Chocolate Buttercream M&M Cupcakes

Hello Cupcake Lovers!!

Sorry I'm a little late on this one! This recipe was my version of New Years Eve this year. As a non-drinker, I've found that chocolate and sugar and delicious baked goods tends to produce the same happy effect my friends seem to exhibit while drunk. Even if it doesn't work as well as I think it does, it's never too early in the day for chocolate ;) So after dinner and before midnight, I decided it had been a while since I had a good cupcake and anything goes on New Years Eve, so it was the perfect time to fulfill my cupcake needs :) 

I don't know about you, but cupcakes are definitely a weakness of mine. A few wonderful quotes regarding cupcakes in my life...

1. While discussing with a friend how to best manage one's weight, he confidently suggested (like most men, who can eat whatever they want and still end up losing weight by some ridiculous and terribly unfair force of nature) that I, "run and don't eat that cupcake", referring specifically to the birthday cake batter cupcake I bought for myself from Crumbs a few days prior. Just so we're all on the same page in terms of the irresistability of this cupcake, here's a link. 

2. While enjoying the cupcake you're about to watch being made with my family, my mom asks, "So what kind of cake is this?" and my dad, with flawless as always comedic timing and tone, replies, "Cup!". (Honestly, I'm still laughing while typing this and it's been about a month.)

If you have any fun cupcake-related experiences, please share them in the comments at the bottom of the page, or send me an email or google+ comment! 

The Recipe: Chocolate Buttercream M&M Cupcakes (makes 8 cupcakes)

The Cake: 

• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/3 +1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2+1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/2+1/8 tsp baking soda
• heaping (not leveled) 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 2/3 tbsp shortening (aka Crisco)
• 1 mashed banana
• 1 egg
• 1/6 cup canola oil
• 1/6 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

The Filling/Icing: 

• 1 stick butter, softened
• about equal parts powdered sugar (so in this case, about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tbsp hazelnut powdered creamer
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Dark Chocolate M&Ms

The Process:

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176.6 degrees C). 
2. Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
3. Cut shortening into small pieces to make it easier to mix with dry ingredients. 
4. Mash banana into another, smaller bowl. (Don't tell the kids there's banana in their cupcakes!!)
5. Mix egg, oil, milk, and vanilla extract into bowl with banana. 
6. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and beat. 
7. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners (or butter and flour the sides of the pan). 
8. Fill cupcake liners about halfway with batter. 
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer (or toothpick) can poke the center and come out with some moist crumbs. You will be able to see the cupcakes rise and smell when they are done. Use the pictures as a guide as each oven is different. 
10. Allow to cool with paper towel covering. 
11. Blend ingredients for filling/icing. 
12. Use cupcake corer to remove the center of each cupcake. Fill each cupcake and replace its center. Ice its top and coat with dark chocolate M&Ms to taste :) 
13. Try not to eat them all before midnight!!

The Calories:

Flour: 300 calories

Sugar: 390 calories

Cocoa: 49 calories

Baking Powder: 0 calories

Baking Soda: 0 calories

Salt: 0 calories

Shortening: 203 calories

Banana: 109 calories

Egg: 75 calories

Oil: 318 calories

Milk: 20 calories

Vanilla: 12 calories

Hazelnut creamer: 35 calories

____________________________________

TOTAL: 1511 calories 

Not counting the M&Ms (70 calories per cupcake), this makes a single cupcake only 189 calories! This is actually pretty fantastic for cupcakes. Plus, there's banana in it :) 

What went right: 

          These cupcakes were SUPER moist. My family inhaled them in minutes and I was super proud :) They're very chocolatey and having the filling is a wonderful addition to the classics. Even my brother loved them with the banana and hazelnut. (Shhh ;) )

                               

What went wrong: 

          I didn't have enough butter to make a good amount of the filling/icing and at the time I didn't know that we had an icing press with pretty design tips. I had fun with design tips later though (hint hint!) It was still plenty, but it would have been better with more. 

What I would do next time: 

          Well there were more than enough next times with this very malleable base batter. These cupcakes went so well, I ended up baking a whole other set of three entirely different cupcakes all originating from this batter for a dinner party the next day. It took SIX HOURS. I gained a new respect for cupcake makers everywhere. Keep watching for these three recipes! 

Would I do this in college?: 

           Yes and no. The cupcake spree, probably not. Mostly because I don't have a cupcake pan and don't feel like buying/storing one for the maybe one time per semester that I would make cupcakes. It doesn't take that long to make the basics, but it takes long enough. It would be easier at that point to just use my springform pan and make a whole cake. 

Overall, an AMAZING first cupcake experience and a delicious start to 2014! 

And now for the workout...naturally, I went back into my fitness routine after the new year began. It wasn't really a new years resolution, because I had been working on it for over a year prior. However, I decided it was time to revise my morning workout for the sake of variety: 

• 150 regular crunches
• 100 ankle tap oblique crunches
• 100 reverse crunches
• 200 crunches with legs extended and feet flexed
• 20 leg lifts
• 20 bridges
• 20 leg lifts with the other leg
• 20 bridges
• 20 leg lifts with the other leg
• 20 bridges
• 30 clams in side plank
• 10 push ups
• 30 clams in side plank on the other side
• 30 tri push ups
• 20 second plank
• 20 second plank with leg lifts
• 20 second plank with alternating hip touches 
• Stretch as needed

This should be more than adequate toning to justify cupcake enjoyment :) 

Happy baking!! 

Cinnamon Cocoa French Toast

Happy Finals Week!

Today's recipe is a collegiate adaptation made to de-stress my floormate Emma after a long 8am final :)

The beauty of the end of the semester means having to empty one's room of all edible articles. For me, this includes an entire freezer full of bagels. So when Emma requested french toast, I decided to explore the different types of bread that can make french toast...aka all the breads.

The Recipe: Cinnamon Cocoa French Toast

• 1 Panera Bread Cinnamon Crunch Bagel
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup Fat Free Milk
• 1 tsp Canola Oil (in the mix)
• 1 tbsp Canola Oil (on the pan)
• 1/2 package of Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Powder

The Process: 

1. Slice the bagel to desired thickness. I went with 1/2-3/4 inch slices. 
2. Break an egg into any container that is at least as deep as the bagel slices are thick. 
3. Add the milk, oil, and hot cocoa. 
4. Whisk completely with a fork. 
5. Allow bagel slices to soak in the mixture, flipping once one side is saturated. When you are done, the entire mixture should be essentially inside the bagel slices. 
6. Heat a pan with oil until the oil spreads out across the surface of the pan. 
7. On medium heat, cook soaked bagel slices on the pan for a few minutes. Watch for the edges of the french toast to begin to bubble and brown. With a spatula, feel free to check the french toast. An easy way to tell if they are close to done without turning them over is by nudging them slightly; if they slide easily across the pan, they are most likely close to done. If they stick to the pan, they are not ready to be flipped. 
8. Once they are ready to be flipped, simply allow the entire batch to slide onto another pan (in my case a pie tin) and then flip this dish over onto the first pan so that the french toast is flipped. 
9. Allow this side to cook. 
10. Once they are done, remove from the pan and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 
11. Enjoy :)

The Calories: 

Bagel: 420 calories

Egg: 78 calories

Milk: 21 calories

Oil: 160 calories (if all oil is used, however much of it will remain in the pan)

Cocoa Powder: 45 calories

________________________

TOTAL: 724 calories

Okay, so this isn't the most healthy recipe, but as I'm constantly reminded, "It's finals season! All bets are off." It's one thing to eat this way constantly, but it's another to treat yo' self after a stressful final. 

What went right: 

          I was told that it tasted very very good and did not even need syrup (yay, because I didn't have any!). Usually, I would take this with a grain of salt because friends are usually going to tell you that they like something you've done even if it's not that amazing. However, psychology has taught me that when something tastes good, each bite spends less time in our mouths, and this dish was polished off in a mere few minutes :) 

          Speaking of only a few minutes, from start to finish, this recipe probably took 20 minutes, about half of which was waiting time while the bagel soaked, which can always be used for other productive endeavors like paper writing ;) Super doable for the time-crunched college student! The short cooking time made it easy to not feel stressed about losing time, and because I love cooking it was also a flow activity that helped me de-stress in preparation for my final last night. 

What went wrong: 

            I'd go with nothing on this one. It wasn't as healthy as I hoped it would be, but it was definitely more healthy than it could have been by using only one egg, low fat milk, and cooking it in oil instead of butter. As we've discussed previously, while both oil and butter are composed entirely of fats (lipids), butter is primarily composed of saturated fats, which allows it to remain solid at room temperature, and oils are primarily composed of unsaturated fats, which makes them more fluid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats, in moderation of course, are healthier than saturated fats. 

Would I do it again?: 

           Definitely. And I probably will before all is said and done this semester. 

What would I do differently: 

           It would be fun to play with toppings and fillings, like nutella, peanut butter, jams/jellies...I think all of the above would bode well :) 

Overall, a great recipe that I'm very glad I made for my friend :) While college teaches us to look out for ourselves and our own needs, it also teaches us the importance of supporting one another. Personally, I always look out for those who look out for me, and genuinely believe that it has been a major source of my success. Look out, T3...lots of food to come your way <3 

The workout: 

Even though this was more healthy than most french toast, it still needs a workout. Emma and I often work out together at the WoodPEC, usually burning 300-400 calories in a short elliptical workout. This is enough to offset the calorie amount of this meal to a normal caloric intake for a brunch meal. 

In theory, the portion I made is enough for two people to share as a single meal, which would bring the calories per serving down to 362. 

Deceptively Healthy Dessert: Gluten Free Chewy Chocolate M&M Cookies

Welcome Gluten Free Eaters and Dessert Lovers!

Today's recipe comes once again from my lovely bio lab group <3

Meet Team Hunar: Hunar, Caitlin, Caroline, Me

 

Our first cooking experiment together (Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oat Cookies) was such a success, we decided we should bake again while putting together our lab report presentation. That, and, we wanted an excuse to hang out and bake together again. 

The major stipulation for all lab group baking projects is that they have to be Gluten Free, because Caitlin is Gluten Free, and we love her, so we need to make sure she can enjoy the cookies too! 

                                                             

Thanks to Caroline for finding this recipe and suggesting it to the group :) 

Thanks to Caitlin for reinventing the recipe with M&Ms and being an awesome DJ :) 

and of course...thanks to Hunar for bringing "the spunk" ;P

Objective: 

Bake delicious, gluten free, addictive, healthy cookies that will please the "god" of Lab 116. 

Hypothesis: 

Removing the egg yolks and not using flour or butter will increase the health value of cookies and adding cocoa powder and M&Ms will increase the deliciousness. The powdered sugar, when baked, will form a coating for the cookies, to give these soft fudgy cookies some crunch. 

Materials:

• 3 egg whites
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup melted chocolate
• 1/4 cup M&Ms 

Protocol:

1. Use sterile technique. 
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
3. Mix all dry ingredients together
4. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe container (preferably ceramic) in small spurts of 30 seconds each, stirring between each spurt (If you do not follow this protocol you are guaranteed to burn the chocolate and potentially burn the container!!)
5. Add eggs and melted chocolate and mix
6. Add M&Ms and mix
7. Spoon onto baking sheet
8. Bake for about 10 minutes, watching carefully for when they expand, as each oven is different. 
9. Allow to cool
10. Enjoy!!

Results:

The Calories:

Egg Whites: 51 calories

Sugar: 1167 calories

Cocoa: 128 calories

Chocolate: 200 calories

M&Ms: 253 calories

Vanilla Extract: 6 calories

____________________

TOTAL: 1805 calories

For 30 servings, this is about 60 calories per serving. It's a lot of sugar, but the egg whites and lack of butter and flour really make a difference for the health value. 

What went right:

         They're absolutely delicious, and again, our instructor loved them!! 

What went wrong: 

          Nothing :) 

Would I make these again: 

          I'm pretty sure I'm morally obligated to make these again...a few of my hallmates saw me bring them upstairs and I couldn't give them any because they were for the lab class...so look out T3, we'll be having these cookies at some point :) 

Overall, a delicious and relatively healthy dessert! 

If you really need to work this off, it doesn't take a lot of work. 60 calories can be burned off with: 

• 30 minutes of yoga
• 20 minutes of playing pool
• 20 minutes of bowling
• 20 minutes of playing darts

As you can see, these are relatively light activities. That said, every little bit helps!

German Apple Cake

Guten tag und willkommen! 

This post was inspired by my want to make a cake today and an abundance of apples in the fridge. The recipe comes from pinterest, and it's one I've wanted to make for a long time just so I could try it. 

While the cake was cooling, I sent a photo to a couple friends in Germany, and one asked why he'd never seen something like it before. To be honest, I was wondering the same thing, since I'm German and Austrian by blood. I did a little research on the topic, assuming it has a German name. Lo and behold, the recipe I found is an adaptation of Weiner Apfelkuchen. Now that I've found a more traditional recipe, I will definitely be trying that as well, despite the traditional sugar and fat content.

A German Apple Cake is essentially four layers. 

The Recipe: Layer 1: The Cake

• 1.5 cups Flour
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 1 stick Butter
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 3/4 cup Milk
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

The Process: Layer 1

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Blend all cake ingredients and pour into desired pan. (I used a glass casserole dish. The original recipe recommends a 9 x 13 baking dish. Next time I make this dish, I would like to use a shorter dish, because it took a very long time for mine to bake.)

The Recipe: Layer 2 

• 3-4 Apples, peeled and thinly sliced

The Process: Layer 2

1. Lay the apples on the cake layer in your desired pan/dish. Be sure to cover the whole area. (Mine covered a much larger area.)

The Recipe: Layer 3

• 1 cup Butter
• 1 cup Flour
• 1 cup White Sugar

The Process: Layer 3

1. Combine the three ingredients in a small bowl. It will be very crumbly even after mixed. 
2. Spread over the apples (Layer 2). 

The Recipe: Layer 4

• 1.5 tablespoons White Sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons Cinnamon

The Process: Layer 4

1. In a small bowl/plate, combine the Cinnamon and Sugar. 
2. Carefully sprinkle this on top of the whole of Layer 3. 
3. Bake for about 40 minutes. (Mine took much longer! Be sure to watch and test to see when your cake is finished.)

The Calories: 

Flour- 1138 calories

Sugar- 589 calories

Butter- 2430 calories

Eggs- 147 calories

Baking Powder- 2 calories

Milk- 65 calories

Vanilla- 6 calories

Apples- 380 calories

Cinnamon- 2 calories

________________________

TOTAL: 4759 calories

Yes, this seems bad. However, the cake that I made is very very thick, meaning half a slice is about all you need to be full, as it is extremely rich. Assuming the cake is about 10 servings (which would change if you made a thinner, larger cake), each serving is 475.9 calories. Admittedly, this is not a healthy cake. 

What went right:

          The cake was magnificently delicious, and even more delicious after it was refrigerated. 

What went wrong:

          Because I used such a thick pan, baking took a long time, and I don't think I completely finished baking it by the end, because the middle was slightly soft. This did not make it taste any worse, but altered the texture. I would like to try making it in a different pan and see if that makes it better. 

Would I make this in college:

           This is one of those cakes that takes a very long time to make by yourself, but would be fun and easy to make with a group of people because there are so many tasks that can theoretically happen all at once. Therefore, I would make this cake as a Month Birthday Cake for sure, but not necessarily just for the sake of making a cake. 

What would I do next time:

          Like I said, I would like to try the more traditional version of this cake, and try making it in a different pan. 

Overall, this cake was delicious, but not healthy. 

So......

The workout that accompanies this cake is an elliptical workout. In one hour, I burned 500 calories by doing an interval workout that alternated between 9, 11, and 13 crossramp, with 1 resistance. Essentially, I did high knees for an hour. It was easier than it sounds; once you get into a rhythm, it's easy to hold it even when the crossramp increases. 

Geneissen!!