Halloween Cupcakes Recipe

It’s almost Halloween and I couldn’t resist posting this great idea. Lucky my colleague Paola suggested it! You can find this and more Halloween recipe on Country Living or on Delish web site.

First of all, to make this luscious dessert, use the Classic Chocolate Cake recipe (see below for the complete recipe). You can also try substituting your favourite cake recipe, or if you're short on time, a boxed mix — one box yields 12 Mini Pumpkin Cakes.

To get the look of these single-serving pumpkin treats, trim the bottoms of cakes baked in mini Bundt pans. Join two cakes so that the fluted tops are at either end, then drizzle with Chocolate Glaze or Vanilla Glaze and sprinkle with coarse colored sugar or nonpareils before the glaze sets. Top with a marzipan stem. After the recipe there is a picture on how to make it.

Classic Chocolate Cake recipe

Ingredients
• 2 cup(s) flour
• 1/2 cup(s) cocoa
• 1 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon(s) salt
• 3/4 cup(s) butter, softened
• 2/3 cup(s) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup(s) dark brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup(s) sour cream
• 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup(s) milk


Directions


1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour three 6-cup muffin pans (for filled cakes), two 8-inch-round cake pans (for layer cake; pictured), or 2 mini Bundt pans (for Mini Pumpkin Cakes). Set aside. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
2. Beat the butter and sugars together in a bowl using an electric mixer on medium-high speed. Beat in the eggs. Reduce speed to medium-low. Stir the sour cream, vanilla, and milk together and add it in thirds, alternating with the flour mixture. Beat until batter is smooth, about 3 more minutes.
3. Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center tests clean. For layer cake, it should take about 25 minutes; filled cakes, 20 minutes; and Mini Pumpkin Cakes, 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
4. Trim cooled cake layers, if necessary, to make level and frost and decorate as desired.
Tips & Techniques

Mix ingredients at room temperature. To quickly take the chill off eggs, run them under warm water.


Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients
• 9 ounce(s) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

• 1 1/2 tablespoon(s) butter

• 1/2 cup(s) heavy cream

Directions


1. Place the chocolate and butter together in a heat-proof bowl; set aside. Heat the heavy cream until it just begins to boil and immediately pour over the chocolate. Stir gently until smooth. Let sit until slightly thickened before using to glaze cakes, about 3 minutes. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to set the chocolate.
2. For filled cakes: Pour chocolate on each filled cake and smooth over the cake to completely coat. Place the cakes in the freezer until chocolate sets. Remove and store in a cool area.


Tips & Techniques

Place cakes on a wire rack set over a baking pan to catch any glaze drips.

Marzipan stems: from a ball of marzipan make a snake and twist it as shown in picture

Chocolate Eclair Hearts

Why not bake some sweet hearts for your sweetheart? In a twist on traditional oblong eclairs, the light French pastry known as pate a choux is piped into heart shapes and filled with milk-chocolate whipped cream. Topped with a glossy layer of dark chocolate glaze, these treats are perfect after a dinner party or dining a deux. Unfilled, uncut hearts can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to three days; reheat in a 350-degree oven until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes, then let cool before using. The filling can be made through step 7 and refrigerated overnight.

Ingredients

Makes about 2 dozen

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 1 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon best-quality unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• For the Pate a Choux:
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• For the Filling:
• 4 ounces best-quality milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• For the Glaze:
• 9 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate (at least 61 percent cacao), coarsely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Using a 2 1/2-inch heart cookie cutter and a pencil, trace 12 hearts on a piece of parchment paper, spacing 1 inch apart. Repeat with another piece of parchment. Lightly coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray; line with prepared parchment, traced side down. Set aside.
2. Make the pate a choux: Sift flour and cocoa powder into a medium bowl. Put milk, butter, sugar, and salt into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, and add flour mixture all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until flour has been incorporated.
3. Set pan over medium-low heat. Continue to cook, stirring, until dough pulls away from sides of pan and forms a ball, about 1 minute. Transfer dough to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until just warm to the touch.
4. Raise speed to medium. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip (such as Ateco #802). Pipe onto prepared parchment, tracing outlines of hearts and then filling centers. Pipe another heart on top of first layer.

5. Place hearts in oven. Reduce temperature to 400 degrees. Bake 10 minutes, then rotate sheets. Reduce to 350 degrees; bake 7 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks to cool slightly. Turn off oven.
6. Using a serrated knife, halve hearts horizontally. Arrange, cut sides down, on wire rack. Place rack on baking sheet; transfer to oven. Prop open door slightly, and let hearts cool completely, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside.
7. Make the filling: Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Pulse chocolate in a food processor until finely chopped. Put 1 cup cream and the sugar into a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add hot cream mixture to the food processor. Carefully pulse until completely smooth. Transfer to a large bowl set in the ice-water bath. Let cool completely, whisking occasionally, 30 to 45 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve into a medium bowl.
8. Put chocolate cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add remaining cup cream. Beat on low speed until medium peaks form (do not overbeat).
9. Make the glaze: Pulse chocolate in a food processor until finely chopped. Put cream and corn syrup into a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until syrup has dissolved. Add hot cream mixture to the food processor. Carefully pulse until completely smooth. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl; use a rubber spatula to eliminate air bubbles.
10. To assemble: Spoon glaze over tops of hearts. Let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, spread filling onto cut sides of bottoms of hearts. Sandwich tops and bottoms. Serve immediately, or refrigerate, uncovered, up to 4 hours.

Find this recipe and more on Martha Stewarts' Living

Chocolate Almond Tuiles

Hello,

I've realised I haven't baked for a while so I thought about a nice summer recipe to add to my ice cream. Vanilla is the pefect partner to these delicious biscuits. I've found it in www.godiva.com.

Enjoy, Jess

Toasted Almonds:

1 cup sliced blanched almonds

Chocolate Almond Tuiles:

1 large egg1 large egg white

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons melted butter, cooled

Make toasted almonds:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread nuts in single layer in rimmed baking pan and toast for 8 to 12 minutes, until nuts are fragrant or deep golden, shaking pan two or three times during baking. Cool completely before using.
Make template. Using rim of 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter as guide, draw six circles, spaced well apart, on sheet of parchment paper.

Make tuiles:
Combine egg, egg white, salt and sugar in medium mixing bowl and whisk until blended. Sift flour and cocoa powder over egg mixture and mix until ingredients are blended. Stir in melted butter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate batter for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Have ready baguette pan or French-style rolling pin for shaping tuiles.
Put template on work surface and place silicone baking mat over template. Using small offset metal spatula, spread thin even layer of batter within each circle. You will need about 2 teaspoons of batter for each cookie. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons toasted almonds over each cookie. Carefully transfer mat to baking sheet and bake until cookies are set, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Using small metal spatula, transfer cookies from mat to baguette pan, almond side down to form tuile. (Alternately, drape cookies over rolling pin, almond side up.) Place tuiles on wire rack to cool completely.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 to make remaining tuiles. Tuiles should be eaten same day they are made, preferably within a few hours of baking.

Tea and BIscuits - my favourite moments

Here one of my favourite recipes for my cups of tea. If I can make it, anybody can!!! I've found it in a nice blog! Enjoy!

Chocolate crackle-top biscuits

Change to: biscuits US Metric

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Ingredients for 24 biscuits

• 50 g butter, chopped
• 100 g good-quality dark chocolate
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup plain flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup icing sugar

Directions

1. Place butter and 50g chocolate in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every minute with a metal spoon, or until melted and smooth.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat egg and brown sugar in a small bowl on high speed until thick. Stir in chocolate mixture.Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa over chocolate mixture. Mix well.
3. Chop remaining chocolate into small pieces. Stir into dough. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm enough to roll.
4. Preheat oven to 180°C Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Roll heaped teaspoonfuls of dough into balls. Roll in icing sugar to coat. Place biscuits on trays, allowing room to spread.
5. Bake biscuits for 12 minutes or until firm. Stand on trays for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Serve.