Allison Cafe

Guiness and Bailey Irish Carbomb Cupcakes

Well friends I am thrilled to share with you that not only did I get the corned beef right this year, I also tried a new cupcake recipe that was so yummy I could not believe how easy it was. These cupcakes have Guinness in the cake batter, Bailey’s in the chocolate ganache center and Bailey’s and Kaulua in the frosting. YUM!! To save time you could omit the ganache, but who wants to miss out on that yummy chocolaty center, not me!

Here is the recipe from IrishCentral.com, with a couple of my tweaks. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Serving: 12 cupcakes

For the Baileys ganache filling:

For the Baileys butter cream frosting:

Preparation

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine the stout and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and Greek yogurt to blend.

Add the stout-butter mixture slowly and beat just to combine. (Allison’s Note: if the stout mixture is still warm you don’t want to cook the egg, so add it in a little at a time) Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the ganache filling, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, then pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is not completely melted, place the bowl over a double boiler or give it a very short burst in the microwave (15-20 seconds). Add the butter and Baileys and stir until combined. (Allison’s Note: you can do this step as a double boiler, simply place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over top a small saucepan filled 1/3 full with water, add the cream and heat until chocolate is melted, then add butter and Baileys and stir; remove from heat). Set aside to let the ganache cool until it is thick enough to be piped. (You can use the refrigerator to speed the cooling process, but be sure to stir every 10 minutes or so to ensure even cooling.)

Meanwhile, cut out a portion from the center of the cupcake using the cone method (a small paring knife works best for this). Once the ganache has reached the correct consistency, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a wide tip and pipe it into the cupcakes. (Allison’s Note: you can also dip the tops of the cupcakes into the ganache just before it cools completely and allow the ganache to harden on the top of the cupcake before piping the frosting)

To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated. Mix in the Baileys and Kahlua until smooth. Add more if necessary until the frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes as desired.

hmmmm....dark chocolate lava cake!

Happy Belated Valentines Day to everyone! We enjoyed our day in sunny SoCal yesterday and found ourselves so thankful for our beautiful life together. My husband made the most delicious dinner of grilled lack of lamb on a bed of swiss chard with pomme frites and a beet salad with feta cheese and argula. It was so good that I do not have any photos, we enjoyed it too much!

Dessert was my domain yesterday. And we did pause for a brief moment to snap a quick photo (above). I debated what sort of healthy chocolate decadence to create. I settled on a recipe I found in my Better Homes and Gardens New Bridal Edition cookbook. The results were similar to a chocolate souffle but the recipe was much faster to make. And the best part is that you can make it up to step 4 and then just keep it chilled until 30 minutes before you intend to bake it, meaning that it is a great dinner party dessert with unbelievably rich and delicious, souffle-like  results.

Here is the recipe: (more…)

Babycakes Vegan Chocolate Cupcake

By Allison Baloglu, for YourSmartKitchen

Something struck me as funny today. Chocolate is so often associated with sweet treats, but actually if you have ever sampled pure cocoa, it is actually bitter. And if you have ever read the ingredients on most chocolate bars, they have to add sugar to get the sweet flavor we enjoy. Sometimes the milk chocolate bars we have grown to love are less than 50% chocolate. Which means that for milk chocolate lovers, you may actually be more addicted to the sugar than the chocolate. And white chocolate does not even contain chocolate solids, it is simply cocoa butter, sugar and milk. But some good news for you dark chocolate lovers out there: dark chocolate is full of healthy antioxidants. Dark chocolate treats are usually over 65-70% chocolate solids, or cocoa, content.

So what’s so healthy about dark chocolate anyway? Chocolate contains flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants, which are found in a variety foods, protect the body from aging and promote good cardiovascular health. They do this by neutralizing “free radicals” in the body, which are molecules that cause cell damage. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants. And while there are several studies pending to determine exactly how many antioxidants there are in chocolate, there is significant evidence to suggest that a small serving of chocolate contains equal amounts to red wine, or other fruits and vegetables. Flavonoids can help lower blood pressure, lower LDL cholesterol, and balance certain hormones in the body.

Dr. Oz on Oprah, Antioxident Rich Foods

Still not sure I completely understood what an antioxidant really did, I watched an episode of Dr. Oz on Oprah’s television program. He conducted a visual representation that really clicked with me and helped me to understand how they perform. Common antioxidants are vitamins C, E and beta-carotene. So as an example Dr. Oz had a lemon, which contains vitamin C, and some apple slices on a table. He explained that the term antioxidant means just that, it combats oxidation. When you slice an apple it will turn brown when left out and exposed to oxygen. But, if you squeeze lemon juice on the apple it prevents, or at least delays, the oxidation process. Seeing that example made sense to me. So imagine those antioxidants, like vitamin C for example, are hard at work inside your body too. This is why consuming these vitamins has so many benefits, including keeping your skin looking young and firm. That must be why the Greeks say to make food your medicine!

Now, this does not mean that just because cocoa powder and dark chocolate contain all these health benefits that you can over indulge. Like with anything else in your diet, moderation is key. Chocolate when consumed as part of a balanced diet can be a heart healthy treat. In addition to tasting good and lowering blood pressure, it also stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure; it contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant; and it contains theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants. Theobromine by the way is the ingredient that makes this substance so toxic for pets. Their systems are not able to unable to metabolize the chemical effectively. So keep it to yourself and enjoy!

P.S.

I am going to be whipping up some tasty Valentines Day creations this week, stay tuned for Flourless Chocolate Cake, or Chocolate Souffle, whichever sounds tastier later this week!!

What is your favorite chocolate recipe? And remember, chocolate can be savory or sweet, it isn’t just for dessert!

Babycakes NYC Chocolate Cupcake and Chocolate Frosting

Babycakes NYC Cookbook (More than just cupcakes!)

Well after months of experimenting with the recipes from the new Babycakes NYC cookbook, (which by the way would make an excellent holiday gift for any baker in your life) I have finally successfully made the famed frosting! The frosting is gluten-free and vegan, so the only ingredients include soy milk, coconut oil, vanilla and a few other ingredients. It is the most unusual frosting I have ever made. For starters it only involves a blender and refrigeration to make the frosting.

I called this my Goldilocks frosting attempt because the first time I made it, the frosting was too runny. The next time I made it, the frosting was too thick. And the third time I made it, the frosting was just right! If you are new to vegan baking, the ingredients can be hard to find. The first time I made the frosting I could not locate the dry powdered soy milk which the recipe called for, so I substituted powdered goat’s milk. Hence the sub-par results in texture. It tasted good, but it didn’t set up right no matter my efforts to follow Erin‘s tips. I think the goat’s milk must not have the same properties as the soy milk perhaps. I’m not sure, I unfortunately wasn’t into the science of it, I just wanted it to work!

I finally found dry powdered soy milk at Whole Foods, although it was not my first time looking there. I found it in a display by the produce and at a different location than the La Jolla store that I usually frequent. I found it across town, in Hillcrest (San Diego). Anyway, with the excitement of my find at Whole Foods, I hurried home to make the frosting again. This time the frosting was too thick. No matter how long I left it at room temperature, it never became smooth enough to use as frosting. I’m not sure what I did wrong this time, my only guess is that I might not have used the correct measurements. You see, I have a bad habit of loosely measuring items when baking. So I put the soy milk aside and didn’t think about frosting for awhile until I had a birthday in the family and a request for vegan cupcakes. As I started setting the ingredients on the counter I remembered my past lessons. I was obsessive this time about measuring accurately. And guess what? It worked! The frosting turned out just right.

It has a creamy texture and distinct coconut flavor. It does not have butter, but it does use coconut oil so it is not completely fat free. But I like to think it is a healthy version of frosting, or at least a safe option for mixed diets. The best part is that it tastes delicious! A little warning though, you do need to store the frosted cupcakes in the fridge until about 15-20 minutes before you plan to serve them. Otherwise the frosting might melt as it comes to room temperature. That is the only thing that makes this frosting a bit of a challenge. The best plan is to make the frosting the day prior and bake the cupcakes the morning of your event. Allow them to cool completely. And then frost just before serving. This way the cupcake does not become dry from being refrigerated.

P.S.

Babycakes NYC is getting closer to opening their LA location, stay tuned to their blog for updates!

Just a few chips on top gives just enough chocolate sweetness, without overwhelming the muffin

Continuing on my vegan baking adventures, I recently discovered a great way to make pumpkin bread minus the butter. These vegan muffins (or bread, the recipe works for either) had great flavor and texture. The lack of butter didn’t diminish the quality at all, in fact the addition of coconut milk gave them a rich and sweet flavor. The coconut and walnuts compliment the pumpkin nicely. The only complaint I had after sampling them was that the pumpkin flavor was not as strong as I would have liked. But for some, that probably is a good thing, depending on your love for pumpkin. And when you add a few dark chocolate chips on top, it makes for an extra sweet treat.

Coconut Pumpkin Muffins

Makes approx. 2 dozen muffins, or 2 loaf pans 8″x4″

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1 15oz can of organic pumpkin puree, unsweetened
• 3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal
• 1 cup Trader Joe’s light coconut milk
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/4 cup vegan dark chocolate chips

Preparation

Sweet and Healthy Vegan Chocolate Chip Coconut Pumpkin Muffins

Grease and flour two 8″x4″ loaf pans or line 2 muffin pans with muffin liners. (or 1 loaf pan and 1 muffin pan) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl combine the flour, wheat germ, agave, pumpkin, coconut oil, flaxseed meal, coconut milk, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mix well with a whisk until combined, being careful not to over mix and make the batter “tough”. Begin to fold in the coconut and nuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and/or scoop the batter into the muffin liners, filling them 2/3 full. Place a few dark chocolate chips on top of each muffin or along the top of the loaf pan mixtures. Bake the loaf pans for about 1 hour and the muffin pans for about 25 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool completely and store wrapped in plastic wrap or an airtight container. The cooked product can also be frozen for 1-2 weeks.

This is my second attempt at making the healthy chocolate chip cookies from the newly released Babycakes cookbook. And I even though the first batch got rave reviews from my husband and his co-workers, I think this second batch turned out even better. Since Erin’s recipes in the cookbook have evolved from years of perfection, I followed the recipe EXACTLY last time. I learned my lesson when I didn’t read the recipe completely before making the cupcakes. Feeling a little more confident this time, I made some variations and they turned out scrumptious. Since I don’t have a gluten-free diet, I wanted to incorporate the whole wheat flour this time. And I also tried adding some shredded coconut as well. Yum! Once you try these, you won’t want to make the traditional version of chocolate chip cookies ever again!

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I’m always looking for any excuse to make cupcakes and more importantly share with them friends and family so I don’t eat them all! For Easter I decided to put a twist on a favorite recipe and add some Easter creativity. I added shredded coconut that I dyed green with food coloring to the top of these cupcakes. Then I added some jelly beans to look like a nest and Peeps to the top of some of the cupcakes instead of jelly beans. The result? Easter fun! Here is the recipe (click “more” below).

Easter Peep Bunny

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Last week I purchased zucchini in bulk from Trader Joe’s with a plan to use the package of 8 medium zucchinis for several recipes. Today I made a basic recipe for zucchini bread with my own twist, chocolate and hazelnuts! But instead of baking the entire recipe in 2 loaf (8.5×4.5×2.5 inch) pans, I divided the batter into 2 mini muffin pans and 1 loaf pan. The mini muffins are perfect size for sharing the recipe and as an added bonus you get the great taste with a smaller serving size. (Of course that only helps if you don’t devour 3 muffins instead of 1. But I can’t help it the dark chocolate adds just enough sweetness to make this a healthy but yummy treat.) Makes 1 loaf and 24 mini muffins or 2 loaves.

Zucchini Bread with Chocolate Chips and Hazelnuts (more…)