VIA Times – July 2014 Issue Vital News, Vibrant Views for Asian Americans in Chicago & Midwest
By: Sarah Lee
Iam slowly adapting to my crazy, chaotic busy life at present, I am sure I’ve had the worst times …good news is, things can only get easier and less wacky from here on. I missed a lot social events (I can’t believe I wasn’t even at the last Hall of Fame event, omg!), I turned down birthday/ holiday party invites. But one thing I am not giving up this summertime —- baking. Nope, never. I’m goin’ ‘nanas with cupcakes, I now fully embrace the cupcake craze years back. I’m catching up on the “cupcake fever” and Miss Janell Brown made me say yes to cupcakes. Who is Miss Janell Brown? “Janell Brown, owner of One Sweet Slice Bakery, winner of the Food Network TV show Cupcake Wars, is the author of my favorite 2014 baking book, “One Sweet Cupcake”. Miss Janelle’s cookbook is for anyone (novice or expert) interested in baking cupcakes — it really is the ultimate guide to baking and decorating mouth-watering cupcake creations. The gorgeous pictures in the book are enough to get me inspired to get my baking tools and equipments ready, soften butter in the microwave (I usually zap 2 butter bars for 23 seconds), zest and juice fresh lemon, do my wet and dry measures and insert paper liners in muffin tin holes. How can you not be tempted with these cupcake flavors:
— Raspberry swirl (you bet, recipe is included in this page)
— Rocky Road
— Coconut Mango
— Caramel Pecan (reminds me of pecan pies) and
— Pistachio Cream (already bookmarked this, and tops my to-do list)
Yes, I have tried countless cupcake recipes, but Miss Janelle’s book is filled with recipes that are “delicious, unique, easy to follow, and that could be made with accessible and recognizable”. So trust me on this, you will likewise be excited to try out the recipes from this absolutely beautiful book. There are no boring cupcakes in this book, period. Rodney Fife of Cedar Fort, Inc. mentions “One Sweet Cupcake,” Janell’s first book, is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and other great bookstores. “Janelle knows how to make the perfect cupcake — and now you will too!”
Tips, Tips, Tips from Miss Janell:
1. Use the best ingredients — the better your ingredients are, the better your end product will be.
2. Canola oil is the ideal choice to use when baking — light, flavorless and inexpensive.
3. Use fruit that is in season — use fresh whenever possible.
4. Salt is a flavor enhancer and is crucial to baking. Don’t leave out.
5. Pure vanilla extract should be used (never use imitation extracts). Janelle also uses vanilla bean paste (check out this and other flavorings from www.nielsenmassey.com) which leave small flecks of vanilla bean in the batter.
6. Do not overmix your batter.
RASPBERRY SWIRL CUPCAKES
Raspberries are in season, at their peak of amazing-ness making this cake the perfect cake for summer — it combines a delicate vanilla cake and a fresh raspberry puree swirled together to create a marbled moist cupcake. No one can eat just one.
Wet ingredients:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons pure vanilla
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
1/2 cup raspberry puree
Dry ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vanilla instant dry pudding mix
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tablespoons baking powder (note: 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2. Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth. Stop mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add sour cream, buttermilk, applesauce, oil, eggs, vanilla and vanilla bean paste. Mix until ingredients are well blended and smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, sift dry vanilla pudding mix, flour, baking powder
and salt.
4. Turn the stand mixer on low and add dry ingredients until just incorporated.
The batter should be smooth. Fold in raspberry puree until batter is marbled.
5. Line two standard muffin tins with paper cupcake liners. Fill each cup two-thirds full with batter. Use an ice cream scoop for perfect measuring.
Bake until the tops spring back at the touch of your finger and edges are just golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
6. Remove from tins and cool completely
before filling or icing.
Finishing touches: Ice with Cream Cheese Icing and garnish with single fresh raspberry.
Note: Be careful not to overmix when adding the raspberry puree. The batter should be marbled, not pink.\
RASPBERRY PUREE
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Combine berries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until a liquid begins to form. Continue cooing until the mixture starts to thicken. Pour sauce into a fine sieve set over a bowl. Use a rubber spatula to stir and press the puree through the sieve; throw the seeds away. Refrigerate. May be frozen for up to 1 month. Yields approximately 1 cup puree.
CREAM CHEESE ICING (halve only the recipe to frost the cupcakes)
8 oz butter, softened
16 oz cream cheese, softened
2 lbs. powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
In a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese until completely smooth, about 10 minutes. Turn mixer speed to low and add powdered sugar. Beat until smooth. Add vanilla and beat until light and creamy. Share your recipe by email (celebreatylink@ sbcglobal.net) and if published, I’m sending you a complimentary copy of THE CELEBREATY RECIPES COOKBOOK. Buy one, get 2nd copy at 50% off. Please make checks ($ 18.00 for 2 books) payable to: Glenn Turner, 127 N MAIN ST #1, Crystal Lake, IL 60014. Shipping is free. Mark your calendar, July 19 is the National Raspberry Cake Day! Make sure to put a dollop of delicious cream cheese icing on your baked raspberry cupcakes and decorate with whole fresh raspberries and for sure, rave reviews will come your way. And how about an easy 3-ingredients Raspberry Salad Dressing: 1/4 cup canola oil, 1/4 cup whole fruit raspberry preserves and 1/2 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (1 grapefruit). Whisk salad dressing ingredients in a medium bowl and drizzle over mixed greens. Make sure to refrigerate leftovers. Next month, we are making amazing pizza at home! FACEBOOK: Celebreaty Link and Via Times NewsMagazine BLOG: Celebr-EAT-y by Sarah Lee (hit subscribe to blog when you visit my blog) BLOG LINK: http://celebreaty4recipes.wordpress. com/
Discovering the Wonders of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) with Dr. Sandra Schueneman and Mary Koval at The Chopping Block Merchandise Mart
Photos showing the EVOO tasting and learning event, sponsored by the Flavor Your Life Campaign, held last June 4th at The Chopping Block, featuring hands-on cooking as well as an EVOO tasting and educational session with Dr. Sandra Schuenemann and Mary Koval from Oh, Olive! VT/CPRTV representatives Veronica Leighton and Neneth Miranda learned the overall message of traceability and knowing how to choose a true EVOO when going to the market, which is an important one for consumers.
