Today's Banana Cupcakes

So today went much better.  I've already eaten two plain.  Cream cheese frosting anyone??

BANANA CUPCAKES

by Julie Hasson

1.5 all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 c. mashed banana (about 2 large)

1 tsp. vanilla

1. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt.

2. In a bowl, whisk together sugar, oil and eggs until smooth.  Add banana and vanilla, beating well.  Add banana and banilla, beating well.  Add flour mixture, beating until smooth.

3. Scoop batter into prepared pan.  Bake in preheated oven 20-24 minutes.

* My personal notes... The recipe said 12 dozen cupcakes, I got 16.  20-24 minutes?!  My first pan went in for 20 and it was a touch beyond golden brown!  Gawd only knows what 24 minutes would look like?!  I'd say 18 was fine.

British Banana

Sunday night I say to myself... self! stop being a bum.  Get you fat ass off the couch and do something... you love baking.  You have some frozen bananas in the fridge.  Go!

So I went to kitchen and I ended up with some very mundane and very bland cupcakes.  I thought half a banana didn't seem like much and I was right!  Ugh!  I need to listen to myself more.

I didn't even bother frosting them.  I did take them to work.  And my coworkers did manage to eat them.  Diana told me that it was yummy with her coffee, so not all was lost.

Beautiful Presentation

I went to Barnes & Noble yesterday looking for a particular cupcake book. I found it, but I also found in the bargain section an amazing book with great looks for presenting your cakes. I'm not a huge fan of the way fondant tastes, but it certainly looks pretty. I bought the book because it had step by step of the various techniques. I think I'll test it on my pink lemonade cupcakes this weekend!

New Order

I just got a call from a family friend and they're having a "Welcome Home GT" party.  You know when you have excessive funds you can do things like that... Throw a party when you're fancy car gets fixed and it returns to your garage.

Regardless, cupcakes AND money.  Doesn't matter why and it will be fun.  Here are the details...  They're having a dessert table with cookies and brownies so I suggested something more fruit-like and less chocolate.  

My thoughts for right now is one dozen pink lemonade cupcakes aaaannd?? What is the other dozen?

Mom's Birthday

Yummy!  The cobbler was delicious.  A hit.  My middle sister never likes my fruit desserts.  She says fruit is not to be in dessert.  It is a healthy snack.  Well she acted shocked, like WOW you can bake??

Half eaten, but I know my Mom will be eating it as breakfast for the rest of the week.  She likes her sweet in the morning with her coffee.  (Me...I like it anytime of the day.)

My dad is where I get my sweet tooth.  When I was little and there was no food in the house and grocery shopping needed to be done...there was always at least 4 kinds of ice cream.

What to do? What to BAKE?

So I was about to type in that tonight I want to bake a chocolate cupcake with a mint ganache fill and a white chocolate frosting.

Then I remembered I just did a mint chip cupcake not too long ago. I want something different... Something new... What to do? What to do?

Peach Cobbler with Almond Paste

It's my Mom's birthday tomorrow and she isn't a sweet fan.  She likes salty.  She's a caterer and I'm a baker so we don't really see eye to eye in the kitchen.  She WILL bend though for sweet involving fruit.  One of her favorite things I've made her is a Peach Cobbler with almond paste.  I think I orignially found it in Gourmet magazine a million years ago, but you can find it here.

The almond really adds something.  I love it too and it's pretty easy to make.  The topping or biscuits are probably the biggest pain.  Oh and cutting up 4lbs of peaches isn't a great time either, but it's worth it.

Pure Peach and Almond Cobbler

Yield

8 to 10 Servings

Time

35 minutes to assemble
50 - 55 minutes to bake
85 minutes total time

Filling4 lbs peaches, peeled and sliced into 1/2" slices3/4 cup sugar3 tablespoons cornstarch1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Cobbler Topping2 cups all-purpose flour1/2 cup sugar1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon nutmeg1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold butter1-7 oz box Odense Almond Paste1 cup buttermilk
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9"X13" baking dish or similar size.
2. Place peaches in a large bowl. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg. Pour over fruit and mix together until well incorporated. Pour into baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes while preparing almond topping.
3. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg into a medium bowl.
4. On the large hole side of a box grater, grate the Almond Paste and butter (yes, it can be done) into flour mixture. Mix with fingers until the texture of small crumbs, or use a food processor or pastry cutter.
5. Add buttermilk and stir until just mixed. For tender biscuits, don't over mix.
6. Remove baking dish from oven and drop dough by rounded tablespoons on top of hot fruit (an ice cream scoop with a wire release makes this step effortless).
7. Return dish to oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes more, or until fruit is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown. Delicious cold, or warm, served with vanilla ice cream