Hemming Birthday Cake

HEMMING BIRTHDAY CAKE 

This is a variation  of Texas sheet cake.  Alice Hemming gave me the recipe.  It's been our family birthday cake since 1990!   So good with vanilla ice cream.  

In large mixing bowl, sift together: 

2 C flour

2 C sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch salt

Melt in saucepan: 

2 sticks butter (1 cup) 

1/3 C cocoa powder

1 C water 

In a large Pyrex or bowl, combine: 

2 eggs

 1/2 C buttermilk

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla 

Mix hot mixture into sugar/flour mixture.  Then, add the egg mixture and stir well. 

Pour into pan(s).  Bake in 9 x 13 inch pan at 375 degrees for 30-35 min (? depending on your oven)  - less frosting needed with this option.  Still delicious.  

Or, bake in two 8-inch round pans, lined with parchment, at 400 degrees for 22-25 minutes (depending on your oven).  Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then tip out onto cooling racks.  If there is a high domes on the cakes, shave off the domes with a bread knife, and add those crumbs to part of the frosting, for between the two layers of the cakes. 

FROSTING: 

Melt in saucepan: 

1/3 cup cocoa

1/3 C buttermilk 

1 stick butter 

Then add 3 1/2-4 C powdered sugar. 

Let cool to almost room temp, stirring occasionally. 

Hot Chocolate Mix

Hot Chocolate Mix 

Enough for about 12 cups.  Fills a large mason jar about 3/4 full. 

Every December I try a new recipe - Christmas cookie or other sweet.  This is a hot chocolate mix from NYT Cooking.  It is cost effective, compared to Cadbury's Drinking Chocolate which we love.  This is SO GOOD!!!!   It is not too sweet.  Marshmallows would be good with it.  It will be fun to experiment with different kinds of chocolate. 

1 C (105 grams)  powdered sugar

3/4 C (90 grams) cocoa powder 

1/4 C (120 grams) dark chocolate (I used a 3.5 ounce (100 grams) Lindt 70% dark chocolate bar)  - chopped 

1/4 C (120 grams)  milk chocolate (I used a 4.4 ounce (125 grams) Lindt milk chocolate bar)- chopped 

3 tsp vanilla bean PASTE 

3 pinches fine sea salt 

Blend in a blender.  Store in a mason jar.  Stir into piping hot milk, 2-3 T or to taste, per cup. 

YUM. 

Chocolate Crinkles from King Arthur Flour

 

Chocolate Crinkles from King Arthur Flour 

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups (227g) chopped bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips
• 8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons espresso powder, optional; for enhanced chocolate flavor
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 2/3 cups (200g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• confectioners' sugar, for coating

1.  Melt butter and chocolate together

2.  In large bowl, mix together sugar, eggs, vanilla, espresso 

3. Stir in chocolate/butter mixture, then baking powder and salt, then flour. 

4. Dough will be like brownie batter.  Refrigerate at least 2-3 hours, maybe overnight.  It will then be like fudge! 

5. Oven to 325 F.  (150 C in Japan). 

6.  Prepare a shallow bowl or pie plate with powdered sugar, and another with granulated sugar. 

7. Form dough into balls, a few at at time.  1 1/4" diameter, small is good.  Drop them first into the granulated sugar, swirl to cover.  Then dip into the powdered sugar to coat heavily. 

8. Bake 10-12 minutes.  Cool. 

9.  Keep at room temp, wrapped, for a few days, or freeze. 

These are different from the ones I made in NH, but they got rave reviews on King Arthur and I'm always looking for something that doesn't require a mixer! 

xo

Mom

Here's the recipe online 

Wacky Cake (or, celebrating the inauguration cake)

 Wacky Cake (one bowl chocolate cake) 

preheat oven 325 degrees - 160 degrees celcius in Japan 

8 x 8 pan 

Ingredients: 

1 1/4 C flour

1 C sugar

 1/3 C cocoa

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp espresso powder (OR add 1/2 tsp vanilla with wet ingredients) 

1/2 tsp salt

1 C water

 1/3 C vegetable oil 

1 tsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar 

1/4 C chocolate chips (optional) 

Combine everything in a bowl - first all the dry ingredients, then everything else, and whisk well. 

Pour into 8 x 8 cake pan; bake 25-30 minutes. 

Sprinkle of powdered sugar is nice.  Or, make a small amount of quick stovetop icing (butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, a little milk, powdered sugar) and frost while cake is still warm.  

YUM 

Kaela's pumpkin sheet cake

 Kaela's Pumpkin Sheet Cake 

Kaela makes this a lot to help bring some semblance of autumn to hot sunny Austin.  She made it twice while I visited.  It is SO GOOD.  It is even better after being chilled.   The recipe is simplified from The Pioneer Woman.  

Use a sheet pan (large rimmed baking sheet), sprayed with baking spray 

Preheat oven to 350 

In large bowl, combine and set aside dry ingredients: 

2 C flour

2 C sugar

1/4 tsp salt 

Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, melt butter, whisk in pumpkin and spices, then the boiling water.  Whisk til smooth and set aside.

1 C (2 sticks) butter

1 can pumpkin 

2 tsp. spices - any combination you like of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, etc.

3/4 C boiling water 

In a third bowl or large pyrex measuring pitcher, whisk together: 

1/2 C buttermilk (or sour milk you have made with milk and a bit of vinegar or lemon juice)

2 large eggs

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla 

Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture partway, then add buttermilk mixture and thoroughly combine. 

Pour into baking sheet; bake for 20 minutes.  Remove and let cool. 

Frost cooled cake with your favorite cream cheese frosting!  

FROSTING - whisk in mixer: 

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter softened

16 oz powdered sugar

dash of salt 

1-3 T milk or cream for thinning 

EASY Banana Crumb Muffins

Easy Banana Crumb Muffins 

makes 12 
grease muffin tins or papers 
preheat oven 375 (190 celcius) 

I make these in Tokyo a lot.  No need for a mixer.  Very simple.  

Make crumb topping by combining:

1/2 C flour
1/4 C sugar (some brown if you want)
1 tsp cinnamon
4 T butter, room temp 


Combine dry ingredients in small bowl: 
1 1/2 C flour 
1 tsp baking soda 
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt 

In medium bowl, 

Mash 3 large ripe bananas, then stir in: 

1/2 C sugar
1 egg
1/3 C melted butter (75 grams) 

Stir in dry ingredients til just combined. 

Spoon into muffin cups.  Sprinkle topping over each muffin.  Bake 18-20 minutes.  Cool in pan 10 min.  

CHOCOLATE VERSION: 

Replace 1/4 C of the flour with 1/4 C cocoa powder 
Add a big handful of chocolate chips - and skip the crumb topping.  YUM. 

OATS VARIATION: 
Replace 1/2 C of the flour with quick cooking oats.  Big handful of chocolate chips, no crumb topping.  



Replace 

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies 

by Kaela for Joe

This is based on a Cook's Illustrated Recipe years ago, but without the extra peanuts.  Instead we used more peanut butter and a little more flour.

Ingredients: 

2 3/4 C flour 

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt 

2 sticks (1 C) butter, softened

1 C brown sugar 

1 C sugar

1 1/4 C JIF extra crunchy peanut butter 

2 eggs 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

optional:  chocolate chips 


1.  Combine dry ingredients; set aside. 

2.  Cream butter and sugars.  Add peanut butter, eggs and vanilla. 

3.  Stir in flour mixture and chocolate chips if using 

4.  Heaping spoonfuls, criss cross with fork dipped in water. 

5.  Bake at 350 degrees, 11-12 minutes.  They will be puffed and slightly brown around the edges. The centers will not look completely baked.  Cool on cookie sheets a few minutes until the cookies settle.  Transfer to a drying rack. 

6.  YUM! 

Those Yogurt Cocoa Fudge Cookies

Those Yogurt Cocoa Fudge Cookies 

These mix up very fast.  So simple and yummy. 


Preheat oven 350.

Mix in small bowl and reserve:

1 C flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch salt

Melt in saucepan:

5 T butter
7 T cocoa powder

Remove from heat.  Add:

2/3 C sugar
1/3 C brown sugar
1/3 C yogurt (plain, vanilla, or berry flavored)
1 tsp vanilla (optional if you used flavored yogurt)

Last, add flour mixture.

Drop onto cookie sheets and bake 8-10 min.

Makes about 24.  YUM!

Chocolate Oatmeal Treats

Chocolate Oatmeal Treats 

The best no-bake treat!!  Noelle loves these.

Heat until mixture just boils:

2 C sugar
1/3 cocoa powder
1/2 C milk
1 stick butter

Remove from heat and add:

1/2 C crunchy peanut butter
2 1/2+ C quick cooking oats

Spoon onto cookie sheets - nice to line the sheets with parchment paper.

Chill uncovered.  YUM!

tip - make on a dry day!

Two's Sugar Jumbles

Two's and Tommy's Sugar Jumbles 

Simple, buttery, cakey, old fashioned, yummy.  My great-grandmother "Two"'s favorite cookie.  Tommy's favorite at Christmas and good any time of year! 

Makes 24. 

Ingredients: 

1 C butter

1 C sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 C flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Any flavor jelly or jam, or apricot puree. 

Directions: 

1.  Preheat oven to 375.  Use parchment paper or lightly grease two cookie sheets. 

2.  Cream butter, sugar in mixer.  Add egg and vanilla, beat well. 

3.  Stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture. 

4.  The dough will be quite soft and sticky. 

5.  Drop heaping spoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.  

6.  Make a well or thumbprint in each one, and add a bit of jelly. 

7.  Bake til lightly browned, about 10 minutes. 

8.  Remove and let cool on wire racks. 

Creme Caramel for Two

From America's Test Kitchen .  David loves creme caramel and I make it for him for Valentines Day, Father's Day, etc.   This is a smaller recipe I just found and will try next time.

Need two 4-ounce ramekins

2 T water
6 T sugar
2 T lightly beaten egg, plus one large yolk
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
3/4 C half and half

1.  Oven to 350 degrees.  Bring kettle of water to boil.  Place dish towel in bottom of 8 inch square baking pan.  Grease two 4-ounce ramekins and place on towel.

2.  Small saucepan - combine water and sugar in center of pan, gently stir.  Medium high heat, bring to boil.  3 to 4 minutes, to 300 degrees.  Reduce heat to low, stir occasionally.  Dark in color, 1-2 minutes more, til 350 degrees.  Divide into ramekins and let cool.  Caramel will harden.

3.  Whisk remaining 2 T sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt together in large bowl.  Heat half and half til steaming, and whisk into egg mixture.

4.  Strain custard through fine mesh sieve into liquid measuring cup.  Pour custard evenly into ramekins on top of caramel.

5.  Place baking pan into oven.  Carefully pour boiling water into pan to reach halfway up sides of ramekins.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean.

6.  Remove ramekins (careful!) and let cool to room temp, 1-2 hours.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours.

7.  Run small knife around ramekin to loosen custard.  Invert onto serving plate.

Chocolate Applesauce Cake

Chocolate Applesauce Cake

I grew up with this homey comforting cake, which my Mom always made in the fall.  It is the easiest cake to make (no making frosting or waiting for the cake to cool), so yummy and always a hit.  You can feel good about it since there is applesauce in it;).  

Cake ingredients: 

1 stick butter, softened

1 1/2 C sugar

2 eggs

2 C flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt 

2 T cocoa powder

2 C applesauce (unsweetened) - most of a 1 lb jar 

Topping ingredients: 

2 T sugar

1 C chocolate chips

1 C chopped walnuts or pecans 

Instructions: 

1. Butter a 9x13 pan
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
3. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and mix.
4. Add all remaining ingredients and stir until ingredients are just incorporated. 
5. Spread batter into pan
6. Mix topping ingredients together in a small bowl;  sprinkle over top of batter. 
7. Bake 30-35 minutes (check with a toothpick)

Serve warm, plain, or with whipped cream or ice cream; and if there are any leftovers the next day, microwave individual pieces for 10 seconds or so until warm - yum!  Freezes well.  

Marbled Banana Bread (to die for)

Marbled Banana Bread (to die for) 

Marbled Banana Bread
adapted from The Smitten Kitchen

3 bananas, large, very ripe
1/2 C (1 stick) butter, melted
3/4 C brown sugar (light or dark)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 C plus 1/4 cup flour - divided
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 C  cocoa powder
3/4 C chocolate chips (I used bittersweet)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Melt butter in large mixing bowl, in microwave.  Mash bananas into the butter.  Whisk in brown sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt until thoroughly combined.

Add ONE cup of the flour, stirring til it barely disappears.

Pour half the batter (don't have to be exact) into a second bowl.  Into one bowl, stir the remaining 1/4 C flour, and the cinnamon.  Into the second bowl, stir in the cocoa powder and chocolate chips.

Dollop the batters in large alternating spoonfuls into the bottom of the loaf pan, and then "checkerboard" the rest of the batter in.  Make a couple of figure eight swirls (just a couple) with a butter knife through the batter to marble it - don't overdo it.  

Bake 55 minutes - maybe longer - check with a toothpick (you may get a chocolate smear, but no batter).  Cool in pan about 10 minutes.  Run knife around the edge and invert onto a cooling rack.... and see how fast this disappears!  Don't ruin your appetite for dinner.;).

x
Mom

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (King Arthur) - or bars

These are so good, our new favorite.  This is from King Arthur's 2015 Recipe of the Year - my only changes are to use dark brown sugar instead of light, and I put in fewer chocolate chips.  Yes - one tablespoon vanilla!

IN TOKYO 2019- much easier to make bar cookies:
1.  melt the butter
2.  I used quick oats
3. line 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper
4.  Bake at 160 degrees Celcius - for 22 minutes. 
- consider using two whole eggs - and bake a couple minutes longer. 

Makes 4 dozen small - 

2 sticks butter, room temp - 226 grams 
1 C dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 T vanilla extract
2 C all purpose flour
1 C rolled oats (old fashioned)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
12 oz package (2 C) chocolate chips - I like Ghidardelli semi sweet


Preheat to 325 degrees.

Beat butter and sugars til smooth; add eggs and vanilla, beat til incorporated.  Mix dry ingredients together and add to the dough, mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake about 10 minutes, until lightly golden with slightly darker edges.

YUM

Tommy (right) and his mission buddy Ethan 

Shortbread Hearts

SHORTBREAD HEARTS
3 dozen+

These are adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook.  My Mom would send these to me in college at Valentine's Day in the 80's.  Takes some time but very simple to make.  Sturdy and good for care packages!  Buttery, not too sweet.  What could be better with hot chocolate or a glass of milk? 

3/4 lb butter, softened (Land o Lakes - salted - 3 sticks)
1 C confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp salt 
1 tsp vanilla 
3 C flour 

granulated sugar for dusting 


Instructions: 

Cream butter and sugar til blended.  Add vanilla and salt and beat until light and fluffy. 

Add flour.  Mix well.   

Gather the dough into a ball, flatten slightly into a disk, and chill for an hour or more.  

Roll out chilled dough to 1/4" - 1/2" depending on your preference.  Cut with cookie cutter (I like using a small 2" heart - I tried bigger ones this time too, and, no).  Place on parchment lined cookie sheets.  The do not spread.  Sprinkle generously with granulated sugar and then with a little colored sugar if you want.  


Refrigerate cut-outs on the cookie sheets for 45 min before baking. 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Bake about 20 minutes (check at 17 minutes) or until just starting to color slightly.  The bottoms will be golden.  The cookies may still look soft when you pull them out of the oven but they will firm up as they cool.  

x
Mom 

Soft Pumpkin Cookies

Soft Pumpkin Cookies 

2 1/2 C flour

1 C oats (quick cooking or old fashioned) 

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (I don't measure)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C butter (one stick), softened  - about 113 grams in Japan 

1 1/2 C sugar

1 15 oz can pumpkin 

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract 

Combine dry ingredients and set aside.  Cream the butter and sugar, then add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla.  Beat until light and creamy.  Mix in dry ingredients.  

Drop by rounded spoon onto cookie sheet.  If necessary, smooth tops with wet fingers.  The cookies do not spread - they are cakey. 

Bake at 350 (180 celcius) degrees for 15-20 minutes (just until the tops spring back when tapped).  Less time in Japan.  Cool.  Drizzle with glaze. 

Glaze: 

2 C powdered sugar

2 T milk or apple cider

2 T melted butter

1 tsp vanilla 

*** A favorite with all of us ever since Noelle was in preschool (I modified a recipe to include more pumpkin and oats, and less sugar, for her preschool class) *** 

Optional:  Add 1/2 C crushed pineapple, well drained 

English Toffee

English Toffee 

From my Mom who taught me;).  Original recipe from Mabel Hoffman's Chocolate Cookery.  Just about everyone's favorite at Christmas time.   

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (in Japan, 226 grams)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 T light corn syrup

2 T water

1 C finely chopped almonds 

4 oz chocolate, broken into pieces (Hershey Bar is what we prefer)

Directions in a nutshell: 

• Set candy thermometer into 2-3 quart heavy saucepan. 
• Melt the butter.
• Stir in sugar.  Add water and syrup.  
• Stirring occasionally over medium or medium high heat, let mixture bubble til it reaches soft crack stage, about 282 degrees.  
• Immediately Stir in 1/2 C nuts, spread mixture out on a cookie sheet, sprinkle the chocolate pieces on top, wait a few minutes, spread out the now melted chocolate and sprinkle with another 1/2 C nuts.  Let cool until chocolate is set. Break into pieces.  Freezes well. 

MORE DETAIL that you need, but here it is: 

Materials and set up (so that you can work quickly and efficiently):

• 2, 2 1/2 or 3 quart heavy saucepan - so important - do not use a lightweight saucepan
• wooden spoon
• small glass of water, tablespoon measure
• 1/2 c of the almonds measured and next to saucepan 
• large glass of very hot water, next to the saucepan, to quickly place the candy thermometer when you are ready to stir in nuts.
• rimless cookie sheet - slightly flexible 
• hot pad placed under the cookie sheet
• spatula for smoothing out the chocolate 
• Break up the candy bar while it is still in the wrapper.  Unwrap and have the chocolate sitting ready near the cookie sheet. 
• candy thermometer - this year I switched to a digital thermometer and it is GREAT!  What a difference! 

Directions: 
Set the digital thermometer in place in saucepan.  Tip of thermometer should fall a little above the bottom of the pan.  Melt butter over low heat; increase heat to medium high, stir in sugar, then the water and corn syrup.  Stir well.  Over medium high heat (or what works for you and your stove), let bubble gently, stirring now and then,  until it reaches soft crack stage on a candy thermometer.

Soft crack stage is between 270 and 290 degrees.  281-283 degrees seems to be the magic zone!

Once the thermometer beeps at 270 degrees, be prepared to act fast.  Have your nuts ready, the cookie sheet ready (sitting on a hot pad!).  Have the large glass of water right there.  Stirring almost constantly, watch the temp rise, and once it hits 280 or 281, quickly remove the thermometer to the glass of hot water (this is just to have somewhere to gently place the thermometer without going over to the sink - every second counts at this point), and in one motion, add the 1/2 C nuts as you take the pan off the stove, stirring the nuts and then immediately pouring the mixture onto the cookie sheet.  This all takes a matter of seconds.  Just in the few seconds during this process, the temp will rise a few degrees.  Very quickly stir in the nuts as you remove the pan from the heat and then immediately pour mixture onto flat cookie sheet.  Flatten out the mixture with the wooden spoon, as much as you can, within reason.  Immediately sprinkle chocolate pieces on top of hot toffee.  Wait a few minutes, then spread out with a spatula.  Sprinkle with the additional nuts.  Wait a few minutes for the cookie sheet to cool somewhat, and then finish cooling the toffee in the fridge.

The toffee can now be broken up into irregular pieces.  If I am packaging the toffee in a tin, I line the tin with waxed paper or parchment, and I don't wrap each piece of toffee.  If I am packaging the toffee into cellophane bags to give away, I usually loosely, casually, wrap each piece in plastic wrap.  This is pretty, practical (clean), and cushions the pieces somewhat.  From one batch of toffee, I can fill 3 decorative bags with a modest amount, plus a small reserve of "off cuts" for the family to enjoy.  Keep the toffee in the fridge or keep it in the freezer to give away later.  It freezes beautifully and everyone seems to love it!  Over time, you will learn that sweet spot of getting batches which are not underdone, but not smoky either.  Also, if you are sending the toffee in the mail, try if possible to send it when the weather is very cold!

xxoo
Mom

Notes from Japan 2020- 

soft crack is 132-143 degrees Celcius.   I went to 137/138 degrees.  

I used Land O Lakes butter a friend got for me from the commissary. 

David hand chopped all the almonds! 

Rich and Tender Yellow Cake

Rich and Tender Yellow Cake 

This is simplified from Cook's Illustrated Best Recipe cookbook, page 471.

4 large eggs, room temp
1/2 C whole milk, room temp
2 tsp vanilla 
2 1/4 C cake flour
1 1/2 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened, each stick cut into 8 pieces

1.  Preheat oven 350.  Grease 2 9" cake pans with Crisco, and cover the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper.  Grease the paper, dust pans with flour, and tap out excess.  (This is tedious but important!).  If making mini cupcakes, just swirl a little butter or Crisco into each cup.

2.  Beat eggs, milk, and vanilla with a fork in a large pyrex ball.   

3.  In mixer, combine dry ingredients.  With mixer running low, add the butter one piece at a time to "cut in" the butter.  Mix about 30 seconds after all butter has been added, until the mixture looks "sandy and pebbly."

Add the egg mixture, all but about 1/2 C, and mix on low til incorporated.  Then increase speed to medium high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.   Scrape sides and bottom of bowl.  Add remaining egg mixture in slow steady stream.  Scrape sides of bowl, beat again briefly until batter is thoroughly combined.  Mixture may look curdled and this is OK.  

4.  Divide batter into pans and smooth out with spatula. Bake until light golden and skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.   Cool on rack 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges to loosen cake.  Invert cake onto cooling rack.  Cool completely and then frost and enjoy! 

Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes

These are so fun to make "mini" - modified slightly from a Barefoot Contessa recipe.   Let the butter, eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream come to room temp before beginning.

12 T butter

2/3 C sugar
2/3 C brown sugar

2 extra-large eggs
2 tsp vanilla

1 C buttermilk
1/2 C sour cream

(optional 1/4 tsp espresso powder)

1 3/4 C flour
1 C cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1.  Preheat oven to 350.
2.   Cream butter and sugars til light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs.  Mix well.
3.   In separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and sour cream.
4.   In anoher bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
5.   On low speed, add the wet and dry mixtures alternately to the butter mixture, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture.  Give the mixture a few folds with a rubber spatula to make sure it is smooth.
5.  Fill cupcake liners or mini cupcake tins.  For regular cupcakes, bake about 20-23 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Bake much less for mini cupcakes.  Cool for 10 minutes in pan, and then let cool completely before frosting.  These cupcakes freeze really well!

Classic Brownies

Classic Brownies - from Cook's Illustrated March 2004 

Never make from a box! (but if you have to, use Ghirardelli's).  These are so good!  Always a big hit.

1 1/4 cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder

6 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped 

12 T butter, cut into several pieces

2 1/4 C sugar
4 large eggs
1 T vanilla 

1.  Preheat oven to 325.  Line a 9x13 pan with foil, leaving an overhang to act as a handle; spray with cooking spray.  LATELY I JUST LINE WITH PARCHMENT PAPER, no butter!  
2.  In small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. 
3.  Melt chocolate and butter in large bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remove bowl from pan; add sugar; add eggs one by one, whisking thoroughly each time.  Add vanilla.  Mixture will be smooth and glossy.  
4.  Add flour mixture into chocolate mixture, folding gently with a spatula. 
5.  Bake 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick or skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs. 
6.  Remove from oven and cool in pan on wire rack for about 2 hours.  Lift brownies from pan using foil overhang.

YUM. 

notes for Japan:  
160 degrees 
30 minutes (next time try less time).  
Butter = 170 grams (1 box, plus about 2T).  
Sugar - that moist sugar is fine.  Regular hard flour is fine. Chocolate - I used 4 oz unsweetened, plus 2 oz extra dark cocoa bar.