Somehow I ended up promising my students I’d make cupcakes for Open House. I’m not sure how that happened, but I guess it’s a good sign that the persuasive writing techniques I’ve been teaching them weren’t falling on deaf ears (or maybe I volunteered because I saw a golden opportunity to bake AND immediately get the products out of the house).

Either way, when I thought about what would appeal to 12 year olds and their families, I immediately thought of Oreos. Originally I was thinking of doing a chocolate cupcake with Oreo frosting, but when I found this recipe, it looked too good to pass up. For some reason the idea of combining cream cheese frosting with Oreos didn’t really appeal to me, so I just made a standard vanilla buttercream and added some crushed cookies to it. I loved these and so did all the kids!

Recipe:
(adapted from Beantown Baker)

cupcakes
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour, plus 2 tbsp
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 cup sugar
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 package Oreo Cookies (about 45 cookies)

frosting
6 tbsp softened butter
3 cups powedered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Oreo crumbs
2-4 tbsp milk

Preheat over to 350F. Line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners.

Twist apart 24 Oreos. Place the cookie with filling on it, filling side up, in the bottom of each cupcake pan. Cut 12 of the filling-less cookies in half for garnish, and crush the others in a plastic bag with a rolling pin to make fine crumbs. Reserve these crumbs to mix into the frosting.

Roughly chop the remaining Oreos and toss with 2 tbsp flour.

Cream the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the milk and vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into the butter mixture. Stir a few times, then mix in the sugar and beat with the mixer on low for about 30 seconds. Add the egg whites. Turn the speed up to medium and beat for two minutes. Fold in the roughly chopped cookies

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer and add milk 1/2 tsp at a time until it has a smooth, spreadable consistency. Add the Oreo crumbs and mix well. Put in a piping bag and pipe onto the cooled cupcakes, then top with half a filling-less cookie.

I am doing cupcakes and cake for a wedding in a few months, and I have been using that as an excuse to try tons of new recipes. The last time I attempted a marble cake I stirred far too much and ended up with a light brown cake and no marble at all. Huge bummer. This time I gently dragged a spoon through the cake pans just a few times, and I was really excited to cut into the cake and see the pretty marbling I was hoping for!

This recipe was supposed to make a 2-layer 8″ cake but I made 2 6″ layers and 2 cupcakes. I like thick layers, so next time I might skip the cupcakes and just make the 6″ layers. The frosting is simple but rich, and plays nicely off the vanilla-mocha cake

This cake was also my first experience working with marshmallow fondant. I realize marshmallows are not vegetarian, but since I’m more in the not-eating-meat camp than the strict-vegetarian camp, I tasted a bite, and it was actually better than I was expecting. I think it really helped that it was right on top of a layer of rich chocolate frosting! My biggest piece of advice when working with fondant is to not be shy with the powdered sugar. I had it all over my counter and hands, but it definitely kept it form becoming a sticky mess. With the right amount of powdered sugar, it’s incredibly easy to work with. I found the recipe for the fondant at About.com.

Recipe:
(adapted from Zoe Bakes)

cake
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 full-fat plain yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 tablespoons milk
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

frosting
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 stick butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
milk

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line the bottom of two 6″ round pans with parchment.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.

Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, yogurt and vanilla, and mix well. Add the milk 2 tbsp at a time, alternating with the flour mixture (mix until smooth after each addition).

Combine the chocolate and espresso powder and stir until smooth.

Divide the batter in half and add the chocolate mixture to one half. Spoon some of the vanilla batter into the bottom of each pan, then top with a few spoonfuls of mocha batter. Add more vanilla batter, then gently drag a spoon through to create a marble pattern.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the layers are completely cool, make the frosting. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, then let cool slightly.

Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer for about 1 minute. Add the chocolate, powdered sugar, and vanilla, and beat until creamy and smooth. If the frosting is too stiff, add milk 1/4 tsp at a time, until the frosting is spreadable.

I wasn’t going to bake for a few weeks. I made those Double Ginger Cookies a few days ago, ate way too many of them, and realized it would probably be best for that marathon I’m running (in 11 days. OMG.) if I didn’t go crazy with sugar for awhile.

But today was my Sister-in-Law’s birthday AND Mike found out he got a new job (!!!) so the no-baking plans were scrapped and celebratory cupcakes were made. My sister-in-law drinks a lot of coffee, so dark chocolate mocha cupcakes with coffee buttercream seemed like a natural choice. The dark chocolate stars are just piped melted chocolate – easy but decorative and delicious.

Obviously, if you like either coffee or chocolate, these will be hard to resist. I think it’s easiest to use instant coffee for baking, so that’s what I did here, for both the cake and the frosting. If you’d rather brew some espresso, I’m sure that would work too.

Recipe:
(adapted from Evil Shenanigans)

cupcakes
3/4 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 egg white
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons strong coffee (or three tablespoons warm water mixed with 1 tablespoon instant coffee)

frosting
4 tbsp butter, softened
2 tbsp warm water
1 tbsp instant coffee
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar

a few ounces of dark chocolate, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a 12-cupcake pan with paper liners.

Whisk together all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cocoa) in a medium bowl.

Beat the egg and egg white gently with a fork, then stir in the buttermilk, vanilla, melted butter, and coffee. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until most of the lumps are gone. Divide evenly among the cupcake tins and bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, dissolve the coffee in the warm water. Beat the butter, coffee-water, and vanilla in a stand mixer. Add the powdered sugar and beat until creamy and spreadable, adding a few drops of milk if too dry. Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes.

To make the chocolate decorations: Put the melted chocolate in a piping bag with a small round tip and pipe designs onto parchment. Transfer to the fridge for about 30 mintues to set, then place the decorations on the iced cupcakes.

I’ve been buying massive quantities of fresh strawberries lately, but they usually don’t last long enough in the house to bake with. This week I bought a half flat, determined that some of them would actually make it into a dessert rather than just being consumed fresh by the bowlful.

I’d never made an icebox cake before, but the idea of layering cookies with strawberry sauce and whipped cream, then letting time and the refrigerator work their magic seemed pretty brilliant, particularly since I had to work all day and couldn’t put together a labor-intensive dessert like I love to do. I found a great-looking recipe on Seven Spoons, but wanted to bring some chocolate to the party instead of using graham crackers. So, I made some chocolate wafer cookies.

I used Smitten Kitchen’s recipe, sliced 1/8″ thick. Let me just warn you, the chilled dough is really good. So good, in fact, that I was slicing mine, I probably ate one little disk of dough for every one that made it onto the baking sheet. Good thing I’m running a lot these days.

Anyway, if you want to, you could obviously use store-bought wafers. Then you just chop up some strawberries and make a sauce, whip a little heavy cream with sugar and vanilla, and layer everything together and put it in the fridge for about 8 hours. The result, when sliced (which I should have taken a picture of…oops) looks like a cake with a 5 thin layers, with plenty of chocolate and strawberry flavor and sweet, velvety whipped cream holding it all together. Definitely not waistline friendly, but totally delicious.

Recipe:
(adapted from Seven Spoons)

strawberry sauce
1 pound strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup sugar
juice of 1/2 a lemon

cake
3 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1 cup confectioner’s sugar, divided
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
chocolate wafer cookies (you’ll need about 60)

To make the sauce:
Put about 2 1/2 cups of berries in a medium saucepan with 3 tablespoons of the sugar and the lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until the fruit becomes soft and the juices begin to thicken, about 8 minutes.

Puree with an immersion blender until smooth, then strain through a sieve back into the saucepan. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until clear, glossy, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Add the remaining fresh berries and cook for about 2 minutes. Use the immersion blender again, pureeing until smooth. Strain through a sieve, then add additional sugar to taste.

To make the cake, line the inside of an 8 or 9″ springform pan with plastic wrap so the bottom and sides are completely covered.

Whip 2 1/2 cups of cream until it holds soft peaks. Sift in the powdered sugar and salt, mix for a few seconds, then add the vanilla and continue beating just until stiff peaks form.

Spread a small amount of the cream on the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Arrange a single layer of wafers so the cream is covered as much as possible. Spoon some whipped cream on top of the wafers and smooth so they are covered by a thin layer. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the strawberry sauce over the whipped cream, then top with another layer of wafer cookies. Repeat with whipped cream and strawberry sauce until you have 5 layers of cookies and 4 layers of whipped cream. Do not spread strawberry sauce over the top layer of cream.

Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

About 1 hour before serving, remove the cake from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Invert the cake onto a serving plate, and remove the plastic wrap from the top and sides. Smooth out the sides with an offset spatula if needed. Place the cake in the freezer, uncovered, to chill for 30 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the remaining 1 cup of well-chilled heavy cream. After soft peaks begin to form, sift in 1/2 cup powdered sugar and continue beating until it holds stiff peaks.

Take the cake out of the freezer and gently spread a thin layer of the whipped cream to cover. Spread the remaining strawberry sauce over the top, then put the whipped cream in a piping bag and pipe some decoration, if desired. Chill for 30 minutes before slicing to serve.

I feel kind of sorry for loaf cakes. From a purely superficial standpoint, they can’t compete at all with layer cakes. No filling. No frosting. Kind of a blah shape. For a long time, I thought they were a waste of dessert. OK, for a long time I thought anything but a chocolate layer cake with chocolate frosting was a waste of dessert, but I’ve matured significantly since those days. Even if those days were only a few years ago.

When our friends invited us over for dinner last night, I immediately thought about making a healthy whole-wheat carrot loaf cake, but Mike vetoed that idea. I have been kind of going off the deep end with whole wheat flour lately, and it’s been at least 5 days since I made anything sweet, so being the understanding and doting wife that I am, I agreed to use white sugar and white flour. It pained me a little as I was mixing this up, but after eating 3 slices, I realized the indulgence was completely worth it.

This cake is soft, moist, lightly orange-flavored, and the glaze brings it all together. I was hesitant about using olive oil in a dessert for the first time, but it definitely worked here. Although the original recipe called for whole milk yogurt, I only had nonfat, so I used half a cup of that and half a cup of sour cream. I’m sure there are modifications you could make to make this healthier, but sometimes it just feels good to throw caution to the wind and eat a little white flour.

Recipe:
(adapted from Bake Fresh, originally from
The Cooking Photographer)

Cake:
1/2 cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine)
1/2 cup plain yogurt (nonfat is fine)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Grated zest of 2 Navel oranges
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup light olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Glaze:
2 tbsp freshly-squeezed orange juice
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Grease and flour an 8″ x 4″ loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk the salt, baking powder, and flour with a fork and set aside.

Stir the yogurt, sour cream, eggs, orange zest, olive oil, sugar, and vanilla together until blended. Gently stir in the flour mixture, until all traces of flour disappear.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. (It may look like it’s going to overflow, but it shouldn’t).

When the cake is done, cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the edges and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When the cake is cool, mix the orange juice and powdered sugar, and pour evenly over the cake. Slice once the glaze has set.

If you like apple pie, cheesecake, and creme brulee, this is pretty much your dream dessert. My friend Brigitte loves all 3, so it seemed like the perfect thing to make for her 28th birthday. I just wish it were more photogenic.

This was only my second attempt at making brulee anything, and I think I definitely still need some practice. I will probably double the amount of sugar I sprinkle over the cake next time, because to me it was a little spotty (the recipe below indicates what I think would work best). If you’ve never used a kitchen torch it is SO MUCH FUN, but takes a lot longer than I was expecting it to.

I also made a ground-breaking, world-rocking, earth-shattering discovery on e-how. My cheesecake came out of the oven looking beautiful and perfect, but after cooling it developed a gigantic crack in the middle. I was pretty bummed and was planning to just cover the whole thing with whipped cream and forgo the brulee, until I decided to google “how to fix a cracked cheesecake.” A video on e-how showed a chef dipping a knife in hot water, wiping it dry, then spreading the cheesecake to fill the crack. I tried it, and it worked PERFECTLY. Ideally, my next cheesecake won’t crack in the first place, but if it does, I’ll be ready to deal with it.

Recipe:
(from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle)

Apples:
2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp heavy cream

Crust:
1 1/2 cup cinnamon graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp butter, melted

Cheesecake:
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese (reduced fat is fine), softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine)
1 tbsp corn starch
4 eggs, at room temperature

Brulee:
3 tbsp sugar

Position your oven racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 F.

To make the apple layer, cut the apples into 1/4″ slices. Toss with the lemon juice.
Heat the butter in a medium skillet and add the apples once the butter has melted. Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, then sprinkle with sugar and cook another 5-7 minutes, then add the cream and cook until the apples are soft (but still intact). Set aside to cool.

To make the crust, combine the crumbs, sugar, and melted butter, and press into a greased 9″ springform pan. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until slightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Once the apples and crust are cool, layer the apples evenly over the crust, then proceed with the cheesecake.

Lower the oven temperature to 300 F.

Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium until nice and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the sugar graduall, mixing on medium until well blended. Add the vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, sour cream, and cornstarch, mixing until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each is added.
Pour the cream cheese mixture over the apples and set on the upper rack of the oven. Fill a roasting pan with water and set that on the lower rack.

Bake the cheesecake for about 75 minutes, or until the outside is set but the center is still slightly underdone (it will firm up as it cools). Remove to cool on a wire rack.

Once the cheesecake is completely cool, run a knife around the outside then carefully release the sides of the pan. (If it’s cracked, now is a perfect time to try the warm knife trick) Transfer the cake, still on the bottom of the pan, to a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for a minimum of four hours.

To make the brulee topping, evenly sprinkle the sugar over the top of the cooled cheesecake. Heat with a ktichen torch until browned and bubbly.

I never really understood the concept of evaporated milk. To me it doesn’t really taste like milk at all, and in this modern era of refrigeration, what’s the point? When a recipe calls for it I tend to sub half and half or heavy cream, because they taste better to me. But this recipe called for both light cream and evaporated milk so I decided to just go with it.

I was a little dubious pouring the three-milk mixture all over a perfectly good cake, but in the end it was totally worth it. After bathing in cream (spiked with a little rum and vanilla) in the refrigerator for a few days, this turns into a rich, creamy concoction somewhere between pudding and cake. I don’t normally like things like bread pudding or custard, but I absolutely loved this! It tastes a lot like horchata (creamy and cinnamon-y), and the fluffy meringue topping is sublime.

Recipe:
(adapted from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle)

Cake:
1 2/3 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar (firmly packed
3/4 cup 2% milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Tres Leches:
1/2 cup half and half
one 12-ounce can evaporated milk
one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
3 tbsp dark rum
1 tsp vanilla extract

Meringue Topping:
2 large egg whites
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp water
pinch cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9″ square baking pan.

Sift the cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together onto a sheet of wax paper.

Beat the butter int the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth and creamy, then add the brown sugar and beat for about 2 minutes. Mix the milk and vanilla extract together in a small bowl.

Add half the flour mixture to the butter, mixing on low until just combined. Add the milk and mix on low. Add the remaining flour and stir until homogeneous.

With a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until light and foamy. Add the cream of tarter and beat until the egg whites hold soft peaks. Add the sugar and beat until the egg whites hold stiff, shiny peaks.

Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold the egg whites into the cake batter. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack, then poke holes with a toothpick at 1″ intervals.

After the cake has cooled, make the soaking mixture. Stir together the half and half, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, dark rum, and vanilla. Pour all over the cake (in the pan) so it is completely covered.

Wrap the cake with plastic wrap, and refrigerate between 4 hours and 4 days.

Within a few hours of serving the cake, make the meringue topping. Stir together the egg whites, sugar, water and cream of tartar and beat for about a minute with a handheld mixer.

Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and beat with the mixer until the egg white temperature reaches 140 F (about 7 minutes). Remove from the heat, pour in the vanilla, and beat until the egg whites hold stiff peaks. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large start tip.

Invert the cake onto a plate, then pipe swirls of meringue over the top. Cut into squares to serve.

Sometimes I have a really hard time deciding what kind of cupcakes to make. There are just too many options out there, and it kind of stresses me out, so I tend to just go with basic chocolate or vanilla. It absolutely thrills me when someone requests a flavor I hadn’t thought of, because then I get to branch out a little bit, but I have enough direction to not be overwhelmed by possibilities.

Mike LOVED the Strawberry cupcakes I made a few weeks ago, and hinted that I should try making some blueberry cupcakes just like them. So I did. I just subbed blueberry puree (pushed through a strainer) for strawberry puree. I used frozen berries, which I thawed first, because they are much juicier than fresh blueberries (and where can you find a fresh blueberry right now, anyway?) I might simmer the puree next time to concentrate the flavor a little bit more, but these are pretty addictive just how they are. Plus I really love it when things take on pretty colors without the use of artificial coloring!

Oh, and by the way (totally off-topic): Cate’s World Kitchen now has a facebook page! Click here and become a fan!

Recipe:

Makes 6 cupcakes

Cupcakes:
3 tablespoons blueberry puree (just puree thawed frozen blueberries in a food processor then push through a mesh strainer)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
2 tbsp whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg

Frosting:
1/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup thawed frozen blueberries, pureed and strained
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla

To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Put paper liners in 6 cupcake tins.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt onto a piece of wax paper. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla, and blueberry puree.
Cream the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, and add the sugar. Beat for a few minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix on low until combined.
Add half the flour mixture and mix briefly on low. Scrape down the bowl and add the milk mixture, mixing just until combined. Scrape down the bowl and add the remaining flour mixture. Mix on low, then divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting:
Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the blueberry puree a teaspoon or two at a time until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.

I love baking for people when I know what they like. For my dad and grandmother, it’s easy – just include chocolate and coffee. For my mom, I know she’ll go for just about anything but chocolate never hurts. For my five year old niece, whose birthday is still 3 months away, it’s a chocolate cake with pink frosting and dolphins on it. Got it.

My friend Melanie recently had a birthday and I knew she loves the salty-sweet combination. I immediately thought of salted caramel and chocolate, so I did some googling and found this amazing recipe. I made half the recipe posted on Martha Stewart’s Website, and it made two 6″ layers, plus 2 ramekins (so Mike and I could each have our own mini cake!). I’m posting the halved recipe here because it’s what I did, and because I have a new obsession with 6″ cakes. They’re such a cute size, and not so overwhelming to eat.

Recipe
(adapted from Baked in New York City, via Martha Stewart)

Cake:
3/8 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp hot water
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp softened butter
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 eggs (for half an egg, I crack an egg into a small bowl, whisk it a little with a fork, then eyeball half)

Preheat the oven to 325. Place parchment circles in the bottoms of two 6″ cake pans, and 2 ramekins, and spray with nonstick spray.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, hot water, and sour cream. Set aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together onto a sheet of wax paper.
Beat the butter and shortening together in the bowl of a stand mixer until very creamy. Add the sugars and continue beating until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and egg.
Add half the flour mixture, mix gently until incorporated, then scrape down the bowl. Add the cocoa mixture and mix well. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until there are no more traces of flour.
Pour into the prepared pans and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge, turn out onto a wire rack, and remove the parchment to cool completely.
Once cool, use a serrated knife to level the cake.

Caramel:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp corn syrup
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp fleur de sel
1/4 cup sour cream

Put the sugar, water and corn syrup into a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to combine, then cook until the mixture is a nice, deep golden brown.
While the sugar is cooking, bring the salt and cream to a simmer in another saucepan.
Once the caramel is the right color, remove the pan from heat. Wait one minute, then stir in the heavy cream. Let cool for a few minutes, then whisk in the sour cream. Set aside.

Caramel-Chocolate Frosting:
8 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp corn syrup
2 tbsp water
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)

Put the chopped chocolate in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan and cook over medium high until the mixture is golden brown. While the sugar mixture is cooking, bring the heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan.
Once the caramel reaches the right color, remove the pan from the heat, wait one minute, then whisk in the cream. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then pour over the chocolate.
Mix on low until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and the bowl feels cool, then gradually increase the speed and add the butter. Beat until the frosting is smooth and easily spreadable.

To assemble the cake, spread a thin layer of caramel over the bottom layer, then spread frosting over it. Place the second layer on top, spread with caramel, and ice the sides with frosting.

I didn’t set out to do a yellow cake recipe comparison, but when my first batch of cupcakes had an odd crumb and tasted like cake mix, I wanted to find a better recipe and see what it was that made the first recipe so poor.

The first recipe came from Rose Levy Berenbaum via Joy of Baking. The recipe claimed that by mixing the butter into the dry ingredients, then adding milk, eggs, and vanilla, I would get a “moist, dense, and velvety” cake. Nope. Because of all the baking powder (2 tsp in 12 cupcakes), they were not dense at all, and the texture was very crumbly. On top of that, they tasted faintly like chemicals, as if they came from a mix.

The second, and far superior recipe came from Gale Gand via Food Network. With slightly more butter, the same amount of flour, and 1/2 tsp less baking soda, these were yellow, buttery, and fabulous. They had the velvety, moist texture the first recipe promised. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

These cupcakes were a friend who loves to surf, so I thought chocolate surfboards seemed like an appropriate decoration. For the frosting, I used the ever-reliable Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Frosting recipe, and for the surfboards, I just melted some dark and white chocolate, and piped them onto parchment and let them harden.

Recipe
(adapted from Food Network)

Frost with Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Frosting (scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe)