Cupcakes Versus Muffins

Do you know the difference between cupcakes and muffins? Well, it has to do with the mixing method. Cakes are made by the creaming method, and muffins are made by the unsurprisingly named muffin method. In the cake method, the butter and sugar are creamed together until light and fluffy, then the eggs are slowly mixed in, and finally the dry and wet ingredients are incorporated. In the simpler muffin method, the dry ingredients are combined, the wet ingredients are combined, and then the wet and dry ingredients are briefly mixed together. The cake method, while more time consuming, typically produces sweeter, lighter, and more tender results.

So technically, these cupcakes are actually muffins. But, since they’re so moist and tender, and since they’re frosted, I’m calling them cupcakes. So there.

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Printable Recipe

Nonstick pan spray, optional
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 very ripe bananas
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup sour cream, at room temperature
3 ounces (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus 4 ounces (1 stick), at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped or ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick pan spray or line with paper liners. Whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Peel the bananas and, in a medium bowl, mash them using a fork. Stir in the eggs, sour cream, melted butter, and ½ teaspoon of the vanilla. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, or until the edges of the cupcakes start to shrink away from the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and finish cooling completely.

Place the chocolate into a small bowl, place the bowl over a small pan of simmering water, and heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Let cool slightly. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and room temperature butter on medium until light and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and the remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla and beat until blended. Add the chocolate and continue to beat until smooth, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip and pipe onto the cupcakes in a decorative manner.

Makes 12 cupcakes. If you don’t have a pastry bag, simply spread the frosting on the cupcakes, swirling decoratively, with a spatula. Cupcakes keep for 2 to 3 days in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place.

Chocolate and Vanilla Houses

We live in a cute little chocolate house. There’s a cute little vanilla house next door. We never got to know our neighbors very well because the owner was a military man, and he was sent overseas. By some unusual coincidence, his wife and child were from Uzbekistan, which is where I was born. I was pretty excited to have a neighbor I could speak Russian with, but to my disappointment, they stayed in Uzbekistan while he was away. When they all finally seemed to settle into the vanilla house, he found out that the military was moving him to a different base, and the vanilla house went up for sale. So things have been pretty quiet over at the cute little vanilla house most of the last few years.

But I’m really happy because we finally have new neighbors! They seem like good, friendly people. They moved here from Texas, which is where we came from. So I guess that means we can speak Texan with them…which, if you’re wondering, means talk barbeque. Anyway, I wanted to welcome them to the neighborhood. So I baked them a little housewarming gift. I hope they like it!


Hazelnut, Spice & Brown Butter Muffins
Printable Recipe

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced
Nonstick pan spray, optional
3 ounces hazelnuts
2 ½ ounces sugar
2 ½ ounces light brown sugar
8 ounces all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
8 ounces milk, at room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the butter and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until browned. Transfer the butter to a medium bowl and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick pan spray or line with paper liners. Combine the hazelnuts, sugar, and brown sugar in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, and hazelnut mixture in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs, milk, and vanilla into the butter. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, or until the edges of the muffins start to shrink away from the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and finish cooling completely.

Makes 1 dozen muffins. The brown butter should be cooled but still melted when you mix the muffin batter.

Happy Valentine's Day

My First Citron and My Two-Hundredth Post!

Wow. Would you believe that I started this whole thing on a whim? Well, it’s true—it was something to keep my mind occupied in the middle of one sleepless night. And now I’m at 200 posts and over 150 recipes. Just wow. I still love every moment I spend in the kitchen and every moment I spend here with you, dear reader, so thank you for joining me on my cooking adventures.

If you’ve been following along, you probably know by now that I’m absolutely obsessed with citrus fruit. I figured that on this milestone which just happens to fall in the middle of citrus season, I would treat myself to yet another unusual citrus variety, the Etrog citron. Many times before had I pined over the pricey citron, turning the fruit over and over in my hands, inhaling its sweet perfume, but this was the first time I gave in and brought one home with me.


The Etrog citron is a rather curious football-shaped fruit, larger than a lemon but smaller than a grapefruit. It has pebbled yellow skin, ridges at the stem end, a voluptuous nipple at the blossom end, and its aroma is strong enough to fill an entire room. Sliced open, the Etrog citron reveals a small center of seedy flesh with tough membranes. Most of the fruit is white pith.


It is for the fragrant rind that the citron is so prized. Raw, the rind is almost as crisp as an apple and tastes surprisingly sweet without a trace of bitterness. Thin slices would make a refreshing addition to a salad. Most often the peel is preserved in sugar, and, lacking any better ideas, I candied mine.


The juice of the citron seems to be even sourer than that of a lemon. My Etrog gave up but a single tablespoon.

Next, I will try to get my hands on a Buddha’s Hand citron. When I do, you can be sure I’ll tell you all about that too. In the meantime, can I offer you a slice of my Pound Cake with Candied Citron?


Pound Cake with Candied Citron
Printable Recipe

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
1 pound all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 to 8 ounces candied (but not coated in sugar) citron peel, diced
1 pound sugar
8 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ ounces powdered sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed citron juice

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Butter 2 8 ½×4 ½×3-inch loaf pans and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Toss in the citron peel.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on high for 5 to 6 minutes, or until very light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs two at a time until thoroughly combined and then beat in the vanilla extract. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture at a time, mixing on low for only a few seconds after each addition until just combined, and stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Do not overmix. Divide the batter among the loaf pans. Bake for about an hour and 25 minutes, or until the edges of the cakes start to shrink away from the pans and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 15 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks and finish cooling completely.

Whisk together the powdered sugar and citron juice and drizzle over the cakes.

Makes 2 large loaves, each serving 6 to 8. If you have it, add a tablespoon of grated citron zest along with the candied peel. Use Meyer lemons if citron is unavailable.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes for Valentine's Day

They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day. Actually, they’re just plain perfect. Chocolaty, hot, and over-the-top indulgent, these Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes ooze (pun intended) sex appeal. The only trouble is, they’re so luscious you may not want to share, not even with your sweetheart.

At one time, chocolate cakes with a molten center were all the rage on restaurant menus. But they never go out of style—they’re like the little black dress of the dessert world. And now that I think about it, I’m noticing another trend: Valentine’s Day inevitably makes me think of warm, melty chocolate—just check out this Chocolate Fondue for Two with Strawberries.

So happy Valentine’s Day everybody! And even if you don’t do Valentine’s Day, you’ve gotta try these cakes!

Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes
Printable Recipe

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 ounces (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, diced, plus more for greasing the ramekins
¾ ounce cornstarch
10 ounces sugar
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Generously butter 8 large ramekins. Combine the semisweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, and butter in a medium bowl, place the bowl over a small pan of simmering water, and heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Whisk together the cornstarch and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in the chocolate mixture. Add the eggs, yolks, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Divide among the ramekins and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, or until thoroughly chilled.

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Bake the cakes for 24 to 26 minutes, or until the tops dome and just set. Let cool for about 5 minutes and serve as is, or to unmold, using pot holders, carefully invert each ramekin onto a dessert plate.

Makes 8 individual cakes. One of the most decadent chocolate desserts ever, and also one of the easiest to make. As the cakes bake, the edges will rise. As soon as the dimple in the center of each cake puffs up and sets, they’re ready. Leave the cakes in the oven any longer, and the centers will bake through and no longer be molten. Batter may be prepared and portioned into ramekins several days in advance and kept covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator. Bake just before serving. This means you can conveniently bake a couple of cakes at a time and save the rest for another day. Serve with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Homemade Takeout

Like just about everyone else, we’ve cut back on eating out. But we still have to get our Chinese food fix somehow. Last night we satisfied our cravings with Lapchong & Shiitake Fried Rice and this Hot & Sour Soup.


Hot & Sour Soup
Printable Recipe

1 ounce dried wood ear mushrooms
½ ounce dried lily buds
1 tablespoon canola oil
6 ounces pork loin, cut into 2×¼×¼-inch strips
3 quarts chicken broth
1 8-ounce can bamboo shoot strips, drained
1 14-ounce package firm tofu, cut into 2×¼×¼-inch strips
¼ cup soy sauce
2 large eggs
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 ½ to 2 teaspoons freshly ground white pepper
¾ teaspoon dark sesame oil
Kosher salt
½ cup sliced green onions

Combine the wood ears and 2 cups hot water in a small bowl and let soak for about 15 minutes, or until rehydrated and pliable. Remove the woods ears to a cutting board and julienne.

Combine the lily buds and ½ cup hot water in a small bowl and let soak for about 15 minutes, or until rehydrated and pliable. Drain the lily buds and shred lengthwise.

Heat a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the canola oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pot. Add the pork and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the broth, bamboo shoots, tofu, soy sauce, wood ears, and lily buds. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until the flavors come together. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl. Whisk together the cornstarch and ¼ cup water in another small bowl. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the soup and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it thickens and comes back to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring slowly while adding the eggs in a thin stream. Stir in the rice vinegar, white pepper, and sesame oil and season to taste with salt. Ladle into individual bowls, top with plenty of green onions, and serve immediately.

Serves 10 to 12 as a first course. You can use more or less rice vinegar and white pepper to your taste. Dried wood ear mushrooms and dried lily buds, which are also known as golden needles, are available at Asian markets.