Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

BOO!

Can you believe it's already time for Halloween? It feels like it should still be sometime last winter. Or early spring, at least. 

What are y'all doing for Halloween? We don't really celebrate it, except for helping out with Trunk or Treat at church. But I just HAD to get sick, so I didn't get to rock my cute 50s outfit. Too bad. :(. Maybe someone will decide to have a party at the last minute.I guess I'm a little old for trick or treating ;).

 

Speaking of treats, let's talk about these cupcakes!

Pumpkin spice frappucinos and  lattes are my absolute favorite part of fall, besides football.  And cupcakes are one of my favorite little things in life. So naturally they had to be married and have a baby. And what a yummy baby it is.  

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

( Cake adapted from Eat, Live, Run, icing adapted from a church cookbook)

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c all purpose flour

1/2 15 oz can pumpkin

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 1/2 tbsp coffee grounds

3/4 c packed brown sugar

1/2 c oil

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp molasses

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Then add to the dry.  Spoon into lined cupcake tins and bake 25-30 min. Let cool completely before icing. 

Pumpkin Spice Frosting:

1 stick butter or margarine, or 4 oz cream cheese, or shortening, or whatever 

2-3 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 box powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

milk

Cream butter. Add sugar, vanilla, spices, and 1 tbsp milk, mixing well. Add more milk a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

Questions of the day:

What are you going to be for Halloween? And what's your favorite part of fall?

Happy weekend/Halloween!

Mellie

Gelato

I remember the first time i had gelato. It was my first day in Paris, and I was enthralled to be there. And to top it all off, we went to a cute little sandwich shop/gelato shop for lunch, and I had my first taste of the creamy, decadent goodness. Love at first spoonful.

OK, that didn't really happen but didn't it sound nice?

Actually, I've never left the country. I've only been to Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, and Alabama. Don't judge. It's not my fault it's my parents.

So, for real, I first tried gelato at a rinkydink festival in a rinkydink North Carolina town. I'm not sure what flavor I got, but I remember it was creamy and decadent and sweet and one of the best things I had eaten in my 10 or 11 or maybe it was 12 years on earth. 

But for some reason, I never ate it again, until a couple weeks ago on my birthday.  It was just as amazing as I remembered-just as rich, just as thick and creamy. Yum. :)

Gelato 

(adapted from all recipes)

2 c milk ( I used 2%-it just depends on how rich you want it)

1 c heavy cream

4 egg yolks

1/2 c sugar

vanilla and almond extract, to taste

In a medium saucepan, mix milk and cream. Warm till foam firms around the edges, remove from heat. In large bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar till frothy. Gradually pour milk into egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan, cook over medium heat, stir with wooden spoon till mixture gels slightly and coats back of spoon. Stir in flavorings. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Makes: 4 big servings.

mmm.

So.. school started yesterday. It's going to be a busy, busy year, much worse than last year. But I will post as much as possible!
Until then, have a great week!
Mellie

Orange Marmalade Cake

Sorry this post has been so long in coming. Guess what? School starts Friday. (wah wah wah) Yes Friday. Don't even ask, because I really don't know. Nothing in our town makes sense. School starts on a friday. The fair comes this week, when it is waaay to hot to be outside, especially while eating hot funnel cakes. We have 3 clothing stores and 1354 restaurants. Nothing here makes sense. Nothing. 

Well, anyway, let's talk about this cake. It's nothing short of amazing. Three layers of yummy, moist yellow cake with orange zest, soaked in a delicious orange glaze, with orange marmalade in between the layers, and a fluffy sour cream icing to top it all off. The icing balances out the intense sweetness of the cake. And I love that it has a glaze AND an icing-it's like the best of both worlds.

This cake only gets better with age, but it doesn't last that long. But maybe your family is not as obsessed with desserts as mine, so you get to enjoy it for a long time. 

Oh, one more thing. Butter and flour your pans. Don't use cooking spray. I used it, out of habit, and it wasn't pretty. It's cake, people, it's not supposed to be low cal.

Here's the recipe!

Orange Marmalade Cake

(From Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader)

Cake:

1 c unsalted butter, softened

3 1/4 c cake flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 2/3 c granulated sugar

5 large eggs, at room temp

4 large egg yolks, at room temp

2/3 c canola oil

1 tbsp grated orange zest

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter and flour 3 9in round cake pans. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Sift a second time into another bowl. With an electric mixer, beat butter till light in color, about 4 minutes. add the sugar in a steady stream while mixer is still running. Beat till light and fluffy, about 4 min. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beat well after each addition. Continue to beat on medium speed for two more minutes. With mixer on low speed, add oil and beat for 1 minute. In a small bowl, combine zest, buttermilk, and vanilla. Using a rubber spatula, fold half the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Scrape down the sides, and half the buttermilk mixture. Repeat. 

Pour batter into remaining pans. Bake 30-35 min, or till toothpick comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans on racks 20 min.

orange syrup:

1 c fresh orange juice

1/4 c sugar

stir till sugar is dissolved. While cakes are still in pans, poke holes and pour the glaze on top.

Filling:

1 12 oz jar orange marmalade

heat in small saucepan over medium heat till just melted. cool 5 min.

Icing:

1 c heavy cream, chilled

4 tbsp granulated sugar

1 c sour cream, chilled

Whip cream and sugar till stiff peaks form. Add sour cream, a little at a time, and whisk till mixture is spreadable.

To assemble: 

Invert 1 cake layer onto a plate, spread 1/3 of the marmalade on top. Repeat till all the layers are stacked. Top with orange marmalade, leaving a 1 1/4 in border around the edges. Frost sides and top border with sour cream icing. Or, frost the whole cake, and garnish with marmalade. Chill for at least 2 hrs before serving. Yield: 12-14 servings

 

QOD: What's your best birthday cake? This was DEFINITELY my best tasting one. The cutest one was...hmm...when I turned 11, I had cupcakes decorated to look like mini individual cakes. We also had mini burgers and hot dogs with small cheese slices, baby pickles, and grape tomatoes.

Have a good day!

Mellie

Happy Mother's Day!

I love my mom!

She's awesome!

Except I fight with her like all the time. :(

But I still love her...even when I don't.

For Mother's Day, I baked her a chocolate meringue pie. I am NOT posting a recipe. I don't LIKE meringue pies, they taste like pudding, and I see no point in posting a recipe I wouldn't eat.

What I AM going to do is give a huge shout out to all moms, grandmas, godmothers, etc. out there for being amazing!

Go hug your mom, or bake her a pie, or buy her a card, or all three. 

Because you should love your mom.

Even when you don't.

Mellie

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

What did YOU do today? My family went to church (well we do that every Sunday but the service was special today) and when we got home we had a delicious easter dinner:

-Ham (the real thing not lunch meat-of course! who wants that crap on a holiday?)

-biscuits

-cooked broccoli and bell pepper with terriyaki sauce (yes I eat vegetables, lots of them! I just haven't posted any recipes)

-potato salad (recipe below)

-orange dream pie

Confession! Confession! Confession! Even with all this good, real, homemade food, I still LOVED the malted milk eggs in my Easter basket!

I'm the enemy of all foodies, especially hip and cool healthy eaters. well maybe not cool healthy vegans. I don't think malted MILK balls are vegan but I'm learning that all kinds of things that shouldn't be vegan are, like butter flavoring, pillsbury frosting, and oreos. But I digress. You would too if you were sleep deprived.

Here's the potato salad recipe! Classic spring/summer food. Like something you would bring on a picnic-why would anyone go on a picnic? 

Potato Salad

(Adapted from Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader)

7 medium russet potatoes

1 tbsp+1 1/4 tsp salt

4 medium hard-cooked eggs, mashed

1/2 c thinly sliced celery

1 3/4 c light mayonnaise (or if you, like me, hate mayonaisse, use just enough to make everything stick together)

2 tsp yellow mustard

2 tbsp sour cream

2 1/2 apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

parsley flakes and paprika, for garnish

Peel and cube potatoes. Place them in a large saucepan, add water to cover and 1 tbsp salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer till just tender. Drain potatoes in a colander. Let them cool completely. 

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, eggs, and celery. Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, sour cream, and vinegar. Add 1 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Just before serving, adjust salt and pepper. Garnish with bacon, parsley, and paprika. Makes:6 generous servings.

Don't you love Easter? I do. 

Have a happy Easter night!

 Mellie