Churro Layer Cake

My love for all things cinnamon-sugar is no joke, so when my brother came in town for our shared birthday, it was the perfect excuse to make this daunting cake. I say daunting because this gorgeous 3 layer dessert created by LA's Large Marge, is super complicated.
It has so many components and each made from scratch element requires you to make something else from scratch. The cake requires you to make brown butter. The frosting has two types of chocolate that have to be melted and then cooled. The pralinella (drool-worthy) is the biggest POA of them all. AND the recipe calls for you to not only make churros, but to make churro crunchies. Steps upon steps. But check out how amazing it looks!!

image from The Kitchy Kitchen

The original recipe can be found at The Kitchy Kitchen and you can watch her make it on her YouTube channel.

I like my baking shortcuts though, so I'm here to tell you how I cut corners to make this recipe a bit more manageable.

cinnamon brown butter cake
First off, I never make a cake from scratch. I prefer to doctor up a boxed mix. I found this recipe for browned butter cake from a box. I browned some butter and followed her directions with the addition of cinnamon per the original recipe. I did two 8" cakes, but in hindsight wish I would have done three 6".

pralinella
The chefs who created this stuff describe it as "nutella but with praline pecans" and it is just as delicious as it sounds. I may or may not have been dipping apples in the extra. The recipe has you make your own praline pecans, but I bought some at the store to save a step. Then I followed the recipe to grind them to a paste in my food processor. The caramelized white chocolate is so worth the effort. Don't be surprised by how runny it is. I was expecting it to be thicker but once you combine it with the praline paste and chill it, the pralinella is think but spreadable.

mexican chocolate frosting
Follow the recipe on this one. This is THE best frosting I have ever tasted. So. Freaking. Delicious.

churros and churro crunchies
Ain't nobody got time for that. I bought a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and called it a day.

The verdict? It was good. My version definitely looks pretty pathetic compared to the original. I'd make three layers next time and go heavier with the frosting. The cake layers are really thick and need more pralinella and frosting than I used. I am definitely making this cake again.

bump week 38 + 4

 Still week 38 and I've found a nice balance between being busy and relaxing. I've graded and written lesson plans, baked two batches of muffins to freeze (banana oat and vanilla pear), continued to putter around in baby's room. I've also gone to the library and picked up a few books to read and taken walks with Jeremie. Slow walks because walking is definitely more difficult these days.
Spring Break is about half over, I should actually say I still have half of my Spring Break left. Between a doctor appointment, visiting with friends, and puppy sitting I have plenty to do and plenty of time to veg. Baby still seems happy and content to wait until March 17th and I am fine with that.

dress: Motherhood Maternity

shoes: Tom's

necklace: unpossible cuts

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

I have made a different version of cc cookie dough cupcakes before. I think I did one with a white cake from scratch and baked frozen cookie dough balls inside the cupcakes. The frosting had little bits of dough in the frosting. They were insanely sweet and delicious but also a bee-otch to make. So many steps with making eggless cookie dough from scratch, cupcakes from scratch, and don't get me started on the frosting. Those were a one time make.

But these...oh yes. These will be on repeat in my kitchen. They still involve a bit of work but after the other recipe this one seems positively simple to me. I guarantee people will devour these.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
recipe adapted from Stick a Fork In It
doctored cupcakes adapted from My Baking Addition
makes 24

chocolate chip cupcakes
1 package butter cake mix
1/2 package vanilla pudding
1 cup greek yogurt
1 cup oil
4 eggs lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat over to 350. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Dump all ingredients except chocolate chips, in order, in mixing bowl and mix for 2 minutes. Fold in chocolate chips. Scoop into liners and bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool.

Mini Cookies
In the interest of saving time in an already step laden process, I just bought a package of refrigerated cookie dough. I cut each little cookie block in half and baked according to the directions on the package. You  could totally use your favorite recipe and bake these from scratch but keep in mid they are just a garnish.

chocolate chip cookie dough filling
4 T unsalted butter (room temp)
6 T brown sugar, packed
1 cup + 2 T flour
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/2 t vanilla
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar. Mix in milk, vanilla, and flour until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips. Set aside but keep at room temperature.

brown sugar buttercream
2 sticks salted butter softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 T almond milk (any milk is fine)
2 t vanilla

Cream butter and brown sugar, starting on low speed and increasing to medium. Switch mixer back to low and add powdered sugar slowly. I add one heaping spoonful at a time, waiting until it is fully incorporated until adding the next. Add flour. Finally, add milk and vanilla and beat on low to medium speed until smooth and creamy. Use a rubber spatula to scoop frosting into a ziploc bag. 

Assembly

I made the cupcakes and the cookie the night before. The next morning, I made the filling and frosting.

Core out cupcakes. You can use a small knife or a handy little corer like I have. 

 Use two spoons to fill the cupcakes with approx 1-2 tsp of cookie dough filling. Don't overfill.

 Top with the piece you cored out, pressing down.

Cut the tip off the bag of frosting and pipe it onto each cupcake. Top with a mini cookie. These stay on better if you bite break off a little piece from each first.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
recipe adapted from Stick a Fork In It
doctored cupcakes adapted from My Baking Addition
makes 24

chocolate chip cupcakes
1 package butter cake mix
1/2 package vanilla pudding
1 cup greek yogurt
1 cup oil
4 eggs lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

chocolate chip cookie dough filling
4 T unsalted butter (room temp)
6 T brown sugar, packed
1 cup + 2 T flour
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/2 t vanilla
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

brown sugar buttercream
2 sticks salted butter softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 T almond milk (any milk is fine)
2 t vanilla

Garnish
Any chocolate chip cookie dough

 Preheat over to 350. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Dump all ingredients except chocolate chips, in order, in mixing bowl and mix for 2 minutes. Fold in chocolate chips. Scoop into liners and bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool.

Bake mini chocolate chip cookies. Set aside.

For filling, cream butter and sugar. Mix in milk, vanilla, and flour until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips. Set aside but keep at room temperature.

For frosting, cream butter and brown sugar, starting on low speed and increasing to medium. Switch mixer back to low and add powdered sugar slowly. I add one heaping spoonful at a time, waiting until it is fully incorporated until adding the next. Add flour. Finally, add milk and vanilla and beat on low to medium speed until smooth and creamy. Use a rubber spatula to scoop frosting into a ziploc bag. 

Core out cupcakes. You can use a small knife or a handy little corer. Use two spoons to fill the cupcakes with 1-2 tsp of cookie dough filling. Don't overfill. Top with the piece you cored out, pressing down. Cut the tip off the bag of frosting and pipe it onto each cupcake. Top with a mini cookie. These stay on better if you bite break off a little piece from each first.

Chocolate Bourbon Cupcakes

 I love to bake and have a soft spot for cupcakes in particular. I get asked to bake cupcakes for parties now and again but to be honest I offer more often than I get asked. We all have our creative outlets and coming up with new combinations of cakes, fillings, and frostings is mine. This morning I baked two batches of cupcakes for two birthday parties. Both taking place today and both for boyfriends of my friends. Enter the Maker's Mark cupcake.

 I adapted this recipe from multiple sites, all of which I will link here.  This is what I came up with

Chocolate Bourban Cupcakes
adapted from Betty Crocker's Boozy Bourbon Cupcakes  and My Baking Addiction's Doctored Strawberry Cupcakes (my go to doctored cupcake recipe)
makes 24
1 box Devil's Food cake mix
1/2 package chocolate pudding mix (the 3.4 ox box)
1 cup greek yogurt (I used nonfat b/c I have it)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup water
4 eggs lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat over to 350. Line muffin tin with paper liners.
Dump all ingredients, in order, in mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Spoon batter into muffin tin. I use a scoop and it is the perfect portion. Bake for 15-22 minutes. Check at 15 with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, they are ready!

Bourbon Frosting
from How Sweet It Is
makes exactly enough for 24 cupcakes

2 stick unsalted butter at room temp
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tbsp bourbon

Cream butter in a mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. On low speed, slowly add powdered sugar one heaping spoonful at a time, until it is all combined with butter. Add vanilla and 2 tbsp of bourbon. Beat on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes until frosting is light and fluffy. If frosting is too thick add the last teaspoon of bourbon and beat again for a few seconds. I did not need the last tbsp. Using a rubber spatula, scoop buttercream into a ziploc bag. Cut off one corner of bag and pipe frosting onto cupcakes.

Garnish with toffee bits.