Chocolate Coca-Cola Cupcakes

This is an interesting and very delicious recipe. It came out of a cook book that my in-laws bought be back in 2005. A couple of years ago we were eating at "Cracker Barrel" and had Coca-Cola Cake for dessert. Afterwards I remembered this cookbook and looked it up and there was the recipe. I've made this cake several times (usually for birthdays) and it's my middle son's favorite cake flavor. This past weekend we had a family reunion and I wanted to make a dessert that would be easy to transport and simple to serve, so I adapted this recipe into cupcakes. It was a hit!

WARNING:  This recipe is not for anyone who is counting calories or on a strict diet. (Once you read the ingredients list you'll know what I mean) But I promise that this recipe is so delicious that you won't even care if you gain a couple of pounds.   : )


Recipe:
4 cups all-purpose flour
8 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 tsp soda
4 cups sugar
1 pound butter
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
4 tsp vanilla
2 cups Coca-Cola

Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.

In a saucepan, heat the butter and Coca-Cola until the butter melts. Add the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix well.

Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth. The batter will be very thin. Pour batter into cupcake liners leaving 1/4 inch between batter and the top of the liner. Bake for 30 minutes.
This recipe yields approx 30 cupcakes.

SIDE NOTE:  This recipe can be used to make a cake also- same recipe, just pour into a 12 inch round cake pan or 11 x 17 rectangular cake pan. Also, the type of cocoa that you use will determine how dark the cake turns out. If you use a European cocoa, your cake will be dark and rich. If you use Hershey's Baking Cocoa, like I did, your cake will be a lighter brown.



Now, onto the Chocolate Coca-Cola Frosting.
Recipe:

1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 cup Coca-Cola
6 tbsp cocoa
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 bags of confectioner's sugar

Cream the butter with the cocoa. Add vanilla. Alternate the sugar and Coca-Cola, mixing well after each addition. You want the frosting to be stiff yet spreadable so the key to this recipe is alternating the sugar and the Coke until you reach the desired consistency. (You may use more sugar than the recipe or less depending on humidity and kitchen temperatures).

To frost the cupcakes, I used a pastry bag and a Wilton 1M frosting tip.

I encourage you to try this recipe. It's different and delicious!

Happy Baking!

Helpful Tips For Perfect Cookies Everytime

Unfortunately, I don't have a recipe to post this week. We've been so busy with 4-H meetings, baseball games and basketball camp that I haven't had a spare moment to bake. But here are some great tips I've picked up on over the last several years that I thought you might enjoy. These tips help me achieve great cookies every time.


1. Baking sheets and pans of heavy gauge aluminum bake cookies and bars more evenly that dark, thin metal pans. I prefer using a baking stone (mine came from Pampered Chef). I feel that they bake cookies better than any metal baking surface and they're sturdy and last forever.

2. Only grease the baking sheet if the recipe calls for it. Some cookies spread too thin when the baking sheet is greased and this produces a flat, lifeless cookie. This is another reason why I prefer a baking stone- you never have to grease it before baking because every time you bake it seasons itself.

3. On a humid day, chill the dough for 5-10 minutes before baking to prevent unnecessary spreading.

4. For more evenly shaped cookies, use a cookie scoop. It's super quick and less mess.
    (I purchased mine from Pampered Chef)

5. Unsalted stick butter (room temp) work best for cookie recipes. (A lot of people don't realize that butter can remain at room temperature without spoiling as long as it is in an airtight container. The air is what sours the butter. I keep a few sticks in an air tight container at room temp on hand at all times for last minute baking).

6. Preheat your oven for ten minutes before baking.

7. Bake cookies and brownies on the middle rack of the oven for even baking. Only bake one pan at a time.

8. Some cookies continue to bake even after they're pulled out of the oven. I always check the cookie a couple of minutes before the timer goes off. If they look pretty close to being done, I'll go ahead and pull them out. Doing so, makes for a softer cookie versus crunchy. It's what you prefer.

9. I always let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before I transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling off. This makes them easier to transfer because they have stiffened slightly.

10. Make the recipe your own. Experiment. Mix and match ingredients if you want. Create something new. Most of all, enjoy!


There are several baking opportunities coming up for me between birthdays, family reunions and holidays. I have some great ideas I'd like to share with you so stay posted. I'd love to have some new followers. If you like the recipes, join the group.

As always, happy baking!

Baked Spaghetti

This recipe is one that I used to make quite a bit but because I'm always trying new things and rotating the dinner menu so that no one gets bored, I tucked it away and haven't made it for some time. I brought it back out and made it last night and let me tell you- this is the ultimate comfort food! It's hearty, beefy, delicious, cheesy... need I go on? It's so filling that we still have half a pan left, which for me is great because that means a break from cooking tonight. (I'm sure you know exactly how I feel. I love to cook and bake but a break is always welcome). I served it with hot, fresh garlic bread and all my boys were full and satisfied.


Recipe:
1 package of spaghetti, cooked
2 tbsp butter
1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1 (24 oz) carton of cottage cheese
1 pound ground beef, browned
1 jar of Chunky Italian spaghetti sauce (any brand, your favorite)
1 package shredded mozzarella cheese or mozzarella slices


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Boil pasta al dente (al dente= until it just gets tender), drain. Put spaghetti back into the pot (no water) and add butter. Stir until the butter melts and coats the spaghetti. Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan Cheese; stir to coat. Arrange spaghetti in an even layer in a 13x9x2 baking dish. Spread cottage cheese over spaghetti and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan Cheese.

Brown ground beef and drain. Add pasta sauce and heat until bubbly.

Spoon beef mixture over the spaghetti/cheeses.

Top with mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan Cheese.

Cover with non-stick aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue baking for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is a light golden brown.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Looks delicious, right? The great thing about this recipe is if there is any left over, it's even better the next day!

This recipe is great for large get-togethers such as family reunions, church fellowships, if you're having company or just for your family.

You can also make a "lower in fat" version by using:
Whole Grain Spaghetti
"I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"
fat-free cottage cheese
mozzarella cheese made with skim milk

Speaking of beefy, delicious goodness, I wanted to share with you a blog that I follow called: Stories of a First Generation Farm Wife. She is a good friend of mine who lives in South Dakota and farms with her husband and brother-in-laws. They raise beef cattle. She explains life on the farm and really goes into detail about how farmers live and how a farm is ran. It's so interesting to see where our food comes from and what all farmers have to go through and do just to feed us. When we go to the grocery store and buy meat, we just grab it off the shelf and put it in the cart and don't think twice about where it came from. I want to feed my family the best (as I'm sure you do also) and this blog is a real eye-opener. Not to mention entertaining.
If you have time, please check it out:

www.sdfarmwife.blogspot.com

I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe and as always,
Happy Baking!