Raspberry Cupcakes

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Raspberry Cupcakes

I love making cupcakes. Coincidentally, I also love eating them. The flavor combinations are endless, and there is always a new recipe or spin that I want to try. The lemon cupcakes with blackberry buttercream have long been one of my favorites, so I thought a twist on those would be fun. A raspberry twist!

Went a little lighter on the lemon flavor in this version by just adding a bit of zest, and I also added some chopped raspberries into my usual vanilla cupcake batter. I loved seeing berries dotted throughout the cake once they were baked. It added a surprise burst of berry color and flavor, and added even more moisture to an already deliciously moist cake.

For the frosting I just add a bit of raspberry puree to my traditional vanilla buttercream – it gives it a gorgeous pink hue and natural raspberry flavor. A garnish of a single fresh raspberry really sets them off just perfectly.

They really are beautiful, and taste even better than they look – if you can believe it. A wonderful way to celebrate this warm spring weather that is finally gracing us with it’s presence. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Raspberry Cupcakes

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
16 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp lemon zest
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup fresh raspberries, roughly chopped

For the frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
fresh raspberries, for garnish

To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cupcake tins with paper liners, set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Beat on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of bowl and beat for 1 more minute. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Combine the buttermilk and vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer. Gently fold the chopped berries into the batter.

Fill the cupcakes liners 2/3 of the way full with batter (I like to use a large cookie scoop). Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Let cool in pan about 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, puree the raspberries in a small food processor. Strain the pulp out into a fine-mesh strainer. Using a rubber spatula, push the raspberry pulp through the sieve to remove the seeds. Discard the seeds, and set the pureed raspberries aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter over medium speed for 1 minute. Reduce speed to low, and carefully add in the confectioners sugar and the pinch of salt. Add the vanilla extract, as well as the raspberry puree. Increase speed to medium, and beat until smooth and frosting is combined.

Frost cupcakes as desired (I used Wilton 2D) and garnish with a fresh raspberry.

Orange Poppy Seed Cake

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Orange Poppy Seed Cake

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to the food and trade expo in Ocean City. It was great to sample all kinds of different new things, talk to folks at regional breweries, and just make new “foodie” friends in general. It made a great date day for Jon and I, and I think he had a little bit more fun than I did getting to sample all the delicious beers and cocktails that I couldn’t partake in – but I’m already looking forward to next year!

One product I was super excited to try was Natalie’s juices. They’re fresh pressed, and minimally pasteurized – leading to a juice that’s as fresh tasting as can be. I’d been following them on Instagram for a over a month now, after reading their review in Cook’s Illustrated – but hadn’t been able to find them locally in my rural location. Brandy, the regional rep, said that she’d gladly provide me with some samples to try out – and I gladly accepted!

We met at a local eatery in Salisbury last week, and she loaded me down with all kinds of goodies. Afterwards, William and I went inside and treated ourselves to a little snack – a cookie for him, and a slice of a delicious orange poppy seed cake for myself. I knew upon first bite that it was one that I had to come home and recreate, and what better time to do it with all that fresh-pressed citrus goodness waiting for me to do something with?

This cake is somewhere between a pound cake and a traditional cake – moist and dense, yet light and crumbly too. With the slight crunchy bites from the poppy seeds, it’s absolutely perfect. It’s baked in a Bundt pan, which makes it beautiful to begin with…but then I topped it with a delightful orange cream cheese buttercream for the “icing on the cake”, as it were. Everyone loved it!

Everyone also really loved the different varieties of juice Natalie’s sent us home with – everything from Strawberry Lemonade to Honey Tangerine Juice. I made a batch of lavender lemonade with the lemon juice they gave me last night, and it was so nice to have a taste of summertime without having to juice a million lemons on my own! Looking forward to trying their juices in some cocktails this summer, as I know that’s another spot where they will really shine.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Orange Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

3 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp salt
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange extract
2 drops orange food coloring (optional)

For the frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
3 Tbsp orange juice
2 drops orange food coloring (optional)

In a small bowl (or in the liquid measuring cup) soak the poppyseeds in the buttermilk for 30 minutes. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a Bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the sugar and oil. Beat on medium speed to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add in the orange juice, as well as the vanilla and orange extracts. Mix well to combine.

Add the flour in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk-poppy seed mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Add the food coloring, if using. Mix until just combined. Pour into prepared bundt pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on rack for 30 minutes before inverting and unmolding cake to cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. Add the confectioners sugar and beat carefully to combine. Add in the orange juice and the food coloring and beat until combined well. Place frosting in a pasty bag fitted with a round tip and pipe frosting over the cooled cake.

Cake can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

Source: cake adapted from Your Home Based Mom

Fresh Strawberry Syrup

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Homemade Strawberry Syrup

It’s the end of March, officially spring, and there’s 6-inches of snow on the ground outside my front door right now. While I love snow, I’ve had my fill of snow cream for the year. It astonishes me that it can be 70 degrees one day, and 20 the next!

One thing that does have me feeling like spring are the delicious strawberries I’ve been getting at the store recently. While snow might be still blanketing the ground here – in warm, sunny Florida it’s strawberry season! So whenever I see any berries from the sunshine state  in my local grocery store, I can’t pass them by without picking up a package. I haven’t had bad berries yet!

Most of the time they just get gobbled up, before getting the chance to be transformed into something else in a recipe. But, I did get a chance to make this delicious strawberry syrup a couple of weeks ago. It’s perfect over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, stirred into a cold glass of milk, served over hot Belgian waffles, or mixed into a cocktail to give it a fruity twist. It’s also wonderful to toss with some fresh sliced strawberries and then pour into a graham cracker crust for an easy, but delicious dessert.

The batch I made barely lasted a week, and I’ve already made it a couple of times since then. It’s so wonderfully versatile, and it’s nice to have that burst of fresh strawberry flavor in my refrigerator anytime I’d like!

Fresh Strawberry Syrup

4 cups strawberries, rinsed and hulled
1 3/4 cups of water
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

Crush the berries in a heavy saucepan. Add one cup of water and the lemon zest. Bring mixture to boil then reduce heat to a simmer for five minutes. Skim any foam that forms off the top.

After five minutes of simmering, set the mixture aside to cool.

Meanwhile, place the sugar and the remaining 3/4 cup of water in a small, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until the syrup reaches 260°F on a candy thermometer. Set aside.

Strain cooled strawberry mixture through cheesecloth, squeezing to separate the majority of the seeds.

Pour the strained strawberries into a heavy saucepan with the sugar syrup. Bring to a boil and cook for eight minutes.

Store in Mason jar or another air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Source: adapted from StrawberrySue.com

Blackberry Yogurt Cake

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Blackberry Yogurt Cake

Well, it’s officially spring! Which, is kind of hard to believe considering we just had another snow day on Monday. Bygones! Hoping the warmer weather is here to stay, because we’re all ready for it in this house. And, I can’t think of a better way to welcome warmer days than by baking a delicious cake studded with plenty of fresh berries.

I’ve made a Strawberry Yogurt Cake in the past, that was absolutely delicious. So I took that as a base and substituted fresh blackberries for the strawberries. Talk about another homerun! It was moist and dense, everything that a Bundt cake should be – with the juicy and tart whole blackberries studded throughout the cake. Absolutely delicious.

Instead of a glaze, I went with something a little more heavy duty…adding more confectioner’s sugar to the mix, as well as some blackberry puree that I blended up with a few of the berries. It gave the glaze a gorgeous purple hue that really set the cake off, and let you know what was hiding inside.

Another new favorite, for sure. Will have to try it with raspberries and blueberries next, as I know those combos are sure to be winners as well. Have a great weekend everyone!

Blackberry Yogurt Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups fresh blackberries

For the glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup fresh blackberries, pureed
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan (10-15 cup pan.) Sift together the 2 1/4 cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated. Add the buttermilk and the vanilla, and mix until combined.

Toss the blackberries with the remaining 1/4 cup of flour. Gently fold them into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool at least 20 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack that’s set over a sheet pan to cool completely.

Once the cake has cooled, prepare the glaze. If you don’t like seeds, strain the blackberry puree through a fine mesh strainer before proceeding. Whisk all the glaze ingredients together until well combined. Pour over the top of the cake and let set up for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving.