Showing posts with label Cupcakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cupcakes. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Halloween Cupcakes
This is a festive treat I made for my Halloween party! The cupcakes can be anything, the "halloween" part is the decoration on top - brains!! I decided to go with Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes with Cherry Frosting (the cherry gave the frosting the perfect pink tint). While the cupcakes may look intricate, it's actually simple to achieve this frightening look.
Halloween Cupcakes
(Yields 14 cupcakes)Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup milk
- 1 1/3 cup flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 10-oz. jar of cherry filling (I used a filling that had chopped bits of cherries, not whole cherries. If you can't find this, just pulse the filling with whole cherries in a food processor to break it up)
- Cherry buttercream (see recipe below)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line muffin pan with 14 cupcake papers
- In a small pot, heat milk until boiling. Add cocoa powder and stir until smooth. Set aside and allow to cool
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside
- Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light at fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition
- Beat in vanilla extract, then scrape down the sides of the bowl
- Gradually add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated
- Add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth
- Fill each cupcake 2/3 full with batter
- Bake 16-20 minutes, or until cupcakes are springy to the touch and a cake tester inserted into the cupcake comes out clean
- Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool
- Once cupcakes are completely cool, use a cupcake corer to hollow the center of each cupcake (if you don't have a cupcake corer, try using a knife to cup the circle and a spoon to hollow the cupcake). I know it is tempting, but DO NOT each the parts of the cupcake you removed yet!
- Spoon about 1 Tbsp. of cherry filling into each cupcake's hollowed center
- Place a small portion of the removed "core" to "plug" the cupcake. This allows you to frost the cupcake without the frosting falling into the hollowed center! Once all the cupcakes have been "plugged", feel free to eat all remaining bits of cupcake :)
- Spread a small amount of buttercream over the top of each cupcake; enough to cover the surface but not enough to add height
- Pipe a single line down the center of the cupcake
- Pipe a loop pattern on one side of the cupcake
- Pipe a loop pattern on the other side of the cupcake
Cherry Buttercream
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 Tbsp. cherry filling
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp. milk
- 2+ cups powdered sugar (enough to get the consistency you want)
Directions:
- Whip softened butter in a medium bowl with a hand mixer
- Mix in cherry filling, vanilla extract and milk
- Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until you have your desired consistency
- Add extra cherry filling and milk as needed to get the flavor you want
Enjoy and thanks for reading!
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Thursday, October 31, 2013
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting
First and foremost, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Halloween is my favorite holiday. It might seem like one's adoration for Halloween would end once one's ability to trick-or-treat ends, but no, I still love it. I love the history behind Halloween and Jack-O-Lanterns. I love pumpkins, finding and making creative costumes, and watching Hocus Pocus. But most of all, I love how everyone can enjoy the festivities!
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting
(Yields 10-12 cupcakes)Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- Maple Frosting
- Optional: chopped candied pecans
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pan with 12 cupcake papers
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt; set aside
- Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
- Beat in vanilla extract then scrape down the sides of the bowl
- Alternate adding flour mixture and pumpkin puree into the wet ingredients (i.e. add 1/3 of the flour mixture, 1/2 of the pumpkin, 1/3 flour mixture, remaining pumpkin, remaining flour mixture)
- Fill each cupcake 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until cupcakes are springy to the touch and a cake tester inserted into the cupcake comes out clean
- Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool
- Once cupcakes are completely cool, pipe maple frosting on the cupcakes. Sprinkle with chopped candied pecans
Enjoy and thanks for reading!
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Thursday, September 12, 2013
*Gluten-Free* Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Frosting
Last weekend, I had a surprise party for my mum's birthday. I decided to make a bunch of different "bite-size" desserts - this is one of those desserts. I planned something that was gluten-free in case anyone had any food allergies. I've never baked anything that was gluten-free before, so I was a little nervous. But these cupcakes turned out SO well, my fear of baking gluten-free is gone (adapted from this great recipe).
I didn't have coconut flour or white rice flour lying around my house, but I found them in my local grocery store in the baking aisle. I know it seems crazy to buy a bag of flour when you only need 1/3 cup, but these cupcakes were so good and so moist, I'll definitely use the rest of the flour!
Gluten-Free Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Frosting
Gluten-Free Lemon Cupcakes
(Yields 3-4 dozen mini cupcakes OR ~1 dozen standard cupcakes)
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/3 cup white rice flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup milk (I used vanilla almond milk, but regular milk is okay too)
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1/3 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp. orange zest (1 large orange)
- 2 Tbsp. lemon zest (1-2 lemons)
- 4 eggs + 1 egg white
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line mini muffin pan with cupcake papers
- In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut flour, white rice flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside
- Mix sugar and oil. Add orange and lemon zests and vanilla extract
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition
- Alternate adding flour mixture and milk into the wet ingredients (beginning and ending with flour mixture)
- Fill each cupcake 2/3 full with batter. The batter will seem very liquidy but it's okay! The coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture during the baking process
- Bake for 11-13 minutes* or until cupcakes are springy to the touch and a cake tester inserted into the cupcake comes out clean
- Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool
Lavender Frosting
Ingredients:
- 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup milk (again, I used vanilla almond milk, but regular milk is okay too)
- 1 Tbsp. lavender buds
- 1 1/2+ cups powdered sugar (enough to get the consistency you want)
- 1-2 drops red and blue food coloring - optional
Directions:
- Heat milk and lavender buds in a small pot over low heat. Simmer for 5-7 minutes
- Strain lavender buds from milk (squeeze the lavender buds to get all that good flavor out and into the milk!). Let strained milk cool completely
- Whip softened butter in a medium bowl with a hand mixer
- Mix in lavender milk
- Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until you have your desired consistency
- Fill piping bag with frosting and pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes
- Sprinkle frosted cupcakes with purple dusting sugar (optional)
Here are the finished cupcakes after being frosted and decorated for the party!
Enjoy and thanks for reading!
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Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Maple Cupcakes with Maple Frosting and Bacon Bits
For a friend's surprise birthday party this past weekend, I wanted to make some cupcakes. The surprise party was bacon themed because he loves bacon - so I of course wanted to figure out a way to incorporate bacon into cucpakes. I decided upon a classic flavor combination - maple and bacon (adapted from this recipe).
Maple Cupcakes with Maple Frosting and Bacon Bits
(Yields 9 cupcakes)Maple Cupcakes
Ingredients:
- 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- 1 Tbsp. bacon drippings, solidified
- 1 egg
- 7 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 6 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup milk
- 4 strips of bacon
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pan with 9 cupcake papers
- Cook bacon however you like to cook your bacon (frying pan, microwave, etc.). Set aside cooked bacon and reserve 1 Tbsp. of bacon drippings. Place bacon drippings into the refrigerator for a few minutes to solidify
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside
- Mix butter and bacon drippings until light and fluffy. Add brown sugar, maple syrup and egg, beat until combined
- Alternate adding flour mixture and milk into the the wet ingredients (beginning and ending with flour mixture)
- Fill each cupcake 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until cupcakes are springy to the touch and a cake tester inserted into the cupcake comes out clean
- Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool
Maple Frosting
(Yields enough for 9 cupcakes)
(Yields enough for 9 cupcakes)
Ingredients:
- 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- 1-2 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 + cups powdered sugar (enough to get the consistency you want)
Directions:
- Whip softened butter in a medium bowl with a hand mixer
- Mix in 1 Tbsp. of maple syrup and vanilla extract
- Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until you have your desired consistency
- Add extra maple syrup as needed to get the maple flavor you want
- Fill piping bag with frosting (if you don't have a piping bag, fill a ziplock bag with frosting and snip the tip off the bag). Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with bacon bits
- Refrigerate extra cupcakes for up to 3 days
And here are the finished cupcakes!
Everyone at the birthday party really enjoyed the cupcakes, especially the maple frosting. You'll probably see me using this same maple frosting in October because I think it will pair wonderfully with pumpkin.
Enjoy and thanks for reading!
Continue Reading>>>
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