Posts tagged ‘Cupcakes’

Aug 20

Iron Cupcake Earth: Chili

I have finally completed my entry for Iron Cupcake Earth’s challenge of chili pepper. I made two variations of my entry and chose the one I liked best.

My entry is a chocolate cupcake, filled with chili chocolate ganache, topped with a layer of chili chocolate ganache, frosted with peanut butter frosting and sprinkled with a dash of cayenne pepper.

My other variation was the same as the above, but with chocolate frosting.

I chose the one with peanut butter frosting because it tasted more interesting. I loved this cupcake; it tasted like a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting, but with an extra spicy tingle. When my husband took his first bite he said, “I don’t taste any chili in these!”. I smiled and waited. A second later, he said, “Oh, now I do!”.

What I also love about these cupcakes was the fact that I used our own chili peppers that we grew in our garden. We dried them and kept them to use for later. I ground them up today and mixed them up in the chocolate ganache, along with a dash of cayenne pepper.

I didn’t post a cross section of this cupcake because the chili chocolate ganache was so dark that you couldn’t even tell that the chocolate cupcake was filled with the ganache in the photos!

The winner of Iron Cupcake Earth receives prizes from Cakespy’s Etsy shop, Cupcake Courier, Fiesta Products, Hello, Cupcake, Jesse Steele, and Taste of Home.

Recipes:

Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from a post at Cupcakes Take The Cake
makes 12-14 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

Method
Preheat oven to 375, then turn it down to 350 just prior to baking

Beat the butter with an electric mixer until it is soft, then add sugar. Beat about 3 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time beating until they are well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk them to incorporate them.

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar and beat it just to combine. Add 1/2 of the liquids (milk & vanilla), scrape down bowl and beat to combine. Continue adding the dry and wet ingredients alternately making sure you END WITH THE DRY.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3′s of the way.

Bake for about 20-22 minutes. Do not overbake! Allow to cool, then frost.

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Chili Chocolate Ganache
Adapted from Cupcake Bakeshop
makes about 1/2 cup ganache, you’ll probably have some leftover

Ingredients
1/4 cup + 3 tblsp + 1/2 tsp heavy cream
1 tblsp + 1/2 tsp butter
1 3/4 tsp ancho chili powder
1 small pinch ground cayenne pepper
3.6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

Method
Heat cream and butter over medium heat until butter is melted and cream bubbles around saucepan edge.

Place peppers and chopped chocolate in a medium sized bowl, pour heated cream and butter over the chocolate.

Let the mixture sit for about 30 seconds then start whisking it until smooth.

Set aside mixture and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon, until it cools enough to use.

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Peanut Butter Frosting
Adapted from Shazam In The Kitchen

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 cups powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoons milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 small pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

Method
In large bowl, combine butter, peanut butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons milk. Mix well, adding more milk as needed to make a fluffy spreadable frosting. Sprinkle with a very small pinch of cayenne pepper if desired.

Aug 12

Strawberry & Chocolate Cupcakes

I was inspired to make these cupcakes from a post at My Sweet Cupcakes. The temptation of chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting was too strong! I made these cupcakes for my husband to take to his office at work to share, and I only got to keep four of them for myself.

They are really good, the chocolate ones are my favorite! The chocolate cupcakes are made from my new standard chocolate cupcake recipe, found on Cupcakes Take The Cake. Both the strawberry cupcakes and strawberry frosting recipe come from Sprinkles. The only thing I did differently was strain the strawberry puree to get out the seeds – the recipe did not say to do this.

My opinion on the Sprinkles cupcakes is that they are okay. Strangely, I didn’t taste any strawberry while chewing the cupcakes, but once I swallowed a bite I got a strawberry taste. The cupcake is nice and moist, but not very pink, or not as pink as I’d like a strawberry cupcake to be. The frosting was very nice (though very sweet) and was a very light shade of pink, as you can see in the above photo.

My classic individual cupcake photos here – chocolate cupcake with strawberry frosting and strawberry cupcake with strawberry frosting.

Aug 6

1 Comment

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

The cupcakes that I had originally planned for this week had to be put on hold because my daughter spilled a nearly full bottle of vanilla extract, so I couldn’t make any cupcakes with vanilla. So I decided to go with mint chocolate cupcakes instead since the recipe called for mint extract instead of vanilla.

I chose this particular recipe because it was supposed to taste like a mint Aero chocolate bar, which I really like, and the recipe also had good (but few) reviews; I found the recipe at nigella.com.

Now I admit that these cupcakes look very pretty, but I have to tell you that I just don’t like them! Definitely not happy with the way these turned out. The cupcake itself is sort of bland, tasteless and very dry. The frosting, however, is fine.

I did alter the recipe slightly by adding less mint extract than was called for in the cupcakes.

To try to moisten them up a bit, I filled a few of them with white mint buttercream, using the cone method.

It didn’t really help much! I definitely do not recommend using this recipe if you’re after mint chocolate cupcakes.

Aug 1

17 Comments

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I had never heard of red velvet cake (RVC) until a few months ago (I must have been living under a rock!) and at first I thought it was a bit tacky. I also didn’t like the idea of all that food coloring being added (although I understand that RVC can also be colored with beets or strawberries). But eventually my curiosity won and I had to make these for myself.

After reading a post at Bake & Destroy about Magnolia Bakery’s RVC recipe I decided that this would be the recipe I would use. I am so glad I chose this recipe, so thank you Bake & Destroy for posting your review of these!

I used Magnolia Bakery’s cream cheese frosting recipe as well, and topped them with RVC crumbs. I had to hurry to take these photos because the cream cheese frosting was quickly melting into a goopy mess!

But, wow, these cupcakes are fantastic! So moist and delicious, and the red color is perfect for my tastes.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients
3 1/3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 tablespoons red food coloring
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and lightly flour three 9 x 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.

To make the cake: In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.

In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts, alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overheat.

In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for 1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

When the cake has cooled, spread the frosting between the layers, then the ice top and sides of the cake with frosting.

Makes one 3-layer 9-inch cake. (Or about three dozen cupcakes.)

* I cut the recipe into thirds and ended up with 11 cupcakes. For help with recipe calculations, visit this page.

* I made my own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of milk, then let it sit for 5 minutes.

* I used regular white vinegar instead of cider vinegar.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
1 pound (two 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened and cut into small pieces
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

Method
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat well. Gradually add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating continuously until smooth and creamy. Cover and refrigerate icing for 2 to 3 hours, but no longer, to thicken before using.

Makes enough for one 2- or 3-layer 9-inch cake.

*I cut this recipe in half and was able to use most of the frosting for my 11 cupcakes.

Jul 23

1 Comment

Congrats, It's A Girl! Cupcakes

A friend of mine recently had a baby girl and a group of friends got together to bring the new mom meals and treats in these first few weeks. Of course I volunteered to bring cupcakes!

I used Magnolia Bakery’s vanilla cupcake recipe and the following vanilla frosting recipe…

Vanilla Buttercream
makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk

Method
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, unsalted butter, salt, and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary. Add milk and continue mixing until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary. With the mixer running, slowly add remaining 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, mix until well combined.

I tinted half the frosting pink. To get the pink and white swirl, simply place pink frosting on one side inside of a pastry bag and white frosting on the other side so that the pink and white frostings are side by side. You’ll need to squeeze a bit of the frosting out at first to get to the swirled part. It’s a really nice effect!

The swirled stars on the white frosted cupcakes were made simply by squeezing out a small amount of frosting and twisting the pastry bag at the same time.

Jul 6

Independence Day/Birthday Cupcakes

My son’s first birthday was on July 5, the day after Independence Day, so I made him some patriotic cupcakes.

The red and blue dots are supposed to represent fireworks. Just trying to keep it fun for him and his 3-year-old sister, who told me that the cupcakes were so pretty!

I layered red, white (plain) and blue batter in the silver foil cupcake liners to get this effect.

I used, yet again, Magnolia Bakery’s vanilla cupcake recipe and for the first time Magnolia Bakery’s vanilla frosting. This is the third time I’ve made these cupcakes and I’m getting the opinion that the cupcakes don’t taste very vanilla-y. I might try adding more vanilla the next I bake these. The texture of the cupcakes is nice, but I’d like it to be a little lighter; also the cupcake seem sticky – it sticks to my fingers more so than other cupcakes. The frosting is very, very sweet, but I like its texture, even on the second day.

Okay, this might be it on the cupcakes until my daughter’s birthday on July 19, for which I am making Bakerella’s cupcake pops, but a friend of mine had a new baby daughter on July 3, and I may bake baby girl-themed cupcakes to take to her sometime in the coming couple of weeks too.

Next on my own list, besides the cupcake pops are chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes and red velvet cupcakes.

Jun 29

10 Comments

Watermelon Cupcakes

So I lied – I do have some cupcakes for you after all! Watermelon ones – cross section is pictured so it would look more watermelony.

I thought it was a cute idea that I had for these watermelon cupcakes, so had to try it out. I used Magnolia Bakery’s vanilla cupcake recipe, but halved it to get one dozen cupcakes instead of two (though I ended up with 14, actually). I added 10 drops of red food coloring (give or take a drop) and 1/4 cup plus a tablespoon or so of mini chocolate chips.

I then used the watermelon frosting I found here. Though the taste of the frosting was nice with a subtle hint of watermelon, I was disappointed that it was too liquidy to pipe at all, even after refrigerating, so had to just sort of pour it on the cupcake. Because there is cream cheese in the frosting, I am refrigerating the leftover cupcakes so it should harden up a little, I presume. And even though the watermelon juice turned the frosting a light pink color, I wanted it green so added a few drops of green food coloring to turn it this pastel green color.

I’d like to find a watermelon frosting that is pipeable, so if anyone knows of one, please tell me! If I could have piped this I would have liked to split the frosting into two parts – one the light pink color and the other the light green color, then put the two colors into a pastry bag to get a swirl effect. Also what might be nice is a cute little slice of watermelon made out of fondant, placed on top of the cupcake.

Thank you to Cupcakes Take The Cake for posting about my watermelon cupcakes on their blog!

Jun 19

10 Comments

Green Tea Cupcakes

One week after I placed my order for green tea powder (also called matcha) it arrived in my mailbox, and one day later, today, I baked my green tea cupcakes. With my two wild children running around under my feet, I had some unfortunate mishaps – I spilled flour on the floor, I spilled about a whole tablespoon full of my precious matcha on the floor, and when making coffee while the cupcakes were baking I spilled a bunch of coffee grounds on the floor! Normally I’m not quite as messy, but it was one of those days I guess.

Now anyway, I followed the same recipe I found here – Magnolia Bakery’s vanilla cupcake recipe, which I halved. I somehow ended up with 13 cupcakes though. I added 1.5 tablespoons of matcha to the batter.

I absolutely love this green color, it was perfect. The color darkened slightly once they had cooled. I used Chockylit’s green tea cream cheese frosting, which I also halved, but still ended up with plenty of leftover frosting. I figure this is because I accidentally used 8 ounces of cream cheese instead of 6 ounces. The only other thing I did differently was to use the full amount of matcha (1 tablespoon) instead of halving it. Hey, I wanted to be sure I’d taste the green tea!

Aren’t they beautiful! The frosting was a little too soft to pipe, so I let it sit in the refrigerator for a little while. I love how creamy the frosting is, and I can really taste the matcha.

The cupcake itself is moist and fluffy, and I was a bit worried I had over-mixed the batter, but it turned out perfectly. I am refrigerating the leftovers because of the cream cheese in the frosting. Refrigeration will change the texture of the cupcake, but it will definitely still taste as nice.

A big thank you to Cupcakes Take The Cake for posting my green tea cupcakes on their blog!

Jun 13

Nutella Cupcakes

I love Nutella. I can’t stand to be without it. And I am always on the search for new Nutella recipes. I decided to try, as my first Nutella recipe, the popular self-frosting Nutella cupcake from Donna Hay.

They turned out nicely, but here are some things I didn’t like about the cupcake. First, the batter was very sticky – I’m not sure if this is normal, but I am positive that I did everything as per instructions. I’ve never seen such sticky cupcake batter. Second, the Nutella was difficult to swirl around the top of the batter. Third, the cupcake is too dense for my liking; I much prefer light, fluffy, airy, moist cupcakes. This cupcake, in my opinion, is more similar in texture to a muffin.

Nutella Cupcakes
makes 12

Ingredients
10 tbsp(140 grams) butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups (200 grams) sifted ap flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
Nutella, approx. 1/3 cup

Method
Preheat oven to 325F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.

Cream together butter and sugar until light, 2 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. Don’t worry if the batter doesn’t look smooth. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder until batter is uniform and no flour remains.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin liner with batter. They should be 3/4 full, if you’re not using a scoop. Top each cake with 1 1/2 tsp Nutella. Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, making sure to fold a bit of batter up over the nutella.
Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

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I am in search of a chocolate cupcake recipe with Nutella in the batter, but haven’t yet found one. Please let me know if you know where I can find one. In the meantime, I will be looking at all the gorgeous Nutella cupcakes on Flickr!

Jun 12

Mocha Cupcakes

In my search for a coffee and banana cupcake, I decided to try the following combination.

Mocha cupcakes from Genius of a Cook: Obviously I did not use the Kahlua frosting, but I can say that these are the best mocha cupcakes. They were so soft, delicate and moist and had just a hint of coffee. I would have liked a stronger coffee flavor, but maybe my brewed coffee should have been stronger.

A personal note on these cupcakes – the recipe, I believe, should yield 12 cupcakes if you fill the liners 3/4 full. I did fill my liners to that recommended level, but had overflow while baking. If I make these again, I may try filling the liners a bit less than recommended and end up with a couple extra cupcakes.

Banana frosting from Chef Lilian: I was a bit disappointed with this frosting. While it did taste nice, it ended up looking nothing like the photo on the recipe page. It was very runny, too runny. After researching a bit more, I am wondering if that recipe could be missing an ingredient – perhaps, butter.

Overall, a great tasting cupcake. In future, I might try baking these cupcakes again with Nutella frosting. Also I will eventually try the reverse of this recipe – a banana cupcake with mocha or plain coffee frosting.