"Boscoe Gives Two Favorites A Facelift"

Once I've found a recipe that I love and more importantly, one that my friends request frequently, I always look for ways to bump them up a notch or make different variations. This is Ina Garten's mantra and one that I subscribe to whole heartedly. Such is the case with my Blueberry Comfort Cake and David Lebovitz's Black Bottom Cupcakes.  These two group favorites received a little facelift this week, and my friends thoroughly enjoyed the new results. (We're talking minor adjustments here........not a Joan Rivers redux) To add a little more chocolate pizzaz to David's cupcakes, I substituted the water for a cup of espresso, increased the cocoa powder to 6 tablespoons and used olive oil instead of a neutral oil as suggested. My friends noticed and really loved the "new" pronounced chocolate flavor, and also loved the fact that my Blueberry Comfort Cake now had a lovely orange highlight and a delicate crunchy crust as a result of my substituting orange zest for the lemon, the inclusion of a teaspoon of "orange emulsion" and increasing the brown sugar topping to 1/2 cup. The end result was a marriage made in heaven, and a new version aptly named "Blueberry Orange Comfort Cake". There was no cutting, silicone or harm to innocent animals in these procedures, and everybody left here with a Big, Broad Smile.