Jon: Wow, thanks for that great introduction…nerd! Just kidding. I am honored and excited to be guest blogging here. I love reading new recipes and stories on the Everything in Moderation blog.

When I get a craving for some particular food, I like to just go for it and satisfy the craving — in moderation, of course! This week, for some reason, I had been fixating on having a molasses chocolate cake. So, last night we tried making one and everyone at our holiday game night party agreed: the result was a delicious success.

This recipe is adapted from Jim Bob’s blue ribbon chocolate molasses cake. It is light and fluffy, and extremely moist. We served it with powdered sugar on top, but several people mentioned that it would have been excellent with whipped cream, or cream cheese frosting, as the original recipe had. We also used coffee instead of hot water, which gave the recipe an extra flavor boost. I guarantee it will be eaten as fast as molasses. Enjoy!

Alison: Fast as molasses? What?! Jon, that doesn’t even make sense. Anyways, here is the recipe. Try it out and let us know what you think!

Fast-as-Molasses Chocolate Cake
Makes twenty squares of cake

2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup dark molasses
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup hot, strong brewed coffee

1. Whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Add the eggs, milk, molasses, oil and vanilla and beat for 2 minutes.
3. Add the coffee and stir it into the batter by hand.
4. Pour the batter, which will be very thin, into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack (or in the pan, like we did).

Alison: Thanks, Jon! Next up will be my mom with a post about a great baking-related Christmas or birthday gift idea.

What is an Iron Cupcake Challenge? This competition is loosely based on The Food Network’s Iron Chef in that a different flavor/ingredient is chosen each month and participants must bake their best cupcake based on the given flavor, then bring their cupcakes to the competition to be judged by a panel of three expert bakers/foodies. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds from each challenge go to a different charity every month. I was so happy to spend a night tasting cupcakes for a good cause – who wouldn’t have fun at an event like this!

The theme this month was “Thanksgiving.” There were 15 creative and delicious entries, which ranged from a sweet potato casserole cupcake to a pumpkin spice cupcake to a chocolate cupcake sculpted to look like a roasted turkey. I created a cupcake that was a sweet twist on stuffing with gravy. I, unfortunately, did not win this time, but am already excited to participate in the next!

A Sweet Twist on Stuffing with Gravy – Cupcake Style
Makes 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes:
¼ cup butter
1 cup pecans
1 cup cranberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 granny smith apple, diced into small pieces
1 angel food cake (store-bought or homemade), cut into ½ inch cubes
1 cup heavy cream
3 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-inch cupcake tins with silicone (preferred) or paper cupcake liners.
2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add pecans, cranberries, and spices; sauté lightly for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add apple and sauté until tender, 5 more minutes.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together heavy cream and eggs. Set aside.
6. Transfer pecan, cranberry, apple mixture to a large bowl. Add ½ of the angel food cake cubes and stir gently to combine.
7. Add cream and egg mixture, stir to combine, and then add the remaining angel food crumbs. Stir a few times to combine, but do not over-mix.
8. Gently press stuffing mixture into cupcake tins. Fill cupcake liners to brim.
9. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until tops of cupcakes are golden.
10. Let cupcakes cool in tins for 10 minutes; transfer to a cooling rack. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting with Brown Sugar Icing (below).

Brown Sugar Icing:
½ cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1. Combine brown sugar, milk, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Heat until butter is melted and brown sugar is dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and powdered sugar.
4. Let cool slightly (but not all of the way) before using.

Thanksgiving may be over, but the good eats don’t have to be. Give the recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Recipe:

Cakes:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

Simple Chocolate Glaze:
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a miniature muffin pan with cooking spray. Sift together flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with milk. Begin with the flour mixture and mix well after each addition.

Fill pan halfway and bake until golden around edges, about 15-17 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Transfer cakes from pan to a wire rack.

To make glaze, shift together sugar and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, and milk until smooth.

When cupcakes are completely cool, drizzle with chocolate glaze.

The Birthday Girl and her football buddy, Aaron

Enjoying cupcakes at the soggy tailgate!*

We visited Penn State this past weekend to attend the soggiest tailgate ever, but also to celebrate my good friend Brittany’s birthday! Brittany shares my love for anything with chocolate and peanut butter, so I baked up some rich chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting in honor of her birthday. Both recipes came from The Cake-Mix Doctor book, but I made some slight modifications to make them a (tiny!) bit healthier.

Happy Birthday Brittany!!!

Recipe:

Makes 21 cupcakes

Rich Chocolate Cupcakes:

Peanut Butter Frosting

Instructions:

Rich Chocolate Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with 21 liners. Set the pans aside.

Place the cake mix, cocoa powder, yogurt, applesauce, water, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute, stopping once to scrap down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides of the bowl again if needed. Pour the batter into the line cupcake pans, filling each liner no more than 3/4 the way full.

Bake cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans and place on the wire rack to cook completely, at least 15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Frosting:

Place the peanut butter and butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Add the confectioners’ sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and the vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is well combined, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, 1 minute more. Blend in up to 1 tablespoon milk if the frosting seems too stiff.

Nutritional Information (per cupcake):

Calories: 231

Fat: 13.7g

Saturated Fat: 4.9 g

Carbohydrates: 23.4 g

Protein: 6.0 g

*Okay, I’ll admit it: generic cupcakes have been Photoshopped into these two pictures in a lame form of improvisation for not having taken pictures. To the cupcakes’ credit, however, the reason I don’t have pictures is because they got gobbled up by tailgaters before I could snap a photo!

Recipe:

(adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook by Martha Stewart)

Makes 18 cupcakes

Cupcakes:

Mocha Frosting

Instructions:

Tiramisu cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Heat milk and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles appear around the edge. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter until melted, and let stand 15 minutes.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk together eggs, yolks, and sugar. Set mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk by hand until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm, about 6 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. With an electric mixer on high speed, whisk until mixture is fluffy, pale yellow, and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds when whisk is lifted.

Gently but thoroughly fold flour mixture into the egg mixture in three batches; stir 1/2 cup batter into the strained milk mixture to thicken, then fold milk mixture into the remaining batter until just combined. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until centers are completely set and edges are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Mocha Frosting:

Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (bot not touching) simmering water. Stir occasionally until chocolate has melted completely. Set bowl on counter-top and let chocolate cool to room temperature, 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine cocoa powder, instant espresso, and boiling water in a small bowl and stir until cocoa and espresso powder are dissolved.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, confectioner’s sugar and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add melted chocolate; beat on low speed until combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture.

If the frosting seems thin, allow it to harden in the refrigerator for an hour. Frost cupcakes when they are completely cool. Decorate with Mini Merengues, if desired.

Nutritional Information (per cupcake):

Calories: 254

Fat: 15.1g

Saturated Fat: 8.0 g

Carbohydrates: 27.9 g

Protein: 3.2 g

Photo Credits: Jon Ventura

An added bonus to the deliciousness of these cupcakes is the healthy dose of coconut afforded by each cupcake. Although coconut was once vilified for its high saturated fat content, we now know that the saturated fat in coconut is actually different (specifically, healthier!) than other saturated fats, and consumption of the type of fat provided by coconut promotes a more favorable HDL/LDL (i.e., good cholesterol to bad cholesterol) ratio. Recent research has also shown coconut oils have antiviral, antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antiprotozoal properties as well as a variety of other important, health promoting nutrients.

Recipe:

(adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook by Martha Stewart)

Makes 12 cakes

Vanilla cupcakes:

Coconut Cream Topping and Filling:

Instructions:

Vanilla cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. with two racks centered. Line one 12-cake cupcake pan with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on low speed to soften. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light in color and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Keep beating while gradually adding the sugar, until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Gradually drizzle in the beaten egg yolks, beating between each addition until the batter is no longer slick. Scrape down the sides of the bowl twice. Beat until mixture is fluffy again, about 3 minutes more. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream, a little of each at a time, starting and ending with the flour. Divide batter evenly among the 12 cupcake wells. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cupcake comes out clean, approximately 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and return to the rack to cool completely, top sides up.

Coconut Cream Topping and Filling:

Place egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Set the bowl aside. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring continually until mixture thickens and just begins to bubble, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Whisk 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the reserved yolks to warm them. Slowly pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook, while continuing to stir, over medium heat until the mixture just begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the coconut and vanilla. Transfer the topping/filling to a medium mixing bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the filling to prevent a skin from forming. Set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Transfer the filling to the refrigerator until firm and chilled, at least 1 hour.

Assembling the cakes:

When the cupcakes are completely cool, peel the cupcake liners off. Using a serrated knife, slice each cupcake in half horizontally to create two layers. Spread 1 heaping tablespoon of the Coconut Cream Topping and Filling on the bottom layer of each cupcake. Cover with the top layer, then place another heaping tablespoon of the Coconut Cream Topping and Filling on the top of each cupcake. Garnish with a quartered strawberry or fruit of your choice for some color and added sweetness.

Nutritional Information (per cupcake):

Calories: 223

Fat: 11.3 g

Saturated Fat: 7.0 g

Carbohydrates: 27.2 g

Protein: 3.6 g

Recipe:

(adapted from Cupcakes by Susanna Tee)

Makes 48 mini cakes

Mini cakes:

Frosting:

Instructions:

Mini cakes:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two mini muffin pans with mini muffin liners (or you can do two rounds of mini cakes with a single mini muffin pan). Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer. Gradually add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the mashed bananas and yogurt. Fold in the flour mixture, then the mini chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the mini muffin liners, filling the liners 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake the mini cakes in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Frosting:

Place the butter in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Sift in the confectioners’ sugar and beat well. Spread the frosting on top of each mini cake and top with sprinkles, as desired.

Nutritional Information (per mini cake):

Calories: 94

Fat: 5.1 g

Saturated Fat: 3.2 g

Carbohydrates: 11.2 g

Protein: 1.1 g