It just goes without saying that cupcakes are pretty much my favorite thing to make in the kitchen.  I love the versatility, the creativity, and the individual portability of each one.  There’s a billion recipes out there to try, tons of different piping tips to experiment with, and lots of days to brighten with impromptu cupcakes.

Growing up, I hated malted milk, chocolate malts, or Whoppers candies.  My mom loves them.  Whenever she would come home with a chocolate treat from the store, it was usually one of those big containers of Whopper candies.  And, there it would sit in the kitchen, untouched by me, the girl who just wished she would have brought home some M&M’s or Junior Mints instead.  I think this was her strategy.  She knew that I wouldn’t touch them.  If I was desperate, then they would suffice.

Later on, my dad turned me on to chocolate malts.  I don’t remember when, but I do remember getting them with him at a local ice cream parlor as a kid.  Yum.  This malt flavor was growing on me.

Which is why, when a colleague requested chocolate malt cupcakes for his birthday, I was a little hesitant.  I still don’t care too much for the malt flavor, but I figured…why not?  It’s worth a shot…maybe I will be pleasantly surprised and remember why I started liking chocolate malts as a kid.   And, since cupcakes are my favorite thing to make, it shouldn’t be so bad.

I went with Martha Stewart’s chocolate malt cupcake recipe…and it’s a very modest malt flavor.  It’s there, but it’s definitely subtle.  Not in-your-face-over-the-top malt flavor…which is just the way I like it.  To add to the flavor, I decided for a rich, creamy chocolate malt buttercream for the top, with a few of those Whoppers on top, of course.

Taken with a glass of cold milk, these could definitely suffice.

Malted Milk Ball Cupcakes

Servings: approximately 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 and 1/4 cups malted milk powder

1 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup malted milk powder

10 tablespoons milk

For garnish:  Whopper candies

Instructions

1. For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line a cupcake pan with the liners of your choice; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda and salt.

4. In another small bowl, whisk together the milk and the malted milk powder until smooth.

5. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour and milk mixtures together on medium speed.

6. Slowly add the oil to the batter, and mix to incorporate.

7. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one.

8. Add the sour cream and vanilla, mixing until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

9.  Divide the batter among the prepared cupcake liners and baking until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes or so, rotating and switching the pans halfway through the baking time (if baking two pans at a time). Let cool completely before piping.

10. For the frosting:  In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using an electric hand mixer), beat the butter, vanilla, and salt at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

11. In a separate bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and malted milk powder.

12. In three separate turns and on low speed, alternate adding the powdered sugar mixture with the milk to the butter mixture, mixing until smooth and creamy.  Pipe as desired onto the cupcakes.

Sources:  Cupcakes from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes and frosting from My Recipes

Happy Halloween!

This year, Halloween is even more special to me, because today I am posting for charity.  Today I am contributing to Frosting for the Cause, in an effort to raise awareness for women’s cancers.

Let me tell you a little story, if you can spare the time.

When I was five years old, my then-29-year-old mother developed a dark spot on her right lower leg.  My dad was actually the one who noticed it at first, and after a little while (and the fact that this little spot had started to bleed a little bit), my mom went to her family physician who promptly biopsied the spot…which then came back with a diagnosis of malignant melanoma (and a very deep, aggressive one at that!)  I can only imagine the panic and fear that my parents, both too young for this diagnosis, went through-especially with two young daughters at home to take care of.  As for me?  I don’t remember too much about that time period-I remember my kindergarten teacher giving me extra hugs a lot and being really confused when I heard my mom describe her skin graft and scar to a friend as looking like a “shark bite” on her leg.  I remember thinking that maybe there was a real shark in the neighborhood swimming pool that we had frequented almost every day with our mom in the summer.  I remember going to a lot of doctor’s visits with her, remember having a lot of tummy aches as a child so that I could stay home from school to be with her, and seeing her once or twice in the hospital room.  I remember seeing my dad cry once, which is one of maybe three times total in my life.

When I was in second grade, my mom felt some bumps in her groin area and went to the family doctor again.  They weren’t sore, but they were big, and the doctor felt that she should have a lymph node biopsy done because this was coincidentally the same leg that her melanoma had been on.  Surgery was scheduled, and my mom went to have one lymph node removed.  During the surgery, the procedure was switched to a completion lymphadenectomy (meaning that all of her lymph nodes were removed) because every single one of her lymph nodes was positive for cancer (her lymph nodes were full of melanin pigment and were described by the surgeon as being black).

Because my mom had a very aggressive tumor with a very bad prognosis, she was enrolled in a clinical trial for melanoma patients at a cancer center halfway across the country.  My mom was able to go through several experimental treatments and procedures over the next year and a half, while my sister and I lived with neighbors, grandparents, and friends when my father traveled for his job.  I even stayed with my first grade teacher for a while when she was sick. As a child, it was a very confusing and troubling time for our family.

But there’s a happy ending, here, my friends.  Almost 30 years out now, my mother is free and clear of metastatic malignant melanoma-something that not many people (even now, in 2011) can say.  Thanks to the brilliant researchers, doctors, nurses, and clinical research coordinators that had dedicated their lives to studying how cancer works, my mom was able to have two more children and have the proud designation as a cancer survivor.  There’s not a day that goes by that I am thankful for her second chance in life.

Fast forward to present day.  I’m a physician, studying…you guessed it…melanoma.  Eventually I would like to be at an academic center where I can focus on doing some clinical research.  Right now I am working at an institution where several clinical trials are underway for patients with metastatic melanoma.  It’s mind-blowing to be on the periphery of such fantastic research.  I’m constantly inspired.  And I am proud that my mother benefited from trials like these.

So now I am spending time in dermatology clinics, seeing patients and checking their skin for spots just like my mom had.  I am looking at these biopsies under the microscope, and, unfortunately, I am seeing melanoma every single day.  While this saddens me, it motivates me even more.

Today I am participating in a fantastic cause to raise awareness for the fight against cancer, Frosting for the Cause.  As part of this program, I am donating $25 to a cancer charity of my choice and I am donating these cookies to nurses who work with cancer patients every single day.

Ironically, today is also a baking day with Annie, and she actually chose these cookies as our project for October.  It just so happens that Annie herself is a cancer survivor, so I find it fitting to post her baking choice today.

That’s my mom on the far left…with the rest of the family.

If you would like to get involved with Frosting for the Cause, please visit the website and spread a little love!

Chocolate Cupcake Tops

Servings:  approximately 20 cookies

Ingredients

For the cookies:

1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

1 egg

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the frosting:

1 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped coarsely

1/3 cup sour cream

1 cup powdered sugar

Sprinkles, for garnish

Instructions

1. For the cookies: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, mixing well.  Set aside.

2. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the sugar to the butter and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 more minutes.

4. Add the melted and cooled chocolate to the mixture and beat until smooth.

5. Add the egg and mix until well-combined.

6. In a glass liquid measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, espresso powder, and vanilla.

7. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternately add the dry and wet ingredients to the butter mixture until completely incorporated.

8. Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

9. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

10. Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls onto the parchment paper, rolling each one (I made mine a little larger-about ping pong ball-size) into a ball and flattening each one slightly.

11. Bake each baking sheet for about 8-10 minutes. Let cookies completely.

12. For the chocolate frosting: Melt the chocolate in the microwave in a heatproof bowl, stirring and checking the chocolate every 15 seconds or so.

13.  Add the sour cream to the chocolate and mix well.

14. Add the powdered sugar to the chocolate and, using a hand mixer, beat the mixture until glossy and smooth, adding more powdered sugar or sour cream as needed for the proper consistency. **It might be a little thick at first, but with more mixing, it will come together.

15. To assemble the cookies: Using a Wilton 1M tip attached to a plastic decorator’s bag, pipe the frosting onto the cooled cookies in a clockwise swirl pattern.  Garnish with sprinkles, if desired.

Source: Salad in a Jar.

I love birthdays.  I don’t know why.  I just do.  I know a lot of people dread them each year for the pure sake of being yet another year older, but I look at them as another year of life spent in the wonderful thing that is you and no one else.  Granted, I know I might not feel the same way in a few years, but right now I’m rolling on a wave of optimism and I kind of like the feeling.

Because I enjoy birthdays so much, I have adopted Annie’s idea of making cupcakes (or any kind of personalized dessert, for that matter) for my new co-workers and friends.  I like to leave the flavor options open-ended because part of what I love the most is hearing what kinds of desserts people.  For some, it’s all about vanilla.  For some, it’s all about cookies.  And for some, it’s all about the chocolate.  Being a chocoholic myself, I was completely excited when a friend at work requested something as chocolate-y as I could make it.  Forget boozy add-ins.  Forget any add-in at all, for that matter.  Straight up offensive chocolate.  Death by chocolate, to be exact.

I didn’t know what death by chocolate actually meant, but I knew I wanted to achieve something with different textures and flavors to highlight the amazing entity that is chocolate.  I ended up choosing a dark chocolate cupcake with a chocolate mousse filling topped with a chocolate buttercream frosting and bits of bittersweet chocolate.  These cupcakes were met with rave reviews and I was very pleased with the end product.  The birthday boy was too, so that made it even better.

Death by chocolate.  Are you in?

Death by Chocolate Cupcakes

Servings:  approximately 18 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

For the mousse:

4 eggs, separated

1 cup milk

1 and 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup heavy whipped cream**Just use 1 cup of heavy cream and beat at high speed until soft peaks form.

For the frosting:

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water

1 and 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Pinch of salt

1 pound high-quality semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

For garnish:

Bittersweet chocolate curls, optional

Instructions

1. For the cupcakes: With a rack in the center of the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line two cupcake pans with the liners of your choice.

3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, mixing until combined.

4. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until it is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

5. Add the sugar and beat, at medium speed, for about 2 more minutes.

6. Add the eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

7. Add the vanilla, mixing well.

8. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the dry ingredients, mixing until they are just combined.

9. Add the buttermilk and then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated.

10. Add the melted chocolate and gently fold it into the batter with a rubber spatula.

11. Divide the batter evenly among your prepared cupcake liners and bake until the tops spring back, about 22-25 minutes.

12. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool completely.

13. For the chocolate mousse: In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the egg yolks and milk, stirring constantly until thickened (do not let it boil), about 10 minutes or so.

14. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips and vanilla, mixing well.

15. Cool the mixture to room temperature.

16. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites at high speed until firm peaks form.

17. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the cooled egg/milk mixture.

18. Fold in the whipped cream and refrigerate until ready to use.

19. For the frosting:  In a small bowl, combine the cocoa and boiling water, mixing well until dissolved.

20. With your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,  combine the butter, confectioners’ sugar and salt on medium high speed until light and fluffy.

21. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the melted (and cooled) chocolate, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

22. Add the cocoa mixture to the frosting, mixing well.

23. For assembly: Using a small paring knife, gently cut a cone-shaped piece of cake out of the top of each cupcake.

24. Using a small spoon or a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip, lightly pipe in about 1-2 teaspoons of chocolate mousse into each cupcake.

25. Pipe (as desired) your frosting onto the top of each cupcake, garnishing with bittersweet chocolate pieces, as desired.

Sources: Cupcakes adapted from Baking-From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, chocolate mousse adapted from Wilton, and frosting from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes.