Special Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Fluff Frosting ~ Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free

Today is a triple special day, it's my A-Maisie-ing Maisie's eighth birthday, it’s Improv Cooking Challenge reveal day AND after weeks of neglect I'm finally adding a new recipe to the blog. How appropriate is it that this month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker challenged the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the specified ingredients of cake & frosting! She must have known that it was my girl's day and that she adores cake and frosting.

Of course Maisie with her allergies, I had to make her special treats gluten, egg & dairy free...but still delicious. These cupcakes were a big hit with my girl and since I made them just for her, I only frosted one and then wrapped and put the extras in the freezer to be thawed, frosted and enjoyed another day.

Special Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Fluff Frosting ~ Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free

• 1 1/2 cups pitted dates
• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
• 1/4 cup coconut cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 5 TBS. Hershey's Special Dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Frosting:

• Marshmallow Fluff
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Using a food processor, combine the dates, almond milk, coconut cream & vanilla bean paste, pulsing until you have a smooth and creamy paste. In a separate bowl whisk together the rice flour, corn starch, cocoa powder, baking powder & salt. add the wet to the dry ingredients. Beat the mixture by hand for two minutes. Portion the batter into 4-6 cupcake liners.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. To make frosting, stir together the desired amount of Marshmallow Fluff and flavor to taste with cocoa powder and a pinch of salt. Pipe frosting onto cupcake and decorate with sprinkles.

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

• September 2013 Macaroni & Cheese: Creamy Mac & Cheese, Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free
• August 2013 Vanilla & Chocolate: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats with Vanilla Coconut Frosting
• July 2013 Peaches & Herbs: Peachy Cola Ribs
• June 2013 Fish & Chips: Salt & Vinegar Crab Cakes
• May 2013 Cinnamon & Sugar: Cinnamon Bun Cookie Bars
• April 2013 Bacon & Eggs: Mini Bacon & Swiss Quiche Cups
• March 2013 Carrots & Peas: Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup
• February 2013 Hearts & Flours: Three Ingredient Fudgy Nutella Brownie Bites
• January 2013 Bananas & Nutmeg: Baked Bananas
• December 2012 Chocolate & Marshmallows: White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark
• November 2012 Sweet Potatoes & honey: Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp
• October 2012 Oatmeal & Raisins: S’mores Granola Bars
• September 2012 Zucchini & Brown Sugar: Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar
• August 2012 Tomatoes & Peppers: French Fries Hash Browns
• July 2012 Corn & Butter: Fritos Crusted Pollock
• June 2012 Cherries & Almonds: Dried Cherry Almond Tart
• May 2012 Strawberries & Cream: Strawberry Soup
• April 2012 Peanut butter & Jelly: Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars
• March 2012 Potato & Cheese: Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole
• February 2012 Ginger & Carrots: Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
• January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream: Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart
• December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries: Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter
• November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese: Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
• October 2011 Caramel & Apples: Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

 

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats with Vanilla Coconut Frosting

Summer is flying by and here we are again, the third Thursday of the month and it's Improv Cooking Challenge time again. Like last month I'm still out of sorts as I'm still without a computer, thus still taking pictures with my iPhone and blogging on my iPad.

This month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker challenged the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the specified ingredients of vanilla & chocolate. Now those ingredients sound easy enough, I mean who doesn't love vanilla and chocolate? My problem in choosing a recipe though is that I'm not eating either ingredient right now and Eammon doesn't need to eat either ingredient so I limited myself to recipes that would appeal to my Maisie. In the end it was Maisie who led me to make Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats with Vanilla Coconut Frosting.

In the end neither Eammon nor I tried even a morsel of the treats but by the way Maisie and her friends devoured them, I can say that they were a huge success.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats with Vanilla Coconut Frosting

• 1/2 cup plus 3 TBS. Earth Balance Buttery Spread, divided
• 10 oz.. Mini marshmallows
• 1 cup dark chocolate peanut butter
• 5 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2TBS. Coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste

Grease an 8-inch square pan and set aside.

Add 3 TBS. buttery spread and the marshmallows to a microwave safe bowl and heat for two minutes on high. Stir to combine and stir in the peanut butter. Heat for an additional 30-40 seconds and then working quickly, add the Rice Krispies and stir to combine well. Press the mixture into the prepared pan and chill until set.

Once the bars are set, cut into squares but keep them close and together. To make the frosting, combine the remaining 1/2 cup buttery spread, powdered sugar, coconut milk and vanilla bean paste and whisk together until creamy. Drizzle onto the chilled bars.

 

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

July 2013 Peaches & Herbs: Peachy Cola Ribs
June 2013 Fish & Chips: Salt &Vinegar Crab Cakes
May 2013 Cinnamon & Sugar: Cinnamon Bun Cookie Bars
April 2013 Bacon & Eggs: Mini Bacon & Swiss Quiche Cups
March 2013 Carrots & Peas: Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup
February 2013 Hearts & Flours: Three Ingredient Fudgy Nutella Brownie Bites
January 2013 Bananas & Nutmeg: Baked Bananas
December 2012 Chocolate & Marshmallows: White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark
November 2012 Sweet Potatoes & honey: Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp
October 2012 Oatmeal & Raisins: S’mores Granola Bars
September 2012 Zucchini & Brown Sugar: Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar
August 2012 Tomatoes & Peppers: French Fries Hash Browns
July 2012 Corn & Butter: Fritos Crusted Pollock
June 2012 Cherries & Almonds: Dried Cherry Almond Tart
May 2012 Strawberries & Cream: Strawberry Soup
April 2012 Peanut butter & Jelly: Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars
March 2012 Potato & Cheese: Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole
February 2012 Ginger & Carrots: Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream: Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries: Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese: Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
October 2011 Caramel & Apples: Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

 

 

Pink Strawberry Cake Balls

I’ve gotten better at actually photographing the things I make but it takes a lot longer for me to actually write up my post and get it published, or what happened with this recipe, it just sort of got lost amongst the drafts.

It was back the beginning of September that I posted this picture on Moments with Maisie of Maisie helping to make a strawberry cake because it was just what we had done that day but I never posted what we did with cake…Until now.

Maisie and I made adorable little pink Strawberry Cake Balls.

There were mini chocolate bits inside and they were coated with white chocolate and pretty pink sugar.

Pink Strawberry Cake Balls

1 box strawberry cake mix, prepared according to package instructions
1 8 oz. brick cream cheese, room temperature
1 16-ounce can strawberry frosting 
1/2 bag mini chocolate chips 
white candy melts 
Crisco solid shortening, if needed
pink sugar crystals

Prepare the cake mix according to the package instructions.  Allow the cake to cool completely and then crumble into a large bowl.  To the cake crumbles stir in the cream cheese and strawberry frosting until fully mixed.  Mix in the mini chocolate chips.  Using a cookie scoop form and place each cake ball on a Silpat lined cookie pan.  Once all the cake balls have been formed place the tray in the freezer to allow the cake balls to harden.

Melt the candy melts in the microwave, stirring every minute so not to burn the candy.  Add Crisco if the candy needs to be thinned a little.  Dip the frozen cake balls in the melted candy, place back on the Silpat and immediately sprinkle with the sugar crystals.  Refrigerate to set the candy.

Enjoy!

Happy 6th Birthday Maisie Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Tomorrow my sweet little Maisie Miao Miao will turn six years old.  I totally can’t believe that she’ll be six because I swear that it was just a year ago when she was 14 months old and we first saw her sweet little cue ball cutie face.  To celebrate her birthday Maisie has had a number of parties.  First was Friday when she had cupcakes with her USA Level 3 gymnastics teammates and then Saturday morning another round of cupcakes with her TOPs teammates.  Two hours later on Saturday afternoon Maisie had her “big” little party of pottery painting with her girlfriends who aren’t on team or in school with her.  We have one more party scheduled for tomorrow with her classmates then the “Maisie is six” birthday parties will be over and she’ll officially be six!

For Maisie’s pottery painting party she requested a pink zebra cake so that’s what my little girl got.  

Maisie of course was a big help in making the Cream Cheese Frosting.

She was an even bigger help in taste testing the pink frosting.

Best of all she “cleaned” the mixer paddle for me.

Maisie supervised as I made and assembled the cake.

Crumb coat completed and Maisie “cleaned” the offset spatula, such a helpful little girl!

All the little cutie-patootie girls loved the pink zebra cake and everyone, including the adults thought it delicious.

I had tried to make the cake zebra patterned and I can see hints of the pattern but I realize now that I should have used more batter in each scoop as I made my layers as they were too thin as they spread so it ended up more marbled looking…oh well it was still delicious.  The cake was beautifully moist and the Cream Cheese Frosting was wonderfully delicious and not overly sweet, just perfect!  The recipe I used for the frosting is my go-to favorite and I have been making it for years.  It’s simple to make, works well for spreading and piping and everyone thinks it tastes like cheesecake, a real winning recipe.

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened (I use regular full fat bricks of cream cheese)
1 cup salted butter, room temperature
1 TBS vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract 
4 cups confectioners sugar

In a stand mixer blend the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth.  Add the confectioners sugar and on medium speed beat until smooth and fluffy.  Add gel icing color of your choice, if desired and blend.

Enjoy!

For the cake I totally cheated and used boxed cake mixes.   I used a 10x3-inch round pan so I used one box each of French Vanilla and Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mixes.  For the zebra top I used a Wilton sugar sheet which was simple and looked great.