Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Spiced Apple Cupcakes

December 6, 2009

I figured it’s about time that I actually post a cake recipe – you know, since my blog is called Cake, Batter, and Bowl and all… I couldn’t resist the cute word play on Shake, Rattle, and Roll when I was brainstorming names with my Dad over Christmas last year, but in reality the title wasn’t totally appropriate because prior to starting this blog my favorite cake to make was from a box of Pillsbury’s Funfetti mix! I had made my mom’s famous chocolate cake from scratch a couple of times, but didn’t really get into other recipes until I kept running across cakes on the blogosphere that I was inspired to make. Even though I kept gaining more and more experience, for the longest time I was still too intimidated to experiment on my own. However, this all changed when I was encouraged to come up with an original cake recipe (details about that in a future post). I actually had fun dreaming up flavor combinations when I got into it and found it wasn’t quite as challenging as I had envisioned. No cakes fell in the oven or were inedible because they were too dry. I even managed to nail the frosting consistencies and improved my piping skills. These cupcakes were one of the first ideas that popped into my head.

I decided they needed to be stuffed with shredded apples and spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and cloves. Then I topped the cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting with a hint of lemon and toasted pecans. My very favorite part of this recipe is the caramel drizzle. Caramel is actually pretty easy to make at home, since you don’t even need a candy thermometer. I used apple juice as the base instead of water and it turned out so well! This recipe is broken down by each component so it doesn’t get too confusing, and you really only need a couple tablespoons of the caramel for the cupcakes, so you’ll have lots left over for other treats!

p.s. The winners of my Hotel Chocolat giveaway were Danielle and Biz – congrats!

Spiced Apple Cupcakes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large Gala apple, cored, peeled, and shredded (should have 1 1/2 cups of shredded apples)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Caramel Drizzle:
1/4 cup unsweetened 100% apple juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions:

Prepare the Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Mix together flour, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, baking powder, and salt and sift the mixture into a large bowl. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer in a large bowl until creamed. Add in eggs and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Slowly mix in sifted flour mixture until smooth. Mix in shredded apples. Line a standard 12-cup cupcake pan with cupcake liners and evenly spoon cupcake batter into the liners, filling cups 3/4 full. Bake cupcakes at 350˚F for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean and the tops are light golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack. Cool for 20 minutes or until cupcakes are room temperature.

Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting: Place powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and lemon juice in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.

Prepare the Caramel Drizzle: Meanwhile, prepare caramel drizzle. Place apple juice and sugar in a medium saucepan, stir well, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, or until mixture is a caramel color. Monitor closely so the sugar does not burn! Remove pan from the heat and pour in slowly stir in cream and vanilla. The mixture will boil up. Return pan to the heat and boil an additional 2 to 5 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and allow caramel to cool to room temperature.

Cupcake Assembly: Place cream cheese frosting in a decorating bag with a 1M decorating tip. Frost cupcakes evenly. Top cupcakes evenly with chopped pecans. Drizzle caramel sauce over the top of each cupcake, using a new decorating bag with a 4 tip. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Nutrition: 379 calories, 15.7g fat, 1.2g fiber, 3.8g protein per cupcake
Cost: $0.67 per cupcake

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Hotel Chocolat Giveaway

December 2, 2009

When Hotel Chocolat recently contacted me about trying their premium chocolates, how could I resist? Hotel Chocolat (shok-o-la) is a UK chocolatier that specializes in high-end luxury chocolates, so I jumped at the chance to check out their new hip shop on Newbury Street in Boston.

The store itself was warm, sleek, and inviting, with shelves and tables brimming over with their signature chocolate slabs, truffles, and whimsical chocolate bars. I expected the cool contemporary store, but was surprised by the very wonderful, friendly, and unpretentious service (and yes, I was shopping anonymously!)! I immediately felt at home asking all my foodie questions. All their chocolates are organic, and they actually own a cocoa plantation in St. Lucia and see the chocolate making process through from start to finish.

After perusing the store and sneaking in a few pictures, I decided I needed to sample a variety of treats. I selected the Christmas Goody Bag, which contained a cute solid milk chocolate penguin and Santa, milk chocolate Christmas pudding slab with crunchy shortbread cookies, Christmas Star hazelnut and caramel truffles, and a bag of Munchkin Snowballs, which are mini shortbread cookies surrounded in white chocolate and dusted with sugar!

Everything was incredibly rich and decadent. I couldn’t stop myself from ripping into the package on the train and was immediately transported to another place with just one luxurious bite! The chocolates sets are the perfect holiday hostess gifts and I was so happy I was able to try them – thank you Hotel Chocolat!

And don’t worry – Hotel Chocolat didn’t forget about you! I’m giving away a Christmas Goody Bag and Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar to two lucky readers!

There are two ways to enter:

1. Check out Hotel Chocolat’s Christmas Chocolate Gifts and leave a comment with a link to the item you most want Santa to leave in your stocking!

2. Tweet about this giveaway (using #cakebatterbowl), or post about it on your blog or Facebook. Don’t forget to come back and leave a second comment with the link for your second entry.

Entries must be in by Saturday, December 5 at 11:59pm EST. Good luck!

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Pumpernickel Chicken Panini with Goat Cheese and Apples

November 29, 2009

I hope everyone in the States had a lovely Thanksgiving! We spent ours in Iowa with my family and are gearing up to head to the airport any minute now. I wanted to get this post up before we left though because Eralda just published my very first guest post! Eralda’s blog, The Split Pea, is full of spell-binding stories, pictures, and delicious recipes, so I was very honored when she asked me to come up with a recipe for her blog. I decided to do a twist on a traditional summer tomato panzanella, and ended up making a fall version with toasted pumpkernickel, roasted beets, and goat cheese. Check out Eralda’s blog for the picture and recipe!

The next day, I whipped up these tasty chicken paninis with the leftover pumpernickel bread and goat cheese. I made the goat cheese into a spread by mixing it with a bit of milk and parmesan cheese, and topped the chicken with crispy tart apple slices, which really elevated the sandwich to a whole new level!

Pumpernickel Chicken Panini with Goat Cheese and Apples
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 boneless, skinless, chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
3 ounces goat cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
4 slices pumpernickel bread
1/2 half granny smith apple, cored and sliced

Directions:
Cut chicken breast in half lengthwise and sprinkle evenly with salt. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a nonstick skillet and cook chicken 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in the center.

Meanwhile, mix goat cheese, parmesan cheese, and milk in a small bowl.

Spread each piece of bread evenly with goat cheese spread. Top goat cheese with chicken and apples on two slices, and place the other two slices of bread on top, goat cheese side down. Place sandwiches in a preheated panini press and cook until bead is crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition: 563 calories, 25.6g fat, 4.3g fiber, 50.3g protein per serving
Cost: $1.83 per serving

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Sweet Potato and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms Topped with Hazelnuts

November 24, 2009

I love stuffed mushrooms and serve them almost every time we have friends over, but I’ve been wanting to lighten them up for awhile now since the usual cream cheese-filled versions are very heavy. When I was making my Truly Outrageous Baked Sweet Potatoes, I was thinking about what else I could stuff with sweet potatoes and mushrooms immediately came to mind. So, this week I stuffed mushrooms with mashed sweet potatoes, turkey bacon, and caramelized shallots, and then topped them with chopped hazelnuts. I thought the flavors really complimented each other well and these little apps are light enough that you can eat as many as you want without spoiling your dinner! This is also a great way to use up any leftover sweet potatoes you may have from Thanksgiving!

I also have to share pictures of the cake I made for my lab mate’s baby shower today! Raffaella is having a little girl, so I made a Sky High pink strawberry cake with chocolate frosting and tackled making marshmallow fondant for the first time. I followed Annie’s awesome instructions for making decorations and was super proud of how well everything turned out, especially the very cute fondant baby sneakers (made with this template) that topped the cake. I think one of the best things about having a blog is that I’m constantly inspired to challenge myself and try new techniques and recipes that are outside of my comfort zone. The cake was a huge hit and several strangers even complimented it on the subway on my way to work! I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Sweet Potato and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms Topped with Hazelnuts
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
24 mushrooms, stems removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 slices turkey bacon, chopped
1 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 sweet potato, scrubbed
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray and place mushrooms on it, cap side down.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a medium nonstick skillet. Sauté chopped turkey bacon for 5 to 7 minutes or until crispy. Remove and drain.

Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to the same skillet; add shallots, reduce heat to medium low, and sauté shallots 15 to 17 minutes, stirring frequently, or until caramelized. Add garlic and sauté one additional minute.

Meanwhile, prick sweet potato several times with a fork and microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Remove cooked flesh and place in a medium bowl (my yield was 1 cup).

Mix mashed sweet potatoes with bacon, caramelized shallots, apple cider vinegar, and salt; stuff mushrooms with sweet potato mixture and top evenly with chopped hazelnuts. Bake stuffed mushrooms at 375˚F for 20 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 152 calories, 9.2g fat, 2.4g fiber, 7.1g protein per serving
Cost: $0.92 per serving

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Pumpkin Mashed Potatoes with Fennel and Spinach

November 20, 2009

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away! If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably already planned your menu, but I wanted to share this tasty mashed potato recipe just in case you’re still looking for a way to mix things up a bit! It was inspired by one of the TV shows both my hubby and I enjoy watching together – Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations on the Travel Channel. When Tony had a show on Chile a few months ago, he devoured mashed potatoes with pumpkin, celery, and spinach in wine country – yum! They sounded so tasty that I actually immediately grabbed my laptop and wrote down the flavor combination.

I was really pleased about how well they turned out and I will definitely be making them again! I’m not a huge celery fan, but I do like fennel and I think it’s a nice substitute for celery. The pumpkin flavor really came through, but wasn’t overpowering, and I love that the greens were mixed right in for a little added nutritional boost!

Pumpkin Mashed Potatoes with Fennel and Spinach
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
10 red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into chunks
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 bulb fennel, trimmed and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 15-ounce cans pure pumpkin puree
1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, cooked and well drained
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons salt

Directions:
Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil over high heat and boil potatoes for 18 to 22 minutes or until tender. Drain and place in a very large bowl.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium high heat in a medium skillet and saute fennel for 6 to 8 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and saute one additional minute.

Mash potato chunks in the large bowl with a fork. Mix in fennel, pumpkin puree, spinach, buttermilk, and salt. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 228 calories, 1.7g fat, 8.6g fiber, 7.4g protein per serving
Cost: $1.05 per serving

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Spiced Pumpkin Soup with Turkey Bacon

November 17, 2009

We had a blast in Chicago this weekend, but now I’m exhausted and it’s only the beginning of the week! There wasn’t a moment of downtime between Emily’s wedding downtown, navigating our way through the suburbs to visit our friends with babies, and squeezing in meals with both our brothers (Rick Bayless’ XOCO was excellent by the way, and I’m still dreaming of the pork belly soup and Aztec hot chocolate!). We had so much fun seeing everyone and I can’t wait to go through our pictures!

One of the highlights of the trip was that I got to meet Meghan of You’re Gonna Bake it After All! Meghan and I bonded right away because we started our blogs around the same time and both went to graduate school in Chicago. In fact, we both got our PhDs in cancer biology, believe it or not – what a small world! She is just as gorgeous, smart, warm, and down to earth as she comes across in her blog, and it really felt like we had been friends for a long time as we chatted over brunch at Yolk. When I ordered the Tuscan Frittata, she just smiled knowingly and commented that she thought I may get that one because it was topped with goat cheese. Yep, she knows me well! So today’s spiced pumpkin soup recipe is for Meghan, who is a big soup and turkey bacon fan!

Spiced Pumpkin Soup with Turkey Bacon
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 slices turkey bacon, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon garam marsala
3 cups chicken stock
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat and add bacon to the pan; cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until crispy. Drain on paper towels.

Add onions and carrots to the same stockpot and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, curry powder, turmeric, and garam marsala, and sauté one additional minute or until fragrant. Add chicken stock, pumpkin, 3/4 of the cooked turkey bacon, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Use an immersion blender and puree to desired smoothness. Mix in white wine vinegar. Scoop into bowls and garnish with remaining turkey bacon. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 220 calories, 11.3g fat, 4.0g fiber, 10.6g protein per serving
Cost: $1.15 per serving

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Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach Penne Pasta

November 12, 2009

I’ve been looking forward to this week for awhile now, because I get to see my good friend Susie not once, but twice, in two different cities! Susie is one of my best friends from college. We initially bonded as partners in organic chemistry lab, where we amused ourselves (and horrified our TA) by bringing in a CD player and dancing along to Salt-N-Pepa in the middle of lab. She’s been my favorite person to hit the dance floor with ever since! Her hubby Brian had business in Boston earlier this week and she tagged along, so we got to have dinner with them at Giacomo’s in the North End, and then Susie and I had lunch the next day and she checked out our lab. And, to top things off, we’re both going to a wedding this weekend in Chicago, where we still can’t wait to hit the dance floor, 10 years later!

We usually don’t gravitate towards Italian restaurants, since I can cook many Italian favorites decently at home, but Giacomo’s specializes in seafood and everything there is unique and incredible! They don’t take reservations, so you have to wait in line, but it’s so worth it – I always have to stop myself from licking the plate! One of my favorite dishes is an addicting butternut squash ravioli served with a mascarpone cream sauce and asparagus. I was really inspired by the butternut squash and pasta pairing, but wanted to lighten things up a bit, so I made a sauce of roasted butternut squash, spinach, buttermilk, and rosemary, and then tossed it with whole wheat pasta. Mmmm, this was a great way to enjoy butternut squash!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach Penne Pasta
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
1 cup chopped shallots
1 clove garlic, minced
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Use a pastry brush to evenly brush flesh side of the squash halves with 1 teaspoon olive oil and place flesh side down on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400˚F for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Let squash cool for 10 minutes. Remove flesh from the squash halves with a spoon and mash with a fork until smooth (my yield was 2 cups).

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta in a colander, return it to the pot, and keep warm.

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet and cook shallots for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 additional minute. Add spinach and roasted mashed butternut squash to the pan. Stir in buttermilk, milk, rosemary, and salt and stir until smooth, about 2 minutes. Mix pasta and sauce until the sauce evenly coats all the ingredients. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over each serving. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 403 calories, 6.8g fat, 12.6g fiber, 19.1g protein per serving
Cost: $1.05 per serving

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Green Eggs and Ham

November 8, 2009

Wednesdays have quickly become my favorite night to relax in front of the TV because I love Top Chef and have become addicted to Glee. I was so disappointed this week when Glee wasn’t on due to the World Series and the “Top Chef All Stars Dinner” was on instead of a new episode. I thought it was pretty boring overall, but did perk up a bit when they showed the clip of Carla working her magic and whipping up an incredibly creative green eggs and ham dish. Why didn’t I think of that? I loved all the Dr. Seuss books growing up – in fact, “Go Dog Go” was the first book I could read by myself. Anyway, I decided to come up with my own version of green eggs and ham as a little tribute to Carla, who SO should have won last season!

I knew I wanted to make the eggs green naturally, so I decided to whip the eggs together with spinach and basil until they were well incorporated in the food processor and then scramble them. I topped the eggs with a bit of crispy prosciutto for my ham component. The basil flavor really came through and I thought this was a great way to sneak in some spinach. I also really enjoyed the contrast of the soft eggs with the crispy prosciutto. This is another recipe I look forward to making for our future kiddos someday!

Green Eggs and Ham
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
2 slices prosciutto, chopped
1/3 cup cooked chopped spinach
8 fresh basil leaves
4 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet and sauté prosciutto 3 to 5 minutes or until crispy. Remove prosciutto from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Meanwhile, place spinach, basil, eggs, milk, and salt in a food processor and mix until well blended. Place eggs in the same pan the prosciutto was cooked in and sauté 2 to 3 minutes or until cooked, stirring frequently. Top scrambled eggs with crispy prosciutto. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition: 189 calories, 13.8g fat, 0.8g fiber, 13.2g protein per serving
Cost: $1.20 per serving

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