Category Archives: Recipes

Lezzz get cookin;)

Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes (70 calories per cupcake!)

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These cupcakes are a good thing.

Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes | Beautiful Disasters

They’re a very good thing. Like they couldn’t have come at a better time-bikini season!! (<–Yikes)

Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes | Beautiful Disasters

I’m not sure how it is even possible to have 70 calories in a cupcake but it happened..Unintentionally. I am actually a huge lover of angel food cake. I had never had chocolate angel food cake before, so I decided to give it a whirl. A whirl in cupcake form of course!

Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes | Beautiful Disasters

Because I made these into cupcakes, they obviously were begging for frosting, so that was a teeny dilemma I was having. I didn’t want to make a buttercream because I thought that might be too sweet (Yes, “too sweet” is possible for me) and I really am not much of a fan of cream cheese frosting, so I decided to go with my family’s favorite-whipped cream frosting

Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes | Beautiful Disasters

These cupcakes do deflate a little after a minute or two out of the oven. Be sure to fill the cupcakes with batter about 3/4 full, for the full experience!

Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes | Beautiful Disasters

Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes

(Makes 15-17 cupcakes)

6 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup cake flour (or all purpose flour whisked with 1 teaspoon corn starch)

3/4 cup white sugar

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

pinch of salt

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F and line muffin tins with cupcake liners
  2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, allow the 6 eggs whites to sit (covered with plastic wrap) for about 30 minutes to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, sift 1/4 cup and 2 Tablespoons of white sugar, the cake flour, the cocoa powder, and the salt. Set aside.
  3. Once egg whites are at room temperature, beat using the whisk attachment until frothy. Mix in cream of tartar. Beat with whisk attachment until soft peaks form, gradually add in remaining 1/4 cup and 2 Tablespoons of white sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time. Beat until shiny and stiff peaks form. Beat in te vanilla extract.
  4. Sift the flour mixture over the egg whites, one quater at a time. Fold after each addition using a rubber spatula. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into each cupcake liner. Bake in preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.

Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes | Beautiful Disasters

Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes | Beautiful Disasters

Random Fact of the Day: he chances of making two holes-in-one in a round of golf are one in 67 million.

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Fluffy Nut Cupcakes

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I was seriously thinking about calling these “fluffternutter cupcakes”. Like it was big, real decision. But every time I’ve heard of something being called “fluffernutter”-whatever there has been marshmallow involved.

Fluffy Nut Cupcakes | Beautiful Disasters

This time, the marshmallow was replaced with whipped cream; however, I do fully intend on coming up with a marshmallow frosting version soon!

Fluffy Nut Cupcakes | Beautiful Disasters

The whipped cream was a huge hit. My dad, the leading taste-tester in the family with the most honest and un-biased feedback, gave in a full-mouthed double thumbs up.

Fluffy Nut Cupcakes | Beautiful Disasters

 

Fluffy Nut Cupcakes | Beautiful Disasters

These cupcakes consist of my absolute FAVORITE chocolate cake recipe that I use all the time, stuffed with a delicious and super creamy peanut butter filling, and topped with a fluffy and perfectly sweet whipped cream frosting.

Fluffy Nut Cupcakes | Beautiful Disasters

This may be one of my all-time favorite cupcake combos!

Fluffy Nut Cupcakes

(makes about 12-16 cupcakes)

FOR THE CUPCAKES: 

(My absolute FAVORITE chocolate cake recipe)

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used dark cocoa powder)

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line regular cupcake tins.
  2. In a small bowl, pour boiling water over cocoa powder, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool. Into a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Cream butter and sugar together with a mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Stir in vanilla. Add the flour mixture. Add the cocoa mixture. Pour batter into prepared cupcake tins.
  4. Bake in preheated oven 15-18 minutes. Allow to cool in tins, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. When thoroughly cooled, stuff with peanut butter frosting below and frost with whipped cream frosting below.

FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING FILLING:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter

2 teaspoon2 vanilla extract

6-8 cups powdered sugar, or until correct consistency

  1. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and peanut butter on high speed until creamy. Mix in vanilla extract. Slowly add in powdered sugar until a semi-creamy consistency that resembles frosting, but is creamy [thin] enough to pipe into cupcakes.
  2. Once cupcakes have been cooled, fill piping bag, that has been fitted with a standard-sized round piping tip, with the prepared peanut butter filling. Stick end of piping bag into the center of a cooled cupcake and squeeze filling into cupcake until small cracks start to show by where you inserted the piping bag tip. Continue with the remaining cupcakes until each has been filled, you may end up with excess filling

WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2-4 Tablespoons powdered sugar, depending on how sweet you like your whipped cream

  1. In the chilled bowl of an electric stand mixer, whip the cream using the whisk attachment for about 1 minute. Add in powdered sugar gradually to taste and continue whipping until stiff peaks form and the mixture resembles whipped cream. Pipe and frost onto stuffed cupcakes. Keep cupcakes in fridge, as it is unsafe to have whipped cream sitting out for extended periods of time.

Fluffy Nut Cupcakes | Beautiful Disasters

 

Fluffy Nut Cupcakes | Beautiful Disasters

Random Fact of the Day: A survey reported that 12% of Americans think that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife. Yikes

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Coconut Blondies

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Life is good.

Coconut Blondies | Beautiful Disasters

I finished all my AP tests last Friday. We are a few breaths away from summer. Charles Ramsey’s heroic actions and great humor got me through AP testing week last week. And I have some delicious coconut blondies to share with you all.

Coconut Blondies | Beautiful Disasters

Maybe I am getting a little coconut-happy lately, but I kind of like it. Coconut signifies summer and tropical things to me, so being land-locked, coconut is one of those ingredients that has grown on me.

Coconut Blondies | Beautiful Disasters

I hope you all have a great day full of smiles, sunshine, and most of all, some coconut blondies.

Coconut Blondies

1/2 cup coconut oil (room temperature)

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour (all-purpose is fine, too!)

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or desired nuts)

1/4 cup chocolate chips

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Spray an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together coconut oil and brown sugar unti completely combined. Mix in eggs until incorporated. Add in extracts. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Finally fold in coconut.
  3. Spread dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and slightly press into the top of the spread dough. Bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Let cool and cut into bars. Store leftovers in sealed container or cover with plastic wrap.

Random Fact of the Day: The blesbok, a South African antelope, is almost the same color as grapejuice.

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Almond Joy Cake

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I’m a little delayed on this post… This was actually a cake on made for Easter this year. It was also my first attempt at making buttercream flowers, and I only managed to snap one picture take from an iphone.

Almond Joy Cake | Beautiful Disasters

Needless to say, this wasn’t the most optimum recipe and cake for a post, but I just HAD to share this recipe with y’all!

This cake was requested by my mom this year that I believe was partly to celebrate her birthday in addition to the Easter festivities.  Anyways her request was [the best ever] chocolate cake with coconut whipped cream filling and frosted with chocolate mousse. So basically an Almond Joy in cake form (minus the almond part…does that make it more of a Mounds cake?)

This was was super delicious, even my coconut-hating uncle enjoyed it! It’s a very decadent cake that is perfect for the spring/summer time with the refreshing coconut. Maybe not awesome for bikini season, but cake wins over bikini body in my book ;)

Almond Joy Cake

(Makes one 2-layer, 6-inch round cake)

FOR CAKE:
1 prepared & baked chocolate cake recipe, I of course used my favorite chocolate cake recipe!
FOR FILLING:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup shaved coconut
2-3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons coconut extract
TO FROST OUTSIDE OF CAKE:
1 prepared batch of my super easy 2-ingredient chocolate mousse

  1. Prepare chocolate cake according to recipe and let cool. Once cool, slice in half lengthwise into two equal rounds.
  2. Prepare coconut whipped cream filling by whipping heavy whipped cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat cream with powdered sugar and whip until heavy peaks are formed, whip in coconut extract. Whip cream until it takes on the thick appearance of whipped cream you would buy from the store. Fold in shaved coconut.
  3. Place bottom cake layer on plate that you plan on using to frost the cake. Spread coconut filling on bottom cake layer, evenly.  Let sit in fridge to set up slightly for about 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, prepare chocolate mousse that you will use for frosting the outsides.
  5. After 30 minutes, take bottom cake layer that has been spread with coconut filling out and place top cake layer on top of the filling.  Frost cake as desired with prepared chocolate mousse. If desired, pipe whipped cream in small rosettes on top of cake or spread chocolate chips, shavings, or coconut on cake for garnish. I took my first stab at buttercream flowers! Mine turned out a little flat. I think I will need thicker frosting for my next attempt, but practice makes perfect! I also did a little border with some leftover yellow buttercream I had from the buttercream roses.

Random Fact of the Day: The Chinese ideogram for ‘trouble’ depicts two women living under one roof.

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Hawaiian Dream Cookies

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As promised, here is a photo of me from prom this past weekend!

Senior Prom 2013

I did not ask permission to post a picture of my date, but he’s not that important anyways right? ;) In all seriousness, he is actually a really great guy and was super fun to spend the day with.  Can’t believe I have no more high school dances left EVER!

Senior Prom 2013

I really don’t have a ton to share about prom, there wasn’t any major drama worth sharing so let’s move onto these ahhh-mazing cookies I baked up!

Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies | Beautiful Disasters

I’m sure many of you have tasted or heard of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.

Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies | Beautiful Disasters

I’m a huge fan. I particularly love macadamia nuts, which are sort of a special treat for me because they are super duper expen$ive here in the non-tropical Midwest. I decided to treat myself and bake up some cookies made with a match made in heaven-coconut and macadamia nuts.

Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies | Beautiful Disasters

All I have to say is, you MUST try this recipe. These cookies are everything you need and more.

Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies | Beautiful Disasters

Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies (Hawaiian Dream Cookies)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup white  sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups coconut

3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
  2. Cream together butter and sugars using a mixer. Mix in egg and vanilla extract. Add in salt, baking soda, and flours. Stir in coconut with mixer. Fold in nuts by hand or slowly using the mixer
  3. Drop dough onto an ungreased baking sheet by the teaspoonful and bake in preheated oven for 7-9 minutes or until edges are golden. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then let finish cooling on wire rack for about 5 minutes. Enjoy! Store leftovers in sealed container.

Random Fact of the Day: A sneeze can travel as fast as 100 miles per hour.

Hawaiian Dream Cookies | Beautiful Disasters

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