Archive for 'Cakes'
Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe – Joyofbaking.com
Posted on 10. Mar, 2010 by New & Featured Recipes on Joyofbaking.com.
There are mornings when I like to eat something sweet. That something sweet usually means a muffin, and one of my favorites is these Poppy Seed Muffins. I like that their texture and flavor are quite similar to a pound cake yet they surprise with their tangy lemon flavor and addition of crunchy poppy seeds. They are baked in a hot oven which gives their crust a lovely golden brown color that is wonderfully crisp. The lemon flavor of these muffins can be enhanced by drizzling the still warm muffins with a sweet yet tangy lemon glaze.
Poppy Seed Muffins can be made with either plain full fat or reduced fat yogurt or sour cream. I do not, however, recommend using non fat yogurt or sour cream. What I also like about these Poppy Seed Muffins is their tangy citrus flavor which comes from adding lemon zest to the batter. Lemon zest is the outer yellow skin of the lemon and it is where most of the fruit's flavor and perfume are found. Try to use organic lemons and make sure to thoroughly wash the lemon before removing its' skin. The other welcome addition to these muffins is poppy seeds. Poppy seeds are the tiny ripe black seeds of the opium poppy plant and while their flavor is said to be nutty, it is barely recognizable because they are so small. Rather, what you notice is their delightful crunch and how pretty they look dotting the batter. It is hard to imagine that it takes 900,000 of these tiny kidney-shaped seeds to equal one pound.
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Her First Birthday Cake, Ana Turns 2
Image taken on 2006-03-04 14:45:13 by cobalt123.
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Lemon Cupcakes Recipe – Joyofbaking.com
Posted on 09. Mar, 2010 by New & Featured Recipes on Joyofbaking.com.
I never tire of these pretty Lemon Cupcakes that are filled with lemon curd and frosted with lightly sweetened whipped cream. If you like, you can sprinkle the tops with colored sugar or garnish with a fresh berry or candied lemon slice.
This recipe begins with a delicious vanilla cupcake that gets its' lemon flavor from adding lemon zest to the batter. (Lemon Zest is the yellow outer skin of the lemon that contains the fruit's flavor and perfume.) Once the cupcakes have been baked and cooled, a hole is made in the center of each cupcake and filled with lemon curd. Now, Lemon Curd is a thick, soft and velvety cream that has a wonderful tart yet sweet citrus flavor. It is made with eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and unsalted butter and it is similar to a lemon filling or custard in that it is cooked on the stove. You can make your own (recipe included) or you can use store bought. You only need about 1/3 cup of lemon curd so there will be leftovers, which you can use as a spread on scones or to fill pies, cakes, or tarts.
A cupcake always needs frosting and for this cupcake I have simply used whipped cream. The trick to making this cream is to first chill the ingredients, bowl, and whisk as this ensures that the cream will reach its maximum volume when beaten. Now, you could just cover the cupcakes with a thin layer of frosting using a knife or offset spatula, which is perfect for the kids. But if you want swirls of frosting, use a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M star decorating tip.
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Chocolate Mint Brownies Recipe – Joyofbaking.com
Posted on 08. Mar, 2010 by New & Featured Recipes on Joyofbaking.com.
Brownies have been popular since the 1920's yet we do not know for sure who invented them. Jean Anderson, in her book "The American Century Cookbook", gives us a few theories. One theory is that a woman named Brownie invented them. Another is that a housewife from Bangor Maine invented them by accident after her chocolate cake collapsed and instead of throwing the cake away she decided to cut the flat cake into squares. Both stories seem plausible and there are probably many others, so I guess we have to be content just with the fact that at least someone in America invented them.
When you look at the above picture you can see this is not your ordinary brownie. This is a dense and fudgy brownie that is topped with a layer of mint flavored cream and a thin layer of melted dark chocolate. I first made these brownies when I wanted something 'green' for St. Patrick's Day. Now I make them all year (especially during the Christmas season) as mint and chocolate are the perfect combination.
As I said above, this is a dense and fudgy brownie and, in fact, it is the same brownie recipe that I used for the Cream Cheese Brownies. I really like how easy this batter comes together. It is hand mixed and only one bowl is needed to complete the task. Once the brownies are baked and cooled, they are spread first with a creamy mint flavored frosting and then a shiny chocolate glaze. The mint layer is a simple butter frosting and the mint flavor comes by adding either pure peppermint extract or Creme de Menthe. The final layer of these brownies is a lovely chocolate glaze that is simply melted semisweet chocolate and butter. I like to cut these brownies into small squares as they are quite rich and if you have leftovers they can be frozen.
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