Ice Cream Cupcakes.

Last week, I had a meeting with a lovely Dutch DJ named Simone (she has been wonderful to me, and has been playing my music in Holland!) We met just to chat and catch up, but rather than meeting over drinks, coffee, or lunch, she suggested we meet over ICE CREAM CUPCAKES. Is there anything better?!? Apparently, Maggie Moo's (in Nashville) has ice cream cupcakes. (Think ice cream cake, but in smaller portions and more tasty).

The cupcakes we got had a base of yellow cake, a ice cream layer of birthday cake ice cream, and were topped with chocolate frosting (and half an Oreo). Positively DELICIOUS.

If you have a hankering to try this cupcake, you can go to Maggie Moo's stores in Nashville- check out the website here: http://maggiemoos.com/menu/cup-cakes.aspx

I've got to figure out how to make these things.

Cheers!
marie

Thanksgiving Pecan Pie!

appy almost Thanksgiving!!! I hope each of you little turkeys are spending time with family, preparing your stomaches for the biggest meal of the year, and gearing your minds for the yearly Black Friday fiasco.

Because I love Thanksgiving (and eating) so much, I've decided to share my favorite Pecan Pie recipe with you! This little goodie has been plucked from the Loveless Cafe cookbook (an iconic Nashville restaurant with the most delicious Southern cooking you'll ever eat) and tweaked by yours truly. It really is the best pecan pie I've ever had, and I get compliments on it at every family/friend gathering. Here's the gold, ladies and gentlemen...

Loveless Cafe Pecan Pie

• 1 (10-inch) baked pie shell
• 1 and 1/2 cups pecans (halves/pieces)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown suger
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 tbs unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375. Place pecans in the pie shell and place shell on a baking sheet.  Whisk together eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Whisk the melted butter into the egg mix.  Pour mixture over pecans. Bake for 35-40 min, or until puffed and firm in the center.  (NOTE: sometimes this pie turns out a little more runny than I'd like, so I add 1 tbs of cornstarch to the filling mix to firm it up!)

Happy baking, and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

marie

It's Fall Yall!

ell, well, well... Here we are again, another fall!  The leaves have changed and are falling, the weather is getting colder (I had a photoshoot yesterday morning at dawn, and about froze my TAIL off) and football season is in full swing! Fall is definitely my favorite season.  SO- what better way to celebrate my favorite season than with my favorite cupcake??? Here it is, Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting... quite possibly the most "fall" thing you've ever tasted.  Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 & 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 & 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3 eggs (room temperature)
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 standard muffin cups with paper baking cups.

Beat sugar and butter in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine pumpkin and buttermilk in medium bowl, mix well.  Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice, nutmeg and ginger in separate medium bowl.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with pumpkin mixture, beating well after each addition.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling two-thirds full.  

Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean.  Cool cupcakes in pans on wire rack 15 minutes, remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.  

While cooling, prepare cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese frosting:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 and 1/2 sticks of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 box of 10x Confectioner's Sugar (powdered sugar)

With an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually add confectioner's sugar, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, mixing on medium speed until the frosting is light and creamy. Pipe with a pastry bag onto cupcakes.

Well, there you have it! Fall for your tastebuds :) 

Happy Cupcaking!

Marie

Pairing Chocolate with Wine...

I went on tour to California in July, and played a few shows at some wineries in Temecula and NapaValley.  When I was at Leonesse Cellars Winery in Temecula (NOTE: this is the best winery in the entire world. Period.) our host Joel showed us how to pair a rich Port wine with a cocoa-dusted dark chocolate truffle (found at Trader Joe's).  It was truly delicious.  I wanted to post this tutorial video so that you could all try it at home... a perfect light dessert on a cold fall night!

Click on the title above, or view the video via youtube here: Pairing Chocolate with Wine

Cake Batter Martinis???

Seriously?!? A drink that tastes like one of my favorite things in the world? Sign me up, PLEASE!

I present to you: Cake Batter Martinis, from the brilliantly sweet blog How Sweet It Is.

Might become my dessert tonight.  Find the how-to here: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/07/cake-batter-martinis/

And let me know what you think of it...
Cheers!
marie

Bailey's Cupcakes? I think so...

Was going through my favorite cupcake blog and stumbled upon this recipe... haven't tried it yet, but I am VERY much intending to! Chocolate Chip Irish Creme Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream...

Check it out here: Bailey's Cupcakes

Happy cupcake-ing! New recipes to come :)
marie

I want these pretty little things....

Aren't these beautiful??? They would make any attempt at a cupcake look more complicated...

So glamorous. More on the expensive side ($11.99 for 12) but worth it if you wanna make a big impression.... So glamorous, so beautiful. Perfect for a wedding- can't you just imagine a tier of cupcakes wrapped in these??? Yep- I want them.