mariadnoca
Moderator
These look interesting and the book looks yummy
http://sweetapolita.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/640warm21-540x756.jpg
Highway to Heaven Cupcakes (clickable link)
makes 24 cupcakes
ingredients
cupcakes
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups warm strong-brewed coffee or french-pressed coffee
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
coffee syrup
1/2 cup strong-brewed coffee
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 recipe sexy bittersweet chocolate ganache
1 recipe salted caramel sauce, at room temperature
instructions
To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, coffee, eggs, vanilla, and vegetable oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk just until incorporated and there are no lumps. (It’s a thin batter, but it will bake up beautifully.)
Divide the batter equally among the muffin cups, leaving about 1/4 inch room at the top. Bake until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes.
To make the coffee syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the coffee and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil for 1 to 2 minutes more to concentrate the mixture.
While the cupcakes are still hot, brush the tops with coffee syrup. (You’ll use most but not all of it. Just discard the rest or use it in a cocktail.) Let the cupcakes cool completely before filling and frosting.
Place the caramel in a squeeze bottle. Insert the tip into the top of each cupcake and squeeze in some caramel. (You’ll see them plump up a bit, but don’t fill them with so much that the cupcakes split.) Dip the tops in ganache, then tilt to shake off the excess. Let the chocolate set (it will be glossy but not runny) for about 30 minutes before drizzling with more salted caramel to serve.
sexy bittersweet ganache
makes about 2 cups
ingredients
12 ounces chopped good-quality bittersweet chocolate
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, but into cubes
1/4 teaspoons good sea salt, such as fleur de sel
1/4 cup light corn syrup
instructions
In a medium metal bowl, combine the chocolate, butter, salt, and corn syrup. Put the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and heat, stirring, until the chocolate and butter have melted. Remove from the heat.
Use as a glaze for cakes, or let cool until spreadable and use as a frosting or filling. Ganache can be refrigerated for 1 week. To gently rewarm, heat it in a microwave on 50 percent power or put it over a saucepan of barely simmering water and give it a good whisking.
salted caramel sauce
makes about 2 1/2 cups
ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons fleur de sel
2 cups heavy cream, warmed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
instructions
In a deep heavy-bottomed pot, combine the sugar, water, and salt and stir until well mixed. Cook over high heat until the sugar starts to color around the edges of the pot, swirling the pan to promote even caramelization of the sugar. (Do not stir or the sugar will crystalize, that is, harden.) Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until the caramel is very dark mahogany is color and lightly smoking (it should be on the verge of burning), 10 to 15 minutes.
Immediately remove the pot from the heat, and while stirring with a whisk or wooden spoon, add the warmed cream in a steady stream. (Since you’re taking the caramel to the dark side, you have to work quickly and being adding the cream right away to stop the cooking process. But you don’t want to add it all at once, so pour it in a continous, steady stream. Be careful: The mixture will steam and bubble up furiously. (I recommend wearing an oven mitt on the hand that’s stirring in the cream.) Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Stir in the vanilla and let cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour. Refrigerate, uncovered for several hours to thicken.
Whisk before using or transferring to an airtight jar for longer storage. It will keep refrigerated for at least 1 week.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1452101264/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sweetapolit00-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1452101264
http://sweetapolita.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/640warm21-540x756.jpg
Highway to Heaven Cupcakes (clickable link)
makes 24 cupcakes
ingredients
cupcakes
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups warm strong-brewed coffee or french-pressed coffee
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
coffee syrup
1/2 cup strong-brewed coffee
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 recipe sexy bittersweet chocolate ganache
1 recipe salted caramel sauce, at room temperature
instructions
To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, coffee, eggs, vanilla, and vegetable oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk just until incorporated and there are no lumps. (It’s a thin batter, but it will bake up beautifully.)
Divide the batter equally among the muffin cups, leaving about 1/4 inch room at the top. Bake until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes.
To make the coffee syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the coffee and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil for 1 to 2 minutes more to concentrate the mixture.
While the cupcakes are still hot, brush the tops with coffee syrup. (You’ll use most but not all of it. Just discard the rest or use it in a cocktail.) Let the cupcakes cool completely before filling and frosting.
Place the caramel in a squeeze bottle. Insert the tip into the top of each cupcake and squeeze in some caramel. (You’ll see them plump up a bit, but don’t fill them with so much that the cupcakes split.) Dip the tops in ganache, then tilt to shake off the excess. Let the chocolate set (it will be glossy but not runny) for about 30 minutes before drizzling with more salted caramel to serve.
sexy bittersweet ganache
makes about 2 cups
ingredients
12 ounces chopped good-quality bittersweet chocolate
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, but into cubes
1/4 teaspoons good sea salt, such as fleur de sel
1/4 cup light corn syrup
instructions
In a medium metal bowl, combine the chocolate, butter, salt, and corn syrup. Put the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and heat, stirring, until the chocolate and butter have melted. Remove from the heat.
Use as a glaze for cakes, or let cool until spreadable and use as a frosting or filling. Ganache can be refrigerated for 1 week. To gently rewarm, heat it in a microwave on 50 percent power or put it over a saucepan of barely simmering water and give it a good whisking.
salted caramel sauce
makes about 2 1/2 cups
ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons fleur de sel
2 cups heavy cream, warmed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
instructions
In a deep heavy-bottomed pot, combine the sugar, water, and salt and stir until well mixed. Cook over high heat until the sugar starts to color around the edges of the pot, swirling the pan to promote even caramelization of the sugar. (Do not stir or the sugar will crystalize, that is, harden.) Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until the caramel is very dark mahogany is color and lightly smoking (it should be on the verge of burning), 10 to 15 minutes.
Immediately remove the pot from the heat, and while stirring with a whisk or wooden spoon, add the warmed cream in a steady stream. (Since you’re taking the caramel to the dark side, you have to work quickly and being adding the cream right away to stop the cooking process. But you don’t want to add it all at once, so pour it in a continous, steady stream. Be careful: The mixture will steam and bubble up furiously. (I recommend wearing an oven mitt on the hand that’s stirring in the cream.) Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Stir in the vanilla and let cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour. Refrigerate, uncovered for several hours to thicken.
Whisk before using or transferring to an airtight jar for longer storage. It will keep refrigerated for at least 1 week.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1452101264/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sweetapolit00-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1452101264