Martha's Lamb Cupcakes - DONE! SUCCESS!

Ingredients

Makes 24

• Billy's Vanilla Frosting + 1/2 scraped vanilla bean (easier than her recipe for this cupcake)
• 24 cupcakes (used my own fave vanilla recipe)
• 2 ounces mini marshmallows, halved crosswise
• 6 full-sized marshmallows, halved lengthwise, then diagonally to create lamb ears

Directions

1. Frost the cupcakes.
2. Arrange the halved mini marshmallows around the perimeter of each plain-buttercream cupcake, in two concentric circles. Leave room for ears on the edges, and an empty circle in the center for the face. Place halved full-sized marshmallows in reserved spots for the ears. I piped pink frosting for the nose and chocolate eyes instead of bubblegum and chocolate drops that Martha called for.

Martha's Monkey Cake - DONE! SUCCESS!

Ingredients

Serves 10 to 12

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
• 3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for dusting
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 very ripe, large bananas, mashed (about 1 1/3 cups)
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup chopped pecans, optional
• Fluffy Chocolate and Yellow Buttercreams
• 2 black-licorice drop candies
• Black-licorice rope, for decorating

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8 1/2-inch-diameter 3-quart stainless-steel or ovenproof bowl and 1 cup of a large (1-cup capacity) muffin tin; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and brown sugar; mix on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to medium; mix in flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with banana mixture. Stir in pecans.
4. Fill prepared muffin cup three-quarters full. Transfer remaining batter to prepared baking bowl. Transfer to oven, side by side. Bake cupcake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in tin on a wire rack. Continue baking large cake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes more (1 hour and 40 minutes total). Let cool in bowl on a wire rack 30 minutes. Invert bowl to remove cake; let cool completely.
5. Trim flat side of cake to be level. Trim away top of cupcake to be level. Cut cupcake in half vertically for the two monkey ears. Cut bowl cake in half horizontally to make 2 layers. Spread 3/4 cup chocolate buttercream on top of flat layer. Top with domed layer. Transfer to a cake plate. Spread a thick layer of chocolate buttercream over entire monkey head. Spread buttercream over cupcake ears. Attach ears to sides of head, top of cupcake facing forward, securing with toothpicks.
6. Place remaining chocolate frosting in a piping bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #5). Pipe dots around bottom edge of cake in a continuous line. Switch to a small multi-opening tip (such as Ateco #233); pipe hair on top of head.
7. Fill another piping bag fitted with a large plain round tip (such as Ateco #11) with yellow buttercream. Pipe an oval near the front base of cake. Fill in with frosting, and smooth. Place 2 small pieces of licorice rope inside for nose. Add a long piece of rope for mouth. Place licorice drops above oval for eyes. Pipe yellow half-circles in centers of ears; fill in with frosting, and smooth. Decorated cake can be refrigerated up to 3 hours.

First published: May 2006

Recipe - Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Ingredients

Serves 16.

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 40 ounces (5 packages) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Put butter and brown and granulated sugars into mixer bowl; mix on medium until pale and fluffy. Mix in vanilla, eggs, and yolks. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the cream. Stir in chocolate chips.
2. For each of the 5 layers, drop 1 level cup batter onto center of a baking sheet lined with parchment (keep unbaked dough refrigerated). Using a small offset spatula, spread into an 8-inch circle. Bake until edges are pale golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven. Use offset spatula to reshape circle. Return to oven; bake until edges are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes more. Transfer to wire rack; let cool. Can be stored airtight up to 1 day.
3. Mix cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in clean mixer bowl on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Spread onto 4 cookies. Stack cookies, placing unfrosted cookie on top. Refrigerate until frosting is set, at least 20 minutes or up to 4 hours. Serve at room temperature.

First published Spring