Harry Potter Sweets: "Cauldron Cakes"

Hello Nomsters,
With the release of the final Harry Potter movie less than 48 hours away, I thought this would be a good time to cook up some Harry Potter favorites as a tribute to the epic adventure we've experienced by following "The Boy Who Lived" for the past fourteen years. From the books we read throughout our childhood, to the movies we anticipated during our teen years, it would be neglectful to not take note of the influence that JK Rowling's universe has played in our generation. I'm sure most of us are thinking "how can it actually be the last movie?!" Now, while I know not everyone may be a fan of the series, I can say that this blog and those closely connected to Nightly Noms are in the least Potter fans, if not complete and utter "Potheads."

With billboards scattered around cities with the slogan of "It All Ends," we can't quite help but feel that a huge part of our own childhoods are ending. Just think, for those of us who just turned twenty, it won't be until we're around thirty that we can say that we haven't spent more than half of our life following a certain boy wizard and his friends' adventures. So, in honor of my personal obsession with the adventures of Mr. Potter, and due to the fact that I'm going to see the midnight premiere with friends, I've decide to tweak, bake, and invent some of my own Harry Potter sweet recipes.

I thought that cooking up some Cauldron Cakes would be a fun experiment and spent some time debating about the best way of executing a recipe. Should we make a lava cake? Chocolate vs. Cinnamon? Cauldron shaped vs. the traditional baking pan? In the end we decided to go with a recipe of chocolate cinnamon cupcake with a caramel cream cheese filling (to mimic a bubbling over effect.") We hope you enjoy these Potter-inspired recipes and look out for an upcoming post for Butterbeer Ice Cream Floats


"Cauldron Cakes"
Cakes
Ingredients

-1 1/4 Flour (sifted)
-1/2 cup Cocoa Powder (sifted)
-2 to 3 tsp Cinnamon (sifted)
-1 1/4 cup Sugar
-1 cup Milk (room temp, can be 2% or whole, if you only have skim, you can use that and add a bit of cream)
-1/2 tsp Baking Soda
-1/4 tsp Salt (sifted)
-Vanilla
-2 Eggs (room temp)
Along with the Cauldron Cakes, Exploding Bon Bons sounded like a good challenge so we've included a recipe for our version of those also.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard cupcake pan with baking cups (or spray with pam, or use saran wrap and rub butter to avoid sticking).

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl/measuring cup.

3. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy. Stop to add the sugar; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.

4. Combine the vanilla extract and milk in a large liquid measuring cup.

5. Reduce the speed to low. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then gradually add one-third of the milk mixture, beating until well incorporated. Add another one-third of the flour mixture, followed by one-third of the milk mixture. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining milk mixture, and beat just until combined.

6.Add the sifted cocoa powder and cinnamon, beating (on low speed) just until incorporated.

7. Use a standard-size ice cream scoop to fill each cupcake paper with batter, so that the wells are about 1/3 to 1/2 full. Then, using a spoon, place a dollop of your filling into the center (don't push down!) Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center/side of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. If you use a mini bundt pan and can't get them out without smooshing them, then place a piece of saran wrap over a cookie tray, place it on top of the bundt pan, and flip it. Then, lightly tap the tin in an attempt to get them loose.

Filling/Icing
Ingredients
-1 8oz package Cream Cheese
-1/4 to 1/2 stick Butter
-1 tsp Vanilla
-1/4 package of Instant Vanilla pudding mix OR 1/2-1 cup of Confectioners (Powdered) sugar
-4 to 7 Tbsp Maple Syrup (sweeten to taste, but in small increments to monitor filling consistency)

Method
1. place your softened cream cheese and butter in a bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to incorporate them into each other. Add roughly a tsp of Vanilla, mix,
2. Add either your pudding mix or the confectioners sugar and mix well,
3. Add in maple syrup and mix until creamy
4. See Cake recipe above for filling prodecure

Now, I have to admit that I was a bit worried about how these would come out; but, in the end they came out better than I could have imagined. In the end, you could actually keep them upright or flip them right side up (since I used a decorative bundt pan). Originally I had planned to use a cupcake pan with baking cups, but after rummaging around my kitchen I found the perfect pan, so I decided to use that rather.

Depending on how much filling you place in the baking cup/batter, you get a larger "hole" in the center, giving them their Cauldron-like appearance! I personally made up the recipe for my filling, but I'd probably play with it a little more to perfect the taste, or I would use cream cheese frosting. As you can see from the pictures, I used some of the left over icing to give the cakes a "bubbling" effect. That just requires the use of a steady hand, or a self-made piping bag. My friends and I will be munching on these tonight as we anxiously wait to head to the theater, so hopefully I'll be able to post more feedback in my next post :)


Finally, before Potter fans around the world dress up, line up, and excitedly chatter about all of the insanely wicked memories they have that relate to world of Harry Potter, we raise our Cauldron Cakes in honor of some of the best adventure stories of our time and hope for many more!

nox, 


The Georgetown Foodie


We always love comments, please take the time to leave one below :)

Nightly Noms Recipe: Blueberry Stuffed Graham Cracker Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

Hey Nomsters,

I'm back for more. I know, two posts in one week? It's a bit of a shocker, but with so many blogs out there  I have to give you a a good reason to stay up to date with The Georgetown Foodie. I'm sure you're sick of hearing about cupcakes, but there's a recipe at the end of this post, so it's worth your time!

In the past couple of years the "Cupcake Craze" has taken over bakeries around the country. For DC dwellers, we can barely take a bite out of a baked good without being asked if we've tried a Georgetown Cupcake. For Georgetowners, we like G'twon Cupcakes well enough, but whispers of our devotion to Baked & Wired's Vanilla Chai don't go unnoticed. And then there's the new addition of Sprinkles, which has exponentially increased the amount of lines we must avoid on our cobblestone paths. Same goes for Chicago natives, from Molly's Cupcakes, to the boutique-inspired cupcakes at more, cities are experiencing an influx of cupcake consumers. But how long will the cupcake craze last? Big name publications like WSJ and The Post have been predicting a cupcake cataclysm for the past few months, but with no avail. Our take on the situation? It won't be cupcakes that go out of style (not with the millions of kids that love the individually sized cups of cake and icing) it'll be the fact that cupcake consumers just don't want to shell out $3+ dollars for something we can make ourselves, if we really want to, especially if we're already spending $3 dollars for our latte fix. For those of you who opt for the cupcake fix, keep buying, it's not a sin to enjoy a pricey treat every once in a while; but, if you're looking to take cupcakes to a party or make them for your own, at least consider the value in baking up some of your own tasty treats!

Here's a recipe straight out of the Nightly Noms' test kitchen for some delicious Blueberry Stuffed Graham Cracker Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting. Of course you don't have to stuff them, but it adds a nice touch!

Blueberry Stuffed Graham Cracker Cupcakes 

w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes

Ingredients
-1 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour (sifted)
-1 1/4 cup Sugar
-2 Eggs (room temperature if possible)
-8 Tbsp Butter (1 stick, room temperature)
-1/2 tsp Baking Soda (sifted)
-1/4 tsp salt (sifted)
-1/2 cup Graham Cracker Crumbles (sifted, like the Keebler ones used for pie cfrusts)
-1 1/4 tsp Vanilla
-1 cup Milk

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard cupcake pan with baking cups (or spray with pam, or use saran wrap and rub butter to avoid sticking).


2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl.

3. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy. Stop to add the sugar; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.

4. Combine the vanilla extract and milk in a large liquid measuring cup.


5. Reduce the speed to low. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then gradually add one-third of the milk mixture, beating until well incorporated. Add another one-third of the flour mixture, followed by one-third of the milk mixture. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining milk mixture, and beat just until combined.

6.Add the graham cracker crumbs, beating (on low speed) just until incorporated.

7. Use a standard-size ice cream scoop to fill each cupcake paper with batter, so that the wells are two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting

Ingredients
-4Tbsp Butter (1/2 stick, you can use a full stick if you want a more whipped texture)
-8 oz Cream Cheese (your standard package at the store)
-1 box of Confectioners Sugar (approx 16oz or ~3.75 cups)

Method
1. If you have a mixer or hand mixer, place butter and cream cheese into a bowl and mix on low to medium until incorporated with each other. Add vanilla and mix,

2. Add confectioners sugar (powdered sugar) about a cup at a time and mix into butter/cream cheese mix until the entire box has been mixed in well. Consistency should be light, but not too whipped.
(if you don't have a hand mixer, no worries, that just means a bit more mixing. Make sure you let the butter/cream cheese soften and then used a fork to mix them together. Add vanilla and then start adding confectioners sugar until well incorporated.)

3. Frost the cupcakes, if you want the look that's in the pictures, you can either use a piping bag, OR you can take a large ziploc bag, fill it with the frosting, and cut a hole in one corner.

*if you want your frosting to be a bit firmer as to give the cupcakes a similar appearance as the ones displayed, I would suggest loading your piping bags and them placing them into the fridge for about 20-30mins.

Let us know what you think and be sure to leave a comment :)

Enjoy and keep up the cooking,
-GF

Simply 7: Summer Pasta Salads, the best way to avoid eating ramen every night

Hey Nomsters!

If there's one thing you take away from this post, it's this: Pasta+Water+Whatever you want=some really tasty summer lunches and dinners.

With so many students staying away from home this summer, the Georgetown Foodie is going to reel out some new posts called "Simply 7."  Our goal is to give college students basic recipes that require 7 ingredients or less (excluding some basics like salt and pepper or olive oil)!




All of you in a high heat/humidity climate for the summer know the sluggish feeling of not wanting to do anything but sit on a stoop sipping iced tea or go out for happy hour. And for those of you staying in DC for internships, jobs, and the usual debauchery, I bet you're not enjoying the combination of heat, the need to cook (so you don't go broke), and the fleeting feeling of nausea when you think "I don't have anything edible in my kitchen for lunch except oatmeal?" I mean, college students are definitely equipped to handle the pressures of 4am study sessions, 10pm meetings, and the random late night draw of solo cups and flashing lights; but when it comes to cooking, we can be sort of clueless. So here we are at The Georgetown Foodie/Nightly Noms trying to satisfy your late night munchies and give you a mini education in the world of culinary creativity!




Ask almost any college kid what the go to meal is when you 1. don't have time, 2. need something fast, and 3. just don't give a flying... uh fish? The response: Pasta. I mean any kid with common sense can boil water (if you can't, click here immediately)

For all of you out there that go to the same Kraft Mac'n'Cheese, Ramen noodles, and Barilla Whole Wheat Penne.... PAUSE for a minute. You can still pick up that box of inexpensive, tasty pasta, but we're going to give you some alternatives to that package of "cheese" you find with your Scooby Doo shaped mac. Pasta salads are a quick fix for hunger and a fast and easy way to make a lot of food that'll last you a a few good meals. The basic equation for pasta salad is simple. There's so much room for creativity, you'll never risk boredom with a week straight of mac'n'cheese. So here's one recipe and pictures* that use 7 ingredients for a string of meals that'll last you through a summer as a solo cook! Click the links for some of the specific ingredients, many that can be used for both this pasta salad and pizzas.

Basic Pasta Salad Equation: Pasta+Protein (meat/cheese)+Veggies+Seasoning

Mediterranean Summer Pasta Salad

7 Ingredients (measurements are approximations, so use as much or as little as you want!)

-Pasta, anything from Tortellini  to Penne (cooked, just follow the instructions on the box for al dente and add a dash of salt)
-Sun Dried or Cherry Tomatoes (chopped, use a bit of oil from sun dried tomatoes instead of regular)
-Feta Cheese (small cubes, approx 1/2 cup), or any cheese you have on hand
-Canned Chicken

Some Feta!

-Kalamata Olives (chopped)
-Red Bell Pepper (diced)
-Cucumber (diced)
-Seasonings (olive oil, salt, pepper, etc)


Method
1. Place cooked pasta in large container, add a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking and dryness
2. Chop up or cube your other ingredients
3. Add a protein
4. Mix in seasonings
5. Taste/edit to perfection


Some other fun additions:
-Celery
-Carrots
-Chopped Walnuts or Sliced Almonds (Trader Joe's)
-Dried Cranberries
-Lemon/Lime Zest
-Cayenne pepper
-Curry Powder


One of the best things about pasta salads is that they're versatile and can be tweaked as you go. If you aren't in love with the taste starting off, try adding a little something else, like a squeeze of lemon, or a tablespoon of salad dressing to get to the desired flavor! Most pasta salads can be stored up to a week depending on the ingredients, so you'll have some go to meals for a while. Also, you can always opt to heat up your pasta in the microwave for a different taste, or bake it with some cheese on top!

*note-pictures shown depict a pasta salad with more than 7 ingredients, but I've listed the basic 7 in the recipe.


Happy Nomming,



-Georgetown Foodie