Halloween Cupcakes

My computer has another virus so it's been at the Doctors...for a very long time. I was hoping I would have it back before the end of the #GreatHallowTweet but that isn't going to happen so this is going to be short and sweet...

This event is the brain child of Renee from Flamingo Musings. The widget on the side bar show everyone who is playing and makes it easy for you to “hop” from one participating blog to the next! So from October 25th to the 31st, just click on any of these links and hop from blog to blog. Fun! Frolic! Mayhem! From ghoulish recipes to please monsters of all ages, to general insanity, make the rounds everyday to see what new surprises might be lurking around that dark corner. You know - the one with the broken streetlight and creepy shadows? BWAHAHAHAHA!


So I totally cheated on these and used a boxed mix for these cupcakes. You can pretty much do what ever type or flavor that you would like. I did make the frosting. Just a simple white frosting.

White Frosting for Cupcakes or Cakes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 Tbsp. milk

Directions

Beat butter with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until creamy.
Gradually beat in sugar until smooth.
Beat in vanilla and 2 Tbsp. milk, adding additional milk, if necessary, for desired consistency.

***These were a huge hit at the girl's Halloween Parties this year. Simple but really Halloweenish!

Angel Food Cupcakes

Topped with White Sparkling Sugar

The girl’s have been asking (read begging) for me to bake something, anything.  I have been in involved in a weight loss challenge with a bunch of people at the BMX track and I really didn’t want to have to pay any money just because I am very weak and will eat just about anything sweet in the house, hence there has been very little baking going on around here!  Now that the challenge is over and I won, I can get on with baking up some goodies! 

Today I thought I would start by baking some cupcakes…trouble was I couldn’t decide how to top them!

 
Topped with Chocolate Frosting (looks like I was frugal with the frosting but the angel food cake is so light it won’t hold up to a lot!)

Angel Food Cupcakes (adapted to cupcakes from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 12 egg whites
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Be sure that your muffin pan is prepared and lined with cupcake liners. Sift together the flour, and 3/4 cup of the sugar, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites along with the vanilla, cream of tartar and salt, to medium stiff peaks. Gradually add the remaining sugar while continuing to whip to stiff peaks. When the egg white mixture has reached its maximum volume, fold in the sifted ingredients gradually, one third at a time. Do not over mix. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 or less full. Refrigerate the remaining batter for the next batch.
3. Bake for 12-15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cupcakes are a nice golden color.
4. I rolled some still hot cupcakes in White Sparkling Sugar and allowed the rest to cool for frosting.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING (Hershey Cocoa container)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Dark Chocolate and Bacon (yes, bacon) Cupcakes

I have so many things that I have made and kept meaning to post.  You know like the perfect popsicle, or salad and then you get distracted by a play date by the pool, or a trip to the beach, or a lengthy vacation?  Well that’s exactly how my summer went. 

So better late then never here are some cupcakes that I made for Tony’s birthday by special request.  I won’t even tell you when his birthday was but I will tell you that he loved these things!  For me it was really the novelty of it and I really didn’t like the smokiness with the chocolate but truth be told I am not a huge smoky flavor lover.  Really none of that mattered anyway.  It was his birthday and these are what he wanted…

Dark Chocolate and Bacon Cupcakes (allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 12 slices bacon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cold, strong, brewed coffee
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the eggs, coffee, buttermilk and oil. Stir just until blended. Mix in 3/4 of the bacon, reserving the rest for garnish. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack. When cool, arrange the cupcakes on a serving platter. Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting and sprinkle reserved bacon crumbles on top. Dust with additional cocoa powder.

Big and Bold Blueberry Muffins

I made the best muffins I have ever made the other day.  This is another recipe that I have been meaning to try and just never got around to it.  Silly me. 

This recipe was pointed out to me by Kelly of Sass & Veracity.  She had  posted these muffins and told me they were the best.  If you haven’t been to her blog you really need to check it out.  Kelly is an amazing cook and baker but my favorite thing about her recipes is that she always adds notes on the end.  These are almost like her own personal notes that she has written along the side of the recipe in  the magazine or the cookbook.  Sometimes they are things she would do different the next time or reasons why she did what she did this time.  I have cooked many of her recipes and have never had a “fail”.

I can’t wait to make these again and again.  The possibilities are endless.  You can use just about any flavor combo that you can imagine with these.  When making these muffins Joanne Chang advises that if you want to add fruit or chocolate to the master recipe, do so in 1-1/2 cup quantities and if you are altering flavorings such as citrus zest, or spice, then 2 tsp. of zest is recommended, and/or 3/4 tsp. spice.  Also these are really easy.  You don’t need a mixer and only 2 bowls being dirtied.  Love that…

Joanne Chang's Master Muffin Recipe
Makes 12 big top muffins

3-1/2 c. all purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/3 c. sugar 
10 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 c. whole milk at room temp
1 c. sour cream at room temp
2 lg. eggs at room temp
1 lg. egg yolk at room temp
1 1/2 c. of blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and set aside.  In another bowl, combine sugar, melted butter, milk, sour cream, and eggs.  Add this wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix gently until nearly all the dry ingredients are moist and the batter is still lumpy.

Gently mix the additional ingredients into the batter being careful not to over mix.  Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper cups, and spray over the top of the muffin pan lightly.  Divide the batter evenly among the 12 cups, mounding it.  Bake in the center of the oven about 30 to 35 minutes or until tops are golden brown and centers set.

Cool muffins in the pan placed on a baking rack for about 20 minutes before removing them to a platter.

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Chocolate and Key Lime Cupcakes

I’ve been having a bit of a block lately.  I can’t write.  I’m still cooking and baking but nothing seems to be inspiring me to write (or “right” about it. LOL!!!). 

I keep putting it down to the season.  I know it sounds weird to all of you northerners but here in Southwest Florida in the months of August and September we are a virtual dead zone of fresh produce!  It is just too stinking hot outside for anything to grow let alone thrive…I will be planting my garden this month so hopefully that will help give me a badly needed boost!  Until then I offer you some delicious chocolate and key lime cupcakes…

Chocolate and Key Lime Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. water
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 Tbs. white vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla

Filling:
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 cup of fresh squeezed key lime juice
zest of one key lime

Directions:

In a bowl, beat cream cheese. Add key lime juice, zest, sugar, egg, salt. Mix well. Set aside.

For cupcakes, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Mix well. Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full with batter. Top each with 2 Tbs. of cream cheese mixture and then top with more chocolate batter to cover the cream cheese.

Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan. This makes 12

These were truly delicious.  I tossed around whether it should be a white cupcake or chocolate but my helpers decided it HAD to be chocolate.  Glad I listened to them.  Some of them caved in but that’s because I was a little over zealous in my filling!!!

Baking for Breast Cancer Awareness...

Ley over at Cilantro and Lime is hosting this event to help raise awareness for Breast Cancer. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I think it is something that we all need to become more aware of. If you have not loss someone close to you to this horrible disease you are definitely in the minority. Each year it is estimated that nearly 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die. Approximately 1,700 men will also be diagnosed with breast cancer and 450 will die each year. The evaluation of men with breast masses is similar to that in women, including mammography.

The best defense for breast cancer is early detection so give yourself a breast self-exam at least once a month. Look for any changes in breast tissue, such as changes in size, a lump, dimpling or puckering of the breast, or a discharge from the nipple. If you discover a persistent lump in your breast or any changes in breast tissue, it is very important that you see a physician immediately. However, 8 out of 10 lumps are benign, or not cancerous.

In honor of this great event I baked Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese/Chocolate Chip Filling.


These were so good and so easy to make. It took me less time to make these than it does to make a cake!!! Ridiculously simple. Have I mentioned these were good? When I ate my first one it was still warm and gooey from the oven and then about 10 minutes later I ate the second one (it was sacrificial, all in the name of a good photo which didn't turn out so great!) they were even better. They were so rich. I was going to frost them with some pink icing in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month but after tasting one I realized that would be total overkill! I got out the lovely pink tulle and shot away!! I can't wait for the girls to taste these...they will love them!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese/Chocolate Chip Filling.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. water
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 Tbs. white vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla

Filling:
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips (you can use whatever you like but I like bittersweet)

Directions:

In a bowl, beat cream cheese. Add sugar, egg, salt. Mix well. Fold in chips. Set aside. For cupcakes, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Mix well. Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full with batter. Top each with 1 Tbs. of cream cheese mixture and then top with more chocolate batter to cover the cream cheese. Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan. This makes 12



I did have some cream cheese mixture left over. Haven't really decided what to make with that but whatever it is I bet it will be delicious!!!

Go on over to Ley's blog and bake something to help promote October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

As Always...

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com