Chocolate & Peanut Butter Swirl Bundt Cake

Oh yes, I'm bringing the bundt cake back. Honestly I have a hard time finding things wrong with bundt cakes. For starters, the cake pan does most of the work. And if it looks or tastes bad, you can smother it with a glaze or frosting. Bundt cakes always seem to feed more and go farther than others. Mixing chocolate and peanut butter seemed the right approach to me, and hence this beautiful gem was born (borrowed).

A fairly straight forward recipe here, nothing much to it. And I bet most of you have the ingredients in your cupboards this very moment. As with most things I bake, I ate my small share (i.e. tax) and quickly gifted the rest away before I engaged in too much crumby behavior. 

Just in case you haven't been by his website page yet, Burt the Cat is doing great and getting into his pesky kitty phase. He's becoming quite the ham! Feel free to swing by and check out his plans to slowly take over the world (and drive me insane). 

Enjoy the baking, everyone! 

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Swirl Bundt Cake
Borrowed From: Hungry Couple

• 2 Cups all purpose flour, divided
• 2 Teaspoons baking powder, divided
• 1 Teaspoon baking soda, divided
• 1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 Cups sugar
• 3 Eggs 
• 2 Sticks unsalted butter
• 3/4 Cup water
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Cup peanut butter

In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and eggs.  Add the butter and continue beating.  Add the water, vanilla and salt.  Divide the mixture evenly into two bowls.

Add the peanut butter to one bowl, beat until smooth and fold in the first bowl of flour, baking powder and baking soda.To the second bowl, fold in the flour mixture with the cocoa powder.

Butter and flour a 12 cup bundt pan.  Add half the peanut butter batter to the pan, followed by half the chocolate batter, followed by the second half of the peanut butter batter and topped off with the final half of the chocolate batter.  Using a butter knife, gently swirl the batters together but do not over mix.  

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Allow to cool very well before removing from the pan.  Makes approximately 10 servings.

Almond Joy Cupcakes

Another birthday, another round of baking. At least I am a consistent gift giver when it comes to friends and family. Spreading joy and sugar comas wherever I go. Go me! Just call me the cupcake birthday fairy godmother (or whatnot). 

Everyone, I'd like for you all to meet the Almond Joy Cupcake. A gift for a special lady in my life, in honor of her annual renewal. Now before you go off on how much you aren't into coconut desserts, I implore you to give these a try. They are a bit on the sweet side, but damn delicious and definitely worth the steps to make a dozen or two. The coconut comes from the frosting, which is a hybrid of cream cheese and butter cream with shredded coconut tossed in towards the end. This is the kind of frosting that is dangerous to have around, on hand, in the fridge...excuse me for a sec, I must put thoughts of the frosting out of my mind before I relapse again into a spoon crazed fit. 

The cupcake portion itself tastes somewhere along the lines of chocolate angel food cake - very light and fluffy. I might use the chocolate cupcake base recipe to make a few new recipes down the road (like a maybe a Kahlúa cupcake or Mexican chocolate cake). And since these cupcakes are somewhat filled with frosting, an added bonus of this recipe is having tiny little cake bites after carving out the cupcake centers. A creative baker would find use for these, or if you are like me would eat them all fairly quickly. 

Next time around I think I might dip each frosted cupcake into the chocolate ganache and then sprinkle the toasted coconut and sliced almonds while it is still setting. And it is definitely worth it to use toasted coconut and toasted sliced almonds as a topping (just buy a bag of both at the store and use your stove top to lightly toast). I also wouldn't mind test running a boozy version of these lovely treats and adding them to my boozy cupcakes by the dozen box (a work in progress). For now, I'm happy giving these away as birthday surprises...enjoy! 

Almond Joy Cupcakes 
Borrowed from: Beantown Baker

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Toasted shredded coconut
• Toasted sliced almonds

Preheat oven 350 F. Prepare cupcake pan with liners.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. In another medium bowl with an electric mixer on high, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Next, beat in the melted chocolate. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating until blended. Stir in vanilla.

Fill the cupcake liners about 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes. Place on a rack and let to cool completely before frosting.

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Beat the cream cheese and butter in a mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time, alternating with heavy cream. Beat in the salt, coconut flavoring, and vanilla extract.

Continue beating until mixture is smooth and spreadable. Add additional confectioners’ sugar if necessary to thicken the frosting, or more cream to thin. Gently fold in the shredded coconut.

Chocolate Ganache

• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate
• 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

In saucepan bring whipping cream to boil over high heat. Pour hot whipping cream over chocolate and stir until chocolate melted. Add more cream if the ganache is too thick to spread.

To Assemble 

Remove center of cupcake using the cone method. Set the cake cone aside – feel free to eat it! Pipe frosting into hole and continue on top of cupcake. Drizzle ganache over frosting. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and toasted sliced almonds. 

Über Dark Chocolate Muffins

Things have been rough all over this week, wouldn't you say? While spring has started off on a lovely foot from a botany perspective, the events of the world seem to be stuck in a cold, dark winter. When life gets like this, I usually try to go to a happy place (physically, metaphysically, whatever works) and not dwell on the negative. This is one of my happy places; pretty sweet, huh?

And of course I have these two rascals to help me stay grounded (and a little soggy). They sure do love their fetch and swim sessions in the woods. Maybe more than I do.

In an effort to keep things lighthearted, I'm going to keep this short. Muffins, they rock. Especially when chocolate is involved. These ones border on devil's food cake in density and flavor, thanks to the addition of the vinegar and intensity of the chocolate. Super yummy, happy feedback from my wonderful gang of eaters. My suggestion is to go make a batch, pack a sweet little picnic, and find some nature to share a lunch with. Stay positive!

Über Dark Chocolate Muffins
Adapted from: Favorite Chocolate Muffins

• ⅔ cup dutch-processed cocoa (hershey's special dark worked for me)
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1¼ cups light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup cold coffee
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 1 cup chopped chocolate (a 3.53 oz. bar of 85% dark chocolate)
• 1/4 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a standard muffin pan with paper muffin cups.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, coffee, vanilla and vinegar. Add in the melted butter. Add the dry ingredients, stirring until everything is well-combined. Stir in the chopped chocolate and white chocolate chips. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, about ¾ full.

Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow muffins to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days (fresh is always best!). 

Intensely Dark Chocolate Brownies

Recently, I found myself asking the question - what does one do with several bars of intensely rich dark chocolate? Most of the time, my answer would be to eat them. In this particular instance, the chocolate was so dark (85%!!) that even my dark-loving chocolate nature couldn't partake in them in their current state. The notion of making a dark chocolate sauce rolled around my brain for a bit, followed by a dark chocolate bundt cake, or maybe making homemade dark chocolate chips. In the end, I settled up some comfort food - good old fashioned homemade brownies. 

Brownies hold a special spot in my baking heart. Besides chocolate chip cookies, brownies were one of the first (non-Armenian) baked goods I learned how to make as a child. Being a one or two pan dish, they are uber kid-friendly and typically successful no matter how far astray one goes from the recipe. While this recipe may be a little labor intensive for wee bakers, with a little supervision kids would make a great addition to the baking magic these little sweets have to offer (make sure to let them like the bowl clean at the end, that's the best part). 

This recipe is a hybrid of recipes, with no one particular source. As I was making it, I realized how bitter and strong the brownie batter was, and added the white chocolate chips on top as a last minute sweetener. As an afterthought, adding some kind of candied nuts to the brownie batter would also likely yield amazing results. Don't be surprised if there is a revamp of this recipe down the road (boozy brownies sounds good, right??). Happy Friday and Easter, everyone! 

Intensely Dark Chocolate Brownies

• 7 ounces unsweetened intensely dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used 85%)
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 to 1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9” square by 2” deep baking pan; set aside. I used an 8” by 8” square glass baking pan to make gooier ones and did just fine. In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate, butter, and the water; cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Make sure not to burn the chocolate sauce. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add granulated sugar and brown sugar to chocolate mixture; beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until combined. Add eggs, almond and vanilla extracts; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add flour, salt, and cinnamon. Beat on low speed until combined. Spread batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle white chocolate chips over the top of the battered pan.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Depending upon whether a glass or dark pan is used, cooking times may vary so check on the brownies ever 10 minutes or so. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Sprinkle with cocoa powder and/or powdered sugar. Makes 20 to 25 brownies. They taste even better the second day!

Chocolate Chip Cookies Stat!

Someone close to me recently had a procedure. Nothing too grand, although anything that involves a doctor's office and a scalpel is big in my book. His procedure went splendidly and he was ordered to spend a few days of down time vegging out on the sofa, not moving much, contemplating his navel. If there is one thing I am extremely gifted at, besides baking (not to toot my own horn too much), it's caregiving and looking after someone who is convalescing. Panda le Chef to the rescue!

Requested by the sick one - chocolate chip cookies. Now, if you have been following me for a while you'll likely know that I've already covered baking chocolate chip cookies from nearly every angle possible. However thanks to the world wide web and the overall love of baking out there, I have more recipes to inspire me than I have days left on this earth. After some online hunting, I decided to try Anna Olson's recipe from Clockwork Lemon. One of the major differences in this recipe from others I have tried is the addition of cornstarch. I've never used cornstarch much in any cookie recipe, but all is fair in the baking world so I figured I'd try it out. I added my secret ingredient, almond extract, but retained most of the original recipe. Mmmm, cookies.

The end results = stellar! Nice almost cake-like cookies yet with the traditional chocolate chip cookie flavor. The outside was ever so crisp with the inside of each cookie soft and gooey. The sick one gave it a thumbs up in between cleaning the cookie crumbs from his shirt. Enjoy!

Another Chocolate Chip Cookie
Borrowed from: Clockwork Lemon

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, at room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I like to freeze mine before use)

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.

Cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until fluffy (usually 3-5 minutes). Beat in the egg and then the extracts.

In a separate bowl, stir the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until evenly blended.

Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking trays, ensuring to leave an inch or so in between each cookie.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen. Store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Pumpkin season is here! And to celebrate, besides eating my weight in pumpkin this month, I plan to share a few new recipes I have fallen in love with as well as a few oldies but goodies from my baking files. Now, I will always encourage folks to grow their own pumpkins and for a number of reasons: they are fun to grow, you'll have a good source of carving and baking pumpkins, and it's farm to table. However if you are like me and have had one heck of a ride with 2012, you likely didn't have time to successfully plant pumpkins (we tried a Japanese variety but didn't get any fruit). If you grew your own pumpkins this year, then this recipe will be a good excuse to use up some of that puree you've likely made. If not, grab yourself a can of pumpkin puree from the store and get baking.

I discovered this receipt through Averie Cooks, and damn did it look gooo-ooood upon initial discovery. Pumpkin meets chocolate in a baked good form - who wouldn't love that?!

I made a few changes to the original receipe, such as using non-fat greek yogurt in place of sour cream, omitting the butter extract, using bittersweet chocolate chips, and adding more spices such as pumpkin spice. The end result was delicious! Next time around I may try to slip a little rum into the batter, or possibly a wee bit more into the ganache. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate chip Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache
Adapted from: Averie Cooks 

For the Cake

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree 
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup non-fat greek yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

For the Chocolate Ganache (microwave-friendly)

• 2/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup cream or half-and-half
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tsp rum 
• 1 tsp mocha coffee 

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 12-cup Bundt or tube-cake pan with cooking spray or grease and flour the pan; set aside. In a large bowl combine eggs, pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, yogurt, vanilla extract, all the spices and whisk to combine until mixture is smooth and silky.

Add the flour, baking soda, salt and stir until just combined (don’t overmix or the gluten will over-develop and cake will be tougher). Fold in the chocolate chips and pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing it lightly with a spatula if necessary and give it a slam on the counter to release any air. Bake for 38 to 42 minutes, or until top has set (it may crackle, this is okay) and is golden or a cake tester, toothpick, or blade of a knife comes out clean (due to the chocolate chips, you may hit some chocolate patches with the insertion test). Allow cake to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before inverting and releasing cake from pan and placing it on a rack to finish cooling. While cake cools, make the ganache.

To make the Chocolate Ganache, Place chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power for 1 minute to soften chocolate; set aside. In a small microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, heat the cream (I used half-and-half) on high power just until it begins to bubble and show signs of boiling, about 1 minute. Pour hot cream over chocolate and let it stand about 1 minute. Whisk vigorously until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth and velvety. Add vanilla, alcohol, coffee, and whisk to combine. Set bowl aside for about 5 minutes, allowing ganache to cool and thicken a bit. Whisk mixture briefly before preparing to drizzle it over the cake. Ganache will set up a bit with time, but remains quite viscous and drippy.

Cake will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Banana Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

Bananas! Zucchini! Chocolate! Oh my, did this recipe turn out well. For some unknown reason, this summer I  often find myself with an abundance of these three ingredients (yes, even chocolate) and a hankering to bake. Not too long ago I whipped up a batch of these little tasty muffins for a few pals. And boy were they a hit!

Omitting the oil and using applesauce instead made the muffins a bit less fat heavy, but not too worry...I ate enough of them to make up for it in the end.

Lately, I've been thinking of taking a survey to see what fall goodies folks would like me to make heading into the next season. There have been more than a few requests for another Foodie Fest (which we are long overdue for) and I'm thinking of doing a sweet 'n savory pie foodie fest sometime in October. Thoughts, anyone? And enjoy the recipe!

Chocolate Banana Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins 

• 1 large ripe banana, mashed
• 1 1/2 c zucchini, shredded
• 1 3/4 c flour
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
• 3/4 c sugar 
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c applesauce 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp almond extract 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a muffin pan or line with paper cups.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

In another medium bowl, mix together egg and sugar. Next add applesauce, vanilla and almond extracts, and mix well. Add in mashed banana and shredded zucchini. Then mix the dry ingredients into the wet until well incorporated. Finally, add the chocolate chips.

Bake for 11-15 minutes, depending upon muffin size. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack or the counter.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

One can never have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes, at least not in my book. And this is definitely a good one to add to your collection! This recipe is a good mix of chewy yet chocolaty, delicious yet satisfying. Isn't that apparent by the happiness seen on my face as I shove this cookie in my mouth? Yes, I am a total ham if it means getting a few laughs.

This recipe was discovered over at Bake or Break and is a goody to keep in the recipe box. My changes included adding almond extract, using my farm fresh eggs, trading out the chocolate bar for actual chocolate chips, and omitting the nuts this time around. The trick to the amazing chewiness? Blending the oats in a food processor first! Seriously, try it. The results are both surprising and tasty. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted From: Bake or Break 

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups uncooked regular oats
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 375°.

Beat butter at medium speed in a heavy-duty mixer until creamy. This can take up to 3 or 4 minutes. Make sure to scrape down the edges of the bowl in between. Gradually add sugars and beat well. Add eggs, vanilla and almond extracts, beating well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, bakings soda, and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture and beat well.

Process oats in a food processor until finely ground. Add to butter mixture and beat well. Stir in chocolates.

Drop cookies by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly on baking sheets. Then, remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Holy hell, are these delicious. I literally had to give all of these away so as not to continuously eat them. The reason for their creation? A friend's birthday request for zucchini bread matched with my constant need for dark chocolate.

After some research, I stumbled across the recipe from College Baker Girl. Her online version was the closest match for what I was aiming for in my foodie quest. I tripled her original recipe and of course altered it for my personal tastes: less whole wheat flour with the addition of white flour, added brown sugar and almond extract, replaced the oil with cinnamon applesauce. Imagine fruity, sweet, filling, chocolaty, moist...yum.

Now, stop reading and check out your cupboard, see if you have the ingredients to make these. If not, off to the store with you! You can thank me later. Enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Adapted From: College Baker Girl

• 1 1/2 cup white flour
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup white sugar 
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/8 tsp salt
• 3/8 tsp baking powder
• 9 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup milk, rice or almond works as an alternative milk
• 1 cup applesauce
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract 
• 2 1/4 cup shredded zucchini
• 6 tbsp dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line a muffin tray.

In a large bowl combine the flours, sugars, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and cocoa. Mix thoroughly.

In another bowl, whisk together the milk, applesauce, eggs, vanilla and almond extracts. Add the shredded zucchini and stir. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just combined. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tray, filling each cup to the top and sprinkle with dark chocolate chips.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. If making mini-muffins, bake 12-15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Dark Chocholate Cupcakes

Another round of birthdays this week. Hell, this month. Which is fine by me, as it means more reason to bake. Although I attempted a late-night (drunkish) baking session last night, and promptly remembered why I shouldn't do that. Ha, a story for another time. ;)

This week's menu: Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting. Mmmm, super rich and super sinful.

I picked up this recipe from Brown Eyed Baker and have had nothing but positive feedback from taste testers. I didn't change anything in the recipe, however next time I think I would change things up a bit. The peanut butter frosting is a little intense; next time maybe the kaluha frosting from the White Russian Cupcakes. Also, I think the dark chocolate cupcake could improve with a little instant coffee for taste. Tinker around with your batch and share what you discover. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
From: Brown Eyed Baker

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ½ cup (1.5 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• ¾ cup (3.75 ounces) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup (5.25 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• ½ cup (4 ounces) lite sour cream

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F. (If you are using a non-stick muffin pan, heat the oven to 325 degrees F.) Line standard-size muffin pan with baking cup liners.

Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and combined. (Alternately, you can microwave the mixture at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted.) Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogeneous and thick.

Divide the batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes.

Peanut Butter Frosting

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  1 cup creamy peanut butter
  5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
  ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Dark Chocolate Cream Pie

Notice my absence? Yes, even a chef needs a little holdiay! And merriment...but don't worry, I am back. I promise! With more fabulous eats and yummies for the new year. 2010 - the year of making some killer grub!

Christmas dinner was a (surprisingly) big event in my little home. We did a local, healthy, organic turkey with all the fixings, sides upon sides of good food, and of course... dessert! One of my desserts this year was a smoky dark chocolate cream pie.

I started from the good old Taste of Home Dark Chocolate Cream Pie recipe and made a few modifications. A little fussing usually makes the recipe really taste like it came out of your kitchen! 

One of the first things I did was add a wee bit more dark chocolate - and GOOD chocolate. I made sure to run by our local market  and find a good giant piece of lovely organic dark chocolate from the bulk section. Next I added a another 1/2 teas. of vanilla as well as a little bitty dash of almond extract. I melted the chocolate until it was nearly smoking to give it a smoky flavor (not recommended for everyone) and finished off my modifications by adding a good dash of cayenne pepper to give a full aroma to the chocolate and some spice!

OMG, it was amazing. The pie that is... as well as the mimosas I was part taking in during the baking experience.

And a little shout out to my grandparents' and mother's home town - Tinely Park, IL.