For New Years Eve, H and I, and two of our friends, had dinner at the Smith in NYC, which I would definitely recommend if you're ever in the area! Our friend chose the spot mainly because it wasn't crazy expensive, included a three-course meal, and a table that was ours for the night (funny how things have changed since the days when an open-bar and great DJ so we could dance the night away were top priorities). We were expecting the food to be decent, but it totally blew our expectations out of the water! The food was really, really, good. It was traditional American with a slight modern spin. We were very impressed! And the champagne sangria was delicious :)
The only downfall of the night was that there was no official countdown and the big ball wasn't on a TV there. This led to about 10 different drunken, randomly started countdowns between 11:58 and 12:02. Oh well! But on to the new year...
I'm not too big on resolutions, since I can never keep them, yet I still try. My goal for this year is for healthy eating and exercising to be more of a lifestyle for me, and less of a quick fix. I need to learn some darn moderation! I have the will-power to to diet and lose weight when I force myself to, but I'm too strict with myself, which causes me to burn out. And then I stop exercising completely and don't watch what I eat at all. And that bingeing is exactly what's happened in the past couple months. It's really not pretty when your loose, flowy tops are starting to become too snug. Yikes!
So I'm going to try to steer towards a bit more healthier recipes in the coming months- I'm excited to eat a bit cleaner, greener, and healthier. But I just have to sneak this cupcake recipe in first! It is the last of the recipes I made for the soup kitchen dinner last month, so it doesn't count, right??
Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream
for the cupcakes:
9 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
8 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup strong coffee (or water)
1/2 cup of low-fat milk
for the filling:
1 cup of seedless raspberry jam
for the frosting:
16 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
Pink icing color
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 and line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time.
In a measuring cup, combine the coffee and milk. Add half of the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until just combine. Stir in the coffee-milk mixture. Add in the remaining dry ingredients, again mixing until just combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling the cups about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, use a small spoon or knife in the top of the cupcake to create a small hole in the center for the filling. Spoon in about 2 teaspoons of raspberry jam in each cupcake. (It may help to heat it up a very tiny bit to make it easier to work with. Be careful not to heat it to the point of being liquid, as it will just absorb into the cupcake.)
Finally, for the frosting, place the butter and jam in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium-high speed until well combined, for about 2 minutes. Sift in the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Tint with the pink icing color as desired. Ice cupcakes, top with chocolate jimmies, and enjoy!
Adapted from Annie's Eats, original recipe here.
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