Zoo-Key-Nee

Normally I have the cupcake of the week planned out by the time I go to the grocery store on Sunday. This week, that was not the case. By Wednesday morning, I had no clue what I was going to do. During the day I finally decided to put some of the zucchini that my aunt gave me to sweet use.
On Thursday I woke up and hit the kitchen. When my husband called during his lunch break I told him I'd made the cupcake of the week. He asked me what kind and I said "zucchini." He instantly proceeded to ask me "Why?" I said "Why not?" I could tell he was a bit weirded out by the idea, and reluctant to tell me that it sounded like a delicious idea. Boy, did his tune change when he took a bite!!
I think that zucchini's are underestimated. When I mention zucchini bread to people, many of them immediately think that it's going to be gross. When I say that I'm incorporating zucchini in dinner, I see weirded out faces all around. It's time for everyone to realize what a universally delicious ingredient this is! Not only can you  make a yummy breakfast loaf out of it, you can saute it up and serve it with your favorite protein, AND create a delish dessert out of it, too! I hope that this cupcake helped make people think twice about avoiding this yummy veggie.

Spiced Zucchini Cupcake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese frosting:
Inspired by Heather Christo Cooks

For the cupcake:
1 c vegetable oil
2 1/4 c granulated sugar
3 eggs
3 c all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 c zucchini, shredded

For the frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 c unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tsp water
2 tsp cinnamon
4 c confectioners' sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and coat insides of cupcake pans with shortening, or a baking spray. Set aside.
In the bowl of your mixing bowl, combine oil and sugar. Mix for 2 minutes, or until nice and creamy. Add your eggs, one at a time, ensuring that they are properly blended in. Mix for another 2 minutes until it looks like pudding. While this is mixing, combine all of your dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Once the oil mixture is pudding-esque, reduce mixer to low and begin adding flour mixture slowly. Batter will begin to get very thick, but keep going. Once all of the flour has been added and combined in mixture, turn off mixer and remove bowl. Give batter a few stirs to make sure flour is incorporated. Add your zucchini and mix well.

Grab your trusty scoop and scoop batter into prepared baking pans, filling about 2/3 full. Bake these for 17-19 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Leave in pans to cool for only about 5 minutes, then carefully remove them from your pan. I served these right-side up, like a normal cupcake, but my husband thought they would be successfully served upside-down, too....like the picture. I think when I make them again, they will be upside-down. If you are serving in this manner, cool them upside down on the rack.

While these cool, toss your cream cheese and butter in a clean mixing bowl. Using whisk attachment, whip until nice and creamy, then add vanilla and about 1 tsp water. When combined, add cinnamon and  confectioners' sugar. Whip until light and fluffy. Add additional water until desired consistency is reached.

Spread or pipe onto cupcakes, and enjoy!

Lookie at my Cookie and Creme that reign Supreme

My husband and I went grocery shopping last weekend. While cruisin' down the aisles I noticed that the store was doing one of those "Buy 10 items off this list and everything is a few cents cheaper" deals. I'm a sucker for those, especially when the items aren't necessarily things I NEED just things that taste good. Well we had 9 qualifying items and needed just one more. Lucky for us, Oreos were on the list. What better item to finish our grocery trip up with, right?

I'm not exactly sure how we didn't eat them all that night, but we didn't. By the time Sunday rolled around I had no idea what this week's cupcake would be. I was at work, having a nervous breakdown about it when a coworker and I tossed a few ideas around. Cookies & Creme came up and instantly I knew that this was the cupcake. What a GREAT idea! The frosting was smooth and creamy, the cake moist and flavorful....then the surprise Oreo in the bottom took people over the TOP! I thought my coworkers were going to freak out when they found that in the bottom! These were a hit!


Cookies & Creme Cupcake
Inspired by Annie's Eats

For the cupcakes:
24 Oreo halves, the creme filling side
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 2/3 c sugar
3 large eggs whites, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c whole milk
1-1/2 c chopped oreos

For the frosting:
8 oz cream cheese
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
4 1/2 c confectioners' sugar
2 Tbsp heavy cream

For the garnish:
Oreo cookie pieces and crumbs



Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with paper cups. Separate your Oreos and place the creme side in the bottom of the liner, with creme side up. Some will break, but THAT'S OK! Don't just eat them now....save them, because we'll be using them in a few minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Take your broken Oreo pieces and chop them up, and set aside.
In your mixer bowl, beat butter for about 1 minute, then begin adding sugar, about 1/3 c at a time. Beat at medium speed for about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Scrape down your bowl, then add egg whites, one at a time, beating for about 30 seconds after each addition. Add vanilla. Decrease your mixer to low and slowly add 1/3 of your flour mixture. Add half of your milk, followed by another 1/3 of flour, then the rest of your milk. Add the last 1/3 of flour and mix until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and take a spatula and give batter one last mix, to ensure everything is properly combined. Dump your cookie pieces on top of batter and fold them in, gently.

Scoop batter ontop of cookie halves, and fill 3/4 full. Bake these for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 7 minutes in pan, then finish cooling on wire rack. While these cool, prep your frosting!

Place cream cheese and butter in mixer and begin to beat at medium speed. Scrape down bowl, add vanilla, then beat at medium speed again, until creamy. Reduce mixer speed to low and start adding confectioners' sugar, about 1/2 c at a time. Increase mixer to medium and beat for 1 minute, then add cream. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and whip for about 4 minutes to get frosting really light and fluffy. Spread or pipe over cooled cupcakes, then garnish with Oreo pieces and crumbs.

Grab your tall glass of milk and take a bite! Yum!!

Cherry Poppin' Cupcakes

This week was my birthday (Happy birthday to me!) I turned 30…eeek! Actually, it really wasn’t that big of a deal. I don’t feel 30 so I’m not having a mid-life crisis or anything. Anyway, since this was my birthday cupcake, I decided to bake with one of my favorite flavors: Cherry! I love cherry flavored anything, really. Cherry coke, cherry limeade, cherry slushies, cherry pie…I could go on and on, but I won’t. I’ve really been looking forward to this cupcake, and it was definitely worth the wait. Last time I made a cherry-ish cupcake I was unhappy with the lack of cherry flavor in the frosting, which made me a little nervous about this one. Surprisingly, this one turned out much better than my last cherry cupcake (Cherry Limeade) I don’t know why, so I guess I’ll have to go back and assess my previous recipe. Perhaps the cherry flavor was boosted by the actual cherry pieces in the cupcake, this time? Either way, they were delish. They were light and flavorful, and I think someone even described them as “dreamy”

That, my friends, is a compliment that I will TAKE!

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!!

Cherry Chip Cupcakes

adapted from The Nonpareil Baker

For cupcakes:

2 c + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, divided

1 Tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp kosher salt

¼ c milk

½ c maraschino cherry juice

2 tsp almond extract

½ c unsalted butter

1 ¼ c granulated sugar

10 oz maraschino cherries, finely chopped

4 egg whites

For frosting:

¾ c unsalted butter

3 ½ c confectioners’ sugar

¼ tsp salt

2-3 Tbsp maraschino cherry juice

Preheat oven to 340 degrees and prep your cupcake trays with liners.

Put egg whites in mixer bowl and beat at medium speed until foamy (about a minute) then increase speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form (about 3-4 minutes.) Pour your egg-cloud into a clean bowl, and set aside. Wash out your bowl.

Dump your cherries into a mini chopper, if you have one. If you don’t, I’d suggest using a food processor, rather than manually chopping these into little bits. Give them a few pulses and you’ll chop your cherries into nice itty-bitty pieces. If you have to do it manually, I'm sorry. Set these aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, salt, and baking powder. In large liquid measuring cup, combine your milk, cherry juice, and almond extract. Set aside.

Put your butter in your mixer bowl and beat for 1 minute at medium speed. Scrape the bowl down, then set to medium speed and begin adding your sugar, about ¼ c at a time. Beat for about 1 minute, until light and fluffy. Decrease mixer to low and slowly alternate adding your flour mixture and your liquid mixture, starting and ending with flour. Mix this only until thoroughly combined. Remove bowl from mixer, and scrape the bowl down.

Sprinkle your 2 Tbsp of flour over cherries, and mix until flour disappears. Stir cherries into batter. Grab your egg white cloud and plop in onto your batter. Your batter will be really thick, so CAREFULLY fold your cloud into the batter. I say carefully because if you over mix, your cloud will deflate, thus leaving your batter looking puny. If you’ve done it correctly, your batter will have grown. Growing is good!

Grab your trusty scooper and scoop batter about 2/3 full into your cups. Bake these for 20 minutes, or until they bounce back when the tops are touched. Cool cupcakes in pan for 5-7 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

While these cool, prep your frosting. Put butter, 2 Tbsp juice, and extract in mixer and beat until smooth. Slowly add confectioners’ sugar, about ¼ c at a time. Beat until smooth. Add more juice until frosting reaches your desired consistency, which for me resulted in a total of 3 Tbsp cherry juice.

Pipe or spread on your cupcakes, then garnish with a cherry.

Enjoy!!

Who spilled Chocolate all over my Peanut Butter?

Happy 4th of July....and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY AMAZING HUSBAND!

How cool is it to have your birthday on a National holiday? Seriously, you can always tell yourself that the entire country is celebrating YOU! I guess, when my husband was a kid he always thought that everyone was shooting off fireworks for him. Surprise surprise, when he was old enough to know better he realized that the 4th of July was Independence Day. Whoops. Until this year he has never EVER missed 4th of July fireworks. Sadly, this year much of our state is under a firework ban due to the crazy dry weather. There are a couple of towns still shooting some off, but they're pretty far away. Besides, it's crazy hot outside and we are not big fans of taking our 11 month old baby outside in the blazing heat unless absolutely necessary. In hopes of cheering him up, and making up for the lack of fireworks, I chose to make him cupcakes (and a cake) that resembled his favorite candy in the world: Reese Cups. Oh yeah! You know this is going to be good when peanut butter and chocolate are involved. I can tell you over & over again that these taste exactly like Reese cups, but until you try them, you won't really grasp the reality of the statement. The frosting for these babies is so rich and creamy you kinda want to just melt after the first bite. To give these an extra kick, I stuck a mini Reese cup inside some of the cupcakes. *sigh* It was like eating a piece of chocolaty heaven. Did we see fireworks outside? Sadly, no. Did our mouths explode from the deliciousness? Oh yeah!!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcake
Inspired by Good Heavens Baking

For the Cupcake:
2 c all-purpose flour
2 1/2 c sugar
3/4 c dutch processed cocoa (Valrhona for me!)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 c vegetable oil
1 c sour cream
1 1/2 c water
2 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
1 tsp Mexican vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Mini Reese Cups (optional)

For the Frosting:
10 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
5 c confectioners' sugar
2/3 c smooth peanut butter

For the ganache:
4 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp smooth peanut butter
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 c half-and-half

For garnish (optional):
Mini Reese cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep your cupcake trays with liners.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together until well blended. Attach to mixer, then mix oil and sour cream in, using paddle attachment. Beat in water at low speed, followed by vinegar and vanilla. Lastly, add eggs, one at a time, until they are completely incorporated.

Grab your trusty scoop and fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. If desired, unwrap your Reese cups and push one in each cupcake, right-side up. Pop trays into oven and bake 17-19 minutes, or until tops pop back up when lightly pressed. These are going to be very soft, so let them sit in your cupcake pans for about 10 minutes before tipping them out, onto your cooling racks. If you try to pull them out, you might smoosh them.

While these cool, prep your frosting. Toss your butter and cream cheese into mixer bowl and beat for 1 minute. Scrape down your bowl, then beat for one more minute until it is nice and creamy. Slowly add confectioners' sugar, about 1 c at a time. Beat this for about 3 minutes, until beautifully light and fluffy. Last, add your peanut butter, mixing for another minute. The color will seem very light, and you might not think that it is peanut buttery enough. Trust me, it is. You don't want to go overboard, or these cupcake will be even more intense than they already are. Go ahead and pipe frosting onto cupcakes, once they are COMPLETELY cool.

For the ganache, put your chopped chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup into a double boiler (or a glass bowl, over a saucepan, as I did) Whisk constantly, until smooth. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in half-and-half. Working quickly, pool ganache over frosting. It should be nice smooth, so it will drip down the side of your frosting, making them look BEAUTIFUL. If desired, garnish these with unwrapped mini Reese Cups.

Grab yourself a tall glass of milk (trust me) and take a bite. You will never regret trying this recipe. I know I won't!

Confessions of a Hazelnut Mocha-holic...

Up until June 27, 2012 I had never had Nutella. Yeah...I KNOW! I had no idea what I was missing. I knew I liked hazelnut, but didn't realize how delish this Nutella stuff would actually be! I came across a frosting recipe that used Nutella in it, so decided that I should put together a cupcake that also incorporated Nutella, to add some hazelnutty-ness. The result was wonderful. My husband confessed that this cupcake was probably his favorite so far....as did many of my tasters.

This recipe is a keeper!!

Hazelnut Mocha Cupcake

For the cupcake: 

2 c all purpose flour

2 c sugar

3/4 c dutch processed cocoa (I used Valrhona)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 8oz. cup coffee (I combined 2 packets Starbucks VIA 'House Blend' with 8oz hot water)

1 c whole milk, room temperature

1/2 c unsalted butter

1/2 c Nutella

1 Tbsp Mexican vanilla

For the frosting:

1 c unsalted butter, room temperature

1 c Nutella

5 c confectioners sugar

1 Starbucks Via packet, dissolved in 1 1/2 tsp water

1-2 tsp water

For the garnish (optional):

Ferrero Rocher chocolates

Prepare your cup of coffee and set aside to cool. While that sits, place your butter and Nutella in a small saucepan. Set heat to low and melt these together until almost smooth. Remove from heat, and allow to cool.

Preheat your oven and prepare your cupcake pans. 

In a large bowl, combine your flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together your milk, eggs, and vanilla. Add cooled coffee.

Make a well in your dry ingredients, and pour your coffee mixture in it. Use a spatula and begin stirring coffee mixture into your dry's. While stirring, add melted butter mixture. Mix together until batter is thin and resembles liquid oreos! 

Using your scoop, carefully fill cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake these for about 17 minutes, or until they bounce back when you touch the tops. Cool in their pans for 5 minutes, them remove to cooling rack and cool completely.

While those cool, prep your frosting. Put butter and Nutella in mixer and mix at medium speed. Do so for 1 minute, scrape down your bowl, and mix for another 1-2 minutes, until completely smooth. Add your coffee/water combination and mix at medium speed for 30 seconds, then reduce speed and start SLOWLY adding confectioners' sugar to bowl. Mix in completely, adding more water until frosting is your desired consistency. (I added about 1 1/2 tsp plain water)

Spread or pipe onto your cupcakes, then garnish with candies, if desired. Enjoy!

Lemon Meringue, that makes you Merengue

One of my favorite flavors of pie is Lemon Meringue. I always associate it with my late grandfather, Solomon. His birthday was on January 1st, so every year, on his birthday, the family would get together and my aunt would make a couple of lemon meringue pies because it was his favorite, too. I've made a few lemon meringue pies in the past, but don't necessarily LOVE baking them. They are very time consuming, one dirties lots of dishes, and if not timed out perfectly, something will go wrong. With a house full of kids, I can't always dedicate 100% of my attention on something in the kitchen because the next thing I know, someone is fighting or crying over something and I have to go break it up! Anyway, this past weekend my family got together for a Father's Day thing and my aunt brought a lemon meringue pie! Talk about flash back. Since there was only 1 pie and lots of people, I didn't have an entire piece, I just swiped a few bites from my Abuela's plate. Needless to say, it was delicious, and it inspired this week's cupcake. This one's for you, Buelo!!

Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcake
Inspired by BH&G 150 Cupcakes
For the cupcakes:
4 eggs yolks
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 c milk
1/4 c purchased lemon curd
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
For the garnish/meringue:
4 egg whites
3-4 Tbsp purchased lemon curd
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
2/3 c granulated sugar
powdered sugar
Separate eggs. Let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Prep your cupcake pans with liners. You'll get about 15 out of this recipe. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl combine milk and 1/4 c lemon curd. Whisk until almost smooth. (You'll still have a few lumps of curd in there!)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, beat butter for about 30 seconds, then add granulated sugar. Beat for about 1 minute at med-high speed, then reduce to medium and add yolks and vanilla. Beat to combine, then scrape down your bowl. Alternately add your flour mixture and your milk mixtures, starting & finishing with the flour. Beat at low until just combined. Remove from mixer and mix through a couple of times with spatula.
Scoop batter into prepared cupcake tray, filling about 2/3 full. Batter is pretty thick, so use an offset spatula to smooth out tops. Pop into oven and bake 15-17 minutes until just beginning to turn golden, and they spring back when you touch the tops.
While those bake, scoop about 3-4 Tbsp lemon curd into a pastry bag, snip the tip, and set aside. Wash out your mixer bowl REALLY well, then whip egg whites and cream of tartar together at medium speed, until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high, and gradually add granulated sugar, about 1 Tbsp at a time. Whip until stiff peaks form. You can put meringue into a parchment bag, or you can just dollop onto cupcake, your choice!
When cupcakes come out of oven, place them on a cooling rack, then pipe a small pile of curd onto each cupcake. I stuck the tip of the bag into the cupcake to get a little bit inside the cake. Once you do that, either dollop your meringue on top, or pipe it on top of the curd pile. Place the cupcakes back into the oven and bake for another 5-7 minutes, until meringue begins to brown on top. Remove from oven, an cool on rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool for another 35-40 minutes. You can enjoy these now, or pop them into the fridge and chill until serving!

Blue Suede... Cupcake!

We took a vacation the 2nd week of June and got home the morning of Father's Day. Needless to say, I wasn't really in the mood to bake anything that day, as I was completely exhausted! Lucky for me, the kids were understanding and didn't insist that we bake a Father's day treat for dad until Tuesday. When I asked them what they wanted to make, my daughter said we needed to make something blue, since dad is a boy. I suggested this recipe, and she jumped on board instantly. She is a big Red Velvet fan, so anything with the word 'velvet' catches her attention. Plus, I'd never made this recipe before, so I was able to experiment with with something new.

Blue Velvet Cupcakes
Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

For the cupcakes:
2 c granulated sugar
1 c unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp liquid blue food coloring
1 Tbsp dutch processed cocoa (I used Valrhona, available at Sur La Table
2 1/2 c cake flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 c buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp white vinegar

For the frosting:
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 Tbsp water
2 lbs powdered sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prep your cupcake pans.
In a medium bowl, combine your flour and salt. Set aside. In your mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add your eggs, one at a time, incorporating very well. IN a small bowl, combine cocoa with food coloring, creating a paste, then add it to your mixer. Scrape down your bowl. With mixer on low speed, slowly begin alternately adding your flour and buttermilk, starting and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.Remove bowl from mixer and give it a few stirs, to make sure flour is completely mixed in. Combine soda and vinegar in a small bowl to create a foam, then stir into batter.

Using  your trusty scoop, scoop batter into prepared cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full. Bake for 15-17 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

For your icing, combine vanilla, cream cheese, and 2 Tbsp water.  Beat for about 1 minute, then slowly  begin adding powdered sugar. Beat to incorporate, adding water if necessary to reach your desired consistency. Spread or pipe onto cupcakes, then enjoy!

The Kaskake

A while back I baked a cupcake in honor of my friend Mike's birthday. He drove into town for his birthday, and as much as I wanted to go out and have a drink in honor of his birthday, I couldn't. I have 3 kids at home and going out is pretty much unheard of anymore. To make up for the lack of night life, I put together this cupcake, adapted from 1 Fine Cookie. Not only was there beer in the cupcake and frosting, I sprinkled BACON on top. Hello, man's best friend!

( I know I posted a pic of this a few months ago, but I saved it as a cupcake of the week post for a week that I would be on vacation, that way, I wouldn't miss one! )

Without further adieu...




The Kaskake
adapted from 1 Fine Cookie

For the cupcake:

1 1/2 c cake flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp kosher salt
2 eggs
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 c packed light brown sugar
1 16oz can/bottle of beer - I used Stella Artois

For the frosting:
1 c unsalted butter
5 c confectioners sugar
4-6 Tbsp of same beer used in cupcake

For the garnish:
Crispy bacon, diced

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and prep your cupcake trays with liners.
In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In your mixer, cream brown sugar and butter together. Add your eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once well blended, begin alternating the addition of your drys and your beer, starting and ending with the drys. Mix on low until just combined, then remove from mixer.

Scoop batter into cupcake liners and bake 12-15 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool these for 10 minutes in the trays, then remove to wire rack. While they cool completely, prepare your frosting.

Beat butter, and 3 Tbsp beer, until creamy. Add powdered sugar to bowl. Beat until smooth, adding more beer, if needed to reach your desired consistency. Once cupcakes are completely cool, spread, or pipe onto your cupcakes. I didn't want to over-do it with the frosting, so I used a tip to pipe thin lines of frosting over cupcakes, making them look like spaghetti. Once they were frosted to my liking, I sprinkled bacon over top.

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Grass-Hoppin'

Going into the week I was unsure what I wanted to make. I knew I wanted something light, due to the ridiculous heat we have had lately. I remembered that my mother-in-law makes a yummy grasshopper cake for summer gatherings, so I thought - Why not??? The result was light and refreshing. Even though the cake is chocolate, the whipped topping balances it out wonderfully so one could easily eat 2 or 3 of these and not feel overwhelmed. Hope you agree!

Grasshopper Cupcake
Inspired by BH&G 150 Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
3/4 c unsalted butter, room temperature
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/4 c milk
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 c sugar
3 tbsp creme de menthe
1 tsp vanilla

For the frosting:
2 tbsp cold water
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
2 c heavy whipping cream
1/4 c sugar
2 tbsp creme de menthe

In a small saucepan, combine milk and chopped chocolate. Cook and stir over medium heat until chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool.

Prep cupcake trays and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. In your mixer bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds, then gradually add sugar, about 1/4 c at a time, until creamy. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Drop mixer speed to low and add eggs, one at a time. Beat in creme de menthe and vanilla. With mixer still on low, alternately add drys and chocolate milk mixture, ending with dry's. Once combined, mix for another 20 seconds, then turn off mixer.

Batter will be thin, so carefully scoop it into your cupcake liners, filling about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 17 minutes, or until cake bounces back when lightly touched. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then cool completely on wire racks.

While cupcakes cool, prep your frosting. In a 1-cup  measuring cup, add 1 tsp of gelatin to 2 tbsp cold water. Let stand for 2 minutes, meanwhile, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Place measuring cup into boiling water, and stir until gelatin mixture dissolves completely. Remove from heat.

In your mixer bowl, combine whipping cream, 1/4 c sugar, and creme de menthe and begin to whip with whisk attachment. Slowly drizzle warm gelatin over whipped cream, while beating constantly. Continue to beat until stif peaks form.

Spread or dollop on top of cupcakes. Garnish with a Hershey Kiss, if desired. Enjoy!!

Things that make you go "Hummm...."

A while back I was chatting with my uncle, who mentioned having prepared a delicious Hummingbird cake for a dinner party. I was unfamiliar with the cake, so I asked for the recipe. One glance and I knew that I had to make a cupcake version of it. How could I go wrong with the main ingredients being bananas, pineapple, pecans, and cinnamon?

The outcome was delicious. I pretty much made the recipe as it was given to me, for one batch, then added some coconut to the second batch. They were YUM! These would definitely be a great dessert for a dinner party, as they are a more "adult" cupcake, if that makes sense?!? The frosting is a cream cheese frosting, which you know will make every bite a bit more delicious. Give 'em a whirl...see what you think. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!


Hummingbird Cupcakes
Inspired by a recipe from the kitchen of Uncle Mario

For the cupcake:
3 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/4 c vegetable oil
2 c sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c pureed ripe bananas
1 8oz can of crushed pineapple, juice removed
1/2 c finely chopped pecans
1/3 c sweetened coconut (optional - but HIGHLY recommended)

For the frosting:
2 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened & cut into small pieces
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened & cut into small pieces
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5 c confectioners' sugar


For the garnish (optional):
Toasted coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep your cupcake pans with liners.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, soda, and salt. Set aside. In your mixer bowl, combine oil and sugar. Beat at medium speed for about 3 minutes until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, until light in color, which will be about 2 minutes. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add bananas and pineapple. Leaving mixer at low speed, add dry ingredients, about 1/3 at a time. Beat only until just combined, then remove from mixer. Stir in your pecans and coconut, if using.
Scoop your batter into your prepared baking cups and bake for 17-19 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs when inserted. Let cool on rack for about 7 minutes, then remove from pans and cool all the way through.

While cupcakes cool, prepare your frosting. In your mixer bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla, then slowly add confectioners' sugar, about 1/2 c at a time. Beat until smooth, then spread or pipe over cupcakes. Garnish with toasted coconut, if desired.

Banana-Rama

I was presented with a challenge late last week: A banana-nut cupcake. "You mean a muffin?" I asked. "No, a cupcake," I was told. "No, a muffin, right?" "No....a cupcake. That's part of the challenge."

Ugh....challenge, smallenge. I was nervous. My big concern: It would come out as a muffin. Needless to say, when going into this, the ever popular debate came up. What is the difference between a muffin and a cupcake? Normally people say "Muffins don't have frosting." Well, I disagree. I've seen frosted muffins before, as well as glazed ones. I think it has to do with the consistency, which goes along with what Google told us, which is that the mixing method is different. That, and you can prepare a recipe intended for a cake and get a successful cupcake out of it, and vice versa. On the contrary, if you take a muffin recipe and try to make a cake out of it, well, you won't be pleasantly surprised.

Well, I searched the internet and found many potential recipes, but they all illustrated a very muffin-like image of a cupcake. That is what I didn't want. Finally I found myself on Wilton's website and found something that I suspected would work. It produced a very dense cake, but I think that it is definitely still a cupcake (yay!) Once the cupcake was cooling on the rack I stared at them wondering what the heck I was going to top them with. Being as dense as they were, a whipped topping was not an option. I considered a cream-cheese based frosting, but frankly, I don't love cream cheese. Yes, I have made some frostings with it, but generally, if I can buttercream it, I do. In this case, I did. After calling my husband, freaking out about what to top it with, he suggested the recipe that you'll see below. I think it worked.  The combination was dense, banana-y, and delicious. This could be a breakfast cupcake, no doubt. Paired with a cup of coffee, you'd greet the morning with a smile.

Banana-nut cupcake with Cocoa Frosting
Inspired by Wilton

For the cupcake:
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3//4 c unsalted butter
1 1/2 c granulated sugar, room temperature
3/4 c banana, pureed (about 2 medium bananas)
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
1 tsp black walnut extract
3/4 c sour cream
1/4 c walnuts, chopped into tiny pieces

For the frosting:
1/2 c shortening
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
2-3 Tbsp water
3 c confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tsp cocoa (I used E. Guittard, purchased at Sur La Table)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep your cupcake pans. Combine flour, soda, and salt in a medium bowl, then set aside. In your mixer bowl, cream sugar and butter together, meanwhile, puree your banana into a liquid state, using a food processor or a blender. Add your eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time, then add extracts. Scrape down your bowl, then beat banana into mixture, until well incorporated. Alternate adding flour and sour cream into banana mixture, starting and finishing with flour. Mix until just incorporated, and turn off mixer. Do not over mix. Remove bowl from stand, then stir in your chopped walnuts. I chopped mine really small because I don't love nuts, nor did I want to take away from the moistness of the cupcake by making it crunchy.

Once walnuts are mixed in, scoop batter into prepared pan, filling about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 17 minutes, until tops spring back when touched. Cool them in the pan for about 10 minutes, then removed them to cooling rack to finish.

While these guys cool, prep your frosting. In a mixer bowl, mix butter, shortening, and 2 Tbsp water, until smooth. Mix in cocoa, then add confectioners' sugar, about 1/4 c at a time. Add more water, until desired consistency is reached.

Spread or pipe frosting onto cupcakes. To garnish, I put a handful of walnuts into my mini-prep and chopped them into big crumbs. I sprinkled about a pinch of them over frosting, then stuck a banana slice in the frosting. If you are going to use a banana slice as garnish, make sure that you add it RIGHT BEFORE serving, otherwise, the banana will get all brown and icky.

As previously mentioned, paired with a cup of coffee, this would create a delicious breakfast or snack any day!
Enjoy!!

mmmmmm...mocha.....

I lived in Seattle for almost a year, in 2001. While there I ended up working at Starbucks for a short time. In that short time I became a coffee addict. Oh yeah, all of you fellow coffee addicts out there know exactly what I mean. One of my favorite drinks was a mocha, or any variation of a mocha.
As much as I loved/love Starbucks, there was a little coffee shop a few blocks away from our apartment that made a killer mocha. When I walked into that coffee shop I was hit with the amazing scents of freshly baked goods and delicious coffee. For the life of me, I can't remember what the shop was called. Anyway, yesterday, when I opened my oven to pull out these cupcakes, my mind immediately took me back 11 yrs, to that little coffee shop in Greenlake. The scent of the baked goods, in combination with the chocolate & coffee made me flash back, and it was wonderful.
To improve matters, when I took my first bite, I was lost in the deliciousness. The just strong enough coffee flavor penetrated through the moist chocolate cupcake, and was accented by the coffee buttercream which topped the cupcake. I received many compliments on this one, from both coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers. This would be a perfect ending to a meal, or a perfect beginning to a day! I'm not going to lie, I totally had one of these for breakfast this week. Deee-lish!!

Mochaccino Cupcakes
from BHG Magazine, or their website

For the cupcake:
3/4 c unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 c dutch processed cocoa (I used Valrhona, purchased at Sur La Table)
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 c whole milk
1/2 c strong brewed coffee, cooled
2 c granulated sugar
2 tsp Mexican vanilla
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, coursly chopped into small pieces

For the coffee buttercream:
1/3 c unsalted butter, room temperature
4 c confectioners' sugar
3-4 Tbsp of the same coffee from above
1 tsp Mexican vanilla

For the garnish (optional)
30 creme-filled rolled wafers, such as Pirouettes

Let eggs, butter, and milk sit at room temperature for about 20-25 minutes. Prep your cupcake pans with liners. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together and set aside. In a large measuring cup combine milk and coffee. Set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In your mixing bowl beat butter at high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 c at a time, beating until light and fluffy. Scrape down your bowl and continue to beat for 2 minutes. Decrease your mixer speed to low and add your eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Scrape down your bowl, then set at low speed. Slowly alternate addition of flour mixture and coffee mixture, ending with the flour mixture. Remove bowl from mixer stand and stir in chocolate pieces. Scoop into prepared cupcake liners and bake at 350 for 18 minutes. Cool cupcakes for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.

While they cool, prepare your frosting. Beat butter for about 30 seconds until smooth. Add 1 cup of confectioners sugar, 3 Tbsp coffee, and vanilla. Continue to add sugar, about 1/4 c at a time. Add more coffee to reach desired consistency. I think I used about 4 Tbsp total.

Pipe or spread onto cupcakes and garnish with Pirouettes right before serving, if desired. Enjoy!!

No time for a siesta, when you have a Pineapple Chile-Lime fiesta!

When I was younger my parents would take us to Mexico every couple of years to visit my dad's side of the family. While there, when we were hit with a craving for something sweet, a Snicker's bar wasn't usually easy to find. What was easy to find was fruit. To add some pizzazz to the fruit, we would top it with this chile-lime-stuff. I only ever had it when I was in Mexico, until about 15 yrs ago when the stuff started appearing in grocery stores up here in Indiana. A couple of years ago I introduced it to my husband who looooooved it. When coming up with cupcake ideas he suggested that I come up with a completely unique cupcake that I could call my own. While brainstorming for ideas, he suggested a pineapple-chile cupcake. I was pretty skeptical at first because I just didn't know it would flow. I knew that the chile and the pineapple would meld well, but incorporated with a cupcake? Who knows?

Well, lucky for me my husband is persistent because the cupcake was a success. We presented them to familiy & friends at our Cinco de Mayo party this weekend and they were a hit! The sweet pineapple cupcake was accented with the tart & spicy hint of chile that we combined in the batter, as well as sprinkled on top. I made these as mini cupcake because in order for one to get the ultimate experience, you had to get all of the flavors in one bite. Plus, mini cupcakes are adorable! Without further adieu, my Pineapple Chile-Lime Cupcake!

Pineapple Chile-Lime Cupcake

For the batter:
1 c unsalted butter, room tempreature
1 3/4 c sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp Mexican vanilla
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 c milk
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, in 100% juice,
2 Tbsp pineapple juice (from the can of crushed pineapple)
1 1/2 Tbsp lime zest
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Tajin Classico seasoning (found in produce section of grocery stores)

For the frosting:
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c shortening
3 1/2 Tbsp pineapple juice (from the can of crushed pineapple)
4 c confectioners' sugar

For garnish:
Pineapple tidbits, preferably fresh, but out of a can work
Tajin

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prep your cupcake tins.
Strain your crushed pineapple in a mesh strainer very well, reserving your juice. Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl combine your flours, soda, powder, salt, and Tajin. Set aside.
Combine milk and pineapple juice. Set aside.
In your mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add your eggs, one at a time, making sure that they incorporate well. Mix in vanilla, then scrape down your bowl. Slowly add 1/3 of your flour mixture to your mixer bowl, followed by 1/2 of your milk mixture. Repeat this, then add the remainder of your flour mixture to your mixer bowl. Add lime zest and mix until just blended in. Remove mixer bowl from stand and gently fold in 3/4 of a cup of crushed pineapple.

Scoop batter into mini cupcake liners, then bake for 12 minutes, until tops of cupcakes bounce back when touched. Allow cupcakes to cool for about 7 minutes before removing them onto a cooling rack. While they cool completely, start working on your frosting.

Cream together shortening, butter, and pineapple juice. Slowly add powdered sugar, about 1/4 c at a time. Mix until desired consistency is reached. It took me about 3 1/2 Tbsp of pineapple juice to get it just right. Fill your piping bag and pipe cupcakes. Top each cupcake with 1 pineapple tidbit and a dash of the Tajin seasoning. 

Lemony Snack-it, A seriously fortunate event!

Previously mentioned, my husband received quite a few requests/recipe suggestions from his coworkers. One request that I'd gotten a few times was if I could make a diabetic-friendly cupcake. After all, individuals with diabetes love cupcakes, too...they normally just can't eat them.

Diabetes is a disease that is all too familiar in my family, as many of my great aunts & uncles have it. This past Thanksgiving I was asked to prepare a birthday cake for one of my uncles. It would be easy to just throw my usual birthday cake together, but my uncle has diabetes. I took it upon myself to see what I could put together for him that would be diabetes friendly. It's no fun to get a birthday cake that you can't eat. I came upon this recipe online and thought it looked delicious. The cake was super yum, so when a request for diabetic-friendly cupcakes came out, I flashed back to this cake. With a few minor tweaks, this turned out to be a big hit with diabetic & non-diabetic tasters. Fear not, even cupcakes with low sugar can be yummy!!

Lemon Velvet Cake
From Cooksrecipes.com

For the cake:
2 1/2 c cake flour
1 c SPLENDA Sugar Blend for Baking
2 1/2 tsp bakign powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 c milk
1/4 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp lemon zest

For the lemon filling:
2/3 c SPLENDA Sugar Blend for Baking
2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 c water
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 c fresh lemon juice

For the frosting:
1 1/4 c whipping cream
2 tbsp SPLENDA Sugar Blend for Baking
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp lemon extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prep your cupcake pans.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, SPLENDA, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter, until mixture is crumbly. If you don't have a pastry cutter, you can use a mixer at the lowest speed. Just be careful not to over mix...you just want crumbles.

Combine milk, eggs, lemon extract, and lemon zest in a medium sized bowl. Turn your mixer on, and add 1/3 of lemon mixture to your flour. Beat until smooth. Scrape down your bowl, then add another 1/3 of your lemon mixture to the mixer bowl. Beat for 30 seconds, then add the remaining lemon mixture to your mixer bowl.

Scoop batter into prepared cupcake pans and bake for 17 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Looks can be deceiving with this cupcake. When you take a peak into your oven, the cupcakes will look raw. They are a very pale color. Don't be fooled....check them. They are probably done, just pale. Remove them to a wire rack and cool in pan for about 10 min. Pop them out of pan, and cool completely.

While these cool, prepare your lemon filling.

Lightly whisk your egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. Prep your lemon zest, lemon juice,and butter, then set aside. Combine your SPLENDA, cornstarch, and water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, making sure to whisk constantly. When mixture begins to thicken up, add about 1/4 of it to your egg yolks, whisking like crazy to prevent your yolks from cooking. Once tempered, add yolk mixture to saucepan and whisk constantly. Bring to a boil, then allow to boil for 1 min, never ceasing to whisk. Remove from heat and stir in your zest, juice, and butter. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on surface of custard and set aside to cool. By placing the plastic on the surface of the custard, you will prevent a yucky film from developing on surface.

If your cupcakes are cool, grab your nifty cupcake corer. I got mine a couple of years ago from Sur La Table and it is WONDERFUL. It's a handy little tool that isn't too expensive, and it ensures you have plenty of filling in your cupcakes.

Core your cupcakes. When your custard has cooled, fill with desired amount of filling. It's delicious, so don't be skimpy! Once your cupcakes are filled, prep your frosting.

In a mixer bowl, using your whisk attachment, whip whipping cream until foamy. Slowly add SPLENDA, followed by zest and extract. Beat until medium peaks form. You don't want them too soft, or frosting will not be pipe-able, but you don't want them too stiff, either. A medium peak will do.

Pipe your cupcakes, then garnish with a lemon slice, if you'd like.

Enjoy!!

The Kaskake...

 An inticipated visit from one of our friends from Chicago was the inspiration behind what we have dubbed, "The Kaskake". Bacon, Beer... it had to be just right.  We wanted to pass along that this was a pleasant surprise for the taste buds.  I will passing along the recipe soon, Stay Tuned!