Macaron Recipe - Pumpkin Pie Spice Macarons with Caramel, Dark Chocolate Ganache, and Smoked Sea Salt

I'd seen plenty of macaron recipes online, but like many in the Cupcake Project Facebook community, I found macaron recipes intimidating.  I'd heard macaron recipe horror stories like, "It was raining outside so the macaron recipe didn't work at all," or "I over or under-mixed so the macaron recipe failed."  I had decided that macaron recipes weren't for me and that I should stick to cupcake recipes.

Amrita teaching St. Louis food bloggers how to make macarons.

Last week, however, things changed.  I was invited to learn the art of macaron making from fellow St. Louis food blogger and self-taught macaron expert Amrita of The Sweet Art.  Amrita made macaron recipes seem so easy - because they are.  Sure, there are a lot of steps and you've got to read the tips and tricks carefully, but if you can follow a cupcake recipe and make cupcakes, you can make macarons.  In fact, I'm going to go one step further and say that it is actually easier to make adorable macarons than cupcakes because you don't need to be an expert at making pretty swirls of frosting to make your macarons look like they were made by a professional pastry chef.

Red Wine Chocolate Ganache - This May Be My Favorite Ganache Ever

I thought a red wine chocolate ganache could be good, but I had no idea just how good it would be.  After tasting my red wine chocolate ganache, I wanted to give myself a standing ovation.  This may be the best ganache that I have ever made.  It's intensely chocolaty and buttery smooth with a robust sweetness from the wine.
Try the red wine chocolate ganache on your cupcakes (any will do, but I'll tell you about my wine and cheese cupcakes in my next post) or make a big pot of red wine chocolate ganache to dip fruit or bread into at your next wine party.  Don't be surprised when people start bowing down to you and begging you to make it again.

The Devil and The Monk

The story of The Devil and The Monk Cupcakes begins in 1812 with a beer...

Chocolate Ganache With the Magic of Cheese

Smooth, rich, indulgent chocolate ganache is always a smart choice for a sophisticated cupcake.  Imagine, if you will, making that chocolate ganache using not only your favorite dark chocolate, but also your favorite soft cheese.  What you end up with is a magical ganache that has a complexity that you won't soon forget.  You'll find that the bowl of ganache will have a magnetic pull on you.  You'll resist putting it into the sink because you'll always be able to find just one more lick of the chocolate - and wouldn't it be a shame to wash even the smallest taste down the drain?

Vegan Frosting - Chocolate Ganache Using Tofu

I wanted a vegan frosting that didn't require margarine (most vegan frosting recipes that I found online called for margarine - yuck). Finally, I found a vegan frosting sans margarine that was worthy of topping a vegan Cupcake Project cupcake. It's a vegan chocolate ganache where tofu takes the place of the typical cream.

I waited until they were done enjoying the vegan cupcakes with vegan frosting before telling my tasters that the frosting contained tofu. They were shocked. It was not at all obvious.


The main difference between the vegan chocolate ganache and other chocolate ganaches is the texture. Typically, ganaches have a lustrous sheen. The vegan ganache had a definite matte finish. The texture was also different - it was thick, almost like brownie batter (tasted like it, too!). More pics are coming when I post the cupcakes. It looks a bit more attractive once it's all smoothed out.

Vegan Frosting Recipe

I got the vegan frosting recipe concept from the Vegetarian Times. Here is my altered version.

• 1/2 C soft tofu (use less if you want it to be more creamy)
• 2 3/4 oz chocolate (use your favorite brand of chocolate here - semi-sweet or dark both work)
• 1/4 C sugar, optional (if you use dark chocolate or baking chocolate, you will need to add some sugar to give it sweetness)

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. (I usually microwave it. Put it in for thirty seconds, stir, and repeat until it's all melted.)
2. Pour the melted chocolate over the tofu and stir until combined.
3. If needed, mix in the sugar.
   

Lavender Pear Cupcakes with Vosges Bianca Ganache: A Tale of Two Groups of Tasters

Lavender Pear Cupcake Warning

If you are going to bring lavender pear cupcakes to a party, do not bring them to someone's house who has just made lavender-scented soap.

My cupcakes and I arrived at a friend's house who just happened to have blocks and blocks of lavender soap sitting out on the table curing. As newbies to the world of culinary lavender, how could my friends help but make an association between the soap and the lavender pear cupcakes? Most of my friends loved the moistness of the cupcakes, but thought:

a) Lavender tastes like soap.
b) The white chocolate frosting looked like gravy.

Bride 2.0 was actually a fan of this cupcake but thought it was too springy for their fall wedding.

Lavender Pear Cupcake Tasters Other Than The Soap Bunch

The second group of cupcake tasters were a group St. Louis food bloggers at a food blogger potluck. The majority of this group were not only familiar with culinary lavender, but were fans of it. This group loved the cupcakes. I can only assume that they were being honest. However, I don't think the bloggers group would have told me if they thought the frosting looked like gravy. That's why I keep my good friends around.

To see all the potluck food and food bloggers eating the food, check out J. Pollack Photography and enter keyword FOODBLOG at the bottom of any page.


Lavender Pear Cupcake Recipe

I created this lavender pear cupcake recipe by adding lavender to the bubbly pear cupcake recipe on Yumsugar. I am reprinting the recipe below with my modification and notes.

makes 24-30 cupcakes

• 2 3/4 C flour
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 2 sticks of lavender butter (Make this the night before - refer to this lavender butter recipe)
• 2 C sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• 3 medium sized pears (The Yumsugar recipe said to peel and grate them. I peeled and finely chopped them.)
• 1 C champagne

1. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar until well mixed and airy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next.
4. Slowly add in flour mixture a little bit at a time until it is fully incorporated.
5. Stir in vanilla and champagne.
6. Stir in pears.
7. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until top bounces back when touched.

Vosges Bianca Couture Cocoa Ganache Recipe

For the white chocolate ganache, I used Vosges Bianca Couture Cocoa (No, they did not sponsor this post. I'll always let you know if I get something for free). This cocoa contains Australian lemon myrtle, lavender flowers, vanilla, and white chocolate. I should also explain that it is not traditional cocoa powder. It is little pieces of white chocolate with all the seasonings mixed in. If you enjoy white chocolate (I say this because I don't -- not even when it's particularly good white chocolate like this), you are sure to love this stuff.

It does however cost $17, so use any old white chocolate with some lavender flowers and vanilla if you would prefer.

• 1 box Vosges Bianca Couture Cocoa or 2 C white chocolate chopped into small pieces with 1/2 t of culinary lavender and 1 t of vanilla.
• 1/2 C heavy cream

1. Heat the heavy cream until it just starts to boil.
2. Pour over the chocolate and stir until all the chocolate is melted.
3. Let cool slightly and spread on the cupcakes.

Spring Fruit Sensations Monthly Mingle

I am entering these cupcakes into the Spring Fruit Sensations Monthly Mingle hosted by Eat the Right Stuff. Check there for more spring fruit cooking inspiration.

Better Than Sex Cupcakes: Chocolate Times Five

When I made saffron cupcakes, I commented that Groom 2.0 really just wanted a plain chocolate cupcake. Those of you that read the comments saw that he was quick to correct me,

"I don't want a 'plain chocolate cupcake'. I want a phenomenal, rich, delectable, 'better than sex' chocolate cupcake. Milk chocolate? White chocolate? Dark chocolate? All of the the above. Not EVERY cupcake needs to
have an unusual flavor or a quirky ingredient. There's no reason that traditional has to mean boring. If I wanted a boring chocolate cupcake, I'd got to the store and buy a box mix and do it myself. I want the Cupcake
Project version."

I couldn't help but to see his point. I had to create a Better than Sex Cupcake that lived up to his hopes.

The Five Chocolate Parts of the Better Than Sex Cupcakes

I created cupcakes that have five different chocolate components:

Ferrero Rocher Cupcakes: Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with Hazelnut

Kimberly of Kimberly C Baking emailed me about the idea of a Ferrero Rocher cupcake. After I wondered, "What the heck is a Ferrero Rocher?" I looked up Ferrero Rocher on Wikipedia and declared it a great idea.

We talked about her idea for a bit and Kimberly suggested that we both bake different styles of Ferrero Rocher cupcakes and blog about it; another great idea. I was on board still never having tasted the chocolate behind the gold foil.

I picked some up and and gave it a try. Damn. That's a good chocolate. It was no wonder people liked these things. Try some if you have never had them!

I was ready to create. I decided to make a chocolate hazelnut cupcake and give it a gooey ganache filling (like the gooey surprise in the chocolate) and top it with a chocolate ganache with hazelnuts bits in it (again, like the chocolate).

Where to Buy Hazelnut Extract
In order to make said cupcake, however, I needed hazelnut extract. Apparently, there is no demand for hazelnut extract in St. Louis, because nobody carries it. I do have to give special props to Straubs and Penzey's Spices who both went out of the their way to suggest other places I could possibly find it in town. The lady at Penzey's actually called 3 other places for me. Finally, I had to purchase it online here and wait... and wait.. and wait.. OK, it took just a week to arrive, but when I have my heart set on baking something, I am ready. I do not want to wait!

How to Pronounce Ferrero Rocher
While I was waiting, I had more time to plan. I was always hesitant to use the name "Ferrero Rocher" when telling people what I was making because I had/have no idea how to say it. It turns out though, that most people don't know how to say it. Only one person I asked seemed confident in his pronunciation. However, saying the chocolate in the gold foil seemed to be understood by everyone. The cupcake also needed to be easily recognizable. It needed gold.

Using Edible Gold on Cupcakes
For the gold on my cupcakes, I used actual edible gold. What else? I had no idea that gold was edible. Apparently you can eat gold, but it has no nutritional value. It just goes in and comes out. Hmm... I forgot to check for gold flakes in my poop. Good thing I still have some cupcakes left so I can try this experiment.

Finally, my extract came and I was ready to bake. Alas, Kimberly, my partner in crime, was sick. Then, she had to go and be nice and bake someone some chocolate cupcakes for Christmas. She hasn't gotten to bake her Ferrero Rochers yet. I was going to wait and post with her, but did I mention that I don't like waiting?

You are just going to have to promise to check Kimberly's blog and her cupcakes when she get them done. I'll also update this post with a link to her completed cupcakes.

Ferrero Rocher Cupcake Reviews

My husband: "Wow! These are just like the chocolate!"
My friend: "These are some of your best ones yet."
My Mother-In-Law: "These are good, but not as good as the caviar cheesecake ones." (She is alone in this line of thinking.)
My blogging friend: Said nothing at the time, but mentioned them on her blog.
Me: I thought they were perfect. They were a rich, moist chocolate with great hazelnut undertones - but not too sweet. The gooey surprise inside worked really well, as did the ganache. It all just came together.

Ferrero Rocher Cupcake Recipe

The cupcake recipe came from Laura of Sweets Made Here. It is for 12 cupcakes. I doubled it.

• 1/2 c boiling water
• 6 T unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 c milk
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1 T hazelnut extract
• 1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
• 10 T dark brown sugar
• 6 T granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 + 1/8 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt

In a bowl, whisk the boiling water into cocoa until smooth and whisk in milk, vanilla, and hazelnut extracts. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes, and beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Into another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt and add to egg mixture in batches alternately with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and beating well after each addition. Fill each wrapper slightly more than 1/2 way. They will rise a lot. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Note: I have never used that much of an extract in a recipe before. I actually worried that it was a typo and she meant teaspoon. However, it definitely needed that much. In fact, I added another whole tablespoon (1/2 if you are only making 12).

The Gooey Chocolate Hazelnut Filling Recipe

If you have some Nutella around, I think you could easily just fill this with Nutella. I did not have Nutella around and didn't want to go to the store.

• 1 c heavy cream
• 1 c semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 t hazelnut extract
  

Bring heavy cream to a boil. Pour over chocolate chips to melt them. Add extract. Mix until fluffy. Let cool. Cut a cone in each cupcake and put a teaspoon or two of the ganache in. Replace the cone.

The Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache Recipe

I used the ganache recipe from Sweets Made Here. The only change I made was that rather than putting hazelnuts on top as she did, I mixed 1 Cup of toasted, ground hazelnuts into the ganache before spreading. Also, while I doubled the cake recipe, I did not double the ganache recipe and I still had plenty.

• 1/2 c heavy cream
• 8 oz good semi-sweet chocolate chunks
• 2 T light corn syrup
• 2 t hazelnut extract

Heat the cream on the stove until it boils. Pour over the chocolate and stir to melt, adding the corn syrup and hazelnut extract.

Pineapple Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Ganache and Homemade Pineapple Candy: The Happy Cupcakes

The best pineapple I've ever had was in Thailand. My husband and I drove down a stretch of road where there were pineapple stands every few feet. For those who live in Thailand or have been to Thailand, I can't tell you where exactly this took place. I am directionally challenged in my own country. No hope in another country.

As we drove through what I shall refer to as the pineapple district, we asked our guide how he chooses which pineapple stand to stop at. "The one with the prettiest girl working there, of course." Guess I should have known. Economics 101: Sex sells.
The pineapple in my pineapple cupcakes was not the best pineapple. In fact, it wasn't even organic! Instead of my typical trip to Whole Foods, I headed to our local supermarket chain, Dierbergs, to do my shopping this week. The reason for this unprecedented trip was that I had remembered seeing canned pineapple cut into fun shapes like stars. I thought I could candy some shaped pineapple and it would be a really cute cupcake topper. After browsing the store and talking to the manager, I learned that the shaped pineapple was only available seasonally (stars for July 4th, Christmas shapes in Dec.,etc.). Oh well. Turns out it wasn't such a great loss, I was able to make candy and shape it myself as you will read about later.

Since I was already there and Dierbergs did not carry organic pineapple, I ended up buying a can of conventional crushed pineapple to use in the cupcakes and candy. I will say though that Dierbergs is starting to carry more and more organic products. The problem is that there is an inconsistency in how they are shelved. Some are mixed in with the conventional products while some have their own sections. It seems to me that the organic products should always be presented with the conventional products so that consumers can see their options and make an informed choice. End soapbox.

Armed with my canned pineapple (Note how despite the fact that I was willing to go through the effort to make my own candy, I didn't want to mess with cutting a whole pineapple), I headed home to bake.

The Cake

I got the recipe for the cupcakes from Coconut & Lime:

For those regular readers among you, you may note that I made:

• Coffee cupcakes that didn't have a strong coffee flavor
• Tomato cupcakes that didn't have a strong tomato flavor
• Tangerine frosting that didn't taste like tangerine
• Beer cupcakes that didn't have a strong beer flavor

I would like to officially welcome pineapple cupcakes to the list of cupcakes that don't strongly taste like their title ingredient. The cupcakes had bits of pineapple in them which obviously tasted like pineapple. However, the cake which was loaded with pineapple juice, did not taste at all pineappley.

My second complaint about these cupcakes was that they were a bit too moist (greasy?). The bottoms of the cupcake wrappers were slimy. This has not happened to me before and I hope it does not happen again.

The Ganache

For the frosting, I opted for a milk chocolate ganache. The goal was to make the chocolate taste pineappley by adding some pineapple rum. True to the trend, there was no detectable pineapple taste (or rum taste for that matter) even when adding more pineapple rum than planned.

I got the recipe from Allrecipes. Here is the recipe with my modifications:

• 9 oz milk chocolate, chopped
• 1 C heavy cream
• 2 T pineapple rum

1. Place the chocolate into a medium bowl.
2. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat.
3. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot.
4. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Stir in the rum.
5. Allow the ganache to cool slightly before frosting.

Saving the Best for Last - The Pineapple Candy

While the cupcakes were a letdown, the candy topper was not! The pineapple candies were awesome! They were sweet but not overly sweet with a strong pineapple flavor and a melt in your mouth consistency. They were also easy to make aside from being messy and sticky.

If you choose to make these, I would recommend putting them on the cupcake the day you are going to serve them. I left them on the cupcakes for a couple of days and they got soggy. Good thing that I had extras not on the cupcakes to snack on. I got the recipe from about.com. I have reprinted it below.

Makes about 1/2 pound pineapple candies

• 1 C granulated white sugar
• 1/2 C packed brown sugar
• 1/4 C heavy cream
• 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1 T butter
• 1 t pure vanilla extract

1. Place white sugar, brown sugar, heavy cream, and pineapple (with juice) in a heavy saucepan.
2. Stir and bring to a gentle boil.
3. Cook, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 242 F. on a candy thermometer.
4. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla.
5. Stir to combine, then beat until creamy, thick, and light in color.
6. Drop by the teaspoonful onto the a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Let cool to harden. If the mixture becomes too thick to drop onto the pan, add a teaspoon of very hot water, beating well after the addition.

The Smile

Taking my sex sells pineapple economics lesson into account, I probably should have given the cupcakes batty eyelashes and red puckered lips. However, since I didn't have to sell these cupcakes, I instead opted for a fashion lesson from one of my favorite musicals, "You're Never Fully Dressed without a Smile."

Chocolate Pretzel Cupcakes - The First Ganache

Salty and sweet with a crunch, these chocolate pretzel cupcakes have it all.

My Chocolate Pretzel Cupcake Inspiration

Before my office moved near my new favorite clothing store, Plato's Closet (it's not just for teens, really it's not), we were located downtown directly above a Macy's (we're talking in the same building, no need to even go outside). Macy's was my second office. If I needed to make a private phone call, I'd do it while strolling around Macy's. Needless to say, I have never gotten to know a department store so well. When I was in Macy's and needed a snack, I'd head to the chocolate counter. My favorite item (basically the only item I ever got) was the dark chocolate covered pretzels.

This week I decided to recreate the experience in cupcake form (what else?).