Strange But Good: Tomato Brownie Cakes

August 2, 2013 By Laura

You may think I’ve lost it.

And you may be right.

I made mini brownie cakes. With a tomato. It sounds strange, but hear me out. Tomatoes are technically a fruit. Baking with fruit is good. So why not?

These mini cakes were marvelously moist. Fresh, in-season tomatoes from the market are juicy and pretty sweet on their own. Between that and the banana, the resulting healthy brownie is a chocolate treat that isn’t overwhelmingly rich, but still clearly a dessert. At the end there is the tiniest hint of something fruity… but you can’t pick out the tomato at all (I tested it with several people).

You might notice that I left the oats whole in my cakes; that’s because I like the extra chew. I also added a little coconut flour because I’m addicted to the wonderful, almost silky, texture it lends. There is also protein powder involved (I just can’t help myself). You can sub in more flour for any of these if you prefer.

Like all good cakes, I decided this needed icing. And sprinkles. My icing was a simple mix of Greek yogurt, a bit of stevia, and vanilla.

Bonus: tomatoes are a great source of vitamins C, A, and K, potassium, fiber, and the cancer-fighting lycopene,

Try it. You’ll like it. Your friends will like it. Your kids will like it. Just don’t tell them what they’re eating until after they take a bite. 😉

Tomato Brownie Cupcakes

1 small tomato
1 small banana (~6 inches)
1 C water
2 T cocoa powder
1/2 C raw oats
1/2 C spelt flour
1 scoop (30g) chocolate protein powder
2 T cocoa powder
1 T coconut flour
1 T stevia (or other sweetener)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 T coconut oil
1/4 C egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a blender, blend tomato, banana, and water until smooth. Pour into a bowl and mx in remaining ingredients except the egg whites.

Beat the egg whites until foamy (you can also use the blender for this), then fold them into the batter.

Pour into prepared cupcake tins and cook for 15-20 mins.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Approximate Nutritionals (for 1 cake): 51 calories, 1.7 g fat, 34.6g sodium, 7.3g carbohydrates, 1.5 g fiber, 1.1g sugar, 3.3g protein

How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week?

The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends!

Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.

Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂

***

I had the best time reading all the guesses when I posted this pic on Instagram. So many great ideas; many are sure to inspire future #strangebutgood baking. 🙂

What is your favorite fruit to bake with?

Would you ever consider trying a tomato brownie? Be honest.

Strange But Good Gluttony: Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

March 22, 2013 By Laura

Gluttony is controversial in blog-land.

I’m a firm believer that you should have everything in moderation. ~~Including moderation.~~

When my softball team requested these cupcakes after our game last weekend, I had to oblige. I’d made the ‘cakes for them 3 or 4 years ago, and they’ve been requested every year since.

These are not your ordinary cupcakes. They are called Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes. A reader pointed out the negative connotation of that name… I’m sorry if it offends anyone. These cupcakes are referring to the popular shooter. Many of you may have taken seen the shot in college. You take a 1/2 pint of Guinness and drop a shot of Irish cream and whiskey in it. Then you chug (you have to drink it fast of it will curdle).

It tastes like chocolate milk, or so I’m told. 😉

Turning a shooter into a cupcake may be strange, but it most certainly is good. In fact, I think these cupcakes are better than the shooter. Not better for you – hence the gluttony. But the booze (mostly) cooks out, so at least they won’t give you a hangover. 😉

Oddly, they don’t taste particularly boozy. The cake portion is a chocolate-Guinness combo. The carbonation from the Guinness makes the cake light and fluffy, and amplifies the chocolate taste without adding too much sweetness. The center of the cupcake is scooped out and filled with Irish whiskey ganache. It is also not terribly sweet, and the whiskey only deepens the chocolate taste.

The booziest part is the icing. That Irish cream isn’t cooked out, so you get a little of liqueur taste. However, if you’ve ever had Irish cream you know it’s sweet and creamy, so it works well as an icing component. I whipped this up the same time I made the hazelnut icing for Kat’s cake. I topped it with lucky charms marshmallows (thank you again for that gift, Heather!) to be more “festive.”

The combination makes for a fluffy, moist, decadent cupcake. You will promise yourself you will only take a bite of… then look down and realize it’s GONE. Not to be made every weekend, but once a year I think it’s worth a little gluttonous indulgence.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:

1 C stout (I used Guinness)
1 C (2 sticks) salted butter
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
2 C all-purpose flour
1 3/4 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
2/3 C sour cream

For the Ganache:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 C heavy cream
2 T salted butter, room temperature
1 T Irish whiskey (I used Jameson)

For the Frosting:

3 C powdered sugar
1 stick (1/2 C) salted butter, softened
4 T Irish cream (I used Bailey’s)
Food coloring (optional)

To make the Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners.

Bring the beer and butter to simmer in medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk together flour, sugar, and baking soda in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl and, using electric (or hand) mixer, beat eggs and yogurt. Add the chocolate beer mix to the egg bowl and beat just to combine.

Add flour mixture and slowly beat. Just before it’s completely mixed, use rubber spatula to fold batter until completely combined.

Pour batter into the cupcake liners, ~3/4 full. Bake ~15-17 mins. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.

To make the filling:

Break up the chocolate and place in a glass (heat-proof) bowl.

Place cream in a small bowl and bring to a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, allowing it to sit for a minute before stirring until smooth. If your chocolate isn’t melted completely, you can pop it in the microwave in 15-20 second increments until melted.

Lastly, add the softened butter and whiskey. Stir until combined.

To fill the cupcakes:

Let the ganache cool and thicken. If you’re impatient like me you can place it in the fridge to firm up; however, it shouldn’t be hard.

Using a cupcake corer, knife, or an apple corer, remove centers from the cupcakes. Take care to not cut through to the bottom. About 3/4 deep is perfect. (Note: save the centers and mix it with leftover ganache and/or icing to make fudgy cake balls.)

Spoon the ganache into the holes, filling to the top. (This could also be done with a piping bag, but I don’t have one.)

To make the frosting:

Whip the butter at a med-high speed using an electric (or hand) mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar – just a few tablespoons at a time.

When the frosting thickens, drizzle in the Irish cream and whip until combined. Add food coloring, if using, until desired color is reached. In the event that the frosting becomes too thin, simply add more powdered sugar until its think enough to spread.

Now that my gluttony is out of the way, what’s strange but good creations have you been concocting? Someone post a healthy recipe to balance me out… 😉

The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above.

In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.

***

No need to wait until next St. Paddy’s to make these cupcakes. I’ve done them for birthdays, 4th of July, NYE… Easter… break those Lenten alcohol and sugar bans in style! 😉

Spill it: Have you ever done an Irish Carb Bomb?

What strange but goodness have you been eating this week?

Marvelous Monday Meals

March 18, 2013 By Laura

Rainy Mondays can be hard.

Ok, always. Rainy Mondays are always hard…

A few weeks ago I committed to making an effort to be more positive on this most glorious day of the week and joined the diva-licious Katie in her Marvelous in My Monday link up. This week I need to get back on that train.

What a better way to do it than recap some tasty food? I’ve been eating good this past week, and I have a LOT to share. This is a long one. ~~That’s what shai said.~~ Sorry… but not really. 😉

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To start it off, last Sunday my friend Kathleen and I went to an underground supper club hosted by Souper Jenny. she does these once or twice a year; the secret location and chef is announced the day before the event.

Our surprise chef was Omar Powell! He is the Chef de Cuisine at my favorite Indian Restaurant, Cardamom Hill (a James Beard nominee!), yet he is Jamaican with a French culinary training. I was beyond excited to see what he came up with!

We arrived at the secret location (a local pasta shop, Storico Fresco) and were immediately blown away by the stunning table setting!

Before the meal, we had the chance to walk around a bit and I ~~got in the professional photographer’s way~~ snuck behind the counter to grab a shot of Chef Powell and Chef-Owner Asha Gomez discussing a dish.

The first course was a small treat that left me ~~way too~~ excited for the rest of the evening. Soft farm eggs with ackee, cod, scallions, and bacon. The flavors could have easily over-taken the egg, but they were perfectly balanced in the delicate shell. There is nothing more fabulous than a perfectly cooked egg.

Next we were presented with a brown stewed chicken served over tun cornmeal, pickled onions, and fin herbs.

We questioned whether it was really chicken – I’ve never had a more rich, flavorful piece of chicken in my life. This could have easily passed as a tender piece of red meat. It doesn’t even look like chicken, does it?

I almost asked for seconds… and I did ask for the recipe!

The third dish was a Jerked Pork served with yellow yam augratin, mango, papaya jam, and all spice oil.

The flavor combination in this dish was perfection. The jerk was just the right amount of heat against the sweet fruit, and the creamy augratin. Augratin can often be too rich for me, but this yam was restrained and didn’t take away from the other components.

This next dish was my favorite of the night. I think… it’s hard to choose! It was a oxtail agnolotii (agnolotii is a stuffed pasta, like ravioli) in a pumpkin soup laced with all spice and black pepper tulie.

I’m a huge oxtail fan, and the agnolotii did not disappoint. However, what made this dish for me was the soup. I admired his use of all spice here because it is one I’m timid with. A little bit can go a long way. The burst of it here gave a depth of flavor to the soup, allowing it to stand out against a big flavor like oxtail.

Lastly, we enjoyed a sweet and savory dessert. This was a cornmeal pone with comte cheese, “drops,” and thyme honey.

I had not heard of drops before. Apparently they are a Jamaican street food candy. It’s a sugar-glazed, chewy piece of coconut. That sweetness with the thyme honey and the more savory pone and cheese was a storybook end to a memorable meal. I’d like to say I was too stuffed to eat it all… but I ate mine and half of Kathleen’s.

#sorryimnotsorry

Yes, I ate the flower too.

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I had another awesome meal with my mom last friday night. We went to a family favorite, Everybody’s Pizza.

This place is one that will forever have a place in my heart. They have been open since 1971 and this coming Tuesday is their last day in business. My parents used to go on dates there in college, and later my dad would take me as a treat on Friday nights.

He’d tell me stories about what it was like “back on the day” when then had communal seating and tables of strangers would share pies and pitchers of beers. We would eat an entire pizza and then polish off a giant order of bread pudding. There are staving kids in Africa, right?

In honor of my dad, my mom and I had one last meal there. We toasted my dad’s memory with beers and shared a giant pizza. Half cheeseless veggie, and half with extra feta cheese, portabello mushrooms, jalapenos, and meatballs. And then a bread pudding. We were only going to eat half… ~~but you know that didn’t happen~~. 🙂

It was a great night sharing stories and eating one last meal at a local haunt. Everybody’s, you will be sorely missed.

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What do you do the morning after carb-loading? You take a trip up Stone Mountain! Mom and I met up with my friend Kathleen the next morning for a hike up the mountain in the gorgeous spring weather.

They were great sports, cheering me on as I ran my sprints up the steep part. They even joined in for a couple of rounds!

Where’s Waldo?

The refuel was classic. Fro-yo from Yoforia for lunch! Fruit, dairy, protein… I got chocolate and Irish cream flavors with kiwi, strawberries, pretzels and a Reese’s egg. Is that not the BEST topping offering?!

This deliciousness fueled my trip to the gym for a killer shoulder and glute workout. Sprints + glutes in the gym = one tired butt.

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Finally, on Sunday, I rounded out the marvelous with a day of softball. My women’s softball team beat both male teams we played!

I think it was the lucky socks.

After the game we had a social, and I brough a St. Patrick’s Day treat for the team: Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes!! These cupcakes are an annual request… they don’t have to twist my arm too hard to oblige. 😉

This is a fantastically indulgent cupcake. The base is Guinness chocolate cake. I fill them with Irish whiskey ganache and then ice them with an Irish cream frosting.

I’m too late to post a recipe for the holiday… but if you’re interested I may do a post later this week. Let me know!

***

It was a bit of a gluttonous weekend, but coupled with a LOT of activity. No regrets, but I’m really looking forward to getting back to normalcy this week!

Does your family have a nostalgia restaurant? Is it still there?

What is making YOUR Monday marvelous today?

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

April 13, 2012 By Laura

48 cupcakes is a lot.

But can you really have too many Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Cloud Frosting? Notsomuch – they were GONE by the end of the wedding shower. The chocolate part was good, but the frosting is what stole the show. And I have Sweetapolita to thank. Click here for her phenomenal recipe.

The final dish I’ll share from the wedding shower catering experience wasn’t actually made for the shower. I did use that leftover icing though! Obvious that meant I needed more cupcakes…

I had found some vanilla beans in Mom’s pantry and she didn’t have to ask me twice to put them to use in an Easter dessert.

These Vanilla Bean Cupcakes were fantastically light. A perfect pairing for the rich Nutella Dream Icing.

My Easter cupcakes were slightly ~~more healthy~~ less bad for you than the chocolate cupcakes, yet no less delicious.

Without butter, these were fluffy to the point that you barely realize you’ve eaten the whole thing before it’s gone. Sub in non-dairy milk and vinegar for the buttermilk and you’ve got a vegan cupcake (except the frosting – it’s full of butter).

Vegan or not – try these. You won’t regret it. In fact, you won’t even notice that you’ve just eaten 3 of them.

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Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
2 T cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 C buttermilk
1/3 C canola oil
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C xylitol
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
Nutella Dream Icing

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.

Beat together milk, oil, sugar, vanilla extract and vanilla bean in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring until just combined.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 10-12 mins. Allow to cool completely before icing.

Notes:

Use a full 3/4 C sugar, or an alternate sugar substitute if you do not have xylitol
Make it vegan by using non-dairy milk and 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar. Let stand 5-10 mins before using to allow milk to curdle

Makes 12 cupcakes.

***

Happy Friday the 13th! It’s my lucky day.

What’s your favorite cupcake flavor?

What are you most looking forward to this weekend?

Breakfast Apple Cupcakes (Recipe)

June 25, 2011 By Laura

Bicycling seems to be the next big thing.

Safety first!

Bloggers are into it, cyclists are rampant on Atlanta streets, and my friends all seem to have taken up the sport.

Naturally, I had to try it.

My friend Summer agreed to lend me a bike (along with a helmet and padded shorts) and take me out for a trial ~~run~~ ride. I was really nervous because my Achilles was killing me and I’m running a 5K this morning… followed by a softball tournament and then my high school reunion.

Definitely don’t want to be too injured/sore to run/play/party! But I broke out the KT tape and away we went!

It was the only color left in the store.

~~Pedaling~~ Cycling is much harder than I expected. Summer did say this was a hilly course, but whoa. Thank god I’m not new to exercising – I refused to walk the bike up a hill!

You can’t tell me this isn’t hilarious.

What I should have been more nervous about was the storm! We made it 11 miles and realized we were about to get hit.

That last 4 miles we were going as fast as we could into the wind. I literally almost got blown over! Lightening, tree debris hitting us in the head and littering the path, crazy temperature changes… I was running on nothing but adrenaline at the end.

Recap:

15 hilly miles
1.5 hours
Near death experience
Celebration beer and a sandwich

I’d totally do it again.

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After a long week I like to “treat” myself with a fun breakfast. Nothing says fun like cupcakes!

These are so easy to make – simply core an apple and top with your choice of deliciousness. Choosing your ~~icing~~ topping is the best part.

I iced mine 2 ways:

Mixture of Greek yogurt, almond butter, and chia seeds, topped with chocolate cookie crumbles
Vanilla whipped cottage cheese (see recipe below), with chia seed sprinkles

Yes, I picked the cookie off and ate it first like an impatient 5 year old.

Fun fact: My mom used to call me Tinkerbell… hence the mug. 🙂

Both were fantastic, but I think the whipped cottage cheese was my favorite. It was almost cheesecake-like!

The vanilla and apple sweetness was perfect with the tangy cheese and lemon combo.

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Vanilla Whipped Cottage Cheese

1/2 C cottage cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp lemon zest
1/4 packet of Stevia
1/2 T chia seeds

In a blender (I used the Magic Bullet short container) combine all ingredients.

Blend until the cottage cheese becomes smooth (you may need to stop and scrape down the sides).

Enjoy as a snack or as icing on your favorite treat!

***

This may be TMI… but my butt is SORE. And now I must go run. Wish me luck!

What is your favorite “treat” breakfast?

Do you bike? Any tips for a novice?!

Baking with Booze

December 24, 2010 By Laura

Good thing I got my butt to the gym today.

’cause I do love cupcakes.

Baby Sis let me tag along to her gym today where I tried out Body Pump for the first time. It was really good! I thought I was sooooo tough and started with more weight than I should have, but I quickly rectified that situation.

Part of me is scared I will be a whole new level of sore tomorrow, but the other part of me really likes feeling a workout. 🙂

Truth be told, I still like kickboxing better. Something about hitting a bag is so satisfying.

So… what is it that had me chasing Baby Sis out of my batter?

Gingerbread cupcakes filled with raisin-infused rum ganche and topped with cinnamon icing.

Heaven.

You know you’ve reached a new high when your mom says:

“This is the best thing you’ve ever made.”

I’ve literally been thinking about this recipe since I made Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes last year.

Once your muffins are baked, let them cool completely before carving out the center. If you have one of these, your life will be easier.

(Thanks for the early present, Madi!).

Centers can also be removed with apple corers, grapefruit spoons, fingers, and knives.

Next, get your fancy icing bag standard placstic baggie. Fill it with the ganache, then cut the very tip of the corner off to fill the cakes.

Fill the cutouts carefully just to the top of the cupcake.

Let that cool/solidify in the fridge for 30 mins (or 10 in the freezer if you’re impatient like I am).

Meanwhile, make your cinnamon icing.

Then – using the afore mentioned classy baggie method – ice the cupcakes.

Note to self: Get a hair cut!

Icing cakes isn’t one of my many skills…

But I don’t think Santa will mind. 🙂

Gingerbread Rum-Ganache Cupcakes with Cinnamon Icing

by Laura Hall

Prep Time: 45 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Keywords: bake dessert ginger rum Christmas cake winter

Ingredients (12 cupcakes)

For the Cupcake

1/2 C canola oil
3/4 C brown sugar (packed)
1/3 C molasses
2 eggs
1/4 C buttermilk
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 T ginger
2 T cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C crystallized ginger (chopped)

For the Ganache

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
2/3 C heavy cream
1 T butter, room temp
4 tsp dark rum (I used the raisin-infused rum left over from this recipe

For the Icing

1 stick salted butter, room temp
2 C confectioners’ sugar
1/4 C almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

For the Cupcake

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup cupcake tin with paper liners.

Using the paddle attachment on your electric mixer, beat the oil with the brown sugar and molasses until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the buttermilk.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, beating just until combined. Fold in the crystallized ginger.

Pour batter into the cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake about 15 mins. Let the cupcakes cool completely.

For the Ganache

Roughly chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer.

Pour hot cream over the chocolate. Let it sit until chocolate appears melty (about 30 secs), then stir until smooth. If chocolate isn’t totally melted, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds.

Add the butter and rum and stir until combined.

Let that cool to room temp while you make the icing.

For the Icing

Using a mixer, beat butter until smooth.

Add the confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix until blended and creamy; adding more confectioners’ sugar 1 T at a time as needed.

To Assemble

Carefully remove center of cupcakes. A cupcake corer, apple corer, or sharp knife will work. I find it easier to do this while the cakes are still in the tin. (What you do with the scraps is your business.)

Fill center of cupcakes to brim with ganache and allow to cool/solidify a bit in the fridge (~30 mins) or freezer (~10 mins).

Ice cupcakes.

Stuff your face.

***

These are pretty fabulous… and I tend to agree with Mom. They may just be the best thing I’ve ever made.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever made?

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

Strange But Good: Tomato Brownie Cakes

Tomato Brownie Cupcakes

Strange But Good Gluttony: Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Marvelous Monday Meals

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Breakfast Apple Cupcakes (Recipe)

Vanilla Whipped Cottage Cheese

Baking with Booze

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