When a piece of cake is well... not.

So who knew I'd finally find a better way to cut cake on what will probably be one of my last few days of assembling them? Frustrating!
I think after this class I'm in, I will try my hardest to just come up with the flavor concept of the cake and do the testing it takes to get the perfect pairing of cake, filling and frosting; the rest can be up to someone else or else I'll just make cupcakes; they're pretty enough.
Speaking of cupcakes; vote for mine in this month's Cupcake Hero; it's almost over and my cupcakes are unique and delicious! Bake some for yourself.
In the meantime, take a tasty look at these insider photos; composed of delicate cake, chewy & nutty marzipan, and smooth mouthfuls of Italian Buttercream and ganache. Enjoy, then go make yourself some tasty treats and try not to get yourself as exhausted as I am!

Crispy Coffee Torte

Special Praline Torte

While the going is tough, I've been trying to look back upon the positive surprises I found during my Plated Desserts class last segment. Take a look at these tantalizing desserts and hopefully you can find some flavorful inspiration yourself!

Molten Chocolate Cakes with Ginger Ice Cream (the best), Mango Reduction Sauce, Passionfruit Sauce, and Tuile Garnish

Red Wine & Raspberry Poached Pears with Orange Ice Cream, Reduction Sauce, Orange Segments, Fresh Raspberries, Cranberry-Orange Compote and Almond-Lace Tuile

Chocolate, Peanut & Banana Entremet with Chocolate-Dipped Bananas, Chocolate Sauce and Mango Reduction Sauce

School & S'mores

So the first week of school is already over. Sophomore year, I might add! Surprisingly, it's gone pretty well too! I was beginning to second guess myself about starting with labs, and a class called Plated Desserts, but aside from endless homework, I kind of like it!
But that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to go back to summer and forget my 3:30 morning last Monday when I had to leave. So, I'm talking about the newest creation that came out of my summer and my latest entry to Cupcake Hero.
Lip Smackin' S'mores Cupcakes!
And you'll never guess what the secret ingredient is!
Nope, you'll just have to read on to find out!
Wish I had a kitchen to make a few more entries, that's something I just don't get about our dorms!
But at least I've got an 8 by 10 single to contain my ideas in!
And now: the entry!

Lip Smackin’ S’mores Cupcakes

Makes 20-24 cupcakes

Cupcakes

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup (3/4 oz.) cocoa

1/2 tsp. instant coffee powder

1/2 cup boiling water

3/4 cup (3 1/4 oz.) all purpose flour

3/4 cup (3 oz.) cake flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup  (8 oz.) softened butter

1 1/2 cup (10 1/2 oz.) brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 (150 g.) eggs

1/4 cup (2 oz.) mayonnaise

1/4 (2 oz.) cup milk

3/4 cup (6 oz.) root beer

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line two muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Combine chocolate, cocoa, coffee powder and water, stirring into a smooth, thick paste. If not completely smooth, microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring after each.
3. Sift flours, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
4. In an electric mixer on medium high speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
5. Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, mixing until smooth after each addition.
6. Add the chocolate mixture and whip on high speed until smooth, then add the mayonnaise and milk.
7. On low speed, mix in the flour until just barely wet. Finish mixing by hand, folding in the flour.
8. With as few motions as possible, fold the root beer into the batter.
9. Distribute among the prepared muffin cups, then bake in the preheated oven for 18-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Vegan Version

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate (make sure it’s vegan), chopped

1/4 cup (3/4 oz.) cocoa

1/2 tsp. instant coffee powder

1 cup + 1 tbsp. boiling water

3 tbsp. flax seed

3/4 cup (3 1/4 oz.) all purpose flour

3/4 cup (3 oz.) cake flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup  (8 oz.) non-hydrogenated vegan margarine

1 1/2 cup (10 1/2 oz.) brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup (4 oz.) soy milk

3/4 cup (6 oz.) root beer

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line two muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Combine chocolate, cocoa, coffee powder, and flaxseed meal.
3. Sift flours, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
4. In an electric mixer on medium high speed, cream the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
5. Add the vanilla and chocolate mixture and whip on high speed until smooth, then add the soy milk.
6. On low speed, mix in the flour until just barely wet. Finish mixing by hand, folding in the flour.
7. With as few motions as possible, fold the root beer into the batter. It is even more important not to overwork a vegan batter
8. Distribute among the prepared muffin cups, then bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Do not try to turn or even open the door on these cupcakes until 20 minutes has passed; they will sink fast. Cool completely.

Root Beer Ganache

1 cup root beer

1/2 tsp. instant coffee powder

1/2 cup soy milk

12 oz. dark chocolate (use dairy-free for a vegan version), chopped

1. Put the root beer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until reduced by half. Allow the root beer to come to a boil once, but then try to keep it down to a simmer.
2. Add the coffee powder and soy milk and allow the mixture to come back to a boil.
3. Add the chopped chocolate and mix until smooth.
4. Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes, until set up, then keep at room temperature until ready to use.

Fluff Frosting

1/2 cup (4 oz.) butter (or vegan margarine or shortening), softened

7 oz. marshmallow or ricemallow fluff

the juice of half a lemon

1 tsp. vanilla

3-4 cup powdered sugar

1. Cream butter and marshmallow until smooth and fluffy on high speed.
2. Add lemon juice and vanilla and mix until smooth.
3. Add the powdered sugar, about a half a cup at a time, mixing and adding until a thick, pipe-able consistency is reached.

Assembly

Use a piping bag fitted with a medium-large round tip to poke in through the top of the cupcakes and fill with ganache. You can make as many holes as you want, but keep in mind that filling tends to tear the cake a bit. You can also use an angled filler tip if you have one, but make sure your filling is thin enough to go through easily.

Spread a thin layer of frosting on top of each cupcake. You may have to thin down the frosting a bit to do this.

Dip the top of the cupcake straight down into a bowl of graham cracker crumbs to cover the entire top surface.

Fill another piping bag with the fluff frosting, using a large round tip (or use a disposable bag and cut your own). Holding the bag straight up, close to the surface of the cupcake, squeeze out some frosting, pulling up as your go. The frosting should make its way out to about 1/4” from the edge, so that you can still see the graham cracker crumbs. A curly tip on top is okay, or you can flatten it if you’d like.

Dust the top with cocoa powder or shavings from a block of unsweetened chocolate.