Last Minute Cupcakes with Melty Chocolate

I don't know about your little ones, but when my daughter comes home from school, she is famished!  Living in Italy, we often stop by the local bread shop, pick up a few mini pizzas with sausage, and she is one happy little lady.  But then there are days where all my little pinkalicious princess wants is a cupcake.

The other day, Laela came home from a long day of learning and playing, begging for something that sweet that she could help create.  In a moment, I was bamboozled into making quickie cupcakes that I found in the Nigella Express cookbook.  They are ridiculously easy, and when topped with some chocolate (that you can easily melt over low heat on the stove, or in the microwave for a few seconds), you feel like you're throwing the most fancy of tea parties.

For the cupcakes you'll need:

• 1/2 stick plus 1Tb soft butter
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tsp sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (or if you live in Italy and only have powdered vanilla, use about a quarter packet of the vanilla powder.  No more, or it will be a vanilla BOMB.)
• 1 TB milk

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 400-degrees farenheit
• Line muffin pan with paper liners/grease muffin pan with butter (I just stick a hunk of butter into a paper towel and spread it around each muffin section evenly).
• Cream the butter and sugar either in a bowl by hand or with an electric mixer (it should look creamy and well blended, kind of like icing).
• Add the eggs, one at a time with a little of the flour, mixing as you go.
• Fold in the remaining flour, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and milk.
• Spoon the batter into paper liners/greased muffin pan, dividing equally.
• Put in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until cooked and golden on top. (you can test with a fork or toothpick.  If it comes out clean, they're done.)
• Let cool on a clean counter or wire rack.

For the topping:

Nigella recommends using whipped cream:

-Whip 1 cup heavy cream, once fluffy, put a dollop on top of the cupcakes. 

My daughter and husband are chocolate lovers, so I simply melt a half a bar of chocolate (4 or 5oz- doesn't matter if it's light/dark/milk/white) in a small pot on low heat.  I dip each cupcake in the pot, turning a circular motion as I lift from the pot to remove any excess chocolate. Continue with each cupcake.  If you have the willpower, allow the chocolate on the cupcake to cool before serving. (This seldom happens in my house.)

Enjoy!

(note the melted cioccolato allll over my little girl's happy face!)

(**This recipe is from Nigella Express, page 187 by Nigella Lawson)

Lazy Le Mont Blanc

Happy New Year everyone!

I don't know about you, but this holiday season has been busy busy busy!  Holiday parties, school activities, and then some much needed family time has kept my family on the go for the last few weeks. 

This Saturday is La Befana, which is the evening before the day of the Epiphany.  In Italy, the night before the Epiphany,  La Befana comes.  The short version of this Italian tradition is this: Befana is an old woman that flies down the chimney and brings treats/small gifts to the good children, and coal to the naughty ones to celebrate the eve before the wise men brought the gifts to Jesus.  You might be thinking, "isn't that what Santa does?"  Italians will argue with you that there is a major difference. Trust me ... don't fight the Italians on this one.  Just accept that you get to leave the lady some cookies and wine and enjoy the extra goodies. 

When the Epiphany is over, my husband is going back to work, Laela back to school, and I will be starting Italian lessons (yay! finally!  I'm going native!)  What's ridiculous, is that I'm most looking forward to my Italian lessons so that I can take some of the cooking classes that I found that are taught by super cute Nonna's who speak Italianglish.  I want to really understand them so that I can share what I learn with you all...and so I can eat more lasagne...

Speaking of lasagne, I had the BEST lasagne the other day.  My buddy Sandro made lasagne that was so good, if I were dropped in a vat of it, I'd eat my way out.  Seriously.  When he forks over the recipe, trust me, I'll be making it for you all!

Until then, let me share this little nugget...

We went to dinner at a friends' house for Christmas.  I was feeling a bit lazy, but I had promised a posh dessert.  What did I make, might you ask?

The lazy person's Le Mont Blanc.

Lazy Le Mont Blanc

You'll need:

• 4 oz good quality chocolate, finely chopped (I used dark chocolate, 50% cocoa- use whatever you have on hand, or what you prefer)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 10 medium sized meringue cookies (I made my own, feel free to use packaged.)
• (1) 1lb jar of vanilla infused or plain chestnut puree/spread

Instructions:

*The Nigella Express book that I found this recipe in calls for semisweet chocolate and 2 meringue nests (approx. 3in diameter each, from a packet).  I felt that Nigella would understand my lack of desire to traipse out into the rain to switch up from my chocolate choice. 
           As for the meringue, I had just made budino di cioccolato.  Since I had the leftover egg whites, I whipped up an easy meringue.  First of all, heat your oven to 375 degrees farenheit.  In a metal bowl, I whipped 3 egg whites until they had light peaks.  Then I beat in 1tsp cream of tartar and 1/8 tsp salt.  Once stiff peaks were formed, I gently and gradually beat in 3/4 cup of sugar.  Once a stiff meringue (a whitish-silver, smooth textured mixture, that when you pull up on your beater, the mixture leaves a point- like a peak- is what you'll be looking for) is formed, you can be fancy and put the mixture into a piping bag and swirl them into circles, or you can use a spoon to plop them onto the baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Place the meringue cookies into the oven.  Turn the oven off.  Do not open it for two hours.  The longer you leave the cookies in the oven, the crunchier they'll be!  Easiest. Cookie. Recipe. Ever.  And people will think you're a rock star for being able to make a fantastic meringue.

Now, back to business...

• Get out 6 pretty glasses, or one pretty serving bowl. 
• Sprinkle the chocolate evenly among the 6 glasses, or evenly in the serving bowl.
• Whip the cream and vanilla.  Once it has formed the consistency of whipped cream, crumble meringue (I saved 6 for topping the mont blanc, but you don't have to), and gently fold it into the whipped cream. 
• **A note on folding.  You are not folding clothes, and it is not the same as folding dough.  If you mix it, the whipped cream will get watery.  You want to gently scrape the sides of the bowl, and gently, gently, swirl in the meringue.  This is not one of those things that you have to get perfect, or that you have to make sure everything is evenly distributed.  Put down the OCD for a minute, and just let it be.
• Evenly distribute and spread the chestnut cream/puree in the glasses.
• Top with cream and a meringue if you have extra, or are feeling fancy.

Enjoy!

Mini Apple Crumble

I love apple crumble.  I love how it makes the house smell, I love its warm, cinnamony goodness, and I love that it means that fall is here!  Unfortunately, I'm the only one in my house that loves it, so I've had to learn to modify the recipe.

This is probably the hands-down easiest dessert that I've ever made.  Give it a try!  You know you're looking for an excuse to go apple picking, so here it is!


Mini Apple Crumble
Serves 2-3 people

You'll need:

• 2 apples (I prefer Granny Smith), peeled and choopped/cubed/sliced
• 3 Tb Cinnamon
• 1 Tb Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)
• 1 Tb Butter
• 1/4 cup Quick oats

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 350-degrees.
• In a small (2-3 cup) ramekin or corningware bowl (oven safe!!), mix the apples, 2Tb cinnamon, and 1 tsp sugar (I don't use the sugar, but on the rare occasion that Laela wants cooked apples, she prefers it with sugar).
• In a small mixing bowl, mix the oats, butter, brown sugar, and 1 Tb cinnamon into a crumble mixture.
• Sprinkle the crumble over the apples.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Serve and enjoy!

Chocolate Lava Cake

If you're looking for a delicious, quick and easy dessert to make for your friends and family, here's one of my absolute favorites:

Chocolate Lava Cake

4 Baker's Semi Sweet Chocolate Squares
1/2 stick butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp flour

PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Butter four 3/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet.

MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk. Stir in flour. Divide batter among prepared custard cups.
BAKE 13 to 14 min. or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 min. Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately.

This can serve 4-8 people, depending on the hunger level, and if you're serving it with ice cream or not.  It's a very filling dessert!

If you want to make this ahead of time, just prepare the mixture and add it to the buttered custard cups.  Then cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it.  When you're ready to bake the cake, let the cups sit out for a half hour before you put them in the oven.
Also, this recipe turns out best when you put the cakes in the middle rack and don't open the oven to check them until the 13 minutes is up.

Happy baking and good luck!!