YumSugar

Cheers With Gin and Tonic Cupcakes

YumSugar — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:30:14 -0800

Recently a great friend celebrated his birthday. To surprise him, I decided to turn his favorite cocktail into a cupcake! A must for any party, these gin and tonic cupcakes are stunning and surprisingly easy to make. Be careful when baking; the cake should be light and airy rather than hard and overcooked. The creamy frosting has a mild gin flavor, but feel free to add more or less booze to suit your tastebuds. My local market did not have citrus jellies, so I used sugar-coated lime slices as garnish. Homemade candied lime peel is another excellent option for garnish. To celebrate with your own gin and tonic cupcakes, read more.

Gin & Tonic Cupcakes
From Gorgeous Cakes by Annie Bell

Ingredients

Cake
2 medium egg whites
Pinch of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tablespoons tonic water
Frosting
1/2 cup mascarpone
1 tablespoon gin
2 tablespoons corn syrup
Green food coloring
Lime slices covered in sugar or jellied lime or lemon slices, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit. With an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites in a large bowl with salt and cream of tartar until they are risen. Now beat in the sugar, a couple of tablespoons at a time, sprinkling it over the egg whites and beating about 20 seconds with each addition. Fold the sifted flour into the meringue in three stages, and then stir in the tonic water.
Arrange muffin paper baking cups inside a muffin tin and fill two thirds full. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden on the surface and still springy to the touch. Remove and let cool.
Spoon mascarpone into a bowl and beat in the gin and then the syrup and tint it the palest green with a little food coloring. Fill a icing bag or ziploc with the tip cut off to frost the cupcakes.
Use a decorative toothpick to spear lime slices in sugar or jellied candies and insert one into each cupcake.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Print recipe with images | without images

View 6 Photos ›

Have Your Cake and Beet It Too

YumSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:00:06 -0700

While looking through Gorgeous Cakes over the weekend, I found the perfect Fall cake recipe that included one of my favorite root vegetables, beets. I love roasted beets in a salads, so why not experiment with them in baking?The uncooked batter has a stunning magenta color that's unfortunately lost once baked. However, it turns to a lovely, golden-colored cake with delicious red speckles throughout.

The combination of beets and roasted hazelnuts results in a hearty cake with a delightfully light and airy texture. For extra zip, I added ruby red grapefruit zest to the luscious cream cheese frosting. To see the spectacular color of the batter and start baking your own cupcakes with this vegetable, read more.

Beet Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Gorgeous Cakes by Annie Bell

Ingredients

For the Cake
5 ounces raw beet, peeled and shredded (wear gloves and apron while shredding)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 medium eggs, separated
3 tablespoons 1 percent milk
1 cup roasted hazelnuts, chopped
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
For the Frosting
2 teaspoon beets, shredded
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 cups lowfat cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ruby red grapefruit zest

Directions

Preheat the oven 350°F. Place the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Be sure to check the hazelnuts frequently to ensure they do not burn. Once roasted place nuts on a kitchen towel. Cover the nuts with half of the kitchen towel and gently roll back and forth to remove the skins. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Beat oil and sugar in large bowl, then beat in egg yolks and milk.
Fold in beets and hazelnuts. Sift flour and baking powder together and stir into the batter. Add spices.
Using a clean bowl and beater beat the egg whites until they are stiff and fold them into the batter in three stages.
Fill cupcake liners and bake for 18-22 minutes or until an inserted knife or skewer comes out clean.
For the frosting, cream butter, and powdered sugar using a hand mixer. Blend in the cream cheese, vanilla, and grapefruit zest until smooth.
Place the 2 teaspoons of shredded beets in a cup with 2 teaspoons of boiling water. Let sit for a couple of minutes. The red liquid can be added to the frosting to make pink frosting without the aid of food coloring.
Frost the cupcakes once cooled completely and enjoy.

Makes 18 cupcakes.

Print recipe with images | without images

View 12 Photos ›

Come Party With Me: Summer Cocktail - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:50:13 -0700

I can't let August end without hosting a Summer cocktail party, so this Friday we're gathering in the gorgeous garden of my sister's house to sip drinks and nibble snacks. The assorted menu of savory bites is 100 percent finger food that's both vegetarian and carnivore friendly.

Those who don't eat meat will enjoy crispy black-bean cakes with creamy guacamole. They'll also love crunchy tortilla chips topped with grilled corn and melted cheddar cheese and smooth flavorful grilled-veggie gazpacho.

Seafood aficionados are sure to go crazy for spicy Buffalo shrimp with blue cheese dip and celery. Finally, the meateaters' hunger will be satiated with grilled beef tenderloin on focaccia toasts. To check out these tasty warm-weather appetizer recipes, read more.

Black Bean Cakes with Guacamole
From Everyday With Rachael Ray

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
2 ripe avocados, coarsely chopped
Two 15-ounce cans black beans, 1 can drained but not rinsed, 1 can drained and rinsed
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus whole leaves for garnish
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
Dash hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
1/2 cup flour
Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

In a nonreactive bowl, whisk together the olive oil, mayonnaise, lime juice, sugar and cumin; season with salt and pepper.
Combine the dressing and the avocados and mash until smooth; set the guacamole aside.
In a food processor or blender, process the unrinsed black beans, the eggs, chopped cilantro, cumin, salt and hot sauce until combined. Stir in the flour and the rinsed black beans.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Working in batches, drop rounded tablespoons of the black bean mixture into the pan and fry, turning once, until crisp, about 4 minutes on each side; add more oil between batches if necessary.
Top the black bean cakes with the guacamole and cilantro leaves.

Serves 20.

Print recipe with images | without images

Tortilla Chips with Grilled Corn and Cheddar
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

2 ears of corn, husked
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 to 2 jalapeno chiles
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, plus sprigs for garnish
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated (1 3/4 cups)
24 tortilla chips, preferably lime-chili flavor

Directions

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. (If you are using a charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill for 3 to 4 seconds.)
Brush corn with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill corn and chiles, turning occasionally, until grill marks appear and both are tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Cut kernels off cobs, and transfer to a medium bowl. Peel, stem, and seed jalapenos. Cut into 1/8-inch dice, and add to corn.
Add scallion, cilantro, lime juice, and 1 1/4 cups cheese to corn mixture. Toss until well combined.
Preheat broiler. Arrange chips in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Top each chip with a tablespoon of corn mixture. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over chips. Broil until cheese is bubbly, about 30 seconds. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, and serve immediately.

Makes 2 dozen.

Print recipe with images | without images

Buffalo Grilled Shrimp with Blue Cheese Dip and Celery
From Gourmet

Ingredients

For blue cheese dip:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (2 ounces)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon milk
For shrimp:
18 jumbo shrimp (1 1/2 to 2 pounds), peeled, leaving last shell segment and tail fan attached, then deveined
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup hot sauce such as Frank’s RedHot
1/2 bunch celery, cut into 4-inch sticks

Directions

Make dip: Stir together ingredients, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Make shrimp: Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium heat for gas).
Toss shrimp with oil and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Oil grill rack, then grill shrimp, covered only if using a gas grill, turning once, until just cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes total.
Stir together butter and hot sauce in a large bowl. Add shrimp and toss until coated. Serve shrimp with dip and celery.

Serves 6.

Print recipe with images | without images

Grilled-Vegetable Gazpacho
From Food & Wine

Ingredients

4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 large red bell peppers, cored and quartered
2 large yellow bell peppers, cored and quartered
2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick
1 large white onion, cut into 1/2-inch slabs
2 ears of corn, husked
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups tomato juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced

Directions

Light a grill. Thread the garlic cloves onto a skewer. Lightly brush the garlic, bell peppers, zucchini, onion and corn with the vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper.
Grill the vegetables over moderately high heat, turning frequently, until lightly charred and crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover with plastic and let steam for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, remove the garlic cloves from the skewers, peel them and transfer to a large bowl.
Using a large serrated knife, cut the charred corn kernels into the bowl. Peel the peppers and add them to the bowl along with the zucchini, onion, cumin, crushed red pepper, tomato juice, orange juice, lemon juice and vinegar.
Working in batches, puree the vegetable mixture in a blender or food processor. Pour the gazpacho into a clean bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
Just before serving, stir the cilantro into the gazpacho. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with the cucumber and serve.

Serves 10.

Print recipe with images | without images

Grilled Beef Tenderloin on Focaccia Toasts
From Tyler Florence

Ingredients

2 pounds cherry tomatoes
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 heads garlic
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 lemon, juiced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cups good quality mayonnaise
2 tablespoons hot chili paste
1 whole beef tenderloin*, about 6 to 8 pounds
2 loaves focaccia bread, sliced and toasted
Baby arugula, for garnish

Directions

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Toss the tomatoes into a roasting pan, drizzle with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes have collapsed, about 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool.
Drizzle the garlic with olive oil, wrap it in foil, and bake it until soft, about 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the soft garlic onto a cutting board.
Strip the needles from the rosemary, add them to the garlic, and chop them together. Pour 1 cup olive oil into a small bowl; add the garlic and rosemary mixture and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Set aside until ready to grill.
Char the outside of the pepper under the broiler or over a gas flame. Put it into a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.
When cool enough to handle, peel, seed, and chop and put it into a blender. Add the mayonnaise and chili paste; process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper; refrigerate until ready to use. (Can be made the day before.)
Heat the grill. Remove the meat from the refrigerator about 1/2 hour before you are going to grill it. Brush it with some of the flavored olive oil and season it generously with salt and pepper.
Grill the tenderloin, turning frequently, until the meat is rare or medium rare, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a platter and let it rest for 5 minutes, brushing it with the flavored olive oil. Cut the beef into thin slices.
To serve, put some of the flavored mayonnaise onto a piece of focaccia toast. Top it with a thin slice of the beef and spoon on some of the roasted tomatoes. Garnish with some arugula leaves and serve.

Serves 30.

Print recipe with images | without images

Off To Market Recap: Cake Plate

partysugar — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:57:49 -0800

By now most of you know about my obsession with making cakes. I don't mean those cakes from a Betty Crocker box, I mean elaborate creations that have tons of steps and take hours to complete. An epic cake of these proportions deserves, and requires, beautiful presentation. Unfortunately I don't have a cake platter or a cake stand... imagine how sad my gorgeous cakes look on a boring old everyday dinner plate! That's why I asked you to head off to market in search of cool cake plates. Just in time too: it's YumSugar's birthday on Monday, my half birthday on Friday, and my sister's birthday in 2 weeks so looks like I have a lot of fabulous excuses to go all out making cakes. You guys found some pretty plates and saved them in the Yum Market with the tag Cake Plate. I totally appreciate all your searching. Here are my favorites:

For modern, sleek cakes with ganache frostings, I love this square cake plate that chellebaby found. It's totally contemporary and will make any chocolate-y creature that much more mouth-watering.

A couple more, so read more

The exact opposite type of cake: an old fashioned layered one with thick, rustically spread frosting calls for a classic glass cake dome. Chlyn discovered this beauty that every at home baker needs. Even if you aren't serving the cake on this platter you need a safe place to hold the left overs.

A complete sucker for anything shiny, and I love this beaded crystal cake plate submitted by amyfinke. What better way to feel like a princess on your birthday than with a cake presented to you on this sparkling plate?

Thanks to everyone who scoured the web for cake plates! To learn more on how to bookmark your foodie finds in the Yum Market, check out geeksugar's guide.

Yummy Links: From 12-Layer Cake to Mario and Tony

partysugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 06:45:35 -0800

I'm trying to work up the courage to make this gorgeous 12-layer mocha cake for Christmas. Wish me luck! - Gourmet
Twelve delicious cranberry recipes. - The Kitchn
What do recession dining and goat meat have in common? They're top food trends of 2008. - Time
At a time when everyone is craving comfort food, retro cookbooks are making a strong comeback. - The Epi-Log
A look back at the year in food. - Chow
Vote for your favorite finalist in the Inspire Me! Holiday Entertaining Contest. - Hostess With the Mostess
Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain discuss fatherhood. - Serious Eats

Source

Off to Market Recap: Cake Stand

partysugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 01:01:31 -0700

YumSugar recently mentioned that she wants to start collecting cake stands. Since her birthday was on Wednesday, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to get her a cake stand to begin her collection. And so you could all be involved, I asked you to help me find it! You looked for interesting and colorful cake stands that would be excellent for displaying her baked goods. You saved the stands in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Cake Stand. You really pulled out all the stops and found some gorgeous cake stands.

I think this red pepper cake stand is perfect for Yum. It's classic and stylish without being boring or old. The red color is vibrantly delicious. Thanks for your help jspeed!

Check out all of the cake stands below and tell me which one you would give to YumSugar!

To learn more about the bookmarking feature of TeamSugar please read geeksugar's explanation.

Make a Meat Cake

YumSugar — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 10:56:22 -0700

I love cake and I love meat, so in theory I should love this meat cake. However something tells me it looks better than it actually tastes. What looks like a gorgeous traditional layer cake with a T-bone steak drawn on it is actually a cake made from meat. That's right, real meat. This three layer cake is made from ground beef, Worcestershire sauce with brown sugar & ketchup, and mashed potatoes. Pretty much, it's like a beautiful three-layer meatloaf. If you've ever fancied making one (and apparently there are enough people who have made meat cakes, that there's now an entire meat cake gallery), then you should definitely check out these step by step instructions for creating your own meat cake. Something tells me every single one of you knows someone who would go crazy for this cake.

Source: Make

Come Party With Me: My Birthday Party - Menu (The Cake)

partysugar — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 10:03:31 -0700

As crazy as it may seem, I always make my own birthday cake. I know most people like it when someone else makes them a super special birthday cake, but I love making cakes so it's a pleasure to make my own. For the cocktail party I'm hosting, I want a classic cake with beautiful presentation. Right now, I've settled on this recipe for a golden cake with sour cream chocolate frosting, but you never know, I may decide I want to make a different one by the time the actual party comes around! To see how this gorgeous cake is made, read more

Golden Cake With Chocolate Frosting
From Gourmet magazine

3 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sour cream
Chocolate sour cream frosting
1 1/4 lb fine-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped
10 oz fine-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 cups sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 (9- by 2-inch) round cake pans and line bottoms of each with rounds of wax or parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Add half of flour mixture and mix at low speed until just blended. Add sour cream, mixing until just combined, then add remaining flour mixture, mixing at low speed until batter is smooth.
Divide batter between pans, smoothing tops. Bake in middle of oven until cake is springy to the touch and a tester comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove paper, and cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the frosting: melt chocolates in a double boiler or a large metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Remove bowl from heat, then whisk in sour cream and vanilla. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally (frosting will become thick enough to spread). You must work quickly and spread the frosting before it becomes too thick. (If icing does become stiff, reheat over simmering water, then cool and try again.)
Trim tops of cooled cake layers with a long serrated knife if necessary to make flat and level. Halve each layer horizontally with serrated knife to make a total of 4 layers.
Put 1 cake layer on a cake plate and spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Layer remaining cake layers using 3/4 cup frosting between each layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.

Serves 12.

Print recipe with images | without images

Better Know a Group: Cake Decorators Unite!

YumSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 05:48:11 -0700

I was checking out the posts on TeamSugar when I came across this one in the Cake Decorators Unite! group. Group founder ashleyk4214 really stepped up her game and created this gorgeous cake for a wedding this past weekend. It's a French vanilla cake with blueberry filling and vanilla buttercream icing. That sounds delicious enough, but my favorite part is actually the cascading white roses, hydrangeas and creeping ivy. See more photos, just read more.

Submitted by TeamSugar member ashleyk4214

This cake was made for a wedding on Saturday, March 8th, 2008. The cake was french vanilla with blueberry filling and vanilla buttercream icing. The outside of the cake was decorated with a scrollwork on the sides and a thin line of ribbon which had a border of green pearls at the base of each ribbon. The topper of the cake was custom made with three white roses surrounded by green and blue hydrangeas and pieces of ivy. The entire cake had a cascade of white roses, green and blue hydrangeas, and creeping ivy. I tried to get the ribbon and icing pearl colors as close to the color of the green hydrangeas as possible.

A view from the front of the cake

A side view

A view of the flowers cascading down the side of the cake

Print recipe with images | without images

Yummy Links: From Salmonella to Homemade Ricotta

partysugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:00:33 -0700

The raw tomato Salmonella outbreak has spread to 16 states. - FitSugar
A lovely alternative to classic pasta salad: Thai shiitake mushroom salad. - 28 Cooks
Isn't this gorgeous dress cake perfect for a bridal shower? - Frosted Garden
When baking, don't add too much flour while kneading. - The Kitchn
The best of ballpark food. - The New York Times
Due to the recession, Safeway's baker's dozen will only include 12 items. - Slashfood
Boxed wine isn't that bad. Here are six to try.-Mainstreet
Learn how to make homemade ricotta.-The Wednesday Chef

Source