Birthday Muffins

You may have noticed I've been posting a lot recently.
The truth is, I've gone a little mental.

I've had a lot of success on Foodgawker since I've been in London, so I didn't want to break up my momentum. Who woulda thought my flat in almost perpetually rainy London (at least this summer) would have such great natural light?

Today, two of my program mates have birthdays. I'm making them an old-fashioned chocolate fudge cake for tonight, but I wanted them to start their special day with a yummy treat. These definitely qualify.

These are Strawberry Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins. With Nutella on top.

Nom time.

Strawberry Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins with Nutella on top
Adapted from Damn Delicious
Yield: ~18-20 muffins
Ingredients:
All-purpose flour- 2 c
Espresso powder- 1 tbsp (instant is fine, I just used what we had)
Cinnamon- 1/2 tsp
Baking powder- 1 tbsp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Unsalted butter- 1/2 c, melted and cooled
Strong brewed coffee- 1/2 c, cooled
Sugar- 1/3 c
Brown sugar- 1/3 c, packed
Egg- 1
Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp
Diced strawberries- 1/2-2/3 c
Mini chocolate chips- 1/2-2/3 c
Nutella- as needed
Directions:
1. Combine flour, espresso powder, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In another large bowl, whisk together the butter, coffee, sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla. Pour mixture over dry ingredients. Stir with a rubber spatula until just moistened.
3. Add strawberries and gently stir, then add chocolate chips and gently stir.
4. Scoop batter into a paper-lined muffin tray, ~3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 14-18 minutes, or until the tester comes out clean.
5. Spread Nutella on the muffins while they're still warm, and serve with a glass of milk.

I went a little nuts with adjusting shadows in Photoshop.
I'm leaving this in here because I want to document my education and growth
in food photography.

Enjoy!

The muffin craze continues...

You may have noticed I'm really into muffins these days. They're so simple, and so yummy, and such a nice treat in the morning.
These muffins are really special.

Why? Because they have a special treat on the inside.

Nutella.
They have nutella inside!!!

Nutella-Stuffed Muffins
Yield: ~1-2 dozen muffins (depends on the size)
Adapted from US Masala
Ingredients:
Flour- 1 3/4 c
Baking powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Ground cinnamon- 1/2 tsp
Sugar- 3/4 c
Vegetable oil- 1/3 c
Egg- 1
Milk- 3/4 c
Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
Nutella- 1 jar, just to be on the safe side (aka so you can eat the rest with a spoon)
For the coating: 
Unsalted butter- 3-4 tbsp
Caster sugar- 1/2 c (granulated worked ok, but caster would be better)
Ground cinnamon- 2 tsp
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, stir flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
2. In a large bowl, whisk sugar, oil, egg, vanilla and milk.
3. Add dry ingredients to the large bowl, and stir only to combine, don't overmix!
4. Line a muffin tray with paper liners. Scoop ~1 tbsp (1 1/2 tbsp max) of batter into each liner, then scoop 1/2 tsp Nutella on top. Add another 1 tbsp of the batter on top of the Nutella. Make sure each liner isn't more than 3/4 full.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for ~15 minutes. The time varies greatly depending on the oven, so make sure you check them often. Insert the tester into the side of the muffin so you don't hit Nutella. The muffins are done when the tester comes out clean.
6. While muffins are baking, melt butter. Stir sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. When muffins are done, dip each muffin into the butter, then the cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.

These are great for mornings when you have to get up super early, or have a crappy day ahead of you. Or at the end of a crappy day. They fix things. :)
Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July!

I am on a quest.
One of my housemates asked me to make red velvet cupcakes. I love making people happy with my baking, and never like to disappoint, so I have been on the hunt for distilled white vinegar for the last week. After going to NINE grocery stores (no exaggeration), I have come to the conclusion that distilled white vinegar does not exist in London; if it does, it is VERY hard to find.
Last night, after going to my ninth store, I decided to call it quits on the quest (for now). I found a delightful-sounding recipe for red velvet brownies that does not call for white vinegar (or buttermilk), and I made those instead.

I think they turned out pretty nicely. And my housemate? I won't reveal how many of these she's eaten but she was very pleased.
I don't have a square pan so I made it in a circular cake pan. Since I only have two and a half weeks left at the program (*sobs*), I figured I might as well make do with what I have.
As a bonus, I was able to use up the leftover Cream Cheese Frosting from the carrot cakes. And I found some snazzy red, white and blue sprinkles at a shop in Bath.
I'm not sure how we're going to celebrate Independence Day tomorrow. We're assuming the Brits aren't big on celebrating the day we dipped out on their empire, so I think we'll keep it pretty low key.
Red Velvet Brownie Cake
Courtesy of What Megan's Making
Note: I doubled the recipe but made two separate batches (previous bad experiences taught me not to multiply recipe amounts unless absolutely necessary). This is the original recipe, but I put the doubled amounts in parentheses.
Ingredients:
Unsalted butter- 1/2 c (1 c)
Bittersweet chocolate- 3 oz (6), chopped
Sugar- 1 1/2 c (3)
Eggs- 3 (6), large
Vanilla- 1 tsp (2)
Salt- 1/4 tsp (1/2)
Liquid red food coloring- 1 oz (2)
Flour- 1 c (2)
Baking powder- 1/2 tsp (1)
Directions:
1. Heat butter and chocolate in a large saucepan over low heat, stirring until chocolate is melted.
2. Remove pan from heat and whisk in the sugar and eggs. Stir in the vanilla, salt and food coloring.
3. Sift flour and baking powder and add to mixture. Stir to blend well.
4. Line a 9x9 baking pan with aluminum foil- leave an overhang so you can easily lift the brownies out when they're done. Spray foil with nonstick spray, then pour batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake at 325 degrees F for 35-40 minutes (I checked at 20), or until the top springs back when touched and the tester comes out with moist crumbs.
6. After cooling for 10 minutes on counter, remove brownies from pan, lifting the aluminum overhang. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour, frost with cream cheese frosting, then return to fridge for 1-2 hours. Trust me, these bad boys are good when they're warm but incredible when they're cold.

Enjoy!
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

So, here's the thing: I hate carrots.
Hate.
I'm also allergic to them (raw), but even before that weird allergy sprang up, I hated them anyway.
Maybe it was the bad early life experience I had with them.....
The story goes that when I was a year old, my parents and I were at a party and they were chatting with a doctor, who saw me and said "oh, she loves carrots, doesn't she?" My parents said yes and asked how he knew. His response? "well, her skin is a little orange."

My mother was understandably angry, and I'm pretty sure she told him off. I don't remember the first time they told me the story, but I was a little wary of carrots after that point. Also, they made my throat itchy and my mouth feel weird and my chest got tight (eventually we realized this was an allergy).
I've always avoided carrot cake at all costs, but then my colleagues asked me to make it. So I made cupcakes. Guess what? Incredible. You can't even taste the carrots, which is astonishing, because there are three cups!

The cream cheese frosting is delicious as well. And guess what? They won't turn your skin orange :)
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Yield: ~2 dozen
The Cupcakes (courtesy of Pinch of Yum)
Ingredients:
Flour- 2 c, sifted
Sugar- 2 c
Cinnamon- 2 tsp
Baking soda- 2 tsp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Carrots- 3 c (~7 large carrots)
Vegetable oil- 1 1/3 c
Eggs- 4
Directions:
1. Whisk flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Stir in the vegetable oil and carrots. Add eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly.
3. Fill cupcake liners ~3/4 full and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
Cream Cheese Frosting (courtesy of The Comfort of Cooking)
Ingredients:
Cream cheese- 12 oz
Unsalted butter- 7 1/2 tbsp, room temp
Vanilla extract- 1 tbsp
Powdered sugar- 3 3/4 c, sifted
Directions:
1. Beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until combined and smooth, ~2-3 minutes. Add vanilla extract and beat 30 seconds.
2. Gradually add the powdered sugar until totally incorporated. Increase the speed and beat until smooth. If the frosting is runny, refrigerate for 30min-1 hour.

I suggest/insist you refrigerate these cupcakes and eat them cold- it takes them to the next level!
Enjoy!