hostess cupcakes done right

when i was growing up there were tons of things that my sister and i weren't allowed to have: twinkies, hostess cupcakes, tv dinners, all manner of synthetic food. this was all for my own good, of course, but when i was ten years old i was much too young to realize that. while i didn't have an all-consuming desire for these packaged cake products, i would watch the commercials or see images of them and wonder what they tasted like. they always looked soft and dense, but not too dense; filled with some kind of delicious whipped cream.

now that i've taken charge of my own nutrition, i know that these fake cake products are actually pretty gross. the cake is too soft and doesn't taste like it should (ie, chocolate or butter), the filling is some sort of synthetic, gritty sugar parade, and the icing is more like plastic than anything else. but the idea is still a good one - it's the execution that's lacking.

so these cupcakes are everything a hostess cupcake isn't: moist cake that actually tastes like chocolate, but has enough body to stand up to being clutched in your fingers; whipped cream filling with flavor; ganache frosting that adds to the chocolate punch. i'm usually not a fan of all-cocoa chocolate cakes (as opposed to cocoa and chocolate chocolate cakes, or cocoa and oil based chocolated cakes) - this is basically the only one i'll use. it's a regular list of ingredients with a really easy set of directions, and you should feel free to halve the recipe if you don't want a million cupcakes, or feel completely grossed out at the thought of using an entire pound of butter in one cake recipe - it's essentially a doubled recipe anyway.

best of all, if you do make the full 48 cupcakes, you can eat them all: they stay good for two weeks, in an airtight container.

best chocolate cupcakes

cake
2c stout (I used guinness)
2c (1 lb) butter
1 1/2c cocoa (preferably valrhona)
4c flour
4c sugar
1T b soda
1 1/2t salt
4 eggs
1 1/3c sour cream or greek/strained yogurt

ganache
2c cream
1 lb bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

whipped cream filling
1 1/2c cream
3-6T bailey's or other liqueur flavoring
1t unflavored gelatin
3-8T sugar

1. preheat oven to 350F. line a regular 12-cup cupcake pan with cupcake liners (you could also make 4 9" cake layers, but you'll need to grease the pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and grease the parchment paper to prep the pans). bring stout and butter to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. cool to room temp.

2. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. in large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sour cream until blended well. make sure that stout-chocolate mixture isn't hot enough to cook the eggs, then pour into egg mixture in a steady stream, whisking as you pour. add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold batter together until completely combined - do not overmix.

3. if making cupcakes, fill each muffin cup about 2/3-3/4 full (closer to 3/4); if making cakes, divide batter among pans. bake until tester comes out clean, about 20-25 min for cupcakes and 25-30 min for cakes. cool cakes completely.

4. when cupcakes have cooled, take a sharp serrated knife and cut out the middle of each cupcake, so that you leave a large whole walnut-sized hole in each cupcake. do not cut through the bottom of the cupcake, and leave at least 1/2" margin around the edge of the cupcake top to leave enough area for ganache to adhere to. reserve the cupcake leftovers for some other use (they make a great trifle...); freeze in an airtight container up to 1 month. refrigerate the cupcakes while you're making the frosting and filling.

4. for icing: place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl, if you haven't already. bring cream to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan. remove from heat and pour over chocolate. let stand 1 minute, then stir with a rubber spatula or whisk until smooth. let cool until spreadable, stirring frequently to let it cool evenly, about 1 hour.

5. while the icing cools, make the filling. pour the cream into a large bowl, then beat it to soft peaks with an electric mixer or whisk. sprinkle cream with gelatin, let stand 1 minute, then beat cream to stiff peaks. add liqueur and sugar to taste, then fill cupcakes. the gelatin will set when the cupcakes are refrigerated.

6. frost cupcakes with the ganache. you'll want to work quickly because it can really stiffen up at the end, though you can rewarm it in a double boiler over the stove (don't use the microwave). i'm not a master of technique with cupcakes, but i did a thin coat of ganache while it was still moderately runny, to cover over the cream filling, then after that cooled a bit, i did a thicker layer of frosting.

7. store the cupcakes in the refrigerator, in an airtight container. to keep the icing looking good, you really can only do 1 layer of cupcakes in the container. the cupcakes stay pretty soft, so you can eat them out of the fridge (my empirical observation). otherwise, leave them out for about 30-60 minutes to bring them to room temp. don't bring them straight into a really warm temp or the condensation will be really noticeable.

[makes 48 cupcakes]

pork products (again)

just a brief rundown of recent dinners:

posole (pork and hominy stew)
buttery cornbread with caramelized corn and scallions
made this with c - she made the posole and i made the cornbread. one really shouldn't take as long making cornbread as i took, but i ended up making some caramelized corn/onions to add to the mixture, along with some chopped scallions. i also scrambled the extra egg white into the caramelized corn, so as not to waste it. the cornbread and posole went really well together, and make me wonder that i ever hated cilantro. fyi, i hated cilantro enough to pick it out of the batter my mother would use on homemade chicken nuggets. it's all very strange because now i love cilantro. back to the food: the posole awakened a love for hominy; i've had hominy before in cape verdean food, and i've liked it, but not as much as this. makes you appreciate having something to chew, in some odd, primal way. oh, also - i've adjusted the original cornbread recipe to reflect a little less butter, and do make sure you cook it long enough, so it's not doughy in the middle.

crispy pork (enough said)
c made this one night when i had dinner plans already; i ended up eating some both before and after my dinner engagement. oof. it was that good - essentially an easy version of carnitas. just envision this: pork fried in pork fat. yeah. i could never be a vegetarian 'cause i'd miss my pork products.

layered chicken enchiladas with tomatillo sauce
i made this last week, having made it once before many years ago when i was working in chicago. i remembered it as being excellent, and i think it was pretty good upon second try, though not quite all i wanted. i roasted my own chicken, but i suppose i'm just a pork product kind of girl.


adapted recipes below:

posole (pork and hominy stew)
1 large head garlic
12c water
4c chicken broth
4 lbs country-style pork ribs
1t dried oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled
chili powder and paprika
1 1/2c boiling-hot water
1/2 large white onion
1t salt
1 1/2 30-ounce cans white hominy
about 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

potential accompaniments: diced avocado, thinly sliced lettuce, chopped onion, diced radish, lime wedges, hot pepper

1. peel garlic cloves and slice. in a dutch oven (c used a le creuset enameled cast iron one), bring water and broth to a boil with sliced garlic and pork. skim surface and add oregano. gently simmer pork, uncovered, until tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

2. transfer pork with tongs to a cutting board and reserve broth mixture. shred pork, using 2 forks, and discard bones if using bone-in meat. rinse and drain hominy. return pork to broth mixture and add oregano, chili powder, paprika, hominy, and salt. simmer pozole at least 30 minutes, until thickened.

[serves 8]

buttery cornbread
1 1/3c coarse stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1c unbleached all purpose flour
1/4c sugar
2t baking powder
3/4t coarse kosher salt
1c plus 2T buttermilk
7T butter, melted
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, beaten to blend

1. butter a 9x5x3 metal loaf pan or a 9x9 pyrex dish. mix together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. add buttermilk, melted butter, and beaten eggs. stir with wooden spoon until well blended.

2. add any additional ingredients (scallions, corn, etc). let batter stand 30 minutes to absorb liquid; preheat oven to 375F.

3. pour batter into prepared pan and bake until browned around the edges and tester comes out clean, ~40 min. let bread rest 5 minutes, then turn out of pan and cool.

[serves 10-12]

crispy pork (carnitas con salsa de aguacate y salsa mexicana)
4lbs boneless country-style pork ribs
2c (or more) water
1 1/2c fresh orange juice
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2t salt
1t grated orange peel

1/4c brandy

warm corn tortillas
avocado salsa
fresh tomato salsa

1. cut pork pieces crosswise into thirds. cut off any big chunks of fat from pork and reserve; leave small pieces of fat attached to pork. combine pork, reserved fat, 2 cups water, and next 4 ingredients in deep 12-inch skillet (c used the dutch oven again). bring to boil. reduce heat, cover, and simmer until pork is tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour 45 minutes, adding more water by 1/4 cupfuls if necessary to keep pork partially submerged.

2. uncover skillet; boil pork mixture until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. stir in brandy; boil until liquid evaporates and meat browns and begins to get crisp, stirring often, about 15 minutes. cool meat slightly; discard any loose pieces of fat. tear meat into strips; return to skillet.

3. season pork with more salt, if desired; transfer to bowl. serve with warm tortillas, avocado salsa, and tomato salsa.

[serves 6-8]

layered chicken enchiladas with tomatillos
2lbs tomatillos, husked, rinsed, halved (quartered if tomatillos are particularly large)
1 1/4c chicken broth
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2c sliced scallions
2c (packed) very coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (1 1/2 bunches)
1 large serrano chile, sliced (with seeds) (substitute 1 medium jalapeno without seeds for those who like less heat)

12 5- to 6-inch corn tortillas
1 roasted chicken, torn into strips (~4c)
1 lb whole-milk mozzarella cheese, cut into strips
1 cup whipping cream

1. reheat oven to 450F. in a large saucepan, combine tomatillos, chicken broth, and garlic cloves. cover and bring to boil. reduce heat; simmer gently until tomatillos are soft, about 10 min. transfer hot mixture to food processor. add sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, and sliced chile; blend mixture to coarse puree.

2. overlap 6 tortillas in 13x9x2-inch oval or rectangular baking dish (i used 2 9x9 pyrex dishes). top tortillas with half of chicken strips and half of mozzarella strips. pour 2c tomatillo sauce evenly over. top with remaining tortillas, chicken strips, and mozzarella. pour 1 1/2c tomatillo sauce over, then whipping cream. sprinkle with salt and pepper. bake until bubbling, about 25 minutes.

[serves 6-8]