Camp Cupcake: Coconut Pecan Cupcakes

I think I am losing my touch.

When I started the cupcake project, I realized that it was going to collide with my dissertation, possible job interviews, and whatever other unexpected things life had in store for me.

What I didn't count on was wanting to abandon the project because the pieces of my life started to fall into place. I started this project because I was worried that the pieces of my life would never fall into place, and at least cupcakes were something I could control. But there are definitely times when I have wanted to scrap this project for the sake of other things. However, I find that, even though I now have a pretty good idea of what I will be doing with my life, I still get stressed out, and I still need to bake.

I also didn't count on the fact that when I started making recipes that deviated from a standard Martha recipe (all-purpose flour, butter, eggs, etc.) that I would have trouble.

One of my favorite lines from the movie Julie and Julia is when Julie Powell (Amy Adams) says, "You know what I love about cooking? I love that after a day when nothing is sure, and when I say nothing, I mean, NOTHING, that you can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. It's such a comfort." That was one of my favorite things about the cupcake project. I learned that there are rules in cooking, and that if you follow them, you can be assured how your food will turn out. It's the only place in my life where this happens.

That said, I had some trouble with these. I am still learning about what happens when you use oil instead of butter (the cupcakes bake flatter and overflow the liners), and this recipe used coconut oil, which I was completely unfamiliar with. Martha calls it creamed coconut (different from cream of coconut), and it is sold in health food stores in glass jars, usually in the refrigerator section. It can be used as a substitute for butter, but it does not bake up like butter.

I would have to say that I like the concept of this recipe, but I was not pleased with the execution.

Coconut-Pecan Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

1 c. firmly packed shredded sweetened coconut

3/4 c. pecans (about 3 oz.) toasted, and cooled

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature

1/4 c. coconut oil, room temperature

1 Tbsp. coconut extract

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. (9 oz.) unsweetened coconut milk

Chocolate Ganache Glaze

2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted

Preheat oven to 350F. Line standard muffin tins with papers. In a food processor, finely grind shredded coconut; transfer to a bowl. Process pecans with 2 Tbsp. sugar until finely ground. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; stir in ground coconut and pecans.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter, creamed coconut, and remaining sugar until pale and fluffy. Add extract and then eggs one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of coconut milk, and beating until just combined after each.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden, about 20 to 22 minutes.

To finish, dip tops of cupcakes in chocolate glaze, then turn over quickly and garnish with toasted coconut.

Shape Shifter: I AM READY!!

Last night I went for a run on my own...which is very boring once you have gotten used to having a buddy to run with. I decided to use this as a chance to just run and see how far I could go. I even made a run up the wheel chair ramps...just for a little incline work. I truly think that I could have continued running, but for some reason, the fact that I ran 3.5 miles kind of freaked me out. My Nike+ actually said 3.69...but there is a small discrepancy between mine and my running buddy. I wanted to make sure that I made it to 3.5, so I just ran a little further. Anyhow...it has been probably six years since I have run any type of distance at all and when I saw the mileage it is almost like I thought I should stop...don't want too much of a good thing...or something?? I have no clue. I was very excited that I am ready for a 5K---even a little earlier than our training program would have suggested. But now I have the question of 'just how far can I run?' stuck in my head. As soon as we have completed our 5K I am going to start training for a 10K. I know that most of running is 'all in your head'. I guess I am grateful to have had so many things to mull over in my mind as I run. :) So, I am 'officially' ready!

Tonganterror: P90X Week 12

There isn't much to say this week other than I am still bringing in spite of a serious back injury which has slowed me down considerably. Play was pushed and we continued the workouts anyway. My back is feeling much better tonight than it has this last couple of weeks so I think I will be fine to make it through this next recovery week. The hard part is over, all that remains is one final charge down the hill. I am excited to be finishing up the goal, however, I plan on beginning again, this time focusing on losing weight. Stay tuned for next week when I wrap up my P90X Phase I with pics, info, and other interesting discoveries from Bringing It!

Camp Cupcake: Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes.

Here they are.

Bake 'em.

Am I tired?

A little.

Camp Cupcake: Pound Cakes

I was supposed to top these pound cakes with fresh flowers. I did not.

What I did I can only describe here, as I failed to get pictures. I baked these into an equal number of mini cupcakes and standard. I frosted them with vanilla-bean Swiss meringue buttercream. Then, I stuck a sucker stick in the top of all of the standard cupcakes, and stuck the mini cupcake on top of the sucker stick. I decorated them with pink M&Ms and piped leaves around the edges, creating, in effect, cupcake topiaries.

It was an idea I got from Sister Curtis, a senior missionary serving in my ward. I thought it was perfect for Mother's Day.

3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 c. sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

9 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325F. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour and salt.

Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add beaten eggs in four batches, beating until each is incorporated. Add flour in four batches, beating until each is incorporated.

Divide batter evenly, bake about 20 minutes for standard, about 15 for mini.

Camp Cupcake: Tres Leches Cupcakes

Cinco de Mayo is pretty big in Lubbock.

I would like to think it is because of Lubbock's significant Mexican population. However, I recently learned that Cinco de Mayo is a much bigger deal in the US than it is in Mexico, so I think it falls under the same category as St. Patrick's Day: holidays that give people an excuse to drink in the middle of the week. If you want to know more about St. Patrick's Day, check out my other blog.

However, just because a) I don't indulge in margaritas, and b) it's a fake holiday, it doesn't mean I didn't want to celebrate.

With cupcakes.

And despite the fact that I had leftovers at my house for four days, I took no pictures. No Bloggie for me.

However, I do have some thoughts about this recipe:

• Just like the name suggests, there are three kinds of milk in this cake. It is not a cake for the lactose-intolerant (pretty sure I would never bring them to an Oka family function for this reason).
• It is really moist. Moister than the tres leches cake I have had before. If that creeps you out, you have been forewarned.
• It takes awhile to get the cake to absorb the milk mixture.

Here's the recipe:

6 large eggs separated, room temperature

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. coarse salt (I use sea salt)

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 c. all-purpose flour, sifted

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

3/4 c. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 325F. Line muffin tins with foil liners. This is important because the liquid will soak through paper liners. With an electric mixer, whisk egg whites, baking soda, and salt together until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low. Add yolks and sugar, whisk until completely combined. Fold in melted butter. Add flour in four batches, folding until just combined after each.

Divide batter into lined cups, filling only halfway. Bake about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately poke holes in the tops.

Whisk together evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream. With cupcakes still in tins, brush milk mixture over cupcakes. Repeat until all the mixture has been used. Allow cupcakes to absorb at least 30 minutes, or up to one day in the refrigerator tightly covered.

To finish, dollop with whipped cream and dust with cinnamon.

Tonganterror: Week 10 and Week 11

I definitely forgot to write about last week. The P90X goal is still intact. I have been going strong and will finish Week 11 here in a few days. For the math wizzes in the crowd that means 77 days of bringing it.

As I approach the end of the 90 days, I am realizing that I won't have rock hard abs by the time this is over. I also won't be some amazingly fit guy. What I will be is a much more athletic and fit guy than I was 90 days ago. I must admit my diet was terrible from start to finish. I have not lost a pound in all the time that I have been doing the workout. However, I feel I am much more muscular than before. I have lost 6.5 inches around my waistline (at the belly button) and I can touch my toes. At the end of the day, I have found a serious workout plan that I can do and have made it a habit. So I'm marking this goal down as a big fat "satisfactory".

I have had many friends start the program and fall off the wagon. To those that felt that the program was too hard, I say "just keep pushing play". There were days we felt terrible, there were days we didn't have time, there were days that weren't really all that effective for working out; but as we kept pushing play, we created a habit that propelled us forward. Now the momentum will for sure see us through. I hope the fallen friends will get back in to the workout and see it through. I am a much happier, confident person because I was able to stick with this goal. I wish that for anyone else who might be pursuing any worthwhile goal.

I am going to make an effort to get serious about diet now that I have locked in the P90X habit. I figure another year of this combined with a good diet will leave me about where I want to be. The program will end in two weeks, wherein, hopefully i will have found my "before" pics and will post next to my after pics. This is just round one, however, of what promises to be a great fight with P90X. BRING IT!

Shape Shifter: Fireman 5K

It has been a while since my last post, which might make one think that I have fallen off the wagon again...but this is not so. I have continued training for a 5K and am currently on week 7 of a nine week training plan! My mileage is a little over two miles now...and will be determined as soon as I get my new little toy calibrated. My running partner surprised me with a Nike+. It is this little device that fits in the sole of my Nike running shoes that monitors how far I have fun as well as how many calories I have burned. I used it for the first time last night and it was great to be able to see my progress on my I-pod Nano.

Concerning actual shape shifting...I am still working on that. My running partner and I also joined Weight Watchers. We have been going for about five weeks. I am in the 10+ pounds lost bracket...we will see how that might change on Friday. It has made monitoring what I eat a lot easier...less guess work. I don’t know how familiar anyone is with different body types. There is the ectomorph who is naturally skinny and petite---so not me, the endomorph---naturally a little cushioned, and the mesomorph—can get cushiony if not working out, but builds muscle quickly. I fall into the mesomorph category, which is why I think running will be great for me. I hired a personal trainer once and did a lot of weight lifting...I tend to bulk up. Being as how I don’t plan on perusing a job as a line backer...I choose running.

My mother took my body measurements in February and she is going to remeasure me this weekend when I go home. I will be curious to see what king of physical changes have taken place in the last three months. It is hard for me to tell...I see myself everyday and feel that I look the same.

Running has helped me to work out some stress and anxiety as of late. If for no other reason, I will keep running just for that benefit. Let’s just say that nothing is definite in my life right now, other than the fact that it is all changing. Some of those changes I have created for myself, and others are just a part of life. Regardless of their origin, I tend to have a hard time with change.

I have signed up for the Fireman’s 5K in Fort Worth over Memorial Weekend. I am getting excited!

The Mighty Pen: On Coming Back

As the "one of the other authors", I appreciate Megan's call to come back. Have I made progress toward my goal? Hardly, unless you count two and a half pages written over the course of three days--over a month ago. That's better than a blank sheet, I suppose. That day to day life just always seems to get in the way. Even while my priorities suffered an overhaul shortly after I joined this blog I've realized that, because of my busier, less self-indulgent schedule, I need this goal more than ever. So, here are some thoughts I had several weeks ago when I started out:

I am determined to persevere, even while fighting amazement at how terrible the product is. One of the hazards of penning a story is allowing yourself to ramble. Stories are linear where unfortunately, thoughts are not. That means that every sentence you write can't just be in natural progression from the one before it; it has to be pointing toward an end, as well. Exploring derivatives can bring you to an observation you wouldn't have made before, but it can also be hard to get back to where you were going. Maybe that's why George Eliot always overdid the metaphors. I can certainly understand the fascination that many authors have with stream of consciousness. In the end I'm most likely going to have to plan out every scene, how they each lead to the next. Structure isn't only important to architecture.

The building blocks are waiting!

Camp Cupcake: Gelato-topped Mini Cupcakes

Do you know how hard it is to find gelato in Lubbock?

Actually, it's not that hard. I found it at the second store I went to.

However, by buying it at the grocery store, I was pretty much limited to one flavor: pistaschio. It's okay; I like pistaschio, but I'm not sure it is universally enjoyed.

I'm also not sure what the point of this recipe is. I like gelato, but I'm not sure what about these cupcakes makes them suited to gelato. As far as I can tell, they are just a basic yellow cake recipe served in a nut cup.

Also, gelato presents some logisitcal problems. Namely, it does not travel well. Also, you cannot scoop it in advance and have it there, ready to eat.

For these reasons, it was harder to distribute these cupcakes in their natural form. After they were enjoyed by the people I made them for on Wednesday, I froze them. On Saturday, I made up some fluffy vanilla frosting, piped it on the remaining cakes, covered them with a few sprinkles, and took them with me to the temple, where they were eaten quickly by the other workers, some of whom later confessed to me that they'd had several. I was glad. It was a nice way to pay back the wonderful people I work with there, many of who try to set me up with men and/or give me their hand-me-down clothes. True story.

Here's a link to the recipe. As you can see, it is just a buttermilk-vanilla cupcake. You can top it with gelato, ice cream, or regular frosting, and people seem to enjoy it any of these ways.

Pie Are Squared: Oatmeal Nut Pie

This is my first pie from the "Cereal Pies" section of the book. It literally is a bunch of recipes for pies made of cereal, like cornflakes, Rice Krispies, grits, rice, Grapenuts...this seemed like a weird idea to me, but my husband was really excited about it.
This oatmeal nut required a little bit of substituting because I didn't plan ahead, and it was Sunday, and I didn't quite have all the ingredients. Instead of one teaspoon of maple flavored extract, I used a tablespoon of pure maple syrup. I also didn't have dark corn syrup and just used light corn syrup.
It ended up being much like a pecan pie, except with oatmeal and coconut in addition to the pecans. And, much like the pecan pie I made earlier, it was quite runny. Although this time, I think I can probably blame the fact that I might not have baked it long enough (as opposed to how I always blame the elevation) because the outer edges were set quite well but the middle was not.
Also, my past two crusts haven't been quite as good, and I just put it together that this is also my fault: I've been lazy and haven't been stocking up on heavy cream, so I've just been using 2% milk to bind the crust together instead of the cream. Apparently, that detail matters. So, my new words of advice are Always, Always, go for the cream.

Ratings:

Flavor: 7

Execution: 7-Soupiness wasn't great, though that might be chef error. It was a tasty pie, but I'm not really wowed. I fear I'm getting tired of the recipes in the book. But I'm not giving up!

Difficulty: Easy.

Overall rating: *** 3 out of 5 stars.

Camp Cupcake: Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

We had Thanksgiving in May. Allison called it Maynksgiving. It was a potluck affair, but, impressively, she roasted an entire turkey.

I offered to bring dessert, knowing that it would be cupcakes, despite the fact that Thanksgiving usually means pie. Cupcakes have never been a part of my family's Thanksgiving tradition. But lemon meringue pie is. My mother is famous, at least in my family, for two pies: banana cream, and lemon meringue. And she does a superb job of both.

My mom loves all things lemon. If I could, I would have waited to make these for her. I think, at some point, I still will.

They are an impressive little cupcake. There's a lemony cake base with lemon curd filling and a seven-minute frosting top that you brown, either with a blowtorch or in the broiler. I think Martha thinks it's pretty impressive too, as it is one of the recipes from the book that is featured on her website. Here's the link. Prepare to be wowed.

Camp Cupcake: Maple-Sweetened Carrot Cupcakes

Once again, I make a recipe that I do not feel is significantly different from other Martha recipes.

It was billed as a "healthy recipe." The cake and the frosting are sweetened with maple syrup.

Despite the painstaking piping of the frosting, these are actually a very rustic cupcake. Prior to frosting, some of them had cooked carrot shreds sticking out of them.

I will be extremely transparent: I do not feel these are as good as the carrot cupcakes I made when I stayed with Shane and Maria back in September. It may be because, rather than shredding the carrots by hand, I bought matchstick carrots, which were not as fine, and cooked up somewhat conspicuously in the cupcakes. It may be because the cream cheese frosting was not sweet enough, due to it being a healthy recipe.

Or it may be molasses, of which I am not a huge fan.

However, they passed the inspection of my friend Amanda, of the Five Harringtons. This was not an easy test, considering that she has had an aversion to all things maple due the combination of morning sickness and some maple-flavored bacon.

Maple-sweetened Carrot Cupcakes

2 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour (no, I did not buy unbleached flour)

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. ground cinnamong

1 c. pure maple syrup, preferably grade B (I'm sure it makes a difference to use grade B, but grade B is REALLY expensive, so I used grade A).

1/3 c. unsulfured molasses

1 c. safflower or canola oil (I used canola oil)

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

5 large egg yolks

2 c. peeled, grated carrots (4-5 medium)

Maple Cream-Cheese Frosting

Candied Carrot Chips (I didn't make these because they sounded too complicated for something I was convinced was going to be gross).

Preheat oven to 375F. Line muffin tins (standard or mini). In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together maple syrup, molasses, oil, vinegar, and egg yolks until smooth. Add to flour mixture, and whisk until combined. Stir in carrots.

Fill lined cups about 3/4 full. Bake until dark golden brown, 10-12 minutes for mini, about 18 minutes for standard.

To finish, fit a pastry bag with a piping tip (I used a Wilton 12) and fill with cream cheese frosting. Pipe dots of frosting all over the cupcakes to cover.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

1 lb. cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 c. pure maple syrup, preferably grade B

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add maple syrup, and beat until combined. Use immediately, or refrigerate up to three days.

Smile because you have just made something healthy. Kind of.

Come back

One of the other authors of this blog sheepishly made a comment to me about how long it has been since she last posted. It got me thinking.

It is now May. 2010 is now 1/3 over. It's kind of a sobering thought, huh? Four months into the year, life has gotten busy, priorities have changed, and some of us have either completed, revised, or abandoned our goals.

When I started this blog, I wanted it to accomplish a couple of things:

• To give people a place to share their goals, and their disappointments as well as their triumphs.
• To give people a way to hold themselves accountable for their goals, so that they didn't give up on them.

Is it working? I'm not sure. Do people feel supported by this blog, or just guilty? Have you decided that the goals you set for yourselves four months ago are unrealistic? Did you decide that they no longer make sense given that your life has changed in some big ways since then? Have you completed your goals but been too busy to blog about them?

Life is busy. Don't feel guilty. If you've struggled with your goal, or given it up completely, don't let that stop you from trying again.

I guess what I'm trying to say to those of you who haven't been around for awhile is that I miss you.

Come back.

Camp Cupcake: Roasted Banana Cupcakes

In the last couple of weeks, I have found myself cranking out cupcakes with a sense of urgency. I apologize for taking over the blog with them. I'm not sure urgency and cupcakes belong in the same sentence. However, I am in the home stretch of a lot of things, including this project, and, rather than pacing myself on this, I am trying to get it done quickly.

Also, I can think of lots of occasions that call for cupcakes. School is almost over. Classes are ending. Mother's Day and Cinco de Mayo are right around the corner. I have a lot of eggs in my fridge. I have bananas I need to use.

Doesn't it seem funny that we buy more bananas than we actually eat, and we are constantly looking for things to do with the leftover ones before they go bad? As human beings, we are weird.

I made these for my last practicum night. I believe I have resolved my issues over being liked by the people I supervise, but I made these anyway. I actually made this recipe twice. After I roasted the bananas, I mixed them in with the eggs before they were completely cool, and it changed the texture of the cupcakes considerably.

Roasted Banana Cupcakes

Makes 16

3 ripe bananas, plus 1 to 2 more for garnish (I only used one)

2 c. cake flour (not self-rising), sifted

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 c. sugar

3 large eggs, separated

1/2 c. sour cream

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Honey Cinnamon Frosting

Preheat oven to 400F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 3 whole unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and roast 15 minutes (the peels will darken). Meanwhile, sift together cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Remove bananas from oven and let cool before peeling. Reduce oven temperature to 350F.

Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add roasted bananas and beat to combine. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of sour cream, and beating until just combined after each. Beat in vanilla.

In another mixing bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold one-third of the whites in the batter to lighten. Gently fold remaining whites in two batches.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

To finish, fill a pastry bag with a medium French star tip (or, if you don't have a French star tip because you are not OCD, use a regular star tip, or just frost them with a knife) to pipe seven scallops around the perimeter of the cupcake and a large starburst in the center. Just before serving (if you do this too early, the bananas get kind of gross) thinly slice the remaining bananas and place 2 pieces on top of each cupcake.

Punch yourself in the face for following all of Martha's ridiculous directions for making what is, essentially, banana bread with honey butter.

Or don't.

Camp Cupcake: Meringue Cupcakes with Berry Compote

I don't think I have ever made anything as beautiful as meringue in my life. I have no children, so I feel okay about saying this without being hyperbolic.

It's just sugar and egg white, but in its unbaked form, it is fluffy and glossy like a sugary wedding dress. Remember when people used to stick a Barbie in the center of a baked Alaska or some other meringue cake so it looked like she was wearing a ballgown? Of cake? Here's a link to refresh your memory. Anyway, for the first time, I actually began to believe that a Barbie might want to be embedded in a dress of meringue. It was that pretty.

This is not your everyday, go-to, homemade goodie kind of recipe. It is much more high-falutin' than that. It would make a good dessert for something a little bit fancier, like a tea party, or a bridal shower (then again, when I make dessert for a bridal shower, it's still usually something simple like a bar cookie). Here is a link to the cupcakes. However, this link includes a recipe for strawberry-rhubarb compote. The recipe in the book calls for strawberry-raspberry compote instead. Here's the recipe:

Strawberry-raspberry Compote

1 container (10 oz.) fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled, and coarsely chopped

1/2 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 container (6 oz.) fresh raspberries

Bring strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice to simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 3/4 c. Let cool completely before stirring in raspberries. Refrigerate up to 1 day in an airtight container.

A word of advice about the cupcakes: be careful with the creme fraiche. You can make it yourself, but I bought it at the grocery store. When I whipped it with the cream, I whipped it too long and ruined it. So be careful.