IronCupcake_007: Scharffen Berger Crater Cakes w/ Homemade Ice Cream

Iron Cupcake:Earth
Theme: Coffee
My 2nd entry: Scharffen Berger Crater Cakes w/ Homemade Ice Cream
Voting begins: Sunday, March 1 at 8 pm Central @ http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com/ and will be open through Friday, March 6 at 12 noon Central.

For my second IronCupcake:Earth entry this month, I knew I wanted to use the homemade coffee ice cream I made last week. I had a bag of Scharffen Berger tasting squares laying around, and because I rarely eat chocolate on it's own, I decided to bake with it. I made Martha Stewart's sunken chocolate cupcakes, but I added some coffee to really boost the chocolate flavor. Right before serving these, I topped them with a scoop of coffee ice cream and a drizzle of caramel. They were perfect! The creaminess of the ice cream paired well with the deep, dark chocolate flavor of the cupcakes. I think next time I'll substitute at least half of the bittersweet chocolate for semi-sweet, because the cupcakes were slightly bitter on their own. Sadly, I ran out of coffee ice cream before I could snap a photo. Oops! I guess the "wing nighters" really liked it! The ice cream pictured on the cupcake is chocolate cookies & cream.

I found these at TJ Maxx! Egg whites ready to be folded into the thick, shiny chocolate batter...
I just barely got eleven!
They puff up in the oven and sink drastically as they cool.
Hello IronCupcake #2!

Scharffen Berger Crater Cakes
Makes 10-12
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in pieces
5 ounces Scharffen Berger (or other good quality brand) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, separated, plus 2 large egg yolks
Coffee Ice Cream
Caramel ice cream topping (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray; set aside.
Place butter, chocolate, and instant coffee in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally, until melted and thoroughly combined. Remove from heat; set aside.
Combine the 4 egg yolks with 2 tablespoons sugar. With a handmixer on high, beat until the mixture is pale yellow and thick. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture.
With a hand mixer on high, beat the 2 egg whites until soft peaks form, add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and beat until stiff and shiny but not dry. Fold into chocolate mixture. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, and bake until set and slightly springy to the touch, 14-16 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in pan; carefully run a knife around edges of cakes, and unmold. Serve each with a scoop of coffee ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.



Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting Ice Cream: 5

Prizes provided by Etsy artists:
DIANAEVANS
A pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES
Also, CAKESPY, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice!
SWEET CUPPIN CAKES BAKERY AND CUPCAKERY SUPPLY will be tossing in another treat as well.
Corporate prize providers:
HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS
HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
JESSIE STEELE APRONS
CUPCAKE COURIER
TASTE OF HOME books
UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM
Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers

Ice Cream Sandwiches in February?

Desparate times call for desparate measures. The weather has been incredibly nice lately. For the past few days it's been in or very near the 70s! I've had the windows wide open, and I even got out a pair of flip flops! To celebrate the wonderful weather that slowly started leaving us today, I made ice cream sandwiches. I finally used the Cuisinart ice cream maker Josh got me last year for my birthday! I made reallllyyyyy yummy coffee ice cream and sandwiched it between delicious chocolate sugar cookies. The ice cream recipe comes from one of the old-fashioned cookbooks I recently ordered from Amazon.com. The book is called Lee Bailey's Country Desserts. It has pictures of every single recipe! If the coffee ice cream is any sort of predictor of the rest of the recipes in this book, it's gonna be a hit!

First, I made the custard base on the stove.
I added an extra tablespoon of coffee granules and a pinch of salt. After chilling the base overnight, I froze it in my ice cream maker for 20 minutes.
I like to store my ice cream in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap pressed on top of it.
It helps prevent ice crystals from forming on it in the freezer.
Perfection!

Espresso Ice Cream (from Lee Bailey’s Country Desserts)
MAKES 1 1/2 pints

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
5 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2/3 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon powdered instant espresso, plus extra for sprinkling on top (I used 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules)
Pinch of salt (To wake up your frozen tastebuds; A tip from Alton Brown!)

Combine the cream and milk in a large saucepan bring just to a boil over high heat, stirring all the while (I added my instant coffee and salt at this point). Set aside.
Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until frothy. Gradually add the hot mixture, whisking, until well mixed. Pour back into the saucepan and cook over moderate heat until mixture coats a spoon and is thickened, about 2 minutes. Do not overcook.
Stir in the vanilla and powdered espresso. Place cling wrap directly onto the surface of the cream. Allow to cool to room temperature. Chill mixture.
Pour mixture into ice-cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.
Serve with additional powdered espresso sprinkled on top.

IronCupcake_007: Mocha Cappucino Hi-Hats

Iron Cupcake:Earth
Theme: Coffee
My entry: Mocha Cappucino Hi-Hats
Voting begins: Sunday, March 1 at 8 pm Central @ http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com/ and will be open through Friday, March 6 at 12 noon Central.


These cupcakes are freakin good! I'm not just saying that. It was the consensus Tuesday night from every "wing nighter" that these are the best cupcakes I've ever served. Hurray! That makes them a perfect contender for my first (you hear that right, FIRST) entry for IronCupcake: Earth this month! I started with my favorite chocolate cupcakes, Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" cupcakes. I added about a tablespoon of instant coffee granules to the batter. Then I topped the cupcakes with Swiss meringue (just the meringue... not buttercream), to which I added more instant coffee granules. To finish them off, I dunked them in melted chocolate. This was my first time making hi-hats, and I had heard horror stories about the frosting falling off into the chocolate. Luck was on my side, though, because I didn't lose any frosting to the chocolate pit of death!

My meringue got a little grainy, OOPS! *DUN DUN DUN* Chocolate pit of death!
Hurray for bad lighting!
Meet Mr. Mocha Cappucino Hi-Hat!
Isn't he fancy??

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Cupcakes (I halved this and got exactly 15)
Makes 30 regular cupcakes OR 96 mini cupcakes

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water (I dissolved 1 Tbsp of instant coffee into the boiling water for half a recipe)

Line muffin cups with paper baking cups. Heat oven to 350°F.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Fill cups 2/3 full with batter.
Bake 18-22 minutes (mine were done at 17) or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.

Coffee Meringue (adapted from Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans)
Makes enough for 15-18 cupcakes

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 Tbsp hot water
2 tsp instant coffee granules

Put sugar, water, egg whites, and cream of tartar into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees). Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, stir instant coffee into hot water until dissolved. Reduce mixer speed to low and add coffee mixture.

Chocolate Coating (This makes a LOT, but you need the chocolate to be deep enough to dip all the cupcakes)
2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

Put the chocolate and oil in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler and place it over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is just melted. Scrape it into a bowl and cool slightly, about 15 minutes.



Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 5

Prizes provided by Etsy artists:
DIANAEVANS
A pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES
Also, CAKESPY, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice!
SWEET CUPPIN CAKES BAKERY AND CUPCAKERY SUPPLY will be tossing in another treat as well.
Corporate prize providers:
HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS
HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
JESSIE STEELE APRONS
CUPCAKE COURIER
TASTE OF HOME books
UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM
Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers

Mocha Spice Cupcakes

This recipe was sent in by Kim Plank. It's from MarthaStewart.com and it's for Mocha Spice Cake with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Thanks Kim!

Tuesday evening, I got home late from work. I almost didn't make these cupcakes, but when I looked at the recipe again, I realized how easy they were. Not to mention they were paired with chocolate SMBC (which I LOVE!!). I didn't have any fresh ginger, so I omitted it and just used the dry ground ginger. I accidentally forgot to 1/2 the spices when I halfed the recipe. I didn't notice until I'd already put double the ginger AND cinnamon. When they were all done, you could definitely taste the ginger, but it wasn't overpowering even with the extra teaspoon. The coffee flavor was definitely unnoticeable though... maybe because of the ginger overload? Anyway, the cupcakes were definitely a hit. Someone at wing night even asked if he could order 20 of them for a football party he's going to. Sweet! These are definitely a great idea for the Fall and Winter months!

Sorry the photo isn't great. I didn't have a lot of time. :(

Mocha Spice Cupcakes (recipe from MarthaStewart.com)
Make enough for 12 cupcakes and one 8x4 loaf cake

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (I omitted)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup hot coffee

Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
In bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter on medium until light. Add brown sugar and eggs; beat on medium-high until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, cocoa, fresh ginger, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, baking soda, and salt; mix well.
With mixer on low, add a third of flour; mix just until combined. Add half of sour cream; mix. Repeat with remaining flour and sour cream, ending with flour. Pour coffee into batter; mix until smooth. (It will be VERY thin.)
Pour batter into pans. Bake 18-20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking, until a few crumbs remain on a cake tester that has been inserted in center and removed. Let cool slightly in pans on wire rack. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream (my own recipe)
3 egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate (You can use 4 oz. of bittersweet chocolate altogether, I just didn't have any)

Melt chocolate in microwave safe bowl on high-powder for 45 seconds. Stir and microwave for an additional 10 seconds, if needed. Set aside.
Combine sugar and egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer (or top of a double boiler). Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water; whisk until the mixture feels hot to touch and the sugar is completely dissolved (Mixture should read 160 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 5 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat the mixture on high until cooled, about 6 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment. On medium speed, add butter a few tablespoons at a time. Increase mixer speed to high and beat until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Add melted, cooled chocolate, and stir until blended.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 5

Mocha Cupcakes

Why are cupcakes always better when they're made on a whim? I had no intentions of making cupcakes again until next Tuesday, but yesterday I got a strange craving for coffee cupcakes. I wanted to make a small batch, so I chose the recipe for Mocha Cupcakes from Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski (which, FYI, is a beautiful book) because it said it only made 12. Well... I got 16 perfect sized cupcakes. Somehow that always happens to me. These cupcakes are so perfectly chocolatey with a hint of coffee. They're moist, tender, and sooo soft. And of course the coffee Swiss meringue buttercream is freaking to die for! I like to put one in the fridge for about 5 minutes before I eat it. The frosting stiffens up a little and becomes a silky texture.

dry ingredients, sugars, coffee/milk mixture, unsalted butter and an egg ready for the oven!
Maybe the magic touch was in my new B&D shirt??

16 cupcakes cooling...

Mocha Cupcake on a tiny dessert pedestal I bought at Tuesday Morning for $7 (It's even more adorable with the glass dome lid on top!) Does anyone else think this looks slightly 'risque?'They're topped with different flavored chocolate covered espresso beans I found at Ross or Marshall's or one of those neat discount stores.

Cupcake recipe from Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski.
Frosting recipe courtesy of yours truly! :)

MY NOTES: I used half regular cocoa powder + half Hersheys Special Dark (I think all Special Dark is too chocolatey, all regular cocoa powder is not chocolatey enough). The book said this recipe yields 12 cupcakes. I got 16. Mine were done at 16 minutes.

Mocha Cupcakes
Makes 12-16 (book says 12, I got 16)

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In a measuring cup, combine the milk and brewed coffee. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk mixture in 2 additions, beating on low speed until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about ½ to ¾ full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 16-20 minutes (book says 22-24 minutes, mine were done at 16). Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Coffee Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Makes enough to frost 16 cupcakes

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 tbsp hot water
1 1/2 tsp instant coffee

Put sugar, egg whites and salt into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees). Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 minutes total. Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low, add butter two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, stir 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee into 1 tbsp hot water until dissolved, then put it in the refrigerator or freezer until it comes down to room temperature. Reduce mixer speed to low and add coffee mixture. Continue beating 1 minute to reduce air bubbles.

Tiramisu Cupcakes turned into Kahlua Cupcakes with 7-Minute Frosting

Crap... CRAP CRAP CRAP! To make a long story short: I voted for Black Forest. Tiramisú won. The Tiramisú Cream thing didn't turn out well at all. I ended up turning them into Kahlúa Cupcakes with 7-Minute Frosting. Here's the long version...

ingredients for Kahlúa Cupcakes (the base for Tiramisú Cupcakes) beating egg whites...
...to soft peaks
folding egg whites into the batter
the finished smooth batter
1/2 full and ready for the oven

The cupcakes came out great...

Here's where it got irritating... The original Tiramisú Cupcake called for making Tiramisú Cream using raw egg yolks and whites along with mascarpone cheese. I didn't really want to use raw eggs, so I decided to make a whipped cream/mascarpone topping instead. As you can see, it didn't look very appetizing, and it was too thin to put on the cupcakes.

So... I decided to use the original Tiramisú Cream recipe even though it meant using raw eggs. I wanted to at least give it a try. (The recipe is at the bottom of the post if anyone else wants to attempt this.)

I whipped egg whites to stiff peaks.

I whipped egg yolks and sugar until fluffy, then added 8 ounces of cream cheese.
I folded the whites into the cheese mixture.
...ONCE AGAIN... SOUP!!

Then I just said eff it and made an adapted version of the 7-Minute Frosting from the "White Mountain Chocolate Cupcakes" recipe in Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans.

Here are the cupcakes in the cupcake carrier I got for my birthday. It's from the ABC Catalog.After 2 failed frosting attempts, my boyfriend came over and cheered me up by telling me how good the 7-Minute Frosting was! Then I went in my room and found my cat sleeping and looking cuter than ever!

Cupcake recipe can be found in the post for Kahlúa and Cream Cupcakes.

Tiramisú Cream

recipe from Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella.

3 large eggs, separated
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
8 ounces mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
2 tablespoons Kahlúa or amaretto

1. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed beat the egg yolks with sugar until fluffy. Add the cheese and beat until smooth. Stir in the liqueur.

2. In a separate bowl with clean beaters mix the egg whites until shiny stiff peaks form.

3. Fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture until well blended.

7-Minute Frosting

recipe adapted from Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans.

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/3 cup water

3 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon Kahlúa

1. Put the sugar, water, egg whites, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler with at least a 2-quart capacity and beat with a handheld electric mixer on high speed until opaque, white, and foamy, about 1 minute.

2. Put the bowl over, but not touching, a saucepan of barely simmering water. The top container should sit firmly over the pan of hot water.

3. Beat on high speed until the frosting forms a soft peak that stands straight up when the beaters are lifted, about 7 minutes.

4. Remove the bowl from the water, add the Kahlúa, and continue beating for 2 minutes to further thicken the frosting.

Kahlúa and Cream Cupcakes

Kahlúa and Cream cupcakes are the winners with 39 votes! I hope everyone knows how thankful I am for every single vote! I'm so glad this poll thing is going well! :)

These cupcakes are delicious. My dad asked me to make them again for his birthday next month! This was the first recipe I ever used that called for folding in whipped egg whites. I am very satisfied with the results. The cake is moist but not greasy! I didn't make the white chocolate buttercream that was suggested in Crazy About Cupcakes. It basically consisted of melted white chocolate, butter, and confectioners sugar, which just seemed way too sweet and rich to go along with a Kahlúa and Cream cupcake. I made a chocolate Kahlúa whipped cream. It compliments the Kahlúa and chocolate flavors in the cupcake perfectly (and actually adds the "cream" of "Kahlúa and Cream"). I decorated one similar to the coffee cupcake on the front of the book for photographing purposes only. The rest are adorned with chocolate K's and martini glasses.

ingredients 23 Kahlúa cupcakes cooling (I ate one already!) We didn't have regular Kahlúa, so in the interest of being frugal I used what we already had.chocolate K's and martini glasses (I'm sticking to simple chocolate transfers for now.)

MY NOTES: I used Kahlúa Especial. The recipe originally said something about adding "the remaining sugar" to the egg whites before beating them, but it never said anything about only using part of the sugar in the creaming process. I didn't add any sugar to the egg whites before beating them. For foil liners, reduce oven temp by 25'F, check cupcakes a few minutes early, and remove from pan after cooling for 5 minutes.

Kahlúa Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup Kahlúa
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Insert 24 liners into a medium cupcake pan.
2. In a large bowl cream together the butter, cocoa, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy, 3-5 minutes. Add egg yolks and beat for 4 minutes.
3. In a small bowl mix water and Kahlúa.
4. In another large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternating with the Kahlua mixture. Mix on medium speed until ingredients are completely combined.
6. With clean beaters and a large bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until they form soft peaks. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar to make a meringue (see MY NOTES above). With a rubber spatula, fold the meringue into the batter.
7. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan.

Chocolate Kahlúa Whipped Cream:
I made this recipe up, and I'm quite proud of myself. This must be refrigerated!

1 cup cold heavy cream
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
2 tbsp Kahlúa

Sift together cocoa and confectioners sugar. Beat cream until slightly thickened. Add Kahlúa, cocoa, and sugar. Beat until soft peaks form. (Don't over beat or it will turn into butter!)