Summertime Smore Bark

Where ever you're going this weekend, make some of this! It's super easy and quick, plus it makes you look good when you turned up at the party with something homemade.

It's smore bark! Summer = smores + not turning on my oven. Perfect!



Not that it really requires a recipe, but here it is anyway!

Smore Bark
Adapted from hippie hippe bakes

About 9 Hershey bars
Handful of mini marshmallows
About 2 graham crackers

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler until it's nice and smooth
3. Pour the melted chocolate onto the baking sheet and spread around with spatula until it's pretty much of even thickness
4. Evenly distribute the mini marshmallows
5. Break up the graham crackers and distribute them over the melted chocolate as well
6. Give the marshmallows and graham cracker pieces a little press as you go so they adhere to the chocolate
7. Done! Go do something else

Well, mostly done. You can leave the bark in progress at room temperature until it sets, or pop it in the fridge. Once it's hardened again, break it up into rough pieces and eat!

I wrapped some up in a fancy take out container box to give away.

Lemon Chiffon Layer Cupcake on Can It Cupcake?

I attempted to see if lemon chiffon cake could work out as a cupcake!

These are lemon chiffon cupcakes with a layer of lemon curd topped with vanilla glaze and a homemade candied lemon peel!

Please check them out at Can It Cupcake?!

Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows - Impress Your Friends

This past Christmas I entertained the idea of making candy as my homemade gift of choice (I made a mini cupcake trio instead). As part of my candy-making research, I looked up how to make homemade marshmallows and it looked incredibly easy! I finally got around to making them for Easter instead!

My first plan was chocolate covered marshmallow bunnies, an Easter classic, which I wound up using to top my white velvet vanilla bean and lavender cream cupcakes.



I used a special Wilton mold to make them, and used the rest of the marshmallow spread into an 8 x 8 brownie pan to make chocolate dipped vanilla marshmallows!




Before I go ahead and share the recipe, I need to warn you that I made a complete mess out of my stove top making these. The pan was too small and the marshmallow totally boiled over and made a burnt mess all over my stove top. So sad, we're still fighting it with the special stove top cleaner and scrubber. Please don't make my mistake!

Also, you'll see especially on the bunny marshmallows that the chocolate looks sort of speckled. I asked a friend who often makes molded chocolates about this and she thinks maybe my problem was that the confectioners sugar/cornstarch used to coat the marshmallows probably fell off the mixed with the chocolate which caused this. If this happens to you, a good solution would probably be to melt a fresh batch of chips after the first chocolate layer has hardened, and dip them again!

Vanilla Chocolate Covered Marshmallows
Adapted from Alton Brown on Food Network

3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup ice cold water, divided
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Nonstick spray
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 - 4 tablespoons Crisco

1. Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Give it a quick stir to moisten. Attach whisk attachment.
2. In a medium saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt and stir to combine.
   
3. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
   
4. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes.
   
5. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.
6. Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture.
   
7. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high.
   
8. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes.
   
9. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare your pans/molds

Prepare your pans/molds!

1. Combine the confectioners sugar and corn starch and whisk well to combine.
2. Lightly spray the molds or pan with cooking spray and powder all sides with the confectioners sugar mixture
3. For the molds, I filled a pastry bag with the freshly whipped marshmallow and piped it into the bunny shapes!
4. For the pan, lightly spray a rubber spatula with cooking spray and smooth the marshmallow into the pan.
5. Dust the exposed sides with the remaining confectioner sugar mixture. If you're using a pan, you can set some aside for when you cut them apart.
6. Let the marshmallows sit uncovered for at least 4 hours, and up to 24 hours.

For chocolate covered molded marshmallows

1. Gently remove the marshmallows from their molds.
   
2. Over a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips on low.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
   
4. If your chocolate is thin enough for dipping you an skip this step. If it would be easier to dip if the chocolate was thinner, slowly add the Crisco one tablespoon at a time, stirring well and allowing each to melt. Test the consistency of the chocolate between additions.
5. Quickly dip and roll the marshmallows in the chocolate with a fork. Lift the marshmallow out using the fork and tap on the side of the pot to let some of the excess chocolate drip off. Scrape the bottom against the side of the pan and place on parchment paper. Try and do this pretty quickly, since the marshmallow will start to melt in the hot chocolate!
6. Place the tray in the fridge for only about 5 minutes or so until chocolate is set.
7. NOTE: If your chocolate does not dry shiny and looks a little speckled like mine, melt a fresh batch of chocolate and give them another coat.
   

For chocolate dipped marshmallows

1. Turn the marshmallows out of a pan and use a pizza cutter lightly dusted in the confectioners sugar/cornstarch mixture to cut the marshmallows apart
2. Dust each exposed side in the confectioners sugar mixture.
3. Over a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips on low.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
   
5. If your chocolate is thin enough for dipping (which will depend on the chocolate you use) you an skip this step. If it would be easier to dip if the chocolate was thinner, slowly add the Crisco one tablespoon at a time, stirring well and allowing each to melt. Test the consistency of the chocolate between additions.
6. Dip the top of each marshmallow into the chocolate and set on a parchment (chocolate side up)
7. Decorate as you like!
8. Place the tray in the fridge for only about 5 minutes or so until chocolate is set.

Easter Baking Part 1: Homemade Cadbury Egg Cream Cupcakes

I've seen a lot of great inspiration for Cadbury egg cupcakes this year, but I admit I do sort of want to pat myself on the back for these! I made the filling from scratch (to me it tastes just like the cream inside of the chocolate Cadbury eggs!), and cored about 2 dozen minis, then colored part of the filling to look like the yolk and piped the center into each one. Piping tiny egg yolks is when I started to wonder if I was a little bit crazy, but no! They were worth it and were a big hit!




Mini Chocolate Cadbury Egg Cupcakes
Yields about 2 dozen minis

For the chocolate cupcakes
Adapted from Ming Makes Cupcakes

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
6 heaping tablespoons cocoa
2 sticks butter
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 and place paper cupcake liners in pan.
   
2. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in room-temperature buttermilk.
   
3. In a saucepan, melt butter and cocoa together at a low temperature. Whisking until smooth.
4. Add water and whisk to combine.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, and salt.
   
6. Add cocoa mixture and egg and mix at low speed.
   
7. Add buttermilk mixture and vanilla and beat until smooth.
   
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean

For the Cadbury egg cream filling
Adapted from Food.com

1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups powdered sugar
1 - 2 tablespoons milk
Yellow food coloring

1. Cream the butter in a large bowl
2. Add the corn syrup, vanilla and salt and beat until smooth.
3. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until creamy
4. Add the milk a little at a time until a consistency you can pipe easily is reached.
5. Remove about 1/4 of the sugar mixture and place in a small bowl
6. Add the yellow food coloring to the 1/4 sugar mixture you just set aside and mix well

Fill the cupcakes!

1. When cupcakes have completely cooled, put them in the fridge for 10 min or so until they firm up a bit. This cake is delicious and moist and can be a bit crumbly.
2. Fill one pastry bag with the white Cadbury egg cream, and a second pastry bag with the yellow cream.
   
3. Once the cupcakes are sufficiently cold, cut out a "cone" from the center of the cupcake.
   
4. Cut off the bottom of the "cone" and keep the "hat." (I usually eat the cones...or put them in a bowl to make a parfait out of later!)
   
5. Pipe a layer of white cream into the center of the hollowed out cupcake. Then pipe a bit of the yellow cream in the center for the yolk. Then pipe some more of the white on top to cover the yolk, then replace the cupcake hat! Some nice photos of the cone/hat method can be found in this post for Boston cream cupcakes if you like!

Here's my Cadbury egg filling assembly line. It is a little crazy, I know!



For the chocolate buttercream frosting
Adapted from Cooks.com

9 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 - 4 tablespoons milk

1. Cream the butter in a mixer
2. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and cocoa.
3. Add sugar/cocoa mixture to the butter
4. Slowly add the milk little by little until a nice texture for frosting is reached.
5. Frost your minis!
   

Baking Party - Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Sometimes I try to bake something different or trendy, or something the boyfriend will like. And he's not too into sweets so it's sort of a losing battle. But when I was invited to a baking party I wanted to make something I liked! That would also be a crowd pleaser as well. Chocolate with peanut butter or chocolate with mint topped the list, and chocolate peanut butter won.

I have a few recipes bookmarked but really if I'm baking to suit my own tastes, this is the recipe I was going to go for.



I made it two thirds of the way there, we never made it to the chocolate shell, we just ate them. If I was baking at home I would have, so this one will reappear one day. But there was so much food already!

These are chocolate cupcakes with a Reeses peanut butter cup baked inside, topped with peanut butter buttercream frosting. This frosting makes you want to die. It was the most incredible, indulgent cupcake ever. And I'm all about serious desserts, and even I think this was intense.

Here's the story via photos:









Yum!

These chocolate peanut butter cupcakes also just joined Sweet as Sugar Cookies' Lisa at her sweet treat link party, btw. Lots more over this way!

Chocolate Frangelico Truffles

I made these as a birthday gift for a friend, that sadly the weather prevented me from getting to. :o( But I've deemed them a success anyway.



I followed this recipe and while they were delicious, I'm not sure what the vanilla bean in the cream or espresso powder really did for them... The same sort of goes for the Frangelico...I can't say I tasted it but I was a little afraid to add more and make the ganache too thin. Maybe I would miss the flavors that vanilla bean and espresso lend if I didn't include them...but maybe I wouldn't! So who knows!

To amp up the hazelnut flavor I rolled them in crushed hazelnuts.



Pretty tasty, then packaged them in a pink to go container. :o)

My first molded chocolates!

For Christmas my mom got me a petit fours pan that came with instructions on how to make chocolate raspberry truffles. I'd been watching chocolate weekend on food network and was inspired to give them a try.

I didn't want to spend money on fancy ingredients, since it was very possible these could fail completely. So I just got some Wilton milk chocolate melts and decided to give it a go.

I used these instructions for the method and used this recipe for the ganache that I modified. I skipped simmering the cream with the vanilla bean and the espresso power and just went ahead and melted the chocolate and cream together, then stirred in a ton of caramel sauce for a chocolate caramel ganache center. :oD



Since I misplaced the instructions that came with the pan I did my best too google how to prepare a metal pan which is where I made my first mistake. I sprayed it with cooking spray which was just silly, don't do that.

So they didn't quite want to unmold (I had to use a fondue fork to coax them out) and once they did they were dull and pitted from the spray...duh. But they all did come out they were tasty! In the end I powdered them with cocoa powder to hide their imperfections. :o)



Takeaways are that while these were good, they were giant chocolates and I will stick to petit fours for this pan...which I'll have to google... Thanks for looking!