Showing posts with label cupcake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cupcake. Show all posts

7.02.2012

#89) Strawberry Surprise Mini Cupcakes

Wow!  So much to share...  and not just the delicious little cupcakes in the picture :)


Husband and I have welcomed our own little sweetie into the world!  Our little man is already 9 weeks old and is perfect in every possible way :)  He has changed our lives in so many ways, but it seems like things are just how they were always meant to be - a truly amazing feeling.  It blows me away how much he changes each and every single day... before you know it he'll be making sweet treats of his own, maybe like these cute little cupcakes :)

Now, for anyone who reads my recipes, you know I am a chocoholic at heart - there's no denying it.  So the thought of a simple vanilla cupcake doesn't really excite me all that much, but throw some homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Apple Jam in the middle of that thing and I am all over it!  Top it all off with some fluffy Strawberry Rhubarb Frosting and I will devour it :)  So that's just what I did.  Give it a try and let me know how many you chow down before sharing!

Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vanilla sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup Strawberry Rhubarb Apple Jam, recipe found here

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350F.  Line mini cupcake pan with paper liners.
-Cream butter and sugars.
-Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
-Whisk together dry ingredients in small bowl.
-Alternately add dry ingredients and milk, stirring to incorporate after each addition.
-Divide half the batter between 24 mini cupcake liners.
-Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of jam into each liner.
-Cover jam with remaining batter.
-Bake for 7-9 minutes.
-Let cool completely.  Frost and enjoy!

*makes 24 mini cupcakes

Strawberry Rhubarb Frosting

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup icing sugar
2-3 tbsp Strawberry Rhubarb Apple Jam, depending on personal taste

Steps

-Cream butter.
-Slowly beat in icing sugar.
-Stir in jam.

7.11.2011

#85) Rhubarb Pie Cupcakes


I may love sweet treats, but I have to tell ya, I really do love tart flavours.  Give me a bit of lemon any day!  So that's why I was so excited when one of husband's co-workers kindly gave me a big bag of fresh rhubarb from her garden.  The only question was, "What do I make?"

I could have done the ol' strawberry rhubarb combination, but that just seemed too straight forward.  Then it dawned on me that I haven't made cupcake in way too long!  So there you have it - a rhubarb pie cupcake :)

The cupcake itself is kind of heavy, due the skipped creaming step, but I wanted to mimic a tart shell you might put your pie filling in.  The pie filling is straight up rhubarb with just enough sweetness to take the edge off.  And the frosting?  OMG the frosting!  I am not great at frosting and I am not a huge fan of how overly sweet homemade frosting can be.  Also, I wanted to re-create the whipped cream you might have on a piece of rhubarb pie.  So I went on the hunt for something a little different and found 7-minute frosting.  Okay, mine took more like 14 minutes, but SO worth it!  It's like a fluffy marshmallow sitting on the top of the cupcakes.

Give 'em a try and let me know what you think :)  Oh, and don't forget to vote for our blogiversay recipe revisit to your left.  Thanks!

Rhubarb Pie Filling

Ingredients

4 cups chopped rhubarb
1 1/3 cups sugar (start with 1 cup and add accordingly throughout cooking process depending on the tartness of your rhubarb)
6 tablespoons flour

Steps

-Combine all ingredients in large saucepan.  Cook over med-high heat for about 10 minutes, until liquid from rhubarb moistens the mixture.  (I covered mine and stirred often.)
-Reduce heat to low and let cook until all the rhubarb pieces have broken down.  Mixture should be thick.
-Remove from saucepan to bowl and allow to cool completely.


Cupcakes

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups cake flour (for those of you with AP flour - measure out all your flour, remove 7 tbsp, replace with 7 tbsp cornstarch - def worth the extra effort!)
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup milk
4 eggs
2 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla

Steps

- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line muffin cups with paper liners.
- Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into large, deep bowl.
- Add the butter and 1/2 cup of the milk. Mix on medium speed until dough-like consistency.
- In a separate bowl, blend the eggs, egg whites, the remaining 1/2 cup milk and the vanilla. Add to the batter in 3 additions, mixing for 2 minutes on medium speed after each addition. Scrape down the bowl between additions.

Assembly

-Add 1 heaping tablespoon of batter to liners.  To centre of batter add 1 1/2 tsp of rhubarb filling.  Cover filling with another tablespoon of batter (be sure the bottom batter and top batter meet to seal in the filling).
-Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean.
-Let cool completely on wire rack.

*Makes 3 dozen filled cupcakes.

7-Minute Frosting

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tbsp vanilla (I used homemade rhubarb syrup)

Steps

-Add sugar, water, egg whites, and cream of tartar to a large double boiler bowl.  Beat with electric mixer until mixture is foamy (about 1 minute).
-Put bowl over simmering water and beat with mixer until soft peaks form (supposed to be about 7 minutes but it took me more like 14).
-Remove from heat, add vanilla, and continue to beat to thicken frosting (about 2 minutes).
-Let cool completely before using.

5.27.2010

#76) Cinnamon Cupcakes


Have you missed me? Well, that's not important - what is important is that I have missed you! But I am here with cupcakes in hand hoping you will forgive my long absence, yet again...

Here's the deal, fiance and I are getting married in just 65 days!!! (Yes I am nervous, but everything is falling into place nicely) So to get in shape and shed a few pounds I have hired a trainer and joined a Booty Boot Camp. Let me tell you, this trainer knows her stuff and she makes sure I work hard. But you know what that means, less time to be in the kitchen and super bad guilty conscious for eating all the sweet treats I love so much!

Buuuuuuuuuuuuutttttttt - last weekend was the May Long Weekend and I decided it was about time I got back in the kitchen and started playing with some ideas and ingredients.... the guilty conscious went on vacation :)

I started out wanting cinnamon buns, but I have a strange fear of yeast and am quite nervous about using it... I know, this makes no sense and cinnamon buns would be worth it, right? Yeah, I couldn't do it... So I done the next best thing - cupcakes!!! But sticking with the cinnamon bun craving I slapped some cinnamon sugar in the middle and topped them all with a highly addictive lemon cream cheese frosting. You have to try them!!!!!!!!!

Cinnamon Filling

Ingredients

1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cocoa powder

Steps

- Mix together in small bowl.

Cupcake Batter

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups cake flour (for those of you with AP flour - measure out all your flour, remove 7 tbsp, replace with 7 tbsp cornstarch - def worth the extra effort!)
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup (soy) milk
4 eggs
2 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla

Steps

- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line muffin cups with paper liners.

- Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into large, deep bowl.

- Add the butter and 1/2 cup of the milk. Mix on medium speed until smooth.

- In a separate bowl, blend the eggs, egg whites, the remaining 1/2 cup milk and the vanilla. Add to the batter in 3 additions, mixing for 2 minutes on medium speed after each addition. Scrape down the bowl between additions.

Assembly

- Place 1 1/2 tsp cake batter into the muffin liners.

- Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of filling into the muffin cups.

- Cover with more batter, filling cups about 2/3 full. Use a toothpick to swirl the cinnamon centre.

- Bake at 350°F for 18-20.

- Cool completely.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1 8-oz block (light) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
Grated rind of one lemon
1/2 cups icing sugar (this will change depending on moisture content of cream cheese, amount of juice in lemon, etc. - you want a smooth, fluffy consistency, but not pipeable frosting)

Steps

- Beat together all ingredients except icing sugar until combined.

- Add icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time until proper consistency is achieved.


3.27.2010

#74) Peach Upside-Downs


I have been drooling over my copy of Better Homes and Gardens' "Ultimate Desserts" since I got it in the mail last week. So I thought today was a good time to try out one of the many recipes I had picked out. The recipe in the book is a Caramelized Fresh Apricot Upside-Down Cake. Well, as I have said before, I live in Labrador so getting anything "fresh" is a pretty hard task. Also, I couldn't find canned apricots, so I went with canned peaches. And I couldn't justify making a whole cake for just myself, so I halved the recipe and made cupcake versions. Oh, and I have to apologize for the quality of the photo - fiance, aka souRIRE photography, wasn't here to do it today.

Here is my version of the recipe:

Syrup

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1/8 cup butter (almost 2 tbsp)
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp lemon juice

Steps

-combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let boil for 5-10 minutes (mine was done in about 7), stirring often. You want the syrup to be a rich amber colour. (watch closely as colour begins to change as syrup can go from sweet to burnt in just seconds)

-set aside.

Cakes

Ingredients

6 canned peach slices, drained (I will cut them into smaller pieces next time)
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp vanilla

Steps

-preheat over to 350ºF and lightly spray 6 muffin cups with Pam.
-place peach pieces into muffin cups.
-pour slightly cooled syrup over peach pieces. Set aside.
-stir together flour and baking powder in small bowl.
-in a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in milk and vanilla.
-in a clean, dry bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
-fold one quarter of the egg whites into cake batter. Fold in remaining egg whites.
-using a 1/8 cup measure, divide batter among muffin cups.
-bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. (mine took 22 minutes)
-let cool on wire rack in for 5 minutes, then run a knife around edges to loosed cupcakes. Carefully turn over onto a plate. Spoon any remaining syrup over cupcakes.

6.19.2009

#63) Caramel Cocoa Cakes



OMG! These things are amazing! Not to toot my own horn, but wow! I came home to visit the fam yesterday so of course my brother was immediately asking for Peanut Butter Balls, but you know me, I always want to try something new :) So he said if I could get caramel inside a chocolate cupcake he would love me... He obviously doesn't realize just how easy this is! :) And what goes best with chocolate cupcakes then chocolate ganache???

Cocoa Cupcakes

Ingredients

1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp vanilla

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tins with papers.
-Sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
-Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
-Divide into muffin tins (about 18).
-Bake for 20 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time.

Caramel

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
6 tbsp butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Steps

-Bring sugar and water to a boil over medium heat. Whisk until crystals are dissolved.
-Boil syrup until an amber colour begins to take form.
-Add butter. Whisk.
-Remove from heat and count to five. Add milk slowly, whisking.
-Let cool for at least one hour.

Ganache

Ingredients

1 cup chocolate
3/4 cup heaving whipping cream
2 tbsp butter

Steps

-Put chocolate in steel bowl.
-Heat cream and butter over medium heat.
-Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes.
-Stir until smooth.

Assembly

-Using a serrated knife at an angel, cut a cone out of the top of each cooled cupcake.
-Fill the hole with cool caramel and ganache.
-Replace cone.
-Top with ganache.

3.07.2009

#46) Banana Bites & Cinnamoney



I made these mini cupcakes a few days ago in a bit of a rush. I was attending a get-together and had procrastinated on making something to bring along. Then I found a bag of frozen ripe banana in the freezer and these wonderfully coloured mini liners in the cupboard - it was like fate! Okay, maybe not fate, but a very strong suggestion.

They were quite a hit and I would definitely use this recipe again, but next time I might dress it up with some chocolate chips or raisins!

Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups mashed banana
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F.
-Sift together dry ingredients. Make a well in middle.
-Add wet ingredients and hand mix just until blended.
-Divide amongst liners and bake until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cinnamoney Frosting

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp cinnamon

Steps

-Add all ingredients to one bowl and mix until smooth and of spreading/piping consistency.
-Dress up cooled cupcakes :)

2.15.2009

Caramel Macchiato "Cuppas"



Entry #2 folks!!! This month's theme is coffee, and judging by the submissions to date, it is going to be one tough competition :)

Our February ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:

DIANAEVANS - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5599270
as well as a pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6057281.
PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!
As an added bonus for February, SWEET CUPPIN CAKES BAKERY AND CUPCAKERY SUPPLY will be tossing in a variety of cupcaking supplies, http://www.acupcakery.com/index.html.

Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com .

I decided to put a cupcake spin on one of my favorite caffinated drinks - the Caramel Macchiato from Coffee Matters in St. John's NL. This comforting drink has the perfect blend of strong coffe and sweet caramel!

My cupcake starts with a coffee cupcake base, and when I say "coffee" I mean strong coffee - a good jolt to start off the day with. Inside there is a gooey centre drenched in homemade caramel sauce - a nice way to cut the good-but-bitter bite of the coffee. A nice swirl of sweet and smooth buttercream tops it all off - just for that sweet tooth.



Coffee Cupcake

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
4 1/2 tbsp instant coffee granules
3/4 cup water

Steps

- Preheat oven to 360°F and line 12 muffin cups with papers.
- Cream butter and sugar together. Add vanilla. Mix. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.
- Add dry ingredients, including coffee, and mix well. Mixture will be slightly dry.
- Add water 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Divide between the 12 muffin cups.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes. Let cool.

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
6 tbsp butter (real butter, margarine will not taste right)
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Steps

- Put sugar and water in a deep sauce pan. Heat over med heat. Whisk until crystals are dissolved.
- Allow syrup to boil at the same temp for several minutes until an amber color begins to show. Add butter and whisk until melted. Remove from heat and count to five.
- Add milk slowly, whisking constantly. The mixture will bubble so be careful!
- Let cool slightly then transfer to a mason jar to cool overnight.
- Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Buttercream

I used the leftover icing form my Valentine's cake, found here.

Assembly

- Let cupcakes cool til slightly above room temp.
- Transfer caramel to a squirt bottle. Poke tip of bottle into tops of cupcakes and squeeze. The caramel will soak into the cake, giving you the gooey centre, so let them sit and top the holes up several times before icing.
- Pipe buttercream onto filled cupcakes.
- Eat and lick your fingers :)

12.18.2008

#28) IronCupcake:Earth Choclate with a Twist - Clementine Cupcakes


Here is what was supposed to be my first entry into ICE... my clementine cupcakes. But when I tried to upload my picture to Flickr I encountered some problems. Oh well, here they are in any case...

When this month's theme, chocolate with a twist, was announced I was immediately interested. Being a total chocoholic I love pretty much every possible combo with chocolate AND one of my all-time favourite treats around the holidays are those Terry's Chocolate Oranges. It was so convenient that my dad came home last night with a whole crate of clementines. What a nice way to re-create this tasty sweet treat!

Ingredients

1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tbsp milk
5-6 clementines
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup icing sugar
melted chocolate

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F and line 7 muffin cups with paper liners. (It is a small recipe because my family isn't a big fan of cupcakes - they are more cookie people)
-Cream sugar and butter together.
-Beat eggs in small bowl. Add 1/4 cup clementine juice (need about 4-5 clementines), and milk. Add to butter and mix with hand mixer.
-Sift together dry ingredients. Fold into butter mixture. Use mixer to incorporate fully.
-Bake for 18-20 minutes.

-For the icing, squeeze juice of 1 clementine into a bowl. Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
-Add the icing sugar in 1/4 cup additions, beating after each addition.
-The icing will be a bit thin, but no too thin that it will not sit on top of the cupcakes.

-Separate last clementine into segments.
-Melt chocolate.
-Dip segments halfway into melted chocolate and let cool on waxed paper.
-Top each cupcake with a cooled segment.

Eat & Enjoy!

12.16.2008

#27) Candy Cane Cupcakes


Alrighty folks... the holiday season is upon us and you all know what that means - BAKING!!! Nicole @ Baking Bites is hosting a Holiday Cupcake Contest and seeing as I have loads of free time now that the semester is over, I wanted in. I whipped up a plain vanilla batter and divided it in thirds. To one third I added raspberry candy flavouring and red food colouring, to a second peppermint candy flavouring and green food colouring, and the third I left as is. To all three bowls I added some crushed candy cane. They baked up nicely, but I have to say they were a little dense for my liking... next time I think I will use less butter. In any case, here is the recipe:

Cupcakes

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
raspberry candy flavouring
red food coloring
peppermint candy flavouring
green food colouring
2 crushed candy canes

Steps

-Preheat oven to 320°F and line muffin cup with liners.
-Lightly beat eggs. Add butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
-Add buttermilk, flour, baking powder, and vanilla. Beat until light and creamy.
-Divide mixture evenly among three bowls.
-To one bowl add 5 drops raspberry flavouring and red food coloring. Mix.
-To a second bowl add 5 drops peppermint flavouring and green food colouring. Mix.
-Add crushed candy cane to each bowl and mix
-Add the different coloured batter to the liners by tablespoonfuls, creating layers in each liner.
-Once all the batter has been distributed, poke a fork into each liner twice.
-Bake for 20 minutes and let cool completely.

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

1 1/4 sticks butter
1 1/4 cups icing sugar
sprinkle salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp milk
1 crushed candy cane

Steps

-Beat butter until smooth (20 seconds).
-Add sugar and salt. Beat for one minute.
-Scrape down sides of bowl and add vanilla and milk. Beat for 2 minutes.
-Pipe or spread on cooled cupcakes.
-Sprinkle candy cane on top.

11.28.2008

#22) Buried Bakeapple Bites


I have had two bags of bakeapples left in the freezer since the summer and have wanted to use them, but every time I got into the kitchen (which hasn't been much as of late) a new recipe would intrigue me and it was "so long bakeapples." Last night I started toying with the idea of a bakeapple cupcake... I don't know how many of you use bakeapples, but anyone who does will know there aren't many recipes written for them, and most of the ones that are just turn them into a sauce or a topping for cheesecake. I wanted to do something new so I made a small recipe of bakeapple cake filling and let it chill overnight. Then it was time to bury it... :) I used the left-over cream cheese frosting from a previous recipe found here. The spice of the nutmeg with the tang of the berry filling is such a unique combination you will eave your taste buds begging for more :)

PS - Classes are almost over and exams soon begin, but after that it's home to Mom & Dad's and back into the kitchen... There will be more frequent posts as Christmas draws nearer!!!

Bakeapple Cake Filling

1 cup bakeapples
1/4 cup water
5 tbsp sugar
3 tsp corn starch

-Boil berries with 3/4 of the water. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
-Push the cooked berries through a fine sieve, discarding the seeds.
-Whisk corn starch into remaining water. Add cornstarch mixture and sugar to berries.
-Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Let cool completely.

Cupcakes

3 eggs (room temperature)
1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup milk (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp bakeapple preserve (optional)

*I wanted this recipe to have a rustic type flavour, so I kept the mixer in the cupboard and just used some old fashioned elbow grease to mix everything together :)

-Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pan with paper liners.
-Lightly beat eggs.
-Add butter and sugar and mix.
-Add milk, flour, baking powder, and preserve (if using). Mix.
-Add a couple of tablespoons of batter to each liner.
-Divide cake fill into liners.
-Cover with remaining batter.
-Bake for 18-20 minutes.
-Let cool and frost with icing, if desired.

11.02.2008

#20) Autumn-Spiced Cupcakes with Ginger-Infused Cream Cheese Frosting


I have been daydreaming about this recipe for a while now. About 3 weeks ago the bf and I went to Bulk Barn and I loaded up on cloves, allspice, nutmeg... all the spices that remind me of Fall. But, other than my chai tea experiment, I haven't done anything with them. That all changed today :)

The bf recently had a bday, but because I am away for school, we weren't together for it. He flies into town tomorrow so I wanted to have a belated birthday cake-type surprise for him. Well, not so much a surprise becasue I can't keep a secret to save my life, but he will appreciate these little sweet treats no less.

All I done was take a basic vanilla cupcake recipe and added some cloves and allspice. For the frosting I searched high and low for a pipable cream cheese frositng, and thought I had found one here, but the end product was less than pipable and I was quite dissappointed. Nonetheless, here is my bealted birthday cupcake collection for my baby!


Cupcakes


Ingredients:

3 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice

Steps:

- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tray with 12 cupcake papers.
- In a medium bowl lightly beat eggs. Add butter, oil, and sugar and beat until combined.
- Add milk, flour, baking powder, cloves, and allspice. Stir to combine. Beat with mixer for about 2 minutes.
- Divide batter between cupcake papers. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese
5 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
pumpkin spice (for sprinkling)

Steps:

- Bring cream cheese and butter to room temperature.
- In a medium bowl beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and ginger until blended.
- Add sugar one third at a time and beat until smooth.

*Do not overbeat!

10.15.2008

#17) Coffee Cupcakes with Quasi-Chocolate Ganache


No, they weren't a textbook success, but these little cupcakes are one yummy sweet treat.

I was walking by the bookstore the other day, and well, they had this cute little cupcake and muffin cookbook there fore less than $7. Well, I just had to have it! So I brought home my new little treasure and read it cover to cover and drooled over every single picture.

The recipe I attempted here sounded perfect! I love the taste of coffee, but drinking it makes me sick, so when I can whip up a coffee-flavoured sweet treat, I am one happy woman. The recipe was easy to follow and I had everything on hand for it, or so I thought, so I whipped up the batter and put them in the over.

After I finished licking the spoon (oh, you all do it!!!!), I started making my topping. It was supposed to be a nice, thick choclate ganache-ish frosting. BUT..... I didn't have any cream in the fridge and all the stores were closed! So in my amature frenzy I decided chocolate milk would have to do.

What was I thinking?!??!?!?!?! Instead of a nice, thick ganache-ish frosting, I ended up with a rather tasty bowl of dark chocolate soup. Frenzy #2 - What in the world will I put on top of my now baked and cooled coffee cupcakes???? This "soup" was too runny to use as icing, and to messy to drizzle over top......

Then my bf came up with the great idea of just dipping my little sweet treats into the chocolate soup concoction. Aren't they just adorable? We used several toppins - coconut, silver balls, and colored sprinkles. The coconut was best!

Well, there you have it - my very long-winded explanation of this sweet treat. The lesson I learned - be 100% sure you have ALL the ingredients you need, and then double-check to be 110% sure. By the way, thanks for your help Babe. I love you!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup instant coffee
1 cup butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup water
1 tbsp instant coffee
3/4 cup cream
1 cup dark choclate, finely chopped

Steps:

-Preheat oven to 360°F. Line muffin tray with paper liners.
-Sift dry ingredients together. Set aside.
-In a medium bowl, beat together butter, vanilla, and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time.
-Add dry ingredients. Mix. Slowly add water and mix again.
-Pour batter into muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 mintues.

-Meanwhile, gently heat coffee and cream in saucepan.
-Pour hot mixture over chocolate. Stir thouroughly.
-Use star tip to pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

8.23.2008

#9) Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes

Recently, while on vacation, bf and I went to a U-Pick. Now I have a cherished bag of raspberries crying out to be turned into delectable sweet treats... Today I decided to make some of my raspberry cake fill and pair it with some oh-so-sweet chocolate. This recipe makes a rich cupcake filled with sweet and sour raspberries and gooey chocolate.

Ingredients
:


Filling
2 cups raspberries
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1.5 tbsp cornstarch

-Bring berries and 1/3 cup water to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
-Strain the berry mixture and return to heat.
-Add cornstarch to remaining water. Whisk into berry mixture.
-Add sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.
-Cool completely.

Cupcakes (All at room temperature)
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup buttermilk, shaken (1 cup regular milk + 1 tbsp vinegar)

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tbsp brewed coffee

1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt
150 chocolate chips (preferably dark)

Steps:

-Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pan with paper liners.

-Cream butter with sugars for 5 minutes on high.

-At low speed, add eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
-In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee.

-In a third bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

-At low speed, add the milk and flour mixtures to the butter alternately, in thirds. (You should begin with the milk and end with the flour.)

-Mix only until blended. Fold slightly with a spatula.

-Place 1 tbsp of batter in the bottom of each liner. Top with 1 tsp cake fill and 5 chocolate chips. Cover completely with remaining batter.
-Bake for 20 minutes.

*Should make about 30 cupcakes. Happy eating!