Baby Bird Cupcakes

Get baking with guidance from the best

(NC)—Baking is more than just creating tasty treats. It’s a way for families to connect and create wonderful, lasting memories.

The following Baby Bird Cupcake recipe is just one of many easy-to-follow recipes that will delight kids, parents and grandparents. More how-to recipes can be found online at www.robinhood.ca/bakeshop.

Baby Bird Cupcakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Baking Time: 20-25 minutes (minis 15 minutes)

Cooling Time: 20-25 minutes (minis 12-15 minutes)

Makes: 4 baby birds (4 large cupcakes and 4 mini cupcakes)

Freezing: Excellent, undecorated

Cupcakes

1/4 cup (50mL) butter, softened

2/3 cup (150mL) granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp (5mL) vanilla extract

3/4 cup (175mL) Robin Hood All Purpose flour

1/2 tsp (2mL) baking powder

Pinch salt

1/3 cup (75mL) milk

Vanilla Icing

Prep time: 8 minutes

Makes: 3 cups (750mL)

Freezing: Excellent

1/4 cup (50mL) butter, softened

3 cups (750mL) icing sugar

1/4 cup (50mL) milk

1/2 tsp (2mL) vanilla extract

Decorative Toppings

4 pretzel sticks to attach the head and body

16 tbsp tinted coconut for the feathers

4 candy corn for the beaks

8 jellybeans for the feet

4 cookies (cut in half) for the wings

Optional: piping gel for the eyes

Preheat oven to 350oF (180oC). Line cupcake pans with paper liners for 4 large and 4 mini cupcakes.

Cupcakes: Beat butter and sugar until light. Add egg and vanilla. Beat well.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Stir with a fork. Add half the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Add milk and then the remaining dry ingredients.

Place batter into large cupcake papers using an ice cream scoop. Place a heaping tablespoon (15mL) of batter into each mini paper cup.

Bake 15 minutes for minis and 20-25 minutes for large or until a toothpick inserted into centre of cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing. Cool cupcakes on wire rack before decorating.

Icing: Place butter, 1 1/2 cups (375mL) icing sugar, milk and vanilla in a bowl. Mix with hand held mixer.

Beat for 5 minutes. Add remaining icing sugar 1/2 cup (125mL) at a time, beating for 1/2 minute each addition.

Tip: Add a few drops of yellow food colouring to tint coconut for feathers.

Decorating Ideas:

Remove paper liners from cupcakes. Place mini cupcake on top and to the side of a large cupcake for a head, secure head with two pretzel sticks. Complete one bird at a time. Spread about 3 tbsp (45mL) of icing to thinly cover each bird. Over a large bowl, hold bird in one hand and press coconut onto cupcakes to look like feathers. For the beak, use candy corn. Make a slit in each side of the bird and insert half a round cookie for bird wings. Attach jellybeans for feet. Put on two dots for eyes with piping gel. Allow to dry.

www.newscanada.com

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TOPPING:

1 tbsp. butter or margarine

1/3 cup Fancy Molasses

1/4 cup sugar

6 slices pineapple

6 maraschino cherries

CAKE BATTER:

1/3 cup shortening

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup Fancy Molasses

1 1/2 cups sifted flour

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. each ginger and cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 egg

1/2 cup sour milk

Place butter in a 9″ square pan or casserole dish, melt, add molasses and sugar. Over this arrange pineapple and cherries.

CAKE PART: Cream shortening, sugar and baking soda. Add Fancy Molasses. Stir in 1/4 of sifted dry ingredients. Beat in egg. Add remaining flour and sour milk alternately. Beat until smooth. Pour over pineapple and spread to corners. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes, turn out upside down.

Credit: www.newscanada.com

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1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup Fancy Molasses

1 cup cold, strong coffee

3 eggs, well-beaten

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. each, cinnamon, mace, salt

1 cup raisins

1 cup currants

Mix in order given. Bake in coffee ring pan at 375°F for 45-50 minutes. Cover with coffee-flavoured icing.

Credit: www.newscanada.com

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(NC)-Ontario peaches or nectarines join forces with a plethora of other fruity delights to create a delectable topping. With a warm rich base of toasted angel food cake, this dessert crostini is a winner all around.

16 slices angel food cake 16

2 cups Ontario peaches or nectarines, chopped 500 mL

1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and chopped 250 mL

1/2 cup blueberries 125 mL

2 tbsp real maple syrup 30 mL

1/4 cup chopped mint leaves 50 mL

1 tbsp lemon zest 15 mL

1 cup Low-fat peach yogurt 250 mL

Arrange cake slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in a 350ºF (180ºC) oven until lightly toasted, about 7 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely while preparing salsa topping.

In bowl, combine, peaches or nectarines, cherries and blueberries. Drizzle with maple syrup. Let sit 10 minutes. Stir in mint leaves and zest.

Top each slice of cake with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of yogurt. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of peach mixture over top. Garnish with mint sprig if desired.

Makes 16 pieces.

Source: www.ontariotenderfruit.com

Credit: www.newscanada.com

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(NC)-You’ll get an ‘A’ when you include one of these delicious cupcakes in your child’s lunchbox. (And they’re easier to make than you think!)

1 1/2 cups Robin Hood All Purpose Flour 375 mL

1 cup packed light brown sugar 250 mL

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted 125 mL

1 1/4 tsp baking soda 6 mL

Pinch salt Pinch

1 cup buttermilk 250 mL

2/3 cup Crisco Canola Oil 150 mL

2 eggs 2

2/3 cup vanilla or butterscotch pudding 150 mL

(2-99g pudding cups)

1 cup milk chocolate chips 250 mL

PREHEAT oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease a 12 cup muffin tin.

WHISK together flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. In separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil and eggs; pour over flour mixture, whisking until well combined.

SPOON half of mixture into prepared muffin tins, filling about half full. Dollop pudding evenly among muffin tins. Sprinkle with half of chocolate chips. Spoon remaining cupcake batter over, enclosing pudding and chips completely. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over.

BAKE in centre of preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed. Cool completely in pan on rack. (Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days).

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Baking Time: 30 minutes

Makes: 12 cupcakes

Freezing: Freeze well, individually wrapped, for up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator

Credit: www.newscanada.com

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For many people, when you ask them what their favorite cake flavor is, the answer is likely to be chocolate. In fact, some people love chocolate so much that they would probably worship at an altar to ensure a steady supply! So how do you decide which chocolate cake recipe you will bake for that special occasion or those just because moments when you need a chocolate fix?

No Chocolate Cake Recipe Created Equal

It is not in the least bit hard to find a chocolate cake recipe, whether it is in a cookbook or even on the internet. The problem lies in the fact that there are literally thousands and thousands of recipes to choose from! How do you choose between ten different Death by Chocolate recipes or one hundred World’s Best Chocolate Cake recipes? The answer is that you select the recipe based on the ingredients you have on hand as well as the ingredients that you could substitute in a recipe.

Some chocolate cakes may use water for part of the liquid in the recipe while others use buttermilk or even a soda to create a subtle, unique flavor and texture. One chocolate cake recipe may call for those bittersweet baking chocolate squares while another may allow you to substitute cocoa powder with vegetable oil. For people with gluten and wheat allergies, you can find a chocolate cake recipe, actually hundreds of them, which do not require flour as an ingredient.

Regardless of what kind of chocolate cake you like, you will find a chocolate cake recipe to suit your needs. There is chocolate fudge cake, devil’s food cake, German chocolate cake, Swiss chocolate cake, chocolate pound cake and even chocolate angel food cake. You can even find a chocolate cake recipe that is “tainted” by other ingredients like nuts, marshmallows, zucchini, beets, peanut butter and more. Where there is a will and a taste bud, there is a variation of the chocolate cake recipe.

Choosing your Cake Recipe

Sometimes, you have to choose your chocolate cake recipe by the number of people you are trying to feed. If a cake is needed for a birthday or just because, you can pull out your trusty Betty Crocker cookbook or even look on the back of your cocoa powder can for ideas. For a ladies luncheon or get-together, a chocolate bundt cake is attractive.

For a large crowd, the best chocolate cake recipe you can bake is the Texas chocolate sheet cake. It is quite easy to double or even triple the recipe. A sheet cake is baked in a large 11×17 baking pan instead of a tradition round cake pan or 9×13 pans. Of course, you are back to the dilemma of which recipe to choose! Just follow the advice earlier of choosing the cake recipe that you have the most ingredients for or could make substitutions without affecting the integrity of the cake.

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Cakes, cookies, and pies are just a few of the many desserts that are both known and loved.  Many people can’t say no to a sweet treat, but others feel the need to refuse desserts that they consider to be high in calories and sugar.  This makes it hard to find a dessert recipe that pleases everyone.  However, strawberry shortcake recipes can do just that!  Although they are relatively healthy compared to most other desserts, strawberry shortcake recipes are extremely delicious as well!

Following A Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

The first step in following a strawberry shortcake recipe is to make the filling.  In order to make the filling, you will need one-half teaspoon of vanilla extract, one cup of heavy whipping cream, two tablespoons of sugar, four cups of sliced strawberries, and two tablespoons of sugar.  First, combine the berries and sugar in a bowl and allow them to macerate in the refrigerator for several hours.  In a separate bowl, whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla; cover and refrigerate.

The next part of the strawberry shortcake recipe involves making the shortcake portion of the dessert.  The ingredients needed for this include: two-thirds cup of cream or buttermilk, two cups of self-rising flour, eight tablespoons of unsalted butter, one large egg, and two tablespoons of sugar.

First, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Combine the sugar and flour in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times.  Divide the butter into eight pieces and add to the mixture.  Pulse approximately fifteen times to mix.  Next, whisk together the egg and cream, add this to the mixture, and pulse once again.  Place the dough in a pan and bake for fifteen to twenty minutes on the middle rack of the oven.  Invert and allow to cool.

Next, you will need to assemble the strawberry shortcake.  Split the shortcake in two and place one round on a platter.  Place half of the berries and cream on top, and then add the second shortcake round.  Top with the remaining berries and cream.  Now it is time to serve and enjoy!

Healthy Alternatives

To make the strawberry shortcake recipe even healthier, there are several substitutions you can make.  First, you can substitute half of the sugar with calorie-free Splendid.  Replacing only half the sugar will allow you to keep the same taste.  You can also select low-fat cream to use in the recipe.

 Recipe For Success

You can’t go wrong if you follow this strawberry shortcake recipe.  Not only will you please the sugar-loving crowd, but you will also create a dessert that appeals to the health conscious. 

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In Austria and other parts of Europe, a torte is simply a multi-layered cake. But far from just a difference of definition, a chocolate torte is a delightful alternative to a traditional American dish.

American cakes are light, sturdy and rise in the middle. A chocolate torte will be heavier and, after cooling off, actually sink in the middle. While this might be considered a cooking failure in other circumstances, here it signals a dessert done to perfection.

Fortunately, to make one is really simple. You’ll need:

9 oz of semisweet chocolate
6 large eggs
1 cup of unsalted butter
1 cup of granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 350F/177C. While that’s heating up, you can prepare the pan. Coat a 9 x 3 in (23 x 8 cm) pan with nonstick cooking spray. Keep the amount as small as possible to avoid affecting the flavor of the outer surface.

Then separate the eggs, yolks in one bowl and egg whites in another, allowing both to reach room temperature. Add about 1/2 cup of sugar to the bowl with the yolks and whisk or beat with an electric mixer for a few minutes until thickened. Add the vanilla extract.

Now, melt the chocolate slowly. One easy way to do that without scorching is to use a double boiler. Place water in the base and heat the water with the top section on. Then when the temperature is just about 100F/37.8C, slide the chocolate into the pan and swirl as it melts. Combine the chocolate with the egg yolk mixture.

Next, beat or whisk the egg whites until they’re nice and foamy. Then add in the cream of tartar. Add 1/2 cup of sugar. Mix the egg whites mixture with the egg yolk mixture and fold lightly.

Pour the result into the pan then bake for about an hour. You can check the result after 45 minutes with a toothpick, but keep in mind that a torte is a little more gooey, and less firm than an American cake. When you see a nice crust you should be about done.

The crust on top will collapse as the torte cools after removal from the oven. That’s normal.

For a delightful variation, you can make a chocolate espresso torte. Just add 1/4 cup of brewed espresso to the mixture before baking. The coffee should be allowed to reach room temperature before adding it in. To make an extra strong result, you can even add a tablespoon of finely ground espresso beans.

Though not necessary, if you want a little extra body you can add 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour. Once all the other ingredients are prepared, just fold in the flour. No need to overdo it, a few specks or ribbons of dry flour are desirable since they provide structure.

To serve, just allow the torte to cool for half an hour. Expect the dessert to be less compacted until it has cooled in the refrigerator overnight. A torte whose top edge crumbles off like old bricks from a castle is just fine. Enjoy!

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Planning to entertain this summer? If so, you’ll need some quick and easy recipes sure to wow the crowds? You can’t go wrong by incorporating fruits of the season into your recipes, and you’d better act fast if you want to enjoy one of the most coveted delicacies of the year.

California Bing cherries are plentiful in stores right now, but they’ll only be around for a limited time. Their season lasts for two short months — May and June. The cherries are easy to select and handle because they are ripe and ready-to-eat on your store shelf. When used in recipes, the cherries can be both simple and extravagant at the same time.

As the featured item in a light fruit salad with melons and mint, cherries are elegant and nutritious too. When pairing chocolate and cherries, the duo is virtually irresistible. By adding cherries to chocolate cupcakes, they become so gooey, frosting isn’t even necessary.

Here are some tasty recipes you just have to try:

* Fresh Cherry Salad with Melon and Mint (serves 6)

Sweet, fresh cherries make this light, early summer salad equally perfect for a buffet lunch or part of a simple family meal. If possible, use a cherry pitter so cherries can be left whole.

Ingredients:

1/2 small cantaloupe, seeds and skin removed, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 honeydew melon, seeds and skin removed, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup minced fresh mint plus mint sprigs for garnish

2 tablespoons light honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 1/2 cups pitted fresh cherries

Juice of 2 limes

Directions: Put the cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and minced fresh mint in a bowl and turn several times. Put the honey in a bowl with the lemon juice and stir until the honey dissolves, a minute or two. Pour this over the melons and turn several times.

Add the cherries, turning them in as well.

Pour the lime juice over all, garnish with mint sprigs and serve.

* Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes (Makes 1 dozen cupcakes)

Cherries and chocolates are well-known as a deliciously decadent combination. Here, the fresh cherries baked into the chocolate soften and release their sweet flavor into the bitter sweetness of the chocolate.

Ingredients:

8 ounces butter at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 cup milk

1 1/3 cups pitted cherries, halved

Directions: Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.

Cream together the butter and the sugar using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer 4 to 5 minutes, until fluffy and light. Slowly beat in the eggs. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Add this to the egg mixture along with the milk and mix just long enough to blend the ingredients, no more than 20 seconds. Fold in the halved cherries, no more than another 10 seconds.

Let rest 10 minutes, then fill greased muffin cups to the brim with the batter.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove and let cool 10 minutes before unmolding.

Yes, the California cherry season is short — but very sweet. So, eat them up while they last. A tip from California cherry growers — freeze them to make the season last even longer.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

###

SIDEBAR:

Facts about California Bing Cherries

* They are low in calories and contain no fat

* They are high in potassium, vitamin C, B complex and minerals

* Research has shown that cherry consumption can help the body prevent heart disease and cancer, as well as provide pain relief and improved bone health.

* When you bring your cherries home from the store, keep them in the refrigerator until ready to use. As with all produce, wash cherries under cool running tap water before eating or using in recipes. A variety of simple-to-use devices are available to pit cherries. Or, just slice open with a knife, remove the pit and enjoy!

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