Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes

I promised the recipes earlier this week, and here they are! These are not my original recipes, I actually got them from an old book (I would cite the author, but the cover no longer exists.)

xoxo

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

Chocolate Cupcakes

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs plus enough buttermilk to measure 2 cups

2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350'F. 
2. In mixer, on low speed, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt.

3. Add oil, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat for about 2 minutes on medium-high speed, until well combined. 

4. Spoon into paper-lined muffin cups, 2/3 halfway.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

6. Allow them to cool...no sneaking a taste yet!!:)

Chocolate Buttercream

1 cup  butter or margarine, softened

2/3 cup cocoa (sifted) or three 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate squares, melted

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar 

4-5 tablespoons milk (depending on the consistency you want)

1 tsp vanilla extract (you can replace the extract for a different flavour:)

1.  In large bowl, cream butter or margarine with electric mixer. 

2. Add cocoa and vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. 

3. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. 

4.Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

5. Keep bowl covered with cling wrap, or store it in a sealable bag. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. 

6.Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Make sure you re-whip before using though.

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Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Vanilla Cupcakes

1/2 cup of butter at room temperature

2/3 cup of sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp of salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F (177 C), and line cupcake tin with paper liners

2. Cream butter an sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, and mix well. 

3. Add zest and vanilla extract, and stir until fully mixed. Set aside

4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, and salt.

5. Slowly add the flour mixture and milk to the the butter and sugar. 

6. Mix well, and fill the cupcake tin. If making mini-cupcakes, bake for about 8-10 minutes, for larger cupcakes, takes about 18-20 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean). 

*Allow to cool before frosting. Makes about 12 Large cupcakes, or 50 Mini Cupcakes

Buttercream Frosting

2 cups of SIFTED powdered sugar (also called icing or confectioners sugar)

1/2 butter or margarine, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp light cream or milk

Icing color (optional)

1. Cream the butter or margarine until smooth. Add vanilla extract

2. Gradually beat in sugar.

3. Add the milk, and beat on high until the frosting is light and fluffy. * Add more milk or sugar if needed

4. Tint the frosting with icing color if desired 

Taa-Daa

Duh-Licious @ Cupcake Camp Toronto

I am finally starting to awake from my cupcake sugar coma! I must have tried about a dozen cupcakes yesterday, all of which were fantastic. For those of you who have never heard of a cupcake camp; it is simply bakers getting together to share their love for cupcakes. Cupcakes are very vogue and judging by yesterdays turn out in Toronto about 400+ people love their cupcakes. 

This are just a small sample of all the cupcakes from yesterday's event! Someone even made a meatloaf cupcake with mashed potato "frosting"(CUTE!)

If you missed it, or were simply on too much of a cupcake high; here is the play by play action that was updated almost every minute!

Also, check out this video which just shows how hectic and crazy the event was... the best thing about this video is that it captures MY cupcakes being handed out. If you don't believe me, just look for my snazzy blue cupcake holder/tray ma-bob. 

Finally, I promise I will update the recipes for the cupcakes, just bare with me:)

Update: This is my favourite video; and the speed at which the cupcakes went is no exaggeration. 

Spotlight - Cupcake Camp Toronto '09 from Suresh on Vimeo

Cupcake Camp Toronto

I'm back from Cupcake Camp Toronto and I was extremely impressed:) There was a phenomenal turn out today, and some pretty awesome cupcakes. . . on a side note,  I must say that I was pretty disappointed in my cupcakes; usually they are 200% better (darn Murphy's Laws).

The cupcake recipes and pictures will be up shortly so hang tight.

xoxo

Update: Running into some technical difficulties with the camera:( The new post might take a little longer than first anticipated. Check back

Vodka Pasta Sauce

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 - 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes with basil
1/2 cup vodka
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup whipping cream
cooked pasta (fettucine, spaghetti or penne all work well... as you can see I used angle hair!)

Directions
1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the oil for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Stir in tomatoes, vodka, sugar, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4.Stir in cream. Heat just until hot.
I added ground beef and mushrooms just because I was clearing out my fridge! Feel free to be creative!!
5. Serve over cooked pasta with grated parmesan cheese.
Enjoy:)

Duh-Licious Etsy Shop!

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS POST!!

I've kept this under wraps for a few weeks, but I've been working on opening up my own Etsy store. Alot of people ask where I get my business cards from, so I decided to sell them! All of the products sold are high quality, made by MY hands! If you're interested in a custom order just ask.. I love a challenge and am always excited to get new projects based on your creative input! :o)

I've got a few things up my sleeve for this little shop, so stay tuned.

For a link to the shop click HERE, or on the photo below!!

(and no, I don't live at 375 Candy Cane Lane, nor is any of the contact information real:p)

Maple Soy Chicken

So how many people have broke their resolutions so far? (I know I have) This recipe is simple, sweet, and for those who are health concious in the new year, its healthy too! I must warn you that I avoid putting meal recipes up because I like to cook without them. So the ingredients are usually added to taste. I encourage you to play around with the proportions!

Ingredients (many are optional)

- Chicken-
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs soya sauce

1 tbs brown sugar

1 tbs maple syrup

3 cloves of garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp mustard (optional)

2 tsp hot sauce (optional)

red pepper flakes (optional)

- Salad Dressing -

2 tbs Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbs olive oil

2 tsp maple syrup

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Mince Garlic

2. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients for chicken marinade and mix well.

3. Pour marinade over your clean chicken thighs

4.Make sure it covers your chicken.

5. Cover the chicken with cling wrap, and allow it to marinade for about an hour in the fridge. I always forget to make it a head of time, but the longer it sits in the fridge, the more flavourful it will be!

6. Cook the chicken in a greased skillet. I usually prefer to grill the thighs on the BBQ, but Canadian winters make this impossible! Make sure your chicken is cooked thoroughly to an internal temperature of 165-170 degrees Fahrenheit. 

7. I usually toss my salad while my chicken is cooking! This is pretty simple, as I add the freshest ingredients. Today I used fresh greens, scallions, cherry tomatoes, and toasted walnuts.

8. Finally, make your dressing by stirring all the dressing ingredients together.

And there you have it! A simple meal that's delicious, and most importantly, nutritious:)

Simple Sushi

Ingredients

Sticky Rice:

250 mL Sushi Rice

30 mL Rice Vinegar

 500 mL Water

Dash of Salt

1 tsp Sugar

~

Your favorite fillings; crab, cucumber, shrimp, etc.

Tezu (125 mL of water +15 mL rice vinegar)

Nori Sheets (seaweed)

Directions

1. Prepare your rice

Wash the rice several times. If you have the time, its best to let your rice strain for about 20 minutes. For stove top cooking, add water, salt and sugar and wait for it to boil. Once it is boiling, add the rice. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook for about 15 minutes. Remove your pot from the heat, and let stand covered for another 10 minutes. (You can use all this inbetween time to prep your Tezu, and your filling)

2. After your rice has cooked, you must fan it to remove excess moisture. (To be honest, I didn't do this step, I just put my rice on a plate and put it in the fridge for 10 minutes!!)

3. Prepare your fillings

The best thing about making sushi at home is that you can use any fillings you like. I used some left over veggies and protein, and sliced it into long and thin strips. 

4. Standard Maki Roll

Start by cutting a sheet of nori in half (Scissors make this easy and neat). Place your half sheet of nori on the rolling mat. Moisten your hands with tezu and spread rice onto the nori using your hands, and add your ingredients.Holding the mat with both hands, carefully roll the bottom end over the filling, taking care to squeeze and compress evenly across the entire roll. Once you have your roll, use a sharp knife to cut into even pieces:)

Tiffany & Co. Cupcake Charm

So this isn't a food post per se... but I thought that after the holiday meals and hooplah, we can all use a little break to digest!! (am I right?) Tiffany & Co. sell these adorable cupcake charms, and they come in both pink and gold.

Of course this might be a little bit (okay, A LOT) out of my price range.. but when I strike it rich and famous, this will be the first thing on my list:)