A Chocolate Sombrero

Shame on me....for real. I am sitting at my computer for the first time in about 2 and a half weeks. With the Holiday, and other random things happening, it's been difficult to dedicate 30 minutes to typing. Isn't that sad? 30 minutes doesn't sound like much time, until you realize how many other things you do all day, every day.

Anyhoo....I'm back and was COMPLETELY shocked to see that my page views increased by like 2000 views in the past couple weeks. That is freaking amazing!! I'm not one to pat myself on the back, but geez louise! Who would have thought that there were people out there actually looking at this blog? Thanks to you!!

**Funny enough, as soon as I typed the above couple of paragraphs my 1 yr old woke up from his nap.  So much for having 30 minutes at the computer! An hour later...I'm back, hoping to get a few lines in before the older kids get home from school. Eeeek!*

I had some family members visit during Labor Day weekend, and they are from Mexico. Since I received rave reviews from my Tres Leches cupcakes, I decided to set aside some time (lots of time) to prepare a batch of these. After I prepared them, I had left over Dulce de Leche frosting that I felt awful about wasting. Instead of breaking my heart and throwing away hours of work, I looked around for some type of cupcake I could make that would go well with it, and found an idea for a Mexican Chocolate cake. It wasn't too difficult, especially since the frosting was already prepared. They were a hit....even more so than I expected.

Have fun...and enjoy!!

Mexican Chocolate cupcakes

For the cupcake:
1/2 c unsalted butter
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c Dutch processed  cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c whole milk
1/2 c water

For frosting:
Dulce de Leche frosting recipe
(make sure you set aside some time to make this frosting because it will take you at least 2 1/2 hours to complete)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line your cupcake pans with cupcake papers.
Cream butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Beat in vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, soda, salt, and cinnamon together, then set aside.. In a large liquid measuring cup, combine milk and water, and set aside.
Set your mixer to low, and add 1/3 of dry ingredients, followed by half of your liquid. Repeat this, ending with dry's. Mix for another 30 seconds, or until batter is thoroughly combined.
Scrape down your bowl, then scoop batter into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until tops bounce back when touched.

Prepare frosting, as link above indicates. Spread or pipe on cupcakes, then keep in a very cook place and serve immediately, or refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving. Frosting is very soft, so if it is warm outside, it will melt into a puddle if you're not careful.

Love your Peaches, Wanna shake your tree...

Finally - Peaches are available! I've been eye-balling this recipe forever. I love peach bellini, and when I saw a cupcake variation of one of my favorite drinks, I knew I HAD to do it. It was totally worth the wait. These cupcakes are probably in my top 5, they were so good. I'm never one to brag, but oh my goodness....they were tasty.

My biggest obstacle was locating some good champagne for these. I'm not a big wine or champagne drinker, so when I have no guidance on what kind to pick, I'm a bit lost. After staring at the shelves of bottles I decided on Barefoot Bubbly - Moscato Spumante.
I chose this one because I have discovered I really enjoy Moscato. It's nice and sweet, which I dig. Many wines are way to dry for my taste buds, but the Moscato is just right. Perhaps one day I'll learn how to drink wine, but for now, I'll stick with the sweet stuff.
Anyway, as I was saying, I didn't know what to buy, so I bought a bottle of the Barefoot.
It was perfect! This cupcake would be wonderful for a bridal shower, or even a wedding... 2 thumbs up!

Peach Bellini Cupcake
adapted from Sing for your Supper, and You'll get Breakfast

For the Cupcake:

1 c unsalted butter, room temperature
2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
6 egg whites
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 c champagne
1/4 c Peach Schnapps
1 fresh, not quite ripe, peach, peeled & diced

For the Frosting:

1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 Tbsp water
1 tsp Peach Schnapps
1/4 c champagne
5 c confectioners' sugar
Wilton Golden Yellow icing color (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line your cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a glass measuring cup combine champagne and schnapps. Set this aside, too.
In your mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar together for about 1 minute at medium speed. Add vanilla, and beat for 1 more minute. Scrape down your bowl, then begin adding egg whites one at a time, allowing each white to incorporate completely. Once all whites are added, batter will look fluffy, almost like marshmallow fluff. Scrape down your bowl again, then set speed to low. Slowly add about 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of the champagne mixture. Repeat this, then add the last bit of flour mixture. Scrape down your bowl, then mix again at low speed for another 15 seconds, to ensure all is properly combined. Remove bowl from mixer, then stir in your diced peaches. I used a not quite ripe peach because I didn't want it to completely turn to mush in the baking process. The result was perfect peach pieces within the cupcake.

Once batter is ready to go, scoop enough batter to fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. The batter will rise nicely, so no need to over-fill the pans. Bake these for 15-17 minuges, or until tops bounce back when touched. Cool cupcakes in pans for about 10 minute, then remove them to a wire rack to continue to cool. You should get about 28 cupcakes out of this batch.

While cupcakes continue to cool, prep your frosting. Cream butter, shortening, vanilla, schnapps, about 1/2 of your water, and a couple Tbsp champagne. (I started out with 1/4 c, but only used about 3 1/2 Tbsp in the end.)
Cream all these together, then slowly begin adding confectioners' sugar. If frosting is too stiff, add additional water or champagne, to taste. If you want, you can add some icing color. I added a bit of Golden Yellow, to give it a slight hint of orange/yellow...but not too much. I also wanted to make them sparkle, so I added a bit of yellow sugar.

Chocookie-Dough Surprise

My husband loves chocolate chip cookies. Seriously....LOVES them. When I make a batch, I can guarantee that 1/2 of them will be gone by the next morning.
I had seen a few different varieties of "chocolate chip cookie dough" cupcakes, but when I came across a variety which featured a chocolate cupcake, I had to give it a whirl. These were a hit....they were a bit messy, but delish!



Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcake
Inspired by RecipeGirl.com

For Cookie Dough Filling:
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp kosher salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c mini chocolate chips

For Cupcake:
2 c all-purpose flour
1 c dutch-processed cocoa
2 c granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 c hot water
1 c vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

For Cookie Dough Frosting:
3/4 c unsalted butter, softened
2 c confectioners' sugar
1/3 c packed light brown sugar
1 - 2 tsp water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

To start out with, you want to prepare your cookie dough filling. In order to ensure that they don't bake into cookies within your cupcake, you'll want to make it, chill it, shape it, then freeze it. Here we go!

In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In your mixer, beat butter and sugars together. Once combined, add milk, eggs, and vanilla. Beat for 1-2 minutes, until smooth. Remove bowl from mixer, then add flour mixer, and stir to combine. Once flour incorporated, stir in chocolate chips.
Pop this bowl into the fridge, and chill for about 20 minutes, until firm enough to scoop into little balls. Once dough has chilled, use a small scoop, or a teaspoon to make 2 dozen little cookie dough balls. I used a melon baller, which worked perfectly. Lay them on a parchment covered cookie sheet, and pop them in the freezer. Chill these for 25-30 minutes, or until slightly frozen.

While your cookie dough chills, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line your cupcake pan with paper liners. In your mixer bowl, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low for about 20 seconds to combine. With mixer on low, add oil, water, eggs, and vanilla. Mix just until fully incorporated. Your batter will resemble liquid oreos!

You can prepare these a couple different ways. You can put the frozen dough ball in the cupcake liner first, then pour batter over top, or you can do the opposite. That's what I did. I filled my cupcake pans about 2/3 full, then shoved a frozen dough ball down into the batter. Once they were prepped, I popped them into the oven for 15-17 minutes, or until the outer edges of the cupcake were done, and the center was still soft. This way, I knew that my cookie dough wasn't completely baked into a cookie.

Allow these to cool in their pans for about 7 minutes, then remove to a wire rack, to cool completely. While these cool, prep your frosting.

In your mixer bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together. Add 1 tsp water and vanilla. When all is incorporated, begin slowly adding your confectioners sugar. If frosting is too stiff, add more water, a few drops at a time. I ended up using a little less than 2 tsp water. Once desired consistancy is met, pipe or spread on cooled cupcakes, making sure that you "hide" the cookie dough surprise. Sprinkle cupcakes with extra mini chocolate chips.

The London Calling

I'm addicted to the Olympics this year. I don't think I've ever been this into watching the games. I have probably gotten sucked into most of the events, minus Water Polo. What is that, anyway? A bunch of people beating each other up in a pool, while trying to get a ball in a net? I've tried to watch and understand, but I've given up.

Anyway, in celebration of the games I wanted to do something English-y themed. I cruised around the internet, looking for a fun play on a British inspired treat, but couldn't come up with anything. In the end I decided on this cupcake. It was yummy, and super easy to make! To dress up the cakes a bit, I ordered a cute British themed cupcake set from Sur La Table. Not only did I receive great reviews on the taste, everyone loved the themed decorations, too!

English Toffee Cupcakes
Inspired by Bake Me Something Good

For the cupcake::
2/3 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 c brown sugar, lightly packed
3 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c milk
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 c toffee bits (I used Heath baking bits)

For the frosting:
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c shortening
2-3 tsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp butter flavoring
4 c confectioners' sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and prep your cupcake trays with liners.
In your mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar together, mixing for about 1-2 minutes. Add each egg, one at a time, making sure to incorporate very well. Add vanilla
In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large glass measuring cup, combine milk and white vinegar. Allow vinegar to sit for 1 minutes. Once minute passes, milk will start looking a bit curdled.
Turn your mixer to low, and begin alternately adding flour mixture and milk mixture to mixer bowl, starting and ending with flour. Once everything is combined, turn off mixer and remove bowl. Stir in toffee bits.
Grab your trusty scoop and fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes for 15-17 minutes, or until tops bounce back when touched.
Allow cupcakes to cool for about 5 minutes in pans, then remove to wire racks.

While cupcakes cool, prepare your frosting.
Cream shortening and butter together, then add about 1 tsp water, and flavorings. (You can adjust flavors to your liking, this is just what I like to do) Once everything is combined, begin adding confectioners' sugar, about 1 cup at a time. If consistency is too thick, add more water.
Pipe or spread on cupcakes, then sprinkle with toffee bits, if desired.

I Like to "Lance"... Uh, Break it down...

On Aug 7th, 2011, at 7:11pm, my 3rd child was born. Who would have thought that my heart could fill with even more love for my family? AJ has brought so much joy to our already happy family, that when his birthday approached, I knew we had to do something special. First birthday's have become kind of a phenomenon. My sister went CRAZY with her daughter's first birthday, and it was incredible. It took her months to hand make all sorts of party favors and decorations - I was in awe, and a bit worried. I mean...how was I going to top that?!? Well, I quickly decided that I couldn't, so I'd keep it low-key. Besides, I have 3 kids, a husband, 2 cats, a job, and a blog to take care of!

Anyway, one of AJ's favorite things is Yo Gabba Gabba. If you've seen it only once, you probably think it's the most bizarre show ever created. If you've seen it multiple times, you probably love it and know 1/2 of the songs, along with all the character's names! That is where we are. AJ gets sucked into Gabba Land on a daily basis (I know - bad mom who lets her baby watch tv...eeek! Please reference earlier comment about having 3 kits....a husband...pets....you get the picture) Needless to say, we went with a Yo Gabba Gabba theme. I decided early on that his "smash" cake would be the boom box, and that we would serve cupcakes for the other guests. I was hanging out on Etsy and found this lady who sold mini DJ Lance glasses that you could put on cupcakes. I had to have them so we could have DJ Lance cupcakes! Before I knew it, we had DJ Lance cupcakes planned, but no flavor in mind! Panic - "How can we have over the top cupcakes to serve that are chocolate with orange frosting?" We mix the chocolate and orange flavors together and come up with Orange Chocolate Cupcakes...with Orange Buttercream. Yay!!

Orange Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream

For the cupcake:
1/2 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c baking cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c milk
1/4 c water
1/4 c orange juice

For the Frosting:
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c shortening
2-3 tsp water
1-2 tsp pure orange extract (depending on intensity you desire)
4 c confectioners' sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line your cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, which is about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, combining well. Add vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, soda, and salt. In a medium measuring cup combine milk, water, and orange juice.
Turning your mixer on low, begin alternately adding flour mixture and liquids to your mixer bowl, beginning and ending with flour.
Bake cupcakes for 15-17 minutes, or until tops bounce back when touched. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove to wire rack.
While cupcakes cool, you can work on your frosting.
Combine butter, shortening, 1 tsp water, and 1 tsp extract in mixer bowl. Cream together at medium speed, for about 2 minutes. Reduce mixer speed and add sugar, about 1 cup at a time, until incorporated. If frosting is too thick, add more water, until desired consistency is met. If you want more orange flavor, add a few more drops of extract.
Pipe frosting on cooled cupcakes, then enjoy!!