Baking Day

Every now and then I get the urge to spend a day in the kitchen baking.  This usually happens on a day when W is at work so I have no extra meals to plan.  This past weekend I decided to bake a few new things.

First I tried a recipe from a cookbook I had bought quite some time ago -  The Rosie's Bakery All-Butter, Cream-Filled, Sugar-Packed Baking Book: Over 300 Irresistibly Delicious Recipes.  This was a simple recipe for chocolate cupcakes all using basic ingredients I had on hand.  The recipe said it made a dozen.  I could have filled the liners slightly less than recommended and gotten 15 cupcakes.  They also would have baked a bit better.

I topped them with a basic buttercream.  It is crazy easy to make and so much better than canned frosting.  Here is the recipe I use:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
3-5 T cream (or milk)
vanilla, to taste

Cream the butter and add 2 tablespoons of the cream.  Add in vanilla.  I never measure and just pour a bit in.  Slowly add in the powdered sugar.  Then beat until smooth and fluffy.  Add in additional cream to reach the consistency you want.  This makes enough for a cake or 24 cupcakes.  It is easily halved.

Then I decided to make some madeleines for myself.  No one else seems to like madeleines as much as I do which is nice.  I do not have to share.  I made the Madeleines Au Chocolat from Madeleines which I bought in my pre-holiday cookbook craze.

I have two different madeleine pans which is the reason that the bottom two do not look as pretty as the top two.  The top madeleines were cooked in a Bellemain pan.  I do grease it but have skipped that step and they still turn out just as lovely.  The bottom ones are baked in a Chicago Metallic pan.  While the quality is nice, nothing I do makes them come out of the pan properly.  I have tried butter, shortening, shortening and flour, etc.  They taste just as good, but the appearance leaves much to be desired.

I also tried a recipe from Pinterest but neglected to take a photo.  I made Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars to use up some blueberries from the freezer.  They turned out good and made a nice breakfast food the following morning.  My favorite part was that they could be mixed using one bowl.  The less dishes to be washed the better - especially at the end of a big baking day.