Berry Cheesecake Salad (Red, White and Blue)

Are you still deciding on your 4th of July menu?  I, personally, like to wait until the last possible minute.  I'm one of those people.  Decisions are hard for me.  Especially really big ones, like menu finalization.  I have to think about it for a few days and weigh all options before committing.  Some people might say it's smart planning to look at every angle.  Others might say I should just make up my mind already and quit being such a procrastinator.  (I tend to fall in with the latter crowd, I don't know what my problem is.)  Well, if you're anything like me and you're still looking for ideas for what to take to a barbecue or what to make for guests, this 'salad' is super easy and a complete crowd pleaser.

TWD: Fresh Rhubarb Upside-Down Baby Cakes

I don't have baby cake pans, baby.  I told you that when we made Gingerbread Baby Cakes.  Last time I used ramekins.  This time I thought I'd use my jumbo muffin pan (the muffin holes are 3 inches across).  It doesn't get used all that much and I think it feels left out most days.

We had maple flavored whipped cream to go on top and the whole thing was the kind of dessert that almost makes me forget who chocolate is.  And my own name.  I love being pleasantly surprised.  But what's not to like about a cake with caramel, walnuts (I didn't have pecans) and rhubarb.  Did I lose you there?  At the rhubarb?  Yeah, I didn't add very much but I wished I added more.  It was delicious.

I halved the recipe and it was perfect for the muffin tin.  

Look at her all happy and buttered and floured.

 All good things start with caramel.  (Remember, I forgot who chocolate was for today.)  And this is where I should have been more bold with the rhubarb.  Probably twice as much.

 And then cake batter on top.  I used my 1 oz scoop and put 2 oz in cake hole.  Yes, we are making cake right now so they're cake holes.

 Bake and dump out.  I had to take a knife around the edge of each one before they really wanted to come out.

And then wonder if they are worth all the dirty dishes.  But my little saucepan was also happy.  He doesn't see much action either, normally.

 And then (almost) accidentally beat your whipping cream until it turns to butter.  Oops.  I caught it just in time.  It was probably about 1/2 cup whipping cream, 2 T sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp maple flavoring and I want to remember that for next time.  I might have just eaten some whipped cream.  Maybe.

Then, decide it was worth all the dirty dishes.

 And then forget there are even dirty dishes.

These were so good I might have to throw the rest away so I don't eat them all.  

If you'd like to try them yourself, you can buy the book or you can visit the blog of our hostess for the week at:  When it Doubt....Leave it at 350

If you'd like to see what the other TWD bakers did, you can go HERE.

Homemade Graham Crackers and the best S'mores ever!

Last week, I made two different graham cracker recipes.  There are quite a few out there.  I started with THIS one and it was good.  Tyler really liked them plain, with milk or with frosting but when we paired them with marshmallows and chocolate there was something off.  It was almost like the flavor wasn't subtle enough and it kind of got in the way of my s'more-but Tyler said I needed to keep the recipe because he loved it.  If you are someone who likes just plain graham crackers or, like Tyler, likes them with milk, this first recipe might just be for you.  But if you're like me and you feel like the only reason graham crackers exist is to make s'mores and graham cracker crusts then this next recipe is the ticket.  It has the perfect subtle graham-cracker-flavor but the feeling of something a little better because it's homemade.

TWD: Madeleines

 I've never made madeleines before.  The only reason I've even heard of them before is because of FRIENDS.  Remember when Sandy made madeleines?  And Ross was mad because they were 'lighter than air'?  Yeah, that about sums up my knowledge on the subject.  I can't really comment on how successful I thought the recipe was and if they turned out how they are supposed to or not because I really don't know.   I wish Ross or Monica were here, they could tell you.  For a couple hours today, I thought there would be a reunion season of FRIENDS.  It was a blissful couple hours, but the dream has been crushed.

I will say that my kids ate all of these.  I had one and couldn't quite figure out what the fuss was all about.  I mean, where's the freaking chocolate?  Maybe I can't wrap my head around it because I'm not a coffee or tea drinker?  Maybe they go hand-in-hand.

I took the advice of a fellow baker and rather than greasing and flouring the pan, I brushed it with just butter.  That seemed to be a great tip.

For some reason, when I took them out of the oven, they all looked like they had tumors or something growing out of them.  Maybe they are supposed to look like that?  I really don't know.  The recipe just said to fill the molds with the batter, it didn't say how full.  I filled 'er up (I used my 1 oz cookie scoop and it seemed to be perfect).  Maybe I wasn't supposed to fill them all the way to the top though?

I'm not sure I would make this recipe again, but not because I don't think it's a good recipe.  I might just not like madeleines enough.  I guess I will have to try a couple other recipes to decide how I really feel about them.

 If you like madeleines, you should give this recipe a try.  You can buy the book or get it at our host blog for the week, Counter Dog

If you'd like to see how the other TWD bakers fared this week, you can go HERE to get their links.

Carrot Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

This cake is haunting me.  I didn't know what to do about this post.  Do I update the cupcake post?  Do I have a new post exclusively dedicated to the cake?  After much pondering, I decided there was enough new information for a new post.  The cake is the same recipe as the cupcakes, but since instructions are different and the frosting is different, I thought it would be easier to just do it this way.  And also, this cake is so freaking good, I might just start posting about it daily.  Two posts might not be enough.  In the next few posts, I will talk about how good this cake is, even days after it's made.  I love desserts like that!

TWD: Mocha(less) Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This week's TWD was fine by me.  I love chocolate chip cookies.  But I was a little confused when I looked at the P&Q page and saw that people were talking about apricots.??  I thought maybe I had no idea what we were really making this week. But guess what!  There were apricots listing in the recipe ingredients.  With the word (optional) next to it.  Phew!  I am not sure I'm cool enough to ruin my cookies with apricots at this point.  (Maybe one day I will look back and laugh at this comment.  I mean, I did eat a beet the other day and I've held out on those since I was about 5.  It wasn't so bad.  One day I might morph into a chocolate-chunk-and-apricot-cookie eating fool.  Never say never.)  I also left out the mocha since we aren't coffee drinkers.  I didn't want to seem like a loser though so I threw some walnuts into a few of the cookies.

I used semi-sweet chocolate and instead of buying chunks I cut my own. About at this point (below) I was wondering why I didn't just buy those perfect chunks at the store.  Nothing perfect about this mess.  And the recipe said something about white chocolate so I threw some white chocolate chips in too.

 I guess the overnight chill is supposed to develop flavors and stiffen the dough.  Well, I skipped it.  The recipe didn't specify to soften the butter, so I used mine cold and by the time I got the dough formed, it didn't seem to need fridge time to me.  And let's face it, if a cookie recipe HAS to be put in the fridge overnight, I will find another recipe.  I can't trust myself to have that kind of forethought. 

 To slightly make up for skipping the chill, after I scooped (I used my 1 oz scoop) the dough onto the cookie sheet, I put the second pan in the freezer for 15 minutes while the first pan baked.

 The first, non cold batch seemed to do just fine.  They were a little less cripsy around the edges when they came out of the oven.  I think the colder ones get browner edges while waiting for the cold center to bake.

 Either way, no complaints here!  We all loved them!   I made some for Tyler with just white chocolate chips and he said he wanted about a hundred of them. The rest of us all loved the chocolate chunks.

  Next time I would probably skip the chill again and leave the cookies on the cookie sheet for a minute to cool before removing them to a rack.  They wanted to fall apart a bit right out of the oven but after a minute or so, it was easy.

This was a great recipe and you can never have too many great cookie recipes! (In my opinion, anyway)  You can buy the book, or get the recipe at our host blog for the week:  Galettista

If you'd like to see what the other TWD bakers did you can go HERE.

TWD: Boca Negra (Chocolate Cake)

Apparently Boca Negra means "black mouth."  Um, that doesn't really sound appetizing.  But then if you read on, you find out you aren't really eating mouth, but that the cake is so chocolatey, it will turn your mouth black.  And believe me, I can work with that.  

Is anyone surprised I halved this recipe?  I did.  And then I decided I would bake it in ramekins and make 4 small cakes.  It worked well.  Which was surprising since I didn't use the bourbon, I used water with some caramel flavoring.  I made the white chocolate cream (also subbed water with caramel flavoring for the bourbon) but it wasn't set up enough to take the picture, so ice cream stepped up to the plate.  And I'm not sold on the cream but it was pretty delicious with ice cream.

 I don't really know what this cake is supposed to be like.  Since I changed the recipe, I'm not sure it turned out how it should, but it was delicious still.  It was gooey and delicious in the middle and super chocolatey.  It was almost more brownie-like than cake-like.  I think this recipe would be super easy to make gluten free since the full recipe only has 1.5 T of flour.

I used the food processor method so it came together so quickly and easily it was almost ridiculous.  Next time you are in the mood for something with chocolate, you should give it a try.  You can get the recipe at A Frederick Food Garden (our host for the week).

And if you'd like to see what the other TWD bakers did this week, you can go HERE.

TWD: French Apple Tart

 I wish I could tell you how this tastes, but I have no idea.  We are really trying to watch our calories around here so we dropped this off to some friends.  I hate that you can't taste this kind of thing before you give it to someone.  I did try all the components by themselves when I was making it and they were all pretty good.  I imagine this would be delicious with a scoop of ice cream and maybe some caramel sauce.....I just decided that I shouldn't have given it away..... :)

I just used the pie crust recipe that I normally use.  I was ready to use the recipe in the book, but I didn't have pastry flour, so I just stuck with what I knew.

It wasn't super hard.  Maybe a little harder than a regular apple pie but it looks so pretty.  If you'd like to try the recipe you can get it at Law's of the Kitchen, our host blog for the week.

And if you'd liked to see how the other TWD bakers fared this week, you can go HERE.

Bake 52: Week 52!! Thick and Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies

 Who can believe it's the last week of Bake 52?!!  I learned this year that time flies when you're baking. ;) I've had so much fun baking new recipes, learning new things, tricks and techniques and making new friends.  Thanks to all my baking friends who participated this year, whether it was baking with me every week or just reading and following along.  

We have decided to start a dinner group for 2013.  We will be posting twice a month for our new group starting the 2nd Wednesday in January.  So be ready for that and if you want to join us, let me know!

It's hard to tell from the pictures exactly how big these cookies are.  They're about 3.5 inches in diameter and plenty if each person only has one cookie!  Not to mention they are pretty rich.  It's a good thing for me because I LOVE chocolate but I guess it's not for everyone.  (Not that I understand that kind of thinking)  These were the perfect cookie, chewy on the outside, soft in the center and stuffed with more chocolate than anyone thought was possible.  You can opt to leave out the chocolate chips if you are scared about these amounts of chocolate but I don't scare easily.  I think these cookies would also be great to stuff things inside of-like rolos, peanut butter cups, oreos, whatever.

I didn't have parchment paper so I just baked the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and it worked out wonderfully.  I melted semi-sweet chocolate chips for the melted chocolate and it seemed to work well too.

All in all, I think these cookies were great.  They go really well with a glass of milk.  ;)  If you are a choco-holic, you should give them a try!

Janet was our host for the week, you can get the recipe at her blog.  Thanks for hosting this week Janet, and picking a great recipe.

Homemade Marshmallow Stars

I will never be the same.  I really don't know how else to say it.  

I can't believe we have been eating store-bought marshmallows for so long when we could have been eating these.  And I wasn't expecting to feel that way.  

I really thought they wouldn't be much different taste-wise but I wanted to make marshmallow shapes. I was especially worried after working with the gelatin.  The smell of that stuff just makes me want to throw up a little bit.  So I was smelling that and thinking:

This is going to be disastrous.

These are going to taste like pure gelatin (gag)

I am going to end up just using store bought mini-marshmallows.

...and a few other things that I won't bore you with.  I was wrong on all counts.  I feel like I have never truly had a marshmallow until now.  And it was easy, almost too easy.  If you have a candy thermometer, a mixer and a brain, you can pull these off. 

You don't have to cut these into stars.  Candy cane shapes would be so cute with some peppermint flavoring and food coloring in the recipe (There's a recipe HERE for peppermint marshmallows that would be cute as candy canes).  Christmas trees would be cute too.  I just liked the idea of stars and I happen to have small enough cookie cutter that would work for what I needed.  My cutter was just shy of 2 inches (from the top point to the bottom point) and I got 77 stars and a bunch of scraps that were turned into mini-marshmallows.  You can also just cut these into squares and not worry about the shapes at all.  They are so good, they don't need a shape. :)

Homemade Marshmallow Stars

4 envelopes unflavored gelatin (3 1/2 T)

3/4 cup cold water

3 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups light corn syrup

3/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

cooking spray 

18x13 pan

tin foil

wax paper

Line an 18x13 pan with tin foil and spray well with cooking spray or brush with canola or vegeatable oil.

In a medium saucepan, heat sugar, 3/4 cup water, corn syrup and salt to a boil over high heat.  Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and continue cooking, without stirring until mixture is 238 degrees (or soft ball), about 9 minutes.

Meanwhile add 3/4 cup cold water to the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle with gelatin.  Let soften 5 minutes.  Attach whisk attachment to mixer

Once sugar mixture reaches 238, turn the mixer onto low speed and slowly add the sugar mixture to the gelatin mixture.  Gradually raise the mixer speed to high.  Beat until mixture is very stiff, about 12 minutes.  (It helps to set the timer for a reference.)  Bowl should just be warm.  Slowly beat in vanilla and combine.  

Scrape into prepared pan and smooth the top with a grease spatula.  I also greased a sheet of wax paper and placed it over the top and smoothed with that, then removed it.  Set aside, uncovered, until firm, about 3 hours.

Sprinkle 1/3 cup powdered sugar over the top of the marshmallows, and flip onto counter top.  Remove foil and sprinkle another 1/3 cup powdered sugar over the marshmallows (so now both side have powdered sugar).  Add remaining powdered sugar to a plastic bag.  Cut marshmallows into desired shapes, add a few at a time to the bag with powdered sugar and toss to coat all sides of marshmallows.  Roll remaining sheet of scraps into a roll and cut into desired pieces, coat in powdered sugar and store.  Can be stored in airtight container for 4 days.  

These are good just to eat, good in hot cocoa.....

And I checked to be sure they were good toasted and they were freaking amazing.  Seriously.

These were part of my Christmas gifts this year (the stars anyway, the mini marshmallow scraps were saved for us to use), hopefully in a day or two I will share the rest. I am sure you are super prepared and already ready for Christmas, but if not, maybe this will give you an idea or inspire something similar.  Oh and these are gluten and dairy free!  These would make a great gift by themselves, maybe just cover them with chocolate and put them in a cute bag, or you could turn them into the these marshmallow pops.  Any recipe that calls for marshmallows has to be 20 times better with homemade used instead.

Adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Bake 52: Chocolate Cake Roll with Peppermint Ice Cream

 I was planning on making this according to the recipe until I read Michelle's blog post.  The original recipe has a cream filling but she was discussing the possibility of using ice cream.  That was the only push I needed.  I know, I am so easily swayed.  My grandparents used to own an ice cream shop in my hometown.  They made their own ice cream and popsicles. They also made ice cream cake rolls and it was one of my favorite things we made.  I didn't get to have it very often because they were pretty long, like 24 inches, and we only sold them as an entire cake roll, not in slices.  Birthdays and special occasions were about the only time we got to indulge. I wish I had some super secret recipes from my grandparents but I don't.  I am going to have to interrogate some family members to see what I can come up with. ;)

Obviously, I substituted ice cream for the cream filling.  We had a bucket of vanilla ice cream in our freezer and some candy canes so I thought I would make some peppermint ice cream to make it a bit more festive than using regular vanilla.  I used about 3 1/2-4 cups of ice cream and about 6 candy canes.  I spread some wax paper on a baking sheet (18x13 since that was the size of the cake).  I put a little over a cup of ice cream and 2 candy canes in my food processor and processed until combined and then spread it on the baking sheet.  I repeated that with the remaining ice cream and candy canes (2 more batches).  Once the ice cream was spread out pretty well on the baking sheet, I covered it with wax paper, kind of patted it down so it was even and then froze it for about 45 min to 1 hour.

I was a little worried about waiting longer than the 15 minutes the book specified to fill the cake but it worked out okay.  It might have been a bit more brittle and there was one spot that cracked a little but I really can't complain.  After the ice cream had chilled for an hour, I took it out, took the wax paper off the top and flipped it onto the unrolled cake, removed the other layer of wax paper and then rolled it up as tight as possible.  Wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap and then put it back in the freezer for about 3 hours or until firm. Then I made the glaze and directed.

The cake wasn't quite right as far the cake rolls I am used to.  It's lighter and more airy than the cake rolls we used to make. I remember them being made with denser cakes, almost brownie like cakes. This was still really good but I might try to experiment with it a little.  I was also appalled that there wasn't any butter or oil in the cake.  Weird, right?  I had to read the recipe a couple times to be sure I wasn't missing something.

I love this kind of recipe because it's easy but looks so impressive.  You should give this a try, Michelle, our host for the week, has the recipe on her blog (and how to make it gluten free!).  Thanks for hosting this week Michelle and for inspiring me to make it with ice cream. ;)

Bake 52: Large Danish Braid

I knew when I looked at this recipe a few days ago that it was probably a 2 day process.  It doesn't have to be but it's easier to give yourself a couple days so you don't feel rushed.  Yesterday I made the danish dough and did all the rolling and folding, which really isn't that hard, just takes a little time.  You roll it out and fold it over a few times, refrigerate for 2 hours and then repeat.

This morning, I rolled it out, made the fillings and baked it.  I chose cream cheese and strawberries (1 cup frozen strawberries, pureed with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp lemon juice, simmered until thick) for the filling.  Of course we all loved it.  We are strawberry lovers around here and you all know how I feel about cream cheese.  I almost threw some Nutella in there too but I figured after folding all the butter into the dough, we were going to be consuming enough fat and calories without it.

 After baking it at 400 {Next time I would go with 375 degrees maybe.  It seemed like mine was more done that I'd like on the bottom.  Or maybe just double up on the baking pans like Betsy suggested a while ago.} for 22-25 minutes, the glaze is brushed over it.  I was maybe supposed to brush all the glaze over it, but I just did one coat and still had plenty left.  

 Since I had glaze left, instead of starting over with the icing, I just added some powdered sugar to my left over glaze to make the icing.  And I still had some left over.  Maybe I was just supposed to douse this thing?

This is super fancy, super delicious and not too hard.  It would be perfect for a special brunch or dessert on a special occasion or just a Wednesday. :)

Jen O was our host this week.  If you'd like the recipe, you can head over to her blog.  Thanks for hosting this week Jen, it was a great pick!

TWD: Gingerbread Baby Cakes

I have always known that Julia's tastes were much more sophisticated than mine.  I wasn't fooling myself.  But after the last recipe, (the brownies) I started to feel like maybe we weren't that different after all.  Maybe we were kindred spirits.  Maybe I had completely misjudged the situation and we were actually BFFs at heart.  Then this week's recipe smacked me in the face.  And I remembered that there isn't much sophisticated about me and especially not my palate.

I have never made a baby cake before.  I thought that was just a nickname people used.  "C'mere baby cakes."  You know, that kinda thing.  But I guess that nickname came from somewhere, probably these cakes?  Or maybe it's not a nickname and I heard someone say it and thought they were talking to someone else but they were actually talking to a small cake.  It's hard to say.  Of course, I didn't have baby cake pans so I used some ramekins that I had.  I made 1/4 the recipe and it made 2 small cakes.  The only problem, and maybe it's not a problem at all, is that I added the wrong amount of molasses.  I was supposed to add 1/2 cup for 1/4 of the recipe but I guess when I saw molasses, my brain automatically went to tablespoons.  Who would add more than tablespoons of molasses to a cake?  What are we making brown bread?  So I added 1/2 tablespoon instead of 1/2 cup.  Oops.  I realized it after putting the cakes in the oven.  The recipe said to rotate the pans to level batter, but my batter was way too thick to expect a pan rotation would do any good.  After reviewing the recipe a few times, I realized what I had done, but it was too late. (dun, dun, dun)

I wondered if they would still turn out with my error but I think it ended up being a blessing.  I am not a douse-everything-with-molasses kind of girl so I think if I'd added the full amount, the flavor might have been a bit much for me.  At is was, I was surprised how little I hated this cake.  I really expected to hate it.  It didn't have nearly enough chocolate and it seemed like way too much ginger but really it wasn't so bad.  It also has pepper in it.  Yeah, pepper.  I know I have heard of  pepper in a cake before, but I didn't expect I would actually put pepper in a cake (I know I am not sophisticated enough).  All in all, it wasn't so bad.  I ate half of a baby cake and maybe even enjoyed it a little bit.  I probably wouldn't crave these or make them for myself.  But if I knew someone who liked gingerbread and pepper a lot, I would probably make it for them.  

The inside was still a bit gooey when we cut them open but I liked it like that.  I am just glad they worked at all after my mess up! 

On a side note, Calvin thought they tasted good and Hadlee decided to be 'nice' and give Calvin her piece.  She is so selfless.

If you want to see what the other bakers did this week and maybe see what the cakes are supposed to look like, you can go HERE.

If you'd like the recipe, you can buy the book , or stop by the blog of our host for the week, Karen's Kitchen Stories

Bake 52: Sweet Potato Pie (Crust-less)

Let me start off by saying that this wasn't my finest week.  It wasn't an epic fail, but it wasn't bliss either.  And it was probably my fault and these are a few reasons:

1.  I never know the difference between a yam and a sweet potato.  I have found myself googling it more than once.  When I went to Target, shopping, I trusted them to know what a sweet potato is and apparently, that was not smart.  What they had labeled as a sweet potato turned out to be a yam (or 2 lbs worth).

2.  I decided to make a crust-less pie because we are spending the holiday with some gluten-free people  and I also didn't really feel like dealing with pie crust.  Partly because:

3.  I wasn't in my own kitchen or even one I have cooked in before.  So not only did it make me not want to deal with the crust, but I also ended up baking the pie for about 25 more minutes than the recipe specified.  Was it the oven?  Do I not know how to work an oven?  Who knows.

It turned out okay and much better than I was expecting, but I still don't know if I would let this slide as dessert.  I bet if it were inside a nice flaky, buttery pie crust, I would change my mind.  

For the crust, I lined a pie plate with parchment paper and added a layer of walnuts

 Then sprinkled with brown sugar and filled it like the recipe told me to.  

I inverted the pie to serve so the walnuts were on the top.

I noticed a lot of the other bakers pies looked way different than mine when they came out of the oven and they all had great reviews of the recipe so I am tending to think that I just didn't have my mojo today.  And it might have helped to eat the pie with whipped cream.  There was another fail on my part.  ALWAYS ADD WHIPPED CREAM!!!

Talesha was our host this week and chose the recipe, you can see pictures of what the pie should look like, along with the recipe at her blog HERE.

And if you want to see what the other Bake 52 members thought this week, use the links below. 

TWD: Best Ever Brownies (Are they?)

When I saw the title of these brownies, I thought, "Hmmm, we'll see."  How can they possibly be better than my favorite brownie recipe?  Or even  my second favorite?  Those two are hard to beat in my book.  I was surprised with how much I ended up liking these.  I will be making them again and I feel like I now have three favorite brownie recipes.  To which I say, this is one thing you can never have too many of.

They were super delicious with ice cream which is one of my brownie requirements.  I didn't have a 9X9 pan so I used an 8X11.5 and it worked great.  I also substituted semi-sweet chocolate for the bittersweet.  

They were fudgey and gooey, but not too gooey and completely delicious.  If you are looking for a great brownie recipe, you should give this one a try!

You can get the recipe at A Beautiful Mess

If you'd like to see what the other TWD bakers did this week, you can go HERE.

Bake 52: Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

 Update 11/14/12:  This was so good the next day, it tasted more cheesecake-y and delicious.  I am not sure if I was just being a cheesecake snob yesterday or if it's just REALLY good for breakfast (oops), but I am taking back my wishy-washy sentiments from the past.  So add that to the list; can and should be made ahead. :)

This was my week to host. I have been wanting to make pumpkin cheesecake for a while so I decided to try the recipe in our book, and make everyone do it with me.  :)

Bake 52: Red Velvet Cupcakes

 We are officially in the home stretch of our baking year.  This week marks the end of another cycle and leaving only one cycle left.  Only 7 weeks left!  I can't believe it.  

This week was red velvet sheet cake and it should surprise no one that I made cupcakes instead.  Because that's what I do.  Cake isn't usually on the top of my dessert list but the last couple cakes we've made have started to change my mind.  It might be the cream cheese frosting.  Cream cheese makes everything better.  These were pretty quick and simple and easy to share with friends.

Was anyone else surprised with how little chocolate is actually in these? 

The only complaint I had was that the recipe stated I would get 24 cupcakes (but since I halved the recipe I expected 12) if I used a 1/4 cup scoop.   And I did, and I was careful about it.  And I only ended up with 9 cupcakes.  So if you are okay with only 18 cupcakes, then use the 1/4 cup scoop.  If you want 24, then use a 3 T of batter for each cupcake.  And yes, I did the math.  I think the only time I use math is when I am cooking. :)

So the difference in the directions would be:  Line cupcake pans with liners or spray with cooking spray.  Make batter, and spoon 1/4 cup (or 3 T depending on how many you want) batter into each liner.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  Cool and frost.  

 I also halved the frosting recipe and it was plenty for half a batch of cake.  Each of these cupcakes has PLENTY of frosting, as you can see.  You might even be able to get away with 1/4 a batch of frosting.  I also added about 2 cups of extra powdered sugar (to half a batch) to get it to a firmer consistency.   If you are just spreading it on the cupcake, it doesn't really need to be firmer though.

If you are sad about the election, maybe whipping up a batch of these will make you feel a little better.  Remember what I said about cream cheese?  Makes everything better. ;)   You can get the recipe at Janet's blog.  She was our host for the week and chose the recipe.  Thanks for picking a great recipe Janet!