Chocolate Cupcakes

The Beats!
  

I was just scrolling through some of my old playlists and I noticed that the Jars of Clay song "Flood" was stuck to the end of my throwback playlist with all the "oldies" music (Dark Magic Gingerbread). Huh? Ummm, I guess I don't have anything wrong with Jars of Clay, but if anything, that song should have been in my playlist when I was whining about rain ... So I think my playlist was hijacked. That's right ... Before I had a disclaimer about the questionable quality about some of the music that appears on my blog, but now? Now I'm going to just deny putting some of it up there altogether. So if you don't like a song, it wasn't me. Somehow, it just added itself to my grooveshark widget and snuck onto my blog. Like the Jars of Clay song. If you don't like an entire playlist, well, I guess chances are they didn't all sneak on there. You can blame one or two on me. Blame the rest on technology.

With all that said, I'm just going for it with the most random playlist ever. I'll call it a mix of hip hop and rock? And don't worry, I've combined it so every other song makes you think "this doesn't fit with that last song AT ALL." You're welcome.

The Treats!

A family friend once caught drift of my dream of having a bakery and generously gave me a set of nice icing tips and canvas bags. But I'm a little bit of a baking coward (which might be why when the scary guy in my culinary class told me my simple syrup hadn't been reduced to the proper viscosity, I dropped out). So ... I hadn't tried using them until last week. Maybe I had a glass of wine or two and felt like taking a walk on the wild side with my frosting (I know, totally living on the edge) ...

They turned out looking pretty decent and tasting pretty decent too (I've made these cupcakes many, many times, normally just spreading the icing on with a knife and they are always good...). Maybe it's because of all the practice I had as a kid icing my toaster struedel by cutting the corner off the small plastic icing pouch. My arms were sore the next day from trying to get this thick frosting (maybe the mean baking student would approve of the consistency THIS time) out of the bag, but I figured that just meant I could eat another cupcake because I had earned it.

Chocolate Cupcakes

From Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

Makes 12

What you'll need ...

Cupcakes

3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Frosting

2 1/3 cups powdered sugar

6 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter in an electric mixer and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Whisk the milk, egg, and vanilla together in a bowl, then slowly pour about half into the flour mixture, beat to combine, and turn the mixer up to a high speed to get rid of any lumps.

Turn the mixer down to a slower speed and slowly pour in the remaining milk mixture (scrape unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Continue mixing for a couple of minutes until the batter is smooth but do not overmix.

Spoon the batter into paper cases until two-thirds fill and bake in preheated over 20-25 minutes or until the cakes bounce back when touched. A skewer into the center should come out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely before icing.

For the icing, beat the powdered sugar, butter, and cocoa together with an electric mixer until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Turn the mixer down to a slower speed. Add the milk to the butter mixture a couple of teaspoons at a time. Once all the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to a high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy. Then frost the cupcakes with a knife, or muscle up and try to squeeze it out of an icing bag (which is not what they are really called, but you know what I'm talking about).

Dark Magic Gingerbread

The Move!

I was running on the treadmill in my dad's basement a few years ago, with a DVD of the Talking Heads playing on the screen about 3 feet from my face. It was during this work out that I realized something that probably everyone in my parent's generation has known for decades. David Byrne is one craaaaaaaaaazy dude. His body moves like a cooked piece of spaghetti being waved about. And then there's the move that reminds me of the hanging wooden man at my grandma's house, where you can pull a cord and his arms and legs jerk up and down. So since we're taking this playlist back a few decades I just want to share the trailer for the video that changed my life.

Weird right? Oh wait, better idea ... Chuck Berry's Duck Walk. For Thanksgiving just make it the Turkey Walk.

The Beats!

We're going back to some old school rock. Because you have a turkey to cook. And they take forever. And if you haven't taken it out of the freezer yet, do it now. When you're ready, duck walk it into the oven.

The Treats!

If you have any doubts about what your Thanksgiving dessert should be, or maybe just an open spot on the menu (because Thanksgiving is one of those days when there needs to be at least 2 varieties of pie, in addition to all the other dessert items) ... choose this recipe. My stepdad made it for Christmas dinner last year and then my sister and I proceeded to continue eating it for our post-dessert dessert, breakfast, and lunch. That good (it is called Dark Magic Gingerbread afterall, I didn't just make that up). It's already moist and then you add homemade butterscotch on top - BAM, best dessert you've ever had. And it's a fall treat so you're kinda pinched for time here. It might look a little intimidating; in fact, I was a bit scared of making butterscotch especially when I read the line "when it barely begins to smoke", oh, and where it mentions "it can sputter and get kind of wild". It's not as bad as it sounds, and as it turns out, wild butterscotch tastes even better than regular type. Happy Thanksgiving y'all.

Dark Magic Gingerbread with Butterscotch Sauce
From With a Measure of Grace 
makes at least 12 servings


What you'll need ...

Gingerbread

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

1 1/2 sticks butter

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups dark molasses

1 1/4 cups boiling water

 1 Tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger

Butterscotch Sauce

1 stick unsalted butter

1/4 cut water

2 Tablespoons light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or Scotch whiskey


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13" baking pan. Sift or stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a large bowl, beat butter until it's creamy. Gradually add eggs and sugar and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until batter is light in color and texture, 2 or 3 minutes. Slowly beat in the molasses.





Add the flour mixture and stir with a spoon until it's just combined. You don't want to overmix this cake. Stir in boiling water slowly, mixing well, then add crystallized ginger (make sure you've already chopped it into small pieces).

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake it for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly pressed on top.

To make the butterscotch, combine butter, water, and corn syrup in a heavy bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the butter is melted.

Add sugar and stir until it's really dissolved - completely smooth and no longer making gritty, scraping sounds. Increase heat and boil without stirring until the mixture starts to brown around the edges. Start stirring at this point, and continue to stir as it thickens and turns a darker brown.

When it just barely begins to smoke, remove from heat and pour in cream (be careful here, because it can sputter and get kind of wild). Stir butterscotch until it's dissolved. If it's stubborn and won't melt, place briefly over low heat and stir the lumps out.


Add salt and vanilla extract or Scotch and stir well. Reheat before pouring over gingerbread.