delvious

I took a few of these delvious cupcakes to the San Francisco National Food Bloggers’ Bake Sale weekend before last, where contributions from about 20 local food bloggers brought in $1,650 in donations for Share Our Strength (!!!).





The bake sale was held outside of Omnivore Books in San Francisco, which is perhaps the most awesome place ever.  An hour flew by as I thumbed through cookbooks on every imaginable topic including local cuisines (I wanted a mammoth New Orleans cookbook like no other) and vintage publications that looked well-loved by 1950s housewives.  I’m glad I had left my wallet in the car, or my credit card bill could have gotten ugly.





The highlight of the day was walking outside of the bookstore to see an adorable old man in a beret leaving the bake sale, carrying one of my cupcakes.  I really wanted to take a picture, but that might have been a little creepy so I refrained (barely).

Recipe

You’re probably wondering how I can ramble on about this bake sale when I clearly need to explain these tomato soup spice cupcakes. Contrary to what you might think, they were delicious.






Generous quantities of allspice, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg were baked into a Campbell’s tomato soup laced batter.  Since I made these cupcakes the night before the bake sale, I used oil in place of butter because I figured that would guarantee a nice moist cake in the morning.






The red-tinged cakes tasted somewhat like pumpkin bread or carrot cake.  The sweet but slightly tangy cream cheese frosting was the perfect compliment, and I highly recommend topping each with some toasted walnuts.  The tomato was barely detectable, if at all – I doubt anyone would have guessed there was a delvious mystery ingredient had I not disclosed it on the packaging.

Tomato Soup Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Mike’s Blog via Nancie McDermott’s Southern Cakes

Prep time + Bake time = 15 minutes + 20 minutes

Makes 20 cupcakes

Printable recipe

Cake Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

One 10 3/4 oz can condensed Campbell’s Cream of Tomato soup

1/2 cup canola oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup water

Frosting Ingredients

One 8 0z block of cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Walnuts for garnish, toasted (optional)

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Place cupcake liners in cupcake pan.

2.  Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to a large bowl.  Stir with a fork to combine well.

3.  Add tomato soup, oil, eggs and water to the bowl.  Using a whisk or mixer on low speed, beat the ingredients into a smooth batter.  Scrape down the sides with a spatula occasionally.

4.  Distribute the batter among the cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the cakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then move cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

6.  Once the cupcakes are cooled, add the cream cheese and butter to a standing mixer (or a large bowl and use a hand mixer).  Beat until evenly combined.  Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition.  Once desired consistency is reached, beat in vanilla extract.

7.  Frost cupcakes.  Garnish with toasted walnuts if desired.

2 Comments | In: Cake | tags: allspice, bake sale, cinnamon, cloves, cream cheese, nutmeg, Tomato soup. | #

As I mentioned in my first post, bacon is constantly popping up in desserts these days.  I know I’m a bit behind on the trend, but I have finally tried it for myself.


I knew I wanted to make my first (and potentially last) bacon dessert in cookie form – easy to transport and share.  I wavered between a standard chocolate chip dough with some chocolate-covered bacon stirred in, but ultimately decided to go with a simple peanut butter cookie studded with crispy bacon bits.





My verdict?  Totally delvious.  I’ve heard peanut butter is good on a bacon cheeseburger, and now I’m officially convinced that would work.

Recipe

The hardest thing about this recipe (or any recipe postponing the immediate consumption of bacon) is resisting that hot bacon right out of the frying pan. Once you’ve made it that far, the recipe is nearly done.  I used half creamy peanut butter and half crunchy since I am without a doubt a crunchy PB lover.  I followed Joy the Baker‘s suggestion to roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar, only because why wouldn’t you?





Out of the oven, it was kind of impossible not to inhale the cookies.  Rest assured, however, that these cookies will stay nice and chewy for a few days.  As for the taste: peanut butter and bacon are both assertive flavors, so neither was overpowered by the other.  The bacon contributes a nice balance of saltiness with a bit of that wonderful applewood smoked flavor from the bacon I used.  Of course if you pick out a bacon bit in a tiny bite it’s still going to taste like meat, so enjoy as you would any other cookie for the overall effect.


I felt a little insecure about leaving bacon at room temperature, so I recommend refrigerating the leftovers (should any make it past Day 1) and bringing them to room temp before polishing them off.

Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies

Adapted from Joy the Baker

Prep time + Bake time: 20 minutes + 10 minutes

Makes 24 cookies

Printable recipe

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter (creamy, crunchy or combination)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp baking soda

6 slices of thick-cut bacon

Directions

1.  In a skillet over medium high heat, fry bacon until cooked through and crispy.  Let cool on paper towels.  Dice into small pieces, and set aside.

2.  Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, combine peanut butter and sugars for about 2 minutes until well combined.  Add egg and baking soda, and mix for 2 more minutes.  Fold in the bacon with a spatula.  Refrigerate dough for an hour or until firm.

3.  Preheat oven to 350F and grease baking sheet with butter.

4.  Roll dough into  walnut sized balls and roll them in extra white sugar.  Once they’re on the baking sheet, create the criss-cross pattern using the tines of a fork.

5.  Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.  Cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

My cookies may have been flat, but there was a way to make good on the situation.

As you have noticed from the pictures, my cookies went from about 1-inch-diameter dough balls to 4-inch-diameter cookie discs.  My speculations:

• I used JIF rather than natural peanut butter which probably contains more oil.
• The dough spent a lot of time in the stand mixer, so it was definitely at room temperature.  Hence, I recommend refrigerating the dough before baking.

Staring dejectedly at my delicious but ugly cookies, I realized that they had amazing potential as components for an ice cream cookie sandwich.  I used plain ol’ vanilla bean, but I suspect some caramel ice cream would have been stellar.  If you don’t mind some melty ice cream, eat these sandwiches immediately.  If you want a less messy treat, you can pop them in the freezer to firm the ice cream up a bit.


For vegetarians wanting to simulate the PB bacon cookie experience, make the peanut butter cookies sans bacon and light a few bacon scented candles.  Or not.

6 Comments | In: Cookies | tags: Bacon, Peanut Butter. | #

When I was in Granada, Spain, with my sister last year, we went olive oil tasting.  As we sipped several varieties by the teaspoon, I was surprised how intensely flavored olive oil can be on its own.  Some were fruity, and some were so peppery in the back of our throats that we were coughing.  Remembering this experience, I’ve been dubious about olive oil cakes since canola and vegetable oils are nearly flavorless.  Given my love of moist oil-based cakes, however, I decided to give olive oil its chance.


In addition to the cup of heart-healthy EVOO, this cake calls for some zucchini – i.e. a serving of vegetables!  This dessert is obviously health food, and certainly delvious.

Recipe

A one-bowl recipe, I highly recommend this incredible cake.  A stand mixer will make things things easier, but a hand mixer will accomplish the same goal.  Time saver: I used a food processor to get the zucchini grated more quickly.  Even though the shreds weren’t perfect, it’s faster than doing it by hand with a box grater.





Out of the oven, I thought the cake looked a bit dry.  I drizzled the lemony icing and (not so patiently) waited for it to cool.  As I eyed my plated slice, it still looked like it was going to taste a notch better than cardboard.   Luckily appearances can be deceiving – the cake was moist with a tender crumb.  The olive oil and zucchini were undetectable, overpowered by the cinnamon, toasted walnuts and the perfect amount of sweet lemon glaze.





About a quarter of the cake was left after dessert was served, which I wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and left at room temperature.  As with most oil-based cakes, it was even BETTER on Day 2!  The last slice was still tasty on Day 3.  On Day 4, I was just sad it was gone.

Olive Oil Zucchini Cake with Lemon Icing

Adapted from Amateur Gourmet via Gina DePalma

Prep time + Bake time = 15 min + 50 min

Serves 10-12

Printable recipe

Cake Ingredients

1 cup walnut pieces

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

3 large eggs

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 small zucchini)

Icing Ingredients

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350F, with rack in the center of the oven.  Grease a 10 cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter and dust lightly with flour.

2.  Place the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them until they are golden brown and aromatic (12-14 minutes).  Cool the walnuts completely, then finely chop them in the food processor and set aside.

3.  Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg into a medium bowl and set aside.

4.  In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar and olive oil together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes), then add vanilla extract.  Beat in the dry ingredients all at once on low speed until they are thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Switch the mixer to medium speed and mix for 30 seconds.  Add the zucchini and walnuts and beat on low speed until they are completely incorporated, again scraping down the sides of the bowl.

5.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

6.  Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the bake time to ensure even browning, until the cake has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

7.  While the cake is baking, prepare the icing.  In a medium bowl, whisking together the lemon juice and granulated sugar, then whisk in the powdered sugar until the icing is completely smooth.

8.  Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a wire rack.  Drizzle the icing over the top of the cake (or brush it onto the cake using a pastry brush).  Allow the cake to cool and the icing to harden.

9.  Wrap any leftover cake in plastic wrap, keeps well up to 2 days.

6 Comments | In: Cake | tags: lemon, Olive oil, Zucchini. | #