I’ve been wanting  a muffin that’s bigger and tastes more like a bakery muffin.  This is what I came up with. They are fluffy, perfectly sweet, and a little lemony.  These take a little more effort than my original blueberry muffins, and although I do like these, I’m still stuck on my originals.

Ingredients:

• • 3 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 heavy cups blueberries dusted with flour
• 1 cup Greek yogurt (I use Fage)
• 2 extra large eggs
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• scant 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 scant cup sugar
• about 1 teaspoon lemon zest (zest from maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of one lemon)
• optional sugar for sprinkling on muffins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 385 degrees.  Put paper muffin cups in standard 12 muffin tin.  (This makes about 16 muffins though, so you’ll need 2 muffin tins.)

In large mixing bowl, put flour, powder, soda, and salt, and mix gently.  In second bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, yogurt, orange juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.

Pour wet ingredients into dry.  Gently fold dry into wet.  When about 1/2 way folded in, add the blueberries, and continue to fold flour and berries in just until you don’t see any more flour.  Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into muffin cups.  Cups will be filled almost to the top.

Bake at 385 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Then reduce the temperature to 350.  Bake about 30-40 minutes until tops are nicely browned but not burnt, and a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on wire racks.  Sprinkle with sugar after muffins come out of muffin for that professional look.

It was my daughter’s anniversary today, so I decided to make a yummy dinner for her and her husband (and kids).  For dessert, I decided last night that I’d make a chocolate cake that I’d been eying the recipe for.  It is known as “That Chocolate Cake” and I found it on the Scharffen Berger web site and on Tastespotting. This cake was everything I was looking for, and it was super simple to make.  I believe this recipe is almost exactly the same as the recipe I’ve made for chocolate cupcakes (Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe) except that it calls for no vanilla. I followed it pretty much exactly as it appears on the web site listed above, except that I added vanilla.  The finished product was magnificent.  The cake was really dark, moist, but light at the same time.  The icing was bittersweet and creamy, but I prefer to use my own recipe you will find on this site under “Judy’s Famous Birthday Cake.”

Recipe is adapted from the Scharffen Berger recipe – “That Chocolate Cake.”

for the cake:

• unsalted butter (for greasing pans)
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup SCHARFFEN BERGER Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder (I used this brand of cocoa and after tasting the cake, I’m a huge fan of it! But I also use Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa and it’s great)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (I used aluminum free- Rumsford)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup  oil (I used light olive oil or canola)
• 1 cup whole milk (I used organic)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 This is one recipe, but I prefer the chocolate icing from Judy’s Famous Birthday Cake  for the frosting which can also be found on this site:

• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (I used a heavy 1 1/4 cups since I did not use the 99% unsweetened chocolate the original recipe calls for, but totally unsweetened chocolate)
• 1 cup heavy cream (I used organic)
• 5 ounces  (squares) Baker’s unsweetened chocolate
• 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter (I used organic)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon, but I feel that is too much)
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon  kosher salt (the original recipe does not call for salt)

make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter the bottom of  a 9 by 13 inch rectangular pan or two 9-inch round cake pans. My cake pans are amazing- they have a bottom that comes off the sides so I never have to worry about getting my layers out of the pans.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand held mixer or with a whisk, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, mixing on low speed just to combine. Mix in the eggs, oil, and milk and vanilla.

Increase the speed to medium and beat for a minute or two, scraping the bottom a few times. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the boiling water. The batter will be soupy, but if you mix it on low for a minute, it will thicken up a little.

Pour into greased rectangular pan or divide the batter evenly between the 2 round cake pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the cake starts to separate from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack for 15-30 minutes.  Then you can frost.  If using round pans, then run a knife around the edges of the pans turn the layers out onto the rack and cool completely. I just take the sides off my pans to finish the cooling, because the cake is a little fragile at this point.

 Start making the frosting while cake is baking or at end of baking, because it will require about 15 or 20 min. to firm up enough to use.

see Judy’s famous birthday cake recipe for favorite chocolate frosting.

make the frosting:

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and cream and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce the heat and simmer for 6 minutes, stirring almost constantly.  Turn flame off and add the chocolate.  When almost completely melted, add the butter and stir until melted. Pour into a large bowl and stir in the vanilla. Immediately place in the fridge to start firming up.  Every 15 min. or so, mix the frosting with a rubber spatula and place back in fridge.

to frost the cake:

Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread the frosting with a palette knife or icing spatula. Spread about 3/4 cup of the frosting over the top of the first layer. Top with the second layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.  Cover with a good quality of plastic wrap that won’t stick to the icing and take any off the cake, and refrigerate cake until you serve it.

My daughter Randi had eaten some homemade apple cake at a friend’s house, and she claimed it was the best apple cake she’d ever eaten.  It turned out the recipe had come from Smitten Kitchen and is called Mom’s Apple Cake.  I basically followed the recipe to a t.  It turned out to be absolutely delicious.

( adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients:

• • 6 apples (I used a combination of apples)
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 5 tablespoons sugar

• 1/4 cup orange juice (squeeze fresh if you have it)
• 2 3/4 cup flour, sifted
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 eggs (extra large)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean.

Let cool and sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

I made a carrot cake yesterday.  It is basically a cross between Ina Garten’s recipe and David Lebovitz’s recipe.  I brought it to school, and some of the teachers asked for the recipe, and anyone who ate it said it was amazing.

ingredients for the cake (basically from Ina Garten)

• • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (Ina uses 2 cups)

• • scant 1 1/4  cups vegetable oil (Ina uses 1 1/3 cups but this cake is moist enough without the extra oil.  I used corn oil, but canola would be fine too)

• • 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature (if cold from fridge, place in bowl of warm water for a few minutes)

• • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• • 2 1/2 cups unbleached flour (you do not need to sift it)

• • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• • 2 teaspoons baking soda

• • 1 teaspoon baking powder (not in Ina’s recipe)

• • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

• • 1 cup chopped walnuts (I use, but optional)

• • 1 cup raisins (I did not use)

• • 1 pound carrots, grated (I use organic, I peel them, and then grate them in the food processor using the grater attachment)

• 1 8 oz. can Dole crushed pineapple in natural juice, which I lightly drain pretty well (Ina uses 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple- which I would use, but the crushed in the can is perfectly fine)

ingredients for cream cheese frosting (this is basically from David Lebovitz):

2- 8 oz. packages of regular Philadelphia cream cheese at room temperature

1 – 4 oz stick of salted butter (he uses unsalted)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (he says a few drops)

about 3 3/4 cups of sifted confectioners sugar (sift first, then measure) (he says 2 to 3cups)

***updated icing (March 2016)- oh my gosh this is amazing and I like it better than my original above)  This has no nuts in the icing!

• 1 stick salted butter (room temperature)
• 1 8oz. package Philadelphia (full fat) cream cheese (room temperature)
• about 2 1/2 – 3 cups confectioners sugar (I didn’t sift as it seemed very fresh and lump free.)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

directions for the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 by 13 pan with butter.  I use the rectangular pan because it’s so easy, but you could make this as a layer cake as well (which Ina does).

Place dry ingredients- flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and mix with rubber spatula- just to blend everything together.

Beat sugar, oil, and eggs in large mixing bowl of electric mixer with paddle attachment till it becomes light and a little fluffy.  Then  add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just till blended.  Add crushed pineapple and nuts and mix a few seconds till blended in.  Add carrots, and fold in by hand.  Pour all into greased pan.

Bake about 50-60 min. till toothpick comes out clean and sides of cake are separated from the pan.  Cool on wire rack.

Frost when totally cool.  I like to put the cake in the fridge after it’s cool and get it really cold before I frost it because if the cake is still slightly warm when you frost it, the frosting starts to  melt into the cake.

directions for the frosting:

When cream cheese and butter are totally at room temp (this will prevent lumps in the frosting), put them in large bowl of mixer with the wire whisk attachment if you have it- otherwise use the regular beaters or paddle attachment.  Mix on medium speed till light and fluffy. On very low speed add the sifted confectioners sugar and salt. Gradually raise the speed and blend until lump-free. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and mix till light and fluffy.

Use a rubber spatula to frost the cake.  Even though this makes a ton of icing, I use it all. You will have a nice thick layer of icing on the cake, but that’s what makes the cake.

Note:

I have eliminated the nuts in the cake and used them in the icing.  That’s really good, too.

My grandson Noah’s third birthday was coming up, and my daughter Randi asked me if I wanted to make the cupcakes.  I think she knew what my answer would be.  I just needed to find the perfect recipe.  After reading many blogs about cupcakes, I couldn’t decide between a recipe from the Hershey’s website which Hershey’s calls, “Perfectly Chocolate Cake” and a recipe called “that Chocolate Cake” on the Scharffen Berger web site.  It was then that it dawned on me that they were literally the same, except that on the Hershey’s site, the recipe calls for 2 tsp. of vanilla, and on the Scharffen Berger web site, their recipe calls for no vanilla.  I compromised and settled on using 1 tsp. of vanilla.  I also changed the recipe by using extra large eggs and corn oil rather than canola oil.  No reason- I just grew up in a house where corn oil was used.  I used Hershey’s cocoa as that’s what I’ve got in my pantry-  I have both Hershey’s natural cocoa and Hershey’s special dark cocoa, so I used a combination of both- using a bit more of the natural than the dark.  I was “perfectly” happy with this recipe for the “Perfectly Chocolate Cake.”  This is so easy to make- I think just as easy as a mix- because you are doing it all in one bowl- practically just dumping the ingredients in.  The batter is very thin, so I ladled it into my muffin cups.  The result was very dark chocolate cupcakes, and very light- which was exactly what I was looking or.  My daughter compared the experience of eating these to eating Hostess chocolate cupcakes- only much better!  I used a standard recipe for vanilla icing which I adapted from The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook.  These cupcakes are amazing!

Ingredients:

My mother, Shirley Fried, was a wonderful baker when I was growing up.  One of my favorite cakes of hers was a chocolate chip cake..  This chocolate chip cake reminds me of the one she made (as when she was still alive, she and I couldn’t figure out for sure what the recipe was).  I’ve always made it in a tube pan, but it can also be made in a large loaf pan. Back in the 50s and 60s, they didn’t have miniature semisweet chocolate chips readily available, so my mother chopped, I believe, a few ounce bars of Baker’s unsweetened chocolate into small chips or pieces. She might have even put the chocolate into her nut mill to chop it. So if you don’t have miniature chocolate chips or you want to be nostalgic, you can chop regular size chips or ounce squares of chocolate and use them instead of the miniature chips.  I recently found this recipe in my mother’s vintage Good Housekeeping’s Cake Cookbook – Dorothy B. Marsh Editor, and I will note the changes I’ve made over the years to the original one.  I’ve definitely made this cake more often than any other. My three kids love it, and others like my daughter’s mother-in-law Leah as well as Leah’s sister Beth both say they love this cake. It’s definitely a great cake that needs no frosting or other embellishments- its simplicity and pure flavors make it great.

• about 10 oz. out of   a 12 oz. bag mini sem-sweet chocolate chips  (original recipe says 1 pkg. semisweet chocolate chips, finely ground), and I think they meant a 6 oz. bag of chips, but I use more, and I use mini chips. Many years ago, I used Baker’s unsweetened chocolate squares and I chopped the chocolate up by hand, but it was too much of an effort, so I switched to the mini chips.
• 2/3 cup butter (10 2/3 Tablespoons) – room temperature (original recipe calls for soft shortening. My mother may have used Crisco for this, and that may have been why her cake (in my memory) was so much whiter than mine. If you use salted butter, then reduce the salt below to 3/4 tsp.
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups unbleached organic flour, which I don’t sift (original recipe calls for 2 cups sifted regular, not unbleached flour, so I may try to sift my flour next time just to see what happens.
• 2 1/2 tsp.  aluminum free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt  (if using salted butter, reduce to  3/4 tsp. salt)
• 2/3 cup organic whole milk
• 3 extra large eggs (original recipe calls for 3 medium eggs)
• 1 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract (original recipe calls for 1 tsp.)
• Note: original recipe calls for 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, which my mother may have used, but which I do not use)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Original recipe calls for greasing a  loaf pan, but my mother used either a small tube pan or a 9 inch square pan, and I use a regular tube pan. Instructions say to line loaf pan with greased wax paper. I don’t do that, but if I make this as a loaf someday, I may do it with parchment. Otherwise, grease a tube pan, bundt, or loaf pan well- sides and bottom- and tube if you are using a tube pan.  If you are sifting (which I don’t do), sift together first flour, baking powder, and the salt.  Otherwise, just measure the dry ingredients without sifting and set aside in bowl. If you are following the original recipe, finely grind the chocolate in food chopper- I’m guessing a nut mill.  Have your mini chips ready. With paddle attachment on Kitchen aid mixer, or with regular hand held portable mixer, cream room temperature butter first, then add sugar, and cream till light and fluffy. Add eggs and cream till very light and fluffy. If you haven’t already combined your 3 dry ingredients, do so now.  Blend in the dry ingredients alternately on low speed with the wet ingredients- the milk and vanilla – starting and ending with flour mixture (4 times adding the flour, and 3 times adding the milk and vanilla). Mix in dry ingredients each time only till blended. When done blending dry and wet ingredients on very low speed,  raise the speed on your mixer for  5-10 seconds and mix. Then by hand add chips (and nuts if using) and fold in with rubber spatula only until blended. Pour into your greased pan and bake  for about 50-60 minutes (for tube pan- my normal choice).  In loaf pan, original recipe says you need more time-  1 hr. 15 min.  Just make sure the toothpick comes out clean, either way.

Note: I usually bake this in a tube pan, then I cut cake into thirds, I keep one third of the cake out, and I freeze each of the other thirds by wrapping them in plastic wrap first and then placing them in a ziploc bag.

Note:  I used to sometimes use 6 or 7 oz. of miniature chocolate chips and then 4 oz. of Baker’s bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate chopped by hand, but the easiest thing to do is just use one 10 or 12 oz. bag of miniature semisweet chocolate chips.

My very nice co-teacher in school, Doris Fisher, bakes these muffins on a regular basis for her friends and family.  Luckily for me, she brought some in to school for me to sample.  They were delicious!  These muffins are a breeze to make and they freeze beautifully, too.  Enjoy!

for the muffins:

• 3 extra large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 1 16 oz. can pure pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups unbleached flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or 2 if you like a more cinnamony flavor)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray mini muffin pans (recipe makes 48 mini muffins)

In large mixing bowl, blend eggs, sugar, oil, pumpkin, and vanilla.  Whisk till nicely blended.  Then  and add everything else but the chips, mixing in just until blended with a rubber spatula.  Then add chips and fold in.  Scoop out batter into prepared pans, and bake 23-35 min till muffins are lightly browned around edges and toothpick comes out clean.

I made a simple fish dish for my son Danny and me this week.  I am experimenting with fish, and I am determined to cook fish at least 3 times a week to improve our diet.  I bought haddock fillets, which were unbelievably fresh, at my supermarket for only $5.99/lb.  I try to buy whatever is freshest and cheapest, normally.  Why not?  What is so great is that I can get this gourmet meal on the table in no time at all with such simple preparation.  I served the fish with fresh corn on the cob and a simple salad using prewashed fresh spinach and baby romaine, sliced strawberries, walnuts, and my own lemon vinaigrette. (You can find my recipe for this vinaigrette right on this web site.)  What an amazing light, healthy, and flavorful dinner!

for two people:

1 pound fish fillets (I buy whatever is on sale and absolutely fresh!)

grated zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, butter, or margarine

2 tablespoons slivered raw almonds

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cover a half sheet pan with aluminum foil.  Lightly grease foil with oil. Place fish on foil.  Sprinkle  with salt and pepper, then liberally with lemon zest, then with thyme leaves, then with almonds, then dot with butter or margarine or drizzle with olive oil.  Roast for 7-12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.  If you like, you can then place fish under the broiler for a minute or two at this point to just brown the almonds.  Be careful, if you do this, not to burn the fish or the nuts.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Whenever I want to make a cake on the spur of the moment, I make this cake.  I often have the ingredients in my house, and it takes about 10 minutes to get this cake in the oven.  If I’m bringing it over to someone’s house, I usually slice about half of the cake and put it on a platter, and then I keep the rest at home.  If I’m just making it for my kids, then I usually cut the cake into thirds. Then I slice up one third to serve for dessert that night, and I freeze each of the other two thirds unsliced, first wrapping in heavy duty foil, and then putting in ziploc bags. My kids love this cake!

• • 1 box Duncan Hines Deep or Dark Chocolate Cake Mix
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (low-fat is fine)
  • 3 extra large eggs
  • 1/2 cup corn or vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (regular or Dutch processed)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease sides, bottom, and tube of tube (angel food cake pan) or bundt pan.  In electric mixer, pour cake mix, eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and cocoa.  Mix on medium speed until fully incorporated and pretty lump free. Pour chocolate chips in, and mix by hand until incorporated.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake 45-55 minutes until cake has separated from sides, is springy to the touch, and a toothpick comes out clean.  (Your toothpick may run into some of the melted chocolate from the chips, so you may not be able to rely on the toothpick test to test for doneness.)  Cool on a cake rack.  When cake is fully cooled, run a knife around the outer edge and around the tube to separate.  Then lift the cake up.  Either cut it in halves or thirds right on the bottom of the pan.  Lift sections off the bottom.  Either slice or freeze.

***Cupcake Variation:  Omit chocolate chips, put paper cups in 2 standard 12 muffin pans, bake 20 – 25 min. till toothpick  comes out clean.