Cake of the Week: Pink Velvet Raspberry Cheesecake

You may have heard we had a bit of a snowstorm here on the East Coast last weekend. I worked from home on Friday, fitting in a mid-day tempo run just as the first flakes began to fall. By Friday night it was a blizzard, and by Saturday morning the outside world was a blur of of whitish gray with earth, trees, houses, and cars barely differentiated from the sky.

Sunday was all clear and blindingly sun-shiny, but my usually mobile urban life was severely and snowfully restricted. There was literally no public transportation open all weekend and just walking (or more accurately, trekking/plodding/swimming through feet of heavy powder) a couple blocks constituted an epic journey.

But journey I did! After two days of barely leaving the house I needed to get outside. And like the crazy person I am, I needed to run. So I tramped to a gym, paid a drop-in fee, and found myself treadmill'ing next to SpeedyKate for fourteen miles .

Strategic distractions aside (X-Games viewing, episode 3 of Serial, and many many songs on Pandora's No Diggity station), spending fourteen miles on a treadmill gives one a lot of time to think. So I thought about cheesecake. And then I journeyed home and made it happen.

I have concocted many a cheesecake in my day, but this might be the best one yet. It is super light and creamy, much more mousse-like than the New York style heavy cheesy cheesecake. The buttermilk, vinegar, and hint of raspberries makes it delightfully tangy but the Oreo crust is there to remind you that this is definitely a decadent dessert.

To be honest, the whole raspberry part wasn't planned, but rather a reaction to the fact that I never have red food coloring. And I'm so glad that was the case! There is still some food coloring in this cake (I mixed some pink and magenta and yellow and brown like the mad scientist/artist that I am), but the raspberries add such a nice hint of flavor! And the cake really is beautiful, no?

Pink Velvet Raspberry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• Crust 
• 2 cups Oreo crumbs (about 20 normal Oreos)
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• Cheesecake filling
• 24 oz cream cheese, room temperature (three 8 oz packages)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup raspberries (either fresh or frozen and thawed), blended in a food processor to smooth out the seeds
• Pink or red food coloring (optional)
• Whipped Cream
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a food processor combine Oreos and butter until it looks like sand.
3. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
4. Bake crust for 10 minutes.
5. Cheesecake filling: Reduce oven to 300 degrees.
6. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa with an electric mixer until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl
7. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
8. In a food processor or blender, puree the raspberries and buttermilk until smooth.
9. Add the sour cream, buttermilk/raspberries, vinegar, vanilla extract, and food color (if using) to the main bowl. Beat until well combined.
10. Pour the filling into the crust.
11. Fill a pan (like a 8x8 or something like that, the size doesn't really matter) with water and place it on a lower rack in the oven.
12. Put the cheesecake in the oven on a middle rack.
13. Bake for 2 hours. To see if it's done, gently shake the cake -- if the center looks liquidy then keep baking.
14. Turn off heat and leave cheesecake in oven with the door closed for 30 minutes.
15. Crack open the oven door and leave the cheesecake in there for another 20 minutes.
16. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool on a wire rack (in the fridge if you're in a hurry, or overnight -- cheesecake is actually best made one day in advance). The cheesecake should be completely cooled before the whipped cream part. 
17. Whipped Cream: With a mixer on high, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla until it's thick, then smooth on the top of the cake. 
18. To serve, run a knife under warm water before slicing.
19. YUM.

Homemade Marshmallows

Making marshmallows is like making magic. Watch the silky soft semi-translucent peaks of egg whites transform into thick and shiny white swirls of marshmallow before your eyes. Create a substantial and yet pillowy light something, then slowly but surely watch it dissolves into nothing when plopped into a mug of hot chocolate. Sounds like sorcery or legerdemain, but really it's simple science and love. 

When most people think about marshmallows, they think toasted s'mores around a campfire, they think a handful of those mini dry things in their hot chocolate, they think Lucky Charms cereal or Easter Peeps or some other kid's candy. And don't me wrong, those are all great things. But what if we thought about marshmallows as something a little more sophisticated? A homemade confection, coming in limitless flavors, to be eaten alone as a bonbon or luxuriously melting into a mug of hot chocolate or coffee. A gift for friends, a treat worth bringing to a party. That is the kind of marshmallow I'm talking about. 

The mass-produced kind are fine, but homemade marshmallows will change your life. Or, your marshmallow life at least. They're so fun to make, require minimal ingredients, and once you start making your own you'll never go back. Here's a basic vanilla recipe. You can also experiment with different extracts for different flavors -- imagine a peppermint marshmallow in your hot chocolate! An almond marshmallow covered in coconut flakes! This really is the perfect winter treat. 

Vanilla Marshmallows

Ingredients:

• 2 envelopes powdered gelatin 
• 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup cold water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup corn starch

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water until it's dissolved (do this before you start anything else -- it can sit for a while). 
2. In a small pot over medium heat, mix the sugar and corn syrup with 1/3 cup water. Place a candy thermometer on the side of the pot. 
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer) beat egg whites until frothy, then add a pinch of salt.
4. When the syrup in the pot reaches 210ºF/99ºC, increase the speed of the mixer to high and beat the whites until stiff peaks form (see this image if you're not sure what that means).
5. When the syrup reaches 245ºF/118ºC remove the pot from the stove and slowly pour the hot syrup into the whites while the mixer is running on high (if you're using a hand mixer you'll probably need a trusty assistant to hold the mixer while you pour).
6. Scrape the gelatin/water, which should be pretty solid, into the pot that you used for the syrup (no need to wash it hooray!). Warm it until it melts to liquid. 
7. Pour the liquified gelatin slowly into the whites as the mixer is running (again, you may need a trusty assistant). Add the vanilla extract and continue to whip for at least 5 minutes, until the outside of the bowl feels completely cool when you touch it. 
8. Mix powdered sugar and corn starch in a small bowl. Use a sifter to thoroughly and completely dust a 9x13 pan with the mixture (you don't want any of the pan showing, or else the marshmallows will stick). You should use about 2/3 of the mixture.
9. Use a spatula to spread the marshmallows in a layer on the pan. Allow to dry uncovered for at least 4 hours, or overnight. 
10. Dust the top of the marshmallows with the rest of the powdered sugar/corn starch mixture. Use a pizza cutter or scissors to cut the marshmallows into any size or shape pieces that you’d like. I prefer large squares about the size of a coffee mug -- you can imagine why. Roll the edges in the powdered sugar/corn starch mixture to make sure they're not sticky on any sides. 
11. Shake the marshmallows in a wire strainer to remove the excess powder.
12. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.
13. ENJOY!!!

The Best Flourless Chocolate Cake + Major Life Updates

It's been a long time! Last time I blogged I was in Europe. Wow. Since then I've been based in Cambridge and had a summer-full of adventures in Newport, Tahoe, Sonoma County, San Francisco, and New Hampshire.

And I'm happy to announce that my next and more permanent stop is DC! Because a) I just couldn't stay away, but more accurately b) I got a job. So I'll be re-joining the full-time work force, two years older, a Master's degree smarter, and many friends richer, back in the lovely city where I started.

To celebrate, of course, I baked a cake. Earlier in the summer I made a flourless chocolate cake which other people liked, but I thought it was dry and just not very good. So I vowed to keep trying until I found a better recipe.

Well I don't need to search any longer! This recipe comes from my friend Caroline, who claims it's THE BEST. And you know what? She's right.

This cake is like the love child of a traditional super-rich and fudgy flourless chocolate cake and a light toasty-edged angel food cake. You definitely get the satisfying decadent chocolateyness, but because the egg whites are beaten and folded in, the cake puffs up and is almost spongey around the edges.

I served it with homemade whipped cream (try adding rum instead of vanilla) and raspberries. And I will definitely be making this again.

Fallen Chocolate Cake

(Source)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1” pieces, plus more, room temperature, for pan
• ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided, plus more for pan
• 10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (61%–72% cacao), coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 6 large eggs
• 2 tablespoon natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly butter a 9" springform pan.
2. In a microwave safe bowl, chocolate, oil, and ½ cup butter. Microwave for 45 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted.
3. Separate 4 eggs, placing whites and yolks in separate medium bowls. Add cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, ¼ cup sugar, and remaining 2 eggs to bowl with yolks and whisk until mixture is smooth. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into chocolate mixture, blending well.
4. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until frothy. With mixer running, gradually beat in ½ cup sugar; beat until firm peaks form.
5. Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture in 2 additions, folding just until incorporated between additions. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar.
6. Bake until top is puffed and starting to crack and cake is pulling away from edge of pan, 35-45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool completely in pan (cake will collapse in the center and crack further as it cools).

Cake of the Week: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

You guys. My thesis may not be finished and my post-graduation future may be completely up in the air, but I finally found the right carrot cake recipe for me, so all is right with the world!

Everyone loves carrot cake. It's the cream cheese frosting, the spicy-ish flavor, and the delicious moist texture that adding veggies to desserts so often yields. But at the same time, everyone has their own carrot cake preferences. Nuts or no nuts? What about raisins? How crumbly? How chunky? Layer cake or sheet cake? 

I'm pretty positive I found the perfect balance in this recipe: carrots, pineapple, pecans, coconut, and the magic ingredient: apple sauce! This cake is all things a carrot cake should be, plus it's healthy(ish) -- just a quarter cup of oil in the whole cake. The frosting on the other hand...well, if the cake is healthier then that balances out the frosting, amiright? 

This is the perfect Easter/springtime/anytime dessert. RoommateRachel and I had seven friends over last night to celebrate East-Over: Matzo Ball Soup followed by this Carrot Cake. Deeelicious. We poured a glass of wine for Elijah, and then snacked on dark chocolate Easter eggs after dinner was over. Mash-up holidays really are the best. 

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 

Cake Ingredients:

• 1¼ c unsweetened applesauce 
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 c sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 c flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 c grated carrots
• 1 c coconut
• 1 c chopped nuts (optional -- pecans or walnuts)
• 1 tsp vanilla or whiskey
• 1 cup Dole crushed pineapple (not drained!) -- use the pineapple in JUICE not syrup.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

• ½ c butter (softened)
• 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• milk as needed

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine wet ingredients. 
3. Mix in dry ingredients. 
4. Stir in carrots, coconut, nuts, vanilla/whiskey and pineapple. 
5. Pour into two greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the cake just starts to pull away from the sides and the middle doesn't look gooey. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then run a spatula or knife around the edges and turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. The cakes must cool completely before frosting!
7. For the frosting:
8. Beat the butter and cream cheese thoroughly. Add in the vanilla and 2 cups powdered sugar and beat until and smooth. Add milk one splash (about a tablespoon at a time), along with the rest of the powdered sugar until it reaches a spreadable consistency.  
9. Assemble: 
10. Frost first layer (with a generous layer of frosting in the middle). Put second cake on top and frost first the sides and then the top of the cake. Decorate with coconut and chopped nuts and chocolate Easter eggs if desired. 

Cake of the Week: Sweet Potato Cake with Molasses Buttercream

Fall is here! As of about a week ago a shockingly beautiful and balmy autumn came to an abrupt end and we are currently in the midst of a nor'easter, as the New Englanders say. The wind is blowing, the rain is falling, and my bike ride to and from school (and everywhere else I go) has become decidedly damply disagreeable.

We are also in the midst of our own personal nor'easter here at the Fletcher School. By that I mean, we're mid-semester and gusts of oh-jeez-it's-time-to-start-that are howling, the constant drip-drop of doodle polls (to schedule all the group meetings) are dampening our mood,  and every now and then a torrent of class to meeting to study group to job application to class to office hours pours on our heads, soaking our spirits and squelching our self-confidence.

But just like how in a real storm people are nicer, in this storm of work we are lucky to have each other! Friends tutor friends, hugs and high-fives are the norm, and every time someone says I don't think I'm going to make it, someone else says Yes you will!

This week was particularly bad for a few of my friends. There were some big scary mid-terms going on and by Wednesday afternoon everyone looked a mix of dazed and relieved and tired. So what did we do? Celebrate of course. And what did I bring? Cake well duh.

This recipe is all things fall -- slow roasted super-sweet sweet potatoes, spicy spices, and a molasses buttercream that I thought might be too much, but is really just right. The cake itself is very light, thanks to the beaten egg whites, and really does taste like sweet potatoes, not like wannabe pumpkin. And the frosting. Oh the frosting. I love molasses, so obviously this was great.

Sweet Potato Layer Cake with Molasses Buttercream

Adapted from Love and Olive Oil

For Cake:

• 1 large sweet potatoes (about 1/2 lb)
• 3 cups cake flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 eggs, separated
• 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups milk

For Frosting:

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar 
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup milk or cream, more or less as needed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prick sweet potato in a few spots with a fork, then place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour, or until the potato is very soft and beginning to caramelize. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
2. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 9-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper or a square of foil; butter and flour parchment/foil.
3. When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel of the skins and remove any blemishes. Pulse in a food processor until smooth. Measure out 1 cup of puree (discard or reserve the rest for another use).
4. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
5. In a large metal mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Gradually beat in /4 cup of sugar, increase speed to high, and beat until the egg whites form moderately stiff peaks.
6. In another large mixing bowl, combine sweet potato, butter, vanilla, and remaining 2 cups sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by 1/2 of the milk. Repeat with another 1/3 dry ingredients, remaining milk, and finally remaining dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated.
7. Using a large rubber spatula, fold 1/4 of egg whites into the batter to lighten it. Add the remaining egg white and continue to fold just until incorporated; be sure not to overmix the batter.
8. Divide batter among prepared cake pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks and cool completely, at least 1 hour.
9. For the frosting: in a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add molasses and beat until incorporated. Depending on the temperature and consistency of your frosting at this point, add milk or cream, 1 tablespoon at a time as needed, then continue beating until frosting is light and fluffy.
10. Assembly: place one layer, flat side down, on a cake stand or serving platter. Spread on a layer of buttercream. Position second layer on top. Repeat with another layer of buttercream, and then position final cake layer, flat side up.
11. Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream. This "crumb coat" will make frosting the cake easier. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to allow this crumb coat to set.
12. Remove cake from refrigerator and frost with remaining buttercream. I garnished the top with chopped almonds and cinnamon, just because.

Cake of the Week: Boston Cream Pie

Well here I am back again, for my sixth (and final!) academic year in Boston. Though this city is small, it is somehow big city famous for a number of things, most notably cold, colleges, clam chowder, the Charles, cannoli, and Boston Cream Pie. 

Until a couple weeks ago, however, I had never tried the city's signature dessert! (Except in undergrad dining hall, which is obviously not a great example of anything.) So for our innagural Wednesday dinner party of the semester, RoommateRachel made clam chowder and I experimented with pastry cream and made what I must say was a de-freaking-licious Boston Cream Pie, following the classic Omni Parker House Recipe. 

Let's talk about this "pie" for a bit, as it is confusing. First things first, Boston Cream Pie is not a pie at all. It is a two-layer sponge cake filled with pastry cream and covered in chocolate ganache. It originated at what was then the Parker House in downtown Boston in 1856. And here's a fun fact: the Boston Cream Pie has been distinguished as Massachusetts’ official state dessert over Toll House Cookies and the Fig Newton. That's some pretty stiff competition!

This recipe constituted a few firsts for me: my first sponge cake, and my first pastry cream. Both turned out excellent. The sponge cake is shockingly simple and really delicious -- just some eggs and flour and sugar. And the pastry cream, OH THE PASTRY CREAM. That is all.

Some notes about the recipe: since I have to work with the pans I have, instead of making the cake in a 10-inch pan (who has that??), I did two layers in 9-inch pans. Also, the original recipe made about twice as much pastry cream than was needed. The recipe below is adapted to be what you should do. The original recipe I adapted from is here.

Boston Cream Pie

Sponge Cake:

• 7 eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons butter

Pastry Cream:

• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup light cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon dark rum (or vanilla)

Chocolate Ganache:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup light cream
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds for garnish

Directions:

1. For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Separate egg yolks and whites in large bowls. Add ½ of the sugar to each bowl. Beat the whites until stiff peaks form, and beat the yolks until they look light in color. 
3. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture. Gradually fold in flour with a spatula. Fold in the butter. Pour this mixture into two 9-inch round greased cake pans. 
4. Bake  for about 20 minutes, or until spongy and golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool fully.
5. For the pastry cream: In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the butter, milk, and light cream to a boil. 
6. While this mixture is cooking, combine the sugar, cornstarch and eggs in a bowl and whip thoroughly. 
7. When the cream, milk, butter mixture reaches the boiling point, slowly whisk in the egg mixture and cook to boiling. Boil for one minute. 
8. Pour into a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap. Chill overnight if possible. When chilled, whisk in 1 tsp. dark rum or vanilla. 
9. For the ganache: once cake and pastry cream are completely cool, immediately before assembling the cake, heat cream in the microwave until it's very hot but not boiling. Add in chocolate chips and let sit for one minute. Stir until smooth.
10. Assembly: This one's pretty straight-forward. Spread pastry cream in a thick layer on top of the first cake. Top with the second cake. Spread ganache over the top and sprinkle the top and sides with slivered almonds. The cake will look messy. It's supposed to. And trust me, no one will care. 

Cake of the Week: Bourbon Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling and Meringue Frosting

I hate to be the bearer of bad (obvious) news, but it's mid-August and summer is almost over. Exactly one year ago today I started grad school, which is crazy. Hallelujah right now for a semester sans pre-session this time around (and best of luck to all you back schooling it up in Boston already!).

I will be making my way back to the great metropolis of Somerville at the end of this month and will be making the absolute most of my summer until then. So far it's been a great one -- there's nothing like summertime-ing/weekend-ing in DC: friends and fun and outside activities, and a bit of work here and there too of course. AND after just one more week of work I'm going on vacation to Turkey!!! So that is awesome and you will likely hear about it here on the blog.

But back to the here and now. Summertime desserts are delicious and I've been on a bit of a lemon kick. So let me present to you my most recent baking innovation, inspired by an afternoon of not wanting to think about North African terrorism, and created for an epic end-of-summer rooftop extravaganza: Bourbon Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling and Meringue Frosting.

They are super light because there are a lot of egg whites going on here, and super-delicious. These are the kinds of cupcakes you feel totally ok eating multiples of (oh why oh why do I have no more?), so make many if you can. The frosting is magical -- I first made it long long ago for a s'mores cake and called it marshmallow frosting. Now that I'm older and far more sophisticated let's call it meringue though, ok? Ok.

The recipe sounds complex, but it's really just three simple components all put together. My roommate made ice cream last week (oh yeah), and so we conveniently had a lot of egg whites in the fridge. A word of warning though: do not use those egg whites that you buy already cracked in a carton. They are not fresh enough to whip into meringue. Also, you can use bottled lemon juice if you feel so inclined, but then you'll miss out on the zest, which gives the curd a lot of flavor.

Bourbon Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling and Meringue Frosting

White Cake Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• 6 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup butter (6 oz), softened

Lemon Curd Ingredients: 

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons) (do not use the bottled lemon juice)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon zest

Meringue Frosting Ingredients:

• 2 large egg whites (about ¼ cup)  
• ½ cup sugar  
• ½ tsp cream of tartar  
• ½ cup water  
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

Directions:

1. For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners. 
2. Combine milk, eggs whites, vanilla, and bourbon in a small bowl with a fork. Set aside.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in an electric mixer and mix at slow speed with a paddle attachment. Add butter. Continue beating at slow speed until mixture looks like wet sand (If you’re doing this by hand, sift the dry ingredients together and rub in butter).
4. Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat at medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining milk mixture and beat for an additional 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. Do not overmix.
5. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 of the way. Bake 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool. 
7. For the lemon curd: While the cake is cooking, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Cook, stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes thick (like sour cream or a hollandaise sauce). This will take approximately 10 minutes.
8. Remove from heat.
9. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted. Add the lemon zest and let cool.
10. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Cover immediately with plastic wrap (so a skin doesn't form) and refrigerate for up to a week. 
11. For the frosting: Put the egg whites in a clean, dry mixer bowl or in another large bowl. Have a candy thermometer (or a meat thermometer can work too) at hand. Put the sugar, cream of tartar and water in a small saucepan and stir to combine.  
12. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, cover the pan and boil for 3 minutes. Uncover and allow the syrup to boil until it reaches 242 degrees F on the candy thermometer (soft ball stage). 
13. When the syrup is at about 235 degrees F, begin beating the egg whites on medium speed with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer. If the whites form firm, shiny peaks before the syrup reaches temperature, reduce the mixer speed to low and keep mixing the whites until the syrup catches up.  
14. With the mixer at medium speed, and standing back slightly, carefully pour in the hot syrup, pouring it between the beater(s) and the side of the bowl. Splatters are inevitable—don't try to scrape them into the whites, just carry on.  
15. Add the vanilla extract and keep beating the whites at medium speed until they reach room temperature, about 5 minutes.  
16. You should have a smooth, shiny, marshmallowy frosting. Although you could keep it in the fridge in a pinch, it's really better to use it right now.

Assembly:

1. Use a sharp paring knife to cut the centers out of each cupcake: cut in a circle at an angle to pop out a little cone. Do with these what you will (aka eat them dipped in the lemon curd as you assemble...I will neither tell nor judge). 
2. Scoop a spoonful of curd into the holes. 
3. Frost liberally. 
4. Enjoy!!

Cake of the Week: Coconut Oil Lemon Bars

Lemon bars are one of my favorite summer desserts. The only downside is that if you try to take them places in Tupperware they tend to melt into a sticky mess. So these bars seek to solve that—thanks to their more solid cookie crust, they’re a more easily transportable twist on the usual recipe. I made them with homemade lemon curd, which is pretty much substance of the gods that I want to eat on a spoon always. Plus the coconut oil in the crust gives them a special hint of extra richness and flavor.

And for the record, I’m officially obsessed with coconut oil. The many uses of this magical substance have been well-documented, so no need to get into them here—let’s just cut to the chase and talk about its utility as a baking ingredient.

I haven’t thoroughly experimented with coconut oil as a straight substitute for butter, but apparently it can be used as your oil of choice in many recipes. It has a lower melting point than butter, so while it works well in bars and brownies and cookies, I haven’t seen it used as much in cakes.  And for those of you who care, it’s vegan and paleo and a lauric acid, which may or may not be good for you, but is probably not any worse for you than other oils/butters/fats. The important part (to me) is that it’s delicious—coconut oil adds a nice hint of vanilla-y coconutty flavor to whatever you’re making.

The dough looked dangerously shiny and potentially not quite right, and as I put them in the oven, I was concerned that the bars would turn into some sort of sticky disaster. But nope! They turned out perfect! And came out of the pan so easily—ready to be packed up and taken to a picnic.

Coconut Oil Lemon Bars

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Lemon Curd Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons) (do not use the bottled lemon juice)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon zest

Directions:

1. For the curd: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Cook, stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes thick (like sour cream or a hollandaise sauce). This will take approximately10 minutes.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted. Add the lemon zest and let cool.
4. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Cover immediately with plastic wrap (so a skin doesn't form) and refrigerate for up to a week. This recipe yields approximately 2 cups of curd, so you will have some leftover (yay you win!).
5. For the bars: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
6. In a medium bowl, cream coconut oil and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and coconut extract. Mix well. Mix in the flours, salt, and baking powder until combined.  
7. Gently press ¾  of the dough into bottom of prepared baking dish. Evenly spread approximately one cup of the lemon curd over dough. Use your hands to flatten pieces of remaining dough and spread it over the top, almost covering all the curd.
8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely and cut into squares.

Dark/White Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

What a 4th of July weekend! I feel like I’ve been going non-stop since leaving work Thursday afternoon in all the best ways possible – friends and running and barbecuing and fireworks-watching and roof-decking and beach-lounging and ice cream eating.

Ever since the temps got above 85 degrees I’ve been craving ice cream sandwiches. Not those kinda soggy rectangular chocolate cookie kind (though they have their time and place), but the real deal – soft and delicious chocolate chip cookies completely stuffed with vanilla ice cream. (Preferably consumed on a beach or a dock or on the front deck immediately after returning from one of those places, bathing suit slightly damp and sand still sticking to my feet.) Mmmmmm yes.

So what better occasion to make them happen than the 4th of July?!? The 4th itself did not involve a beach for me this year (though the 5th did!)  – I am in DC after all and there are epic National Mall fireworks to be seen and heard and felt.

Gustavo came down from NYC yayayay!

But long before heading down to join the crowds around the Monument, I did some post-run, pre-barbecue baking to get the day started right.

I made these 4th of July morning before carefully carefully transporting them to a barbecue, where they were later inhaled by the lucky few who knew about them in the freezer. I heard (and can infer based on the cookie dough I consumed in the baking process) that they were delicious. And so easy!

I am definitely making these Dark/White Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches again. Maybe tonight.

If you want to get super-fancy you can make homemade ice cream, but that takes more time, so I just bought mine. Any flavor you want works, though I recommend sticking to something simple (i.e. vanilla) to not overwhelm the cookie.

Dark/White Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Yield: 12-15 large sandwiches

Ingredients:

• ¾ cups (1 ½ sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 70%, and since the chips are really big I chopped them smaller)
• ½ cup white chocolate chips
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Beat the butter and sugar until smooth, then mix in eggs and vanilla.
3. Stir in dry ingredients until almost combined, then add the chocolate chips, then finish mixing.
4. Use two spoons to scoop cookie dough onto a cookie sheet (approximately 2-tablespoon sided scoops). 
5. Bake for approximately 9 minutes. Immediately remove from baking sheet to cool on a wire rack.
6. Cool cookies on wire racks for approximately 30 minutes, then put them in the freezer (I just put the whole rack in the freezer) for approximately 20 minutes. If you try fill them with ice cream when they’re still warm it will become a melty mess. 
7. Match up your cookies into 2’s of around the same size. Scoop ice cream onto one cookie, press the other on top, and done! Ice cream sandwich! Put the sandwiches back in the freezer for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better) before transporting. I just carried them on a cookie tray covered in foil, but you could also wrap them individually in plastic wrap. 

Cake of the Week: The Perfect Brownies

Single people wonder, does "the one" even exist??? This spring I was beginning to despair. After so many off experiences -- too many that were just not quite right, and a few that were straight-up wrong -- I had lost all but a modicum of hope, and was about to throw in the proverbial towel and give up the literal chase.

But the best things happen when you're not expecting them, right? One spring afternoon SpeedyKate connected us via email and all of a sudden my life changed. This experience has been 27 years in the making, but it has finally come.

THE PERFECT BROWNIE RECIPE.

All the ones that came before have been forgotten, swept away by the rich chocolately excellence of these brownies, and forever banished from my contact list. We all know the bad ones -- ones that promise to be great but end up too dry, or too cake-y, or not chocolate-y enough, and all too often more work than they're worth.

These brownies are none of those things. It should be easy, right? (That's what they say.) They're so simple you barely have to think about it when you're making them, and so good that you cannot stop thinking about them once you've eaten them.

So without further ado, I share my new love with you.

The Perfect Brownies

Ingredients: 

• Butter or spray for greasing the pan
• Flour, for dusting the buttered pan
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 8 ounces melted butter
• 11/4 cups cocoa
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Thoroughly butter and flour a 9x13" pan. (Just FYI, I've made this recipe twice and the first time was in too small of a pan so the brownies were much thicker and that's what the pictures in this blog post come from. But I recommend using a 9x13" pan.)
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until fluffy and light yellow. Beat in both sugars. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.
3. Pour the batter into the greased and floured pan and bake for 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
4. These will be messy coming out of the pan -- I recommend waiting until they're completely cool (like a couple hours) before you try to cut. Run your knife under hot water for a clean cut. 

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Moving to a new place always requires some settling-in time. Unpacking and hanging up my clothes, figuring out a new commute and where the closest grocery stores are, making friends (luckily I already have those here!), and stocking my fridge and pantry with all the requisite snacks and staples and baking supplies.

So finally this week, two weeks after moving to DC, I lugged bags of flour and sugar, a cylinder of oatmeal, and a box of butter and one of baking soda home from the store (in a hundred million degrees humidity) to bake!

Enter Apple Oatmeal Muffins. Oatmeal, non-fat yogurt, apples, whole wheat flour -- these muffins are breakfast treats that are altogether acceptable and probably preferable to eat every day.

I'm kicking off this summer with something healthy because after finals and post-finals celebrations and the fried things and meat orgy that was my southern road trip, healthy is probably a good idea. And I'm starting with muffins because now that I'm back to work, I need an easy breakfast to take with me to the office.

If you're looking for cakey muffins (i.e. crumbly and buttery) then go for a more decadent recipe. These are definitely more muffin-y and not too sweet -- though they taste delicious, they are not a dessert equivalent.

So without further ado, here's the recipe. I made 6 muffins and one small loaf.

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) plain yogurt
• 2 large eggs, whisked
• 1 medium-sized apple, finely chopped
• 1 cup chopped pecans for sprinkling on top (optional)

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray your pans -- I used one 6-cup muffin pan and one loaf pan. 
2. In a medium bowl combine the oats, flours, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Whisk in the yogurt, and then the eggs. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, add chopped apple, and stir just until combined. Try not to over-mix. 
4. Pour the batter into the muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. If you're using pecans, sprinkle those on top.
5. Bake 25-30 minutes (depends on your oven) or until tops are golden. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn onto a cooling rack. 
6. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen muffins.