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Young & HungryIf you can't take the heat, get outta the kitchen! |
| 15 June |
Cupcakes, take II, another masterpiece from the Martha Stewart Cupcakes book. I made these alongside the blackberry cornmeal cakes I previously posted, to nicely juxtapose the rustic form and flavor with a more refined, sweeter treat. Given that I don’t own a coffeemaker (shocking, I know, and am constantly reminded of by my mother,) I ordered a triple espresso from my local Starbucks (iced coffee with soy for me, my latest obsession) and found it to fit the bill perfectly for the marsala-laced syrup. Additionally, since I didn’t have marsala on hand, I instead turned to my trusty baking spirit, rum, which was a lovely substitute.
The resulting confections were tender, light little cakes (very reminiscent of the lady fingers used in the traditional tiramisu) soaked with a strong-yet-sweet coffee liqueur syrup and topped with a heavenly, creamy topping, a decidedly untraditional cupcake for sure. These cakes are best served immediately after icing as the refrigerator turns them a bit stiff, and are perfect for a girls’ afternoon tea.
| 7 June |
As most of my friends know, I have an unnatural fixation on the Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook, decreeing it the only resource necessary for a lifetime of delicious cookies. Imagine, then, my excitement over Martha’s newly released Cupcakes, the latest installment of her singularly focused, brilliantly organized (cookies are arranged into chapters by texture, cupcakes by technique and occasion) baking volumes. My mom, being the great mom that she is, put us both on the presale list back in February, and I’ve been hotly anticipating the book ever since.
Blackberry cornmeal yum cakes!
Having received the book two days ago, I’ve already torn through it cover to cover, leaving it annotated, earmarked, and a now-permanent fixture on my kitchen counter. I’ve also tried out two of the best-looking, summer-friendly recipes: tiramisu cupcakes and blackberry cornmeal cakes, the latter of which I will post now (and save the former for later since my blogging partner gets mad at me for not cranking out enough posts….love you, Ctine!)
Continue reading…
| 17 May |
A dear friend is turned the ripe old age of 24 this weekend and while sad I could not be there to give her a birthday hug and glass of her favorite vino in person, we planned a little preliminary birthday bash in her honor. Since no birthday outing is complete without some sort of dessert I was left questioning what the dessert could possibly be as sweet as she. She’s a traditionalist; her favorites being brownies & cookies yet those just don’t seem special enough for the occasion. But what if we were to combine the two? What if I made cookie dough cupcakes!
Now I’ve been known to be a semi-homemade baker in the past, but I’m feeling inspired by the occasion and the original recipe which, of course, I will stray from at some points or many throughout my baking expedition. Additionally, I have a past experience with cookie dough cheesecake bars that were delicious enough to inspire decades of future cookie dough recipe experimentation! That said, this is still an experiment that will have to take place after a long day’s work, so compromise might still be in order. Either way, here’s to you Kimberly! I’m so glad to have met you and thanks for always reading!
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