Hockey and Baking

The other meals I made this week created a ridiculous amount of leftovers, but still I had the urge to cook something.  TV has been dominated lately by the Olympics coverage and in Montreal, that means hockey.  I'd never watched a hockey game before moving here.  It's one of those mysterious sports that doesn't really seem at all relevant to Texas where football dominates all other sports.  I'm finding myself getting excited by it though ... and after baking during the two winning Canadian men's games following the defeat to the USA, I decided that it was required for me to bake during the semi-final game.  For the Germany game, it was nutella chocolate lava cake.  For the Russia game, it was a raspberry and lime tart.  For the Slovakia game, it was chocolate cupcakes with espresso buttercream frosting.  I'm also including a bonus lemon buttercream frosting recipe from the cupcakes I made for a movie afternoon last weekend.

Chocolate Nutella Molten Lava Cake (from bell'alimento)

The original recipe makes 4 lava cakes.  I scaled it down to be 1/3 of the original recipe.  The baking dish I used was a little on the large side, so it made one giant lava cake (slightly too much for me to eat alone)... I really need to buy some ramekins!  1/2 tsp of instant espresso powder would probably enhance the flavour nicely, but I was making this late at night and didn't bother.

Ingredients
2 oz of semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 tbsp of Nutella
2 tbsp of Flour
~3 tbsp of Unsalted Butter
1 whole eggs + 1 additional egg yolks
2 tbsp sugar

1. Melt butter and chocolate in the microwave (or a double-boiler if you're feeling fancy).  Stir until fully melted and well combined.
2. Place the eggs & sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. With the whisk attachment mix on medium-high speed until they become light & thick (about 8-9 mins).
3. When light and thick, add flour to the eggs and mix.
4. Slowly and carefully, pour the chocolate into the egg mixture.  Mix on low until well combined and develops a glossy sheen - about 5 or 6 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a ramekin with cooking spray.
6. Ladle batter halfway up the side of the ramekin.  Spoon nutella into the ramekin.  Cover with remaining batter.
7. Bake for 10 - 14 minutes until outside is solid and top is soft, but not jiggly.  Invert on a plate and serve.


Raspberry and Lime Custard Tart (from epicurious)

I needed to use up some limes, raspberries, heavy cream, a pie shell, and eggs and found this gem.  The original includes a recipe for the pie shell, but I'm not enough of a baker to make them myself and just used a premade shell.

Ingredients
1 9" pie shell
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
1 cup raspberries
1/4 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, heavy cream, eggs, lime juice, and lime zest.
3. Pour custard into tart shell. Reduce oven heat to 250F.  Bake tart on baking sheet in middle of oven 30 minutes and transfer to rack to cool. (Custard will continue to set as tart cools.)
4. In a small saucepan cook 1 cup raspberries and sugar over moderately low heat, mashing with a fork and stirring occasionally, 5 minutes and pour through a fine sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard on solids.  Discard solids and cool raspberry mixture.
5. Pour cooked raspberry mixture over custard.

Chocolate Cupcakes and Espresso Buttercream Frosting (from My Baking Addiction)

I never knew that real buttercream frostings are egg based and not just a mixture of powdered sugar and butter/shortening!  It's surprisingly fun to make.  This recipe has been cut in half from the original.  It makes about 9 cupcakes, maybe 12 if you fill them a little less (mine came out rather tall).  The original has espresso buttercream between the layers and a chocolate ganache poured on top.  I'm sure it would be amazing with the ganache as well, but it's great with just the espresso buttercream.  I think my favourite chocolate cake recipe remains this one though.

Ingredients

Cake

3/4 cups sugar
2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2  teaspoon salt
1 large eggs
6 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons very hot water (or freshly brewed coffee!)

Frosting
2 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter , softened
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon very hot water

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners. 2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt at medium speed until blended (I did all of this by hand to save having to wash the mixer before making the frosting and it was fine!).
3. In another bowl, whisk eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.
4. Gradually beat egg mixture into flour mixture, about 5 minutes. Shift mixer to low speed; add hot water until blended.
5. Pour batter into muffin tins. Bake until toothpick comes out of the center clean, 20 minutes. Cool  completely.
6. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg yolks at medium speed until they become lemon colored and ribbon like when beaters are lifted, about 5 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium-low heat, swirling pan occasionally, until sugar completely dissolves and syrup just comes to a boil. Increase heat to high; boil syrup until it registers 238°F on a candy thermometer (I just let it come to a nice boil ... it worked out!).
8. With the mixer on medium speed, immediately add syrup to beaten egg yolks in a thin, steady stream. Beat mixture until it cools to room temperature and is light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
9. Gradually add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until completely incorporated.
10. In a cup, dissolve espresso powder in hot water; beat into buttercream.
11. Frost cupcakes with buttercream.


Lemon Buttercream Frosting (from Country Living, City Style)

A much easier buttercream recipe!  It's delicious, but in need of the perfect lemon cake recipe!  I scaled this down by roughly 1/4 when I made it, but am including the original amounts below.

Ingredients

1 cup of salted butter

4 cups of icing sugar

2 tablespoons lemon zest

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons cream

1. With a paddle attachment, beat the butter in an electric mixer.
2. Add sugar one cup at a time, beating continuously.
3. Continue beating and add lemon zest.
4. Add lemon juice.
5. Add cream to think a tiny bit and beat.