Iron Cupcake: Earth--Romance

For this month's Iron Cupcake: Earth the challenge is to create a cupcake with the theme of Romance. I immediately thought of one of the world's best-loved love stories: Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.


Initially, I planned on researching what types of cakes would be eaten in Regency England, and then use them as inspiration for a cupcake. After a little internet browsing, I really wasn't inspired, so I turned to my Google bookshelf for some antique cookbooks. What I found was a recipe for Queen Cakes which I noticed were to be baked in tins. Other cakes called for only one tin, so this made me wonder if these could be considered cupcakes.

From The Experienced English Housewife, by Elizabeth Raffald, 1786, p. 271.

Curious, I focused my research to Queen Cakes. The recipes I found vary little as it is basically a pound cake. The few variations have to do with flavoring and the types of bakeware used. Below are a few examples I found interesting:

1739- The House-Keeper's Pocket-Book, bake in patty-pans, glaze after baking.
1786- The Experienced English Housewife, recipe above
1820- The Practice of Cookery, Pastry and Confectionary, bake in small, ribbed petty-pans
1840- A New System of Domestic Cookery, bake in little tins, tea-cups, or saucer
1864- Modern Cookery for Private Families, heart-shaped tins are the usual by now

After spending several hours pouring through these and other antique books, my husband reminded me that Alton Brown covered the history of cupcakes in his Good Eats episode "Honey I Shrunk The Cake" which if I had thought of sooner, would have saved me a lot of time. Although Brown says the modern cupcake is an American invention, cupcake roots go back to the 18th Century Queen Cakes. {Go here to read the transcript, Scenes 2, 3 & 6}

So, I think it's safe to assume that if Mr. Darcy were going to eat a cupcake, this is what it would look like:

Cupcakes for Mr. Darcy
(Makes 24 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

4 sticks unsalted butter
16 ounces all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
8 eggs (appx. 16 ounces)
8 ounces currants (if you cannot find them, you may use raisins)
pinch of salt
Flavoring/Spices:
1/2 tablespoon rosewater
or
1 tsp. mace
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place liners in muffin pan or grease with butter and flour ramekins or teacups.
With your stand mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, waiting for each to be fully incorporated. Add the salt and flavoring or spices and continue beating until fully incorporated. With mixer on lowest speed, add the flour in three installments, making sure each portion is fully incorporated before adding the next. When the batter is smooth, fold in the currants.

Scoop the batter into the cups, filling quite high. Bake for 20 minutes (longer if using ramekin or cup) or until golden on top. Let cupcakes cool. Top with sifted powdered sugar or make a thin glaze by mixing a half cup of sifted powdered sugar with enough hot water to make a slightly cloudy mixture. Dip the cupcake in the liquid and let the excess drain off, then set aside to dry.

Click here for the Printable Recipe at Tasty Kitchen.

Since they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, perhaps you'd like to invited someone special to tea...

"Do have another cupcake, Mr. Darcy."

Or perhaps you prefer Colonel Brandon?

*Sigh*

*Special thanks to Janet Clarkson, The Old Foodie, for helping me out in the cookbook department.

Iron Cupcake: Earth Voting and Prizes

Voting will begin no later than Sunday, February 28th at 8 p.m. at NO ONE PUTS CUPCAKE IN A CORNER, http://www.ironcupcakemilwaukee.com and will be open through Thursday, March 4th at 12 noon. Winner will be posted the night of March 4th, before 11:59 p.m.

Our Generous IronCupcake:Earth Prize Providers:

•The Demy™ by Key Ingredient
•Hello, Cupcake by Karen Tack & Alan Richardson
•Bella Cupcake Couture
•Cupcake Stackers by Gourmac
•The Cake Mix Doctor Returns! by Anne Byrne
•Beautiful Baking Liners by Vestli House
•Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Bakery & Cupcakey Supply

Apple Dipple Cake

 

Nana makes this cake often as it is one of her favorite recipes. She made it this Christmas and took it to the family Christmas party. The recipe was given to her in the early 1960's by her good friend Dot Powell. I haven't made this yet, but it is so good I have to go ahead and share it with you.

Apple Dipple Cake

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup Wesson oil
2 cup sugar
3 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large apples (chopped)
1 cup Angel-Flake coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Beat eggs, oil and sugar together. Blend in flour, soda, vanilla and salt. This makes a stiff batter, so beat well. Fold in chopped apples, coconut and chopped pecans. Bake in bundt pan or 2 loaf pans in 350 degree oven for one hour.

Topping
1 stick margarine
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup milk

Cook all together for 3 minutes after mixture comes to a boil. Pour over cake while cake and topping is still hot. Leave cake in pan in refrigerator overnight so topping can soak into cake.

Inspiration

If you know me, then you probably know why I haven't had a new post in a while. Yep, that's right...morning sickness. Not really been up to doing much in the kitchen, but I'm slowly getting there. Here is a post I've been saving for a cold day, and since it's snowing outside my window right now, I'd say it's a good time to post it.

When I was young, I had some cookbooks designed for children. I poured over these books looking at the pictures of all the things I could make. I'd love to say that I cooked up all kinds of tasty things from these books, but I honestly can't remember making anything but a sandwich where you spread peanut butter on the inside of a hot dog bun and then add a peeled banana to finish it off. At that age I was intrigued with cooking and while there were some foods that I enjoyed cooking, it wasn't until I was in college that I really found my love for all things culinary.

I give some credit to my roommate Martha for inspiring me to be more knowledgeable in the kitchen. She could take what seemed like random items from the fridge and throw them together to make an amazing meal. More credit goes to my friends Trevor and Pauline. Having spent several weeks in their home one summer, I watched this amazing team serve delicious food from their kitchen. Soon, I eagerly began to watch the Food Network and search for inspiration on the many websites devoted to food. I found this recipe when I was in college, and it has been a favorite ever since.




Creamy Lemon Chicken with Vegetables
serves 4

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts (Sometimes I cut into large cubes)
1/4 tsp pepper
salt to taste
1 tbsp butter
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
grated peel and juice of 1 large lemon
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) mixed peas and diced carrots, drained
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or half that dried)


Season both sides of your chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat and melt butter. Add your chicken to the skillet and cook until nice and brown and cooked thoroughly, (about 3 minutes each side.) Add soup, lemon peel and juice, and stir well to incorporate with the drippings from the chicken. Turn heat to medium-low, cover the skillet and let simmer for about 5 minutes, stir every couple of minutes to keep sauce from sticking. Add the vegetables and parsley, cover and simmer a couple of minutes until entire dish is completely heated. Serve with wild and long grained rice.

Click here for the Printable Recipe at Tasty Kitchen!

Christmas Brunch

It's Christmas morning. The tiny tots wake up before dawn excited and you all meet around the tree to see what Santa brought. Then it's time to open the gifts to each other. You've spent time carefully considering what to buy your loved ones. You've wrapped packages, decorated them with gift tags and bows, and now it's time to tear in. Wait, no, not so fast! Let's savor this time. Let's see the joy and excitement on each face. Yeah, that's better.

OK, so not every family is like mine. We patiently take turns opening presents, one at a time please, we can't be greedy. We see what each person receives and we know from whom it was given. There's eight of us, so uh, yeah, it's gonna take a while. After all the presents are opened and the excitement has died down, our stomachs start rumbling. It's time for brunch.


Christmas morning is not the time to be in the kitchen when you can be enjoying your family and maybe some new gadgets. Here's a recipe given to me by my friend Wanda. It's the most requested item this Holiday season, and it's so easy to make. What's better is that you could make these the night before Christmas and serve them without doing anything more than warming them in the oven for a few minutes.

Bacon and Cheese Puffs
Makes 24 puffs


Ingredients:
1 block of cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded),
2-3 ounces bacon bits (You can use more if you must)
1 can of flaky biscuits (8 count)


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, milk, Parmesan cheese, and bacon bits until well blended. Divide each biscuit into thirds by separating the layers evenly. Place each biscuit third into mini muffin cups and press into the cup to make a shell. Fill each shell with about a teaspoon of the mixture. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or room temperature.

Click here for the printable recipe at Tasty Kitchen.

Hot Potatoes!

 

When I want a special side dish for a special occasion, it must be roasted potatoes. They are so yummy and easy to make, there is no reason to pass on making these babies!

I've had potatoes mashed, baked, boiled, fried, scalloped, au gratin and hashed. I've had tater tots, French fries, potato dumplings, potato soup, potato bread, potato chips, and probably other preparations of potatoes that I can't think of right now. Yet there is something special about roasted potatoes.

I learned to make roasted potatoes while staying with some friends in England. Roast Potatoes are a staple in British cuisine. You'll find them most often in the Sunday Lunch and as a part of the Christmas spread as well. I guarantee they will be on my table this Christmas!

Roasted Potatoes

6 large potatoes, peeled and quartered

1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Kosher salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water, adding a little salt to season the water. Bring the water to a boil and boil potatoes for 5 minutes. Drain the water and return the potatoes to the pot. Cover the pot with its lid and holding the lid in place shake the pot to "rough up" the potatoes.

Place the potatoes in a roasting pan and drizzle with the oil and toss the potatoes to coat well. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Place pan in the oven and roast for about 50 minutes. Turn potatoes at least once halfway through cooking to allow for even browning. Once the potatoes have browned as you like them, remove from oven and place on a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Serve warm, but be careful that you don't eat them strait from the oven or you may burn your mouth!

Once you have learned to make roast potatoes, you can modify the recipe to create different versions. For example, changing the oil to a goose fat or the drippings from a roast will change the flavor. Try adding different herbs or spices. Roast the potatoes in olive oil and add fresh rosemary. I like using vegetable oil, salt and pepper and adding carrots that have been cut into large chunks. The possibilities are endless!

Click here for the Printable Recipe at Tasty Kitchen.

Sinister Santas

If you haven't been following Cake Wrecks, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Cake Wrecks is only the funniest blog on the planet, with pictures of insane cakes to laugh at each day, (well, actually Sundays are for nice cakes so we know how bad the others are.)

If you haven't seen today's post, then hop on over and check it out, and then I'm sure you'll want this card for all your friends!

Santa is Watching by cakewrecks
Shop for a greeting card at zazzle

And of course, if you've been a fan of Cake Wrecks for any length of time, this little guy is near and dear to your heart...

Marry Christmas by cakewrecks
Browse more Carrot jockey Cards

See more Wreckwear at the cakewrecks Zazzle Store!

Oh, and you HAVE to get the Cake Wrecks book! It's like the blog, but in book form, with more stories and new cakes! I was trying to look at it over Thanksgiving, and it took me about two days because everyone kept taking it from me to look at it themselves. {You can find links to the book on the Cake Wrecks blog.}

Drenched in Custard

It's December and the most glorious time to be in the kitchen if you ask me. There are so many delicious treats to be made and meals to be prepared! When it comes to Christmas and food, I like to try new things, but I also like to prepare traditional dishes as well.

As I was thinking about what I wanted to prepare this year, I remembered a Christmas a while back when we visited some friends and had boiled custard. It was delicious! I don't know the exact history of boiled custard, although this type of custard seems to be traditional in the Southern United States. Custard in general has a long history of creating and complimenting dishes both sweet and savory.

My friend Pam has generously shared her recipe with me and now I'm passing it on to you! Enjoy this custard hot or cold, in a glass, or drenching your dessert!

Pam's Boiled Custard

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup plain flour
1 gallon whole milk
6 eggs, separated
Vanilla to taste (about 2 large "cook spoons")

Put milk in a double boiler (or if you don't have one, set your pan in a skillet of water). Mix together sugar and flour and slowly stir into milk. Add egg yolks (be sure you do this before the milk gets too hot so your eggs don't cook too fast). Stir until milk comes to a boil. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Add vanilla." Allow to cool slightly. Beat egg whites and fold in. Serve in a pitcher.