DIY: Groundhog Day Cupcakes

"What holiday is next?" is a question I get asked quite a lot.  Brady's at the age where he's starting to understand holidays and the anticipation surrounding them.  And, of course, he's ready to party all the time.  So when he posed this question after New Year's I had to pause and think for a second...yep, Groundhog Day is next.  

Now, Groundhog Day doesn't carry very many traditions with it, beyond looking for good ole' Phil on the news.  But I thought that this year maybe we could do something a little more.  We've been reading The Big Snow at our house and on the last page the groundhog pokes his head out of the ground and sees his shadow.  Which gave me the idea to make Groundhog Day Cupcakes.

I designed the cupcake toppers and made them into a PDF for you to download and assemble.  Just print the groundhogs, cut them out and sandwich them together with a little glue and a toothpick in the middle.  And remember to save one of your groundhog paper trimmings.  You're going to need it if he sees his shadow this February 2nd...

If it happens to be cloudy on February 2nd and Phil doesn't see his shadow, you can always just slide the groundhog into a plain frosted cupcake.  They'll be just as adorable.  And such a great excuse to eat cupcakes.

What do you do to celebrate Groundhog Day?  Any predictions as to whether or not spring will come early this year?

Baking Day: German Chocolate Cake

When it comes to birthdays I am a die-hard fan of the birthday cake.  It's tradition and we have to make one from scratch for every birthday (they're so good).  My husband, Craig, is a big fan of coconut so when I asked him what kind of cake he wanted this year I wasn't at all surprised when he said German Chocolate Cake.  After the craziest Tuesday, and a Wednesday that took a close second, I finally was able to finish his cake on Thursday, two days after his birthday.  So sad, right?  I felt awful.  Thankfully, it was worth the wait. 

We tried this version from the Bridge Street Bakery in Vermont.  Instead of three layers I opted for two just to make things a little bit simpler.  I think it still has a stunning presentation.

Here's an interesting bit of information about German Chocolate Cake: it's not actually German.  In 1852 an employee of Baker's Chocolate Company, Sam German, created a new type of dark baking chocolate.  The company named the chocolate "German's Sweet Chocolate" in his honor.  Then, in 1957, a Texan housewife sent the recipe for a chocolate cake she had made using this chocolate in to a local newspaper, calling it "German's Chocolate Cake."  It was an instant success.  Since then, the possessive has been dropped but it's still a popular recipe today.

It's really rich and decadent and Craig loved it.  I think it'll be on the menu again next November.  Personally, I always choose carrot cake for my birthdays.  What's your favorite?

Baking Day: Blackberry Turnovers

Hello, again, my dears.  How was your weekend?  What did you do?  I had too much fun reading through my new canning book searching for tasty recipes to try and shopping for goods at the farmers market.  The canning adventures are still underway, but I'll be sharing the results of my first few experiences later this week.

I also wanted to share the recipe for the treat I made my for my brother-in-law's birthday with you.  I opted to make blackberry turnovers because I know he's a fan of berries.  Plus, they seemed a little easier to pack, ship and share than a traditional cake (or even cupcakes) would have been. 

I made them by combining and altering little bits of two recipes: this filling and the crust noted below.  The only changes I made were to the filling, which went a little something like this:

Blackberry Turnovers

• 3 c. blackberries


• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon all purpouse flour


• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon


• 8 tablespoons sugar


• This pastry dough


• 2 tablespoons milk

I followed all other instructions as written and was really pleased with the result.  The dough is a little bit sticky, but bakes up light and crispy. Plus, all this berry and pastry baking made my house feel and smell like fall, which I love.

What are your favorite things to bake in the fall?  What smells do you like to fill your home?

Baking Day: Mississippi Mud Pie

On occasion, I've been known to use bribery to get something I want.  Take this week, for example.  To convince my husband and his friend that they should put the kids to bed while said friend's wife and I went for a walk, I bribed them with a dessert of their choosing.  Happily, they agreed and Mississippi Mud Pie was put on the menu. 

I found this recipe in a tempting cookbook that was given to me a few years ago called Chocolate Box.  It's full of mouth-watering photography and recipes to keep a kitchen busy for months.  This version of Mississippi Mud Pie is rich enough to satiate with a small slice but has a light and airy texture that makes it perfect for hot summer months.

Mississippi Mud Pie

Pie Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa


• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced


• 2 tbsp sugar


• 1-2 tbsp ice cold water

Filling:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter


• scant 1 3/4 cup packed brown sugar


• 4 eggs


• 5 1/2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted


• 1 1/4 cups light cream

To Decorate:

• 2 cups heavy cream


• sugar, to taste


• chocolate flakes or curls

To make pie dough: whisk together flour and cocoa.  Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour mixture until pea-sized crumbs form.  Add sugar and 1 tbsp ice water and combine with a fork until a soft dough forms, adding more water if necessary.  Form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F.

To make filling: Beat together butter and brown sugar.  Gradually add in eggs, melted chocolate and cream.  Mix until thoroughly combined.

Bake: Remove pie dough from refrigerator and roll on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness.  Using a rolling pin, roll dough on to pin and transfer to a loose-bottom tart pan or pie dish.  Press into bottom and up the sides of the pan.  Line dough with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove pie weights and paper and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.  Pour filling into crust being careful not to over-fill.  (The filling will expand slightly during baking so fill to just below the top of the crust to allow for this.)  Bake for 45 minutes at reduced temperature.  The filling will form a thin crust with cracks running through it; this is perfectly normal so don't worry when you see it cracking.

Allow pie to cool completely.  Whip cream with sugar to a soft and fluffy consistency.  Spread on top of pie and garnish with chocolate flakes and curls.  Serve immediately or chill for later.

{images by me}

Lavender Sugar

Thanks to a little wild lavender bush growing in my front yard, I was able to dry my own batch of lavender this year.  It smells heavenly and I can't wait to try all the things I'll be able to do with it.  My first project was lavender sugar, which is so simple to do.  Blend 1 Tbs. dried lavender buds in a blender until powdery and mix with 2 cups of fine granulated sugar (Caster or Baker's sugar works best).  Or put it all in the blender together for something a little more like powdered sugar in consistency, like I did.

It's a beautiful, thoughtful and inexpensive gift idea.  You can substitute lavender sugar for regular sugar in countless recipes, like sugar cookies, or serve it sprinkled over a bowl of fresh berries.  If you'd like to try cooking with whole lavender buds, there are recipes like Lavender
Spritzer to try.  Personally, I think my powdered sugar variety will
make some amazing Mexican Wedding Cookies.

{images by me}