International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Ya-hoy! Buttered Rum Cupcakes on rough seas

 

Things have been a tad rough lately, right?  Nothing like a little pandemic to make life more difficult.  Fun cupcakes to the rescue!  

I've been wanting to make these for Speak Like a Pirate Day for years.  I guess I thought they'd be complicated and time consuming, but they really weren't. In fact, since the recipe uses a packaged biscuit, they're easier than most baked items.  The only tricky part was making sure you didn't over cook the syrup.

The original recipe said it made 18; I cut the original down to one third.  Here's what I used:

Butter-Rum Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
5⅓ teaspoons heavy cream
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons Lyle's golden corn syrup
1 tablespoon spiced rum
1/6 teaspoon vanilla extract

Rum Ball Cupcakes
1 16.3-ounce can ready-made buttermilk biscuits (non-flaky)
1/6 cup butter-rum sauce
1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
1/6 teaspoon nutmeg
1/6 cup spiced rum

Butter-Rum Ocean Frosting
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon butter-rum sauce
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2/3 drops black food coloring
5 drops blue food coloring plus 1⅔ more drops

For the butter-rum sauce, heat the butter, cream, brown sugar, and golden syrup in a saucepan over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the butter is melted and the ingredients are combined. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat so that the mixture retains a slow but constant boil. Allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every minute. The mixture should be thicker at the end. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the rum and the vanilla extract until completely blended, but be careful as the mixture will likely spatter a bit. Set the sauce aside to cool to room temperature.

For the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized bowl, mix 1/6 cup of the butter-rum sauce with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and rum in a large bowl until well blended.  Cut the biscuits into eighths and place them in the rum marinade, gently tossing them in the mixture with your hands to ensure that they are evenly coated.  Allow them to soak in the mixture for 5 minutes, tossing with your hands every minute or so to prevent them from getting too stuck to one another.  Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Fill each of the cupcake liners about 3/4 full with the rum balls.  Spoon any sauce left at the bottom of the bowl over each of the cupcakes before placing the pan in the oven to bake for 30 minutes, or until the cupcakes are golden brown.

For the frosting, mix together the butter, butter-rum sauce, and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until a smooth frosting forms.  Remove 1/3 of the frosting and set it aside.  Add the black food coloring, and the 5 drops of blue food coloring to the larger amount of frosting and mix until combined.  Add the remaining 1/3 frosting back in and stir until partially blended, so that there are still a few lighter streaks in the frosting. Add the remaining blue food coloring, placing each drop over a different area of the frosting, and stir with a large spoon or spatula a few times until there are bright blue streaks throughout.

Remove the cupcakes from the pan and allow to cool to room temperature before frosting.  Drizzle a little of the remaining butter-rum sauce over each one.  Then, using a spatula, smear the frosting on top of the cupcake to create an ocean wave.  For decoration, cut out sail and boat shapes from brown and white paper and attach them to the cupcakes using a toothpick.

 

I used Pillsbury Grands Southern Homestyle Buttermilk biscuits, "fluffy".  Cutting into them was a sensual joy, all soft and springy.  It was a 16.3-ounce package, and I thought I was making 6 cupcakes (one-third of 18 for the original recipe) but ended up with 10.  I probably could have done 9, but that would have been it.  They were a little browner than I would have liked at 30 minutes; I wish I'd checked a few minutes sooner.

The biscuit part was rather tough.  That might have been from being overbaked, or it might be the constraint of the muffin cup, or it might just be the product.  The butter-rum sauce is delicious-- that could be used in soooo many ways. (Some more adult than others.  Hint hint nudge nudge.)

Conclusion:  These were tasty, but they tasted pretty much like Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, which are so much easier!  (But not as cute.)  The prepared biscuits have such a distinctive taste that I couldn't get past it.  I ate them for breakfast with coffee.  I found dribbling them with the syrup before frosting made them too sweet, so I left that off.  Otherwise, the quantities were just about perfect.

Recipe:  Buttered Rum Cupcakes via Adventures in Cooking

Crutchfield's Apple Coffee Cake

I found this recipe in my mother's recipe box, cut from a bag of Crutchfield's unbleached flour.  I don't know the age of the recipe, but it's old enough that the company doesn't exist anymore.  I made a few modifications (in italics and strikeout) because it seemed a little plain.

2 1½ cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large apple, pared and sliced

Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease a 10-inch tube or 9-inch square pan.  Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.  Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar; add the molasses and vanilla and beat to combine.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy.  Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream in two batches and beat until fully blended.  Spread half the batter in the prepared pan and arrange the apple slices on top; sprinkle with half the topping.  Add the rest of the batter and sprinkle with the remaining topping.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.  Cool in the pan for 30 minutes; serve warm.

I halved the recipe and baked it in a 7-inch cake pan for 35 minutes, but it was still a little underdone in the center. My mother's notes read, "Rather than slicing apple, chopped finely and mix into half topping before spreading between layers."   I still sliced the apple, but I did mix it with the topping--- it seemed like a good idea to flavor the apples.  (I absent-mindedly mixed all the topping with the apples.  I realized my mistake immediately, so I picked out a bunch of nut pieces and sprinkled those on the top, along with a little brown sugar.  The brown sugar didn't help with the decor at all.) However, because I don't pare apples, it would be better to chop them so it's easier to cut cleanly.

Conclusion:  It was good, but I found it a little dull and flat tasting, and quite sweet.  There was also the faint taste of baking soda.  I think my changes helped, but it would have benefited from a little more salt, especially in the apple mixture, to spriten it up (is that a word?) and less sugar. The cake was also very soft.

Recipe:  Apple Cream Coffee Cake via Crutchfield's

Coffee Ice-Cream Muffins

 
I like these pumpkin ice-cream muffins so much, but my local store hasn't been carrying the flavor for a couple years, so I decided to try with another flavor.

For 4 muffins:

3/4 cup Trader Joe's Coffee Blast ice cream (or other intensely coffee or chocolate ice cream)
1/4 cup white flour
5 tablespoons whole wheat flour (or 1.5 - 2 tablespoons coffee flour)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoons baking powder

Streusel
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
4 teaspoons white flour
1½ teaspoons salted butter
4 dash spoons (heaping 1/4 teaspoon) powdered coffee
2 teaspoons cocoa nibs

Allow the ice cream to sit out in a medium-sized bowl until it's nearly melted. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease 8 muffin tins. (I prefer to use silicone liners.) Sift the flours, salt, and baking powder together and add to the softened ice cream; mix thoroughly. Scoop the batter into the tins.  Sprinkle with cocoa nibs and the streusel, and bake for about 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

This streusel topping wasn't what I'd wanted.  I was trying to make the firm, slightly crunchy kind that often tops berry muffins, and that's evidently the recipe I should have used.  I used the recipe from a steusel coffee cake, but when it seemed too buttery I added more flour.  Still, while tasty, it melted and made only a thin topping.  It didn't do much for appearance and just wasn't what I'd wanted.

Conclusion:  These weren't as good as I'd hoped.  They were actually fairly bland, with the coffee flavor coming predominantly from the topping.  I could also really taste the whole wheat, which wasn't good in a cakey muffin.  (Although only really noticeable when I tried just the bottom part with no topping.)  I would not make these again as is.  I'd be willing to give it another shot adding almond flavoring to the batter and sliced almonds to the topping.

September ABC challenge: Buckwheat Galette with Apples, Onion, and Cheddar

This month, the challenge is apples.

The original recipe for this galette was badly written, which really makes me question their "test kitchen approved" stamp.  Per the comments to date, only one person had made it other than myself and it didn't turn out well.  Not all the ingredients were in the list, for one thing, and some were vague, like 1/4 of an onion, and 5 slices of cheese.  I had also questioned the need to add flour to the apples--- they weren't very juicy.  In fact, there was no running liquid in the pan.  But since it doesn't have a container to hold in any juices while baking, I figured this must be a safeguard.  In the end, it probably wasn't necessary, but didn't seem to hurt.

I've rewritten the recipe to be more clear, where that was possible, and also provided notes. My changes or suggestions are italicized or in strikeout.

Topping
5 slices sharp cheddar (packaged, pre-sliced)
3 fresh sage leaves, julienned
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

Dough
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks and chilled
1/3 to 1/2 cups ice water

Filling
1 tablespoon butter
2 fresh sage leaves, julienned
1/4 red onion, sliced 1/8" thick (about 1/4 cup)
2 green apples, cored, sliced 1/8" to 3/16" thick
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Chill the cheese in the freezer until it's firm, but not frozen. Pulse in food processor with the sage leaves until lightly crumbled. Add the 1/4 cup flour in three batches, pulsing between each, then pulse together at high speed until it's well combined into small crumbs. Pulse in 1 tablespoon brown sugar.  Set aside.

Whisk together the flours, sugar, and salt, then cut in or process the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs the size of peas.  Add the ice water and stir until the dough forms into a ball-like mass. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

In a large sauté pan over low heat, melt the butter with the 2 sage leaves. Add the red onion and cook until wilted, then add the apples and sauté on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until apples soften and release their juices. Add 2 tablespoons brown sugar and toss to coat. Cook an additional 2 minutes so the sugar melts. Remove the pan from heat and toss with 1 tablespoon flour to thicken the juices. Reserve and cool filling.

Roll out the dough into a rough 12-inch circle. (The rough edges should extend beyond the 12 inches or the dough will be too thick.)  Move to a baking pan, then arrange apple mixture evenly in the center, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border. Fold edges over the apples and sprinkle with cheese crumble. Bake at 350° F for 40 mins or until the dough is cooked through and cheese is golden brown.  Serve warm.

I sliced the onion on the thinnest setting of my mandolin, less than 1/8 of an inch, but used a thicker setting, about 3/8 inch, for the apples.  My onion was rather small (often red onions are huge), so I used about 1/3 of it.  (I contemplated using 1/2, but played it safe.  Good choice-- I wouldn't have wanted more onion.)  I also didn't have fresh sage, so I used dried and just approximated the amounts.  I should have crumbled it more, as I tended to get the occasional strong bite of sage.

About the cheese... 5 slices?  Presumably the author is thinking of the packaged, pre-sliced cheese, which comes in about 4" x 4" x 1/8" slices.  Who buys that???  You'd think you could use cheese according to personal taste... except there's flour involved.  Too much cheese and you'll have it melting everywhere.  Too little and it will be floury and tasteless. Better too much than too little?  Turns out, possibly not.  I used 16 slices that were about 4" x 1" x 3/16", and I used about 1/3 mild cheddar and 2/3 New Zealand (white) sharp cheddar. I had just under 1½ cups of the crumbles, but I felt that was too much, so used only about 1 cup of it.  (This confirms my thought that the recipe intends you to use packaged, pre-sliced cheese.)  I started with only 2 tablespoons of the flour when the cheese was in about pea-sized chunks, and it looked okay, so I added another tablespoon.  Then it looked too floury, so I processed it longer and the cheese broke down into much smaller bits and the flour was well incorporated.  I just can't remember if I added the last tablespoon. I don't think I did, and since I started with too much cheese, my crumbles were certainly more cheesy than the recipe intended.  The flavor was fine, but once the galette cooled, the cheese became hard.  With more flour, I think they would have been softer, more shortbread-like.  (Could the cheese go under the apples, or would the oil cause havoc with the crust?)  It was fine, though, once rewarmed.

Conclusion:  I liked this more once I'd gotten over the initial disappointment when my expectation didn't meet reality.  This was definitely on the savory side, despite all the sugar. However, it might have been nicer made with slightly sweeter apples, or a combination.  The buckwheat added a nice flavor, but made the crust soft and a bit mealy, and gives it an unattractive hue.  The cheese, also, I find unattractive, especially after cooling.  Very tasty with a dollop of sour cream.

Recipe:  Buckwheat Galette with Apples, Cheddar, and Sage via Food52