TWD: Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake

It is that time of the week again when we all look forward to the latest loveliness from the Crew over at Tuesdays with Dorie. This week's recipe from Baking: From My Home to Yours was the Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake, as chosen by Caitlin of Engineer Baker.

I have seriously loved being a part of this fun and dynamic group every week. It is so much fun and such a great honor to be a part of it. On top of that, I was chosen as one a TWD "Secret Ingredients" for this second round. Our Secret Ingredients is a new TWD feature where everyone in the group can nominate their favorite blogs for the week. Then three of the TWDer's favorites are chosen that inspired the group in some way and then a small write up about those blogs is written. I am SO completely flattered to have been chosen and that everyone loved the marshmallows I made. I don't know what to say other than thank you, thank you, thank you! TWD ROCKS!! It has been a major highlight of my week.

Well... my cake turned into cupcakes, and since I couldn't find any figs at the store (seriously, I looked everywhere) it ended up with dried cherries instead. On top of that, I decided to make cupcakes because I just couldn't figure out for sure with no visual aid in the book what exactly was meant by a 10" fluted tart pan. I think I know, but I just really wasn't sure. Since I didn't have a pan in those dimensions anyway, I just went the cupcake route.

It figures that the one time I remember to not overfill the muffin cups it is for a recipe that doesn't rise very much anyway. The cupcakes were really good, but I didn't really care for the dried fruit in it. The tartness of the cherries was nice against the sweetness of the cake, but I'm just not much of a fan of dried fruits in cakes in general. So, what can you do?

I added a little sprinkle of powdered sugar to mine just to make it look pretty. Will I try this recipe again? Hmmm, honestly, probably not. Unless I can find some figs, in which case, yes I will try again (I read that figs are good for high blood pressure, and since I'm still trying to manage mine... well, maybe it would be a good idea). In the meantime, on to next week!
Here is the recipe, with my notes in italics as usual (with color added this time - red for the cherries!).

One last note - If you haven't had the chance yet, don't forget to check out the Little Wonders round-up and email me your vote for your favorite entries.

Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake (Cupcakes)

About 16 moist, plump dried Mission or Kadota figs, stemmed 6 oz dried tart cherries
1 cup medium-grain polenta or yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup ricotta
1/3 cup tepid water
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup honey (if you're a real honey lover, use a full-flavored honey such as chestnut, pine or buckwheat)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 tablespoon, cut into bits and chilled
2 large eggs

Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 1- 1/2 inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat (or line 24 muffin cups with paper liners).

Check that the figs are, indeed, moist and plump. If they are the least bit hard, toss them into a small pan of boiling water and steep for a minute, then drain and pat dry. If the figs are large (bigger than a bite), snip them in half. (Likewise, if you are using cherries, steep them for a minute if they are too dry or hard too).

Whisk the polenta, flour, baking powder and salt together.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the ricotta and water together on low speed until very smooth. With the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the ricotta and water together on low speed until very smooth. With the mixer at medium speed, add the sugar, honey and lemon zest and beat until light. (Okay, so this never happened for me. It was never light, just runny and grainy). Beat in the melted butter, then add the eggs one at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are fully incorporated. You'll have a sleek, smooth, pourable batter. (This is NOT how I would have described my batter - but, it still seems to have worked. At this point is where I stirred in the cherries, gently).

Pour about one third of the batter into the pan and scatter over the figs. Pour in the rest of the batter, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, if necessary, and dot the batter evenly with the chilled bits of butter. (I skipped this step, because, honestly, I was just distracted and forgot ;).
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (I baked the cupcakes for about 20 minutes until done and lightly golden). The cake should be honey brown and pulling away just a little from the sides of the pan, and the butter will have left light-colored circles in the top. Transfer the cake to a rack and remove the sides of the pan after about 5 minutes. Cool to warm, or cool completely. (I dusted mine with a little powdered sugar. I also noticed that all the cherries sunk to the bottom - I really don't know if this is the way it was supposed to be with the figs too or not).

My other Tuesdays with Dorie posts:
Dark and White Chocolate Marshmallows
Bill's Big Carrot (Cup)Cakes

Daring Bakers: April Challenge - Cheesecake Pops

It's that time again! The fabulous Daring Baker's are once again flooding the foodosphere (I have no idea if that is a real word, but it's late, and there you go). This time it is with lovely little Cheesecake Pops. Yup, yummy goodness of baked cheesecake, scooped, dipped, dressed up and on a stick. What's not to love, right? Right.

As you can imagine, with this past week has been busy with the roundup for the Blogging for Babies Event (and don't forget to check it out and vote for your favorites to help them win some prizes!). Then the March for Babies was held this morning and went really well - but more about that later. You're here for cheesecake, right? Right.

So, a lot of the DB's sounded like they had trouble baking the cheesecake, and I took my cue from them. I didn't deviate from the recipe, but partly by default and an uncooperative baby, ended up letting the cheesecake bake for about 60 minutes, when it still was just barely setting and then it actually had to sit in the water bath while it cooled til I could get back to take it out later - so, because that ended up being perfect (lucky for me and those 40 oz of cream cheese the recipe calls for). The cheesecake consistency was the perfect for scooping. I would say my only "complaint" if any was my utter clumsiness in actually trying to get these babies into a good shape. I used my 2 oz scoop and even weighed them just to be safe, but they were so soft I couldn't work them into nice round balls (or any other shape for that matter). Once frozen there was no shaping either. So, I just scooped and let it take its own rough shape. So, while I'm sure that my Cheesecake Pops aren't the prettiest out there, overall I'm very pleased with how they turned out.

I chose to dip mine in bittersweet chocolate and red candy melt (from Wilton) with a layer of graham cracker underneath. The big surprise (for me anyway) was the fact that I liked a couple that I left with just the graham cracker (no other coating) the very best. I guess I'm a cheesecake purist or something.

So, here you go. The recipe with a few notes from me in italics. Thank you to our lovely hostesses this month, Elle at Feeding My Enthusiasms and Deborah at Taste and Tell. I thought their challenge and recipe was absolutely inspired and definately a challenge. Thanks again!

As always, don't miss out on what all the other Daring Bakers and Alternative Daring Bakers have offered up this time around. Seriously, go check it out!

Cheesecake Pops
Makes 30 – 40 Pops (I got closer to 30 at the almost exact weight of 2 oz)

5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ cup heavy cream

Boiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes. (Mine baked for about 60 minutes until it was pretty set if not completely firm and barely golden - as I mentioned above though, I ended it taking it out of the oven and not getting to take it out of the water bath until it had pretty much cooled completely. I think that actually worked in my favor because I was firm and well set, but not browned. It was either end up burning it before I could take it out of the oven though, or take it out before it was completely done. So, there you go, lucky for me the carryover heat really did the trick).

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

EVENT ROUND-UP: Little Wonders Made By Lots of Wonderful People!!

Here it is! The Blogging for Babies - Little Wonders Event Round-up! Enjoy browsing the amazing little creations made by all the wonderful bloggers who were able to participate in this little event. These fabulous people are helping me spread the word and raise awareness about the March of Dimes and their March for Babies fundraiser. Their mission is all about research and advocacy for mom's and babies - they are working so that one day, every baby can be born healthy - but as they say, we have to walk to get there.

These wonderful friends below helped me spread the word about our family's participation in the March for Babies this coming Saturday and we are very excited. There are scheduled to be almost 2,000 people at the walk being held at Wheeler Farm here in Utah. To add to our excitement we have family coming from out of town to walk with us and my husband's skydiving team are going to be jumping in with the American flag at the opening ceremonies during the national anthem. We are excited that we can help make the event a little bit more exciting for all the wonderful participants that are coming to walk for this amazing cause.

Again, the whole purpose of this event was to get the word out about the March of Dimes and the work that they do. If you are able to donate to sponsor our family in the march, please just click on the banner at the top of the page (or click here) and donate any amount that you can. For the back story on why we are so passionate about this, you can read the full story or even check out our little family blog.

For my little contribution to the little wonders madness, here is a picture of the Dulce de Leche Duos out of BFMHTY. They are amazing! I will post the recipe with the announcement of the winners next week (just so I can get this roundup posted)!

I have some prizes for the top three "people's choice" winners of the event.
So, make sure to check out everyone's posts and then email me to tell me your favorites.
The top three will win their choice of three "prize packages" that I have.

Email your votes for your favorites to me at phemomenon AT gmail DOT com
Voting closes on April 30th.

Thank you again (and again and again) to everyone who participated for
your support of our little family and such a good cause!


LITTLE WONDERS ENTRIES!!!!



Eve from Berkeley, California in the Garden of Eating sent this
Tropical Fruit Baby Bib that looks good enough to eat.



Melissa from Atlanta, Georgia of the Mighty Muffin Blog made Mini Lemon Glazed Madeleines



Stephanie, at Dispensing Happiness who "Plays well with food" made these amazing and delicious looking little Bite-Sized Vanilla-Hazelnut French Toast, with Nutella. She has also very kindly donated a brand new copy of Small Bites, Big Nights as a prize for this event.






Angel, another Utahn, from American Fork and Angel's Bento Blog
made these cute little Heart and Star Shaped Cakes.



Libby, fabulous Mom of the Allergic Kid made these absolutely wonderful
Apple Baby Cakes as a special favor for all of us preemie Moms who wonder what
to give a one-year old who developmentally isn’t one yet, as a birthday cake.



Susan from Florida at Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy made these
simply beautiful Lemon Yogurt Cakelets.



Smita from New York of Traveling Tummy made these yummy Mini Matza Pizzas.



Elly from Chicago at Elly Says Opa, after eating something similar at a restaurant, created her own version and made Baby Pistachio Cheesecakes with Cherries on top that look marvelous.



Lysy at Munchkin Mail made Tiny Turkish Delights which look like
such a tempting and lovely little treat.



Harini, aka the lovely Sunshinemom, blogging at Tongue Ticklers from India sent
two wonderful little creations she made, Mango Cream Shortcakes and Besan ka Chilla.






Rachel, another lovely blogger from India, at Tangerine's Kitchen Hangout
made this vibrant homemade Strawberry Jelly.




Chris from Atlanta, Georgia, at Mele Cotte made these darling little cannoli
Sweet Gondolas that look almost too cute to eat - almost.




Priya in California at 365 Days of Pure Vegetarian made the cutest little Lunchbox Mini-Sandwiches that anyone would be thrilled to find at lunch time or any other time.




Madhuram over at Eggless Cooking made these sweet treat little Mini Chocolate Pizzas.




Helen, the one and only, lovely and delightful Tartelette made these
simply perfect Ispahan Cupcakes in honor of a friend and her preemie baby.




Chriesi, from Zurich, Switzerland, and the beautiful, Almond Corner made
a delicious creation of Polenta and Feta with Baby Eggplants.



Arfi, of wonderful HomeMadeS made these darling little
Peanut Butter Cookies as “Biscuits for Cole.”




Barbara, blogging from the Gold Coast, Queensland Australia, and of course,
the fabulous blog winos and foodies made Moroccan Haloua with Dates
that look like a perfect little confection to make, and share
(if you don’t eat them all yourself like I would).




Y in Sydney, Australia at Lemonpi made these fun and delicious
looking little cupcake called Lumberjack Cupcakes.




Aran from Florida, at the beautiful Cannelle Et Vanille made darling little
Mini Carrot Cupcakes as a great healthy snack for her darling
preschooler neighbor to share with her classmates. Lucky kids!




Melanie, my good friend and go-to gal for great ideas for dinner, at My Kitchen Cafe,
made these really neat and seriously delicious looking Solid Peanut Butter Cups.

Jen, blogging from one of my favorite cities, Boston, is the Beantown Baker.
She had me at mini cupcakes, but then she added chocolate - twice - and there are
even sweet surprises inside - check out her Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes.

Special Mentions:
Kate, at the Clean Plate Club, wasn’t able to make anything for the event, but she did make this absolutely adorable shirt which she has kindly and generously donated as one of the prizes for this event. You should check out her website to see all the other darling baby/toddler clothes she illustrates. Thanks again Kate!

Gabi, my food blogging friend and fellow Utahn, of The Feast Within, was also kind enough to help spread the word about the March as well.

Also, Michael, from Buttons of Hope, makes buttons for special causes. If you have need of his services, go check out his blog at Behind the Button.

Blueberry Orange Clafouti

One more clafouti for Bron. I meant to make this last week, but the grocery store trip kept being elusive. Then, I figured I was out of time to make it for Bron's Clafouti Edition of Hay Hay It's Donna Day til I read this post that there was still time. Woo-hoo! This is only my second clafouti and I am seriously in love with this dish. Besides, since three of my favorite women keep talking about clafouti, I knew I had to try at least one more now while it was fresh in my mind. DH definately liked this version better (as evidenced by the fact that he plowed threw two dishes this morning) than the Chocolate Raspberry version I made before. While, I'm partial to the chocolate, this Blueberry Orange version was delicious.

Both times I have made this dish I've been struck by how simple and sublime it is. I think that this is where the French really excel in all things culinary. Taking few and simple ingredients and turning them into something simply amazing. Making this version this morning was absolutely cathartic for me. Measure, zest an orange, rub into sugar, smell the citrus, stir, pour, add beautiful fresh blueberries, sprinkle with some raw sugar and bake. Simple, easy, fun and relaxing. The perfect way to start the day! Since I still need to post the Blogging for Babies roundup this week, and have a couple of other challenges I'm working on, this is probably my last clafouti for Bron, but definately not my last clafouti I will be making!

Blueberry Orange Clafouti
(Adapted from and measurements based on Bron's Mixed Berry and Cherry Clafoutis)

1 pint of blueberries, fresh or frozen
300ml of whole milk
1/3 cup of caster/superfine sugar
4 tablespoons raw sugar (turbinado)
Finely grated zest of one large orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
pinch of salt
1 cup of all-purpose unbleached flour
icing / confectioners sugar to dust

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (or 190 deg C).

Place 4 x 250ml or 1 x 4 cup capacity strong heat proof dishes (i.e ones that won’t crack on cold liquid hitting them!) in the oven to preheat.

In a small bowl, rub the orange zest with the caster sugar thoroughly until very moist, fragrant and orange.

Next, in a large pouring jug or blender whisk together the milk, the orange caster sugar, vanilla, eggs, salt and flour.

Remove the heated dishes from the oven and divide the blueberries evenly between them. Sprinkle with the raw sugar, then evenly ladle over the egg mixture.

Quickly return to the oven and bake the individual dishes for 15 to 20 minutes, or 1 large dish for 35 to 40 minutes until puffed up, golden and cooked through.

Dust with icing sugar, serve warm or at room temperature.

TWD: Bill's Big Carrot Cake Recipe

So, first off - Happy Earth Day to all! I hope you have a beautiful day!

Let me start off my review of Bill's Big Carrot Cake for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie by saying that I fiddled with it, and therefore I'm fairly certain that the major sinkage of my cupcakes was my own fault. I overfilled (again) and I changed the recipe, probably too much. I just didn't have anything to put in (raisins, craisins, whateve') and didn't feel like coconut. So, there you go. Full disclosure and all that. Big crater cupcakes.

My point? This cake still rocks. It was heavenly and I will definately make it again. Really the only reason I didn't make the huge cake was because I knew there was no way we (being me and me) could eat the whole thing. So, first off, I halved the recipe and made cupcakes. I topped them off with the cream cheese frosting, but this time around I replaced the lemon with maple extract and vanilla extract. Did I mention that the flavors absolutely rocked - and honestly, when you can fill the crater on the top of the cupcake with a maple/vanilla cream cheese frosting, is sinkage really still such a bad thing? Yeah, I didn't think so either. So, the original recipe is down below, with my additions/changes as noted.

So, yet another winner from Dorie. Thank you to Amanda of Slow Like Honey for choosing a recipe that I probably wouldn't have gotten around to for a long time (if ever) and helping remind me that it is good to go outside what you normally think of as your favorites - you never know when you'll find a new favorite!

Now, if you are like me, and can't wait to see what all the other TWDer's have "baked fresh" this week, then go check it out!

A couple of more housekeeping items from me before I get on to the recipe. Yesterday marked the end of the entry period for the Blogging for Babies Event, so make sure to check back later this week for the round-up and voting!

Last note (I promise) - don't forget to send in your Art You Eat entry. I couldn't pass up Earth Day without reiterating the theme of Go Local! this time around.


OK, now I'll get on with it.

Bill's Big Carrot Cake
Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Yields 10 servings

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger (I added this)
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (I went with walnuts)
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened) (I left these out)
½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries (I left these out)
2 cups sugar (I used half light brown sugar)
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound (or 3 ¾ cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract (I substituted 1/2 teaspoon maple extract and 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract for a light maple flavor)
½ cup shredded coconut (optional)

Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional) (I just sprinkled a little ground cinnamon)

Getting ready:
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another. (Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners).

To make the cake:
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon (ginger, if using) and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins (again, I left out the coconut and raisins). Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans (or the cupcake liners - about half full).

Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. (I baked the cupcakes about 20 minutes). The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the frosting:
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract (vanilla and maple are what I used). If you'd like coconut in the filling, scoop about half of the frosting and stir the coconut into this position.

To assemble the cake:
Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer (or generously cover with plain frosting). Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:
This cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and while it's good plain, it's even better with vanilla ice cream or some lemon curd.
Storing:
The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Freeze it uncovered, then when it's firm, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

Make sure to check out all the other creations made
by the fabulous group at Tuesdays with Dorie.

Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Frosting

These cupcakes were a sudden last minute idea to take to some friends that invited us to their house for dinner last night to play Rock Band. I am not big on video games because, let's face it, I am completely uncoordinated. Anyway, I only sang a couple of songs, but it was super fun. I really wanted to take something to their house to thank them for inviting us. Aidan got to play with their son and blow off some steam and he had a great time, and so did we.

Anyway, I based these cupcakes off of one of Dorie's recipes for miniature brownies she calls "Brownie Buttons" in Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Frosting
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick ( tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs

For the Cupcakes:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups (or use
3 1/4 ounce paper souffle cups) and place them on a baking sheet.

Rub the grated orange zest together with the sugar in a small bowl, thoroughly until moist and fragrant, set aside. Whisk together and flour, salt and baking soda.

Melt the butter, chocolate and brown sugar in a medium-heavy bottomed saucepan over very low heat, stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula and keeping an eye on the pan so nothing overheats or burns. When the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat and cool for a minute or two.

Stir the vanilla, egg and zest/sugar into the chocolate mixture. When the mixture is well blended, add the flour mixture and stir ubtil combined. You should have a smooth, glossy batter.

Pour the batter equally between the muffin cups (it will fill them about 2/3 full). Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes spring back when touched. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool, about 3 minutes. Then take the cupcakes out of the pan and allow to cool to room temperature on the racks, before frosting.

For the Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Juice of 1 orange, approximately 1/3 cup)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 cups confectioners' sugar (as needed, to make the consistency you want)

Beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla, orange juice, sour cream and cocoa powder; beat well to combine. Beat in enough of the confectioners' sugar to make the consistency you desire. Frost the cupcakes with a generous swirl.

Marshmallows + Chocolate Ice Cream = Stone Soup Ice Cream

Oh, sweet nostalgia. Growing up, Rocky Road Ice Cream was my absolute favorite. Today, while I was looking at the marshmallows still left from my first Tuesdays with Dorie and thinking about how to use them up I decided to make some ice cream.

Here's the thing. I've made ice cream with the machine I "had" to have only 3 or 4 times in the past four years... and two of those times are in the past month. I think I just used to be a lot more intimidated about making custard than I am now. Anyway, I went to my copy of BFMHTY... book and decided to check out her ice cream recipes. I figured this would probably be safe, since it would be difficult to choose ice cream for Tuesdays with Dorie since it is a given that not everyone has an ice cream machine.

While I was making this, I realized that I've only made vanilla ice cream before and with no mix-ins. Well, now the top is blown off folks, because there is no going back. Oh, I'll still make vanilla, but now the sky's the limit! Oh, yeah. Homemade ice cream rocks! This recipe ended up being the perfect one to make because I already had all the ingredients on hand and needed to get them used up. It kind of reminded me of a cold version of Stone Soup, so I guess for me, at least today, that is why it's called Rocky Road (and seriously, does anyone know why it is called that or who came up with it?!). So, here is another great way to use homemade marshmallows with another great Dorie recipe.

Before we get to the ice cream, one last reminder that you still have a few days to send in your entry for Blogging for Babies. I also updated a few days ago that there are some prizes up for grabs, so send in your entry (or entries) and get in on the fun. The deadline for entries is April 21st (Monday) and I'll post the round-up next week so everyone can check it out and vote for their favorites!

Stone Soup (aka Rocky Road) Ice Cream
(Adapted with the Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream Recipe from Baking: From My Home to Yours)

Notes from Dorie: I go for dark, dark bittersweet chocolate in this ice cream, but it is good made with semisweet as well. (You could even use milk chocolate, but the flavor will be very mild.) It's also good with chocolate chunks, rum raisins (page 92) or both, tossed in at the last minute of churning.

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I actually used Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips - mainly just because I had them on hand)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup small diced marshmallow pieces (I cut my marshmallows with a clean, sharp pair of kitchen shears into pieces about the size of mini marshmallows)
1/2 cup toasted almond slivers

Put the chocolate in a 2-quart liquid measuring cup or large heatproof bowl. Bring 3/4 cup of the cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit a minute, then, using a rubber spatula and starting in the center of the mixture, slowly stir the cream into the chocolate in ever-widening concentric circles. When the ganache is smooth, set it aside.

Bring the milk and remaining 3/4 cup cream to a boil in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the yolks and sugar together until well blended and just slightly thickened. Still whisking, drizzle in about one third of the hot liquid - this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining liquid. Pour the custard back into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring without stopping, until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon; if you run your finger down the bowl of the spoon, the custard should not run into the track. The custard should reah at least 170 degrees F, but no more than 180 degrees F, on an instant-read thermometer. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and slowly and gently stir the custard into the ganache.

I also poured the custard into another bowl at this point through a strainer to make sure it was nice and smooth. Dorie doesn't suggest this step, but I did it just in case and there was a little bit of a skin from boiling the cream, so, totally up to you.

Refrigerate the custard until chilled before churning it into ice cream.

Scrape the chilled custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. At this point, in the last couple of minutes of churning is when you would add the nuts and marshmallow pieces. Pack the ice cream into a container and freeze it for at least 2 hours, until it is firm enough to scoop.