Yum.
I wanted to make a cupcake with a taste combination that is not normally seen. I think the taste combination was great! I think the cupcake was a bit dense, so I will play with it a bit. I topped these with candied orange peel, but those came out slightly crispy.
Orange Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Hershey’s Chocolate Cake Recipe.
2 1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cup flour
1 cup Cocoa (I used a mixture of Valhalla and Hershey’s)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk. (Next time, I may swap some out for orange juice, for more of an orange juice flavor)
3/4 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla extract (I am never buying McCormick extract again. Go for the good stuff.)
2 tsp Pure Orange Extract
1 cup boiling water
2 tbsp orange juice (I put this in the boiling water, because my orange juice was in ice form.)
Whisk dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Add everything else, except the boiling water, into the bowl. Mix for two minutes. Add boiling water, and mix until combined.
This made 18 regular size cupcakes, 24 mini cupcakes, and a 6 inch cake. Cook until done. (I am horrible, and did not time any of it, but I watched it until it was done.)
Chocolate Orange Marmalade Frosting.
Adapted from The Cupcake Project
1 cup butter, at room temperature.
6 oz Orange Marmalade (I weighed this, or I think it is about 2/3 cup).
3 cups of powdered sugar. (I think I used more than this, but I wanted a stiffer frosting.)
2 tbsp Orange Juice (or use 1/4th cup for thinner icing for frosting a cake).
1 tsp orange extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 oz melted unsweetened chocolate. (I used Nestle’s pre-melted packets.)
Beat butter until creamy, then beat in the orange marmalade. Add in half the powdered sugar and mix. Scrape down bowl. Add the orange juice, extracts, and chocolate. Beat until smooth. Add the rest of the powdered sugar, scraping down the bowl once.
Attempted Red Velvet Cake
Dessert September 4th, 2009
One of the great mysteries of baking is the time that it takes. Cooking, I can taste as I go along, but with baking, there is a special magic that happens from the time that everything is mixed, to the time that it is baked.
I attempted to make red velvet cake. The batter tasted good. I used this recipe from Pinch My Salt (but it was very similar to most other recipes that I read.)
The cakes came out an interesting mottled color:
6 inch Red Velvet Cake
. A few sites suggested cooking cakes in a 3 inch pan, as to not have to make two layers. This is important when my oven will not hold two 8 or 9 inch cake pans.)
I frosted the cake with cream cheese frosting. The frosting climbed my beaters, which was weird and I am not sure why or how that happened. It also seemed that the frosting could have used more powdered sugar to make a thicker consistency, but I ran out of sugar (and forgot about the box in the pantry.) I should have done a crumb coat, but I was impatient to actually try the cake. So, not the best icing job in the world 
And, I didnt like it. The cake was not as rich or moist as I would have liked. It also did not have a deep enough chocolate flavor. Sad. I think when I go back home for winter break I will steal my grandmothers recipe and try it again.
Chocolate Chip Muffins
Dessert, Recipe August 3rd, 2009
Yum. Tasty Kitchen is a new site from The Pioneer Woman. It is full of yummy recipes. But, the best thing is that the number of servings is adjustable, so you can change it to suit how much you are making! You can also switch between US and Metric measurements.
I tried Chocolate Chip Muffins. There is something about an entire stick of butter makes me wary (even if it is only 1/2 a cup). But, half a stick isnt quite as bad, so I made 6 muffins. I also took the suggestion and used 1/3rd whole wheat flour. I think I want to get white whole wheat flour to use, as the Whole Foods 365 brand of whole wheat is both extra wheaty tasting, and ultra high protein (which I think is also why my whole wheat bread experiments failed).
I think I need an oven thermometer. My oven takes a lot longer to cook things than the recipes say. Perhaps I am not preheating it long enough, or it does run cold. It is a smaller oven than I am used to, so that may be it as well. (I have half sheet pans, and I use them in place of the grates, as they fit into the side of the oven.) I had to cook the muffins for about 25 minutes.
I use Silicone Baking Cups
Very nice!
Monkey Bread
Dessert, Recipe August 1st, 2009
I am fascinated by the idea of Monkey Bread. In case you dont know, this is bread made of smaller chunks, so that you can pull the bread apart to eat it.
I am also fascinated by the concept of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Zoe put the recipe for Brioche dough on her website. Now, I had never heard of brioche before, so I had no concept of how hard it was. I am thankful that there is an easy way to do it!
I wondered how the dough would work for monkey bread. So this is my attempt.
I made the dough, but halved the recipe. I dont think I melted the butter all the way, as there were some small solid chunks when I mixed everything else. I did let the butter cool quite a bit, so it would not kill the yeast. Mixed everything together, and it looked good, if a little dry. I let it rise on the counter for two hours, then put it in the fridge.
The next day, it did not look like it had risen very much. After my first attempt at the whole wheat bread from the book, I was worried that it would not turn out. But, I figured that the dough was rich enough, that even if it did not rise, it would work fine.
I melted four tablespoons of butter in a small sauce pan. I mixed four tablespoons of brown sugar into it, and let it cook for just a few minutes. I put this in the bottom of my new Bundt Pan
The next morning, it had risen, and now filled the pan. Yay for yeast! I let it sit on the counter for about 40 minutes, then put it in a 400 degree oven. (Which was too high, the top was starting to burn when the middle wasnt done.)
I took it out of the oven, let it sit for a few minutes, then turned it out onto a sheet pan.
And it was burnt. See what I get for not following the instructions? However, the insides, without the burnt parts, tasted pretty yummy. I will definitely make the brioche dough again, but I will try other things with it. Maybe monkey bread without the topping syrup? Or a lower temperature? Or donut holes!
Tags: bread, cake, Dessert, monkey bread
Everyday Cooking for Those Who Can't 
