Step by step homemade baking recipes
Learn how to get the PERFECT HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM recipe, this video is for you! This recipe is perfect for piping cupcakes, and perfect for icing a cake. Subscribe for more cake decorating basics, tips, recipes and tutorials LIVE with Jenn!
Subscribe to my Second Channel, Jenn Johns, here. [Read more…]
Today I am showing you how to make Homemade Hostess Cupcakes. These are a take on the popular store bought brand. I’ve used a deliciously rich chocolate cake, filled it with marshmallow buttercream and dipped the cupcake in chocolate ganache.
Subscribe to Cupcakes and Cardio to ensure that you see all of our newest videos when they’re released!
In this video tutorial I show you how to make homemade apple spice cake covered with salted caramel buttercream, topped with chocolate ganache, caramel sauce and gourmet caramel apples! This cake is for giant sweet lovers only!
Subscribe to Cupcakes and Cardio.
So we’re on our way again to LA to visit YouTube Space LA tomorrow and we’ll finally be able to announce the program that we’ve been working with YouTube on for the last 6 months! Keeping a secret for that long has been hard. It’s not exactly a secret that we’ve been in LA . . . you can tell by the random places/kitchen’s we were filming in in August and November (expect some more soon too!) What we’ve had to keep secret is exactly what (other than videos) we’ve been doing there. When we’re officially allowed to announce it, I’ll be sure to let you know what we got to work on! I’ve got a little black cloud hanging over me though as my program bestie isn’t going to be able to make it as she has an incredibly sick family member. But, it’s looking as though he is over the worst part and is on the road to healthy.
On to the cupcakes . . .
The idea for these cupcakes came to me while I was shopping in our local grocery store . . . the Superstore. Canada is so original in it’s naming of stores. I knew I had a delicious banana cupcake recipe, and a ton of ripe bananas ready to be smashed into something delicious, so I grabbed these long baking trays. . . they’re meant for baking breads and gift giving. If you’re looking for your own and can’t find any by looking for banana split stuff, try searching for “food tray” or “hot dog tray”.
In the video, I left the cupcake wrappers on the cupcakes as I put them into the tray. Honestly, I was sure about whether to remove them or not. I think if I was to go back and actually eat the banana split, having the wrappers on the cupcakes might eating it a little bit difficult . . . but then if you were sharing it, you might want the wrappers so your cupcake doesn’t touch the other person’s spoon?!?!? I just don’t know!!
How to fill/torte a cake with Chocolate Ganache
You know that delicious chocolately goodness that you often find in the centre of a great cake? Well, that is most likely a chocolate ganache! Ganache is a fancy word for filling . . . or icing . . . or glaze. Commonly, you will find it inside cakes, cupcakes, pastries, or you may recognize it as the “dripping” chocolate on Boston Creme cakes, or on Banana Splits!
Chocolate Ganche Pictures
Yes, Valentine’s day was last week, but I have been so busy with the early success of Jenn’s Custom Cakery. A new website, with a photo gallery, order form, product listing, and of course a link back here to my blog is in the works. I can’t wait!
On to the post . . . and away from the excuses!
My parent’s have been married for 33 years! Their anniversary falls on February 1st . . . every year . . . duh. The funny thing about this is that the only person who remembered was my younger brother! Normally, he forgets everything and it’s me reminding him to call home. Kudos Steve 🙂
To make it up to them, (even though they both forgot too, I felt guilty) I made them a Valentine’s Day Cake. I’ve been dying to make a Tuxedo Cake, from a blog I follow (Annie Eat’s).
To give you a good idea of what goes into this chocolate, whipping cream and more chocolate creation, I have a step by step tutorial for you! I used 3 heart shaped cakes, which proved to be WAY too small for the amount of batter the original recipe calls for (3- 9″ layer cake pans). The math conversion proved to be too much work as well.
Tuxedo Cake
Ingredients:
For the cake:
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups water
1 cup canola oil
4 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
See the big crater? That's why you use flour on your pans! I managed to make up for the mistake, and fill it in with frosting.
Directions:
To make the cake layers, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line three 9-inch round cake pans (or two 10-inch round cake pans) with parchment paper. Butter and flour the inside edges of the pan, shaking out the excess flour. (I did not do the flour step
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, water and canola oil; heat until the butter is melted. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, and flour; whisk to blend. Pour the melted butter mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then whisk in the buttermilk. Add the baking soda, salt and vanilla to the bowl and whisk just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each cake layer and invert onto a wire cooling rack. Allow the cake layers to cool completely before frosting, at least 2 hours.
For the frosting:
4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
To make the frosting, add the heavy cream to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and continue to whip until thoroughly combined and stiff peaks form.
Here is where you cover up the “oops”.
To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a cake platter and spread a layer of the whipped cream frosting over the top. Top with a second cake layer, more frosting (and the third cake layer, if using). Frost the top and sides of the assembled cake. Refrigerate until the frosting has stabilized, at least 1 hour.
Slap that cream on, spread it out!
And again!
Until you get this! YUM! You could stop there, but don’t! The best is yet to come.
For the chocolate topping:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup light corn syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract
To make the chocolate glaze, place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit 1-2 minutes. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and homogenous. Blend in the corn syrup and vanilla. Pour the glaze into a pitcher or measuring cup and let cool for 10 minutes. (Do not let the glaze cool longer or it may become difficult to pour over the cake.) Slowly pour the glaze over the cake, ensuring that the top is covered and the glaze drips over the sides.
There is an important lesson to be learned at this stage! Just because chocolate is a food group reserved for greatness, does not mean that you should go overboard pouring it on this cake. Don’t make the same mistake that this chocoholic did! I used ALL of the ganache that the much bigger than needed recipe called for. I left it ended up without the beauty that you can see in the original post . . . dark on white . . . hence the tuxedo effect!
Refrigerate the cake until the glaze is set and the whipped cream frosting is firm, at least 1 hour. Slice with a long, sharp knife, wiping the blade clean between slices.
I should have stopped here!
Add some sugar roses . . .
And some sugar lilies . . .
And some sugar petunias!
Thank you Annie for making such a delicious cake and providing me with the inspiration to treat my parents! My dad who “doesn’t like sweets” (H. E. L. L. O! how am I his child?) phoned me the next day to say it was “to die for”. If you know my dad and his issues with “sweets” you know what high praise that is!
My friends and I had established this month’s dinner theme to be “Your Heritage” so I went searching for English, Scottish or Irish treats. I did not find this cupcake recipe appealing at all when I first read the recipe (I don’t like Guinness, I don’t like whiskey, I don’t like them mixed together . . . but I do like Bailey’s!) but I figured, hey, it’s better than haggis! I totally judged a book by it’s cover, and I was SO wrong!
These cupcakes are seriously the most delicious cupcake I have ever eaten! No lie. I did a wicked job making them . . . as I actually read, AND followed the recipe . . . hahahaha. But, really, they are insanely good. I think that it is the ganache filling . . . and Guinness chocolate cake . . . and the Bailey’s icing . . . and the plethora of booze! Or maybe it was the wine talking as Christy and I did make 60 bottles of wine that morning. Consensus around the table (none for the kids!) was that they were very good . . . and when people had seconds and thirds (Adam!) I knew it wasn’t just me. Try them out and see for yourself! Let me know what you think.
Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
(adapted from Big City Cooking)
Open Up That Liquor Cabinet!
1 c. Guinness (thanks Dad!)
1 c. unsalted butter
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 c. all purpose flour
2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2/3 c. sour cream
Ganache Filling
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
2/3 c. heavy cream (I used whipping cream)
2 tbsp butter, room temperature
2 tsp Jameson Whiskey
Baileys Frosting (I doubled this recipe)
3 to 4 c. confections sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 to 4 tbsp Baileys
Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.
Butter and Guinness Mixture
Cocoa added in
Ganache filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.
Ganache
Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped. Meanwhile, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
Hollowed Out Centres, Ready To Be Filled!
Mmmmm, Filled With Ganache
Make the frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.
When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.
Ice and decorate the cupcakes.
Bailey's Frosting
And the wine making . . .
Christy Making Cranberry Chianti
Half Done The Green Apple Riesling
