Back to School "Hostess" Cupcakes

It's that time of year again! School starts back up this week, and I have to admit, it's about time! Since I was a little girl, I've always looked forward to the start of a new school year, but this year, the whole family has been counting the days! Of course, yesterday was actually supposed to be the first day of school, but it was cancelled yesterday and today due to Hurricane Earl. As I said yesterday, we lost power and internet for the majority of the day, but by the time Earl had escalated to a Category 4, he had moved off to the northwest, leaving us with very minimal damage to clean up around our home, but more damage around the island. We're keeping our eyes on Tropical Storm Fiona now, which is expected to head our way by the end of the week. For now, though, things are quieting down and there are treats to be made (and eaten)!

With all of the stress and strain of moving overseas this summer, the normal routine that a school year brings with it will be very welcome. Plus, our poor boy has had some very lonely few months. As an extroverted, social kid, this summer has been especially tough on him. He's very much looking forward to meeting new friends tomorrow, and getting involved in some extracurricular activities, as well. He's nervous for the first time ever, but I suppose that's to be expected. After all, he isn't just starting a new school...he's starting high school!

In honor of the start of school tomorrow, I wanted to make something that reminded me of school lunches and after school snacks. What's more memorable than finding a special treat from your mom at lunch? Something like a Hostess Cupcake! Or, in this case, a "fauxstess" cupcake!

These are even better than the real thing, though. The mass produced, pre-packaged variety that you get in the grocery store aren't awful, but they aren't exactly delicious either. The cake tends to be dry, while the filling is overpoweringly sweet, and the frosting on top is flat tasting. These homemade cakes are moist and chocolate-y, the filling is the perfect amount of sweetness and creaminess to balance the cake, and the frosting is rich and smooth. And, bonus, they can be made vegan!

This is Not a Test

My family and I are hunkered down waiting for Hurricane Earl to pass. This is our first official hurricane because we've always been evacuated in the past. Evacuation procedures here are different, due to our distance from the mainland. At this time, Earl is a category 2 hurricane. Things are pretty wild, but nothing too out of control. Things are expected to escalate this afternoon and evening, though, when the center of the storm will be very near the Virgin Islands.

Ironically, my back to school post had to be postponed due to the fact that the first day of school has been cancelled because of Earl, but also because we've lost power and Internet (thank goodness for iPhones). So, for now, I'm going to go play Apples to Apples with the family and some friends who are weathering the storm with us. I'll update later and will hopefully have some yummy food published ASAP!

Getting on Track...

This Sunday, we will officially have been in our new home for four weeks. My kitchen, living room, and dining room are all unpacked, arranged, organized, and settled. Our son's room and bathroom, as well as our bedroom and bathroom, are, as well. When we moved, though, we lost a two car garage, a finished basement, and an attic in exchange for another bedroom and three more bathrooms, so there's still a lot of stuff trying to find the right home (somehow, I don't think my guests want to sleep next to my husband's work bench and power tools). Things are getting there, though.

School starts this coming Monday, and routines are beginning to form again. With the house, and the days,  back to myself once more, I'll be able to slip back into a schedule of some kind. And I can hardly wait! It's been very difficult trying to even come up with inspiration for the blog, let alone follow through on my ideas. This week was a very busy week for me, and a very slow week for the blog, but my mind is going a million miles an hour with things I want to make!


I've also been adjusting to the drastic climate change. The humidity runs at a near constant 85% here, unless it's higher. I've never had to bake in such high humidity before and it's taking some time to learn the ropes, while still providing recipes that work for those who don't live in a steam room! There have actually been a couple of recipes that never made here this week because of my disappointment in them. In the end, I made them work for my friends and family, but they weren't anywhere near my standards for the blog. I learned a lot from them, though, and have so much more wisdom to share because of them! Who knows?! You may end up seeing them after all, just so I can share the trials, and show how you can make something be what you need, in the end.


As I said, though, I'm getting there and things are picking up. I've had time to do sight-seeing and enjoy the island, and it has inspired me to try some new things I might never have thought of before!


So, although this isn't anywhere remotely as exciting as a yummy treat with fun photos, I wanted to take today to say, one more time, thank you for being so patient and understanding while my family made this huge move and adjusted. I love my blog and it's not going anywhere, but it's been nice knowing that you aren't leaving either!


Thanks again, everyone, and see you Monday with a fun back-to-school treat! Enjoy your weekend!

Chocolate and Sugar and Espresso...Oh My!

My favorite cookies are chocolate crinkles. I love, love, love them! So much!

They're soft and fudgy in the middle with a thin, crisp, sugary crust on the outside. They are, to me, the closest thing to a brownie, in cookie form, that you can achieve. If you've been reading my blog for a while, then you already know that I am a brownie lover. Brownies and I have been having a serious love affair for years. I expect certain things from my brownies, and when those needs aren't met, I don't make. I don't wait around for myself to try to like them more. I move on. I find the brownie that's right for me. So, for me to compare these cookies to brownies...well, then you should know what to expect.

As much as I love them, I wanted to take crinkles a step further, though. Make them yummier. Fudgier. Absolutely more irresistible. So I sandwiched them together with an espresso fudge filling

Oh my heaven. I can't keep my hands off of them! In fact, I'm almost ashamed to say that these have actually been a major player in my breakfast for the past few mornings. Someone come save me before I can no longer fit into my jeans.

My New Favorite Cupcake: Watermelon!

I discovered it this past weekend. It's soft, sweet, and scrumptious (yes, I said scrumptious). The frosting is fluffy and creamy, while the cake is moist and velvety. I am having an affair with this cupcake.

And it isn't even chocolate.

It's watermelon!!

Blueberry Lemon Crumble Tart

A few months ago, my husband got me a new cookbook, The Art and Soul of Baking. I love this book. It's beautiful and there are so many delicious recipes to choose from. They are, I admit, a little more advanced in some cases, and many of them are rather time consuming, but when I take the time to make them, it's always well worth it!

When I came across a recipe for a blueberry crumble tart, I could hardly wait to try it. Then we moved, though, and I had to wait a bit. Which was a shame, really, because there are no blueberries, like Maine blueberries!

Instead, I splurged on some very pricey berries here in St. Croix. The recipe calls for three pints, which I didn't really think twice about, but once I started assembling the tart...well, you'll see.

When I decided to make this, I assumed, it being a tart, that it would be somewhat labor intensive and time consuming, but I'm finding that tarts actually tend to be rather quick and easy to make. This only took me about 30 minutes (minus baking and cooling times), from homemade tart shell to completed tart, to make. In fact, I made it the same day I made fresh ice cream, while still busy unpacking our home! If you have a tart pan, this recipe is worth trying, and if you don't have a tart pan, I think you could certainly get away with making the dough in a pie pan instead.

And the winner is...

...comment #12: A day in the life of a Super Autism Mommy! Congratulations!! Please contact bakingdomblog at gmail dot com with your shipping info to claim your prize!


Thank you everyone for sharing your favorite ice cream choices with me, and even though I can't give everyone a copy of the book, I highly recommend that you look into getting it yourself! It's full of lots of yummy, easy to make recipes and ideas. And the price is nice too!


Winner chosen at random courtesy of Random Line Picker

Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream and a Tasty Giveaway

Well, it certainly is ice cream season, huh?? With all these hot, hot, hot temps still hanging over everyone, I decided to keep it nice and simple with some homemade ice cream today. And what's easier than classic, creamy vanilla?

If you don't have an ice cream maker, it's definitely a good investment. Ice cream can be pretty pricey!

A few years ago, my husband bought me a Donvier manual ice cream maker. I love this thing! It's very easy to use and makes really delicious ice cream. It's supposed to make one quart at a time, but mine holds a quart and a half perfectly.

Butter Rum Cake

When we first arrived in the Virgin Islands, we stayed at a great little resort called The Palms. Upon entering our room, we were greeted with a complimentary bottle of Cruzan rum!

Cruzan is a local rum made right here on the island. It's sold basically everywhere here and you can even tour the distillery! When the Dutch were settled on the island early on, they had several dozen sugar plantations in operation. In 1760, Cruzan rum went into production using the local sugar cane.

Personally, I'm not much of a rum fan, but as we explored the island's many restaurants, we noticed they all had one thing in common. Every single restaurant we went to served some form of rum cake on it's dessert menu. And I tried them all!! Some weren't bad, one was downright awful, and another was, by far, the best out of all of them. It inspired me, and I decided to put my own two cents in to see what I could come up with. Boy oh boy, am I ever glad I did!!! Don't go any farther though if you're in any way averse to butter, eggs, or sweet rummy goodness.

My version of rum cake is based on a pound cake, but I decided it'd be more fun as a Bundt cake. The recipe here is for a full size Bundt, but you can easily cut the ingredients in half and make one 9-by-5 inch loaf.

A Breakdown...

...of languid proportions.

Since getting to the island, having an internet connection has truly been a luxury. Sure, I've got my iPhone...but let's face it, even with all of it's magic, it's still limited. The hotel we stayed in for our first four weeks had hit or miss internet on a good day. Throw a tropical storm into the mix and things weren't looking good (not to mention the fact that I could only get a connection if I went to the lobby...in another building). As a result, no matter how much I truly wanted to keep on bloggin' on, it was seriously too much of a headache. Instead, I extended my vacation!

I've spent the last few weeks exploring the island, adjusting to island life, and snorkeling with my boys! Lots of snorkeling! I'd share all of my brilliant underwater photos...but I haven't got any. I'd have to have an underwater casing for my camera first. I'll get one, though...eventually. Anyway, we tried pretty much every restuarant on the island and I found a nice little bakery that makes some pretty delicious treats (which really only made me homesick for the joy of making treats of my own).

I rested, relaxed, and basically lost my mind. Seriously, I realized that I am just not one of those people that can do nothing for an extended period of time. It's just too boring, too mind-numbing, too "if-I-have-to-look-at-these-hotel-room-walls-anymore-my-head-will-explode!" I lazily went bonkers as I languished on the beach and lazed about my room, waiting for our household goods so we could finally move into the house we had waiting at the top of a hill.

Well, I'm happy to announce that...

...we are home!!

Our stuff was delivered on Friday and we have been working all weekend to get unpacked and settled in. Yesterday, our internet was finally installed! I was so happy, I danced a little jig as everything whirred to life! I'm not kidding. As the signal grew, my sanity returned, I just had to remind myself not to look at the kitchen. It looks like a supermarket and a home goods store played chicken...and neither swerved. It's terrifying.

Fortunately, I have the entire world wide web to distract me from the fact that no matter how many times I say "I'm home" that kitchen ain't gettin' any cleaner. And don't even get me started on the rest of the house! No, really. Don't. But what do you want me to do?? Go in there and find myself on the wrong side of the sanity fence again? I didn't think so...you don't mind if I avoid reality for a few more days, do you? At least until I have some semblance of a bedroom to sleep in, right?

Good. I knew you'd see it my way! And, hey, stay tuned...I'll be back to business really soon. You all have no idea how much I appreciate your patience.