Baking with Hannah

Hannah came over on Saturday and we went to Joanne's and bought puff paints and then we came home and made cupcakes and decorated my apron that i use in ceramics to not get COMPLETELY covered in clay and dust.
Here's a link to her journal entry about the event: Greener Living


The recipe for our cupcakes can be found in the 1975 Joy of Cooking that I inherited from my Granny.
One -Egg Cake
Two 8-inch Round Pans
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Have all ingredients at about 75 degrees.Sift into an electric mixer bowl and mix for about 2 minutes at medium speed:
1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup soft butter
2/3 cup milk
Add and mix for 2 minutes more, scraping bowl constantly:
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pour the batter into greased pans and bake for about 25 minutes.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
About 2 cups
Melt:
3 oz. chocolate
Soften:
3 oz. cream cheese
in:
1/4 cup milk
Add gradually:
4 cups confectioners' sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine this mixture with the melted chocolate and beat until smooth and ready to be spread.

Then today I made brownies using my 2006 75th Anniversary edition of the Joy.
Brownies Cockaigne
The little intro bit says, "If you want them chewy and moist, use a 13 x 9-inch pan; if cakey, a 9 x 9-inch pan.")
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking pan lined with foil. Melt in a small saucepan:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
Let cool. If you don't, your brownies will be heavy and dry. Beat until light in color and foamy in texture:
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
Gradually add and continue beating until thick:
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
With a few swift strokes, stir in the cooled chocolate mixture just until combined. Even if you are using an electric mixer, switch to a wooden spoon for this. Stir in just until combined:
1 cup all-purpose flour
Gently stir in, if desired:
(1 cup chopped pecans) (i used 1 cup milk chocolate chips)
Scrape batter into the prepared pan. Bake about 25 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a rack.

This is my favorite picture from Hannah's blog. As Ben put it, "You look so ill." These young people and their lingo.