Milky Way Cupcakes

Milky Way cupcakes are the first cupcakes that I have made which feature two layers of frosting.  Like Milky Way bars, Milky Way cupcakes are topped with a layer of luscious, chewy caramel and a layer of creamy milk chocolate.  Does double frosting equal double pleasure?  You bet!

The cake part of the Milky Way cupcakes is a chocolate malt cupcake with homemade chocolate malt nougat mixed into the batter.  If you don't have the time to make homemade chocolate malt nougat, you can leave it out and the Milky Way cupcakes will still be superstars (stars in the Milky Way galaxy, of course).  I opted to make the Milky Way cupcakes as minis so that the cake to topping ratio would be closer to the nougat to topping ratio in an actual Milky Way bar.  This worked really well, but if you prefer, you could certainly make them as full-sized cupcakes.

Personalized Apron Giveaway from The Smart Baker

My baking math skills are embarrassing.  One of the many stories about my baking math shortcomings (that I probably shouldn't share) takes place at my friend Bryan's house. Someone needed three teaspoons and Bryan handed them a single measuring spoon.  I looked over and said the line that I will never live down: "Wow!  You have a three teaspoon spoon?"  If you don't get why that is funny, you definitely need The Smart Baker's Cheat Sheet Apron (shown above).

Nougat With Chocolate Malt - Like in Milky Way Bars

Until making homemade nougat, nougat was a mystery to me.  Nougat was the alien chewy substance found in my least favorite candy bars.  A request to make Milky Way cupcakes (more on that in a future post) prompted me to research nougat and ultimately to make some myself.

Ginger Pear Cupcakes with Miso Salted Caramel

The crystallized ginger on top of these cupcakes was a last minute addition.  However, it rounded out the flavor of these ginger pear cupcakes with miso caramel glaze so well that I'm listing it as a required ingredient - not an optional topping.  My food stylist/photographer husband put the candied ginger in a little nest for aesthetics, but I'd recommend spreading it out so that you get a little piece of it in each bite for the optimal eating experience.  That way, each mouthful will fill you with buttery yellow cake, fragrant and juicy pear, oozey sweet and salty caramel, and sharp, spicy ginger - cupcake nirvana.

Salted Caramel Recipe With a Secret Ingredient

This salted caramel recipe does not have salt as an ingredient.  Instead, the salted caramel recipe uses something salty - miso!  I got the idea for a salted caramel recipe using miso after making miso ice cream and having several people comment that it tasted like salted caramel.  I developed the salted caramel recipe on my own (I don't think that it has been done before), and couldn't have been more happy with the results.

I licked the spoon, I licked the spatula, I practically stuck my tongue in the pot, and my only regret after putting this salted caramel on my ginger pear cupcakes was that there wasn't a greater proportion of caramel to cupcake.  The miso salted caramel is more than just salted caramel - it's salted caramel with depth (miso brings a flavor of its own beyond simply salt) and an Asian flair.  If I could reinvent history, this salted caramel recipe would be used to sweeten tea during tea ceremonies in ancient tea houses on lush Japanese mountains.

Miso Ice Cream

Ice cream that tastes like a cross between miso soup, soy sauce, and salted caramel can shock people.  You'll find that most will not want a super-sized waffle cone of miso ice cream.  Instead, miso ice cream is best served alongside another dessert.  A small dollop of miso ice cream would be a welcomed addition to a pear torte, an apple cobbler, or a plate of gingersnap cookies.  It could also be piled on top or on the side of your favorite Asian-inspired cupcake.

Broccoli Miso Soup - It's Not Just Miso Soup with Broccoli

When I think miso, I think of a thin broth - a perfunctory salty soup served pre-sushi with a few tofu cubes (little rafts) and a couple of button mushrooms (small people trying to get to the rafts).  I never think of miso as a seasoning.  Completely inspired by an apple cobbler in this month's Bon Appetit that has a miso streusel topping, I decided to try out some unconventional uses of miso.  In this post, I'll tell you about a broccoli soup seasoned with miso (it's soup with miso, but not miso soup).  Then, in a future post, I'll tell you about a miso ice cream. I'll round out the series with ginger pear cupcakes with miso salted caramel.

Sno-Cap Cookies

Why You Should Make Sno-Cap Cookies

1. You are a huge Sno-Cap fan. (I know many of you love Sno-Caps. When I asked on Facebook about your favorite movie theater snacks other than popcorn, Sno-Caps came up multiple times.)
2. You are making popcorn cupcakes for your movie night and you need an appetizer that will be a sure-fire blockbuster hit.
3. You are having a chocolate chip cookie craving, but it's midnight and the only store that sells chocolate chips is closed.  Guess what?  24-hour drug stores sell Sno-Caps.
4. You like to buy your cookie ingredients at the movie theater concession stand. (This is not recommended unless you like getting ripped off.)

Golden Globe Cupcakes

The Golden Globe awards are almost here, and while some people might be wondering whether Black Swan will win best picture, the more important question is, "What Golden Globe cupcakes will you be serving at your Golden Globe viewing party?"

The obvious choice for Golden Globe cupcakes is golden glow cupcakes.  The names are so similar that golden glow cupcakes almost seem like they were made for the Golden Globes.  However, never being one to go with an obvious choice, I focused on America's favorite movie snack (popcorn!) and St. Louis's favorite cake (gooey butter cake) and created Golden Globe gooey buttered popcorn cupcakes!

Gooey buttered popcorn cupcakes are not diet food.  They have a buttery crust topped with a buttery, salty, popcorny gooey topping, and they are finished with sticky, sweet caramel corn.  Eat them at your Golden Globe party or any and every time you host a movie night.