Matcha Green Tea French Macarons

I can't stop guys, I can't. Making macarons, that is. And coming up with new flavors and combinations because, c'mon, the possibilities are absolutely endless. I'm not going to go into detail with this blog, as you can check out my other blog about all my macaron tricks and lessons learned, so this is the basic recipe and instructions. I will also have a more detailed video on my YouTube channel. 

Matcha Green Tea French Macarons

1 cup almond flour

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons matcha green tea powder

3 egg whites

pinch cream of tartar

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

green gel food coloring

Sift together almond flour, powdered sugar, salt and green tea powder. Stir to combine. In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) whip egg whites, cream of tartar and granulated sugar together until foamy. Increase speed and whip until the egg whites form stiff peaks. Add green gel food coloring if desired at this point. The green tea powder will not turn the macarons green on it's own. Fold dry ingredients into the meringue using a rubber spatula. DO NOT OVER MIX. This should take less than 50 folds, and resemble slowly oozing lava. Put mixture into piping bags and pipe in circles onto a parchment covered cookie sheet. **I am currently putting mine straight into the oven without letting them dry! No issues so far*** Bake at 300 for 18-20 minutes, turning half way through. 

I've been filling them with a simple buttercream of unsalted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and melted white chocolate. Seriously, just use your favorite frosting for this recipe, but white chocolate goes awesome with the green tea flavor. This macaron shells have a ton of flavor on their own, so they really don't need more green tea in the filling. 

The most important steps for making macarons are whipping the merengue to the right consistency (stiff peaks that don't fall out of the bowl when held upside down) but not so whipped that they have large air bubbles and look like bubble bath. The other important step is the mixing. Properly mixed batter should only spread slightly when piped but still smooth itself out after a few seconds. 

This recipe is also my chocolate macaron recipe, simply made by substituting the matcha green tea powder with cocoa powder. The matcha powder that I use is actually Matcha Green Tea Latte drink mix from Trader Joe's, so it is also slightly sweetened already. 

If you try this recipe please let me know! Thanks for reading! 

-Dani

Pink Moscato Strawberry Cupcakes

Not gonna lie, these cupcakes came about largely by accident. I am in no way a big drinker, although my mom has been trying to get me to drink wine with her since I was a teenager (just a glass at dinner on the holidays I mean!). I went through the normal drinking phase in college but I didn't even like it that much then, just was determined to be cool and what's cooler than a drunk, puking, hungover college girl, right? Er, anyway... I had bought my mom some of her favorite wine (white zin) the other day since I happened to be by the discount wine store (Total Wine) and decided to purchase a bottle for myself. Finally (at 27) I have discovered that if I'm going to drink wine, it has to be white and it has to be sweet. 

Helllooooo Pink Moscato! 

Deciding that I would put on an act that I am the mature adult I think I'm supposed to be, a bought a bottle and cracked it open when I had my parents over for dinner. Unfortunately, I had about a glass and a half which left me with over half a bottle that I had no other occasion to drink and didn't particularly feel like consuming without other mature adults watching to witness my own mature adultness. (In my head, I'm still 16...) 

The next day I came across a recipe for champagne cupcakes. Hmm, champagne. Did I really want to open a bottle of champagne just to make cupcakes? Then I would end up with another half empty bottle ...DUH, LIGHTBULB. Use the leftover wine, dum dum. Problem. Solved. Also I was going to visit my college friend and wine lover who I could shove the cupcakes off on. I do not like to keep my baked goods, like, at all. I actually didn't even eat a cupcake whole, it was rather deconstructed, tasting the batter, the frosting, the filling, and the cake that I cut out of the center to fill them. Anyway, here's the recipe. Just a heads up some of these measurements are approximations as I do a lot of this by taste and I recommend that you do as well!

Cupcakes:

1 box white cake mix

3 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4 cup pink moscato wine

*I actually used funfetti because I didn't have plain white! 

Combine all ingredients until well blended. Divide into cupcake liners and bake at 350 for about 12-15 minutes or until top springs back when touched. 

The best indication to me of a cupcake being done is when you can lightly press the top and not leave a mark as the cake kind of springs back. I also like to rotate the pan half way through the baking time to ensure even baking. These have a little extra liquid in them (the box calls for 1 cup water as opposed to 1 1/4 cup wine) so they may take a few extra minutes. I remove my cupcakes from the pan as quickly as I can using a knife to pop them out to stop them from over-baking from the residual heat in the pan. 

Filling:

2 cups halved strawberries 

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tbls pink moscato

It's strawberry season in Florida! And in fact, I was at the Strawberry Festival in Plant City just a few weeks ago. I had some strawberries that were nearing the end of their usability (that's a nice way of saying they were getting old, right?) and that makes them perfect for this. This sauce could also be used in just about everything... ice cream, yogurt, pancakes...you get the idea. 

This is one of the places where you can absolutely do whatever you want. I cooked the 3 ingredients in a small saucepan until the strawberries were soft and it had simmered for a couple of minutes. I then used a potato masher (yeah, like for mashed potatoes) to mash up the strawberries. You could put this in a food processor or blender to get a very smooth sauce, but for these cupcakes I still wanted to have larger pieces of fruit. Be warned, if you do use a food processor or blender this will be a very thin sauce (you could cook it down further, add a cornstarch slurry or pectin or even gelatin to thicken). I left the sauce slightly tart to balance out the sweet frosting, but you could add more sugar. Allow the sauce to cool completely before using a sharp knife to cut out the center of the cupcakes and fill. The sauce will soak into the cupcakes a bit so I go back and add more filling before frosting. 

Frosting:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted, room temperature butter

3-4 cups powdered sugar

pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla

3-4 tablespoons reduced pink moscato wine

I started by putting the wine in the same sauce pan I used to make the strawberry sauce, brought it to a boil and let it reduce down by about a quarter. This was to give a stronger wine flavor in the frosting without having to add too much liquid and making the frosting runny. Cream the butter and add the salt, vanilla and powdered sugar to taste. Again, this is dependent on how sweet you like your frosting. Add wine until you reach your desired flavor and consistency. Pipe onto cooled and filled cupcakes. 

Optional Decoration: I made these roses with a little pink and green fondant. Roll a pea sized amount of pink fondant into a strip and thin out slightly. The simply roll the fondant up and cut of the excess. I made the leaves using a small ruffled flower cutter cut in half. 

   The Verdict

My friend Brittany (the recipient) said: oh man, Danielle, they were soooo yummy and moist (the strawberry inside was ridiculous and you make the best icing EVER)! I finally un-stuffed myself long enough to eat one. I think I might have another...

Sounds like a rave to me! 

Love and Cupcakes, 

Danielle

My Pastry Story

I did it. I just did it. I made my first ever batch of Swiss Meringue Buttercream. And it was intense. I was intense. That's how I get when I'm baking, and especially when I'm attempting something I've never done before and am intimidated by. I get easily freaked out when I think I'm not doing something right, and I'm quick to give up, throw the mess away and fling myself onto my bed crying, Disney-princess-style.

I am supremely lucky that I have a husband who reminds me to breathe, and takes the cakes out of the oven while I'm whisking the egg whites, and gives me a hug when I didn't ruin it and he finally gets a taste.

Confession: I didn't go to pastry school. I have no formal pastry training (even though I work as a pastry chef assistant)

Nope, I went to a plain old state college (UCF, Go Knights!) and got the easiest degree I could think of (hospitality management). I started working in restaurants at 16. By the time I was ready for college,  I had come to the realization I would rather rip of my fingernails than work a boring office job ever (thanks to a foray into human resources at a hospital) and restaurants was where I had to be. Oh, sweet, naive 18-year-old Dani. Thought I'd get my degree and own my own restaurant by 23 (ha!).

I did get my degree in 3 years (as I said, easiest degree ever!) and then lo and behold discovered that the restaurant business is HARD, and not nearly as fun as it had been when I'd been a young, cute hostess at a popular restaurant where people bribed me to get a good table. Crappy hours (nights, holidays and ALWAYS weekends), bad pay, difficult guests and co-workers, endless drama (restaurants are tiny, real-life soap operas). But I loved it. I still love it. I still dream of my own restaurant, and I'm glad I didn't get one at 23, because inevitably I would've failed. And, it led me to pastry.

I started baking when I was old enough to stand on a step stool and stir cookie batter. My mom was not a big baker, and so for every holiday and birthday she passed the job to me. And while I always enjoyed it, for some reason it just never occurred to me to pursue it as a career. My second job out of college was at a cute breakfast/lunch cafe in a ritzy area. I started as a server but moved up to managing. We had a small bakery, and always had a part-time baker on staff (although they never seemed to last or do that great of a job). I think it was after we lost the 3rd or 4th one in a year that I told the owner that I always baked at home and instead of hiring yet another baker, I'd give it a shot. She agreed, and that's where my pastry story really starts.

The restaurant had a few signature pies and quiches on the menu that we always had to have, but other than that, the owner gave me free rein. I was like a kid in a candy store. I made everything I could. Cupcakes, cakes, pies, cookies, cake pops, even a gingerbread house. And most of what I made came out great, and people loved it, and it finally hit me that I could really do this. I started baking at home, reading blogs, watching youtube videos, playing with fondant...After two years at that restaurant, it was time for me to move on. As much fun as I was having baking, it was too much as I was also helping manage the restaurant, like I was working 2 jobs. I ended up applying at both Sea World and Disney World, and while I got calls from both, only Sea World interviewed me and gave me a job. However, 3 months later Disney called and asked if I was still interested. Umm...yes! I showed up to my interview and thanks to my Internet research I was able to adequately answer the technical baking questions (what is proofing? what is tempering?) and I also had a little portfolio of my work. They offered me the job, and that's how I started making desserts for 2000 people a day.

I've learned so much in the past few years but I still have a lot more things to master. Swiss meringue buttercream was one of them, and it feels great trying something new and getting it right. I'm hopeful that one day I won't be scared of frosting.

My Macaron Journey

****Fair Warning***

I am not a macaron expert. I don't have all the answers, I'm still experimenting myself. I can tell you what I have learned, and mistakes I have made, and hopefully you can learn from that. But I don't have a magical unicorn on my shoulder who sneezes on the batter and ensures that they come out perfectly every time. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't, and sometimes I have no freaking clue what the difference was. 

        ********************

If you know the process behind making these gorgeous cookies, you know that despite the misleadingly simple ingredients and seemingly straightforward method, there are a million and one variables that can effect the end result. 

My macaron experience started a year ago. BTW, I prefer this spelling for French macarons. I have seen numerous debates on different sites arguing the macaron vs. macaroon conundrum. It is my personal opinion that the single "o" is for French macarons, and helps to differentiate between these sandwich cookies and the American coconut macaroons. I don't much care either way, delicious is delicious, right? 

Anyway, about a year ago I set my mind to learning how to make these. I had never even had one before (embarrassing, I know) and so I went to a posh neighborhood and a hidden little shop and purchased some overpriced macarons so that I would know what texture/shape etc. to look for. 

The first time I made them, I was completely clueless. No idea what I was doing. None. I had no idea that these innocent looking things could be so evil. I had done this countless times before. I saw a recipe, I followed it, it came out perfectly... Oh, sweet, naive Dani. 

My first batch were rough. The oven was way too hot, they burned on the bottom and were hollow on the inside. Huh. This might be trickier than I realized. I spent all winter trying to perfect these cookies. I read a lot of blogs, tried tens of different methods, got all kinds of results. No feet. Cracked tops. Too puffy. Too thin. JUST RIGHT. Then, winter in Florida ended and the humidity killed any hope of continuing. But now it's winter again, the humidity is gone, and I am back at it. 

This is my favorite chocolate macaron recipe and the only one I've ever gotten to come out exactly, beautifully perfect:
http://www.chow.com/recipes/28339-french-chocolate-macarons-with-chocolate-ganache

My biggest issues have been over whipping the eggs whites, which seems to result in a thicker cookie with a more domed top instead of nice and flat. I also have trouble not over mixing or under mixing the egg whites and the dry ingredients. I have found between 50 and 60 folds to be a good number. Baking is also difficult. This recipe suggest 350, but I have found 325 to be more consistent. I have burned cookies at 350, especially the bottoms getting too dark. If the oven seems too hot, I also crack the oven door open. I like to turn them after 7-10 minutes and give one a light touch to see how jiggly it is. I always bake them on parchment paper, and when I take them out of the oven I immediately slide the entire paper off the pan and onto the counter to cool. 

For my pumpkin macarons, I used this recipe and found it very nicely proportioned!
http://www.yummymummykitchen.com/2011/09/pumpkin-french-macarons.html

If anyone else has any tips or tricks, please share! 

Decadent Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes

Nutella. Even the name is scrumptious. Say it. Nutella. Tastes good, doesn't it? Chocolate and hazelnut go together like, well, chocolate and peanut butter. Or chocolate and strawberries. Okay, chocolate goes amazing with a lot of things, but there's definitely something about chocolate and hazelnut.

First things first, the cupcake. In this case, really more of a vessel for the chocolatey-hazlenut goodness than the main attraction.

Now, don't freak, but I used a mix. And I'm not ashamed. I love cake mixes, and I don't care what anyone says. Yes, I often make everything from scratch, but it isn't always necessary. Cake mixes are a great base and offer one amazing quality everyone wants in their baking...consistency. Ah, yes. Measuring dry ingredients accurately is essential, as anyone on Food Network will tell you (every single time they bake anything...end rant) and cake mixes are just so freaking perfect. Judge if you will, but don't knock it until you try it.

Here are the key players:

The Cake

I used Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Fudge mix. I'm a fan of Betty Crocker, but I've been known to use Duncan Hines and Pillsbury (hello, funfetti!) too. Pretty much any chocolate cake mix will work here. I also used Plugra European style butter (available at Wal-mart), organic milk (it matters to me but is not strictly necessary) and Rodelle vanilla (my favorite brand, big bottle is awesomely cheap at Target). 

Mix the cake mix with: 

3 eggs

5 tablespoons softened butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 milk

Beat with a hand mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. 

*Note: This combination of ingredients does not work with vanilla or yellow cake mixes. I've tried it.

Scoop into lined cupcake tin and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. I turn the pan halfway through to ensure even baking. Cupcakes are done when they spring back to a light touch. Don't over bake, and keep in mind they continue to bake slightly after coming out of the oven. I take them out of the pan quickly and transfer to a cooling rack. 

The Filling

Oh yes, these are filled cupcakes. If it were up to me, every cupcake would have filling. Maybe this one. This is a very basic, very simple filling but it is oh-so-good. 

1 small jar Nutella

 (I believe there are other brands of chocolate hazelnut spreads, but I've never used anything but the original)

1/2 cup softened butter 

2 teaspoons vanilla 

1/4 powdered sugar 

Pinch salt

Whip together the nutella and butter until fluffy. Add the vanilla and sugar and mix well. To be completely honest, these measurements are not set in stone. If you don't like your filling too sweet and more hazelnutty, feel free to leave out the sugar. Or if you want it extra sweet, add some more. Taste is the key here. I taste everything I make and adjust as needed. Trust your taste buds. 

I put the filling in a piping bag, cut the centers out of my cupcakes, and filled. I've found a sharp knife is the best way to core a cupcake. You can go as deep or as shallow as you like, depending on how much filling you want your cupcakes to have. I've seen and used those specifically made cupcake plungers, and they're just a gimmick. You also can just spoon in the filling if you don't have/don't want to use a piping bag. 

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

My husband is in love with this frosting. I'm afraid it's turning into a full-blown affair. And there's no one to blame but myself. It's smooth, it's sweet, and SO chocolatey. This is not a traditional ganache recipe (which is almost always just chocolate and heavy cream). If you already have a beloved chocolate ganache recipe, I will not hate you for using it. I used chocolate, 2% milk and butter. It's fluffier and lighter than a regular ganache and therefore in my opinion works better as a frosting. 

2 bars (8 oz) semi-sweet baking chocolate

1 cup milk

1/3 cup softened butter

Heat the milk and butter together in the microwave or a sauce pan and pour over chocolate. Stir until smooth. Place in the refrigerator and stir every 10-15 minutes until completely cool and set. You can also put it in the freezer if you are in a hurry, but stir it often. The sides will start to freeze quickly and it will be difficult to mix otherwise. I used my hand mixer to make it slightly fluffier. You can also add powdered sugar and vanilla if you are looking for a sweeter flavor, which I did. I added a couple tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla.  Pipe onto your cupcakes. I used a Wilton 1M star tip, piping a ruffle along the outside edge and then filling in the center. I then topped them with a Ferrero Rocher chocolate and a little bit of chocolate shavings. 

Some Additional Thoughts: 

The filling can easily be used as the frosting! The 3rd cupcake on the right was frosted with the filling (it is slightly shinier than the others) and it was just as good as the others, although this adds a lot more hazelnut flavor than using the ganache frosting. 

I am not a scientific baker. So much of what I make I do by taste, and so you may need to adjust these recipes to suit your own preferences. With the filling and the frosting (not the cake recipe) don't be afraid to change the amounts. If you like it sweeter, add more sugar! I can't stress enough how important I think it is to taste everything. 

Happy Baking!

-Dani 

Ghost Cake Pop Tutorial

I have a confession. It's a big one, and a bit embarrassing for me to admit. Here it is.

  I adore making cake pops...

...But I hate eating them. 

       

There. I said it. I don't like cake pops. To eat. If I didn't make them myself and insist on tasting everything I make, I would probably never put one to my lips again.  Gah, what a relief to get that off my chest. But I'm so glad that other people love to eat them, because I love to make them. And I especially love to make them cute and themed. Like these, which I made last year.

These cake pops were ridiculously, *almost shamefully* easy. This is my first tutorial, so bear with me. If you are a cake pop pro, feel free to skip the first several steps which are basic instructions for making cake pops and go straight to the decorating stage. If you aren't familiar with cake pops or how to make them, I'm going step by step for ya! 

First things first. Assembling the cake pops. I used some leftover, unfrosted red velvet cupcakes. I love transforming past-their-prime (but still yummy) cupcakes into cake pops. Crumble up the cake into small pieces. I know some people use a food processor, but I've never felt the need. 

Then add your frosting of choice. For cake pops, I usually use a baking mix and store-bought frosting. I just don't see the need to go for scratch with cake pops! Start with a small amount of frosting, mix, and then add more as needed. You do not want to add too much frosting! The right amount is when the cake holds together when you squeeze it and you can form a ball as seen in the last picture. Too much frosting will keep your cake pops from holding their shape and result in jumpers (cake pops that slide down or fall off their sticks). 

Next, roll your cake into balls. I measured a heaping tablespoon to make sure they were all close to the same size. Try to make sure they are relatively smooth, with no big cracks. Cracks will worsen after you chill them and especially if you over-chill them, and cause them to break when you insert the stick. Because these will be covered with fondant to make the ghost, they don't have to be exactly perfect though. I chill them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, and then put them in the fridge. 

Melt your candy melts (I use Wilton brand melts). I like to add a splash of vegetable oil or a teaspoon of shortening to thin the melts just a little bit. I've found straight melts are a little too thick, but it's a personal preference.

 I also like to use the shorter lollipop sticks instead of long cake pop sticks. Dip your stick into the melted candy and then straight into the center of your cake pop, careful not to go to far past the center of the pop. I let the candy set before I dip the entire pop into the melts. I then use a block of styrofoam to hold them as they dry. 

Now comes the fun part!! 

My supplies: Wilton candy melts and sticks, fondant, cornstarch, edible markers, candy eyes, and a cookie cutter. I rolled out the white fondant pretty thin, then cut it with my wavy-edged cookie cutter. If you don't have a cutter like this, you could do a plain circle or even cut your own wavy pattern with a pizza cutter. There are no rules here, peeps. I like to thin out the edges of the cut out shape on a foam sponge with a lollipop stick, but it isn't strictly necessary and you could just use your fingers to squeeze the edges. My cutter was just a little bit too small, so I rolled the fondant again after it was cut out to stretch it but was careful not to alter the shape. 

Rub a little bit of melted candy onto the center of the fondant and drape over the pop. Smooth down and then use your fingers to shape. Now get crazy and give your ghosts some personality! I used candy eyes from Michaels for most of them (also attached with melted candy) but I also used black fondant to make eyes as well. I used fondant to make lips, bows, and mustaches. I used the edible marker to draw on eyelashes. 

And there you have it! Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of my first tutorial! 

-Dani

Life's a Circus

This past Monday was my good friend Rachel's twenty-second-number-not-important birthday. I think she was celebrating not being 30, and I was more than happy to help. And seeing as how I'm a poor baker I knew the only present I could give her would be a kick-ass birthday cake.

                                                                             TA-DA!

This cake was an evolution, and it took strange turns and became something I wasn't really expecting but I am so happy with the results. 

Rachel came over the night before I planned to make the cake, and I asked her a couple of questions to get a better feel of what she would like. 

Favorite color? "Blue."

How about favorite animal? (Besides cats. Rachel has 3 cats, but I didn't want to go down that road). "Shark."

SHARK? Seriously? How could I make a shark cake cute? Ten year old boys get shark cakes. All I could think was a bloody Jaws-esq monster on top of her birthday cake. In retrospect, maybe I should've tried to make a cute shark. Could've started a new cute shark trend, add shark to the bounty of owls and ducks. Next time, maybe. Rachel then Googled cute animals, but couldn't come up with one she liked. Maybe I'd just scrap the cute animal thing. 

I knew the next thing I wanted to include was bunting. Here was my inspiration cake: 

I found this in a Bing images search and I can't find it's source to credit them but I love this cake! 

After I finished the bunting on the bottom layer, I added the stripes to the middle layer. To the top, I originally had yellow flowers, then a few more flowers sort of cascading down the side. However, my husband bravely suggesting that the flowers did not fit the style of the cake. They were too serious while the rest of the cake was whimsical. Swallowing my pride, I admitted he was right, ripped the flowers off and my bow-tie wearing elephant took their place. 

(In case you are wondering, the cake inside was alternating layers of yellow butter cake and chocolate fudge cake with vanilla frosting)

Rachel's response was fantastic and today she texted me "I froze the elephant. I want to keep him forever". Yep, I'd say this cake was a success!

Want to know what I'm up to next?  Like me on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/HelloSweets

Or

Follow me on Pinterest! 

http://pinterest.com/hellosweets13/boards/

And please follow this blog and leave me a comment!