Almond, Chocolate & Coconut Goodness

I had a STROKE OF GENIUS today- in form of a cupcake!

Introducing:

Almond Chocolate Chip

This is a super moist almond cake with dark chocolate chips folded in and topped with a sour cream buttercream frosting, toasted coconut and a luscious chocolate drizzle.

My inspiration for this cupcake is obviously the Almond Joy candy bar, which I love, love, love!! But, I had no idea how explosive the flavor of this cupcake would be! The cake is so light and moist...with a wonderful almond and dark chocolate flavor. The sour cream blends into the buttercream to create a sweet and tangy combination that is not overly sweet like some buttercream's can be. And, the toasted coconut on top finishes off this confection perfectly.

I have a new FAV!!

Jade Cahoon
Sweet Street Designer Cakes and Cupcakes
Place an order for a dozen at sweetstreetsc@aol.com

Everything...But The Kitchen Sink!

I am a HUGE fan of Cupcake Project! She comes up with some of the best and most interesting ideas I've seen- including the fantabulous Cupcake Wellingtons I blogged about a few weeks ago! (Post can be found here.)

Well, this past week she posted a recipe called Compost Cupcakes that's more of a non-recipe! You don't actually follow hers, as much as you take a yummy cake recipe and add your two favorite salty snacks and two sweetest sweet treats!

This reminds me a little of the chex snack mix a friend's mom always made when we went to be the beach...or Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor, Everything but the... (i.e. my post's title!)

Anyway, this is what I chose for my mini mixed up cakes:

Vanilla Bean Cake
M&M's
Marshmallows
Roasted Hazelnuts
Pretzel Bits
Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream

My inspiration for this combination was a snack I ate- probably way too often- while traveling around Europe after high school graduation: Nutella and Pretzel Sticks. Mmm, there was nothing better in the world! And these cupcakes were just as uh-mazing! There was a chocolaty sweetness from the M&M's in each bite that was cut by a salty crunch from the nuts and pretzels! So good!



If you're a salty/sweet lover, then this is the perfect cupcake for you! And, it's so easy to make: any batter flavor will work...all snacks will be perfect to throw in...and picking the wrong frosting choice just isn't possible! So, use your imagination and come up with YOUR best "cupcake "snack!

Happy Baking!

Jade Cahoon
Sweet Street Designer Cakes and Cupcakes
Thanks projectcupcake.com for the awesome idea!!

Chocolate-Zucchini Cupcakes

The end of Easter left me with two predicaments-

1. Almost a whole pint of Buttermilk
2. WAY too much Easter candy

And after making the go-to country buttermilk biscuits (that went very well with chicken fried steak and parsley potatoes- yeah, I know...terrible for you! Ohhh, it was so gooood, though!), I was stumped with what else to do with the left over buttermilk. One can only eat so many biscuits!

Thanks to PinkOfPerfection, I stumbled upon some fantastic recipes using buttermilk. One of which being Chocolate-Zucchini Cake.

I have made traditional zucchini cake many times, so the thought of mixing a vegetable with something sweet did not concern me...but, I must admit I never once considering this kind of flavor combination. Naturally, this sparked a "gotta absolutely make this never heard, seen or tasted confection...like RIGHT NOW!" response!

I found a highly rated recipe here and went to grating zucchini!

I did make a few changes including adding about a cup of dark chocolate chips and my secret weapon for all chocolate based cakes, a little coffee, to the batter.

Also, nearly all the recipes I found did not include a frosting- rather a chocolate chip/toasted nut topping...but, you know I have to do it my own little way...so, I topped my mini cakes with cream cheese frosting instead.

I finished each one by rolling them in chocolate curls, clear sugar crystals or chocolate sprinkles.


Now, I read the reviews at epicurious.com, so I had very high expectations. But, nothing could have prepared me for the uber-deliousness that is chocolate-zucchini cake! The cake itself is super chocolaty without being overly sweet and perfectly moist (thanks to this recipe's hero- the 2 cups of zucchini)! The chocolate chips give a nice bite to the cake and I promise you, you'd never know they were laced with vegetables! Can I also give myself two thumbs up for the cream cheese frosting? I mean, what a phenomenal pairing!


I made 2 dozen on Wednesday, which is church night at my house. So, those that make it to class will be greeted with a delight. I'm always nervous about sharing a new recipe...even when I've tried it and loved it...because you just never know, ya know!?! But, I don't think it would be possible not to love this cake!


So, if you ever find yourself wondering what to do with left over buttermilk or your garden is producing more zucchini than you can eat, you now have a chef tested/church group approved recipe at your fingertips! Now, I just need to figure out what I'm going to do with all of this leftover Easter chocolate!

ENJOY!

Jade Cahoon
Sweet Street Designer Cakes and Cupcakes
Collage courtesy of missandrea.typepad.com

Review of Cupcake Wellingtons

Okay guys and gals-

Here's what you (mainly I) have been waiting for...I made and tried the new cupcake wellingtons Cupcake Project came up with just a few days ago! It's actually very easy to do:

First, take your favorite cupcake and unwrap it. I used my all natural banana cake.


Next, I cut each cupcake in half and filled their centers with marshmallows. (You can certainly skip this step, or used a filled cupcake.)


Then, I put their tops on and piled on the dark chocolate chips. (Cupcake Project used a frosting to top hers, so feel free to do that...or come up with your own idea!)


Lastly, I wrapped the cakes up in prepared puff pastry, slapped on a little egg wash for color and sprinkled them with sugar crystals so they'll shimmer! They went into a 400 degree oven until the pastry was cooked and golden brown.

Now...the best part of all...The Tasting!

Mmmm, mmmm, mmmmmmmmm! Talk about something spectacular!! These little treats are warm, gooey, chocolaty and pretty much scrumdibiliumptous! I served mine with ice cold milk- there may quite possibly be nothing better than this...I will say, the marshmallows melted to the point of nonexistence, so that was a little disappointing. But, one thing that surprised me was the cupcake did not dry out...I was a little worried about it being baked twice! I don't know if "every cupcake should be wrapped in puff pastry," but overall, this was a fabulous way to change it up a bit!

Enjoy!

Jade Cahoon
Sweet Street Designer Cakes and Cupcakes