SUZIE SWEET TOOTH

Cakes, Treats, and Everything Sweet

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    • Snickers Cupcakes

      Who doesn’t love a good Snickers. Chocolate, creamy peanut nougat, and caramel. What’s not to love?? Who doesn’t love a good chocolate cupcake. If a Snickers and cupcake had a baby this would be it. A perfect marriage. Talk about a bun in the oven. Is there anything else to say? This recipe is wordy enough, so I’ll just stop right there. Enjoy.

      Suzie

      Snickers Cupcakes

      Peanut Praline

      1/2 Cup granulated sugar

      2 Tbsp. water

      1/4 Cup salted “party” peanuts

      1. Prepare a rimmed sheet pan with either a Silpat silicone liner or grease lightly. In a small saucepan combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil over high heat until medium-dark amber in color. Turn off the heat, remove from burner and stir in peanuts, pour out onto prepared sheet pan, let cool completely and place in a plastic ziplock bag and bash with a meat mallet to grind into fine powder. Set aside for peanut praline buttercream filling.

      Swiss Meringue Buttercream

      8 egg whites

      2 Cups granulated sugar

      6 sticks (3 Cups) unsalted butter

      2 tsp. vanilla

      *Peanut Praline (from above)

      * 4 oz. Bittersweet chocolate bar, chopped fine, melted and cooled

      1. In the mixer bowl of a stand mixer place the egg whites and sugar and place over a saucepan of simmering water.

      2. Heat the egg white mixture while whisking until the temperature is about 160 degrees and/or the mixture is very warm to finger touch and can no longer feel any sugar crystals between your fingers.

      3. With the whisk attachment; place the bowl on the stand mixer and whip until you have a stiff meringue and the bottom of the bowl is barely warm. Add the butter one tablespoon at a time until all of the butter is incorporated; mix on high speed. Add the vanilla and whip until smooth.

      4. Divide buttercream–

      To make Peanut Praline Buttercream Filling: Take about 2 Cups of buttercream and stir in 1/2 Cup of the * peanut praline. Set aside for filling cupcakes.

      To make Chocolate Buttercream: Take the rest of the buttercream and beat in the cooled, melted bittersweet chocolate until smooth. Use this to frost cupcakes.

      Devils Food Cupcakes

      makes ~ 24 cupcakes

      3/4 Cup unsalted butter, room temp

      2  1/4 Cup Sugar

      3 eggs, room temp

      1  1/2 tsp. vanilla

      2  1/4 all-purpose flour

      3/4 Cup Extra dark cocoa powder (such as Hershey’s special dark, or regular cocoa powder)

      1  1/2 tsp. baking soda

      1/2 tsp. salt

      3/4 Cup buttermilk, room temp

      3/4 Cup  coffee, room temp

      1/3 Cup Purchased caramel sauce, mixed with pinch of salt (For drizzling cupcakes)

      1. Preheat oven to 375° degrees.

      2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light &  fluffy; about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and beat until combined; stopping to scrape down bowl in between each addition. Add vanilla, stir to combine. In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients and whisk to combine; set aside. Combine buttermilk and coffee together in a liquid measuring cup; set aside. Add dry ingredients alternatively with buttermilk coffee mixture ending with flour mixture, beating after each addition.

      3. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 375° degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Don’t be tempted to overfill as they rise quite a bit! Let cakes cool on a wire rack in pans for 10 minutes then remove to wire rack to let cool the rest of the way completely.

      Cupcake Assembly-

      Make a hole in the cupcake using apple corer, fill with Peanut Praline Buttercream. Frost with swirl of Chocolate Buttercream. Drizzle with salted caramel topping. Top with small slice of snickers candy bar.

    • New Orleans Style Beignets

      Years ago we vacationed in New Orleans and it took us all of one bite to become addicted to beignets. Sweet, fluffy fried dough showered with mountains of sugar. I think we ate beignets every day; or almost for a whole week when we were there. Soft pillowy dough fried to perfection. What’s not to love? Equally addictive is the coffee you drink with it; but that’s a story for another time. Today I’m going to walk you through the steps of how to make them and heads up; you need to let that sacred dough rest in the fridge overnight, but don’t let that deter you as the dough is super easy to pull together and then you cover it and let it go night night. In the morning, you just wake up, make some good strong coffee and then get down to serious beignet making. Yeah, it’s pretty much a weekend event. Make sure to invite some friends over [or not] as the dough makes quite a bit. Yep, let the good times roll….

      Beignets

      recipe adapted from Southern Living

      yield: ~ 3 dozen beignets

      1/2 pkg. active dry yeast ( 1  1/4 tsp. or 4 gms)

      3/4 Cup warm water

      1/4 Cup + 1 tsp. granulated sugar

      1/2 Cup evaporated milk

      1 Lg. egg, lightly beaten

      1/2 tsp. salt

      2 Tbsp. butter flavor shortening

      3-3 1/2 Cups bread flour

      vegetable oil

      sifted confectioners sugar

      • 1. Make the yeast mixture: Combine yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, and 1 tsp. granulated sugar in bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer; let stand 5 minutes. Add milk, egg, salt, and remaining granulated sugar. Whisk to combine.
      • 2. Form a dough: Microwave remaining 1/2 cup water until hot (about 115°); stir in shortening until melted. Add to yeast mixture. Beat at low speed, gradually adding 2 cups flour, until smooth. Gradually add remaining 1  to 1  1/2 cups flour, beating until a sticky dough forms. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl; turn to grease top. Cover and chill 4 to 24 hours.
      • 3. Roll and cut: Turn dough out onto a floured surface; roll to a generous ~ 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/2-inch squares.
      • 4. Fry until golden: Pour oil to depth of 2 to 3 inches into a Dutch oven; heat to 360°. Fry dough, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on a wire rack. Dust immediately with powdered sugar.

    • Honey~Cream Pine Nut Tarts

      In 1998 I  lived in New Mexico for only a short time; 4 months in the dead of summer. I’ll never forget that kind of heat. We are talkin’ 115-120 degree summer weather. The hot dry climate of New Mexico is perfect for pine nut trees as they are drought tolerant. I have a great fondness for New Mexico still, and one of my memories is remembering the pinon trees. There was a trail I used to ride my bike down and along the trail was a cluster of pinon trees. I used to wonder, what does one really do with pine nuts other than using them in pesto? Well, I can tell you they are really good tucked into a tiny tart with honey cream! The Italians have long loved their pine nuts and you will see them used a lot in baking there in cookies. In New Mexico they love their pine nuts and they even impart them into their coffee providing a nutty flavor to the coffee. I have to be honest, I never really got into pine nuts much when it comes to baking, but when I saw this recipe I thought it sounded really good and I was right. I have adapted the recipe slightly but toasting the pine nuts and making tiny tarts instead of a full muffin size which is called for in the originally recipe.

      Honey~Cream Pine Nut Tarts

      recipe adapted from “Mini Pies” cookbook

      yield: ~ 24 mini muffin size tarts

      1/4 Cup sugar

      1/4 Cup honey

      1 tsp. kosher salt

      6 Tbsp. unsalted butter chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

      1/4 Cup heavy whipping cream

      1 egg

      1 tsp. vanilla

      2  1/4 Cups roasted pine nuts

      1 recipe all butter pie dough; click HERE  for my “fearless pie crust” recipe

      1. In a medium saucepan combine the sugar, honey and salt over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the butter gradually and stir until combined. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

      2. Whisk the cream and egg together in a bowl. Slowly whisk this into the honey sugar mixture until combined. Add the vanilla and stir.

      3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Roll out the pie crust to about 3/16 inch. Using a 2 1/2 inch fluted cutter cut out rounds and carefully shape into the mini muffin wells. Fill a heaping teaspoon of pine nuts into each pie well and top with about 1  1/2 tsp. of the honey cream mixture until almost full to the brim. Top with a small decorative pie shape if desired. Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the crusts are done. Allow to cool in the muffin tins for about 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool.

    • Peach Financiers

      Financiers are little tiny cakes shaped like a miniature brick. Financiers are super moist inside from the almond flour and slightly crispy on the outside. They are the perfect treat with tea. The financiers are supposed to resemble a gold bar; thus the name financier. If you don’t have financier molds you can also make them in tiny muffin tins. I have a financier silicone mold but still brush them with melted butter to help the release even easier. I have come to love silicone baking molds and have many of them. You can find a good assortment of silicone baking molds on Amazon.com as well as many other online sources.  You will see many variations of financiers. Some are adorned with various fruits or without; almost any fresh fruit will do. Peaches are in season right now and a perfect pair with almond flavor. Small children really enjoy these tiny cakes as they are easy to hold and eat. Big kids like them too!

       

       

      Peach Financiers

      (recipe adapted from Epicurious)

      yield: ~ 12 financiers

      2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter

      1 Cup finely ground almonds (almond meal)

      1  2/3 Cup confectioners sugar

      1/2 Cup all-purpose flour

      pinch of salt

      3/4 Cup egg whites (~ 5-6 egg whites)

      1/2 tsp. pure almond extract

      3/4 Cup unsalted butter;  melted & turned to browned butter * (see below on how to make browned butter)

      slices of fresh peaches; skins removed

      * How to make browned butter: Using a small shallow pan; melt the butter over high heat until foamy; turn heat down to low and swirling the pan continue to swirl the pan until the butter becomes browned and nutty smelling. Let cool.

      1. Preheat the oven to 450° degrees F. Use the 2 Tbsp. melted butter to brush the insides of the financier molds.

      2. Combine the ground almonds, sugar, flour and salt; whisk to get rid of any lumps. Using the whisk, stir in the egg whites and almond extract until combined. Whisk in the cooled browned butter.

      3. Fill each of the molds almost to the top and top with a slice of fresh peach. Bake at 450° degrees for 7 minutes. Drop the oven temperature to 400° degrees and bake for another 7 minutes or until the cakes are almost firm. Turn off the oven and let the cakes cool in the oven for 7-10 minutes.

      4. Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then remove. Cool completely and dust with confectioners sugar.

    • Fig and Honey Cakes

      Now that I am a grown up, I like figs. When I was a child, not so much. My neighbor lady would babysit me every now and then and she would try to feed me fig newtons for a snack. When you are a kid, fig newtons are not exactly your cookie of choice. When she was not looking, I would slip her dog those newtons.  She must have loved fig newtons because it was the only cookie she ever offered me. The dog and I became good friends fast. Now that I am a grown up I can appreciate a good fig. One of the things I like about figs is that they are so beautiful. When you cut into a fresh fig it is so vibrant in color and you cannot help but pause for a bit before you actually eat one. Figs have such a short season here and I love to buy figs when they are at the peak of ripeness. These cakes after baking are topped with a citrus and honey emulsion that makes these cakes really special. Do not skip that step.

      Fig and Honey Cakes

      yield: about 6-8 cakes

      1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp

      1/2 Cup sugar

      2 eggs

      zest of one lemon

      1/2 tsp. almond extract

      1 Cup almond meal

      1/4 Cup all-purpose flour

      1/2  tsp. salt

      1/2  tsp. baking powder

      zest of one lemon

      2 Tablespoons clover honey

      1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

      1. Preheat the oven to 400° degrees F. Using non-stick baking spray; spray either a silicone baba au rhum molded pan or spray a non stick mini-popover mold pan. Cream the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until smooth. Add the lemon zest and almond extract and stir to combine. Combine the almond meal, flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredient mixture all at once to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and beat to combine.

      2. Fill the molds equally about 2/3 full and submerge a fig quarter into the batter. Gently rest another fig quarter on top of the batter of each. Bake at 400° degrees F for about 20-23 minutes or until the cake is just firm. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes then invert the cake mold remove the cakes. While the cakes are cooling for the first 10 minutes stir together the honey and lemon juice until combined.  Spoon the honey and lemon mixture over each cake. Cakes can be served warm or at room temperature.

    • Blackberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars

      I have a childhood confession. I used to steal blackberries from the neighbor’s yard; but it’s okay because my Mother made me do it. She doesn’t remember this, but I remember it vividly as if  it were  yesterday. We had an old man who lived behind us that had an amazing garden. He scared the living daylights out of me. His garden had wonderful plump blackberries. That garden of his was like something out of a Secret Garden. True story book material. It was somewhat magical and grand. He was always tinkering in his big garden so it was hard to find the time when he was not around. I think I had his nap time figured out though. Just when the moment was right, I would bring my little Tupperware container and seize a few of those berries.

      Then I would run like hell.

      Technically is it stealing if those berries are crossed over into your property by say a half an inch or two? :-) If I were in that house today I would simply make these bars and ask him for some berries. I’m sure he would have approved.

      Blackberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars

      Crust:

      8 large cinnamon graham crackers; crushed to a fine meal to equal 1 generous Cup crumbs

      3 Tbsp. confectioners sugar

      pinch of salt

      6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

      Cheesecake Filling:

      2 (8 oz). bars (16 oz. total) of cream cheese; softened to room temp

      1 Cup granulated sugar

      1/4 cup sour cream at room temp

      3 Large eggs at room temp

      1  1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste

      2 Tbsp. flour

      1/3 Cup Blackberry seedless jam

      1 Tbsp. water

      fresh blackberries

      Make the filling: Combine the cream cheese and sugar in an electric mixer and beat until smooth. Add the sour cream and beat until smooth. Stir in the vanilla bean paste. Add the eggs one at a time and combine until smooth. Stir in the flour. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the worker bowl to make sure all the cream cheese has been combined thoroughly.

      1. Prepare an 8 inch pan with a double sling (so each side is covered) of tinfoil. Spray the foil lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350° degrees F.

      2. Pulse the graham crackers to a fine meal in either a food processor or blender; you should get about one generous Cup. Add the sugar and salt and melted butter and combine. Press into the bottom of your prepared pan and chill for 30 minutes. Bake the chilled crust for 10 minutes.

      3. Prepare the filling while the crust chills.

      4. Pour the filling into the pan and dot the filling with the blackberry jam by dropping teaspoons over the batter. Use a wooden skewer to swirl the jam. Lower the oven to 325 degrees.

      5. Bake the bars at 325° degrees for 30-40 minutes until the filling is set but slightly soft in the center. let the bars cool in the pan on a wire rack until set. Chill the bars for 2-3 hours until very cold and remove the entire pan of bars carefully using the sling. Peel away the foil. Cut into bars. Decorate the top with fresh blackberries is desired.