Almond Joy Cupcakes #CupcakeDay

All the joy of coconut and almonds, baked into a dark chocolate cupcake, made easy to assemble by using the muffin method: one bowl of wet ingredients poured into one bowl of dry ingredients. What could be more festive or easier?

Every week on this blog, I celebrate Muffin Monday with a new muffin for you, sometimes sweet and sometimes savory. Muffin Monday is a made up holiday but that doesn’t make it less festive or important because if you can start your week out with something tasty from the oven, it’s going to be a better week automatically, than if you didn’t. This week, I am joining a lovely group of bloggers for another made up holiday: Cupcake Day. After all, what is a cupcake but just a dressed up muffin? That really is the dividing line for me. Muffins can be glazed but never frosted. A big pile of icing is reserved for cupcakes. For my Almond Joy Cupcakes today, I took the middle ground and topped the muffins with one toasted almond, as they do in Almond Joy candy bars, and poured a lovely heaping helping of semi-sweet chocolate ganache over the top, after stuffing the batter and the center with sweetened coconut flakes.

Many thanks to Coleen from The Redhead Baker who spearheaded this fun celebration and handled all the hosting responsibilities!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups or 190g flour
1/2 cup or 50g ground almonds
3/4 cup or 150g white sugar
1/3 cup or just over 27g unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons or 200ml coconut milk
1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 oz or 100g semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 3/4 oz or 135g sweetened coconut flakes - divided

For the topping:
1 cup or 240ml whipping cream
8 1/2 oz or 240g semi-sweet chocolate chips
Pinch salt
12 toasted almonds

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 12-cup muffin tin by spraying with non-stick spray or lining it with paper cups.

Combine your flour, ground almonds, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.

In another smaller bowl, whisk together your eggs, coconut milk, oil and vanilla extract.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stop when it’s still quite dry looking.

Add the chocolate chips for the batter and about half of the coconut. No need to measure, just eyeball. Stir until just mixed.

Spoon half your batter into the 12 cups.

Use your fingers to make balls out of the remaining coconut.

Tuck one in the batter of each cup.

Top the coconut balls with the remaining chocolate batter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Meanwhile you can be making the ganache. Put the cream in a little pot or a microwaveable bowl and heat till just before boiling. Remove from the stove or microwave and pour in the chocolate chips and the pinch of salt and stir until the chocolate is completely melted.

Set aside to cool. It should thicken as it cools but should still stay a pouring consistency. If it thickens too much, rewarm it gently.

When the cupcakes are done, remove them from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes in the pan and then remove to continue cooling on a wire rack.

When they are completely cooled, dab on a bit of the chocolate ganache and stick one toasted almond on top of each.

Allow to set a little then spoon on more ganache to cover the almond and the cupcake.

Enjoy!

Looking for ways to make this week even better? How about baking one - or many -  of these 26 wonderful cupcakes?

• Almond Joy Cupcakes by Our Eating Habits
• Almond Joy Cupcakes by Food Lust People Love
• Buttered Rum Cupcakes by Adventures in All Things Food
• Candied Buddha's Hand-Eggnog Cupcakes by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Cupcakes with Candied Butter Pecan Frosting by From Gate to Plate
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes by The Cooking Actress
• Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting for 2 by Kate's Recipe Box
• Chocolate Cupcakes with Red Velvet Frosting by {i love} my disorganized life
• Cone Head Cupcakes with Ice Cream Frosting by The Spiffy Cookie
• Cranberry Apple Cupcakes by The Pajama Chef
• Cranberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream by Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Cupcake Christmas Wreath by Lick the Spoon
• Dark Chocolate Rum Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream by Lemony Thyme
• Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Gingerbread cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting by Eva Bakes
• Hot Cocoa Cupcakes by The Redhead Baker
• Lemon Cupcakes by Miss Information
• Maple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Mint Chocolate Cupcakes by Basic N Delicious
• Nerds Cupcakes by Amy's Confectionery Adventures
• Peppermint Cream Cookie Cupcakes by Take a Bite out of Boca
• Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes by Kosher Kitchen
• Peppermint Patty Cupcakes by Comfortably Domestic
• Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Biscoff Marshmallow Buttercream by Making Miracles
• Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Vanilla Candy Cane Cupcakes by Noshing With The Nolands
• Vegan Midori Melon Cupcakes by NinjaBaker

Eggnog Pound Cake with Eggnog Glaze #FoodieExtravaganza

Homemade eggnog adds richness to the tender crumb of this sweet pound cake and eggnog glaze with extra freshly grated nutmeg is the perfect icing on the cake. If you only have the store-bought kind, that would certainly work just as nicely.

The best laid schemes
When I initially signed up to contribute a recipe to this month’s Foodie Extravaganza eggnog themed event, I did it with a certain amount of smugness because I knew I had one Tetra Pak of Borden’s eggnog, still in date, that was left over from last year. So even if the new ones didn’t make it to the Dubai supermarkets in time. I was GOOD to GO.

But to paraphrase the poet, Robert Burns, “the best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry." And I find myself, happily, willingly, extending my annual visit to Kuala Lumpur to help a dear friend and her family through a rough time. Except the Borden’s eggnog has not come in yet here. In fact, the store where I used to buy it when we lived here says they aren’t getting any this year. Say what, Ampang Mini Mart??

Needs Must
So here’s what I did. I made our family's favorite eggnog, my grandmother’s recipe, already posted here, but in a much smaller quantity, and I added in a little vanilla. (I’ll put the ingredient quantities below, for those who want to go all homemade too.) And THEN I baked eggnog pound cake and made eggnog glaze. It’s been a favorite at snack time all week and one piece has even been requested in a lunch box. Score!

Ingredients
For the eggnog:
Follow the general instructions here but use the following ingredient list if you are making your own eggnog, just for this cake. Then allow it to cool before starting the cake.
1 3/4 cups or 415ml whole milk
1 egg
1/3 cup or 75g sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The cake recipe has been adapted from this one From Chocolate, Chocolate and More. Joan's makes two loaf-shaped pound cakes.

For the cake batter:
1/2 cup or 115g butter, room temperature
1 cup or 200g sugar
2 eggs
2 cups or 250g flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 240ml eggnog

For the glaze:
1 cup or 125g powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch salt
1-2 tablespoons eggnog

Plus extra nutmeg for sprinkling on top of the glaze, if desired.

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 10-cup Bundt pan by spraying it liberally with non-stick baking spray (the kind with flour in) or by buttering and flouring it.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream your butter and sugar together until they are light yellow and fluffy.

Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

First egg going in. 

Add in the flour, baking powder, vanilla, salt and nutmeg.

Then pour in all the eggnog.

Beat until well combined. Once the batter is mixed well, turn the mixer up to medium high and beat for 2 minutes.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Remember, this is pound cake so it's going to be quite thick.

 Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a wooden skewer stuck in the middle comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes and then turn the cake out onto the rack.

While it cools, you can make the glaze. Measure your first three glaze ingredients into a small bowl then add the eggnog a little at a time until you reach your desire consistency.

Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake.

Grate a little more nutmeg on top, if desired. (But I highly recommend it!) Let glaze set up before serving or storing.

Enjoy!

Are you a fan of eggnog? Then this is your season of joy as well as your Foodie Extravaganza month! Many thanks to our great host, Alexis from We Like to Learn As We Go.

• Banana Chocolate Chip Eggnog Coffee Cake - The Sweet {Tooth} Life
• Chewy Eggnog Cookies - We Like to Learn as We Go
• Eggnog Chocolate Chip Cake - Fearlessly Creative Mamas
• Eggnog Cookies - Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Eggnog Creme Brulee - The Freshman Cook
• Eggnog Cupcakes - Baking in Pyjamas
• Eggnog Fudge - Mrs. Penguin
• Eggnog Kringel - Passion Kneaded
• Eggnog Mexican Flan - Pantry Friendly Cooking
• Peppermint Eggnog Hot Chocolate - Trial and Eater
• Eggnog Pound Cake with Eggnog Glaze - Food Lust People Love 
• Eggnog Rice Pudding - The Joyful Foodie 
• Eggnog Waffles and Syrup - Making Miracles
• Fruity Eggnog Bread Pudding - Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Gingerbread Eggnog Cookies - A Day in the Life on the Farm
• No-Bake Eggnog Cookies - Rhubarb and Honey
• Nutty Nog Caramels - Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays or cook and bake together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday. If you would like to participate in the next Foodie Extravaganza, just go to our Facebook page to join. We would love to have you!

Chocolate Orange Muffins #MuffinMonday

Bitter orange marmalade, cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate chips make a great muffin that will remind the fans of chocolate oranges of their favorite stocking stuffers. 

As we head into December and Christmas draws nearer, my muffin thoughts turn to flavors that are popular at this time of year. Chocolate oranges are a standard seasonal candy in the UK and they are also stocked regularly in Dubai this month. Is orange flavored chocolate popular wherever you live?

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups or 220g flour
1/3 cup or 70g sugar
1/4 cup or 20g dark cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup or 120ml milk
1/3 cup or 80ml canola or other light oil
1/3 cup or 105g orange marmalade
1 egg
1/2 cup or 95g semi chocolate chips

Optional glaze: several teaspoons marmalade

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.  Prepare your muffin pan by buttering it liberally or lining it with paper muffin cups.

Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder salt and in a large mixing bowl.

In another smaller bowl, whisk together the milk, canola, orange marmalade and egg.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir until just mixed through. Some flour should still be showing.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Divide the mixture between the muffin cups.

Bake in your preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes then remove them to a wire rack. Spoon a little marmalade on top while they are still slightly warm, if desired.

Enjoy!