Banana Cream Pie

Let me start off by saying that I am not a big fan of pie. At all. Don't ask me why, I'm just not. So having said that, it's no surprise that this is my first time making banana cream pie. Normally, I wouldn't have even thought of making a pie, but it was my dad's birthday and this is one of his favorite desserts so I thought "why not?" Now, I love him and all, but serving him anything I make is probably one of the most nerve-wracking things for me to do. Even if he doesn't say anything, I can't help but feel that way. As you're reading this, you probably think I'm just being weird and overly paranoid, but I have reason to be, honestly!


Before my parents got married, my dad worked as a chef here in California, in Arizona and in Puerto Rico. But once my parents settled down and started our family, my dad changed careers in order to avoid the long hours and be able to spend time with us. So obviously, growing up, I was surrounded by good food all the time (if you've read my "About Me" page, you'll also know that my grandma was quite the cook as well). My grandpa though, my dad's father, was probably one of his biggest fans as my grandpa used to brag to all his friends about how well his son could cook. He would say something like, "you haven't had eggs until you've had the eggs my son can make." So, now can you see why I'm so intimidated by my dad when it comes to making food for him?


Anyway, making this for the first time wasn't too bad. It came out sweeter than I had intended (I've adjusted the recipe accordingly) and my crust wasn't exactly the definition of crumbly goodness but that's what I love about baking! Figuring out the ingredients and what amounts and whatnot because once you find the perfect combination, you get that awesome blow-your-own-mind-and-tastebuds feeling. Or is that just me?


P.S. August 27th is Banana Lovers Day!


The Ingredients:
For the crust:
-1 1/2 cups graham crackers, crushed
-1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/3 cup flour
-1/4 tsp salt
-2 cups milk
-3 egg yolks, beaten
-2 tbsp unsalted butter
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2 to 4 bananas (depending on the size of your pie and how much you want), sliced
For the whipped cream:
-1 1/2 cup heavy cream
-1/4 cup powder sugar, or to taste, sifted


The Directions:
1. Combine all the ingredients in the crust and until all the crumbs are coated and start clumping together.
2. Turn out into your pie tin and use your hands to push the crust down and up the sides. Set aside.

3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, salt and milk and heat until a gentle boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
4. While whisking, add half the yolks and mix until combined, then add the remaining. Put the saucepan back on the heat and cook for an additional 2 minutes, while constantly stirring. Remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla and stir until smooth. Set aside to allow to cool.
5. Line the crust with the sliced bananas and then pour the pudding mixture over the top. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes then allow to cool before chilling in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

6. Whisk the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Then slowly add in the powdered sugar. Top the pie with the whipped cream.

7. Consume and enjoy!

Tiramisu Cupcakes

These cupcakes were baked for a baby shower after I found out the mommy-to-be's favorite cake was tiramisu. I tried to find a way to incorporate the sponge biscuit part of the classic tiramisu but unfortunately, I couldn't figure anything out. But nonetheless, I got a lot of compliments about how much the cupcakes tasted like the cake so I'm still very happy with the outcome. 

Originally, I planned on just doing a simple garnish with cocoa powder but little chocolate E's (for baby Elise) look a lot cuter, no?

And no process pictures this time! My mind was somewhere else while I was baking and I completely forgot about taking pictures. But in the meantime, enjoy the couple of shots I was able to take while at the shower.

The Ingredients (makes 2 dozen):

For the cupcakes:

-recipe can be found here

For the sugar syrup:

-3 tbsp instant coffee or espresso powder

-1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar

-1 1/2 cup water
-1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp dark rum or amaretto (optional)

For the frosting:

-2 cups heavy cream

-1 lb mascarpone cheese, softened

-1 cup powdered sugar, or to taste, sifted

-unsweetened cocoa powder or other garnish (optional)

The Directions:

1. Bake cupcakes as directed.

2. Dissolve the coffee powder and sugar into the water in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the alcohol. Set aside to cool. 

3. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a fork to pierce the tops.Then brush a generous amount of the syrup over the top, but no more than 2 tbsp per cupcake. The cupcakes will need at least 30 minutes to fully absorb the syrup.

4. Whip the mascarpone, heavy cream and sugar together until everything is smooth and combined.

Tip: If you are planning on dusting with cocoa powder, do not do so until maybe half an hour before serving or the powder might dissolve into your frosting.

6. Consume and enjoy!

Almost-Mojito Cupcakes

Who doesn't love the fresh tasting combination of mint and limes? Well, certainly not me, which is why it was no surprise that the mojito would become one of my favorite cocktails as well as the inspiration for my next cupcake.


Unfortunately, I couldn't really taste the rum in the cake or the frosting, which is why I'm calling these Almost-Mojito Cupcakes. But the overall product still came out mighty tasty, if I do say so myself. Plus, I have some leftover cream cheese frosting now that I will probably turn into a mini lime cheesecake within the next few days. Yum.


The Ingredients (makes 1 dozen):
For the cupcakes:
-1 cup milk
-1 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
-the juice and zest of one lime
-3/4 cup sugar
-5 tsp dark rum
-1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
-3/4 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/3 cup vegetable oil
For the frosting:
-8 oz cream cheese, softened
-1 cup powdered sugar or to taste, sifted
-5 tsp dark rum
-2 tsp lime juice
-1/2 the zest of one lime
-limes and mint to garnish (optional)


The Directions:
1. Heat up the milk and mint until hot but not boiling. Take it off the heat and allow to steep for about 15 minutes.

2. Strain the leaves out of the milk, making sure to push on the mint to extract as much oil as possible. Set aside and allow to cool.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your cupcake pan.
4. Whisk lime juice into the milk and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.

5. In your mixing bowl, combine sugar and lime zest and muddle together to infuse the oils into the sugar.

6. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt.
7. Add the milk, vegetable oil and rum to the lime sugar and mix thoroughly.
8. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in increments, mixing until just combined and scraping the bowl between each addition. Fill cupcake liners and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Rotate pan about halfway through to ensure even baking. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

9. Cream the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
10. Beat in the rum and lime juice until well combined. Mix in the zest until it appears even throughout the frosting. Refrigerate if not using it in less than an hour.

11. Frost the cupcakes and garnish as you please.

12. Consume and enjoy!

February's Cupcake Of The Month - Chocolate And Chambord

Some exciting things have been happening for my blog these past couple of months. My last post was featured on foodgawker and tastespotting and because of that, I've gained  a handful of new followers, more exposure (the blog's even been StumbleUpon-ed... I thought that was pretty awesome), more traffic, and most recently, a sponsored giveaway by CSNstores.com.


Everyone's feedback on my blog and on my baked goods has been overwhelming and I'm so very thankful for it all. It's helping me find more inspiration to keep up baking and blogging. So thank you to all of you that have read my posts, are "following" me, and are supporting me in this, especially my testers who have willingly offered their taste buds up for my cause.


The Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
-1 cup unsalted butter, softened
-1 cup water
-3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-2 cups flour
-2 cups sugar
-1 1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup sour cream

For the ganache:

-3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

-1 cup heavy cream

-1 1/2 tbsp corn starch

-[at least] 50 mL Chambord

The Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your cupcake pan(s).
2. Bring the butter and water to a simmer and then whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

 

3. Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

There's only so much one can do to make all-white ingredients look exciting together

4. Beat eggs and sour cream together until combined.

5. Gradually add the cocoa mixture to the eggs, constantly mixing so that you don't scramble the eggs.

6. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet.

7. Fill cupcake cups (I filled them somewhere between 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up) and bake for about 12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate halfway through to ensure even baking. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

8. Over a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water) melt the chocolate chips, heavy cream and corn starch together. Once mixture is smooth, take it off the heat and stir in the liqueur until combined. Set aside and allow to cool so that it can thicken up.

You want your ganache to be completely smooth, not like the picture above

Note: I added 50 mL of the Chambord but felt that there wasn't enough of that raspberry flavor I was looking for, so I would suggest adding more a little at a time until the desired taste. Or maybe even a raspberry flavored filling would help. I plan on making a filling the next time I make these and if it works out, I will update this post with the filling's recipe.

9. Once your cupcakes are cool, frost them with a pastry bag, plastic baggie, dip the cupcakes, or do what I did and just spread the frosting on with a spoon (if you spoon and spread them, you'll probably only need a half of the ganache recipe). 
Tip: If you're frosting with a bag, you should wait until the the ganache is firm enough, or else it'll just run all over the place.
10. Consume and enjoy!

Don't worry, his ganache-stache was from before adding the liqueur.

January's Cupcake Of The Month - Irish Cake Bombs

You know, sort of like Irish Car Bombs, but in cake form.


These probably would've made more sense being March's cupcake but it was a good friend's 21st birthday and what better way to celebrate a boozy birthday than with boozy cupcakes?


The Ingredients (makes about 2 dozen):
For the cupcakes:
-1 cup unsalted butter, softened
-1 cup stout beer
-3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-2 cups flour
-2 cups sugar
-1 1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup sour cream
For the filling:

-1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

-1/2 cup heavy cream

-3/4 tbsp corn starch

-3 tsp Irish whiskey

For the frosting:

-1 cup unsalted butter, softened
-1 cup vegetable shortening
-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, or to taste, sifted
-6 tbsp Irish cream
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-pinch of salt

The Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your cupcake pan(s).
2. Bring the beer and butter to a simmer and then whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

3. Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
4. Beat eggs and sour cream together until combined.

5. Gradually add the cocoa mixture to the eggs, constantly mixing so that you don't scramble the eggs.

Watch out for splashing!

6. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet. 

Reminder: Make sure to scrape your mixing bowl and paddle between each addition, especially the bottom where ingredients can settle!
7. Fill cupcake cups (I filled them about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up) and bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate halfway through to ensure even baking. Allow to cool completely before filling or frosting.

8. Over a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water) melt the chocolate chips, heavy cream and corn starch together. Once mixture is smooth, take it off the heat and stir in the whiskey until combined. Set aside and allow to cool so that it can thicken up before filling the cupcakes, stirring every few minutes.

Oh my ganache!

9. Whip the shortening and butter together until light and fluffy. Then add the Irish cream and vanilla extract. Next, gradually add the sugar to taste. Lastly, add a pinch of salt. If you're not frosting the same day, cover and refrigerate.

10. After your cupcakes have cooled, use a tsp or melon baller and dig out a hole (I dug down to about 2/3 of the way down) and fill them up with the ganache filling. You can pipe it in (if you don't have a piping bag, you can use a plastic sandwich bag with a corner cut off) or just spoon the filling in.

11. Frost the cupcakes with either a spatula, a piping bag or a sandwich bag.

12. Consume and enjoy!
Tip: These cupcakes can be made a couple days ahead as long as they're thoroughly wrapped or covered and refrigerated, even after they've been filled. I would recommend holding off on the frosting until the day you serve them though. Also, if you're serving your cupcakes more than 3 to 4 hours after frosting them, you might want to put them in the refrigerator until about an hour before you serve (there is a bit of a dairy in the frosting after all.) Better to be safe than sorry with food poisoning later.

All packed and ready for the party!