foodblog – C'est le Brie

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (AKA the best cupcakes you will ever eat)

Published on August 24, 2018August 16, 2022 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

Guys. I made the most delicious cupcakes in the entire world and want everyone to make them and eat them and love them as much as I did.

Last winter, Sprinkles in Washington, DC offered different cereal-based cupcakes and I tried the Cinnamon Toast Crunch one and fell head over heels in love with it. Sadly, these were only weekly specials and were discontinued. So I looked up recipes online for an attempt to recreate the magic of these cupcakes and came upon a recipe that tasted even better. I made these for my boyfriend’s birthday in August and even though he always claims he “isn’t a dessert person” – a phrase that I will simply never understand – he ended up loving them too!

The recipe I used was adapted from here and I followed the recipe very closely. I don’t even mind that they aren’t entirely made from scratch (it requires boxed cake mix), but I’m sure you could improvise if you know a recipe for a standard cake you like to make!

One thing I was surprised about and had never considered was dipping the top of the cupcake (before frosted) into butter then cinnamon sugar. This was seriously a game changer and gives these cupcakes a churro-like taste as well. It can’t be beat!

Ingredients for 24 Cupcakes

1 box, French Vanilla Cake Mix
1 small box (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sour cream
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
8 oz (1 block) cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups powdered sugar
2 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, for garnish

Baking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 and line 24 muffin tins.
In the bowl of your mixer, combine cake mix, pudding mix, milk, vegetable oil, sour cream, eggs, and cinnamon. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl and increase mixer speed to high. Beat for 2 minutes.
Stir a few times with a big wooden spoon, then fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 of the way full.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until tops spring back when lightly touched in the center. Remove from oven and let cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.
In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. In another bowl, add the 4 tablespoons of melted butter.
Dip the top of a baked cupcake in the melted butter, then dip into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Set aside remaining cinnamon sugar for topping.
For the icing, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add vanilla and heavy cream, beating on medium speed until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully add powdered sugar until just barely combined. Increase mixer speed to high and beat for two minutes.
Generously frost cupcakes. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and stick cereal into frosting as you wish.
Keep these cupcakes refrigerated if they are not served immediately.
Enjoy these amazing cereal cupcake creations!

Tuscan Frittata with Mozzarella & Squash

Published on September 17, 2017March 31, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

I am more than eager for fall and cannot wait to go to a pumpkin patch. So while I wait, I figured I would make an “end of the summer, can’t wait for fall” frittata that feels both summer-y and fall-ready. I used three different recipes for inspiration while also trying to use up ingredients that I already had in my kitchen.

This recipe incorporates some of my favorite things and while I made a smaller serving that feeds two to three people, it could easily be adapted to accommodate more servings if you had a group of friends over for brunch or made it for your family.

Ingredients:

6 eggs
1/2 Cup of Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 Cup of Parmesan cheese or Italian cheese blend
1 medium-sized yellow squash or zucchini diced
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1/2 Cup of Coconut Milk (or half & half)
1 Tablespoon of Pesto or more if you like! (I used 365 Basil Pesto)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 teaspoons of Italian Seasoning (including but not limited to: basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 and butter a 10×10 Casserole Dish.
On a skillet over medium heat, sauté the squash and garlic tossed in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until tender and sizzling – about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Whisk together all six eggs and coconut milk until fully mixed. Add in the cheeses, pesto, and seasoning with a dash of salt and pepper.
Next, combine the squash and garlic into the egg mixture. Then pour everything into the casserole dish.
Cover with lid and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
Remove, let sit for a few minutes, then enjoy!
Pro-Tip- I broiled slices of baguette with olive oil and pesto as an accompaniment.

Strawberry French Cake

Published on August 14, 2017March 31, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

Baking always seems to be a little bit more challenging than cooking for me, because I feel like it’s harder to improvise and I never enjoy following recipes and measurements step-by step. But this Strawberry French Cake recipe was perfect and is at the top of my list for favorite things I’ve ever baked. I followed the recipe exactly, but couldn’t resist adding a thin layer of Belgian Speculoos Cookie crumbs at the base of the pan and a light sprinkle on top. It is designed to be moist, almost custard-like in the center so be sure not to over-bake!

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter softened
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar divided
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
16 ounces fresh strawberries sliced

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until pale and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.
Fold in strawberries. Spread the batter in the prepared cake pan.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar evenly over the top of the cake batter.
Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.
Let the cake cool completely in the pan and slice and serve the cake from the pan.

Please bake this, you will definitely not regret it! ❤

Review: An Evening at Fleurie, a Romantic French Restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia

Published on August 4, 2016April 1, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

As I have mentioned already in a previous post, Charlottesville, Virginia has some of the best food in the world. It is less than two hours from Washington, DC and offers a break from the hustle of the capital city. And last night, my friend, Carrie, and her boyfriend, John, spent their two-year anniversary sharing fine wine and delicious food at a downtown French restaurant, Fleurie.

Since it was their anniversary, Fleurie made special menus recognizing their special occasion and even had a bottle of sparking wine from the Loire Valley in France waiting for them on their candlelit table.

At the beginning of our friendship, Carrie and I majorly bonded over our deep affection for anything related to France, and this restaurant seems to epitomize everything about Paris given its romantic tone and thoughtful ingredients and menu. This restaurant seems like the perfect pick for a special celebration.

Carrie said the ambiance were positively enchanting. The restaurant has exposed brick walls and was playing classical Parisian music softly in the background (think “La Vie en Rose”). Although I haven’t been there myself, Carrie said the food was mouthwatering and delightful. She sent me the following pictures with descriptions and it all sounds so incredible!

They were given a beet amuse-bouche and for appetizer they had soft-shell crab which was on special for the evening.

For the main entree Carrie had butter poached lobster, coral spätzle, and fava beans served with a ginger Sauternes sauce.

John ordered the meadows pride lamb and braised lamb ravioli with fond de braisage. (This one looks soooo delicious!)

And of course no celebration goes without dessert. Carrie and John split the chocolate souffle with vanilla bean ice cream and dark chocolate cream sauce…Yum!

And lastly, Carrie and John were given complimentary petit fours after the meal!

Fleurie is now at the top of my must-try restaurant list! Also, you can follow Carrie on her travel blog – https://musichanainkibera.wordpress.com/

Banana Pudding Pie with Caramel Drizzle

Published on June 6, 2016March 31, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

Happy Monday! The warm June weather and humidity have started to settle in, and I have had the biggest craving for banana pudding. I looked up various Pinterest recipes and found one that I wanted to try! I varied it slightly to cut back on all the Cool Whip and decided to add a homemade caramel sauce to the recipe as well. If you’re craving the sweet comfort of a homemade banana pudding recipe, look no further!

Ingredients:

1 9 pinch pie crust, prepped, baked and cooled (I was lame and just used a store bought graham cracker crust)
2 cup chopped vanilla wafers
2 bananas
1/2 8oz tub Cool Whip
1½ cups of milk
1 5.1oz box instant vanilla pudding
juice from one lemon
Homemade caramel sauce for drizzling (recipe below)
Optional: chopped walnuts for topping

Directions for the Banana Pudding Pie:

Cut the bananas into thin slices and then toss with the lemon juice. The lemon juice will prevent them from turning brown as fast as they normally would.
Whisk together the milk and pudding mix. Mix in the cool whip. Mix in 1 cup of the crushed vanilla wafers and finally the bananas.
Scrape into the cooled crust. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or until set.
Top with any additional or leftover Cool Whip as you please. I just spread some around the edging of the pie. Sprinkle with the remaining vanilla wafers and then drizzle with the caramel sauce and if so desired, walnuts.

Directions for Homemade Caramel Sauce (taken from my Caramel Toffee Cheesecake Recipe)

1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup heavy cream

In a medium sauce pan, combine the sugar and syrup. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula. Once it is caramel colored, add the butter and stir until the butter is melted. Add the cream and stir until it’s all combined. Bring it back to the heat if you get clumps and stir it until they’re dissolved. Store in the refrigerator if not using right away. Makes about 3/4 cup.