A special thanks to Chef BigFatPanda for sharing his recent kitchen adventures with us! Follow along as he (and Chef Mickey!) take us right into the kitchen with them as they create Chocolate Chip Crumbcakes from the Boardwalk Bakery on Disney World’s Boardwalk. Take it away, Chef!

Hello again! Chef BigFatPanda here with another Disney cooking adventure. This time, we are going to make Chocolate Chip Crumbcakes. These miniature cakes with semisweet chocolate chips originated at the Boardwalk Bakery in Walt Disney World. Many people suggest serving them with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.

Although they are served as mini loaves at the Bakery, I opted to make them as cupcakes; I didn’t have miniature loaf pans and thought many of you out there might not either. But I’m sure that most of us have cupcake trays!

Now, I don’t want to worry you. This is definitely a recipe worth making and the final result was really delicious. That being said, you should be aware it’s one of the more challenging recipes in terms of technique and being able to follow instructions carefully. There are times where the same ingredient is used, in part, two times or more. An electric mixer is needed. Flour needs to be sifted, and a rubber spatula (as mentioned in the recipe) is hard to go without. The extra work is rewarded, I assure you.

As usual, the recipe’s instructions will be bolded for easy reference should you wish to print this out and skip my ramblings. Every now and then, just think about me and Mickey while you’re making ’em, will ya? 😉

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons of sifted flour
1 cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon of baking powder
1 ½ cups of sugar
1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) of softened butter
1 ¼ teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon of lemon extract
4 large eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (Nestles Morsels work well)
1 750ml bottle of Vodka

Now, before we begin, find a Disney plush, clutch it firmly, and down some vodka. You had a long week and you know you deserve it. Also, check the date this was published on the Blog. Notice anything? Happy April Fools!!! There is no vodka in this recipe. Sorry. HUG! – We got cakes to bake…

By the way, for those of you with a keen eye, you may notice in the first photo that my Chocolate Morsels were previously opened. Before you call me out, I’d just like to say, for the record, that there are times (night before) when quality control is necessary, and you need to taste things. Just saying. 🙂 Here we go!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease the cupcake tray or spray it generously with a cooking spray like Pam. I don’t suggest using cupcake holders/liners for this recipe.

2. In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the cake flour with the cornstarch and baking powder.

Whoah! 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons? I can miscalculate 2 tablespoons easily, so this must be rocket science stuff going on here. 🙂

3a. In a medium bowl using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the butter, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, and the lemon extract for about 5 minutes or until light and creamy…

Regarding softened butter: just leave the sticks out in room temperature for a few hours. Do not microwave the butter to soften it. It just melts and doesn’t create a useable product for the consistency needed.

And can you define light and creamy? Mickey and I did not achieve what we thought was light and creamy until after the addition of the 1st egg.

3b. …add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, and adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of the flour mixture with the last egg; the mixture may seem curdled but it isn’t. Beat for 3 to 4 minutes until creamy again.

First, the directions are very exact and now they say “2 to 3”. Who is flying this plane? 🙂 As you can see from the picture, it eventually did become a very creamy texture.

4. With a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining flour mixture until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Why is folding important? They want the light sifted flour mixture to mix into this dense batter without taking the air bubbles out of it. Basically, you’re mixing without disturbing it too much and keeping the creaminess intact.

5. In a small bowl, with a fork, mix together the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of butter, and ¾ teaspoon of vanilla. Add the remaining half cup of flour (not the mixture) and mix until crumbly

This is the topping for your crumbcake. If done correctly, you will get a flaky, crumbly texture. Churn it up good with the fork, allowing the vanilla and softened butter to mix well with the flour.

If your kitchen looks at all like mine while doing this, you’ll have a three ring circus of bowls and utensils going on. Fun, no? And Mickey has batter all over him. No joke.

6. Fill the cupcake pan with the batter and generously sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top.

I filled mine up pretty high. When I first looked at how high and wide the tops were becoming in the oven, I feared a Lucille Ball episode about to unravel. Luckily, it rose quickly but then stopped prior to a disaster. At this point, I wasn’t terribly confident I was going to like this recipe or even be proud to share it with you all. Oh Boy, was I in for a surprise.

7. Bake the cakes for 35-40 minutes, or until the middles spring back when touched lightly or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

As if by Disney Magic, at about 32 minutes, they were golden brown and the toothpick poke test was clean. The smell in the air was extraordinary.

I was filled with a sense of pride. I allowed the cupcakes (which looked more like muffins now) to cool for a few minutes. My fear was that they would not come out easily, but they popped right out. Look at this single one here –- can you see the crispy flaky goodness?

The taste was fantastic! It was different than anything I have ever baked before. The texture of the top was literally that of crumbcake, and it was heaven. The chocolate chip taste with JUST a hint of lemon was outrageous. The recipe mentions that you may omit the lemon, but don’t do it. It’s so subtle and adds something interesting to the cake.

What would I do differently if I made it again?
Honestly, this recipe has me believing there is little room for error or improvement for that matter. If I did it over again, the only thing I would do is add 50% more chocolate chips.

If you have some patience and want a real treat where you make your own fresh crumbcake from scratch, try this and please let Mickey and me know what you think.

Thank you so much for allowing me into your kitchen! And keep wishing upon those stars! I’d love to get your opinions and comments about this recipe. Have you had the chocolate chip crumbcakes at the Boardwalk Bakery? Would you try it at home? And if you have, did you like it? Let us know in the comments below.

Thanks!
Chef BigFatPanda

Again, thanks to Chef BigFatPanda for this awesome trip into the kitchen! You can also find him at DisneyBoy.com I’m sure he’ll be back with some more fantastic Disney recipes for us soon (Right, Chef?)!