Strawberry Cobbler

It's strawberry season here in the U.S.! When we had our Cinco de Mayo party, a lot of people had strawberry margaritas on the brain. We ended up with quite a few leftover containers of strawberries. Maybe it was all the other margarita mixes everyone else brought? Or maybe after 3 or 4 margaritas, the designated margarita maker forgot how to make them? I'm not judging... ;) Either way, it was up to me to find a good use for these strawberries before nature called them to a moldy grave.After browsing through 6 or 8 cookbooks and comparing recipes with the ingredients I already had on hand, I came upon this lovely little recipe for strawberry cobbler. I had never had strawberry cobbler, or even heard of it. It sounded perfect!I ended up using all of the strawberries we had (somewhere around 2 pounds), and it came out to be the perfect amount! This cobbler is outrageous! It's so juicy and fruity and sweet with a little bit of tartness from the lemon juice. And the biscuit topping is such a perfect mellow compliment to the POW! from the bright strawberries. It's got a bit of crunch on the outside, but the inside of the biscuit is soft and ever-so-slightly sweetened.As usual, I made some minor changes to the recipe. I added a bit more lemon juice (only 1 1/2 teaspoons more) because I love how it brightens fruit flavors. I also added a nice pinch of salt to the strawberry filling, just in case the added lemon juice would be too tart. My filling didn't seem to be thickening up enough on the stove, so I added 2 more teaspoons of cornstarch in a slurry of 2 teaspoons of cold water. The only thing I would do differently next time would be to 1.5x the biscuit topping recipe. You could definitely double it if you love LOTS of topping on your cobbler, but the given amount was enough to make the topping look somewhat skimpy in the casserole dish. Oh, and I'd quarter the strawberries. The recipe didn't say to cut them at all, but I halved the large ones. I'd cut them smaller next time.Overall, I'm calling this recipe a keeper. It's nice to have on hand when you get sick of eating strawberry ice cream, strawberry cupcakes, strawberry rhubarb pie, strawberry shortcake, strawberry trifle, strawberry cheesecake......... *yawn*

Strawberry Cobbler (from The Wooden Spoon Dessert Book by Marilyn M. Moore)

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch (plus a few more teaspoons if your strawberries are extra juicy)
(I added about 1/8 teaspoon salt)
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I used 2 tablespoons)
6 cups strawberries, washed and hulled (I'd halve the small ones, quarter the large ones)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
Biscuit Topping

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 3-quart casserole. In a large nonreactive saucepan stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the water and lemon juice. Stir in the strawberries.
Cook over medium heat, stirring often until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Transfer to the prepared casserole. Cover with Biscuit Topping.
Bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm with cream. (I let mine cool for about an hour before digging in.)

Biscuit Topping
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (vanilla sugar would be excellent here)
5 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup cold milk or half-and-half

Stir or sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Rub in the shortening with your fingers. Using a fork, gently stir in the milk, just intl the dough cleans the bowl.
Toss on a lightly floured surface until no longer sticky, and then pat or roll out to a shape that fits the top of the casserole to be used. (I just pinched off pieces of dough and dolloped them over the filling. Like I said, 1.5x this recipe would be a better amount of topping.)

New York Cheesecake w/ Strawberry Topping

"OH-MY-GOSH!" Seriously, that's how they should rename this cheesecake. You'll only be able to say "OH-MY-GOSH" every time you take a bite. Actually, that's not true. Towards the end, it will be more like this... "OH-MY-GOSH, I'm going to throw up if I eat another bite, but OH-MY-GOSH-I-CAN'T-STOP!!" This is not a lie, people. I went to bed Wednesday night with a stomach so full of cheesecake, I couldn't even finish harvesting my Farmville crops! I was K.O.-ed by cheesecake! But it was allll worth it because I got to use up two lonely egg yolks that were hanging out in the fridge, AND I found my very first go-to cheesecake recipe. SUCCESS!!I'm kinda proud of my photos in this post. I guess the daylight just happened to be very suitable at the exact moment I got these shots because usually my photos are nowhere near this good! Sorry for tooting my own horn. You can tell me to stop whenever you'd like! ;)NEW YORK CHEESECAKE (from "The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book")
SERVES 12
Crust
8 whole graham crackers, broken into 1-inch pieces
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 tablespoon for brushing pan
3 tablespoons sugar

Filling
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, cut into chunks and softened (I used 2 packs Neufchâtel and 3 packs regular)
1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks
6 large eggs

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Process the graham cracker pieces in a food processor to fine, even crumbs, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle the melted butter and sugar over the crumbs and pulse to incorporate. Sprinkle the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan (I used a 10" pan and still got a tall cheesecake). Press the crumbs firmly into an even layer using the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake the crust until fragrant and beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let the crust cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees. Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until smooth, 1 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beaters as needed.

3. Beat in half of the sugar and salt until incorporated, 1 to 3 minutes. Beat in the remaining sugar until incorporated, 1 to 3 minutes. Beat in the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla until incorporated, 1 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks and eggs, two at a time, until combined, 1 to 3 minutes.

4. Being careful not to disturb the baked crust, brush the inside of the prepared springform pan with melted butter. Set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Carefully pour the filling into the pan. Bake the cheesecake for 10 minutes.

5. Without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees and continue to bake the cheesecake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the cake registers 150 degrees, about 1 1/2 hours, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

6. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and run a knife around the edge of the cake. Let the cheesecake cool until just barely warm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours, running a knife around the edge of the cake every hour or so. Wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours.

7. To unmold the cheesecake, wrap a wet, hot kitchen towel around the cake pan and let sit for 1 minute. Remove the sides of the pan and carefully slide the cake onto a cake platter. Let the cheesecake sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. (I think this is a matter of preference. We liked ours cold, straight from the fridge!) The cooled, tightly wrapped cake can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

STRAWBERRY TOPPING
MAKES about 3 cups

4 cups (20 ounces) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced thin
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
Pinch salt
1/2 cup strawberry jam
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
(1 tablespoon cornstarch, my own addition)

1. Toss the strawberries, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl and let sit, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries have released their juice and the sugar has dissolved, about 30 minutes.

2. Process the jam in a food processor (or blender) until smooth, about 8 seconds. Simmer the jam in a small saucepan over medium heat until no longer foamy, about 3 minutes. Stir the warm jam mixture and the lemon juice into the strawberries. Let the topping cool to room temperature before serving, about 1 hour. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

(I chilled this mixture overnight, but I wanted it to be thicker, almost like pie filling. So, I strained the liquid off of the strawberries, reserved about 3 tablespoons of it in a measuring cup, and brought the rest to a simmer. I whisked 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into the reserved 3 tablespoons of strawberry juice, then stirred that into the simmering pot. I brought it back to a simmer and whisked it for about 3 minutes to thicken. I chilled that until completely cold, and then stirred it back into the strawberries. The result was a nice, thick strawberry glaze!)

Cheesecake Pie w/ Strawberry Sauce!

Hey guys! First off I wanna say sorry I've been M.I.A. lately. I've been staying busy working at Just Cupcakes, and in my free time Josh and I have become addicted to watching Dexter (all 3 seasons are on Showtime On Demand!!). I made some 7-grain bread last week, but we ate it all before I could take photos and post the recipe. I know i'll be making it again, so look out for that recipe coming soon. Also, my dad's birthday is September 10th. YOU KNOW I'll be making his cake, so keep an eye out for that post as well.

Until then, how about a cheesecake recipe?? It's simple, but it's delicious. I used Teddy Grahams for the crust, and the cheesecake is creamy and mm-mm-good! The homemade strawberry sauce is... well, it's just okay. I won't make it again because it's just too sweet and the strawberry flavor is diluted. It might taste better after a night in the fridge, but as of this moment it's lackluster. =/ At least it's pretty to look at! If you have a better recipe for strawberry sauce, you know where to leave it! ;) Cheesecake Pie w/ Strawberry Sauce

Graham Crust
2 1/4 cups Honey Teddy Grahams (or 20 graham cracker squares)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Strawberry Sauce (from Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook)
2 quarts fresh strawberries
1 cup cold water
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
2 to 3 drops red food coloring, optional

In a food processor, pulse Teddy Grahams until no big pieces remain. Add melted butter and salt. Pulse until evenly blended; press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in vanilla just until blended. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight.

For strawberry sauce, wash, hull, and dry the strawberries on paper towels. Slice them 1/2 inch thick, vertically from top to tip, into a large bowl.

Bring 3/4 cup of the water and all the sugar to a boil in a medium-size sauce­pan over high heat and let boil for 5 minutes.

Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1/4 cup water in a cup. Whisk this mixture into the boiling syrup and cook until the mixture thickens and turns clear, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the extracts and food col­oring, if you like.

Drizzle over the berries and toss lightly to coat. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Triple Strawberry Cupcakes

I know, I know! I owe you guys the Salted Caramel Cupcakes that won the poll like forever ago. But I had strawberries that were going bad, and mom requested these. They are triple strawberry cupcakes because they have strawberry jello mix and chopped fresh strawberries in the batter, then strawberry mousse for frosting. They really are a perfectly light summer cupcake. The frosting is SO good! I used the leftover cream cheese mousse from the Barefoot Contessa cake and added some strawberry flavoring. It's so fluffy and delicious! Make these for your next cookout and you won't be disappointed.
PS: New video in the YouTube, I Tube section over on the left!!

Ingredients...Ready to be mixed!Bright pink batter ready for the oven...Cooling and smelling so summery!Topped with strawberry mousse frosting!Inside you can see pieces of strawberry... yum!

Recipe for "Pretty in Pink" cupcakes from Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn. Strawberry mousse frosting recipe from me! :)

MY NOTES: My sugar-free Jello box said it was .6 ounces. I just used the strawberries I had; it didn't make a whole cup, but it still worked.

Triple Strawberry Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain white cake mix
1 package (3 ounces) strawberry gelatin
1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries with juice from 1 1/2 cups whole berries (see “The Cupcake Doctor Says” below)
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs

Strawberry Mousse Frosting
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon strawberry flavoring

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.
2. Place the cake mix, gelatin, strawber­ries and juice, milk, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat 2 minutes more on low speed, scraping down the sides again if needed. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. Place the pans in the oven.
3. Bake the cupcakes until they are lightly golden around the edges and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cup­cakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your finger­tips. Place them on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
4. Beat heavy cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, beat cream cheese, granulated sugar, and extract on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Frost cupcakes and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

The Cupcake Doctor Says…
“Although these cupcakes put the season's best berries to good use, they are also perfect for those berries that arrive at your market from far away and have little juice and less flavor than good local berries. If you are using juicy berries, drain them well and use only the juice that clings to them when the berries have been chopped for the cake and the frosting. A pinch of cinnamon picks up the strawberry flavor in the cup­cake batter.”

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

Barefoot Contessa® Country Cake Mix

It's about time for another product review, wouldn't you say? I'm gonna make a link section in the sidebar that lists the things I've reviewed. That way it will make for some very easy browsing when you get bored. Okay, Saturday I had a tiny cookout in my house. SO TINY, in fact, that it consisted of only four people including myself! Regardless, we had fun watching a documentary about two guys with the highest scores on the Donkey Kong arcade game. It sounds completely moronic, but it was actually entertaining. ANYWAY, more about the product since this is a product review! I made a cake using the Barefoot Contessa Country Cake Mix I got on clearance for $3 at TJ Maxx a few weeks ago. It made one 8-inch round cake. It came with an extra packet of stuff that you mix with heavy cream to make whipped cream, but as far as I could tell it was just granulated sugar with some vanilla flavoring... nothing special. I didn't even use it. I split the cake in half (USE STRING, IT'S SO EASY!!), layered it with macerated berries and cream cheese mousse, and topped it with more fresh berries. The cake was very moist like pound cake and was scented with orange zest. The zest paired perfectly with the berries. I definitely give this cake mix an A+. It was worth $3, but I dunno if I would've paid the regular price of $6 for one 8-inch round cake.

IngredientsFirst, you mix 1/2 cup of cake mix with 1 stick of butter. Then add the rest of the cake mix and some water.
It makes enough for one 8-inch cake.Tada!It was really yummy!

For the berries, combine 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 sliced strawberries, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in a bowl. Cover and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Mash berries and spoon mixture directly onto cake layers.

For cream cheese mousse, beat 1 cup heavy cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, beat 8 ounces of cream cheese, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Spread over macerated berries. Keep the cake refrigerated.

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

Daring Bakers Challenge - Perfect Party Cake

White Chocolate Strawberry Layer Cake
EDIT: Picture of the inside added below. THIS CAKE IS FREAKIN PERFECT!

I joined the Daring Bakers last month, and this month was my first challenge. I was so excited when I found out it was a cake! My first instinct was to make it in cupcake form, but that wouldn't be a challenge. I stuck with the layer cake, but changed the flavors. The original recipe was a lemon cake layered with raspberry jam and lemon SMBC. My readers know I don't dig on lemon desserts, so I made a vanilla cake layered with fresh strawberries and white chocolate SMBC. (It was supposed to be White Chocolate Raspberry, but it seems there is a shortage of fresh raspberries at ALL the grocery stores w/in a 10 minute drive of my house.) This cake is absolutely to-die-for! It's exactly what I want when I think of a light, fresh strawberry layer cake. The cake itself is SO soft, and the frosting is SO silky! The strawberries lend a difference in texture and a bright tangy-ness (a word?)! If you haven't already, you NEED to make this cake!

ingredients finishing the batter
weighing both pans to make sure they're equal

ready for the oven

cooling for 5 minutes in the pans

cooling on wire racks

Each layer is sliced in half...

...then covered with frosting and a dam for the strawberries

Mmmm fresh strawberries between every layer!

A thin coat of frosting seals in the crumbs.

And Tada!

PS: This was supposed to be posted yesterday (Mar 30), but my middle name is Procrastinator. Actually, Josh and I just layed around all day. It was truly a lazy Sunday!

Original recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking from My Home to Yours. My adaptations are in ORANGE!

For the Cake
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I used buttermilk)
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (I omitted this)
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract (I used 1 tsp vanilla extract)

For the Buttercream (I heard this wasn't enough to frost the whole cake so I added a bit more)
1 cup sugar (plus 1/4 cup sugar)
4 large egg whites (plus 1 egg white)
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons) (I omitted this)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I omitted this)
6 ounces (by weight) white chocolate, melted and cooled

For Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable (omit)
About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut (omit)
About 1 lb. fresh strawberries thinly sliced

Getting Ready
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl. Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant (omit this step and just put sugar and butter into mixing bowl). Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean.

Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

To Make the Buttercream
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream. Remove the bowl from the heat. Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again. On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice (or white chocolate), waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla (omit). You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

To Assemble the Cake
Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half. Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. Spread it with one third of the preserves. Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream (omit jam; spread each layer with buttercream and top with a layer of strawberries). Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover). Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top. Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top (omit).
Serving
The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.

Storing
The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.

Playing Around
Since lemon is such a friendly flavour, feel free to make changes in the preserves: other red preserves – cherry or strawberry – look especially nice, but you can even use plum or blueberry jam.

Fresh Berry Cake
If you will be serving the cake the day it is made, cover each layer of buttercream with fresh berries – use whole raspberries, sliced or halved strawberries or whole blackberries, and match the preserves to the fruit. You can replace the coconut on top of the cake with a crown of berries, or use both coconut and berries. You can also replace the buttercream between the layers with fairly firmly whipped sweetened cream and then either frost the cake with buttercream (the contrast between the lighter whipped cream and the firmer buttercream is nice) or finish it with more whipped cream. If you use whipped cream, you’ll have to store the cake the in the refrigerator – let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Neapolitan Cupcakes

My parents just recently got a new cable box with DVR (I think it's kinda like TiVo)For anyone who doesn't know, that's the thing that let's you pause and record TV shows... and fast forward commercials! It's amazing how I ever lived without it! There's a setting that lets you record shows that have a specific keyword in the description. So naturally I set it to record any show with the words "cupcake," "baking," and "cake!" A few days ago I looked at the shows that have been saved so far. I found an episode of a wonderful show I just discovered called "Everyday Baking from Everyday Food." The episode featured three cupcake recipes, one of which I chose to use for these Neapolitan cupcakes. My original proposition for the cupcakes was to make a strawberry/chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream. However, I am not a fan of plain vanilla buttercream, or any flavor of traditional buttercream (butter, confectioners sugar, milk). Instead, I made a chocolate/vanilla cupcake and paired it with the most amazingly silky strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream. With the cake and ice cream flavors, it was like a birthday party in my mouth!

ingredients... except one stick of butter that's sitting on the table behind me......aaannnddd the butter is forgotten again! I'm good.delicious dark chocolate batter and even yummier vanilla batterFill half of each cup with chocolate batter... ...and the other half with vanilla batter.They should look like this!Doesn't it look so perfect and tasty??TADA!And because it's so pretty... here's another picture...

You gotta be dying for the recipe by now!!

Cupcake recipe from MarthStewart.com.

MY NOTES: Measure out the ingredients for both batters first. This way you don't have the first batter sitting out for a long time while you make the second one. I used dark chocolate cocoa powder. My cupcakes were done at 19 minutes.

Black-and-White Cupcakes
Prepare both vanilla and chocolate batters (directions below); fill muffin cups with 3 tablespoons of each, side by side. Makes 24.

Ingredients
Makes 12
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk

For Chocolate Cupcakes
Reduce flour to 1 1/4 cups, and add 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. Whisk into dry ingredients.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a standard 12-cup muffin pan, or use paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla, and mix until combined. On low speed, beat in half the flour mixture, followed by milk; end with remaining flour mixture. Mix just until incorporated (do not overmix).
Fill muffin cups with 3 tablespoons of each batter, side by side.. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 22 to 24 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
This is my own recipe.

Ingredients
Makes about 4 cups

4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened, cut into tablespoons
1/3 cup strawberry jam

Directions
Put egg whites and sugar 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.
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. Reduce speed to low; add strawberry jam and continue beating 2 minutes to eliminate air bubbles.