Vanilla Tea Cupcakes

Tea parties are one of the most easiest ways to entertain on a bright summer afternoon. Some crackers or cookies, vanilla cupcakes and a pot full of simmering hot tea or coffee and you are all set to make your friends feel at home and enjoy a quiet afternoon, reliving fond memories. Vanilla is such a universal flavor it can make anything taste better, and cupcakes are one of the simplest contenders! But here, we adapt a simple cupcake recipe for a tea-party by adding some spices and orange zest, and decking them up with a dollop of jam and some sprinkling of powdered sugar. Pulled out of mini-muffin pans and placed on a party platter, these vanilla tea cupcakes will surely make it worth your while!

Ingredients
Makes about 12 mini cupcakes

1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp all-spice (or nutmeg, cinnamon,dry ginger and star anise pwd)
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp unsalted butter - softened
4 tbsp confectioners' sugar - to sprinkle on top
4 tbsp jam (raspberry or strawberry works best)

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, the baking soda, the spices, and a pinch of salt.

In another bowl, cream together the butter and the granulated sugar, beat in the egg, till its light and fluffy. Add the oil and whisk together.

Slowly combine the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients, beating well after each addition. Finally add the vanilla essence and orange zest to the batter.

Divide the batter among 12 paper-lined mini-muffin tins and bake the cupcakes in the middle of an oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

Turn the cupcakes out onto a wire rack and let them cool completely. Whip up the jam mixture with 4 drops of water. Drop a tiny spoonful on the top of each cupcake. Dust with some confectioner's sugar.

The spices do balance well with the orange zest and vanilla...so there's a little bit of everything without any of it being overpowering..and the jam and sugar on the top makes it worth serving at a party!:) No need for frosting!! Serve these Vanilla Tea Cupcakes at a tea-party and dazzle your friends and guests, just like I'm sending them to Erin's Spring Tea party event!

Similar Recipes:
Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Cream Sauce
Raspberry-filled Molten Cupcakes

Read more!

Napa & Sonoma Valley - Wine Tours, Food and Scenic Countryside

Napa Valley, famous around the world as the Wine Country, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in California. More than five million visitors come each year, often overcrowding the roadways on summer weekends. Peak times are the summer months and the harvest "crush" during September and October. Napa Valley is home to more than two hundred wineries. With wine as a focus, great dining naturally emerged to compliment it, making it a food-and-drink lover's paradise!
Spring and fall are the best times to visit. Summers tend to be hot and dusty, as well as decidedly crowded. Fall (September-November) combines fine weather with the grape harvest, and the wine-making season is on in full swing! The gloroious vineyards of the beautiful Sonoma county are a visual and gratifying treat,irrespective of weather you are a tourist, foodie or a vintner! If you happen to be in California, you would definitely not want to miss a tour to Napa!

If this is your first time in the scenic napa Valley, and you are not sure what you'd like to do, take a moment to browse through this Napa Valley online Guide, which is like a complete directory of the wine country. You can't do the entire Wine Country in just one day! I'd concentrate on the Sonoma and Russian River valleys, which I think offer the best combination of food, wine, and outdoor activities. Calistoga, Hot Springs offers many excellent restaurants and shops, ballooning, cycling, jogging, tennis, golf and much more.

Sightseeing and Recreation
Napa Valley situated in the Bay Area in California, is the main wine growing region of the United States of America and one of the major wine regions of the world. On a day trip or a long weekend in the Napa Valley, you can revel in hedonistic pleasures some folks fly to France for: world-class wines at chateaulike wineries, innovative meals in elegant settings, memorable lodges surrounded by vineyards. It is also known for its gourmet restaurants, cafes, and spa-treatment centers. Named for the Roman goddess of abundance, Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts is a $50 million cultural centre, bringing together all things Wine Country in one smart package. Interactive exhibits include a wine-tasting station that demystifies the experience, preparing you to visit wineries unafraid. Every ticket includes free tastings and a cooking demonstration. Napa Valley Museum can be another worthy attraction for those of you interested in the history of the city. The famous Balloon Rides offered in Sonoma are an experience in themselves. As you soar through the scenic county at an altitude of 100 feet, you can witness some amazing natural beauty, not to mention the thrill of the ride itself. But reservations are recommended, and make sure to check that you pick a good day, as winds determin the schedules for these baloon rides. If you are in the mood to splurge, check out the Napa Valley Wine Train, which is by far the best way to cover a range of hand-picked vineyards, free wine-tasting and lunch included! Biking along the vineyards is also a great way to check out the beautiful countryside.

Food and Restaurants
Everyone knows that a trip to Napa is incomplete without the famous wine tours. But even if you don't drink, there's a lot of food, history, resorts and natural beauty to keep you occupied. This place is like a heaven for food-lovers; with food that ranges from mediocre to exclusive, Napa Valley is a celebration of fine dining. There are many upscale restaurants that offer pairing of wine and food, combined with a decadent chocolate experience. Chowhound offers some great suggestions for dining; there's also an Artisan Food and Wine Festival hosted every year, and is something you'd not want to miss!

Vineyards and Wine Tasting Tours
Most wineries offer tastings and/or tours of their products. The largest, most well known wineries such as Mondavi and Beringer are open daily with large hosting facilities and guided or reserved tours of the operation. The many smaller wineries may offer tastings only by appointment, but your tour or tasting may be conducted by the owner. Most vineyards charge a small fee for the tastings, especially at the more popular vineyards, perhaps $5-$10. Winery tours are generally very interesting and informative. Reserve room tastings provide an opportunity to sample expensive wines without having to spend a larger amount for a bottle. For novices like us, I'd recommend a guided tour; the California Wine Tours has several affordable options all year round to suit your budget and time of visit. Unless you are a wine connoiseur and know the area well, tours are simply the best way to take in the beauty and essence of the country!

I'd suggest having at least 3 days to really soak yourself in the Napa Valley. It acts like a wonderful retreat, and with the plethora or resorts and spas available, its the ideal destination for a romantic getaway! Sonoma County is the preferred destination, and is a great place to visit in summer or early fall. There's a lot you can do in the California Wine Country, but most of all, its the feeling of peace and relaxation that leaves an impression. The large open space, the beautiful and colorful countryside, the exotic villas and resorts, and of course, the food and wine, all these make Napa Valley a cherished tourist destination.

Read more!

Chocolate Banana Bread or Cake

Chocolate Banana Bread has been an old favorite, and needs no preamble or praise. The pairing of chocolate and bananas is one of the most reliable ones where baking is concerned, and though bananas were traditionally baked with walnuts or pecans for the classic banana-nut loaf, this new combination has indeed found a place in the hearts and minds of foodies. Chocolate can get really overpowering, especially in baked desserts; but this Chocolate-Banana Bread recipe still focusses on the distinct flavor of ripe bananas, while chocolate, nuts and dried cranberries make it both festive as well as delicious! Every chef will certainly have their signature banana bread recipe, but there's always room to improve it, right?! So here I share my recipe with you - a classic recipe adapted to make it eggless and also to suit my tastebuds!

Banana Bread is pretty similar to a Banana Cake, except for its shape; while one is baked in a loaf pan, the other uses a non-loaf pan!:) But this, to me, is not really a valid difference! I chose to bake my chocolate-banana bread cum cake in a rectangular pan rather than a standard loaf one, and believe me, it still tasted as great as ever! Serve this with a cup of tea or coffee for a bread-like feeling; drizzle some chocolate syrup and whip cream on the top and it transforms into a decadent dessert. So now you have not one, but two wonderful reasons to put those 4-day old ripe aged and yellow-skinned bananas to good use! Also, a tip from Stephanie's chocolate-banana bread recipe about sprinkling some brown sugar on the top to get the crusty golden texture while it bakes sounds interesting! This beauty is on its way to the Banana-Bread Bakeoff hosted by Not Quite Nigella!

Eggless recipe - A banana bread or cake is the most appropriate type of recipe to make into an eggless version. Mashed bananas impart the same texture and softness to the cake that egg yolks would; you might have to compromise just a tiny bit on the fluffy part, but if you use self-raising flour, even that difference would melt away! So for an eggless version, omit the eggs, use self-raising flour instead of regular one, add 1 more banana, and 1/2 tsp more of baking soda.

Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tspn baking powder
1 tspn baking soda
1 tspn salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 large egg
2 large ripe bananas (yellow-skinned ones)
1 tbsp milk
3 tbsp walnuts - coarsely chopped
3 tbsp dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1 tbsp poppy seeds (optional)

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan, or a 9x9 inch cake pan and set aside.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well till it becomes light and fluffy.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and nutmeg. In another bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cranberries, poppy seeds and walnuts.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed sugar mixture and stir until combined. Add the dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour (depending on oven and pan size), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (Do the toothpick test after 45 mins, then bake a little longer if needed).

Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan, then use a buttered knife to cut into slices.

Suggested Variations: White chocolate chips, raisins, pecans, macadamia nuts, toasted walnuts

This delicious Chocolate Banana Bread is great with your morning tea. The cranberries and poppy seeds add a nice flavor as well as a crunch to the loaf, at the same time balancing the sweetness of bananas. As bananas tend to give out a distinct smell as they get old, it is best to consume this bread within 2-3 days while keeping it refrigerated.

Similar Recipes:
Hazelnut & Mocha Bread
Banana & Walnut Fluffy Cake
Persimmon & Chocolate Spice Cake
Fried Banana with Ice Cream

Read more!