Cupcakes for 40

Slightly off my usual topic of interior design for people with kids, but the subject of baking for a small army is very topical at the Furber house lately, as I have three kids with birthdays all clumped together. Andie turned 13 on August 9th, Jack turns 11 on Thursday, and Katie turns five in early November (and between Jack and Katie, I usually make about a million eyeball cupcakes for Halloween).

Those who have nothing to prove usually send store bought treats to school. Because I am a working mother, I succumb to the pressure (mostly self-imposed) and bake from scratch all the treats that the kids take to their classrooms on their birthdays. That means I make about 140 cupcakes between September and November. I have a recipe that I love from the Alice Waters cookbook "Simple Food" that is easy, fast, stores great and makes about 30 cupcakes from a single batch. I thought I'd share it today for those working mothers like me who need a little help.

Alice Water’s Chocolate Cake

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
6 tbsp. cocoa powder
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, softened
2 ½ cups brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs, at room temperature
½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 9-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust the pan with flour or cocoa, shaking out the excess.

Put the chocolate into a heat-proof bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water (The water should not touch the bowl. Turn off the heat. Stir the chocolate from time to time until completely melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from over the pan.

Sift together cake flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.

In a large bowl or a stand mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add brown sugar and vanilla and beat (cream) until light and fluffy. Beat eggs into mixture one at a time.

When egg are fully incorporated, stir in the melted chocolate. Add half the dry ingredients to this mixture and combine. Then stir in buttermilk. Stir in the rest of the dry ingredients.

Gradually pour in 1 ¼ cups boiling water, mixing just until incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow cake to cool completely.

Run knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Remove the cake from the pan and peel off the parchment paper. If not using the same day, store the fully cooled cake in the pan, tightly covered.

Variations:
For a sheet pan, prepared a half-sheet pan as above. Pour in batter, smooth the top and bake for about 20 minutes.
Or, bake in two 9-inch cake pans for a two-layer cake.
For 24 individual cupcakes, bake for about 30 minutes.

I find the recipe makes 30 perfect sized cupcakes, and I sneak in whole wheat flour in place of the white flour the recipe calls for -- in a chocolate cake, no one notices.

There's a batch in my freezer right now, waiting for their big debut in Jack's class on Thursday.

You Can Have Your Table Back, We Have Some Better Ideas!

Study Nirvana, by Andie
Being an almost-8th Grader, I know I'm going to have A LOT of homework, projects, and tests to study for, so I'm going to want the best possible place to do it all. My ideal study space would have EVERYTHING I would possibly need. My desk right now is huge, and has lots of space to spread out my projects, so I think that would remain in my study nirvana. I'd have lots of fun colored bins to put pens, pencils, markers, scissors, and everything else in. There would be a fun colored lamp for late-night study sessions. The last thing that I would have is a bin for my folders, and put one for each subject. But a giant to-do list wouldn't be so bad either!
My study nirvana would be a place that's organized, colorful, and totally stocked with supplies. Even if I have my perfect study space in my room, I'd still want my whole family around me, so sorry Mom, I'd probably still study at the kitchen table!

My Crib's Already Boring Enough, by Jack
My dream study space would be a place where every kid can feel like a kid. There would be massages every day at 4 o'clock, an ice cream man, a mini fridge right next to my big vibrating chair, a slushee machine, and a churro machine, cubbies to hold all of my study stuff, my own bathroom and room service. I would be extra great if my little sister would bring me a pizza once in a while. If I had a study space like that, well then, Sayonara Mom! See you when I graduate.


I Can't Wait For Kindergarten, I'll Study All The Time, by Katie
In my kindergarten study space, there would be.....a notebook, a lamp, a comfy chair, and a homework book, and a pink table. And.....that's it.