Baking Brownies and Cupcakes with the Kids

Baking Brownies and Cupcakes with the Kids : chaotic icing

Whenever I buy things at the grocery I see to it that I get the exact amount of change that I should. You say, how cheap, what’s 0.01 cent? Well, if the cashier is friendly I let her have it, but if the person looks deliberately keeping it, I take it…why you ask? A hundred times 0.01 is 1€…and I’m sure that’s just not how many people buy from a grocery store…if the cashier takes 0.02 cents, that would be doubled.

 

Baking Brownies and Cupcakes with the Kids : fondant icing by hubby

I’m saying this because I knew of some people around who does cheat. Too strong a word but that’s how it is. They cheat to get a lot more…and it’s those little things that annoy me. Something small when put together becomes big….does ring a bell, right? So if you go to the grocery, do ask for your change, it’s yours after all.

Anyway, baking is something that I am frustrated about…well I got a bit better but not with icing. 🙁 I still need to learn how to pipe! Though I only used whipped cream here…next time I’d surely whip buttercream. Like asking for every bit of cent at the grocery store, baking needs to be exact and if not then it would come to this. 😀 Uneven!

Baking Brownies with the Kids : basic brownie ingredients

The kids like brownies, muffins and chocolate cakes; homebaked or otherwise. But they like the baking part even better.

Once in a while, we do venture in the kitchen to make ours, although we’re not as good as mom-in-law, we still enjoy the time spent creating something we can enjoy later.

Here’s two of the many baking sessions we had at home.

I have forgotten where I got this brownie recipe though. =D I guess it’s time to search google for it (but it’s probably from one of our cookbooks on the shelf). ^_^

Baking Brownies and Cupcakes with the Kids : measuring

Ingredients for Brownie Recipe:

1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
100ml water

Brownie Recipe Procedure:

1. Grease and flour your preferred baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Make sure the butter has melted or heat it in a small pan. Combine all ingredients. We added a little water to make it less sweet. You can omit the water if you like it firmer and sweeter.

3. Mix for maximum 6 minutes.

4. Spread batter into pan, Bake for 25 minutes. We poured prepared icing over the brownies that gave it a glossy top.

5. Test the brownie with a toothpick, if it comes out clean, take it out and let cool on a rack.

Now, this is where patience comes in. Your kids might be excited to try the outcome so make sure they understand that waiting does have pros.

Baking also teaches kids math concepts and the importance of following instructions.

For the cupcakes, this recipe comes from Joy of Baking, which I think is one of the best online resources for baking. Instead of using the fudge frosting I used some whipped cream and marshmallow fondant.

Ingredients for Chocolate Cupcakes:

1/2 cup (50 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup (240 ml) boiling hot water
1 1/3 cups (175 grams) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for Chocolate Fudge Frosting

4 ounces (120 grams) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup (150 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups (160 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Click here for procedure. 🙂

For: Food Friday