chocolate, pretzel & beer ice cream cake

holy crap, you guys.

i made this ice cream cake that i have to tell you about, because it is ridiculously good.

i was attempting to make a manly dessert that didn’t involve bacon or cayenne.  i went instead with beer and pretzels.  and chocolate.  an immoderate amount of chocolate.

i give you… chocolate, pretzel and beer ice cream cake.

this one is best stretched out over a few days, so make sure you give yourself enough time to let it set up.  the ice cream particularly distressed me because it didn’t set up as quickly as other batches i’ve made- the culprit being the alcohol in the beer, as it lowers the freezing point.

in addition to the normal kitchen equipment, you will need the following:

• one 8-inch springform pan
• ice cream maker (i use the kitchenaid mixer attachment).  if you don’t have an ice cream maker, you could forgo making your own and use store bought ice cream.

STEP #1: MAKE ICE CREAM

i made a double batch of david lebovitz’s Guiness milk chocolate ice cream.  you can find the recipe here.

i churned mine twice, but it took about 5 hours to set up properly after churning.  it was still soupy when it came out of the ice cream maker, so don’t freak out if that happens to you too. it’ll set up, provided you put it only the amount of beer called for.  don’t be tempted to dump in that little bit that is left in the can! my husband was kind enough to get rid of that for me.

STEP #2: MAKE CAKE

the cake is my trusty basic chocolate cake.  the recipe below will give you two 8-inch rounds.  make sure your cake pans are the same size as your springform or you’ll be in trouble when it’s time to freeze the cake!

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2/3 cup cooking oil
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs

combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in mixing bowl.  add milk, cooking oil and vanilla.  beat on low until combined, then beat on medium speed for two minutes.  add eggs and beat two minutes more. add batter to greased and cocoa powdered cake pans.

bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes- until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  allow to cool. wrap with plastic wrap until ice cream is nearly solid.

STEP #3: BUILD CAKE

i really wish i had taken pictures of this process.  here is the breakdown:

1. cut each cake layer in half.  this will give you four layers.  you will only use three, which means you can eat a whole layer when no one is looking.

2. place a layer in the springform pan and snap the springform latch.  the cake should fit snugly in there, which will prevent any massive ice cream leaks.

3. pour the ice cream on top of the cake layer.  you’ll use about a 1/3 of the batch for this layer.

4. add another cake layer directly on top of the ice cream layer. don’t force it down, you don’t want to force any of the ice cream through the springform.

5. pour another ice cream layer on top of the cake, fill to the brim of your springform. this should amount to another 1/3 of the batch.  for me, this gave me two cake layers and two ice cream layers.

6. plastic wrap the whole thing, being careful not to invert the pan at any point.  freeze for a few hours.

7. when the ice cream layers have hardened, add the final cake layer to the top and press it down gently to adhere to the ice cream.  it will stick out over the top of the springform- this is ok. wrap it back up and put it back in the freezer.

at this point, i left mine in the freezer overnight before touching it again.  you want it nice and cold when the hot ganache hits, or else you’ll have a mess to clean up!

you will have some leftover ice cream.  do with that as you see fit 🙂

STEP #4: MAKE STREUSEL

this streusel is an adaptation of Christina Tosi’s pretzel crunch. as an aside, have y’all got your copy of Milk yet? a must-have for your bookshelf.

• 1/4 of a 1-lb bag of pretzels
• 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 3 tbsp powdered milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp melted unsalted butter

in a medium bowl, break up the pretzels with a potato masher.  add the rest of the ingredients and toss to coat. bake on a cookie sheet in a 200 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until toasted. allow to cool.

STEP #5: MAKE GANACHE

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 12 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate

bring cream to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. remove from heat and add chocolate.  let sit five minutes, then stir to combine.

STEP #6: FINISH BUILDING CAKE

almost there! all that’s left is the ganache and pretzel steps, and then unmolding. you’ll have to work fast, so read these through before starting!

1. unwrap the cake and remove from the springform pan. put the cake on a big plate.  i put it on a plastic cake carrier which has a detachable lid, and it worked like a dream.

2. this next part can get a little messy!  pour the warm ganache generously over the top layer of the cake and smooth out with a spatula. it will run over the sides, and this is ok!  the plate should catch any excess.

3. apply the pretzel streusel to the ganache and press lightly so that it adheres.

4. scrape excess ganache buildup on the plate with a knife and put the cake, unwrapped, in the freezer right away to prevent any melting.

5. let it freeze for approximately 1 hour before covering.  i didn’t apply plastic wrap but instead covered with the lid to the cake carrier.

let it freeze for a few more hours to ensure your ice cream is sufficiently hardened and that your ganache will stay put, then slice & enjoy!

Impostor #3: Apple Pie Cupcakes

makes 30 cupcakes Apple pie is a tall order to make into a cake because it’s so perfect being what it is already.  Why fix what isn’t broken?  Two reasons: the flavors of apple pie- cinnamon and buttery, sautéed apples- translate beautifully into cake form and you don’t have to make a pie crust.  The perfect crust is elusive and when pie crust is bad, it’s abysmally bad.  Hard like corrugated cardboard in the mouth bad.  Dry as cotton balls on your tongue bad.  At least, that’s how my first attempts at pie crust were.

In stark contrast to my coffin-for-pie-filling crusts stands my mother-in-law’s pie crust. It is baking alchemy, the way it soaks up the beautiful cooking liquid of cinnamon-dusted apples yet still remains crisp enough to shatter into layer upon layer of rich, buttery flakes.  It is, without question, the best damned pie crust I’ve ever tasted.  And unfortunately, for my husband, it is the pie crust he grew up eating- making my sorry crust even sorrier.  So my mother-in-law, Karen, took pity upon my husband and not only gave me the recipe but taught me how to make it.

Apple pie has a very special place in my heart because it’s the only recipe she had a chance to teach me before passing away in 2007.  I laugh and cry when I think of us standing in her kitchen together, measuring flour, rolling dough and chopping fruit.  She was already sick at that point and was wearing an oxygen mask.  Her painkillers made it hard for her to continue at times because they made her groggy and confused.  Yet she still taught me things then that I use every day both in and out of the kitchen.  It was not just a lesson in baking- it was also one about tenacity, kindness and strength.

But we didn’t just make pie that day.  We made an heirloom of food that can be passed on and on.  Every time I make a pie, be it savory or sweet, my husband and I remember his mother.  Our son Holden, who never got the chance to meet his grandmother, will grow up eating that pie crust and hearing this story.  He’s just starting to teethe, so he’s on his way to that first bite!

Such is the difficulty in making a cake impostor.  So truly, it’s less of an impostor than a homage to apple pie.  But I love apple pie and cake and wanted to bring them together.  So I swapped the pie crust for a vanilla-bean specked cake soaked in apple cider syrup and topped it with a mound of sweetened whipped cream and apples sautéed in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.

It’s not apple pie, but it’s still heavenly to eat.

the cake: Vanilla Bean Apple Cider Cake

The starting point for this cake, again, is Colette Peter’s Snow White Cake.  I swapped out cake flour for AP flour, however, as I like the denseness the AP flour provides.  I don’t often use simple syrup infusions but I found this worked best to give the cake a subtle apple flavor.

• 3/4 c shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
• 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract. 2 tsp paste=2 tsp extract)
• 1 cup whole milk (room temperature)
• 4 egg whites (room temperature)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Fill muffin tins with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the shortening until light and airy.  Slowly add the cup of sugar, continually beating until fluffy.  Add the vanilla paste.

In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Alternately add 1 tbsp of the dry ingredients and 1 tbsp of milk to the shortening mixture until all are incorporated.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until fluffy.  Slowly add the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.  Beat until shiny peaks form.

With a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter mixture until blended.  Do not overmix. Fill cupcake liners slightly less than 2/3 of the way full with batter.  Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 15-18 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.

When cupcakes are cool, prick the tops with a toothpick several times.  This will help them absorb more of the simple syrup.

Apple Cider Simple Syrup

• 1 cup sparkling apple cider*
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Combine cider and sugar in saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring, until sugar dissolves (about 3 minutes).  Let cool.

Pour approximately 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons syrup over cooled, pinpricked cupcakes.  This will make your cakes nice and moist- but you don’t want to oversaturate them as they will become mushy (so don’t exceed 3 tablespoons).

*I used sparkling apple cider because it’s what I had on hand.  You can use sweetened apple cider if you wish, but don’t add extra sugar.  Instead, reduce 2 cups sweetened cider on the stove over low-to-medium heat until it’s about half the former volume (1 cup).

the frosting: Classic Whipped Cream

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp AP flour

Chill mixing bowl and beaters.  Combine all ingredients in the mixing bowl and beat until stiff peaks form (approximately 6 minutes).  Pipe onto cakes.  This frosting will not hold its shape as well as buttercreams so you can’t get too intricate with piping.  A simple tip works best.

the topping: Sautéed Apples with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar

• 8 large cooking apples (I used Pink Ladies but Granny Smiths, Delicious, Galas, or Cortlands would also work well)
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter (3/4 stick)
• 8 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat.  Add apples and stir until soft and slightly browned- about 5 minutes.  Add brown sugar and stir frequently until apples are carmelized and brown- this should take another 10 minutes or so.

Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon.  Cool. Top frosted cupcakes with a mound of sauteed apples.

* If you’re feeling tenacious, and I hope you are, sprinkle a pie crust with cinnamon and sugar. Bake on a cookie sheet and rough chop when cooled.  Top the cupcakes with the pieces.

Impostor #2: Peanut Butter Pie Cupcakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes or 2 cake layers

Sometimes you want something comforting.  Nothing fussy or precious.  This is the perfect cupcake in that regard because it marries all that is great about peanut butter pie- a silky heavy cream mixed with smooth, salty peanut butter and cream cheese- with chocolate cake.  To top it all off, crunchy roasted peanuts.  It’s down home and delicious.

the cake: Basic Chocolate Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2/3 cup cooking oil
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in mixing bowl.  Add milk, cooking oil and vanilla.  Beat on low until combined, then beat on medium speed for two minutes.  Add egg and beat two minutes more. Add batter to cupcake liners or greased and floured cake pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 18 to 25 minutes (cupcakes) or 30 to 35 minutes (cake)- until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool.

the frosting: Peanut Butter Pie Frosting

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup whipping cream, chilled
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• Coarsely chopped peanuts

Beat cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth.  Add the 1 cup powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.  Beat until combined.

In a chilled mixing bowl, beat whipping cream and the 2 tbsp powdered sugar until soft peaks form.  Combine with peanut butter mixture and beat until fluffy.

Chill, checking periodically to test firmness, until it reaches good frosting consistency (1-2 hours). Frost cupcakes.  Top with chopped peanuts.

* For a more Southern variation, try this frosting on banana cake.

Honey Cake

I absolutely love cakes like this one.  Its virtues are many: the cake is unassuming but lovely, easy to make, the ingredients are available and fresh year round, it showcases a local ingredient, and just gets better the longer it sits!  It’s also a pantry staple cake, so I didn’t have to go to the grocery store before the whim to bake struck me.  It’s a lot more involved to do an ingredient run these days, with a 10 week old baby!  Especially when it’s still freezing outside.  It’s much more appealing to stay in the warm house- especially when I can enjoy a slice of this cake with a hot cup of tea.

I adapted this recipe from one I found years ago in Vegetarian Times to suit what I had in my pantry.  The only thing you may not have on hand is Orange Flower Water, a extract made from the distillation of bitter orange blossoms.  I decided to use the orange flower water in place of lemon zest because I wanted to amplify the floral notes of the cake, which pair really well with the honey.  You could use lemon zest (1 tbsp) or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract in place of the flower water.

the cake: Honey Cake

makes 2 cake layers

• 1/4 cup ground almonds
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 eggs, divided
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp orange flower water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Coat two 9-inch round pans with oil and dust with flour.

Combine ground almonds, flour, baking soda and salt in bowl. Whisk together egg yolks, oil, honey, orange flower water and almond extract in separate large bowl.  F0ld in flour mixture.

Beat egg whites with electric mixer until stiff peaks form.  Fold egg whites into batter.  Divide between prepared pans.  Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes, then unmold and cool on wire racks.

the frosting: Honey Cream Frosting

• 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup honey
• Pecans, coarsely chopped

Combine cream cheese and honey in mixer, beat until creamy.

When cooled, place a cake layer on serving plate, rounded side down.  Spread half the frosting on top.  Place the next layer on top of frosted layer, cover with remaining frosting.  I didn’t frost the sides but you can if you like.  Cover top with coarsely chopped pecans.

Impostor #1: Chocolate Orange Cupcakes with Cheesecake Frosting

One of the easiest ways to create a great new cake is to reinterpret a classic.  I find inspiration in things like cheesecake, pie, and cookies.  The flavors are familiar- being those we already know and love- but the medium is new, making them great for parties or large groups.  Since a lot of classic desserts are simple, so can be the cakes.  The first I’ll introduce is a play on the elegant combination of chocolate and orange with a whimsical cheesecake frosting that is sophisticated enough to serve at the close of a dinner party as a four-layer cake but also accessible enough to bake them as I did- as cupcakes for a New Year’s party for kids and parents.  The best part?  They’re so easy to make that people were not only impressed with the cupcakes themselves, but the fact that I made them with a ten day old infant in tow!

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes with Cheesecake Frosting

Makes 16 jumbo cupcakes (featured),24 regular cupcakes  or 2 cake layers.

My husband challenged me a few years back to somehow incorporate cheesecake into the cakes I baked.  I first tried baking a cheesecake and cutting it, horizontally, to sandwich between cake layers.  It tasted good but the process was too time consuming and messy, and the cheesecake was doomed to be a filling only- meaning it also had to be combined with a buttercream or other frosting that tended to overpower the cheesecake flavor.  So I started playing around with the recipe and realized that if I stopped partway through my cheesecake recipe- right before the eggs were added- it made a frosting that tastes exactly like the cheesecake it would have become!

Here it is combined with a moist chocolate cake, covered with big pieces of orange zest, and finished with a dark chocolate ganache.

the cake: Basic Chocolate Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2/3 cup cooking oil
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in mixing bowl.  Add milk, cooking oil and vanilla.  Beat on low until combined, then beat on medium speed for two minutes.  Add egg and beat two minutes more. Add batter to cupcake liners or greased and floured cake pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 18 to 25 minutes (cupcakes) or 30 to 35 minutes (cake)- until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool.

the frosting: Cheesecake Frosting

• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and beat on medium to high speed until fluffy.

Pipe onto cupcakes or fill/frost cake layers.

Dark Chocolate Ganache with Orange

• 2 medium oranges, preferably organic
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 8 ounces dark chocolate

Zest two medium oranges over frosted cupcakes.  I found it worked well to use a microplane grater, adding extra pieces of zest by hand.

To make ganache: bring cream to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add chocolate.  Let sit five minutes, then stir to combine.  Use right away.

Drizzle ganache over cakes with a spoon.

* If you want a more traditional riff on cheesecake, omit the orange zest and ganache.  Roll the cupcakes in graham cracker crumbs and top with a fresh cherry.

Coffee Break Cupcakes.

These cupcakes were my entry to the first Iron Cupcake Madison challenge (COFFEE!)- a monthly competition that brings bakers together for good cupcakes and a great cause (see Iron Cupcake Madison and Iron Cupcake Milwaukee).  Not only was it the first Iron Cupcake Madison event, it was also my first baking competition!  Imagine my excitement when I took home the Queen’s Choice award (and some sweet prizes)!  I didn’t have time, in all of the excitement, to take pictures of the cake myself- but you can see a lovely picture, courtesy of Iron Cupcake Milwaukee Founder, Sandy Ploy, here.

Because I tend to make things difficult for myself, I didn’t choose any easy cupcake to enter (even though I had to make at least 12 dozen mini cupcakes).  I promise, all of my recipes are not this involved!  All in all, I’d say it took about 10 hours to make them (7 of those were the night before the competition!).  You can make a nice manageable batch, however, in about an hour.

I created a brown sugar coffee cupcake with a coffee cream, mocha ganache and handmade hazelnut biscotti topping. There’s a lot going on in this cupcake but the flavors work so well together- it’s your morning coffee break in a cake!

I’ll break it up into different parts to keep it as simple as possible.

the cake: Brown Sugar Coffee Cupcake

I use a variation of Colette Peter’s Snow White Cake as a starting point for most of my cake recipes.  It is a fantastically textured cake, managing to be somehow dense and airy.  The best part is that it is shortening-based, which means no waiting for butter to warm to room temperature!

• 3/4 c shortening
• 1 c dark brown sugar
• 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract. 1 tsp paste=1 tsp extract)
• 3 tsp coffee extract (available on amazon & in baking supply stores)
• 1 cup whole milk (room temperature)
• 4 egg whites (room temperature)
• 1/2 c granulated sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Fill muffin tins with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the shortening until light and airy.  Slowly add the cup of brown sugar, continually beating until fluffy.  Add the vanilla paste and coffee extract.

In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Alternately add 1 tbsp of the dry ingredients and 1 tbsp of milk to the shortening mixture until all are incorporated.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until fluffy.  Slowly add the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.  Beat until shiny peaks form.  With a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter mixture until blended.  Do not overmix.

Fill cupcake liners slightly less than 2/3 of the way full with batter.  I like to fill a piping bag (outfitted with a large tip) with batter and pipe the batter into the cups.  It’s a lot cleaner than using a spoon or a scoop, and assembly-line fast!

Don’t bake those just yet- each one will be topped with a “brown sugar butter” that will melt down into the top of the cake that gives a neat two-tone effect and amps up the brown sugar taste.

“Brown Sugar Butter”

• 6 tbsp cold salted margarine spread (yes, really! i tried it with unsalted butter and the margarine was easier to incorporate and melts better once in the oven.)
• 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 6 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until mixture resembles a thick paste.

Top the batter in each cupcake liner with a layer of brown sugar butter.  I used a flatware tea spoon to do this, so don’t worry too much about measurements.  No need to stir this in, just let it rest on top.

Bake the cupcakes at 350 F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  I hesistate to give approximate baking times because of all variables involved, but I normally start checking on them after about 14 minutes or so (resist the temptation to open the oven before this point- doing so may deflate your cupcakes).  If they’re still fairly wobbly when you move the rack, give them another 4 minutes before you check again.  If they seem relatively stable but still doughy in the center, check every 2-3 minutes.  Take them out as soon as your toothpick comes out clean- don’t let them linger in the oven.  Leave in the tins to cool. I  usually put the tins on top of my (cool) gas stove burners- it allows for air flow underneath (and is a little easier than digging out the cooling racks).  But cooling racks work just fine, too.

the frosting: Coffee Cream

You can make the frosting in the time it takes for the cupcakes to bake and cool.  Hold off on making the ganache, however, until the cupcakes are frosted.

This cream is one of my biggest secrets.  It is something like a pastry cream without all the fuss.  It is so incredibly easy and tastes amazing.  I created this completely on accident!  A few years ago, I wanted to make a quick pudding filling to put between cake layers but found that we were completely out of milk.  We did have heavy cream, however.  I added it in place of the milk and this cream was born!  I’ve adapted it here to incorporate more coffee flavor.

• 3 cups cold heavy cream, divided
• 1 pkg Starbucks Via Ready Brew, Italian Roast (or 1 1/2 tsp other finely ground instant coffee granules)*
• 1 pkg (5.1 ounce) instant vanilla pudding (not-sugar free)

Combine 1 cup heavy cream and package of instant coffee in a microwave-save container.  Heat lightly in microwave until lukewarm and stir until coffee is fully dissolved.  Chill until cold again.

Beat the 2 remaining cups cold heavy cream, the cup of coffee-infused heavy cream and the package of vanilla pudding in a stand mixer until a thick creamy consistency is reached (3-4 minutes).  Done!

* If you want to use whole beans, simply roast coffee beans (to taste- the more beans, the stronger the flavor) in a 450 degree oven until lightly browned and add to the cup of heavy cream in a covered container.  Allow to steep for about an hour, discard the beans, then chill.  You can do this for the ganache as well.

Frost cupcakes as desired.   I like to use a Wilton Drop Flower tip (like the 2D) as it adds a little fanciness when piped concentrically.  Now you’re ready to make the ganache!

Mocha Ganache

Ganache is one of those words that bake geeks like me throw around and assume that everyone knows what it is.  Ganache is nothing more than a mixture of heavy cream and chocolate.  This one has coffee, too.  It’s delicious.  That’s all there is to it.

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 pkg Starbucks Via Ready Brew, Italian Roast (or 1 1/2 tsp other finely ground instant coffee granules)
• 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine heavy cream and coffee granules. Stir occasionally.  Remove from heat when mixture starts to bubble at the edges.  Add chopped bittersweet chocolate to hot cream and let stand approximately 5 minutes.

Stir until chocolate is fully melted.  That’s it!

The ganache can be applied by drizzling it with a spoon over the cupcakes or, as I prefer, with a piping bag with a medium-sized circle tip.  I put the cupcakes onto a large piece of waxed paper that I taped down to the table and hit each one with a stream of ganache.  Any mess was confined to the wax paper which I could just throw away when done.

You should have leftover ganache.  Save it- it will keep in the fridge.  It will not have the same consistency when reheated (it’s not as smooth), but it works perfectly well for dipping the biscotti.

the topping: Hazelnut Biscotti

Biscotti are Italian cookies that are partly baked, sliced, then baked again until crisp. Since they are traditionally served with coffee, it was my lovely husband’s idea to use them to top the cupcakes.

• 1/4 cup butter, diced (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose-flour
• pinch of salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup corn meal
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2-3 tsp Frangelico hazelnut liquor (to taste)
• 1 cup toasted hazelnuts*
• Mocha ganache (as above)

*I used whole skinned hazelnuts because they were what I had on hand.  The easiest way to toast and de-skin them is to put them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees until the skins are blistered and the nuts lightly browned (approximately 8-10 minutes).  Immediately put them in clean, lint-free kitchen towel and rub vigorously.  The skins will peel off with the friction and stick to the towel.  The nuts can be placed back onto the cookie sheet to cool.  Chop coarsely.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl.  Add the flour, salt, baking powder, polenta, eggs and Frangelico.  Mix together to make a soft dough.  At this point, I transferred the dough to a cutting board lightly dusted with flour.  Mix the toasted hazelnuts into the dough until evenly distributed.

Halve the dough. Shape each half into a log about 9 inches long by 2.5 inches wide.  They’ll resemble flattened sausages.  Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until firm and risen.  Remove from the oven and cool.

When cooled, cut each log diagonally with a serrated knife into slices.  Return to the baking sheet and cook for 10 more minutes or until crisp and golden.  Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Apply waxed paper to a flat surface.  Reheat that ganache you made earlier.  You can put it over low heat for about a minute or so, stirring vigorously to melt without scorching, or heat it over a water bath.  If, when dipping the biscotti, the ganache gets too stiff, reheat. Hand dip each piece in the ganache by placing the biscotti  flat-side down in the melted mixture.  Transfer, ganache-side up, to the waxed paper to cool.

Chop biscotti coarsely and place on top of frosted cupcakes.