Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

Cream Puffs In Venice is an incredible site full of beautiful photos and words about food. I love food! There are so many recipes, photos and ideas that just make me drool. Okay, not really, but they definitely look and sound delicious and inspire me too!

A couple of months ago, I made a batch of Dulce de Leche cupcakes that I adapted from a recipe from Cream Puffs In Venice.

Dulce de Leche Cupcakes
Yields: 12 - 18 cupcakes

1 can Dulce de Leche (I didn't use the whole can)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temp
1 cup unsweetened medium shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line muffin/cupcake pan with cupcake liners (I used foil). Place a dollop of Dulce de Leche in each cup (or if you're like me, and love Dulce de Leche, then it may end up being more than a dollop).

In a bowl, sift flour, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar till pale and fluffy.

Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Add the vanilla extract. Mix well.

Add the dry ingredients in three stages, alternating with the buttermilk between each stage. Mix well.

Stir in the coconut.

Spoon mixture into each cup with the Dulce de Leche. Each cup should be about half to three-quarters full.

Bake for about 20 minutes. If cake tester or tooth pick does not come out clean, bake for a few more minutes.

Remove from pan and cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting I just used a basic/simple buttercream recipe.

Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk

Cream butter. Add vanilla extract. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add milk till desired consistency.

Give them a try...they are delicious with the Dulce de Leche in the bottom and a slight coconut texture throughout the cupcake. Initially I thought I might find them a little sweet, but they weren't at all. They were just right. Or if you get a chance to try anything else at Cream Puffs in Venice, be sure to tell me about it. There are so many more recipes there that I still want to enjoy.

Delicious Mashed Red Potatoes

The word delicious would obviously be my opinion of the potatoes I made yesterday. So in an attempt to try to remember how I made them and make sure I can find my jottings again, I've decided to post it here. In turn, sharing it with you too.

Using a bag of red potatoes, I quartered each one and then removed any bad or blemished parts. I would say it was between 4 - 5 lbs in all. I boiled them in a large pot with 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and enough water to cover the potatoes. Boil covered, at a low temperature (otherwise your pot will boil over - I'm really good at this), until the potatoes are tender, about 20 - 25 minutes. As it simmers the potatoes become infused with garlic.

Drain the potatoes and remove the garlic. I placed the potatoes in my standing electric mixer with 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick). The warmth of the potatoes melts the butter nicely and the mixer does a good job of mashing the potatoes while they are still warm. I then added 1/2 cup of milk, and 1/4 cup of sour cream, and 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and blended it all together.

It was that easy and really delicious. This recipe makes plenty; enough even for leftovers. And of course you could adjust the amount of butter, milk and/or sour cream to change the creaminess or consistency to your liking.