Mad Hatter Tea Co
Catering, Tea Parties, Special Events
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This past Sunday my mom’s good friend, Paula threw a carnival themed baby shower for her sister. Paula has been in love with my Pink Lemonade cupcakes for a few months now so when she first told me about the party that is what she ordered. However, a few weeks ago I made “fit cakes” (cupcakes on the healthier side). I made mini chocolate cupcakes with vegan cream cheese and chai frosting as well as full size gluten-free strawberry cupcakes with low-fat cream cheese frosting and reduced sugar, fat-free vanilla bean cupcakes with cool-whip-free and vanilla topping.
Paula LOVED the “Skinny Vanillie” cupcakes and asked to change her order to 4 dozen of those with the Pink Lemonade frosting. According to her feedback, it was a winning combination. She also ordered a batch of my French Meringues with some red dye so it looks like pinwheels. They came out great as well but unfortunately I don’t have a photo for you. Thanks again, Paula for another order!!
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Sorry about the horrible photography…it was never my strong point. I just wanted to share with you my manic yet brilliant morning this past Tuesday. I had a sample order for 3-half dozen mini healthy, or as I call them “fit”, cakes. I have never really made healthy cakes due to my belief that you should never rid yourself of delicious; it’s all about portion control. However, these cakes make watching your diet a breeze!
I woke up at 3:15am to get a shower and strong cup o’ Joe in before getting my bake on. Yet the excitement/nervousness alone of tying out a new recipe for a customer was enough to wake me up! I new the vegan chocolate cakes would be the trickiest for I would be serving them to non-vegans so a good taste was crucial. I made enough for two batches in case I needed to adjust it and good thing! The cake puffed up within the first 10 minutes of baking and then sunk down to only fill 1/4 of the mini cupcake liners by then end of the baking time. I added more of the dry ingredients thinking too much liquid was the issue but they did the same thing again, sinking half way down the cups (see picture). Thankfully I had a back up recipe that came out slightly harder than expected but tasted like a brownie. The lack of moisture was offset by the oh-so-delicious vegan cream cheese with chai frosting. When placing their final order for the event being thrown, they requested the same frosting but on non-vegan chocolate cakes. This recipe was completely made out of thin air so that felt like such an accomplishment.
Next I made the gluten-free strawberry cake with a low-fat cream cheese and vanilla bean frosting. This was by far the most expensive cake because I used 3 different types of gluten-free flours, almond meal, and xanthum gum. It may be expensive but it is so worth it. The cakes taste delicious, even with the low-fat frosting. (For the record, I plan on using regular cream cheese for future order. The low-fat was only used to keep up the healthy theme). With the left over cake batter and frosting I made a cake with love shown in the first picture. My son and I have managed to eat the whole thing in only two sittings. It was that good.
The last cakes were also too delicious to be healthy. I’m calling them Skinny Vanillie Cakes because the cake part is a sugar and fat free vanilla bean cake that is so airy it is reminiscent of angel food cake. The frosting is a fat free, low sugar Cool Whip and vanilla frosting. This is another one that went so fast I couldn’t get a picture in.
The final order is for 5 dozen full size strawberry and vanilla cakes with 5 dozen mini non-vegan chocolate cakes with the vegan cream cheese and chai frosting. I will be sure to get pictures before they all get eaten!
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This past Saturday I had an order for 50 Pink Lemonade cupcakes for a 50th birthday party. The morning of I realized that didn’t have enough of the same kind of cupcake liners so I ran to Michael’s and picked up purple tulip ones to hide the ugly mixed liners. I also found that I lost my box of like 500 business cards from Vistaprint so I had to run to Traget to pick up business card paper and get them printed off last minute. They didn’t look all that amazing, however, it paid off because I have now picked up a few more future jobs from this one party. Plus it turned out the party was being decorated with randomly placed flowers and bouquets so the tulip liners fit in perfectly. Life is good!
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My gorgeous little Mad Hatter brought home a not so gorgeous cold from daycare this past Friday. I of course caught it and have been feeling more than rough all weekend. Nothing goes with an annoying cold better than a big bowl of soup and a good sandwich. I decided to try a new Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup recipe with a Muenster Cheese and Mushroom Bordelaise Panini. It was seriously the best meal I have ever made. Especially since I can say that from the soup to the bread to the garlic butter to the mushrooms bordelaise, it was all homemade.
P.S. Sorry for the dark picture. I was so hungry that I couldn’t take the time to ensure it was perfect!
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup…with a kick! (serves 4)
1 1/2-2lbs plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
9Tbsp olive oil
1/2Tbsp fleur de sel
3/4tsp flower pepper
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4tsp red pepper flakes (omit if not a fan of spicy food)
1-14oz can tomatoes with juice
2 cups fresh basil, packed and crushed
1/2 tsp thyme
2 cups water
3 vegetable bullion cubes
Method:
Preheat oven to 400F
Toss together tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper
Spread tomatoes in a single layer on foil covered baking sheet, roast for 45 minutes
In 8qt stockpot over medium heat, saute onions and garlic with 2 Tbsp olive oil, butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes
Add canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, water, and bullion cubes
Add roasted tomatoes with all the juice on the sheet
Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally
Pass through a food mill set with the coarsest blade
Taste for any needed additional seasonings
Mushrooms Bordelaise
1lb mushrooms
3Tbsp butter
2Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, 2 minced and 1 whole
1Tbsp parsley, crushed
Method:
Rinse mushrooms and pat dry with paper towel
Pull out stems, chop, set aside. *If using for panini also thinly slice the caps*
In a large skillet heat the butter and oil over medium heat
Saute mushroom caps until they begin to turn brown, 5-8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl
Add chopped stems, garlic, and parsley to the hot pan and saute for 5 minutes
Add browned caps, cover, and cook on low for 10-15 minutes or until all mushrooms are cooked through and tender
Serve hot from pan
Garlic Butter
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 garlic clove, minced
Generous 1 1/4 tsp garlic bread sprinkle
Pinch fleur de sel
Pinch freshly ground pepper
Method:
Put all ingredients in a small/medium size bowl
Whisk with hand mixer until fully mixed and fluffy
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Towards the end of my work day on Friday, I received a Facebook event request from my good friend, Ivy for a divorce party at the bar we use to work at together. I only had two questions: 1)Who is the divorcee 2)Do they need a divorce cake. Turns out I knew the person celebrating (?) a divorce and they did indeed need a cake. I was crunched for time as I needed to figure out what cake to make, run to the store for some ingredients, and decide on a design. I knew that the cake should be one made with alcohol so after texting the divorcee he decided on a Mocha Cake with Hazelnut Mocha Khalua Mousse instead of frosting. Really he was choosing Khalua over Champagne and I filled in the rest. You can find the recipe on a post I did a few months ago about a dinner party I made the dessert for.
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Sometimes a girl just needs a cookie. Not having the funds to go out and buy some I took a look in my baking cabinet and came across some dark and white chocolate chips. Done! I used a recipe I had for the most delicious chocolate chip cookies and simply used what I had instead. Enjoy!
Chocolate Chip Cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or whatever chips you have!
Preheat oven 325°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside.With electric mixer, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly combined.Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.Add dry ingredients and beat at low-speed just until combined.Stir in chocolate chips.Roll a scant half-cup of dough into a ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull apart into two equal halves. With jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving a good amount of room between each ball.Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy (approximately 11-14 minutes). Do not over bake! They continue to harden as they cool. -
When I woke up Sunday morning I was craving a cup of coffee and sweet breakfast muffin. After taking a quick inventory of what I had in the fridge, I remembered seeing a picture of a Neufchatel and strawberry muffin last week. I can’t say that Neufchatel is an ingredient I tend to have hanging out in my kitchen, however I did have a 4oz block of cream cheese dying to be used. From there I noticed a pomegranate that I had been forgetting about along with a box of perfectly plump strawberries. Sounded like breakfast to me!
Strawberry, Pomegrantate, and Cream Cheese Muffins (makes 12)
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
1 egg
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
Seeds of 1 pomegranate
4oz cream cheese
Vanilla Bean sugar for sprinkling
Method:
Preheat your oven at 400°F. Meanwhile, sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
Combine milk, oil, and egg in kitchen aid bowl. Using whisk attachment, mix in sugar until dissolved.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture.
Fold in strawberries, working batter lightly until just combined.
Pour batter into muffin cups about 2/3 full. Add a 1/2-1 teaspoon-sized dollop of cream cheese in each cup. Sprinkle vanilla bean sugar on top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
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About a month ago I started working for a kitchen and bathroom design store called Home Deco. It’s totally a big girl, 9-5:30 job where I spend a good chunk of time on the computer. With that said, I find myself on random blogs and websites looking for inspirational pictures or recipes. One that I love is ModCloth’s blog where I can always find unique dishes.
This morning I decided to try Aebleskivers. They are a traditional Danish pancake with an apple filling. Traditionally, they are made in a special pan with cups like a muffin tin so you can bake them on the stove top. This pay period’s budget was not feeling a run to William Sonoma for a new pan so I baked them Yorkshire Pudding style in a muffin tin. I have to admit that I first tried it in the muffin tin on the stove top, however after almost burning the house down when the hot oil caught fire I decided to go a different route. I poured about half a teaspoon of vegetable oil in each cup and preheated the pan at 375F for about 3 minutes or just until it started to get smokin’ hot.
The recipe had also stated to use a sewing pin to poke and turn the aebleskivers to ensure they are cooked evenly. I could not find sewing pins nor did I trust myself with this method so I grabbed a fondue stick to turn them over once the bottom half was golden brown a crispy enough to stay together.
Lastly, it was suggested that I top with jam or powdered sugar. After taking a bite of one without any toppings I understood why. If you get a bit without any apple in it there really isn’t much taste aside from fried bread. I decided this was the perfect time to test out some Chai flavored whipped cream. Using about 1/2 a cup of heavy whipping cream, about 1 Tablespoon of spiced chai powder, and about another Tablespoon of vanilla sugar I literally whipped up some way too delicious Chai Cream. It was exactly what these cakes needed.
Aebleskiver (makes 12)
1 egg white
1 cup all-purpose flour
1tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
1/4tsp baking soda
1Tbsp vanilla sugar
1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
Vegetable oil or butter for frying
Filling:
1 apple, chopped into small cubes
cinnamon and sugar to taste
Method:
Prepare your filling by mixing chopped apples, cinnamon, and sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
In a metal bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they hold stiff peaks. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, sugar, egg yolks, butter, and buttermilk whisking until smooth.
Gently fold in egg whites.
Put half a teaspoon of oil in each cup and preheat at 375F for about 3 minutes.
Using a piping bag pour about a Tablespoon of batter into each cup, followed by 2 teaspoons of filling, and then another Tablespoon of batter.
*Don’t go crazy or anything but do try to do this as quick as you can without getting too messy. Keep in mind that the oil is already hot so it will start cooking immediately. To ensure that your cakes are baked the same amount you don’t want to lag it too much or your cakes won’t all finish at the same time.
When the bottom half is nice and golden brown, use your fondue stick/sewing needle/chopstick/knife/what have you to turn over the cakes so they can cook evenly.
*I really don’t know how long it took to cook. I just kept the oven light on and checked on them every couple of minutes until ready.
These taste amazing fresh with a dollop of Chai Whipped Cream, however they will keep for a few days in an airtight container in the fridge. To keep whip cream from getting runny use Whip It, a powder found in any grocery store. You whip it into the cream as you do the sugar. Keeps for about a day.
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A few months back I was checking out ModCloth’s blog and saw a raw vegan recipe for a Raspberry and Chai cheesecake. I thought that was a brilliant combination of flavours and decided to come up with a recipe for a non raw vegan version. The pictures are my first two attempts that didn’t quite come out just right. They both have the same cheesecake which is a Meyer lemon cheesecake. The crust is a mix of Nature’s Own graham crackers, pecans, almonds, and chai powder. The raspberry puree is blend of fresh raspberries, honey, chai, and (in the second cake) sugar.
The issues with attempt number one was that though the crust tasted amazing, it was so crumbly that serving was not the easiest. Also, the topping was way too sour due to the lack of sugar. There was also no hint of the chai powder in either bits.
In the second cake, I added more chai and a few tablespoons of sugar to the puree and then mixed it in the lemon cheesecake. The cake was so delicious with just the right amount of tart. As far as the crust went I ground up the nuts and crackers pretty fine which I think is why after I pre-baked it for 8 minutes it came out slightly burnt and way too hard. Lastly, combining the puree and cheesecake left it so heavy that it started to flatten and chunks of the side fell off as it sat chilling in the fridge.
Hopefully next week I can try round 3 of the cheesecake where I won’t grind up the nuts so fine or pre-bake it for so long in attempt to get more of a toasted rather than hardened effect. I also need to cut down the cheesecake measurements and find some way to bring out that chai flavour! Any suggestions?
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Check out my website www.madhatterteaco.com made by my bestie, Danielle of DLM creations. You can see some photos and more details of what I do as well as ready about how this whole thing got started. Contact me for all of your tea party, garden party, dinner party, catering, and pastry/confection needs!
