Dowser 9: Blitzen in a Cup

Blitzen in a Cup is one of my most requested cupcake recipes, but when I first tried to make them – easily five or six years ago – Michael didn’t think they tasted like coffee or eggnog, just chocolate and butter, so I shelved the recipe.

Move forward to the upcoming release of Gemstones, Elves, and Other Insidious Magic (Dowser 9) during the ‘eggnog’ season and Blitzen in a Cup felt like the perfect recipe to release alongside the book. So more tweaking and test baking went into the cupcake combo, and Michael finally gave them a thumbs up.

The recipe will also be featured on the Dowser 9 recipe card (the ones going into the swag boxes are already on order) and I will update the Dowser Series cookbook PDF as well. I’ll add a link to the newest edition of the cookbook in my new release newsletter on December 4, 2018 (so make sure you are subscribed).

Without further ado, Blitzen in a Cup! Chocolate, and coffee, and eggnog. Oh, my!

DOWNLOAD THE PDF

As always I’d love to see your pictures if you decide to bake Blitzen in a Cup (or any of the Dowser series cupcakes). Please tag me on your preferred social media site. I’m @MeghanCianaDoidge on Facebook and Instagram. And @mcdoidge on Twitter.

Fun! Fun!

And the winners of the cupcake naming contest are …

Chill in a Cup – first suggested by Erin W. Thank you! The recipe for Chill in a Cup – mint chocolate cake with mint chocolate buttercream – will be in my newsletter on May 1, 2018 along with an exclusive excerpt. So click here to make sure you’re subscribed.

Tingle in a Cup – first suggested by Linda R. Thank you! The recipe for Tingle in a Cup – mint chocolate cake with mint buttercream – will appear in my newsletter on June 5, 2018.

Both recipes will be added to the Dowser cookbook, and a new download will be made available on the release day for Dowser 8 (which hasn’t been set yet, sorry – soon!!)

Both winners have been notified by email.

Cupcakes mentioned in Dowser 7

Champagne, Misfits, and Other Shady Magic (Dowser 7) features Jade back in her baking groove in Vancouver. Since readers last saw her (in Reconstructionist 1) she has created seven new cupcakes, and I’ve been sharing some of those recipes in my last few monthly newsletters. I will update the Dowser Cookbook to include those new recipes, and re-release the free PDF ‘aka the third edition’ to my new release email list on January 18, 2018.

But! I know that some of you like to bake cupcakes on or around release day (I normally do as well) and since there are numerous cupcakes mentioned in Dowser 7 – twenty-four!! – I thought I’d share the entire list ahead of time.

Appearing in Dowser 7: peanut butter cake, fudge cake, honey buttercream, chocolate buttercream, and peanut butter icing.

Cupcakes marked with an asterisk (*) appear in the Dowser Cookbook. Cupcakes with double asterisks (**) have been released in my newsletter and will be added to the cookbook for release day.

In order of appearance:

Elation in a Cup** – peanut butter cake with chocolate buttercream
Delirium in a Cup** – chocolate peanut butter cake and chocolate peanut butter icing
Clarity in a Cup* – apple spice cake with honey buttercream
Happiness in a Cup** – peanut butter cake and honey buttercream
Enchantment in a Cup – chocolate peanut butter cake with peanut butter icing
Glee in a Cup** – peanut butter cake with peanut butter icing
Exultation in a Cup – chocolate peanut butter cake with dark chocolate buttercream
Wonder in a Cup – white cake with dark chocolate buttercream
Lust in a Cup* – dark chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese icing
Charm in a Cup* – citrus yellow cake with strawberry buttercream
Hug in a Cup* – dark chocolate cake with buttercream
Buzz in a Cup* – mocha fudge cake with mocha buttercream
Comfort in a Cup* – banana cake with buttercream
Cozy in a Cup* – chocolate chip banana cake and dark chocolate buttercream
Serenity in a Cup* – carrot cake with cream cheese icing
Bliss in a Cup** – fudge cake with peanut butter icing
Tart in a Cup – blackberry cake with blackberry buttercream
Vixen in a Cup* – chocolate gingerbread cake with salted caramel buttercream
Love in a Cup* – dark chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream
Sass in a Cup* – chocolate blackberry cake with chocolate blackberry buttercream
Flirt in a Cup – blackberry cake with chocolate blackberry buttercream
Harmony in a Cup – white cake with cherry buttercream
Sex in a Cup* – cinnamon chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream
Ecstasy in a Cup – double chocolate cake with lemon buttercream

I think I’ll either bake Cozy in a Cup or Serenity in a Cup. Join me live on Facebook at 4pm PST January 18 to find out which cupcake I decided to bake!! And seriously, between you and me, getting through chapter five of Dowser 7 without cupcakes is going to be difficult!

Will you be indulging in any treats and/or cupcakes while reading Dowser 7? If you do, and you enjoying sharing photos, please tag me in your social media posts!! I’d love to see what you’ve baked/chosen.

Tags: Facebook/Instagram: @meghancianadoidge Twitter: @mcdoidge

Possible hashtags: #dowserseries #cakeinacup #[cupcake name]inacup #amreading #dowser7

GETTING EXCITED!

Nanaimo Bars for Winter Solstice

I’ve gotten a few requests for this recipe over the years, but I never take the time to type it up. Well, here it is. Unfortunately, you will have to do the metric conversions yourself (if needed) as I didn’t have the time to test it both ways tonight (Google is helpful, of course, but I never want to convert without testing).

Enjoy!

First in pictures:

Improvised double boiler for the butter, cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla.

Graham wafer crumbs and finely flaked coconut.

Add the egg to the warm chocolate/butter mixture. Stir quickly so the whites don’t start cooking (as they did when I paused to take this picture).

My base turned out rather buttery, so I might have measured slightly wrong (or not stirred it enough?) Either way, it will still be tasty (and hidden from view).

Spreading the butter icing over the chilled base.

Try to make it somewhat smoother than I managed. I suck at working with icing.

Melt butter with chocolate. I always want to up the amount to 4 ounces of chocolate, but then it cracks when I cut it into squares. So this seems thin, but it works.

Top with slightly cooled chocolate, but work quickly. Mine started thickening on me (again pausing to take the picture might have been the issue).

For a party, or a gift, I would tidy the edges. But for me these look perfect!

And here is the PDF for download.

Enjoy! I am. 😉

Happy Solstice!

ETA: based on your comments/concerns since I posted this last night, please let me add a plea here to NOT substitute ingredients if you don’t really, really need to. There are A LOT of bad Nanaimo Bars in the world. A LOT. In fact, I rarely like any. Most are sickly sweet or too mushy or the chocolate is inferior. And yes, I understand I’m difficult to please but we should all be that difficult! LOL

So here is my addendum (with links, please let me know if the links have gone stale).

Graham Wafer Crumbs = Graham Cracker Crumbs. I use Honey Maid (Amazon.ca link) (Amazon.com link) (Amazon.co.uk link) but I don’t think the brand is important. They are simply called wafers in Canada.

Custard Powder. I use Bird’s Custard Powder (Amazon.ca link) (Amazon.com link) (Amazon.co.uk link) but again I don’t think brand is important. But please, please don’t sub instant pudding. Or if you do, know that the consistency and taste will be completely different.

Pistachio, Cranberry, and White Chocolate Bark

While I’m not a fan of white chocolate personally – though I always requested a white chocolate Easter bunny when I was younger – Michael is, so I when I want to make a treat that is just for him I often do so with white chocolate.

I snapped some pictures so I could throw together a recipe for the blog at the same time. 🙂 Though – a reminder to my lovely readers – I’m not a chocolatier, just an amateur enthusiast.

Pistachio, Cranberry, and White Chocolate Bark

200 grams (0.44 pounds/approx. 7 ounces) white chocolate*

1/4 cup pistachios (shelled) (heaping)

1/4 cup dried cranberries (heaping)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the chocolate to a large heat proof bowl. Set the bowl over a small pot of simmering water. Stir frequently until the chocolate is almost melted. Remove bowl from the heat, wiping the bottom (if you get any water in your chocolate it will seize). Stir chocolate until it is completely melted.

Mix in cranberries and pistachios.

Scrape the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, using the spatula to spread it to desired thickness. Sprinkle with extra nuts and fruit, if desired.

Refrigerate the baking sheet until the chocolate sets. Once the bark is firm, break it into pieces. Store in the refrigerator.

I had to shell the pistachios because I couldn’t find any unshelled! Remember that nuts do go bad so please use the freshest you can find.

*I used Zephyr by Cacao Barry (34% cocoa – a lightly sweet white chocolate with an intense milk taste). Feel free to switch out the chocolate but Michael gave this flavour combo a massive thumbs up.

More pictures:

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Chocolate Palettes

When I have extra chocolate in the house, or perhaps odds and ends of chocolate leftover, I occasionally make these Chocolate Palettes. I’m not a chocolatier – just an exceedingly enthusiastic amateur – and no matter how many times I try, or whose directions I follow, I can’t seem to properly temper chocolate. But since these tasty bits usually get eaten straight out of the fridge, I don’t worry about the grey streaks that can appear when you don’t temper chocolate properly. If you want them to continue looking pretty for guests, pull them out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Palettes

200 grams (0.44 pounds/approx. 7 ounces) dark chocolate, chopped*

various nuts, roasted**

various dried fruit, cut into small pieces***

Fleur du sel (optional)

Spoon chocolate onto prepared baking sheet by the teaspoon. Allow to cool more.

Dot rounds with nuts and fruit. Sprinkling with Fleur de sel, if desired.

Refrigerate the baking sheet until the chocolate sets. Makes approx. 26 palettes.

Store in the refrigerator.

As you can see by the pictures I’m fairly random with my various toppings. One nut with two pieces of fruit. Two nuts with two pieces of fruit. Sometimes I add sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Remember that nuts and seeds do go bad so please use the freshest you can find.

*I used a 85% cocoa and a 73% cocoa chocolate bar, plus Fleur de Cao from Cacao Barry (a 70% cocoa – strong cocoa flavour with subtle floral and fruity notes).

** I used pistachios and almonds

*** I used organic dried cranberries, dried pear, and dried plum. I soak the pear in pineapple juice for approx. 15 minutes before dehydrating it. So it’s pretty much candy. The plums are Early Italian, which I eat/dry about 40 pounds of each year. No, I’m not exaggerating.

In pictures:

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Baking: measuring butter

Recipe found in the Dowser Series Cookbook.

I celebrated getting Reconstructionist 2 off to the editor this morning by making brownies (as posted on Instagram) and it occurred to me that the recipe calls for a truly ackward measurement of butter – 6 tablespoons. And that most of my butter icing recipes aren’t any better – using 1/3 of cup.

Measure cups, tablespoons, ounces, and grams!

I dug out my handy Butter Measuring Guide, and thought that it might be worth mentioning.

Yes, that’s the refection of my phone taking the picture.

My Dad bought the stainless-steel guide pictured above for me as a Christmas gift many years ago (apparently from Lee Valley). And honestly, it sat in my drawer for awhile unused. I tended to fudge odd measurements when baking, simply using the guide that was printed on the foil wrapper. Then I took a closer look at the butter measuring guide and it’s crazy handy!

So that is my random baking tip.

What obscure kitchen item do you find is more useful than you thought it would be?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Bar

Randomly on a Friday …

It’s been a tough week. I always have issues when writing first drafts – it often feels as if I’m forcing every word onto the page – but Reconstructionist 2 is heavily influenced by my personal history (though, obviously, a completely fictional, fantastical accounting) and I’m ending most of my writing stints in tears. So it’s been a slog. The second draft will be much smoother.

Yesterday, I took an hour off before dinner and made banana bread before the bananas were only good for compost, and I spotted an unopened bag of marshmallows in my baking drawer. We’d bought them to use for candied yams, then didn’t end up making any yams for Christmas dinner.

I immediately decided I desperately needed to make some marshmallow bar with this unexpected but welcomed bounty. And that, besides being tasty, the bars (and making of) would mollify my bruised soul, as chocolate always does.

According to my notes, I’d been working on this recipe in the Spring of 2015 but had yet to perfect it. I’m pleased to say my slight tweak last night made it perfectly sharable.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Bar

1/8 cup/28 grams of butter

1/2 cup/120 ml peanut butter*

1 – 250 gram/8 ounce (?) bag of mini marshmallows

170 grams/6 oz of dark chocolate**

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chocolate and peanut butter, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Fold in marshmallows. Spread in a parchment paper lined 8- or 9-inch square pan. Chill until firm (at least 2 hours). Cut into squares, or rectangles, as preferred. Store in refrigerator.

The key with this simple recipe is to use the highest quality ingredients you can get your hands on. Butter, not margarine. Old-fashioned peanut butter (the type with no added ingredients that you need to stir the oil into), and, of course, quality dark chocolate.

*I might have heaped the peanut butter. 😀

**I used 72% cacao, single origin, Venezuela from Cacao Barry.

I find something joyful hidden in the texture of these simply decadent bars. And I believe I shall publish this post and eat another before dinner.

In which I get bamboozled.

I just wandered into the kitchen to find Michael playing Tetris with the fridge freezer.

“Wow,” I said, seriously impressed that he’d taken the time to divide the turkey mushroom casserole into individual meals and portion out the turkey pot pie filling.

“We have a lot of food,” he said, grunting with effort. “I’m trying to get it to all fit.”

“Oh,” I said, blindly walking into his trap. “Maybe we should take something out.”

“Good idea. How about this?” Michael grabbed a green Tupperware container, popping it open to reveal the very last Clarity in a Cup*. “Oh,” he said, utterly blithely. “Only one left.”

So yeah. That’s how Michael just tried to steal the last cupcake in the house.

I got the final word though. Just as I was exiting the kitchen and dashing out to the office, I said, “we’ll halve it at coffee break.”

*Clarity in a Cup will release in my newsletter, Cupcakes, Chocolate, and Other Magical Musings on November 1, 2016. If you aren’t a subscriber yet, you can sign up here.