well blended. Scrape sides of the bowl. Add about 1/3 of the half-and-half and beat well. Continue adding the remaining flour and half-and-half alternately, beating well after each addition. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans using either an ice cream scoop or tablespoon. Fill muffin cups until they are approximately 3/4 full. Bake cupcakes for 12-15 minutes. Remove pans from oven and place on wire racks. Allow cupcakes to completely cool in the pan before filling and frosting.
Filling:
1/2-cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons grated key lime zest (about 4-5 key limes)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice (8-10 key limes)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons grated key lime zest (about 4-5 key limes)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice (8-10 key limes)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
In a medium saucepan combine sugar, eggs, lime zest and juice. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly. Cook until mixture begins to thicken and hold the mark of a whisk ran through it; about 10-15 minutes.
Remove pan from heat. Whisk in diced butter a few pieces at a time. Mix until well combined. Strain mixture through a fine sieve or cheese cloth. Cover mixture tightly with plastic by laying plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd. This prevents a film from forming.
Chill for 3 hours or overnight to set the curd.
Frosting:
1 (8 oz.) brick of cream cheese
1 stick salted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Juice of approx. 3 key limes
3 cups powdered sugar
Zest of 3 key limes
Put cream cheese and butter in a mixer on medium speed and cream together. Add in the vanilla and mix until combined. Add in the lime juice and the powdered sugar, alternating between each addition. Add the zest and hand-mix just until combined.
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Chocolate Pomegranate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting and Pomegranate Syrup
I'll admit it.
Luckily for me, overcoming a debilitating irrational fear was next on my bucket list (right after marrying Prince Harry ... I'm still working on it) so I decided to don my darkest clothing to avoid stain-age (complete with balaclava [not the delicious greek dessert]) and infiltrate the pomegranate lair.
Now I'm sure this has painted an interesting picture in your minds thus far, dear readers. Me, clad in black looking like some sort of evil henchman, creeping up on some poor unsuspecting fruit (screaming on the inside [me not the fruit]) ready to spill its guts and seize the day!
...
Unfortunately, I'm not that brave (or that cool ... plus I don't own a balaclava). So here's the real story:
Me, clad in whatever I was wearing at the time cowering against my kitchen counter not at all like any sort of evil henchman, staying as far away as possible from the unsuspecting fruit (screaming on the outside [still me not the fruit]) as my brave friend seized the day for me.
So let's recap: still afraid to eat/touch a pomegranate, and I will never be inducted into the Evil League of Evil. Got it. But, the dirty work having been done for me, I was now free to throw together a cupcake which, although 70% evil, tastes pretty darn good!
To be honest, I wasn't sure what flavours really meld well with pomegranate having never eaten one myself. However, you really can never go wrong with chocolate in my mind, so that's what I went with (for those of you peculiar people that don't like fruit with your chocolate, come up with your own flavour and let me know!). I whipped up a quick chocolate cupcake batter and folded in the pomegranate seeds (because despite being evil, they are surprisingly delicate to work with) resulting in an extremely thin batter except for the pomegranate seeds of course; if this is your result you haven't done anything wrong, though filling the liners like this is an extremely messy job so once again dear readers, please leave your white prada jumpsuit in the closet for this one.
While the cupcakes were baking I made the chocolate buttercream frosting because really friends, you can never ever go wrong with more chocolate. Because I was slightly nervous about how the batter would cook due to it's inconsistent consistency (say that 5x fast), I rotated the cupcakes at the 10 minute mark. This allows for them to cook evenly and indeed the finished product turned out to be evenly cooked while staying incredibly moist.
It was at this point dear readers that I had a bit of a moment. I looked at the remaining juice from the pomegranate sitting in a bowl of my kitchen table and I thought, it's now or never. Facing my fears I walked over to the table, gingerly picked up the bowl and poured it through a strainer into another bowl. I added some sugar (to take away the evil) and I set it to a boil on the stove (to get rid of any remaining evil). The resulting homemade pomegranate syrup is not only impressive but entirely delicious! It's the perfect addition to the cupcakes drizzled overtop of the frosting, cutting the sweetness of the chocolate with its tart but still sweet flavour.
When I was finished, and the cupcakes had cooled, been frosted, and drizzled with pomegranate syrup, I picked one up, closed my eyes, and took a bite: "crunch". That's the sound of victory my friends; I had finally faced my fears and was reaping the sweet sweet rewards. It's also the sound the cupcake will make when you bite into it because the pomegranate seeds are still intact. Just make sure you let your tasters know (my boyfriend's dad actually thought they were grape seeds!). And, as always dear readers ...
Happy Baking!
Cupcakes:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
Up until recently, I was scared to eat a pomegranate.
It might be because they stain EVERYTHING they touch, and I'm not the most coordinated person at the best of times (particularly with food; if it can stain, it probably will). It could also have something to do with the fact that I've been taught all of my life to eat every part of the fruit but the seeds ... I guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks (plus they sort of look like jellied minions of doom ... I'm not wrong).
It might be because they stain EVERYTHING they touch, and I'm not the most coordinated person at the best of times (particularly with food; if it can stain, it probably will). It could also have something to do with the fact that I've been taught all of my life to eat every part of the fruit but the seeds ... I guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks (plus they sort of look like jellied minions of doom ... I'm not wrong).
 |
| Jellied Minions of Doom in their Lair .... |
 |
| What they look like when your back is turned ... |
Now I'm sure this has painted an interesting picture in your minds thus far, dear readers. Me, clad in black looking like some sort of evil henchman, creeping up on some poor unsuspecting fruit (screaming on the inside [me not the fruit]) ready to spill its guts and seize the day!
...
Unfortunately, I'm not that brave (or that cool ... plus I don't own a balaclava). So here's the real story:
Me, clad in whatever I was wearing at the time cowering against my kitchen counter not at all like any sort of evil henchman, staying as far away as possible from the unsuspecting fruit (screaming on the outside [still me not the fruit]) as my brave friend seized the day for me.
So let's recap: still afraid to eat/touch a pomegranate, and I will never be inducted into the Evil League of Evil. Got it. But, the dirty work having been done for me, I was now free to throw together a cupcake which, although 70% evil, tastes pretty darn good!
To be honest, I wasn't sure what flavours really meld well with pomegranate having never eaten one myself. However, you really can never go wrong with chocolate in my mind, so that's what I went with (for those of you peculiar people that don't like fruit with your chocolate, come up with your own flavour and let me know!). I whipped up a quick chocolate cupcake batter and folded in the pomegranate seeds (because despite being evil, they are surprisingly delicate to work with) resulting in an extremely thin batter except for the pomegranate seeds of course; if this is your result you haven't done anything wrong, though filling the liners like this is an extremely messy job so once again dear readers, please leave your white prada jumpsuit in the closet for this one.
While the cupcakes were baking I made the chocolate buttercream frosting because really friends, you can never ever go wrong with more chocolate. Because I was slightly nervous about how the batter would cook due to it's inconsistent consistency (say that 5x fast), I rotated the cupcakes at the 10 minute mark. This allows for them to cook evenly and indeed the finished product turned out to be evenly cooked while staying incredibly moist.
It was at this point dear readers that I had a bit of a moment. I looked at the remaining juice from the pomegranate sitting in a bowl of my kitchen table and I thought, it's now or never. Facing my fears I walked over to the table, gingerly picked up the bowl and poured it through a strainer into another bowl. I added some sugar (to take away the evil) and I set it to a boil on the stove (to get rid of any remaining evil). The resulting homemade pomegranate syrup is not only impressive but entirely delicious! It's the perfect addition to the cupcakes drizzled overtop of the frosting, cutting the sweetness of the chocolate with its tart but still sweet flavour.
When I was finished, and the cupcakes had cooled, been frosted, and drizzled with pomegranate syrup, I picked one up, closed my eyes, and took a bite: "crunch". That's the sound of victory my friends; I had finally faced my fears and was reaping the sweet sweet rewards. It's also the sound the cupcake will make when you bite into it because the pomegranate seeds are still intact. Just make sure you let your tasters know (my boyfriend's dad actually thought they were grape seeds!). And, as always dear readers ...
Happy Baking!
Cupcakes:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup boiling water
1 cup pomegranate seeds (about 1 pomegranate)
Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons milk (I used 2%)
Cream butter with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth. Turn off the mixer. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar and cocoa into the bowl of the mixer. Mix on low speed until the sugar, cocoa, and butter are combined.. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla, salt, and milk and beat for 3 minutes or until combined.
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup boiling water
1 cup pomegranate seeds (about 1 pomegranate)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cupcake tins with baking cups. Combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and stir until combined. Stir in boiling water. The batter with be very thin. Fold in pomegranate seeds. Fill baking cups 2/3 of the way full. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, rotating halfway through. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons milk (I used 2%)
Cream butter with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth. Turn off the mixer. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar and cocoa into the bowl of the mixer. Mix on low speed until the sugar, cocoa, and butter are combined.. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla, salt, and milk and beat for 3 minutes or until combined.
Pomegranate Syrup:
2 cups pomegranate juice (from a real pomegranate)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Heat all ingredients in a saucepan on high until brought to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until mixture reduces to a quarter; this will take about 45 minutes. Take off heat and let cool slightly.
2 cups pomegranate juice (from a real pomegranate)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Heat all ingredients in a saucepan on high until brought to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until mixture reduces to a quarter; this will take about 45 minutes. Take off heat and let cool slightly.
Monday, 27 February 2012
Pancake Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream and Fresh Blueberries
I've never really been a breakfast person.
All throughout elementary school and highschool I remember getting various breakfast bars, fruits, and breakfast 'shakes' shoved at me as I walked out the door on my way to school, only to be zipped away in my backpack and forgotten about until weeks (or months) later, during that frantic dig for a writing utensil, ANY writing utensil (no matter how many pens and pencils you buy at staples on that optimistic Pre-September shopping trip, you never have enough... where do they all go?!) (I'd like to add that I only did this with non-perishable items and not the aforementioned apples ... nothing like expecting to clasp your hand around a number 2 and instead feeling something that resembles a number 2 of a different sort ... amiright?)
This was during weekdays.
Weekends however, were a different story.
On weekends, my brother and I got to sleep until the late late hour of 10am (any later and my mother would be on the warpath). We would wake up, go downstairs, and for some reason this day where I would have no scholastic commitments (aside from that homework I was saving until Sunday night, of course) would make me want to eat everything in my kitchen. But, dear readers, this was no time for breakfast bars, shakes, or apples. The weekend held the promise of eggs, bacon, and pancakes smothered in maple syrup, and now, just like that, breakfast was my favourite meal of the day.
Now, dear readers, I believe there are three lessons to be learned from this story:
1) Always buy more pencils. Even when you think you have enough, you probably don't
2) Backpacks are not a proper long-term storage facility for fruit
Cupcakes:
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Cups Whole Milk
2 Eggs
1 Ounce (Two Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, Melted and Cooled
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with liners, and then spray the liners with non-stick spray (important step!). Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together milk and eggs, then stir in the melted (and cooled) butter. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients slowly and whisk together until moistened and just combined (it's okay if it looks a little bit lumpy!). Divide the batter between the liners and baked until puffed and slightly firm to the touch, approximately 10 minutes. Let cool for approximately 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting (aka Canadian Heaven):
8 Ounces (1 Cup) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
2 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Optional Toppings (ex. blueberries, pecans, bacon)
To make frosting, use wire whisk attachment of a stand mixer to whip the butter on a medium-high speed until smooth (approximately 5 minutes). Reduce speed to low, and add in powdered sugar, half a cup at a time. Once all powdered sugar has been added, scrape down the bowl with a spatula and increase the speed to medium-high, mixing until light and fluffy. Add the maple syrup and the vanilla, and keep mixing until smooth and incorporated. Garnish as desired, and enjoy!
All throughout elementary school and highschool I remember getting various breakfast bars, fruits, and breakfast 'shakes' shoved at me as I walked out the door on my way to school, only to be zipped away in my backpack and forgotten about until weeks (or months) later, during that frantic dig for a writing utensil, ANY writing utensil (no matter how many pens and pencils you buy at staples on that optimistic Pre-September shopping trip, you never have enough... where do they all go?!) (I'd like to add that I only did this with non-perishable items and not the aforementioned apples ... nothing like expecting to clasp your hand around a number 2 and instead feeling something that resembles a number 2 of a different sort ... amiright?)
This was during weekdays.
Weekends however, were a different story.
On weekends, my brother and I got to sleep until the late late hour of 10am (any later and my mother would be on the warpath). We would wake up, go downstairs, and for some reason this day where I would have no scholastic commitments (aside from that homework I was saving until Sunday night, of course) would make me want to eat everything in my kitchen. But, dear readers, this was no time for breakfast bars, shakes, or apples. The weekend held the promise of eggs, bacon, and pancakes smothered in maple syrup, and now, just like that, breakfast was my favourite meal of the day.
Now, dear readers, I believe there are three lessons to be learned from this story:
1) Always buy more pencils. Even when you think you have enough, you probably don't
2) Backpacks are not a proper long-term storage facility for fruit
3) Even if you’re not a breakfast person, when you have the time you can find something that tickles your fancy (or you could sleep until noon [for those that don’t live in my parents’ house] and wake up in time for lunch, skipping breakfast altogether!)
(and now for the cupcakes ...) This is an homage to that Saturday Morning-No Work-No School-Homework Procrastination breakfast of my childhood, when times were simple, Saturday morning cartoons were still awesome ... and I wasn't cooking for myself.
I'd been wanting to make a pancake cupcake for a while but was unsure how to go about it; in order to be able to call something a "pancake cupcake" it should, rightfully, not only taste like a pancake, but have the proper texture. This recipe hits both points right on (I'm an epic mixture of awesome and modesty ...) and this cupcake is just so delightfully odd you can't help but like it (kind of like me :)) <- I know it looks like a closing bracket, but it's actually my impressive double chin that I have acquired from eating so many cupcakes ...)
The cake is super spongy like a pancake (when you break it open, it has the same airbubbles and everything)
like this!
and is not actually sweet at all, which you'd think would be really off-putting for a cupcake, but just you wait for the frosting my friends; our good friend Paula Deen called, and she wants her VAT of sugar back (which is probably a poor choice seeing as she has diabetes, but I digress). The maple sugary goodness of this frosting packs a punch straight to your cavities, but you won't mind because you'll be floating around in cupcakey heaven while your dentist bills skyrocket.
But really. The combination of the Canadian heaven (that's what I've named the frosting) with the spongy pancake transported me back to my kitchen table on a Saturday morning, still in my jammies and drowning my pancakes in syrup with the BIGGEST smile on my face. And the super thing is, you can garnish this cupcake with pretty much anything you want! I used fresh blueberries (partly because they're deliciously fresh on top of this cupcake, and partly so I didn't die of scurvy) but if you were feeling super adventurous you could use chocolate chips, pecans, or my personal favourite, crumbled bacon (put on your culinary seat belts folks, we're getting crazy!).
I hope you have as much fun with these as I did, and I advise you to make them RIGHT NOW. Remember, breakfast is the most important meal of the day ;)
Happy Baking!
Cupcakes:
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Cups Whole Milk
2 Eggs
1 Ounce (Two Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, Melted and Cooled
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with liners, and then spray the liners with non-stick spray (important step!). Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together milk and eggs, then stir in the melted (and cooled) butter. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients slowly and whisk together until moistened and just combined (it's okay if it looks a little bit lumpy!). Divide the batter between the liners and baked until puffed and slightly firm to the touch, approximately 10 minutes. Let cool for approximately 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting (aka Canadian Heaven):
8 Ounces (1 Cup) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
2 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Optional Toppings (ex. blueberries, pecans, bacon)
To make frosting, use wire whisk attachment of a stand mixer to whip the butter on a medium-high speed until smooth (approximately 5 minutes). Reduce speed to low, and add in powdered sugar, half a cup at a time. Once all powdered sugar has been added, scrape down the bowl with a spatula and increase the speed to medium-high, mixing until light and fluffy. Add the maple syrup and the vanilla, and keep mixing until smooth and incorporated. Garnish as desired, and enjoy!
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