Carousel Cupcakes

I told my students I'd bake them an end-of-semester treat, and they requested "funfetti" cupcakes.  They wanted cupcakes from a box mix?! No chance.  So I made my own version of the Pillsbury popular favorite using "carousel" sprinkles.  (As a kid, I loved these sprinkles, and if I'm being honest, I still do!)  So, what's so special about my version besides the rainbow sprinkles?  These are vanilla pudding pound cake cupcakes with a honey buttercream icing.  Far better than "from the box"!

And what song might go with these "Spring Semester's Over" cupcakes?  Of course, Alice Cooper's "School's Out!"

Vanilla Pudding:

*When I made these cupcakes, I substituted the sour cream that's typically in pound cake recipes for a fresh vanilla pudding--extra sweet and creamy!

--2 c. whole milk

--1/2 c. granulated sugar

--3 tsp. vanilla extract

--1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise with seeds removed

--1 tbsp. butter

--pinch of salt

Over medium heat, heat the milk until just before boiling (little bubbles will begin to form at the edges).  In a separate bowl, combine sugar, salt, and cornstarch.  Whisk this into the milk a bit at a time until dissolved.  Continue cooking and whisking until the mixture thickens.  Then a the butter, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

The Cake Batter:

*Adapted from The Curvy Carrot

--1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

--3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

--8 large eggs (I like my cupcakes very dense and egg-y!)

--1 tbsp. vanilla extract

--4 c. cake flour

--1 tsp. baking powder

--pinch of salt

--2/3 c. vanilla pudding (make sure yours has cooled before adding it!)

--1/2 c. carousel sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

In a large bowl, combine the sugar and butter, and beat on medium speed until fluffy (about 5 minutes).  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after the addition of each.  Then add the vanilla extract.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  On low speed, alternately add these dry ingredients and the vanilla pudding until all have been incorporated.  Finally, mix in the carousel (rainbow!) sprinkles.

Fill cupcake papers (in muffin trays) approx. 2/3 full.  (I use a medium-sized ice cream scoop for this.)  Bake for approx. 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean from center.  Allow to cool before icing. 

Honey Buttercream Icing:

*This is the same icing I used for my Pineapple Pistachio Cookies--it has many delicious uses!

--1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

--1/4 c. pineapple juice

--1 c. confectioner's sugar, plus additional 1/2 c. for thickening

--1/4 c. heavy whipping cream

--2-3 tbsp. honey (depending on your taste for it!) 

--approx. 1/4 c. carousel sprinkles (for topping)

Using a hand mixer, beat together all ingredients.  Slowly add confectioner's sugar to thicken the icing until it has reached the desired consistency (I usually end up adding about another 1/8 to 1/4 cup, but you may like it even thicker).

Ice the tops of each of the cupcakes, and then top with rainbow sprinkles.  As one of my favorite holiday songs suggests, this is sure to be a favorite for kids from one to ninety-two! 

Gourmet Grown-Up Sloppy Joes

-->

Goodbye Winter, hello Spring!  What better way to welcome the new season than to use some winter ingredients for a retro summertime dinner.  Gourmet Grown-Up Sloppy Joes!   Ina Garten makes a “Grown-Up Mac & Cheese” that I often think about when dreaming up ways of turning childhood favorites into delicious “adult” meals.  Here, I've replaced the hamburger and tomato sauce with a sophisticated palette of sweet Italian sausage, butternut squash, toasted almonds, and aromatic arugula.

Like I said, this dish conjures a good-time 1950s warm-weather evening (perhaps eaten just before catching a Brooklyn Dodgers game).  Fats Domino’s “Blueberry Hill” makes me think of a balmy spring night.

--5 Italian pork sausage links, removed from cases (you can use sweet or spicy, but I prefer the former)

--2 c. arugula, wilted

--2 c. roasted butternut squash, cubed

--1/2 c. breadcrumbs (I make my own—here, I used honey wheat bread)

--3 large eggs

--1/2 cup toasted almonds, sliced (toast these by spreading them on a sheet of parchment paper and toasting in the oven for about 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees F)

--2/3 c. chopped, dried cranberries

--1/3 c. milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

--a few tablespoons apple butter)

--6 toasted Kaiser rolls

--a few tbsp. olive oil

In a large bowl, combine (but don’t over-mix!) the sausage, butternut squash, breadcrumbs, eggs, toasted almonds, cranberries, and milk.  Heat about 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large stove-top skillet.  Over medium heat, grill the sausage mixture until browned and cooked through.  On a stove-top grill pan, brush Kaiser rolls with olive oil and toast lightly. 

Place heaping spoonfuls of the sausage mixture onto toasted Kaiser rolls and top with apple butter and arugula.

Pineapple Pistachio Cookies

 

I can't seem to get my mind off pistachios since visiting Istanbul.  Thanks to a Bon Appétit recipe (for grilled pineapple with a honey-orange glaze and toasted pistachios), I was inspired to make Pineapple Pistachio Cake Cookies.  No, no, I didn't use a box cake mix in the recipe!  I call these cake cookies because they're thick, soft, and dense (much like a slice of cake but in cookie form, akin to Baltimore's famous Berger Cookie).  They feature a pineapple-pistachio cookie batter, a honey buttercream icing, and a dusting of ground pistachios. 

Plus, with the weather warming up, I'm inspired to use more tropical flavors in my baking.  (Pineapples on the grill in the summer = a true sensory delight.)  For me, the Beach Boys have always conjured the feeling of the cold seasons changing over to spring and summer.  One of my all-time, best-loved Beach Boys songs?  Without a doubt, "Feel Flows," from the 1971 album "Surf's Up" (the album is no "Pet Sounds," but this song is amazing and moving).

Cookie dough:

--2 large eggs

--1 c. granulated sugar

--1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

--1/2 c. pineapple juice

--1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

--1 c. confectioner's sugar

--1/4 tsp. baking powder

--dash of salt

--1 tsp. vanilla extract

--1/2 c. chopped pistachios

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the eggs, granulated sugar, butter, vanilla, and pineapple juice until frothy, approx. 3-4 minutes.  In a separate bowl, mix the flour, confectioner's sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Fold this dry mixture slowly into the egg batter until combined.  Then fold in the pistachios.  Chill in refrigerator for approx. 6 hours, or until slightly firm and easy enough to roll with your hand without the dough sticking.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls.  Place them on baking sheets line with parchment paper, and flatten them with the palm of your hand.  Bake for 15 minutes, or just until the edges are golden (if the tops are golden, they're overcooked).

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Honey Buttercream Icing:

--1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

--1/4 c. pineapple juice

--1 c. confectioner's sugar, plus additional 1/2 c. for thickening

--1/4 c. heavy whipping cream

--2-3 tbsp. honey (depending on your taste for it!)

Using a hand mixer, beat together all ingredients.  Slowly add confectioner's sugar to thicken the icing until it has reached the desired consistency (I usually end up adding about another 1/8 to 1/4 cup, but you may like it even thicker).

Ice the cookies and dust with ground pistachios.  Allow the icing to set before serving.

Sweet Cornbread

This past weekend, I was reminded of just how much I love cornbread after having a pie-slice piece at a restaurant in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.  I've always been a big fan of cornbread during the holidays, especially when it's served warm with a honey drizzle.  (In fact, this is one of my *favorite* baked goods to top with some honey.) 

There are a lot of different ways to make cornbread (sometimes sweeter, sometimes saltier, and sometimes with a jalapeno or two).  This version is a sweet one on its own, but I've paired it with an orange blossom & honey butter.  Yum!  With the honey-infused butter spread over this golden-colored bread, I'd like to give you the Jesus & Mary Chain's 1985 classic "Just Like Honey"--a perfect cornbread topping.

Cornbread Ingredients:

--1/2 c. all-purpose flour

--1/2 c. wheat flour

--1 c. yellow cornmeal

--2 tsp. baking powder

--1/2 tsp. cinnamon

--dash of salt

--1/2 c. turbinado sugar ("sugar in the raw")

--1/2 c. milk (I used almond milk, but you can use whatever you prefer--whole milk always makes breads a bit richer)

--1/4 c. canola oil

--1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce (this makes it a bit healthier than using oil as the only binding ingredient, and you *really* won't be able to taste a difference!)

--1 large egg

--1 16 oz. can yellow corn, drained (you could also use fresh corn if it's in season)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, milk, canola oil, applesauce, egg, and drained corn.  In a separate bowl, combine the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, blending *just* until the dry ingredients are moistened (you don't want to over-mix!).  Butter and flour a 10" pie pan, pour the batter in, and bake for approx. 20-25 minutes, or until the bread is just slightly golden on top and a cake tester comes out clean.  

Allow to cool, and cut into 8 pie slices.   Now make the butter spread (it won't be a dessert without it!). 

 Orange Blossom & Honey Butter:

--1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

--1 tsp. orange blossom water

--2 tbsp. honey

--1 tsp. vanilla

Using a hand mixer, whip the ingredients until blended and fluffy.  Spread over cornbread slices and serve warm.