Banana Pecan Cupcakes

Makes 9
From “Martha Stewart Cupcakes”

Ingredients:

1 c sifted cake flour (not self rising)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 tsp cinnamon
2/3 c mashed very ripe bananas (1 1/3 bananas)
1/4 c buttermilk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1/3 c pecans, toasted, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Put paper liners in muffin tins.
3. Mix butter and sugar. Add eggs. Add buttermilk, bananas and vanilla.
4. Add dry ingredients. Fold in pecans.
5. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
6. Bake 20 min.
7. Cool. Can be frozen for 2 mo in airtight containers.
8. Frost. Enjoy!

Devil’s Food Cupcakes (Makes 6)

Makes 6 cupcakes

(Filled almost to the top, comes up in a dome shape)

Ingredients:

1/4 c  cocoa powder (dutch process, regular, it really doesn’t matter)

1/4 c hot water

3/4 c all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 stick butter

1/2 c sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract or mint extract or orange extract or raspberry extract

1/4 c sour cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2a. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in one bowl.

2b. Mix cocoa and hot water in second bowl. Let dissolve.

3. Melt butter and sugar in saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Beat till cooled. Add egg. Add vanilla. Add cocoa. Add flour mixture. Add sour cream. Do not overmix.

4. Divide batter evenly among paper muffin cups. Bake 15 min. Let cool completely before frosting.

5. Cupcakes can be frozen for two months in airtight containers.

VERDICT: SO YUM!! Make it as above if you are going to use one of the frostings below.

IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO FROST THIS CUPCAKE, add chocolate chips to the batter. And marshmallow fluff or a handful of small marshmallows. Maybe some nuts? And some chopped graham crackers? Then serve with Haagen Daaz Rocky Road Ice Cream. Yum yum yum.

NOTE: This is one fourth the original recipe. If you increase the above four times (or follow this recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/1004063/devils-bundt-cake) you will have enough to fill a 10 c bundt cake pan. Then top it with frosting and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and serve for company.

Hostess Cupcake: This cupcake can so easily be turned into a hostess cupcake! Fill it with marshmallow fluff, and top with chocolate frosting. Yum!

Vanilla Frosting

3 T Flour
1/2 C milk (whole milk is best, but I use non-fat when it’s all I have and it’s actually fine)
1/2 C real butter (I prefer salted, but you can use also unsalted and add salt to taste)
1/2 C sugar (that’s granulated sugar, not powdered sugar)
1 t vanilla extract, or other flavor if you wish.

Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat.
Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Let it cook, while stirring with a rubber spatula, until you can start to see the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until mixture has the consistency of thick pudding or paste.

Put mixture in the fridge and let it cool completely, it’s fine if it stays in there long enough to get chilly, you just don’t want it warm at all. As it’s cooling, feel free to stir it occasionally to speed up the process and keep it from forming a crust on top.

It an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. You’ll want to use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer if you have one, instead of the flat paddle. Then while beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat to combine and then scrape down the sides. Mixture will separate and look messy, keep beating! Continue beating until mixture comes together and is light and fluffy, about 7-8 minutes, but time varies. Take a sample of frosting between your fingers; frosting is done when light and fluffy and sugar granules are dissolved.

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions
Mix together. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Add vanilla. Cool partially, then beat with a mixer for 3 minutes or until spreadable consistency.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

Cupcakes:

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1.5 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp room temperature butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs
6 oz Greek yogurt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c water

Mixins (use whatever you like, below is just what I used):

1/4 c dried cherries
1/4 c toasted walnuts
1 tsp cocoa powder (I didn’t use dutch process, I used the ordinary Hershey’s kind)

Directions:

1. Mix butter and sugar on high in kitchenaid until fluffy.

2. Add eggs. Blend on high until fluffy.

3. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt. Blend on low until fluffy.

4. Add greek yogurt, water and vanilla extract. Blend on low until fluffy.

5. Add flour. Blend on low until cohesive dough forms.
6. Stir in mixins. Mix well, but not so well that cocoa powder gets integrated. If it is NOT integrated, there are cool swirls in your finished cupcakes.

Bake 350 degrees for 25 min.

Remove from pan, let cool.

Frost when completely cool.

Lasts 3 days in the fridge, a month in the frozen (unfrosted! or it gets nasty).

Chocolate Ganache:

(This is my amended Martha Stewart recipe because I don’t want to get fat by dumping whipping creme into everything).

3/4 c semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 c milk
1 tsp corn syrup
2 tsp butter

Mix well, microwave on low heat for 15 seconds, stir, microwave for 5 seconds, stir.
Keep microwaving and stirring for 5 seconds until chocolate is melted and shiny.
Use right away.

To save for later: Fridge the extra ganache. When ready to use again, add a splash of milk, and do the microwave routine from the first step again. I’ve kept mine in the fridge before two weeks without problem. YMMV.

As far as how long recipes can be kept without storage: it depends a lot on where you live, humidity in your area, your fridge’s efficacy, and the quality of the products you put into your recipe. I live in Chicago, there is basically no humidity here, the fridge is all right as far as efficiency goes, and the products are standard US supermarket fare. If your circumstances are different, your results will be different too. So, as I say, YMMV.

Coconut Pecan Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

from Martha Stewart Cupcakes, p. 67

Recipe below makes 9 cupcakes. (One fourth the recipe in the book).

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

1/4 c Baker’s coconut (sweetened shredded coconut)
1 oz toasted and cooled pecans
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 stick butter
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 c unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 c unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix wet ingredients.
3. Add dry ingredients.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
5. Divide evenly in cupcake cups.
6. Bake 20 minutes (cupcakes will not rise).
7. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
8. Frost by flipping cupcakes over into warm chocolate ganache, then adding coconut garnish. Eat immediately. Do not frost cupcakes and then try to store them, they will get disgusting. Better to freeze the uneaten cupcakes, defrost, and then add frosting when you are ready to serve.

Chocolate Ganache:

(This is my amended recipe because I don’t want to get fat by dumping whipping creme into everything).

1.5 oz semisweet chocolate chips
4 tbsp milk
1 tsp corn syrup
1/2 tsp butter

Mix well, microwave on low heat for 15 seconds, stir, microwave for 5 seconds, stir.
Keep microwaving and stirring for 5 seconds until chocolate is melted and shiny.
Use right away.

To save for later: Fridge the extra ganache. When ready to use again, add a splash of milk, and do the microwave routine from the first step again. I’ve kept mine in the fridge before two weeks without problem. YMMV.

As far as how long recipes can be kept without storage: it depends a lot on where you live, humidity in your area, your fridge’s efficacy, and the quality of the products you put into your recipe. I live in Chicago, there is basically no humidity here, the fridge is all right as far as efficiency goes, and the products are standard US supermarket fare. If your circumstances are different, your results will be different too. So, as I say, YMMV.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

Classic, delicious.

Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Frosting

Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Frosting

Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Frosting

Recipe is for 12 cupcakes. I bake in a nonstick 12 cupcake pan with paper liners. Bake time may vary for you if you do something else.

Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

1.5 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp room temperature butter
1 1/8 c sugar
2 eggs
2/3 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Mix butter and sugar on high in kitchenaid until fluffy.

2. Add eggs. Blend on high until fluffy.

3. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt. Blend on low until fluffy.

4. Add buttermilk and vanilla extract. Blend on low until fluffy.

5. Add flour. Blend on low until cohesive dough forms.

Bake 350 degrees for 25 min.

Remove from pan, let cool.

Frost when completely cool.

Lasts 3 days in the fridge, a month in the frozen (unfrosted! or it gets nasty).

Vanilla Frosting:

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, room temperature
1 1/3 c powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Blend on high until fluffy.

Putting it all together:

Pile frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Enjoy.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcakes book.

NOTE: If you frost cupcakes the way I do, you will need to quadruple your recipe. ;P