Guest Post: Chocolate Clementine Cupcakes from Laura of Blogging Over Thyme

Today's post is brought to you by the fabulous Laura of Blogging Over Thyme. Not only is she a lovely new friend of mine, but she can bake up one mean cupcake (seriously, how cute are these?!). Show her some love!

When Kristin asked me to write a guest post, I was both honored and thrilled! Kristin’s fabulous recipes, stories, and photography have been such a source of inspiration to me and it has been such a pleasure to get to know her. With the holidays coming up, we both decided that something sweet was in order.

Christmas Day, at my house, is filled with tradition. After slowly waking up and greeting the morning, my family sits down at our kitchen table, where we feast on Italian panettone, fresh fruit and berries, and warm mugs of hot coffee. Pajamas, robes, and fuzzy socks are the official attire of the day. After eating breakfast, we head to the living room, where we grab our stockings and slowly open them, one gift at a time, attempting to prolong the process as long as possible.

Every year, my sisters and I reach our hands deep into our stockings and pull out a fresh clementine. Amidst all the other gifts, it is the most simple, but also the most sentimental. We usually end up munching on tons of fresh clementines throughout the holidays, leaving small trails of peel wherever we go, the smell of citrus lingering on our hands and fingers.

When I saw fresh clementines hit the shelves recently, I knew that I wanted to create a holiday dessert incorporating them and immediately began daydreaming up ideas. Chocolate was the next logical choice. Orange and chocolate is a classic combination and one of my all-time favorites.

Tarts, cookies, and cakes all came to mind, but cupcakes inevitably won for their portability, cute factor, and individual portion size. The next step was getting into my kitchen, cranking up the oven, and whipping up several trial and test batches. It instantly brought back memories of my days working at the bakery!

While some cupcakes can be heavy and leave you feeling weighed down, these cupcakes are surprisingly light and airy, while still being decadent and full of flavor. The cake is infused with clementine zest and orange extract, dipped in rich (72%) dark chocolate ganache, and topped with candied clementine slices (optional). These cupcakes have just the right amount of citrus and chocolate flavor, without either taste overwhelming the other.

When I took my first bite, I was instantly reminded of Terry’s Chocolate Oranges, a favorite childhood treat. These cupcakes, on the other hand, are a bit more sophisticated, special, and sure to impress your family and friends over the holidays. Enjoy!

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Malted Chocolate Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Filling

The final stretch of summer is before us—the dog days, if you will. Schools will soon be ringing their bells, our jobs will beckon us back indoors, and the weather will slowly begin turning away from this humid heat into a brisk fall. And, I ask you, is there a more depressing thought?

I don't know about you, but I'm wondering where my summer went. It simply disappeared. Packed up and left. I like to imagine it escaped to a tropical paradise and left me behind, without even sending a postcard to drop a hello. I've been outside most of the summer (it is one of the perks of being a camp counselor), but somewhere along the way I forgot to appreciate it. I have a deep tan from working in the sun. I've been eaten alive by mosquitos on a near daily basis. I spent a week on the beach doing nothing but watching the tides flow in and out. Yet, I still feel as if summer has skipped me by, even though it isn't over just yet.

One of my favorite summer pastimes is to lounge in the sun on a beach chair in the backyard and read a good book while eating fruit roll-ups (yes, sometimes store-bought sugar hits the spot. Don't judge me and I won't judge the giant bag of gummi bears sitting in your cupboard. Oh, wait. That's me, too). I feel a bit ashamed to admit to this, but my beach chair is still packed away and the book left unopened. I feel like I haven't eaten enough ice cream. I haven't spent enough time riding my bike around the city. There is too much on my to-do list that I simply haven't done.

When I was younger, summer seemed to last forever. When August finally hit, I would be overheated, bored, and yearning for something new to do. I looked forward to school so I would finally have something to fill up the long hours in my day. Maybe that's the truth in growing older. Your responsibilities change and those long hours get swallowed up in working and obligations so that by the time you finally have the moment to do as you please, the sun has set and the television beckons.

Perhaps the real way to enjoy summer, to fully appreciate summer, is to slow down. It's about taking a minute to ignore the daily responsibilities—the dirty dishes and piles of laundry—to just go outside and play. Take a moment to visit a park, picnic in the backyard, or simply read that book out in the sun with a box of fruit roll-ups by your side.

I hope you find a way to enjoy the last few weeks of the sun, sun, sun before the carefree summer fades into the hustle and bustle of fall. Don't let it pass you by, not when there is ice cream to be eaten and smoothies to be slurped.

I can only hope these Malted Chocolate Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Filling find a place on your summer playlist. A moist dark chocolate cupcake is filled with an ooey gooey toasted marshmallow filling and frosted with a rich, malted chocolate buttercream. These cupcakes feel as light as air, but one will be enough to sate your sweet cravings. The malted chocolate buttercream really ties the flavors in the cupcake together, so I do recommend you use this particular buttercream recipe instead of another. This cupcake is perfect for special occasions and lazy summer afternoons.

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Cauldron Cakes

This is part II of my mini-series on Harry Potter snacks from the books brought to life (part I is on Honeydukes treats, part III features every wizard's favorite drink—butterbeer!— and part IV showcases decadent butterbeer cupcakes).

When I was young, I wanted to grow up to be a writer. I also wanted to be a teacher, deep sea diver, and a cashier at McDonald's, but that's a different story. In early elementary school years, I would furiously write about anything and everything that came to mind. My stories expressed the affairs most important to a seven year old girl—monsters, dolls, and the first day of school. Though often incomprehensible, I was proud of my work. At the ripe age of eight, I took it upon myself to complete my first novel, Baby Gaga, which included 50 short chapters on the adventures of an articulate toddler learning to share, nap, and eat ice cream.

It would seem I had a bright future in writing, but all of this was cut short as soon as I entered fourth grade. Somewhere along the way, I just lost interest. Perhaps writing wasn't "popular." Perhaps I was too critical of my own work—nothing I wrote was good enough to satisfy me. At home, I would devour novel after novel, but I was no longer tempted to write my own.

For years, scarcely a sentence flowed from my pencil.

Then Harry Potter entered my life.

When I was fifteen years old, I became obsessed with the series. I would drink in as much of the magical world through the books and through the movies as I could. When that was no longer enough to satisfy my cravings, I began to seek out more. I discovered others who felt the same pull, the same desire to create more of this rich world. Together, we would write our own stories. I would borrow JK Rowling's characters and take them on my own adventures. I developed little known characters and gave them a story. A purpose. Writing became fun.

And the words began to flow from my pencil once more.

Harry Potter inspired me to continue writing again.

Since then, I've worked to keep writing a part of my life. Over time, my chosen topics have changed as my style has evolved. Gone are the days of writing about Harry Potter. Instead, I find myself journaling or finding small ways to share bits and pieces of my life with you.

While baking seems to come naturally for me, writing is still a challenge (and I imagine it will always be so). I often struggle with finding the right words to express the ideas swimming around my head. I am a slow writer, yes, but I have grown to love the art of the word. Sharing these words, thoughts, and ideas with you has become a natural part of my life. While writing can often feel like a chore, I find that the more I write, the more I am unable to imagine not writing. It has become a form of expression, a freedom, that is impossible to find anywhere else.

These Cauldron Cakes are the ultimate Harry Potter eye candy. They are easy to make, fun to eat, and, above all, delicious. Though the steps may appear long or complicated from a quick glance at the recipe below, I assure you they aren't. In less than an hour, you can have one of these cauldron cakes in your belly. By simply flipping a cupcake over, it opens a whole new world of possibilities. These cauldron cakes consist of devil's food cake cupcakes dipped into a rich chocolate glaze and filled to the brim with marshmallow filling. Chocolate chips form the cauldron feet, which not only keep these cauldrons looking more authentic, but stop the cauldrons from rolling around. I like to think the edible gold glitter means these cauldrons are filled with a little Felix Felicis (or "liquid luck").

These cupcakes would also make a perfect Halloween treat!

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