Tomato Soup Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting,-Baked Sunday Mornings

I know what you are thinking-Tomato Soup Cupcakes-what ?  Right up there with avocado cheesecake (which by the way if made properly is pretty darn good ) .  I know I was thinking the same thing-I like my tomato soup with a side of grilled cheese and a big kosher pickle.  Not topped with creamy mascarpone frosting.

But I was surprised-it reminded me of a cross between a mild mannered spice cake and pumpkin cake with a slightly acidic bite to it. Interesting.  That's what we say when we don't hate it but we don't love it either. Interesting.  The batter made beautiful cakes, nice and light with great crumb.  And they rose like , well like round tomatoes. I'm not a huge proponent of the use of food coloring but it might be fun to play around with  red food coloring and get these cupcakes  closer to the color of tomatoes instead of pumpkins.

 The frosting is a little on the sweet side,not the cheek sucking teeth numbing sweet, just slightly sweet.  I was looking forward to the mascarpone frosting but the taste got eaten up by the powdered sugar-too bad because mascarpone is one of my favorite tastes, so rich, so creamy. 

I think I'll play with the frosting in the future and cut back on the butter and increase the mascarpone and see what happens. A sour cream frosting would probably go well with these. Oh well C'est la vie, at least they look pretty and they taste, well,interesting. Head over to Baked Sunday Mornings  for the recipe and see what everyone else thought of these and how they turned out.

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New York Crumb Cake-Baked Sunday Mornings

This was an easy uncomplicated recipe and it produced one of my favorite types of cakes-the morning coffee cake.  It also produced a beautiful batter-one I couldn't quit tasting.  I ended up adding a tablespoon of vanilla bean powder to my recipe-just because I love vanilla !  Baked Explorations  recommends making "large" crumbs for the crumb style topping.  I started out large and ended up crumbling the topping into more manageable pieces .  While I love that cinnamon sugar style crumb topping I love the cake even more and that's what I wanted to taste. 

I recently broke my glass 9x13 pan so I did bake this in a metal pan.  I didn't want my sides to crispy so I lined my pan with parchment paper, which made it really easy to remove once it was finished.  I had thought of making this like little individual cakes but then figured I liked the thought of a large coffee cake better.  I think this would have worked beautifully in a bundt type pan too.

My kitchen smelled like I remember my grandmother's kitchen smelling when I was growing up.  That cinnamon cake smell wafted throughout all the rooms.  It was very hard letting this cake cool, I just wanted to slice right into it. And as soon as J got home from work he asked what that wonderful smell was.

We both really enjoyed this.  It was a great way to spend the morning.  Sitting in this wonderful Seattle sunshine, a good cup of espresso and a fresh slice of cake.  Life doesn't get much better, does it ?

Head over to Baked Sunday Mornings and see how everyone else did with this cake. I'm going to have another slice with a cold glass of milk as a late night snack !

Malted Crisp Tart-Baked Sunday Mornings

Have you ever had one of those weeks ? No matter how hard you tried to remain positive, lurking around each corner was something waiting to trip you up ? I've been under the weather for a couple of days now and it feels like I have fallen 2 weeks behind instead of 2 days behind. I feel cloudy, like the weather in Seattle. You know that feeling when you aren't 100 percent and feel like you are 10 steps behind everyone else? I'm starting to shake it and so very grateful for that. Hot tea and chicken noodle soup helps. I made this tart last week, or rather I started it. This is not a recipe you can make overnight. After I made the tart shell, which is a brown sugar dough and so good I'm thinking of how to make a cookie out of it, I re-read the directions and then re-read them again .

I thought okay so I've wasted a perfectly good pastry shell because there was no way I was going to caramelize rice crispies, make malted chocolate ganache,crush malted milk balls, make a malted milk pastry cream and combine that with whipped cream to make a diplomat cream. Whew, I was exhausted-maybe putting this marathon tart together weakened my immune system ! But I'm not a quitter and I knew I could do this.

So I made the shell on Wednesday, the pastry cream on Thursday, and then assembled it with the ganache on Friday. You really need to be prepared for all the steps in this recipe but the rewards are well worth it. It has a wonderful caramel crust from the brown sugar, the sweet milk chocolate ganache layered with the crushed malted milk balls and the caramelized rice crispies give it a slight sweet/salty taste. The diplomat cream is something I could eat by the spoonful.

I made my crust a little too thick but it's so tasty I really don't mind the thickness. This is something you eat in small tiny slices, unless you happen to love a sugar overload. Will I make it again ? Only if J asks for it-it's too complicated to be on my bake again list but I encourage you to at least try it once-it's perfect with a hot espresso to offset the sweetness. Bon Appetit.

See how everyone else did over at the Baked Sunday Mornings website. Buy the book Baked Explorations and join us !

Salt-N-Pepper Cookies for Comfort - Baked Sunday Mornings

It seems silly to bake cookies after the tragedy in Japan.  Saying life goes on just doesn't seem appropriate.  How much can a person bear ?  An earthquake, a tsunami, radiation leaks, flooding, mud slides and fires.  I think of the people who lost family and friends and my heart is heavy for them and I keep them my prayers. 
When I kissed J goodbye this morning I said to him, don't come looking for me if we have an earthquake-get home and we will find each other there.  That thought stayed with me all day.  You are supposed to have a plan-that's what everyone tells us, but I don't think that anyone really imagines that they will have to implement the plan.  As I touched J's face I burned the image of him into my heart , knowing that he would come looking for me no matter what I said, no matter the plan.

I am grateful for my life, for J, for my family and friends,  and for the simplicity of life.  For being able to bake cookies. It's comforting to watch the rain tonight-it's familiar  rhythm reminds me that everything is in it's place in Seattle . And yet that comfort  has a heaviness and a sadness for those who have lost so much and endured so much. My thoughts and prayers  are with the people of Japan and their friends and families.

Baked Sunday Mornings

Double Chocolate Loaf-Baked Sunday Mornings

This is a I need chocolate NOW kind of week.  Craziness at work with a new reservation system along with craziness at home trying to organize ( and I use the term loosely) the basement. Add to the mix the fact that the washer is kaput-or pretty close to it-the digital/computer on it has gone berserk and in order to get it to work you have to stand there for about 10-15 minutes kicking it , shaking it, moving it back and forth-it's hysterical to watch. And last but not least J's phone has gone haywire,he can hear callers but they can't hear him !  Ahhh technology, isn't it grand ?  I need chocolate !

But in spite of all the craziness I feel a calm come over me as soon as I'm home-you know that safe haven kind of feeling-even when everything around me is falling apart.  I remind myself that it's the things that  are falling apart-not me- I still have it together. And things are replaceable-people aren't. 

I find myself thinking about my dad a great deal more than usual these past few weeks, probably because of losing my dear sweet friend, Ed.  But on a day like today when electronics are not functioning I know that if my dad were here, he would be taking things apart, putting them back together and they would work.  Dad's are like that aren't they ? Neither J nor I are mechanical enough to tackle the washer and the phone is a lost cause.  So I will do what I do best - bake.  

This is the Double Chocolate Loaf with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Spread. I'm usually not a lover of baked goods in the loaf category but I enjoyed making this.  I love how the top crackled when it came out of the oven.  I like it with powdered sugar for a dinner dessert and with the peanut butter cream cheese topping for a little breakfast bite.  I didn't cream the peanut butter and cream cheese together completely when I mixed them. I wanted the two tone effect when I decorated the little bites. I think these would be a sweet addition to a brunch tray-don't you ?  The next time I make this loaf, I think I will serve it with a little mascarpone topped with fresh raspberries and maybe a little raspberry coulis surrounding it-that would make it very elegant -don't you think ?

For now I'm putting the organization of the basement on hold; ordering a new phone for J; ordering a new washer and making myself a good cup of espresso. Then I'm going to light a few candles, take my espresso and a slice of this chocolate loaf and enjoy the rest of my day. I hope you do the same.  Bon Appetit.

Head over to Baked Sunday Mornings for the recipe and to see what everyone else did.

PS This was another recipe I made for our Will Bake For Food Bake Sale last year and they were the 2nd thing to sell out !

Buttermilk Doughnuts-Baked Sunday Mornings

I couldn't wait to make these doughnuts-more properly known as Farm Stand Buttermilk Doughnuts Three Ways.  Whew, that is a mouthful-but so are these.  I have become addicted to homemade doughnuts-especially these and especially the cinnamon sugar version of these.  There was something so comforting and so , well old fashioned , about rolling this dough and then pressing out the doughnut shapes.

 I reached my doughnut zen moment while making these.  It was a quiet Friday morning, J was at school teaching his class and I had the house to myself.  The early morning grey skies and drizzle had cleared and a little bit of actual sunshine was peaking over the backyard garage roof right into my little kitchen window.  As I mixed the batter I could watch the little sparrows and finches flitting around the backyard. 

In that moment I felt such contentment and gratitude for my life and I understood the meaning of comfort food.  Not only is there comfort in eating it but also comfort in making it.

Of course my little rose colored glasses blocked out all the dirty pots and pans piling up from making the 3 different dipping bowls but something so sweet and delicious doesn't come without effort.  This is actually a fairly simple recipe -don't be fooled by it's length and ingredient list.  If you want something quick and delicious make these and  just make the cinnamon sugar to roll them in-it was my favorite.

 It reminded me of being 10 years old again when mom would make toast in the morning and sprinkle her cinnamon sugar mix over it-yum.  Cinnamon sugar always puts me in that chair in my mother's kitchen if just for a moment.

 I do feel compelled to warn you though, eating these out of the frying pan, rolled in cinnamon sugar-crack doughnuts-highly addictive, highly habit forming and don't even remind me about the time needed on the treadmill.  But again, so worth it. Head over to Baked Sunday Mornings and see how everyone else did with these, you will also find the recipe there. And think about baking along with us. Get the book and get Baked.

Almond Joy Tart -Baked Sunday Mornings

Almond Joy Tart - just saying the words sets my taste buds on high alert.  I first made these for the Will Bake for Food bake sale we had in Seattle.  And they disappeared like the proverbial hotcakes.  As soon as people saw Almond Joy- I didn't have to explain anything. These were the first of my items to sell out. Next bake sale I'm going to triple the amount of Almond Joy Tarts that I bake. 

While this recipe has several components - none of the components by themselves are difficult to make.  You do need some good planning.  The tart dough needs to be  refrigerated from 1 hour to overnight.  The white ganache for the coconut cream filling needs to be refrigerated for 4 hours or overnight. And the chocolate glaze needs to set for about 10 minutes prior to application. And then the tarts need to be refrigerated for about 10 minutes while the glaze sets up.  Take the time and make these.  If you love the Almond Joy bar you are going to go crazy over these!

When I made these for the bake sale I made them as 4 inch tarts, today I decided to do just one tart-the amount of dough, coconut cream filling and chocolate ganache was perfect for a 10 inch tart.  And since it's that festive time of year, I dressed mine up for New Years with a little edible glitter. Happy New Years and enjoy !

And check out what my fellow bakers did over at Baked Sunday Mornings. Even better, buy the book and join our group.

My Will Bake for Food Almond Joy Tarts before they sold out !

Monkey Bubble Bread-Baked Sunday Mornings on the Oregon Coast

Making this  bread was as challenging as getting to the Oregon Coast in the middle of the Pineapple Express storm that hit the Pacific Northwest this week.  I've been somewhat incommunicado all week.  J and I , along with Hailey holed up at our favorite spot, Neskowin on the Oregon Coast.  It was crazy driving in the middle of the storm but well worth it once we arrived.

We found a new place through Grey Fox Vacation Rentals-The Chelan, right on the beach-perfect for storm watching.  And watch we did-one after another rolled in and we were tucked away with a fire blazing. 

We got very good at timing our walks on the beach by figuring out ,how far out the next storm looked.  Then we would suit up in our rain gear and take off-we only miscalculated once and got pelted by hail !  Pretty good I would say for a week at the beach.

But back to the Monkey Bubble Bread.  I thought this would be a good recipe selection right around the holidays-something warm and delicious to serve to out of town guests.  When I planned the recipe selection for the Baked Sunday Mornings group I didn't know I would be on the Oregon Coast,far away from house guests. 

And far away from my KitchenAid !  So I improvised-I decided that since the recipe was developed sometime in the 1940's it could have been made by hand, so that is what I did.  Everything was mixed with my own personal dough hook, also known as my right hand. 

It gave me a good feel for the dough developing and the texture it should be-smooth and just slightly tacky. It was very serendipitous making this in our little unit at the Chelan-since the Chelan hearkened back to the 40's  just like this bread.

Trust me if you make this you better have a house full of guests or else you will eat the whole thing-really-it's that good and that addictive.  We sat down in front of the fire, the sugary cinnamon caramel still warm and sticky,yum yum yum. 

Throw another log on the fire, tear off a piece and let the storm watching begin.  What a perfect way to spend the day. 

Check out everyone else's results at Baked Sunday Mornings.