I Think it was the Fourth of July

And what better way to celebrate than with some (patriotic) cupcakes! I adapted this recipe from Ina's flag cake: instead of doing a sheet cake, I made 2 dozen rather large cupcakes, topped with the white frosting and some fruit. I had a fruit trauma, so I ended up using strawberries instead of raspberries, but they were still divine and kept within my red, white & blue color scheme.

I find it's best to use an ice cream scoop to fill the muffin tin with the batter. As this was originally a sheet cake, it doesn't rise too terribly much so you really do want the muffin cups to be rather full. Also, if you make the whole recipe and don't fill the muffin cups, you'll spend all day making cupcakes there will be so many! Anywho, I opted not to (because I didn't have any) add lemon zest, but you very well could. In fact, the other sheet cake recipe I use is identical to this one, but it adds lemon zest.

I will share with you the original recipe, which is really only altered by whether or not you use a sheet pan or muffin tin. I baked mine for 30 minutes at 350.

Flag Cake

Barefoot Contessa Family Stlye (Ina Garten)

Serves 20-24

For the Cake

18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the Frosting
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan.

Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.

'Tis the Season

For strawberry rhubarb! Here in Maryland, we're getting the freshest of fresh strawberries so they must be put to good use. We (belatedly) celebrated Daddy's birthday and he requested "anything rhubarb." This came about because Cousin made strawberry rhubarb pie for my aunt recently. My family is very susceptible to peer pressure . . . so I did up a little crostata. It was a hit, in case you had any doubt. For once there were no leftovers. 

If you don't feel like going to all the effort of a pie or tart crust, go for the crostata base. It's very easy to make, and you can make it ahead. All you have to do is toss everything into the food processor and give it a whirl. I added some blueberries into the fruit mix, but of course you can really choose any fruit combination you like. Not to mention, I don't think a hint of cinnamon or nutmeg, or ginger would hurt anyone. 

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crostata

Stonewall Kitchen Cookbook

Serves 6

For the Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for rolling out the dough

3 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2) sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

About 1/2 cup ice cold water

For the Filling

3 1/2 cups fresh strawberries (about 1 pound), cut into thick slices

1 cup chopped rhubarb

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (amount will vary based on sweetness of fruit)

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

For the Vanilla Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy (whipping) cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons sugar

To Prepare the Dough

In the bowl of a food processor, whirl the flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse the mixture about 15 times, until the butter resembles small peas. With the motor on, add enough ice water until the dough just begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and comes together. Don't worry if it still looks crumbly. 

Pour the dough onto a large sheet of aluminum foil and close the foil up to create a ball with the dough. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

To Prepare the Filling

In a large bowl, mix the berries, rhubarb, brown sugar, flour, and orange juice and stir well to make sure the fruit is thoroughly coated. Let marinate, stirring once or twice, while you roll out the dough.

Place a wrack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

Unwrap the dough. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a circle about 12 to 14 inches in diameter. Place the circle on a large, ungreased cookie sheet. Using a slotted spoon, place the fruit into the center of the dough, leaving a border of about 2 inches. Pour any accumulated fruit juices from the bottom of the bowl over the fruit. Drape the edges f the dough over the filling and press down lightly to crimp them. The dough won't cover the filling completely; you should have a fair amount of exposed fruit in the center. (The crostata can be made several hours ahead of time; cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (or about 28 minutes if the crostata was refrigerated), or until the dough is a light golden brown, the fruit in the center looks soft, and the juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.

To Prepare the Cream

In an electric mixer, whip the cream on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and vanilla and whip until the cream holds its shape.

Transfer the crostata to a large serving plate and serve warm or at room temperature, with the whipped cream on the side.