Want to taste my Red Velvets? One dozen of my cupcakes are on auction right now at the Valentine’s Day Fundraiser for New Alternatives for LGBT Homeless Youth at Il Bastardo, 191 7th Ave, NYC. It’s a free entertainment program with a DJ, live performances and a silent auction. 100% of proceeds go to charity. Click here for event info!
I’ve been on a tart kick lately. Yes, sometimes even I need a break from cupcakes.
My husband and I received a beautiful blue Le Creuset tart baking dish as a wedding present (thank you, Lisa and family!), and I’d really been wanting to put it to use. A recent dinner invitation from friends gave me the first opportunity, though I made sure to confirm that I would be let in their door NOT carrying cupcakes.
I was set on a tart but was open to requests, and one of our hosts wanted strawberry and/or banana. Opting for the first, I began a recipe search. I knew I wanted a baked, warm tart to counter the cold weather. I started from Simply Recipe’s raspberry version, which sounded divine, and made a couple of modifications. I added about 1-1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice in the filling to up the tartness and used sliced strawberries instead of raspberries.
The crust was made with just flour, powdered sugar, and butter (it tasted like shortbread when baked). I’ve never owned a food processor, but I gained the use of two when my husband moved in. I was quickly won over, at least for making pastry dough.
I pre-baked the crust for about 20 minutes, covering it with parchment paper and dry beans as weights. I then filled the tart with a layer of chopped walnuts, strawberries, and an egg-based filling.
40 minutes later…
I artfully sprinkled powdered sugar over the top before wrapping it in foil and transporting.
The sugar had, of course, soaked in by the time it was unveiled. Next time, I’ll sprinkle the sugar just before serving, or skip it.
It didn’t matter once we were eating it. I call my first tart a success!
There’s nothing like a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows on a cold winter evening. And, boy, have we had some cold ones lately! Though it is currently in the 40s in NYC, I wouldn’t be surprised if we get back to single digits this winter. It is the age of wacky weather. 50° or 15°, though, a cup of cocoa is often just the thing.
My husband and I were triple booked on a recent cold Saturday night, so I made a big batch of “Hot Chocolate” to give cupcakes at each event. These were baked from my usual chocolate cupcake recipe that uses cocoa powder, which seemed appropriate. Any such chocolate recipe should do, I like Ina Garten’s (go for the good cocoa powder, as she suggests). I finished them off with marshmallow frosting (recipe below) and some bittersweet chocolate shavings.
Yields enough for 3 dozen cupcakes.
4 sticks butter (unsalted) at room temperature
2 jars Marshmallow Fluff® (7.5 oz. each)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat the butter and the fluff at medium speed. Shift to low and slowly add the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla and beat at high until fluffy.
Marshmallow Fluff®, unlike most actual marshmallows, does not contain gelatin. It does contain egg whites, so it is not vegan, but it is totally cool for lacto-ovo-vegetarians. If you are buying a different brand, make sure to check the ingredients.
Black and white cookies are a New York classic, so I thought I’d make a cupcake version for a returning native’s bridal shower.
For these, I baked straight from Bon Appetit. Why muck around when their test kitchens already perfected a recipe for black-and-white cupcakes? One of my co-hostesses found them on good ol’ Pinterest, and—after inspecting the ingredients for NYC b&w cookie authenticity—I carefully followed the directions.
The hardest part was getting the halves of icing exact. I had been thinking that any irregularities on the chocolate side would be more noticeable, so I did those first in case I needed to cover up imperfections. The white icing was not opaque enough, however, to allow for correcting when I added the second side. Next time, I might start with the white half.
They weren’t perfect, but I think they looked enough the part! And they tasted just right.
I believe it was the bride’s sister (and Woman of Honor) who called them “cupcookies” and began lobbying for more cupcake versions of various cookies. Maybe… What kind of cupcookies would you like to see?
I made cupcake wrappers from NYC subway maps and from a design on the shower invitations. Making your own wrappers is really easy to do. Offbeat Bride has a great tutorial including a template. I found that my cupcakes were smaller than the template, so I trimmed until they fit as I wanted.
A month before our recent wedding, my then-fiancé and I journeyed to Kansas so that he could meet my Maid of Honor (a.k.a. cousin Jenny), who lives in Lawrence. We had great meals at 715 and Free State, but I also had to insist that our group visit a bakery to try the local cupcakes.
Billy Vanilly
914 Massachusetts Avenue
www.billyvanillycupcakes.com
We chose Billy Vanilly, a bright and colorful bakery with pretty, fun-named cupcakes. They have 25 cupcake flavors on their menu each week, so there should be something to satisfy all cupcake lovers!
We bought the Mint Cookie Crunch, I Love Lemon, and 24 Carrot to sample.
The Mint Cookie Crunch made me think of ice cream. The mint icing was full of crushed Oreos, very tasty. The cake was also chock-full of crunchy cookie.
I thought the 24 Carrot was not that carroty, but the carrot cake fan among us liked it. She thought some nuts would make it perfect. (I’m anti-nut as far as carrot cake goes, but I do admit it’s not my favorite type of cake. Shocked? I know, sorry. Don’t worry, I will continue to make carrot cupcakes, one of my most requested flavors.)
The I Love Lemon was my favorite. Lemony! It has lemon cake, lemon curd and lemon icing and packs a powerful punch.
Overall, these cupcakes were, to quote my Maid of Honor, “Jewels of Worthiness.”
Click here for more photos from our cupcake tasting!
Billy Vanilly also has a location in Topeka. It is their original bakery and was the first cupcake store in Kansas.
