What is it about cupcakes?

I've always had a sweet tooth and when I was younger cake certainly fell into the category of sweets I loved. As I got older however, cakes fell low on my list of beloved sweets, something I could easily pass up. In the last few years, there has been a cake revolution, specifically a cupcake revolution. The craze has gone wild. There are even cupcake bakeries which sell nothing but those little hand held cakelets. While I think they are a fun small means of creative expression, I was still not bitten by the cake bug. Then this year, my daughter wanted cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for her birthday cake. So I got out my trusty chocolate cake recipe and did a test run, because she wasn't really sure she would like the cream cheese frosting after her request was placed. So we did a trial run, and she gave them the thumbs up. Turns out they were really quite delicious, and the white and dark contrast was visually pleasing, too. Her birthday came and went and with it the chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

Recently we were invited to spend a glorious weekend skiing with my husband's work, 30 people in a great big house on the slopes of Copper Mountain here in Colorado. Each family takes a turn with a meal and we were assigned a lunch. So I thought it would be something fun to add cupcakes as my dessert. I packaged up the cupcakes and icing separately and piped on the frosting right before serving. This cream cheese frosting is so great because it actually pipes on better cold. Perfect! I thought the cupcakes would be well-received, but they were swooned over! I felt like a dessert hero for the day! So, in spite of the fact that I'd choose another sweet over a cupcake pretty much any day, I was clearly in the minority on that trip. Give them a try and see what your friends and family think. Maybe you'll get to be the dessert hero at your next gathering. The cake recipe **makes about 24 standard cupcakes, filling 2/3 the way and baking at 350 degrees F for about 12-15 minutes, until just moist crumbs stick to a toothpick inserted into the center. DO NOT OVER BAKE! The lovely cream cheese frosting follows, from one of my favorites, Ina Garten.

Cream Cheese Frosting

adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Parties

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

16 oz. powdered sugar, sifted

I like to make this in my food processor, but a mixer will also work well.

1. Combine butter, cream cheese and vanilla in bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. Process in short bursts until smooth and well combined.

2. Add powdered sugar to mixture in bowl. Pulse in very short bursts initiall until almost combined , then a few longer bursts to enusre all is mixed well. Use immediately, or scrape into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed. You may have to increase recipe by one half to have enough for 2 dozen cupcakes depending on how much frosting you'd like on each.

Note: if using for carrot cake, add a little orange zest. If using to frost banana cupcakes, try just a touch of grated lemon zest. Experiment to your liking!

** High altitude directions for cake: decrease sugar to 2 cups, decrease baking soda and baking powder to 1 1/8 tsp each, increase flour by 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp and add 2 Tbsp unsweeend applesauce to milk.

Tuscan White Bean and Rosemary Soup

Looks like the cooler temperatures are here to stay for a bit. I am unearthing a few more cool weather recipes for you. I mentioned this soup in an earlier post. All of us, including the kids, love this soup. We have been eating this one for quite a few years. I adapted it from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. I am a BIG Ina Garten fan. I absolutely love her cookbooks. They are beautiful and the recipes in them are very good. I have not tried anything of her's that didn't turn out- always tasty, always well written recipes. This soup is no exception. It is heavenly and scented with just the right amount of rosemary. I have made it in the crock pot and on the stove top with equal success. You can't go wrong. We like to serve it with Parmesan fricos. If you haven't tried fricos, here's your chance to be a kitchen super star. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line your baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat mat. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon sized portions of shredded Parmesan cheese (the better the quality the better the frico) onto baking sheet about 2 " apart. Pat the cheese flat. Seeing the mat or paper underneath the cheese is good so you get a more lacey frico, bake for 5-8 minutes until light golden. Remove and let cool. It's like a grown-up cheeze it! Great in place of croutons in salads, too. But now for the soup!

Tuscan White Bean and Rosemary Soup
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

5 c. canned drained and rinsed Great Northern White Beans or Cannellini Beans
1 c. diced fresh onion
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
2 tsp fresh rosemary, stemmed and chopped
6 c. chicken stock or vegetable stock (I always use chicken)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until translucent. Stir in remaining ingredients bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes (alternately you can cook 6-8 hours on low in your crock pot). Right before serving, remove bay leaf and puree soup to a chunky-creamy consistency with an immersion blender, or puree carefully in batches in a regular blender, filling blender no more than half-way in order to avoid a very hot soup explosion. Serve with warm crusty bread and Parmesan fricos.