Today we were inspired to make birthday treats because it was Lele's birthday this weekend. We picked a chocolate cupcake recipe by Giada DeLaurentiis and an Apple Strudel.
We watched a video about how to make the apple strudel. It looked simple enough, we didn't really even need to follow a recipe. When it came down to using the phyllo dough we had MAJOR problems. It broke apart within the first few minutes we started working with it so we had to use the back up roll that we had on hand. This time we didn't take it out of the package until it was completely thawed and it seemed to work better. The apple mixture consisted of thinly sliced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. We filled the phyllo dough with the apple filing and made a nice roll [sort of!] We then brushed the top with melted butter and put a dash of sugar to top it off and into the oven it went! We had a number of distractions during this process including a Skype call from Maria and a small cappuccino colored pony roaming the kitchen trying to swipe our goodies off of the counter. After about 30 minutes we saw a golden brown log with bubbly filling seeping out. When it was cooled and ready to be taste tested, we found we probably used to many layers of phyllo causing the shell to be dry. The inside however, was delicious. Next time we will use less dough and make sure it is flavored better.
We were especially excited to get working on the chocolate cupcakes. This recipe included some intermediate level techniques that are beyond a box bakers capabilities. [Although we have to admit - later on we made a box white cake mix and jazzed it up with some mini chocolate chips]. We mixed the batter together and it smelled super chocolatey.
Melting the chocolate
Mixing the chocolate with the batter
Ready to go in the oven!
While the cupcakes baked we made a chocolate ganache to dip the cooled cupcakes in. To make the ganache we heated heavy whipping cream with some vanilla extract. Once it was hot, we took it off the heat and mixed in the semi sweet chocolate chips until it formed a smooth, shiny dip.
Making the ganache
We dipped each cupcake into the ganache and had a taste test….WOOWWW!! They were so amazing! This was more than we can ask for. The cake was chocolatey and moist with warm pockets of melted chocolate chunks on the inside. Topped off with more chocolate and we were in heaven!
Today was somewhat of a success. Despite the kitchen being a mess we are so proud of our treats. There is going to be a quite a spread at tonight's birthday party!
Stay tuned for next week..
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