Weekends are so much better now that I’m back at work.  I appreciate them about a million times more than I did when every day was pretty much the same.  Obviously it was great having Mike home all day on the weekends, but now there’s even more of a focus for both of us on spending quality time with Ellie.

There’s more time for enjoying tea, which has become my new Friday night beverage of choice.

I did end up having a beer after this, but I couldn’t even finish it because I fell asleep on the couch at 8:30.  Oh parenthood, you do crazy things to people.

There’s more time to savor the view out of Ellie’s window as the sun is coming up.  I was never really big on sleeping in, so this getting up before the sun comes up thing actually isn’t too much of a life change.

And more time for BAKING!  When I was driving home from work yesterday I had pretty much made up my mind that I was going to bake oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  But then I realized I’ve done that too many times, and I had plenty of time to bake something new.  Oatmeal snack cake seemed like a good idea, but adding chocolate chips was essential.  For some people, this is probably too indulgent for breakfast or snack, but it makes a great casual dessert!

Yeah, another cake. I will eventually post healthy recipes again one of these days, but I’ve been making a lot of repeats lately, or just giant salads that definitely aren’t worthy of a blog post. So you get cake again!

Ellie got to meet her great-grandparents this weekend. They flew down from Oregon for a few days and we marked the occasion with beer and cake. Mike even introduced them to beermosas (beer + orange juice…we’re classy like that).

Any time there are extra people around, I like to make cake, because it means I won’t end up eating the whole thing. Except this time I kind of wanted to.

I normally require a LOT more frosting than this on cake, but the brown butter is so rich and flavorful, it was actually perfect in such a small dose. The recipe was originally written to make a single-layer 9″ cake, but I baked it in two 6″ pans instead because stacked cakes just seem more festive.

Recipe
(from Martha Stewart via Shutterbean)

cake
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup warm (110 degrees) milk

frosting
4 tbsp butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp milk

Grease a 9″ pan (or 2 6″ pans) and line the bottoms with parchment.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

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

Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs one at a time.

Add the milk and pumpkin and mix until smooth.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Pour the batter into the pan(s) and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

To make the frosting, sift the powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it’s nut-brown (don’t let it get too dark!)

Pour the butter through a mesh strainer into the sugar, and add the vanilla and one tablespoon of milk. Beat on medium until smooth, adding more milk if necessary to reach a spreadable consistency.

I made this cake for my grandpa’s birthday.

This is my grandpa, my mom’s dad. His birthday was October 22 or 23, depending on whether you choose to believe the state of Montana or his mother. He grew up on a farm in Montana, then ended up marrying my grandma, had 5 kids, and ran a music store in Eugene, Oregon.

I never got to meet him, because he died suddenly of a heart attack when my mom was 25. He wasn’t alive to see my mom get married or meet any of his eight grandchildren.

When he was still alive, he always had chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate ice cream on his birthday. My mom has kept that tradition going and makes a chocolate cake for his birthday every year. This year, she used this recipe, and it really is the best.

This is the first year I’ve made a cake for him. Since I had Ellie, family has become a lot more important to me, and now more than ever I wish that I’d gotten to meet him.

Recipe:
(from My Baking Addiction)

makes 1 9″ 2-layer cake (I halved the recipe to make 1 6″ 2-layer cake)

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup strong black coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease 2 9″ pans and line the bottoms with parchment.

Whisk all the dry ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil, and vanilla, and mix on medium for two minutes.

Pour the batter into the cake pans and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting.

I was initially drawn to chocolate cupcakes with some kind of raspberry filling, and chocolate ganache on top, but when I found the recipe for chocolate raspberry ganache in The Secrets of Baking, I knew there was nothing else that would be more appealing. I wanted it to really stand out, so instead of making a chocolate cupcake, I made a buttermilk genoise from the same book.

The cupcakes initially looked like a complete failure when I pulled them from the oven. They pulled away from the sides of the pan and there were huge indentations in the tops. I found online that a bunch of other people had this problem, but realized it was actually kind of perfect because it made an ideal place to pipe the ganache.

I may try experimenting with other genoise recipes in the future, but I actually loved the way these turned out, and the flavor and texture were perfect (which to me is more important than how they look anyway). The only change I made to the ganache recipe was using chocolate chips because I had them on hand, and adding heavy cream while whipping to lighten the texture. The only thing I might change is to make 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 recipes next time, because I only had enough for a small rosette on each cupcake.

And if you happen to have any leftover raspberries or want to do something a little healthier, this mornings smoothie included a bunch of raspberries, a frozen banana, almond milk, chocolate protein powder, and chia seeds, and it was almost as good as a cupcake!
Recipe
(adapted from The Secrets of Baking by Sherry Yard)

makes 24 cupcakes

cupcakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
6 ounces butter, melted
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners.

Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together three times.

Set a saucepan of water over medium heat and bring to a simmer (turn down the heat if it starts to boil). Put the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and set it over the simmering water, whisking with a wire whisk constantly until a thermometer reads 110 F.

Using the whisk attachment of the stand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on high for about 6 minutes, or until pale and fluffy and a ribbon forms when drizzled from a spatula. Beat for an additional 2 minutes on medium, then turn to low and mix in the melted butter.

Fold in 1/3 of the dry ingredients using a wire whisk. Add 1/3 of the buttermilk and fold gently. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk. Gently stir in the vanilla.

Divide evenly among the cupcake tins, filling each nearly to the top. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden on top. The cupcake should not stay indented when you press gently on it with your finger.

Cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (the tops may cave in, but that’s a great place to pipe ganache!)

When completely cool, top with the whipped ganache.

ganache
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 oz butter, melted
1 cup fresh raspberries, pureed and strained (about 1/3 cup puree), at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream

24 raspberries

Melt the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the butter until smooth. Stir in the raspberry puree and mix until smooth. Transfer to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium high until the mixture is room temperature. Pour in the heavy cream and continue whipping until stiff enough to pipe.

Pipe a rosette onto each cupcake then top with a raspberry. Store in the refrigerator.

How to have an amazing 27th birthday weekend:

1. Start with a jazz concert on Friday night

(CeU is a jazz singer from Brazil and she is incredibly talented…so is her band. I’ve never really listened that much to music like this before, but when someone at Mike’s work offered him tickets, he took them up on it and I’m happy he did!)

2. Get some pizza after said concert (cheese and pineapple, naturally)

(We found a pretty decent pizza place not too far from where we live… never would have known it was there if it weren’t for Yelp!)

3. Run a leisurely 4 miles on Saturday morning
(I like to think of my runs as leisurely or relaxing instead of just plain slow these days)

4. Have dinner at Cha-Ya Vegetarian Japanese Restaurant (762 Valencia, San Francisco)

(vegan gyoza, miso soup, inventive and vegetable-packed rolls…heaven!)

5. Have dessert at Bi-Rite Creamery (3692 18th St, San Francisco)

(Even though it’s 10:30 PM, cold and windy, and the line is half a block long, the malted vanilla with peanut brittle and milk chocolate is totally worth the wait)

6. Realize that you’re too tired to frost your cake, so it will have to wait until Sunday.

7. Get up on Sunday, go spend the day hanging out in the city, and finally get around to finishing your birthday cake on Sunday evening.

I don’t eat pistachios very often, but they are delicious in this cake! The flavor of the finished product is a little reminiscent of baklava, and the frosting is light (well, as light as it can be with 3 sticks of butter), fluffy, honey-vanilla goodness. I made the cake pretty much as written, but because I was out of pastry flour, I used 3 cups of all purpose, which I sifted twice. I didn’t have 3 8″ pans, so I used 9″ pans instead, which shortened the baking time a little. The cooked-flour frosting is something I’d never tried before, and it looked a little curdled while it was coming together, but just keep your mixer running – it will eventually smooth out!

Recipe:
(adapted from Baked Explorations via Pink Parsley Catering)

cake
1 cup shelled pistachios (plus 1/3 cup for decorating)
3 cups all purpose flour, sifted twice
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon. vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups ice cold water
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

buttercream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Butter three 8 or 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper and butter the parchment. Dust parchment with flour and shake out excess flour.

Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until they are coarsely chopped. Transfer about 2 tablespoons of the coarse pistachios to a large bowl. Continue to process the rest of the pistachios until they are almost powdery- but not superfine. Stir the pistachio powder into the reserved coarse pistachios. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, together over the large bowl containing the pistachios. Stir to combine.

Beat the butter and shortening on medium speed with the paddle attachment until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, add the whole egg, and beat until just combined. Turn the mixture to low.

In a measuring cup, make 1 1/2 cups ice water. Add the flour mixture to the mixer in three parts, alternating with the ice water, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. For each addition, turn the mixer to low to add ingredients, then up to medium speed for a few seconds until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl, then mix on low speed for a few more seconds.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form (This is easy to do by hamd and gives your arm a workout!). Do not overbeat. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for about 30 minutes (9 inch layers) or 35 minutes (8 inch layers), rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto the rack, remove the parchment and let cool completely.

To make the frosting, whisk the sugar and flour together in a medium heavy-bottom saucepan. Add milk and cream and cook over medium heat whisking occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a standing mixer with paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool (at least 7 or 8 minutes) then add the butter a few pieces at a time and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is light, fluffy, and smooth.

Add the vanilla and honey and continue mixing until combined. If the frosting is too soft, put the bowl in the refrigerator to chill slightly, then beat again until it is proper consistency. If the frosting is too firm, set the bow over a pot of simmering water and beat with a wooden spoon until it is the proper consistency.

Assemble the cake: Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Trim the top to create a flat surface, and evenly spread about 1 1/4 cups frosting on top. Add the next layer, trim and frost it, then add the third layer. Spread the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Garnish the cake with chopped pistachios and refrigerate it for 15 minutes to it firm up before serving.

It is fine to keep this cake at room temperature for a few days. If you decide to keep it in the fridge, let it come to room temperature before serving.

I found this recipe on the absolutely beautiful Sweetapolita and made just a couple changes. I halved the recipe to make a 6″ cake (because as much as I may have wanted to eat a bigger cake, that’s probably the last thing Mike and I need right now. I also added raisins because it’s just not carrot cake without them. I left the coconut and sour cream out of the frosting to keep it simple. Plain cream cheese frosting is a beautiful thing.

In other completely random news, Mike was feeling a little nostalgic about Korea (it happens rarely, but it does happen), and picked up a few things at the Korean grocery store up the street.

I think it’s hilarious he actually bought Hite, because the entire time we lived in Korea, we both complained about how awful it was. In the bowl are the crunchy snacks you can’t have beer without. The little square plastic container has yellow pickled radish that quickly became one of my favorite foods in Korea.

My running this week was kind of sporadic. I have been really tired lately, so I think I need to switch back to morning treadmill workouts to make sure I get the miles in. Yesterday morning was absolutely PERFECT – 60 and sunny, so I did an easy 6.5 miles and felt awesome.

There were a ton of people running around the lake, including lots pushing their kids in running strollers. I can’t believe that will be me in just a few months!

After my run, I came home to my new obsession.

I was really skeptical about $60 socks, but I LOVE these, and I see why they’re so popular! I haven’t tried running in them yet, because I feel like you look ridiculous in them unless you’re really fast, but people say they actually DO make you faster, so I might have to try it someday.

Recipe:
(adapted from Sweetapolita

makes 1 6″ layer cake; double the recipe for a 9″ cake

1 8-oz can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
2 cups grated carrot
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
pinch ground ginger
1 stick (4 oz) butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp golden brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup raisins

frosting
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
2 cups sifted icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease two 6″ cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger together in a medium bowl.

Stir the vanilla and milk together in a small bowl.

Cream the butter in a stand mixer and add the sugar. Beat for about 3 minutes on medium, or until fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.

Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix gently. Stir in half the milk and. Repeat with remaining flour and milk, ending with the flour. Stir just until all traces of flour disappear. Fold in the carrots, pineapple, and raisins.

Divide evenly among pans, and bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the eges and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When cool, cut each layer horizontally in half so you have 4 layers.

Fill and frost the cake, then refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

As you can see, this cake is covered with chopped up peanut butter cups and the most amazing velvety smooth peanut butter frosting I’ve ever had. It’s a little unusual because it starts with an egg yolk beaten with powdered sugar over simmering water, which I’ve never done before, but with the whipped cream beaten in at the end it takes on a light mousse-like texture without the overly sweet you get from the usual butter-powdered sugar-peanut butter-milk frosting.

The secret to the cake itself is right here:

A cup of coffee with 3/4 cup cocoa powder. You don’t taste the coffee, but it definitely makes the chocolate flavor richer and keeps the cake incredibly moist!

So festive with candles…

If I weren’t completely loyal to carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, I would want this for my next birthday. It’s definitely a keeper! And of course there’s no rule that says you need any occasion to make it…

In running-related news, I had a GREAT 10 mile run yesterday morning and I’m getting more excited for Boston every day. I’m keeping my mileage kind of low because I’m still a little nervous about my right knee, but so far everything’s going well! The weather has been completely perfect too. It was in the low 60s for the run and there were TONS of people out running in shorts and T-shirts. I love you, California winters.

Recipe:
(from Sugarlaws)

cake

2 cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup brewed coffee
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk

frosting

1/2 cup peanut butter (I used natural creamy and it worked beautifully)
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces, softened
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, divided
1/2 cup heavy cream
mini peanut butter cups, quartered or roughly chopped

To make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch or 9-inch round pans and line the bottoms with parchment.

Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Stir the cocoa powder in the coffee and mix until smooth, then add to the sugar mixture.

In a medium bowl, stir the baking powder, baking soda, salt and cake flour together with a whisk. Add half the flour mixture to the batter and mix until combined. Add 1/2 cup of the milk and mix on low until smooth, then scrape down the bowl. Add the other half of the dry ingredients, mix well, then add the other 1/2 cup of milk and mix on low until combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the two cake pans, tapping them against the counter to eliminate air bubbles.

Bake the cakes for about 35-45 minutes (depending on which size pans you used), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the layers to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting:
Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium heat.

Mix together the egg yolk and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar and set over the simmering water. Keep stirring until the mixture is hot to the touch.

Allow to cool for a few minutes, then beat in the peanut butter, and then the butter. It may look a little lumpy at this point, but it will smooth out! Beat in 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream with 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar until stiff peaks form Add the whipped cream to the rest of the frosting and beat until smooth. Frost the cake and press the peanut butter cup pieces onto the sides. Keep in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

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.