Pumpkin; Fall's Most Basic Bitch Flavor

I'm sure that all of you are aware of your surroundings at this point in time. The weather is cooler, the leaves are turning, and that one indiscernible flavor has started to creep into every spectrum of your diet.

You thought right folks,
Pumpkin.

In fact, this video sums it up quite nicely.

OH GOD. THE SHEER HORROR OF IT ALL.

Even though I'm not one to totally immerse myself in pumpkin everything for the whole fall/winter season, I will admit that it does seem to end up in quite a few baking projects.
I won't lie, I really do like pumpkin desserts.

I've been meaning to make this pumpkin cake recipe (again) for about three or four weeks and finally had the opportunity.

Although since I have made it before, I thought I would skip the step by step baking instructions and just skip to the frosting and decorating process.

I'm not too skilled in this department but if it doesn't sound TOO vain I think I have made some improvements.

SO
First things first.
I baked the cake (duh). The recipe yields two 8-9 inch round cakes. I let them cool on a wire rack, covered them in saran wrap, and had them chill in the fridge overnight.

Before assembling, I whip up my frosting batch.
First, you beat the cream cheese and butter.

Once that is all smooth and creamy, you'll add the maple syrup and confectioners sugar.

Make sure it is PURE MAPLE SYRUP people! Not Mrs. Butterworths syrup or Maple Syrup extract.

Also with this step, I just eyeballed the maple syrup and the confectioner's sugar. I honestly don't like my frosting to be too sweet. So I just whip and taste along the way.
Use your best judgement. As long as it's of spreading consistency you should be okay.

End product should look similar to this

Note that I have my angled spatula in the frosting bowl. I do HIGHLY recommend this tool when icing or frosting desserts/cakes.

Now the next step, take out your cakes and unwrap them. Figure out the best way to stack them before actually attempting to do so. Leveling off the tops also help if they rose too high during the baking process.

I also recommend decorating the cake on cardboard cake rounds. It just makes transporting the cake easier.

Drop a dollop of frosting on the cake round before adding your first cake layer. This helps keep the cake from sliding around and shifting on your cake round.

After adding the first cake layer. Spread your frosting on top. This will be your filling.
For this recipe, I doubled the frosting because I found that I nearly ran out after spreading the filling portion.

I sprinkled some pecans on top because reasons.
Now, add your top layer.

As for this next step, I've noticed some debate on whether it's really necessary. But after icing a few cakes somewhat unsuccessfully I found that the end result looks better when incorporated in the process.
If you've ever watched Cake Boss, you know that this man does what is called, "dirty icing." Basically, this is adding a thin coat of icing to your cakes and letting them set before actually doing the final icing. It's good to do this so that your frosting isn't filled with tiny cake crumbs. This is also why some people call this step a "crumb coat".

So! Onto dirty icing this baby.

It's okay if your cake isn't pretty at this point.
After this, I let it sit to firm up a bit in the fridge again for about an hour or so.

Next, take it out again and spread on your final frosting layer.

I did kind of have a tough time making this smooth enough. Cream cheese frosting always seems a little harder to work with.

Now onto decorating! Since I'm unoriginal and lack imagination, I just decided to copy the design from the original post. Except I added a little more on the bottom and changed the colors.

Aaaand you're done!
I felt like this looked like crap. But *shrugs* I haven't had a whole lot of practice decorating with piping techniques.
I was hoping to make the outside look likes leaves but the frosting was just so unwilling to hold it's shape when piped.

Still yummy though.

I did mention earlier that this is my second time making this cake and the decorating process was totally different. This was my first attempt at this about two years ago.

I feel like this was a more appropriate theme for this time of the year, yes?




Also,
You guys,
I think I'm in friend-love.

Cutest ever token of appreciation and expressions of feelings from my fabulous and most amazing friend and doppelganger
No you cannot has.

Until next time!

So Much Cookies

Everybody likes cookies right?

RIGHT?!

....right.

I will admit it has been a while since I have made cookies.
So I had a request for just some oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough. I'm honestly not a big fan of just eating cookie dough so I figured I'd just make a big batch and at least bake some and save the rest for my friend to munch.

I have a long queue of recipes in my repertoire that I like to go through and test, because hey, you never know if it's good until you try.

I found this recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from food.com.

And since I'm crazy and have nothing else better to do with my free time, I also decided to make a double peanut butter cookie recipe from this book.

I'm slowly going through all of my dessert cookbooks, so you'll see more of this in the future.

I baked the oatmeal cookies first.

I gathered up all my lovely ingredients.

Next step, cream your butter and sugars together.
Most of the reviews for this recipe suggested cutting back on the sugar. I usually like to stick to a recipe initially to see how shitty or good it is but 2 cups of sugar was overdoing it a tad. So I cut about a 1/4 cup from the brown sugar and the granulated white.

Once they're all nice and creamed, you're going to add your chicken periods to the mix.

Now you're going to add the water and the vanilla.
To be frank, I was kind of turned off the by water that this recipe calls for. This is the first time I've ever seen that as a cookie ingredient. But like I mentioned before, I feel morally inclined to do everything the recipe says before I judge it too harshly.

Mmmm. Next, we take a separate bowl and mix/sift/whisk all of our dry ingredients together. (Excluding the oatmeal and chocolate chips)

After that's all well incorporated we add it to our creamed mixture.
Then we fold in our oatmeal and chocolate chips.

So, the recipe does say to spoon the batter onto a cookie sheet. I did try to spoon it on but they ended up looking like wiry biscuits. I ended up just rolling the batter into balls instead.

Oh, and for anybody whose ever had trouble with cookies burning. The baking pan I have is called in AirBake pan.
It is THE best baking sheet I have EVER used. The bottoms never burn.
This doesn't mean it's an excuse not to watch your cooking times though. But it is a great investment for those recipes where the product burns because of shitty uneven oven heat or ingredients with weird baking times. I use this pan for biscuits because the bottoms tend to burn before the tops brown. So after this it was problem solved.
FOREVER

Anywho,
Bake your lovelies in the oven at 350 degrees F until they brown. I believe I baked these about 20 minutes? Could be less. The safest thing though would be to time at least 10 minutes and check to see how they're doing and what you need to adjust at that point.

Final step. ENJOY! OM NOM NOM NOM NOM

I totally didn't do a step by step for the peanut butter cookies.
Honestly, that baking book I mentioned above is turning out to be complete shit. At first, I thought it was me, but the peanut butter cookie recipe being the 3rd one I've tried, I have to conclude it's the book.
Bargain cookbooks are bargain for a reason folks.
At least that's what I'm starting to conclude.

I adjusted the recipe to the best of my ability.
These were not a hit. It was made mostly of cornstarch and powdered sugar...which also has cornstarch.
For those people who bake on the reg, you could guess how crumbly the texture of this cookie was.
No bueno.



SIDE NOTE
Went to my first con this weekend. Had a blasty blast.
Cosplayed a character suited to my personality.

TIL NEXT TIME

Behold My Delicious Chocolatey Guts!

Okay folks,

Sorry for my brief absence.
Just tired.

So very, very tired. As in, so tired that after coming home this afternoon, I wanted to take a quick nap. Aaaaand ended up sleeping for about 5 hours.

But there has been awesome things and goings ons.

Like finally getting this badass sewing machine.

 Look at it! Look at it's glorious sewing machine...ness! I did a buttload of research before making this purchase and at this point I don't regret it.











Hopefully there are still no regrets when I finally get to my first sewing crafts project.












 But anywho,

With what little free time, I made this delicious recipe of chocolate goodness. They are chocolate muffins from my favorite joyofbaking.com website.

So, first things first again. Gather up all those yummy ingredients peoples.

I did portray ALL of your necessary ingredients. Even those for the optional frosting. (But why the hell would you skip out on chocolate buttercream?)

Another note, the recipe does call for buttermilk. My first trials with baking, I mistakenly always bought buttermilk. But, unfortunately, never used it all so that ended up being a huge waste.
Best kitchen shortcut I use on a frequent basis? Making my own damn buttermilk. All you do is add one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice per one cup of whole milk, let that sit for 5 to 10 minutes and voila! Works like a fucking charm.

Next step, line your muffin pan with paper liners.

 

I was SO excited to use this jumbo or (regular sized) muffin pan for the first time. 

No regrets.

I'll also mention that I doubled the recipe once again, because, well, muffins. 

 Now for anyone who hasn't made muffins before you'll come to realize how easy they are. Just two bowls with wet and dry ingredients, fold one into the other and you're ready to bake. So first we get our wet ingredients together.

Mix your melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract in a large bowl.

 Next, in another large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Mix in your chocolate chips.

Now to get these two bad boys to join in sweet, sweet, chocolatey love. Make sure to fold the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir only until just combined.
DO NOT OVERMIX. If you overmix the batter, you'll get tough muffins and be forever hated by all of your friends and family.
And I don't think you want that.

Mmmmm, doesn't this look like chunky diarrhea? I know it's making me hungry.

Side note: if you noticed the bowl change, then you're very perceptive. Like I mentioned earlier, I doubled a JUMBO muffin recipe. After combining all of my ingredients in the first bowls I realized a mistake had been made.
The bowl just wasn't big enough to contain all the madness.

Now fill your muffin liners. They will be mostly full. I usually use an ice cream scoop for this step.

Time to get them in the oven! Bake muffins for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees F as per the original recipe. I usually don't move my oven dial from 350 degrees F so mine took about 24 minutes to fully bake.

Take them out and let cool on a wire rack.

 

Onto the frosting!

Which is always my favorite part. Chocolate buttercream is best buttercream. 

First, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water. Chopping it makes it easier and faster. 

Since this is unsweetened chocolate, I'm always tempted to lick remnants off of my fingers. But looks are deceiving, especially after realizing plain cocoa tastes like acrid dirt.
Delicious.

Next, in your stand mixer or with a handmixer, cream your butter until smooth and creamy.

Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go.
Good to keep everything nice and incorporated.

Add your powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. I always eyeball the powdered sugar part since frosting sweetness can be adjusted to your personal preference.

 

Beat in the vanilla extract. 

And finally, slowly add your COOLED chocolate. Don't melt your butter folks. Rookie mistake and not a fun one to make. 

 

Beat on low speed until all mixed in. Then increase speed until smooth and glossy.

Omnomnomnomnomnomnom! 

Now onto decorating. Which is my utmost favorite part. The original recipe just says to spread the buttercream onto the muffins but that just doesn't cut it for me. 

I had to jazz it up a bit. 

So I melted some white chocolate and made hearts on parchment paper. I actually piped them just using a ziploc bag. Easy peasy. 

Then I piped the buttercream on with a decorative star tip. I forget which number though. 

 But you get this. 

Have you ever seen anything more delicious? 

I think not.

These were pretty sweet but I still managed to eat it without a problem. It was just a chocolate explosion in your mouth you just couldn't control. The muffin wasn't dense and the chocolate chips were still melted enough after cooled that it gave a gooey interior. 

What's not to love?

Had to share with the friends of course. 

Needless to say they enjoyed it.

Until next time!