Julee's Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

Julee

For this post, I figured that I’d go with a different approach. Instead of blogging about one of my recipes, I think it would fun to introduce Julee, an amazing baker with some of her own simply scrumptious recipes. I just recently became very close with her and we share recipes and ideas all the time. It was definitely time for me to add her to my blog. We both love to play badminton and tend to get into in depth discussions about food while playing. She’ll usually tell me about some extravagant dish that she made and how it doesn’t even last an hour because her Dad loves everything she cooks. She shared with me her recipe for Pineapple Upside Down cupcakes and they look unbelievable. This girl seriously knows what she's doing in the kitchen.

Cake Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 eggs

3 cups sifted cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup of pineapple juice (from crushed pineapple)

Topping Ingredients:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) melted butter

1 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed

Maraschino cherries (amount varies with the size of the cupcake)

1 (12-ounce) can of crushed pineapple

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray a cupcake tin with nonstick cooking spray.

In a mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Next, add the eggs one at a time. Be sure to beat the mixture well after each egg is added. Add the vanilla, and then set the mixture aside.

In a separate bowl, sift together the three cups of cake flour, salt and baking powder. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, alternating between the flour, milk, and pineapple juice. Beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Be sure to mix well before each addition. Set to the side.

In the cupcake tin, add one to two teaspoons of melted butter to the bottom of each tin. Next, add the light brown sugar to the butter in the tins. Make sure that the moist brown sugar is compact on the bottom of the tins. Now, add about a tablespoon of crushed pineapple on top of the brown sugar. Be sure to spread it evenly on top of the brown sugar. In the center of each tin, place a halved cherry. Push it down lightly so it sits in a bed of brown sugar and pineapple. Now you can add your batter to the tins. Fill them 1/2 to 2/3 of the way in the tin, depending on how much you have already filled it up with the topping.

Place the tin on the top rack of the preheated oven and let bake for about twenty-five minutes or until the top is nicely golden. Once the cupcakes have baked thoroughly, transfer the tin to a cooling rack until all cupcakes have cooled completely. Use a butter knife to carefully loosen each cupcake from the edges and bottom of the tin, then place a cookie sheet over the top. Invert the tin, turning the cupcakes out onto the cookie sheet. Makes 12-18 cupcakes.

Baby Tiramisu

Regular Tiramisu takes so long to make. It’s a tedious process and I don’t know about you but I don’t have the patience for it. Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant, the first thing I think of is if they have good Tiramisu. With this mini version, there’s basically no wait and you still get the main idea. Obviously it isn’t going to be as good as if you were to make the whole dessert by scratch but it comes in a close second. Tiramisu is by far my favorite desert in the world. If you're a fan of this classic Italian dessert, try this quick, lower-calorie variation the next time you need a dessert in a hurry. Both types of ladyfingers—spongy and crunchy—work well. I prefer spongy; It’s closer to the real thing. Once you take a bite of this chocolate drizzled treat, you'll think you just ate a baby bite of heaven.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup nonfat ricotta cheese, (4 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 ladyfingers (about 1 3/4 ounces)
• 4 tablespoons brewed espresso or strong coffee
• 2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips, melted

Preparation:

1.Combine ricotta, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

2.Place 6 ladyfingers in a 9-by-5-inch (or similar size) loaf pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons espresso (or coffee). Spread the ricotta mixture over the ladyfingers. Place another layer of ladyfingers over the ricotta and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons espresso (or coffee). Drizzle with melted chocolate. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

So as you can see this is probably the easiest dessert recipe that you will find. It's simply scrumptious! 

Classic Margherita Pizza

Its 6:00 and you just got out of work. The kids are hungry but you don’t feel like cooking an extravagant meal. Order a pizza? No. Store bought is expensive, greasy (translation: unhealthy), loaded with artificial flavors (what exactly is the cheese on Cheetos), and when you drive home the cheese gets stuck to the box. Instead make a pizza! It’s a great way to make a delicious meal and get the kids involved in a family activity that can also show them that traditionally unhealthy food can actually be healthy. Pizza is the perfect food for creativity. You can literally try any kind of combination. I, for one, love the classic Italian Margherita pizza. It’s effortless and so simply scrumptious at the same time. Very low calorie and taking about 20 minutes all together; this is something the whole family will love.

Ingredients:

·         1  (10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough

·         Cooking spray

·         1  teaspoon  extra-virgin olive oil, divided

·         1  garlic clove (cut in half)

·         5  plum tomatoes (thinly sliced)

·         Fresh mozzarella cheese covering the entire pizza (I usually slice mine in circles but it's completely preference.)

·         1  teaspoon  balsamic vinegar

·         1/2  cup  thinly sliced fresh basil

·         Salt and black pepper to season

Unroll crust dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into a 13 x 11-inch rectangle. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes. Check this often because some ovens differ. I've burned countless crusts because my oven is so temperamental. Sometimes 6 minutes will be more than enough and sometimes I have to leave it in for 10. Remove crust from oven, and brush with ½ teaspoon oil. Rub crust with cut sides of garlic to give it an extra kick. Arrange tomato slices on crust, leaving a ½ inch border; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until cheese melts and crust is golden. Combine ½ teaspoon oil and vinegar, stirring with a whisk. Sprinkle pizza evenly with sliced basil, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the vinegar mixture evenly over the pizza. I generally cut the pizza into 8 slices but slice at your discretion. Enjoy!