CHURRO CUPCAKES

Yesterday we celebrated our church's 49th anniversary. We had a big potluck after the morning service. Whenever we have a big dinner on the grounds, I like to host some sort of baking challenge. We've done Apple bake-off, pumpkin bake-off, Chocolate challenge, and now the Cupcake challenge! The winner of the challenge was actually my daughter, Hannah! She made the most scrumptious little Raspberry, lemonade cupcakes! I even voted for them! I'll have to see if I can get her to post her recipe on here too. I chose the Churro cupcake because I wanted to do something different. These were DEElicious!! It seems like a lot of steps, but it was well worth it!! 



CHURRO CUPCAKES

(For the cupcake part)

1 yellow butter cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.
In mixing bowl, combine yellow butter cake mix, eggs, milk, butter, vanilla & cinnamon, Beat on med - high until thick and creamy. Line your muffin pans with muffin papers. Using a No. 20 scoop, fill each muffin paper with batter. Bake at 350 for 15 - 18 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool. When they are cool, poke a deep hole in the center with the handle of a wooden spoon.

Fill the cupcakes with the caramel mixture. Ice them with the cinnamon buttercream. Top each one with the churro and then drizzle with the caramel sauce. 

(For the Caramel filling and drizzle - Directions below)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

(For the icing)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar                                                                                                

½ cup milk                                                                                                                           

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon                                                                                                                                         

 In mixer bowl, beat butter until creamy. Slowly add powdered sugar a little at a time, alternating with the milk. Add in vanilla and cinnamon and let it mix for a few minutes, scraping down sides every so often, until all of the ingredients are well combined. Set aside until ready to assemble the cupcakes.

(For the Churros)

• ¾ cup plain flour 
• ¾ cup self-raising flour 
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter 
• 1 tbsp white sugar, plus extra, to sprinkle 
• 2 egg yolks 
• ground cinnamon, to dust 
• ¾ cup dulce de leche or canned caramel filling 
• vegetable oil, to deep-fry

Sift the flours together into a bowl. Place butter and 1½ cups water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until butter melts. Add sugar and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Add combined flours and stir briskly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes or until the dough is smooth and comes away from the side of the pan. Transfer dough to a bowl, cool slightly, then stir in egg yolks until well combined. Transfer to a piping bag with a 15 mm star nozzle, then seal the bag with string or elastic to prevent the dough drying out. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, combine cinnamon and extra sugar in a large bowl and set aside until needed.

Spoon the dulce de leche or caramel into a second piping bag and cut a small hole in the corner.

Fill a deep-fryer or large pan one-third full with oil and heat over medium heat to 170°C (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 30 seconds). Line a tray with baking paper and pipe 12 cm lengths of dough onto the tray. Working in 2 or 3 batches, gently drop dough into oil and deep-fry, turning halfway, for 4 minutes or until crisp, golden and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

Using a sharp knife, make a lengthwise incision along each churros, taking care not to cut all the way through. Carefully pipe dulce de leche into the incision from one end to the other, taking care not to split the churros.

Toss churros in cinnamon mixture. Let cool on paper towels for 10 minutes or so. Carefully slice into smaller sections just big enough to top your cupcakes. Set aside until you are ready to assemble your cupcakes.

For the Caramel 

In a deep pot, place one can of sweetened condensed milk. Fill pot with hot water, making sure can is totally submerged. Place on stove and heat to boiling. Once it boils, reduce heat to med-high. Continue to cook for 3 hours. Checking periodically to make sure can is still covered with water. Add more hot water as necessary until the 3 hours has elapsed. Remove from heat. Let pan sit until completely cool. Can must also be cool. Once can is cool, open and spoon contents into bowl. Be sure to scrape out the bottom of the can real good, because you need to get it all mixed together. With a sturdy spoon, stir caramel until it is completely combined. Voila! Best caramel ever! 

You could also buy store bought caramel sauce, but if you want the WOW factor, this homemade version is the way to go!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

 

Homemade "cream of..." soups are not as daunting as they may seem. They just start with a roux. If you've learned how to make one successfully, then you'll master these cream soups with no problem!  And the taste! There is no comparison between a bowl of hot, delicious, homemade soup and a can of store bought soup. I originally prepared this to make a batch of chicken with a creamy mushroom sauce. But when I tasted it, I thought, "Wow! I could literally eat a bowl of this with some warm, crusty bread!" I promise, you won't be disappointed! 

HOMEMADE CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP.

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 4 ounces Crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 4 ounces white button mushrooms, chopped
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken stock
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• Garnish: Additional sliced mushrooms, chopped parsley 
• DIRECTIONS:
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large pot, over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and shallot, cook for 1 minute, until they begin to soften. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes, until tender and browned. Transfer all the contents of the pot to a bowl.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to the pot. Once melted, sprinkle in the flour and whisk it quickly into a paste. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the stock a little at a time, whisking out the lumps between each addition.
• Increase the heat back to medium-high and allow the soup to simmer well for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms back to the pot and continue to cook for 2 more minutes. The stock will thicken slightly to be somewhat creamy. Slowly drizzle in the heavy whipping cream. 
• Let cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then ladle into bowls. Garnish with mushrooms and parsley, if desired. This soup is delicious all by itself or when used as a sauce for pan fried chicken or pork chops.