Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

These cupcakes were inspired by the bounty of local strawberries basking in the sunshine at nearly each and every rural intersection. The source recipe hails from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook for Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes.

I started there and then let my creativity take over to a degree. The recipe recommends you put the berries in the bottom then add the batter on top. I preferred to stir the berries into the batter instead and also added 2 drops of strawberry oil for a boost of added flavor and a hint of pink color.

I stuck with the cookbook's recipe for cream cheese frosting but instead of adding crushed graham crackers on top I decided to go with, you guessed it, MORE berries. I simply combined a few chopped berries with some strawberry gelatin (yup, Jello!) and a teaspoon of water. Simmer that for a few minute then let cool. It will start to gel up nicely within 1/2 hr. Makes a great topping.

So let's get baking!

RECIPE:
*altered source recipe: Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes, The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

WHAT YOU NEED

CUPCAKES

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup fine granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-2 drops pure strawberry oil or 1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
1 large egg
12 large strawberries cut into small pieces

FROSTING

2 1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk or cream
4 oz cream cheese, cold

BERRY TOPPING

1/2 cup diced strawberries
2 teaspoons strawberry gelatin
1 teaspoon water

MAKE IT

PREHEAT OVEN to 350F
LINE muffin tin with 12 paper liners

IN BOWL OF STAND MIXER fitted with paddle attachment (or hand held electric beater), blend flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter on SLOW speed until you have a sandy consistency and everything is combined
ADD milk and vanilla, beating on MED speed until combined - scrape down sides when needed
ADD egg and beat for a few more minutes until everything is fully blended
FOLD in strawberries

FILL MUFFIN CUPS 2/3 full with batter
BAKE 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
LET CUPCAKES cool in pan 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack

IN SMALL SAUCEPAN combine berry topping ingredients
LET SIMMER 5 minutes and remove from heat
LET COOL 20 minutes

IN BOWL OF STAND MIXER fitted with paddle attachment (or hand held electric mixer) combine icing sugar, butter and cream
BEAT on SLOW speed for 1 minute then increase and blend well on MED speed 2-3 minutes
ADD cream cheese and beat in slowly at first then increase speed and let beat for 5 minutes until fully combined and no noticeable lumps

PIPE frosting onto cupcakes
WITH back of a small spoon make an indent in the tops of each frosted cupcake
ADD 1/2 teaspoon of berry topping
PLACE CUPCAKES in refrigerator for 15 minutes for frosting to set

ENJOY !

Also seen here:

Strawberry Swirl Pavlova

My first attempt at making pavlova and let me just say this: I now have no idea why I was so afraid of making this in the past ! It was dead easy and came together without much fuss at all. I wanted to keep the berry theme going in our house and had a quart of strawberries on stand-by.

I decided to go with Martha Stewart's recipe for raspberry ripple meringue but obviously swapped out the raspberries for sweet and juicy strawberries.

The filling is nothing more than sweetened whipped cream topped with macerated strawberries. I love the combo of chocolate and strawberries so I wanted a suitable drizzle to finish things off. Out came the Lindt dark chocolate baking bar and some heavy cream. Before you knew it, a ganache was born.

Give yourself several hours of bake time for this one. The pavlova requires nearly 2 hrs in the oven then 1 hour cooling time. The wait is well worth it. This was a superb dessert that is easy enough to make any day of the week but definitely fancy enough in terms of presentation to be a welcomed dessert at any dinner party.

If you don't have strawberries then try raspberries or blueberries. Even blackberries would work wonderfully.

Let's put these guys to good use

What better way to eat strawberries!

LET'S BEGIN!

RECIPE:
adapted pavlova recipe: Raspberry-Ripple Meringue; Martha Stewart

WHAT YOU NEED

Pavlova

2 cups strawberries, sliced
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons fine granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 large egg whites at room temperature
pinch of salt

Filling

2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon fine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Drizzle

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream

MAKE IT

PREHEAT OVEN to 200F (100C)
USING a 8" cake pan as your stencil, with a pencil draw a 8" circle on a piece of parchment
paper
FLIP paper over and place on a cookie sheet

PUREE 1 cup strawberries, 1 tablespoon of sugar and lemon juice in food processor until smooth
STRAIN through a sieve into small bowl and set aside

IN SMALL BOWL, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar and cornstarch
IN LARGE BOWL, with stand or hand-held mixer, whisk egg whites, salt and cream of tartar until foamy
ADD sugar/cornstarch mixture in 3 batches, whisking 30 seconds after each addition
SCRAPE down sides of bowl
WHISK 4 minutes on HIGH SPEED with stand or hand-held mixer until stiff peaks form

ADD 2 tablespoons of strawberry puree to meringue cutting in slightly with a knife
WITH RUBBER SPATULA, mound meringue onto parchment paper to take form of a 8" circle
WITH FINGERS, gently smooth out the center of the meringue so you have an indentation (approx 5 " circumference) which will later be filled with whipped cream.
BAKE for 1 hr 50 minutes
TURN OFF OVEN, open door so it is slightly ajar and let meringue cool in oven for 1 hour
REMOVE , peel of parchment and gently place on a serving platter. Be extra careful as it is delicate and can break easily

SLICE remaining strawberries and place in MEDIUM bowl
SPRINKLE WITH 1 tablespoon sugar, stir and set aside

IN DOUBLE BOILER, melt chocolate and whipping cream, whisking continuously until combined and shiny
SET chocolate aside to cool 15 minutes
WHIP whipping cream, vanilla and sugar until soft peaks form

MOUND whipped cream into center of meringue
TOP with sliced strawberries
DRIZZLE with remaining strawberry puree and chocolate sauce

ENJOY ( I know I did) !

Strawberry Chocolate Yogurt Pops

In anticipation of summer and Popsicle season: Yogurt pops made with fresh strawberries and rich dark chocolate chunks. A cinch to make and wonderful to enjoy on a warm day.

These won't last long so you may want to consider picking up 2 sets of pop molds the next time you are out!

I have never made my own yogurt pops before and didn't even own molds until 3 weeks ago when my daughter spotted some on a shopping excursion. She felt they were a "must-have" so home they came.

I had intended to make shortcake with my sweet, red, strawberries but alas, the pops won! Shortcake will wait for another day.

LET'S MAKE IT !

These little molds are wonderful but of course use whatever molds you have on hand.


You will need about a pound
of strawberries for this recipe.




As you can see, 1 pound of berries boils down quite a bit

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

Popsicle molds

3 cups fresh chopped strawberries
1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
3/4 cup plain greek yogurt, regular yogurt or strawberry flavored yogurt
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate

MAKE IT

IN SAUCEPAN, combine sugar and strawberries.
BRING to a simmer over MED heat
REDUCE heat to LOW and let simmer and thicken for 25-30 minutes
WITH HAND HELD BLENDER, puree strawberry mixture until smooth. If you prefer seedless pops, then run mix through a sieve to remove seeds
POUR mixture into a bowl and let sit in refrigerator for 1 hour or until completely cooled
WITH SPATULA fold in yogurt and chocolate bits
POUR mixture into pop molds
PLACE in freezer fro 1/2 hr until somewhat set.
REMOVE and push pop handles into semi-frozen strawberry pops.
FREEZE 6 hours

The number of pops this recipe makes truly depends on the size of your molds.

ENJOY !

Birthday Cake Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

My daughter asked me to make one, yes, ONE, cupcake for her friend at school as it was her birthday. I readily agreed being the loving and sweet mother I am.
And, I will admit, because I knew this would mean leftover cupcakes here for me, I mean "the family", to enjoy.

I wanted the cupcake batter to have a birthday cake feel to it. I remembered how my kids used to love Birthday Cake ice cream which was all the rage a few years ago. It had blue frosting swirled into the ice cream, some pink too if I recall correctly, and sprinkles thrown in for fun.

Instead of trying to swirl frosting into the cupcake somehow, I simply used my Wilton gel food dyes and streaked the batter with pink and teal coloring before filling up my muffin tins and baking away.

I then topped them with a strawberry cream cheese frosting and white sprinkles. I used my Wilton 2D piping tip to create the rose affect.

LET'S GET STARTED!


You will need your coloring gels handy
Pink and Teal
Grab several toothpicks as well; we will use them to
streak the color into the cupcake batter


and your 2D Piping Tip to make the Rosette topping


Now on with the show !

RECIPE: WHAT YOU NEED

WHITE CUPCAKES*

*Recipe Source: The Art and Soul of Baking

Standard muffin tin lined with paper liners.
Recipe makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/2 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup granulate white sugar
4 egg whites at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups (7 ounces) cake flour. Weigh it out first then sift it !
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (3 ounces) sour cream at room temperature
Pink and Teal Gel Coloring
Toothpicks

FROSTING

1/2 cup butter at room temperature
3 oz plain cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups powdered/icing sugar, sifted
2-3 drops Strawberry Extract Oil (not the regular extract, but the oil, as it has stronger flavor and more truer to the taste of real berries) A little goes a long way!
Pink Gel Coloring
Sprinkles

MAKE IT

CUPCAKES

IN LARGE BOWL, cream together butter and sugar, MED speed with electric mixer 4-5 minutes
IN SMALL BOWL, WHISK together egg whites and vanilla just until combined
ADD EGG MIXTURE, one tablespoon at a time, to butter mixture blending well after each addition.
SCRAPE down sides of bowl when required
IN MEDIUM BOWL, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt
ADD 1/3 DRY INGREDIENTS to butter mixture, mix until combined
ADD 1/2 OF THE SOUR CREAM, to butter mixture, mix until combined
CONTINUE THIS PATTERN ending with flour.
ENSURE batter is well combined and no dry areas remain
WITH YOUR TOOTH PICK, scoop out some pink gel coloring and add it to your batter in different areas.
DO the same with the teal gel coloring
WITH YOUR TOOTHPICKS, swirl the coloring throughout the batter. You want mostly clear lines of color, do not over-blend or you will have on strange colored cupcake !
FILL muffin tins 3/4 way to the top

BAKE 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
ALLOW TO COOL COMPLETELY on a cooling rack





FROSTING:

IN LARGE BOWL, cream together butter and cream cheese, MED speed with electric mixer 4-5 minutes
ADD icing sugar and beat, MED speed, another 2-3 minutes
ADD strawberry extract blending until thoroughly combined
WITH A TOOTHPICK, add in a little pink gel food coloring. Blend and add more til you have the depth of color desired
PIPE frosting onto cooled cupcakes and finish off with sprinkles

For the birthday girl who is turning 16:
Her very own cupcake all tucked away in its little carrying case.

The yellow circle and #16 were made easily with candy melts.

Welcome, Pancake Tuesday !

Today, March 8th, is Pancake Day ( also known as Shrove Tuesday), the last day before the period that Christians refer to as Lent. And what is the tradition, you ask? The tradition is to EAT PANCAKES !

Why pancakes? Because Lent is a time of abstinence and therefore Shrove Tuesday is looked upon as your last chance to dive in, indulge and enjoy all those foods you are not permitted to eat during Lent. Pancakes are one of those indulgences as they contain fat, butter and eggs; none of which are allowed during Lent.

My daughter attends a Catholic school and today they are celebrating Pancake Tuesday with a pancake lunch. If you knew my daughter personally you would know that she likes to go all out on festive occasions, today being no different. What that means is pancakes for all 3 meals. This morning though was a cheat. She had EGGOs as I slept in a bit and Dad was in charge of breakfast. Lunch is being handled by the school and you guessed it - Pancakes are on the cafeteria menu.

So this leaves me handling dinner. Lucky for me I have all the ingredients I need. I have strawberries, pure maple syrup, whipping cream and all the must-haves to make my fave pancake recipe: Ina Garten's Sour Cream pancakes.

I have tried alot of pancake recipes and none compare to Ina's version. These are thick, light and rise up like clouds. It is the addition of sour cream that makes these "da bomb". If you haven't tried them yet, then you MUST and today is a great day for you to do so !

The recipe was originally featured in the Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook. I have this book and I cherish it. When the pages are dog-eared and stuck together with butter, there is flour caking up in the creases, the cover is a bit torn... well you know it is very well used and dearly loved.

I top the pancakes with macerated strawberries, maple syrup and a dollop of vanilla-infused whipped cream for the crowning glory. For side dish choices I like ham, bacon, sausage - all 3 work very well.

So go ahead and indulge tonight with a pancake dinner. You deserve it!

RECIPE as posted on the Food Network

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes*

*Feel free to omit the bananas if you want to - I do. The only other alteration I do is add 1/4 tsp of cinnamon to the batter.

Ingredients nocoupons

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Unsalted butter
• 2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
• Pure maple syrup

Directions

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

Photo courtesy of © Olga Nayashkova | Dreamstime.com

Ahhh, the smell of baking french toast.....

Who doesn't love a lazy Sunday morning? coffee brewing, the smell of vanilla permeating the house, the crackle of frying bacon. Sunday morning faves around here range from homemade cinnamon buns to french toast. Today I would like to share the ultimate french toast recipe with you and encourage you try it out soon (sooner if you can !!).

LET'S GET STARTED !

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

1 Italian or French bread (always go with a crusty crust loaf so it will stand up to soak time)

1 pkg (250 g) cream cheese, softened (easiest is to leave out at room temperature for 1/2 hr)

3 x-large eggs or 4 large eggs

1 cup milk (I have used full fat, buttermilk and 2 %... but my personal fave is 3/4 cup 2/% and 1/4 cup 10% cream)

1/4 cup maple syrup ( go with the real deal)

cinnamon 1 tsp

vanilla 1 tsp (PURE vanilla, no artificial vanilla PLEASE !)

MAKE IT

Cut bread into 15 thick slices ( or approx. 1" thick slices).

BEAT cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Add eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon.

DIP bread slices in mixture and place in large casserole dish. Pour remaining liquid over bread ensuring the liquid gets under bread as well as on top of the slices so all areas will get soaked as it rests. Cover with wrap and let stand 1 hour or overnight in refrigerator.

PREHEAT oven to 425°F and grease 2 baking sheets (greasing well is a MUST or they will stick!)

PLACE slices of soaked bread on the baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes, turning once, or until golden brown. Serve immediately with maple syrup, fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream.

But above all else: ENJOY !!!!

Photo by MarkHryciw