Robin's Random Recipes

From Cook's Illustrated

Makes 12 cupcakes. Published January 1, 2003.

These cupcakes are best eaten the day they are made, but unfrosted extras will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. To double the recipe, use 3 whole eggs and 2 yolks, and double the remaining ingredients.

Ingredients
For Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 unces)
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg , room temperature
2 large egg yolks , room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For Frosting
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate , chopped

Instructions

1. For Cupcakes: Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.

2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.

3. Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tin using a #20 disher (3 Tbs.) Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Use skewer or paring knife to lift cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature, about 45 minutes.

4.For Frosting: Bring cream to boil in small saucepan or in microwave. Place chocolate in medium bowl and pour boiling cream over. Cover with foil and let stand 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool and slightly firm, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

5. Transfer cooled chocolate mixture to bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment; whip mixture at medium speed until fluffy and mousse-like and forms medium-stiff peaks, about 2 minutes.

6. Spread 2 to 3 generous tablespoons Chocolate Ganache Frosting on top of each cooled cupcake; serve.

3 c heavy cream, divided
2.5 c sugar, divided
6 oz butter
4 eggs, room temp
10 oz cake flour (8 oz)
1.5 tsp baking powder
.25 tsp salt

Caramel:

Heat 2 cups of cream to a simmer, either in a saucepan or in the microwave.

Put one cup sugar in a heavy medium size saucepan over medium heat. Let the sugar melt, stirring the melted parts around so it doesn't burn. When it gets a deep amber, take it off the heat and add the cream slowly...it will foam up. Return to the heat, bring to a boil, and cook gently for about five minutes. Any clumps of sugar will dissolve as you cook it.

Keep one cup out for the cake, put the rest in the refrigerator.

Cake:

Heat oven to 325F and spray a 12c bundt pan with Pam w/ flour.

Cream the butter with 1.5 cups sugar; add the eggs one at a time. Sift or whisk together the dry ingredients and add alternately with the caramel, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

Bake 35-40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean; let rest for ten minutes on a rack and then unmold and cool.

Whip the last cup of cream and swirl in some of the caramel sauce.

Serve cake with sauce and whipped cream.

NOTE: The original recipe called for all-purpose flour and my mom and I discovered that with cake flour the cake will fall. THIS IS A GOOD THING. The cake comes out dense and delicious. When it doesn't fall it doesn't taste nearly as good. Towards the end of the baking time if it hasn't fallen yet slam the oven door or pick up the pan and drop it a few inches to ensure it falls.

My sister's favorite, from an old Usenet post.

3 8-oz pkgs cream cheese (room temp)
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp key lime juice
1/4 cup sour cream
zest of one regular lime
1 tsp vanilla
dash salt

Beat cream cheese until smooth and add sugar. Blend well and add eggs, one at a time - blend in sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Slow (at low speed) add key lime juice and blend until smooth. Add zest.

Pour onto prepared crust. (Either graham cracker or animal cracker crust - 1 cup cracker crumbs, 1 1/2 T melted butter, 1 T sugar. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes.

Wrap the cheesecake pan in a double layer of aluminum foil and put in larger shallow pan and add boiling water to a 1" level in pan, being careful not to get any water in cheesecake.

Bake at 325 for an hour, turn the oven off and let it rest in the oven for another hour.

Remove from oven and cool for about 1 hours before refrigerating overnighe.

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 pound medium carrots (6 to 7 carrots), peeled
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil , safflower oil, or canola oil

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 by 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment and spray parchment.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in large bowl; set aside.

3. In food processor fitted with small shredding disk, shred carrots (you should have about 3 cups); transfer carrots to bowl and set aside. Wipe out food processor workbowl and fit with metal blade. Process granulated and brown sugars and eggs until frothy and thoroughly combined, about 20 seconds. With machine running, add oil through feed tube in steady stream. Process until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 20 seconds longer. Scrape mixture into medium bowl. Stir in carrots and dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Pour into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time. Cool cake to room temperature in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours.

Frost with Cream cheese frosting.

This recipe really lets the pumpkin flavor come through without drowning it in "pumpkin pie spices". The crust is the only spiced component to the cake.

4.25 oz. gingersnap cookies (about 17 two inch cookies) broken into pieces
2 oz (1/2 c.) pecans
1 T. Sugar
2 pinches salt
.5 t. cinnamon
4 T. melted butter

1 c. pumpkin purée, canned or fresh (run through food processor if stringy)
1 c. sugar
2 c. heavy cream, chilled
1 lb. cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks

24 pecan halves, toasted

Heat the oven to 350 F.

Line a 9" cake pan with parchment.

In a food processor, process the cookies with the pecans, sugar, salt, and cinnamon until the cookies become fine crumbs, about 20 sec.
Add the butter and pulse about 10 times, just until incorporated.
Press the mixture into the pan, flattening and pressing up the sides with a flat-bottomed, straight-sided drinking glass.

In a small saucepan, combine the pumpkin and sugar.
Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a sputtering simmer, stirring constantly, about 5 min.
Turn the heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture has darkened and thickened to the consistency of applesauce, about 5 min.

Using a stand mixer w/ wire whisk, beat pumpkin.
With mixer running, add chilled cream.
Add the softened cream cheese and beat until smooth.
Add the eggs and yolks.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Place cake pan in a roasting pan, add hot tap water to come half way up the cake pan.

Bake the cheesecake at 350 F for 45 minutes.
Turn off the oven without opening the door and let the cheesecake cool for 1 hour.
Transfer the cake to a rack (the center will still be jiggly) and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
Garnish with pecans before serving.
Serve with whipped cream.