Kerri cakes

Thesis countdown: 8 days. Yes, you could say that I'm freaking out. And I go out of town tomorrow. Who's genius idea was that? But I've been a whirlwind of productivity over the last week. On all fronts, both thesis and non-thesis alike.

Unfortunately, my motivations for keeping busy are beyond the usual "I don't want to do my homework..." woes. Last week, one of my mentors passed away unexpectedly. Her teaching career has been going strong longer than I have been alive, and she will be missed by so many. She was a phenomenal woman who, alongside my other mentor, has guided me through my early years of advising. She is someone that I often tell my students I aspire to be like someday, when I am a grown up. You can read more about her here. My eyes well up with tears every time I think about having to share this news with my students, who idolized her...

Her best friend (for over 50 years!) is my other journalism mentor (you can read about us here) and my heart is aching for the loss she is dealing with. Hearing the pain in her voice when I talked to her earlier this week brought me to my knees. I cannot imagine not being able to wake up and call my best friend tomorrow morning. I love these women like my family, so, in a sense, I feel like I've lost one of my own family members... And really, these women, JEA and my yearbook and newspaper kids ARE my family.

And what do I do when I can't deal? I bake! And what makes everyone happy? Cupcakes! Itty bitty ones!

These cupcakes are special to me because I named them after one of my best friends--she's vegan, and I wanted to make her something delicious for her birthday and this cupcake was born... She's one of the people I'd be lost without. Who would go on runs with me? Who would let me borrow their dog three days a week? Who would make fun of my "sort of" skirts and my tie dye obsession?

Kerri Cakes

(vegan chocolate cupcakes)

photo by Jessica Y.

Their vegan-ness does NOT detract from the deliciousness. 

Even the pickiest eaters will devour these! 

(Garnished with a dark chocolate covered almond.)

3 Cups flour
2 Cups sugar
6 Tablespoons cocoa powder (Dutch Process)
2 Teaspoons baking soda
1 Teaspoon salt
3/4 Cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons vinegar
2 Teaspoons almond extract (vanilla works, too)
2 Cups strong coffee (plus extra for brushing)

1. Preheat your oven to 350. Line your cupcake tin with the most adorable liners you can find.

2. Sift together all dry ingredients.

3. Add each liquid ingredient, stirring well after each addition. This is especially exciting, because of the magic that the baking soda and vinegar make!

4. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake in oven for 9-11 minutes for mini cakes and 18-20 minutes for regular cupcakes.

5. Once the cupcakes come out of the oven, prick the tops 2-3 times with a toothpick. Brush the tops with the remaining coffee. Allow to cool before frosting.

Vegan Frosting

Chocolate Mocha Flavor

photo by Jessica Y.
A wire whisk and an electric mixer make frosting a breeze! 
Trust me, I had four years of doing this by hand.

 

1 Cup sugar

6 Tablespoons cornstarch

4 Tablespoons cocoa

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1 Cup strong coffee

2 Tablespoons oil

1/2 Teaspoon vanilla 

 

1. Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt and cocoa in saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in coffee.

 

2. Heat until boiling and mixture begins to thicken (1-2 minutes). 

 

3. Remove from heat and stir in oil and vanilla.

 

4. Allow to cool. Whisk before using. 

Cheesecake Brownies

6. Cooking stores are like my pornography. I was at the mall yesterday, in a generally grumpy disposition because I had to deal with the madness of the Apple store, but walking through the baking sections of a few kitchen stores sent me to cloud nine. It made me tingly all over. BUT!!! that's not as dirty as it sounds. Get your mind out of the gutter.

7. I'm prejudiced. Or maybe racist? I'm not sure what to call it. Before you start sending me white hoods and hate mail, let me explain. I just don't like cake. I find it obnoxious. It's all big, and calorie-loaded and is just getting quite arrogant with all of it's topsy-turvy-ness and all that other BS you see on the food network challenge shows. BUT!!! I like cupcakes. I like cupcakes a lot. They are little. And cute. And your pants still fit if you eat one. And if you botch the decoration on one, you still have 11 more to make beautiful. You cannot say the same thing about cake. I guess that makes me cake-cist. I guess it's a little like loving puppies but not really having a tolerance for dogs. Does that make me a bad person?

8. Baking is the key to my happiness. Over the past few years, as my love for cooking has developed, I've done some reflection and soul searching to figure out just what it is about the kitchen that I love so much. At first, my inner fat kid was like, "Duh, you love food." But the truth is, I don't really eat a lot of what I bake. I revel in feeding other people. I love the look on someone's face when they are eating something they enjoy that I made. This is why I force feed my boyfriend. This is why I, especially, enjoy feeding my students. Nothing makes high school kids happier than baked goods. Yes, it costs me some money. Yes, it costs me some time. Yes, it makes me weirdly popular with some interesting people. BUT!!! I wouldn't trade this obsession for anything.

9. I don't have an "OFF" switch. My mind never shuts down. Sure, I sleep. And there are days when I accomplish little to nothing of note. But I can never fully stop processing, analyzing and reflecting on what is going on around me. Whether it's giving strangers wardrobe makeovers in my head while I run on the beach, restructuring an assignment for my students while I fold laundry or crafting a cupcake recipe while I shower, my brain is never at rest. This drives my boyfriend insane. I typically run at 100% until my body just shuts down and says, "Enough!" This always happens over break--so that I get the pleasure of spending my time off sick, in bed. Thinking of new things to bake, of course. BUT!!! I always come back from those breaks so ready, so excited and so full of ideas. I suppose that means it's necessary re-charge time.

10. I am the WORST procrastinator EVER. My thesis is due in 19 days. What am I doing? Writing blog posts, cleaning my office, vacuuming, reorganizing my baking supplies, doing laundry, painting my toe nails, trying (and failing) to fix the sprinkler along the driveway that I ran over, playing with the dog, and, of course, baking. This is all bad news for me, as my deadline approaches. BUT!!! It's great news for you... Because that means more recipes! For these goodies, I really wanted to do something special for my boyfriend, who has been working two jobs and then coming home to a "Honey Do" list a mile long and dealing with baking-obsessed and super stressed out me. He deserved a treat, so my attempts at avoiding what I needed to do resulted in something yummy for him (and you).

Nick's Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies

photo by Jessica Y.

These blonde brownies combine some of Nick's favorite things.

For the blonde brownie:
1 cup butter flavored Crisco
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon Kahlua
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips

For the cheesecake "filling":
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon Kahlua
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F . Grease a 9x13 inch pan. I used a "Perfect Brownie" pan that makes all edge pieces--divine!
2. In a large bowl, cream together shortening, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup white sugar. Beat in the 3 eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and Kahlua. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; sift into the sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the cream cheese and 1/4 cup white sugar. Mix in the 2 remaining eggs.
5. Spread 1/2 of chocolate chip dough in bottom of the prepared pan. Place in pre-heated oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven.
6. Pour cream cheese batter on top of dough. Sprinkle with pecans (if you are using them). 
7. Spoon dollops of the remaining blonde brownie batter over filling. The batter will spread as it bakes,so it is ok if there are gaps.
8. Bake for 45 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned on the top. Let the brownies cool in the pan before cutting into bars. 
9. Serve with a big glass of milk!