Funfetti Ice-Cream Cone Cupcakes

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Are ice-cream stand runs a part of your summer evenings? They sure are for us. We live close to a lake with beautiful walking paths. Normally, we walk the 4 mile path and sometimes at the end reward ourselves with ice-cream cones at the stand across from the park. Favorite treat! I shared this on Instagram recently.

I've wanted to make cupcakes in an ice-cream cone since it started warming up but I never found an occasion for it until my 12-year old niece was in town a few weekends ago for a softball tournament. She was staying with us and I figured we could make these together for her softball team and that's exactly what we ended up doing.

Despite being so excited to bake these, I did no research on how-to bake cupcakes in ice-cream cones and they were a technical nightmare I must admit. I made funfetti vanilla cupcake batter and baked them in mini ice-cream cones (mistake #1). I placed the cones in regular muffin pans (mistake #2) and they were very shaky and difficult to transfer in and out of the oven. Some of the cupcakes overflowed since the cones were so tiny and I had too much in there. I topped with whipped vanilla frosting and decorated with sprinkles.

In the end, I was very glad with how looked and the girls loved them. It was the best treat after a long weekend of softball games. The cake recipe is the same I used here and here and it is always a fluffy, moist vanilla cake and the confetti adds a crunchy layer as you bite into the cone. 

Even though I loved how these mini ice-cream cone cupcakes turned out, I learned a few lessons for the next time I make them (luckily you will learn from my mistakes):

• Use JUMBO ice-cream cones (unless you want mini cupcake cones)
• Bake in ice-cream cone cupcake pans like these from Kupcake Konz : they were made for this purpose and seems to be very easy for transportation too. A great tutorial here. (FYI: I was not paid for this...I just found them online and they seem like a great idea :) ).
• I found this cool trick that could have saved me some fallen cones. Simply wrap the cones with foil to hold the cones in place in the baking pans.
• Do not overfill or you will have an overflowing mess. 

Hope you will try these ice-cream cone cupcakes on your next summer get together! They are a fun project for kids as well :)

Bakin Friends: Caramel Pretzel Delights

It's time for another Bakin Friends reveal! Remember these marshmallow cookies? Bakin Friends connects a group of bakers who love sweets and each month we send each other baked goods with a secret ingredient.

This month's secret ingredient was CARAMEL and I received the most delicious chocolate caramel pretzel delights from Jenifer. The best snack bites ever.

Jenifer sent two packed zip-lock bags and one of them was gone within 2 hours. I kid you not. I totally forgot I had to take pictures, luckily there were a few left the next morning. They are so easy to make too. All you need to do is melt Rolo's on pretzels and top with pecans. A super easy, grab-to-go snack. I love it! And all you chocolate lovers out there will love it too.

I enjoyed them very much, Jenifer. Thank you!!


Caramel Pretzel Delights
Source: Jenifer Mathewson

Ingredients:
Bag of small pretzels
Bag of Rolo's
Pecan halves

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place pretzels on sheet and top with a rolo. Bake 3-5 minutes or until rolo softens but not melted. Remove from oven and press each rolo with a pecan half, Cool in the refrigerator and enjoy!

If you would like to join Bakin Friends, contact Steph here.

Bobby Flay's Crunch Burger {Pass the Cook Book Club}

 

That's right, you read the title right. I am sharing a burger recipe. Sorry for the break in transmission of sweets. But it's time for another installment of Pass the Cook Book Club. If your remember I joined the group last month which was created and hosted by Kita of Pass the Sushi. Each month she selects three recipes from a cookbook and we all make one and reveal our selections on the same day. It's quite fun and encourages us all to dust off old cookbooks, discover new cookbooks and for me this month step out of my comfort zone.

  

This month's selection is Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, and Shakes. A great selection and perfect for my current dinner menu of kebabs, burgers and simple salads. Mr J got very excited about the selections and it was hard for him to just pick one. Finally he settled on this Crunch Burger and since he was on vacation last week, he volunteered to make dinner. I think it's because he was very excited to try this one and of course I didn't object and just sat back and waited to take pictures and eat.

And boy was it AMAZING! This is a very juicy, flavorful and as the name implies, crunchy burger.  Thanks to the heaping layer of potato chips. Never thought of putting potato chips on my burger but after trying it, I'll say I won't go back to a regular burger anytime soon. The horseradish mustard mayo is the best part of this burger in my opinion. I know not everyone likes horseradish, but it's soft enough in the mayo to add a kick but not overpowering. It totally brings this burger to a whole other level. Mr J insists it's the best burger he has had in a long time and I completely agree with him (for once!).

If you are planning on making just one burger this summer, make it this one! You will not be disappointed. Just remember to toast your bun :)

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart

A beautiful 3-layered tart with a buttery crust and a creamy lemon mascarpone filling that is topped with fresh strawberries.

I accomplished two things this weekend; I woke up before 11am and made pie crust from scratch. 

I made my first trip of the season to our local farmer's market which in itself isn't a big deal. But see, I almost never leave my house before noon on the weekends. Unless if I really really have to or love someone dearly. My friends know this... you don't call or make plans with Z before noon (I know it wont last long, but I don't have kids yet and I plan to enjoy this luxury/laziness while I can). But I love the farmer's market and I really wanted some fresh fruits and vegetables so I ventured out and I am so happy I did. I got lots of strawberries (duh!), peaches, corn, peppers, tomatoes and plenty more. I'll be waking up for more farmer's market trips this summer to get some fresh produce and support our local farmers.

When deciding what to make with my strawberries, I thought of this tart I first saw by Kelly Bakes, a few months ago. The only problem about it was that, I don't do pies or tarts because I can't make pie crusts from scratch. I tried it once last fall and it was an epic fail so I stayed away from pies. But I realized it's about time I face my fear. And I was pleasantly surprised that this crust turned out perfectly (or I got lucky, but I'm going to go with the first here!). My second accomplishment of the weekend!

For the filling, I combined honey, lemon juice and lemon zest with mascarpone cheese which gives a very creamy filling that you can consume on its own. But don't, you have to fill your lovely golden buttery crust with it (isn't it just so beautiful?). It will be hard, trust me but once you can muster the will power to fill the crust, chill it for a few minutes, and prepare the strawberries. I simply mixed the strawberries with sugar and let it sit for 20 minutes to make it sweeter. In retrospect, I would not have mixed the strawberries in sugar at all. It made the strawberries slightly too soft for my liking and hard to handle so next time I will just layer the fresh sliced strawberries on the mascarpone layer. Plus, that would make for more beautiful pictures!

            (Clearly, I didn't chill for the recommended two hours before serving. I suggest you do!)

This pie is the perfect combination of my favorite summer flavors; strawberry and lemon, adding a tangy mascarpone layer to create the ultimate tart. It takes a few hours to make, mostly waiting time, but it is so worth the time and you will not be disappointed. It will amaze guests at any 4th of July gathering, so do try it! If you like, you could add some blueberries for a full red, white and blue effect.


Strawberry Mascarpone Tart
Inspired by Kelly Bakes. Crust adapted from here

Ingredients
For the Tart Crust:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
3 tablespoons iced water
1 large egg yolk

For Filling:
2 cups mascarpone cheese1/3 cup honey (or up to 1/2 cup if you want it sweeter)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 - 2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced lengthwise
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions
For Tart Crust:
In a food processor, pulse together the flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt for 30 seconds to combine. Add in the cold butter cubes and process using on/off turns to cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Place the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes. Whisk together the ice water and egg yolk in a small bowl. Retrieve the butter and flour mixture from the fridge and add the egg and water mixture all at once. Pulse until moist clumps forms and the dough comes together.

Gather the dough into a ball and form into a disk on a lightly floured surface. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap for 1 hour. When you are ready to roll dough, let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Unwrap dough and roll out on a floured surface. Roll to an 11-inch circle and gently transfer to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough against the sides and edges and trim excess overhang. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the crust with foil or parchment paper making sure you cover all sides. Fill the pan with pie weights, dried beans or coins. Bake crust for 15 minutes, roatte the pan and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake for addition 5 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool crust in pan completely.

For the mascarpone filling:
Beat together the mascarpone and honey until creamy (You don't need an electric mixer for this, but if you do have one, beat on medium-low speed). Add lemon juice, zest and vanilla extract and beat until combined. The mixture will be creamy and glossy.

Once the crust is completely cooled, spread the mascarpone filling into the tart shell. Spread evenly. Chill while you prepare the strawberries.

Mix the strawberry and sugar in a large bowl and set aside for 20 minutes.

Top the mascarpone filling with the sliced strawberries. Arrange in a circular pattern. Chill for at least an hour, up to two hours, before serving.
 
Store any leftovers refrigerated.

Enjoy!