Today on Adventures In The Kitchen we are talking about the role of grandparents in our life with Nell Sunukjian.  She knows a little about grandparenting as she has 12 grandkids with 2 on the way.

We talk about intentionally building into your grandchildren and I share tips a few ideas for Grandparents Day, September 11, 2011.  She has an annual tea for all the women in her family.  It is quite the shindig and is a special time for her family.  The men even get into the action helping to serve the food.

Here are a few tips from Nell on hosting a tea for your family.

Tips for Special Teas at Home

1. Find the lovely linens you have from your wedding or grandmother and use them! Layer them for an even more luxurious look.

2. Use the china that is sitting somewhere on a shelf or in a box. There’s no need to save it—use it and enjoy.

3. Cut flowers from your yard, or buy them inexpensively at Sam’s Club or Trader Joe’s. Put flowers on every table you use, and even the bathroom!

4. Plan your menu. Use at least one menu item you are confident about and try something new, too.

5. Have a theme—it makes for more fun as you find items on sale or in the toy box that add to the décor.

a.    Minnie Mouse
b.    Strawberry Shortcake
c.    Fancy Nancy
d.    Anne of Green Gables

6. Send invitiations by snail mail—so special to receive and fun to send, too.

7. Have a table question for all to answer i.e., share a memory of your very first tea or tell about a time when your mother or grandmother dressed up very fancy.

8. Children enjoy decaf tea if you offer plenty of sugar and milk with it.

9. Think about moving your table to the back patio where you are surrounded by nature and beauty.

10. If your chairs don’t match or are plain, drape them in fabric pieces, table toppers or even tablecloths so that everything looks festive.

11. Prepare as much food as possible the day before or even earlier and freeze.

Here is one of the recipe’s she served at this year’s tea.

Devil’s Food Cupcakes

Adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcakes

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa

¾ cup hot water

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

3 sticks unsalted butter

2 ¼ cups sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pans with paper liners.

Whisk together cocoa and hot water.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Melt butter with sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat. Pour into mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until each is incorporated into the batter. Add vanilla, mix. Add cocoa mixture, mix. Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beating until just combined after each addition.

Fill lined-cupcake pan about ¾ full. Bake, about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

When completely cool, frost with pink butter-cream frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

¾ stick of butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-4 tablespoons of milk or cream

Red food coloring – several drops

In electric mixing bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter at a low speed. Add vanilla. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time so that the frosting is the right texture for spreading. You may not need all 4 tablespoons of milk.  Add red food coloring as desired

Increase the speed and beat for 2 minutes to finish the frosting and eliminate any powdered sugar lumps. If the frosting becomes too runny, add more powdered sugar.

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This week I started a new job and decided to whip up a batch of Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Fresh Raspberry Buttercream.  Doesn’t everyone love a cupcake?  So Sunday night I baked and frosted and packed them up like I was packing lunch for the first day of school

These dark chocolate cupcakes come from the back of the Hershey’s Dark Cocoa box.  I made a few changes but they are moist and dark, dark chocolate.  On the rare occasion I am in a chocolate shop I always buy the dark chocolate truffle with raspberry filling.  Dark chocolate and raspberries are a great pair. The fresh raspberries make this frosting pop with flavor.

We have a winner for the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker – Colleen Stockman! Colleen was number 5 – so send me your address and the ice cream maker will be on the way!  Thank you all for entering and helping to promote the show.

Each week I have fun giveaways planned – this week is a $25 giveaway to Tomkat Studios and a copy of Edith Schaeffer’s book The Hidden Art of Homemaking. From invitations to children’s parties and baby showers there are adorable things to buy and print out to add that sparkle to your next celebration. Here is how to enter:

 Sign up for my new Adventures In The Kitchen newsletter for one entry.  For a second entry like my Facebook page and leave a comment here. Share “Check on the Tomkat Studio giveway and listen to Adventures In The Kitchen on KKLA 99.5″ on twitter or Facebook for a third one and leave a comment.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream
Cupcake recipe adapted from recipe on Hershey’s Dark Cocoa

1 2/3 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey’s Dark Cocoa (use regular cocoa if desired)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour or line 2 cupcake pans (24 cupcakes).

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

Place butter and sugar in mixing bowl and mix.  Add eggs, milk, butter and vanilla; beat to medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Pour into cupcake pans.  Bake 30 minutes or until wooden stick inserted in center comes out clean.

Fresh Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon
1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Place butter and 3 cups of powdered sugar in to a mixing bowl.  Mix together until the frosting is smooth and thick.  Add more sugar as needed.  Add vanilla,     and raspberries.  Blen for 1 minute.

Frost the cupcakes and top each with a fresh raspberry.

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Cake pops are just fun to make and even better to eat.  You can make a batch, freeze half and pull out when you are ready to serve them. I recruited my niece to help me make the Peaches and Cream cake pops.  She had fun dipping them into the white chocolate and roll them in the sanding sugar.

I had seen this recipe over at Betty Crocker and thought they would make a tasty cake pop.  The peach puree makes the cake sweeter and the cream adds a rich creamy base.  The peaches and cream pair well with white chocolate.  Dipped in white chocolate and finished off with orange sanding sugar they looked very summery.

I wrapped them in cellophane and tied a cute ribbon around.  I brought them to my hair salon to surprise Jennifer and the other stylists.  You could dip them dark chocolate for a variation. Be creative and enjoy.

1 batch of Peaches and Cream cake (recipe below)
1 tub of cream cheese frosting
16 ounces white chocolate
Orange sanding sugar
Lollipop sticks

Crumble the baked and cooled cake into a large bowl.  Stir the tub of cream cheese into the cake crumbs.  Using a small ice cream scooper form bowl cake balls and place a on cookie sheet.  Place in freezer for an hour.  Take out and place them in a plastic tub to freeze until ready to use.

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or in a bowl over hot water.

Insert a lollipop stick into each cake ball.  Dip into the white chocolate using a spoon to help coat the balls evenly.  Dip into the sanding sugar and place on a sheet of parchment paper.

Peaches and Cream Cake

by Bettycrocker.com
1 bag frozen sliced peaches, thawed
1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist white cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup whipping cream
3 eggs
1/4 cup peach preserves

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease bottoms only of two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans with shortening or cooking spray. Reserve 8 peach slices for garnish; cover and refrigerate. In blender or food processor, place remaining peaches; cover and blend until pureed. Reserve 1/4 cup blended peaches for filling; cover and refrigerate.

In large bowl, beat remaining blended peaches, the cake mix, oil, 1/3 cup whipping cream and the eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pans.

Bake 8-inch rounds 32 to 36 minutes, 9-inch rounds 28 to 33 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of pans to loosen cakes; carefully remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

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My friend is on a gluten free diet and this week I decided it was time to bake something to bring to our Sunday Suppers. He generously opens his house up each week and lets us cook and even watches crazy movies like Working Women with us. The hair in that movie is crazy. I cringed thinking of a few photos in old albums where I might have had similar hair to Melanie Griffith. There are some trends I hope never are revisited and quarter back shoulder pads are one of them. Anyways, I digress. I saw this Almond Cherry cake over at Roost and with cherries in season I picked this for my first gluten free baking session.

I went to buy almond flour and almost passed out at the $12 price tag. I bought a bag of blanched almonds in the bulk section of Sprouts and took them home to grind my own flour. I saved $7 by doing that. Make sure you finely grind the almonds. There may have been a few chunks in my cake.

The cherries were easy because of this. If you love cherries, this is the bomb. It makes pitting a quick task.

It turned out great (everyone had seconds) but I would tweak a few things next time. I might add a bit of cinnamon and I would serve with whipped cream or maybe creme fraiche. I would also add more cherries at the bottom.

Almond & Cherry Upside Down Cake

3 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup melted butter (she used ghee)
1/2 cup honey
1 cup or so of cherries pitted and halved

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a bowl. Combine dry and wet and set aside. Butter or spray a bundt pan (or you could use a regular cake pan). Place the halved cherries cut side UP at the bottom of the pan (the amount of cherries needed will depend on your cake/bundt pan).

Pour batter on top of cherries and place in oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (It took every bit of the 30 in my oven)

Cool for at least 30 minutes.

After cake is cooled place a plate or cake stand atop the cake pan and flip. The cake easily slid out.

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It’s New Years and time for a toast.  For a fun addition to this evening or any special celebration try these Champagne Cupcakes with a Raspberry Champagne Buttercream.

The cupcakes are a bit drier but when topped with the sweet and buttery frosting they are perfect.  I used Coppola’s Sophia Sparkling Wine.  It is pink, sweet and perfect for these little cakes.

I’m having dinner at a little Italian restaurant with friends tonight.  Truth be told I’d love to be home entertaining at home.  I hope each of you has a safe and Happy New Year’s Eve.  Thank you for visiting Adventures In The Kitchen this year!

Champagne Cupcakes
adapted from All Recipes

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup champagne (I used Pink)
6 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line cupcake pan with liners or butter and flour the pan.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.

In a mixing bowl mix the butter and sugar. Mix in the flour and champagne until blended.

In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites with the batter, then fold in the remaining eggs.

Scoop the batter in the cupcake pan.  Place in oven and back 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out dry.

Raspberry Champagne Buttercream
adapted from DC Cupcakes

8 ounces butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup pink champagne
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup pureed raspberries
pink sanding sugar (optional)

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Add the confectioner’s sugar; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.

Add the vanilla, salt and Champagne, and beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Place frosting in a disposable piping bag with a large round tip.

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What is better than celebrating those you love? May is birthday month for my nephews and for the party I decided to whip up Vanilla Cupcakes topped with a vanilla frosting.  One of my nephews  is born at the beginning and the other at the end so we party through out the month.  I love celebrating birthday’s and honoring them with homemade touches.

I used a recipe by Martha Stewart for the cupcakes.   I took some of the batter to create a  small individual birthday cake to put the candles in and get the classic candle blowing shot. I discovered that a small cake topped with 10 candles looks like it is ablaze.

These cupcakes may be basic but the kids love them, especially the frosting.  When I asked Chase what he wanted for his birthday he told me “the same thing – just bigger!”  He is a boy who knows what he wants and is not afraid to ask for it. They didn’t even mind that I topped each one with a cute flower I had bought at ABC Cake Decorating.

I am fortunate to have a cake decorating store just blocks from my house.  It is a dangerous place filled with handmade gum paste flowers, rows of colored sugars and walls of cookie cutters.

For his birthday I debuted a few paper products I have been creating the last few months.  I will post pictures and templates soon.  I created Luke’s birthday water bottles and personalized birthday card to celebrate his 10th birthday.  We sat around dinner, talked about the day he was born and shared favorite memories. We savored each moment of the dinner.

How do you celebrate birthday’s in your family?

Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated and scraping down sides of bowl, beat in vanilla.

Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl to assure the batter is thoroughly mixed. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling papers about 2/3 full. Bake on the center rack of the oven until tops spring back to touch, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Vanilla Frosting

1/4 cup  unsalted butter, softened
3  cups  powdered sugar
1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
3 to 4 tablespoon milk

Beat butter with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth. Beat in vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk, adding additional milk, if necessary, for desired consistency.

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