Simple Yet Extraordinary: Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes (Get Well Ethan!)

Ohhhh boy. What a week. Does it sometimes seem like the world is out to get you; as if Karma has decided to pay you back for all the bad you’ve done all at once? This week is a continuation of a previous bad week, and has already been filled with raging mothers, raging coaches, raging hormones, and ragingly bad grades and even worse news.

It all started out on Monday with a math test. Who understands those pesky geometric formulas and theorems anyway? I mean unless I want to find the lateral surface area of one of my cakes, I see no reason why I would use them. I don’t need any of those fancy number crunching, life-complicating formulas. Now you may ask yourself: How bad did I do? Well, let’s just say that I didn’t manage to finish most of the problems in the allotted forty minutes time…

After that, the week just kept going downhill. I don’t know what it was, but someone must have slipped grouchy pills into the drinks of all the adult females in the general area. Not only were there unpleasant situations in the classroom, but also on the soccer field and at home. Seems like there’s always something to be reprimanded about. I’m sorry we can’t all always be perfect, ma’am.

The real killer day came on Tuesday. On Monday I had injured my ankle in the soccer game against Highland Park, and when I talked to the trainers they confined me to crutches. I strongly detest crutches… with a fiery passion. Not only do I already hate being injured and unable to play, but crutches add insult to injury. They make me feel vulnerable and useless; everyone is always asking “What happened?”, “Are you okay?”, and the ultimate killer: “Do you need help?”. I do not enjoy being your charity case; I can take care of myself. If I need help then I’ll ask for it. Until then, keep out of my way.

If that wasn’t bad enough, my best friend Ethan had a pole-vaulting accident and was sent to the hospital. He is currently doing relatively okay, he’s resting at home, but of course I was (and still am) worried sick.

After all this, I knew that something simple yet extraordinary was to be made to cheer Ethan (and myself) up. For that is the kind of person that Ethan is: Simple yet extraordinary. The bestest friend anyone can find. Following careful consideration, I decided to make cupcakes. For what’s better than chocolate cupcakes?

These cupcakes are incredibly moist and rich. I recommend finding someone, or several someones, to share these with; otherwise temptation might grab hold of you and lead you to greedily devour a whole batch by yourself. This recipe is quite literally cake batter poured into a muffin pan and then generously frosted so that everyone gets their own individual little cake. Of course if you’d prefer to make this into an actual cake, you are more than welcome to do so.

And once again, GET WELL ASAP ETHAN!

PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

From Hershey’s Kitchen Recipes

For the Cupcakes:

2 cups sugar

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup baking cocoa

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

§ Preheat oven to 350°F.

§ Distribute baking cups into two muffin pans (12 muffins each, 24 total).

§ Combine and mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract.

§ Blend well with a blender on medium setting for approximately two minutes. Add in the boiling water and mix until you get a smooth, even mixture. (NOTE: the mixture will be very thin, this is desired)

§ Pour the batter into the pan, filling each cup about 2/3 of the way. (TIP: To do this I first poured the batter into a measuring cup with a spout so that it was then easier to accurately pour the batter into the cups.)

§ Bake for 20 – 25 minutes; until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

§ Let the cupcakes cool slightly, and then move them to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

NOTE: If you decide that you want to make a cake (which the recipe originally calls for), you can either pour the batter into a 13x9 pan and bake for ≈35 minutes. For a double layer cake butter two round 9-inch pans and then evenly divide up the batter between the two pans. Bake for ≈30 minutes. Let cool completely and then frost. Serve and enjoy, and be forever worshipped!

For the Frosting:

1 stick butter

2/3 cup baking cocoa

3 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (you can also use milk)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt the butter and then stir in the cocoa. Alternating between adding the sugar and cream until it becomes a smooth, light brown mixture. Add the vanilla extract. Use to frost cupcakes or cake. Also take the time to indulge in licking the spoon and bowl clean. One can never be too old to lick clean the baking supplies!

Scrumptious Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies seem to be a common favorite amongst the general population. You see them at birthday parties. One will encounter them at meetings. They are spotted at potlucks. I can safely say that a sugar cookie is a simple yet magical creation.

These tasty morsels become quite handy when one is put in tricky situations. Get in a fight with your boyfriend? Why not just bake up a batch of these sugary delights. I assure you that once he has a bite of these babies he’ll be begging for more, and begging for forgiveness (even if it was you that did wrong). It works with Eric every time. ;]

Even if you aren’t in a fight, I assure you that your significant other will love indulging in a batch of cookies made by you. Everything tastes better when made with love by someone special.

SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour 


1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 


½ teaspoon salt 


1 cup white sugar

¹/₈ cup brown sugar

1 ½ sticks butter 


1 egg, lightly beaten 


3 tablespoons cream (if you don’t have cream you can use milk)

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugars, and salt.

Add the butter and mix until crumbly.

Stir together the lightly beaten egg, vanilla, and cream. Add to the dry ingredients and blend well. Gather the dough into a ball and put in the fridge. Let it chill for at least an hour for easier rolling.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

On a floured surface roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness (for crispier cookies make it slightly thinner, for chewier ones slightly thicker). Cut into shapes. Place on a lightly buttered cookie sheet. If desired sprinkle with sugar crystals.

Bake for 6 - 8 minutes, or until lightly brown on the bottom. They might still be a bit uncooked in the middle, but when they cool this will result in them being chewy. Place the cookies on a wire cooling rack.

Once cool the cookies are ready for you to enjoy immediately or to decorate! Have fun!

Fruit Cheesecake Tart

For every holiday it seems like my mom is practically begging me to supply the family with a dessert.

So when Easter came around this year, sure enough, I was asked to provide some treat to satisfy the sweet teeth of this house.

Going along with the spirit of spring, I decided to whip up this simple fruit-filled delicacy before rushing to get my makeup done in time for church. Enjoy!

FRUIT CHEESECAKE TART

10 graham crackers mashed into crumbs

4-5 tablespoons butter (slightly more than ½ stick), melted


½ cup sour cream


8 ounces cream cheese


Zest and juice from one lemon

½ teaspoon vanilla extract


1 egg


¼ cup sugar


Strawberries and/or blueberries and/or kiwis (thinly sliced)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a tart pan (preferably with removable bottom). Combine crumbs and butter in a bowl, and then using your fingers press into the pan until there is an even, thin layer completely covering the bottom and sides.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a blender on medium speed until smooth. Pour into crust and make sure it spreads out evenly. Bake for about 20 minutes; i.e. until the tart is firm around the edges and is slightly browned on top. Watch the crust to make sure that it doesn't get burnt. I eyeballed this, checking every few minutes until I felt it was ready to be taken out. When done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

While the tart is cooling, wash and cut the fruit. You can use any variation of fruits available, I happened to use strawberries and blueberries. Once the tart has cooled, place the fruit on top. And voila! You have yourself a delectable dessert.

Cinnamon Buttermilk Pancakes

I love pancakes. Who doesn't love pancakes?

So whenever tensions start running high I head to the kitchen and whip up a batch of these scrumptious morsels. It’s easy. It’s fast. It brings everyone together, and since they’re too busy stuffing their faces there is no opportunity to bicker. Once every last crumb has been consumed the sugary goodness has drastically improved everyone’s mood.

Lesson learned: a batch of pancakes = one big happy family.

CINNAMON BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

Adapted from Joy the Baker

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 stick melted butter

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Combine buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Whisk in the butter.

In a different bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Mix together the wet and dry ingredients. Let stand approximately 5-10 minutes.

Thinly coat a pan with vegetable oil and let it preheat slightly. Spoon in 3 portions of batter, approximately ¼ cup each. Cook on medium to medium-low heat until the top of the pancakes have formed bubbles. Using a spatula flip the pancakes over and cook until the other side is lightly browned. Repeat this for the rest of the batter, adding oil to the pan as needed so that the pancakes don’t stick.

Serve with maple syrup and/or applesauce.