taking you downtown to brownie town

my friend mellio likes nothing more than desserts with raspberries and chocolate. she started telling me months before her birthday that making her anything else was just not an option. also not an option--- trying to live to see 30 without baking for her birthday ;) she's a funny lady. she's a puerto rican chick who loves the film yentyl and insisted ricky martin was NOT gay, just hispanic ('danielle, you just don't know what hispanic men are like, ooohkay!') until one month ago.
melissa and i go way way back to the days of midwood high school. how could i say NO to mah gurl?

i looked over so many recipes before i decided something rich and simple would do the trick. raspberry chocolate brownies it is then!

raspberry chocolate brownies

* 4 eggs

* 1 1/2cup sugar
* 2 teaspoon vanilla

* 1 cup butter

* 1 ½ cup ghirardelli ground chocolate
* 1 1/3 cup flour

* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 4 teaspoons of milk
* semi sweet chocolate chips
* raspberry jam

*confectioners sugar, with milk and cocoa for icing glaze.

1. oven at 350 degrees F.

2. cream butter with sugar and vanilla; add eggs. beat till well mixed.
3. mix ground chocolate with flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. stir into egg mixture; milk, and chocolate chips last, stir in raspberry jam.
5. 8 x 8 well greased pan
6. Bake 40-45 minutes
7. let cool
8. put in 'cups'
9. drizzle glaze and raspberries
10. one chocolate truffle for the birthday girls portion



enjoy. digest. enjoy again.

paging dr pepper!

my boyfriend loves his sweets. there is one thing in particular that he is very well known for loving (other than me)- and that is dr pepper soda. i knew i wanted to make him something with dr pepper- and a dr pepper cake seemed like a great option. i have had chocolate coca-cola cake before, and boy, did i love it. for these cupcakes i used a coca-cola chocolate cake recipe and added dr pepper instead. the batter seemed a bit runny when i first filled the cups, but the end product was rich and moist. i am happy i decided to make a simple vanilla frosting to go with it, because the flavor of the cake itself shouldn't compete with anything too rich. these cupcakes were a huge hit at sheep station. in fact, they went over so well with the bar staff that i got a few free drinks out of it! most importantly, boyfriend loved them too :)


i call these sweeney-pie's cocoa pepper cola cakes :)

CAKE:

1 1/2 cup dr. pepper soda
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 stick salted butter (good quality)
4 tablespoons cocoa powder (i used some i got as a gift from belgium- any high quality cocoa works)
2 cups sugar
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk

oven to 350° F

combine the dr. pepper, oil, butter and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat. when it comes to a simmer, mix well and turn stove off.

mix dry ingredients together - then add to mixture in saucepan and mix well, by hand. don’t over mix.

in a separate small bowl lightly beat the eggs and buttermilk together, and add them to the cocoa cola mixture and mix lightly- not too much.

pour into cupcake cups and bake at 350° for approx. 20-23 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

cool on rack. put in fridge till cool.



FROSTIN:

2 sticks of unsalted butter - very soft
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cup confectioner sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon of buttermilk


beat butter 3 minutes, slowly add sugar

in saucepan, simmer milk, buttermilk and flour till it forms a warm paste. stir constantly- it will burn otherwise.

add warm mixture to butter/sugar. mix well.

put in fridge for 30 minutes.






FROST CUPCAKES. EAT, ENJOY!

egg nog cake + kelby: a love story

egg nog is just so delicious. because i grew up jewish, i never had it in the house... but i would always go to the bodega and get some which i would hide in the back of the fridge until my mom found it. she always seemed somewhat dissapointed that i liked it so much, as if it was a sign i might start going to church or something. i just like the egg nog! i mean, non jews eat bagel and lox, right?






let me tell you about some of my favorite people: the bon bons are a rowdy group of siblings that are my close friends--- practically family. they are michael, jojo and marianne; and they are fabulous. michael bon bon was turning 21, so i made his favorite- egg nog cake with cinnamon icing and pumpkin filling. i made it for the bon bons on christmas last year, and michael consumed nearly the whole thing in a weekend.







i followed this egg nog cake recipe. i followed this basic buttercream frosting recipe (but added cinnamon). i also put some pumpkin filling in the center with some frosting. i decided to do this brooklyn bridge design as a tribute to mr bon bon, who is also a born and raised brooklynite. the cake came out great.

i also purchased some amazing candles and party hats from annie's blue ribbon, which i LOVE. the candles are perfect for someone like michael, who thinks life goes downhill after 21.




everyone was oohing and ahhing over the cake... unfortunately, we left it unattended for minute too long, and kelby, the bon bon's akita, got a bite, broke a glass, but looked adorable when caught in the act (as usual). kelby had cake fever bad after that, he really wanted more- we wouldn't give in!