cupcakes

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Oct 23, 2019

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes – moist pumpkin cupcakes with pecans and raisins and topped with cream cheese frosting!

Hi guys! I can’t stop making pumpkin desserts. I’ve only blogged a fraction of them because I don’t want to become a pumpkin blog.

But I can’t stop making them.

At one point, we had 4 containers of pumpkin treats on the counter and I finally had to take them to my gym and leave them for everyone else because I did not need 4 different pumpkin desserts staring at me every time I walked into the kitchen.

But I made cupcakes today! Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes! They’re super moist, delicious pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves so they taste like fall. Plus, they have chopped pecans and raisins inside. And they are topped with cream cheese frosting!

If you wanted to do a non-traditional Thanksgiving dessert or you need a sweet idea for Friendsgiving or even a Halloween party, these are perfect. They really easy to make, they taste amazing, and everyone always loves a cupcake!

…

Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

Feb 24, 2016

I am loving spring flavors right now. No surprise since it’s been in the 80s in Texas for the last week or so. How crazy is that?

I keep thinking about how much I want to go back to Colorado and then I see their weather and I’m like, “Ehh… maybe I’ll just stay in Texas and continue to wear flipflops all year.”

I am especially loving all things berry right now. I feel like I’m going to the store every other day for more strawberries! I’m loving them in everything, especially in treats like these Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting!

I’m still loving having a stockpile of Pillsbury mixes and frostings in my pantry. But this time, I want to chat about the cake mixes because they are my alltime fave. If you ever see me instagramming or snapping cupcakes, I can guarantee I made them with the Pillsbury Moist Supreme mix.

Seriously, the softest cupcakes you will ever make.

So for these cupcakes, I took the white cake mix and made it according to the box instructions, except I added just a bit of fresh lemon zest. It gave the cupcakes a nice freshness – and also gave me an excuse to put strawberries on top.

Because lemon and strawberry is just the most perfect combo!

For the frosting, I used the Pillsbury Creamy Supreme in vanilla and stirred in some pureed strawberries. Such an easy way to make a store-bought frosting your own!

The soft lemon cupcakes with the strawberry frosting was so delicious.

My oldest has a birthday this weekend and has requested that I make these again for the party!

If you want to stock up on Pillsbury products for all your baking needs, make sure you download the Ibotta app to save $.75 and then visit Pinterest to discover more ways to #MixUpAMoment with Pillsbury!

I’ll be using Pillsbury products to make a super cute Easter treat in a couple weeks so make sure you check back!

…

Apple Spice Cupcakes

Sep 17, 2015

Apple Spice Cupcakes – yummy apple cupcakes topped with spiced vanilla frosting and cinnamon apple chips! Perfect fall cupcakes!

Happy almost Friday! I made cupcakes!

Guys, I am sick.

Ugh.

It’s about time since the kids have been in school for a few weeks and have all sneezed once or twice. Seriously though, weakest immune system ever.

If you need me, I’ll be Dayquil wasted (I don’t care what anyone says, that stuff makes me useless for hours) and watching Dawson’s Creek all day.

But cupcakes!

…

Red Velvet Cupcakes (+ a giveaway!)

Feb 18, 2015

First things first, I spent all of yesterday afternoon watching Mockingjay. I had heard pretty horrible things about it and perhaps my standards are low because I watch 3 movies a year but I kind of loved it. Like, I read the books several times so I knew what was happening but I was on the edge of my ~~seat~~ bed for most of it.

Also, yes, I am a sucker. I bought it on digital because I had to watch it RIGHT THEN and then I’ll buy it again when it comes out on DVD. Even though I’ll probably never watch it again.

This is how I work.

Anyway, today is not about me wasting money. Today is about a cookbook that I’d like to give away!

My friend Christina of Dessert for Two recently released a fantastic cookbook also titled Dessert for Two.

The cookbook is filled with classic and not-so-classic recipes that have been scaled down to only serve 2 (or sometimes 4) people. Like, this cupcake recipe? Only makes 4 cupcakes! Which means I had one for me and all 3 kids and there were none left to call my name while I watched my money-waster movie.

I think it’s a genius idea and I really wish someone had pointed me in the direction of small batch desserts when I went through that mug cake phase last year. Because those things are awful.

I have a long list of things I want to make from Dessert for Two and I started with these Red Velvet Cupcakes because, well, it’s always a good time for a cupcake. They turned out delicious and like I mentioned, I really loved that there was just enough for me and the kids without having extras to deal with.

To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below.

…

Chocolate-Bacon Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Frosting

Oct 31, 2014

I don’t usually post on Fridays. It feels quite weird. But it’s Halloween and that calls for chocolate! And bacon! And dulce de leche!

Plus, I skipped my usual football food post yesterday. Mostly because the queso fundido I made for the post turned out very different from how I expected it to.

The chorizo I bought… well, it kind of melted when I cooked it. I don’t know how else to explain it. You know how normally chorizo has the same texture as sausage or ground beef when you cook it? Like you break it up into chunks?

Nope, not this chorizo. It was so… melty… that some of it went straight through my colander when I tried to drain the fat.

What?!

We ate it anyway. Obviously. Because queso dip with weird chorizo is still pretty awesome.

This is what I get for going grocery shopping at Target because I wanted to look at their Christmas decorations even though I know Target never has the brands of “weird” food that I like.

And speaking of foods that Target didn’t have: dulce de leche!

But if you have the same problem and can’t find dulce de leche, you can do what I did to make these Chocolate-Bacon Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Frosting.

Take a can of sweetened condensed milk, put it in your slow cooker, cover it completely with water, and let it cook on low for 8 hours. You’ll have perfect dulce de leche when it’s done!

If you’ve never made anything with chocolate and bacon together, you absolutely must. It just works so deliciously. And the dulce de leche cream cheese frosting makes it even more magical. If you’re more of a cookie person, I’ve got a candied bacon chocolate chip cookie recipe that is a favorite among all my friends!

…

Apple Fritters

Oct 14, 2014

Easy Apple Fritters made by dipping sliced apples in a quick batter and frying until golden and delicious! You won’t believe how easy and delicious these are!

Do you want to know how sad my life is? Yesterday I took a nap (don’t judge me) and dreamt that I was on weather.com and saw snow in the forecast. And I woke up so excited.

Like, it wasn’t even snowing.

It was just the weather forecast. In my dream.

And I was excited.

Another more real life thing that has been exciting me recently is apple recipes. It’s quite weird because I really don’t like apples much.

I think I’ve eaten two apples this year and both times I covered them in chocolate PB2. Which is one of my favorite things on earth and if you aren’t covering your apples in it, what are you doing with your life?

But yeah, I’ve been pulling apple recipes out of magazines like it’s my job.

Cakes, bars, battered and fried.

…

Orange Cream Cupcakes

Jun 12, 2014

Big disaster in my life.

We can’t find Cuties anymore.

I don’t even know what to do. The baby (he’s almost 3 – not a baby) eats at least 3 a day and now they are gone from the grocery store shelves. Yesterday I found a bag of pluots labeled dinosaur fruit and thought “Hey, it’s got a dinosaur on it. Maybe he’ll eat them!”

Nope.

I’m kind of regretting using our last bag of Cuties on these cupcakes. Kind of. But not really.

Because Orange Cream Cupcakes! I’ve been really digging citrus cakes for awhile now so an orange cupcake with orange cream cheese frosting? All about it!

Don’t worry if you’re in the same predicament as me with the Cuties though – you can use any kind of orange!

Orange Cream Cupcakes

from Food Network Magazine, May 2014

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
12 tablespoons 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk

For the frosting:

3/4 cup fresh orange juice about 2 oranges
1 8- ounce package cream cheese at room temperature
10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons orange zest
orange gel food coloring

Instructions

To make the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with 12 liners.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed and slowly beat in the melted butter. Beat in orange zest and vanilla.
Beat in the flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until just combined.
Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 of the way. Bake about 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean Cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the frosting:

Bring the orange juice to a boil in a saucepan; reduce heat to medium and simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 tablespoons, about 8 minutes. Let cool.
Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the butter, a little at a time, until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to low; sift the powdered sugar into the bowl and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla, the cooled orange syrup, and orange zest. Beat until combined. Add food coloring until desired color is reached. Refrigerate until spreadable, about 15 minutes. Spread onto cool cupcakes.

Pineapple Fairy Cupcakes

Mar 27, 2014

Sometimes you just need a fun cupcake in your life. Am I right? (And by sometimes, I mean every day of your life.) I made these cupcakes in honor of the release of Disney’s The Pirate Fairy on Digital HD and Blu-ray on April 1st. It is the newest from the world of Peter Pan and I am pretty excited about it. I think the Disney Fairy movies are so cute – they really appeal to my love of all things pretty and sparkly. My littlest has recently been obsessed with the Tinkerbell movies so I’m sure we’ll be heading to the store first thing April 1 to pick it up. And then we’ll watch it at least 3 times that day. That’s just how we do things around here. I decided to make pineapple cupcakes because for some reason pineapples make me think of fairies. Maybe it’s all the leaves growing out of the top? I really don’t know but they do. This is also my go-to recipe when I get a last minute request for cupcakes because they are so simple and I always have the ingredients on hand. It is just cake mix and a can of crushed pineapple! That’s it! They couldn’t be easier to make and they bake up so light and fluffy. These are one of the only cupcakes that I’d happily eat without frosting on top. I went with a vanilla bean buttercream but you could top the cupcakes with anything you want. Because they are so light, I actually really like them with just a dollop of whipped cream on top and some fresh berries or even maraschino cherries. I went with a “Tinkerbell” green for the frosting and then covered it with sparkly sprinkles. You can’t make anything fairy related without lots and lots of sprinkles! I also made cute little flowers out of marshmallows because I always think of flowers when I think of Tinkerbell. The flowers are so easy – you just cut large marshmallows into pieces and dip them in sprinkles! I used chewy Sprees as the center of my flowers but you can use any kind of round candy.

Pineapple Fairy Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 yellow cake mix
1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple (DO NOT DRAIN)

For the vanilla bean buttercream:

1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
pinch of salt
2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
2 - 3 tablespoons milk

For the flowers:

large marshmallows
small sprinkles
round candies

Instructions

To make the cake:

Beat cake mix and crushed pineapple until very few lumps remain. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake according to package instructions.
Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

To make the vanilla bean buttercream:

Beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla bean paste and salt. Gradually beat in powdered sugar and milk until it reaches your desired consistency.

To make the flower cupcakes:

Use kitchen scissors to cut marshmallow into 5 horizontal "slices". Dip the sticky side of marshmallow into sprinkles. Position the marshmallows around the cupcake and top with a round candy.

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Mar 12, 2014

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes – chocolate cupcakes made with Guinness and topped with a dreamy chocolate buttercream frosting. You have to make these for St. Patrick’s Day!

One last St. Patrick’s Day recipe and then I swear I’ll stop!

I told you guys yesterday that one of my favorite things about St. Patrick’s Day is buying the ginormous blocks of Kerrygold Dubliner but I didn’t mentioned that I also really love buying Guinness.

And I don’t know why because I don’t drink it. It just makes me feel festive or something.

I knew I wanted to make these Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with it this year and they turned out so good!

They’re chocolate cupcakes with the Guinness in the batter and then just a regular chocolate frosting. I was worried that Guinness taste would be too strong for me but I really enjoyed them. I’m not going to tell you how many I had but take my word for it, I really really really enjoyed them.

Need something to serve for St. Patrick’s Day dinner? Try this Guinness and Onion Soup with Irish Cheddar Crouton!

Yield: 36 cupcakes

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

adapted from King Arthur Flour

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups stout or dark beer, such as Guinness
2 cups 4 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups Dutch-process cocoa
4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream

For the frosting:

1/2 cup 1 stick butter, softened
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
Place the stout and butter in a large, heavy saucepan, and heat until the butter melts. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the cocoa powder. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
In another large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and sour cream. Add the cooled stout-cocoa mixture, mixing to combine.
Add the flour mixture and mix together at slow speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and mix again for 1 minute.
Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 - 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Repeat with remaining batter.
Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

To make the frosting:

Beat butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add cocoa powder, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla sugar. Beat until everything is incorporated. Add more powdered sugar or milk if you want a different consistency. Frost cupcakes once cooled.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 341Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 163mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 1gSugar: 31gProtein: 4g

Funfetti Monster Cupcakes #ScareEdu

Nov 04, 2013

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client.

If you went back to Monsters University, would you major in scaring?

One desperate day during deployment, I was searching through the kids movies that my satellite people offer and you know how as you’re scrolling through, the movie cover pops up on the side? As soon as Monsters, Inc. popped up my kids started screaming, “Yes! That one! PLEASE!” And even though it was $2.99 and I avoid the paid movies like the plague, I put it on. Because like I said, I was desperate.

My kids loved it. LOVED it. It was one of the first movies that my then 2 year old sat down and actually watched. So we bought it a few months later for Christmas and anxiously awaited the next one, Monsters University.

Monsters University finally came out on DVD last week (October 29) and we rushed out to get. Nope, that’s a lie. I stupidly waited until Thursday to go get it since we didn’t plan on watching until the weekend and the first Walmart we went to was completely sold out! Lots of little monsters in Colorado Springs apparently! We did manage to find the Monsters University 2-Disc Blu-ray + DVD + Infinity Figure Combo Pack at another Walmart though.

We also picked up the Monsters University Toxic Race Play Set and an extra monster for it. They are so cute! The monsters have some sort of magnet in them that make them pop up when they reach the finish line.

We let the big boys stay up late Friday night to watch the movie with us. We had pizza and popcorn and those cute funfetti monster cupcakes you see at the top of the post. We loved the movie! My husband and I both found ourselves laughing at times. If you like the first one, I think you will like this one even more!

We ended up letting the boys (and the dog) have a sleepover on the living room floor and they were kind enough to pose for the obligatory photo.

Print

Funfetti Monster Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Ingredients

1 batch Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes

1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter

dash salt

1 vanilla bean scraped

1 3/4 – 2 cups powdered sugar

up 1/4 cup heavy cream

3 gel food colors

candy eyeballs

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add salt and vanilla each. Begin adding powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time. Once sugar is in, add heavy cream as needed to reach desired consistency.

Divide the buttercream into 3 bowls and add a tiny bit of gel food color to each bowl. Stir until the color is completely blended in.

To decorate the cupcakes, I used a basketweave tip, a flower tip, and a star tip. I filled a decorating bag with each color and just alternated tips. They’re monsters so you can’t really mess them up! Top with eyeballs.

King Cake Cupcakes

Feb 07, 2013

So I lied to you.

Valentine’s Day isn’t my favorite holiday after all. Mardi Gras is! I guess living in Colorado made me completely forget about Mardi Gras because it didn’t even occur to me that Fat Tuesday is next week until I started seeing photos from Mardi Gras balls in my Facebook stream. But yeah, it’s definitely my favorite and the one I most looked forward to when I lived in Mobile.

Since we don’t really get the opportunity to celebrate in Colorado, I had to make these super cute king cake cupcakes! (Please ignore the creepy babies. This should be the last year you have to look at them.) I used a box mix to make the cupcakes but made my cinnamon buttercream that I love so much to make them a little more king cake-like. And then I topped them with the tiniest little king cakes made from vanilla wafers!

If you are celebrating Mardi Gras this year (I’m jealous) you should totally make these! Everyone who saw them went nuts over how cute they were.

Nicole made hurriances! One time, many years ago, a friend of mine caught her hair on fire from a flaming hurricane at a bar. It was arguably one of the best nights of my life.* So go make hurricanes! Throw beads at whoever you live with! And have a good time!

*She was fine. It was put out quickly and we laughed about it for days. I’m really not heartless.

King Cake Cupcakes

Ingredients

24 white or yellow cupcakes box mix or homemade
1 batch cinnamon buttercream
24 vanilla wafer cookies
green purple, and yellow food coloring
clear sprinkles
plastic babies optional

Instructions

To make the tiny king cakes, put about 1/4 cup of frosting into 3 bowls. Add green food coloring to one bowl, purple to another, and yellow to the last. Mix until you get your desired color.
For each king cake, take a vanilla wafer and frost a small section with each color. Top with clear sprinkles and a plastic baby if desired.
Frost the cupcakes as normal and top with a tiny king cake.

White Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Apr 26, 2012

Cupcakes have been mostly absent from my life (and my blog!) since we made the move from sea level to 6000 feet. Sad story, right? I just can’t get them right. I’ve had decent luck with cakes and quick breads but the secret to perfect high-altitude cupcakes has eluded me until now.

The problem with baking at high elevation is that your leavening agents react insanely quick up here. Like, you’re making a batch of cupcakes, turn your back for 10 seconds to get a different spatula and your batter rises an inch. Seriously, it’s that fast. So you have to raise the oven temperature to set the batter before it expands too much, decrease leaveners, perhaps add an extra egg, add extra flour… it’s all very confusing. And these remedies come with side effects – raising the over temperature not only sets the batter, it also gives you burnt cupcake tops with undercooked middles sometimes. Like I said, confusing.

But I finally found a recipe that adapted really well. And now here’s where I’m at: high-altitude baking applies to a very small percentage of my readers. So do I share the original recipe with notes on how to adapt? I’m assuming that since it adapted well to high-altitude baking that it’s probably a pretty good recipe to begin with. What do we think?

So about the cupcakes? They were so good! I love the white cupcakes from boxed mixes and these turned out even better than those. And the buttercream is so fantastic! It’s made by cooking egg whites in a double boiler and then beating them to stick peaks so it’s an entirely different texture than buttercreams made with just butter. It’s silky and rich and I considered spreading it on toast for breakfast this morning.

If you don’t have vanilla beans, just add vanilla. Although I do recommend picking up some clear vanilla because the regular vanilla extract will tint it. And sprinkles are a must.

Two years ago:Â Cardamom Crumb Cake

White Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

from Ad Hoc at Home

Ingredients

For the white cupcakes:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoons salt
12 tablespoons 1½ sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
2¾ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1¼ cups milk
6 egg whites at room temperature

For the vanilla bean buttercream:

1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
6 egg whites
3½ sticks 14 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

Instructions

To make the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners or spray with nonstick spray.
In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter and 1Â½ cups sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Add in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternately with the milk. Set aside.
in a clean mixer bowl on your stand mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the egg whites until they begin to speed. Add the remaining 1Â¼ cups sugar and beat until the whites are thick and almost hold stiff peaks. Fold â…“ of the whites into the batter to lighten it. Fold in the rest.
Fill the muffin cups about Â¾ of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes -rotating the pans halfway through â€“ until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clear.
Cool completely before frosting.

To make the buttercream:

Bring a saucepan half full of water to a simmer. Set a bowl over the water; do not allow the bowl to touch the water. Combine the sugar and egg whites in the bowl and whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and mixture is hot to the touch.
Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk. Whip until the whites hold stiff peaks and are cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment. Add the butter a little at a time, being sure each batch is incorporated before moving on. The mixture may look broken, just continue beating until it comes back together.
Add in vanilla and beat until combined. Check the consistency; if it's too thin, continue beating until it's thick enough.

Football Cupcakes

Feb 02, 2012

I know I said that I’m feeling the Superbowl this year but you didn’t think I would leave you without fun ideas, did you?

These cute little football cupcakes are perfect for any Superbowl party! I mean, who doesn’t love cupcakes?! And they couldn’t be any easier. I actually used a boxed mix because cupcakes haven’t been my friend since we moved to 6,000 feet. (The boxed mixes have high altitude directions and always work perfectly.) I also used canned frosting because… well, butter is expensive and canned frosting is cheap!

So the whole project took less than an hour!

To frost football cupcakes: Use a small star tip (I used 21 from Wilton) to pipe chocolate lines back and forth across the cupcakes. You want the lines to be touching but not on top of each other. Use a small round tip (I used 6 from Wilton) to pipe white lines across across the chocolate frosting to make it look like a football.

If you want to make your own cupcakes, I’ve got a vanilla bean cupcake recipe with the bestÂ vanilla frostingÂ and an awesome chocolate frosting recipe.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

Nov 18, 2010

I know, I know – everyone else is talking turkey, cranberries, and stuffing and I’m posting cupcakes that have absolutely nothing to do with Thanksgiving. It’s very hard to get into the season when it’s still HOT outside and that’s what I’m experiencing now.

I made these cupcakes a couple weekends ago for a family party and they were a big hit with the under 3 bunch. I didn’t try the actual cake but I will say that the batter was delicious. The frosting, as written, is very thick so leave out some of the sugar if you don’t want it that thick. I obviously had trouble getting it to pipe.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 pinch salt

For the buttercream:

8 ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped
6 cups confectionersâ€™ sugar
16 tablespoons 2 sticks unsalted butter
6 tablespoons. milk plus more, if needed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

To make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a cupcake pan with paper liners, or grease and flour cups.
In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, shortening and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter alternately with the milk. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the buttercream:

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.
Put the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler set over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the confectionersâ€™ sugar, butter, the 6 tablespoons milk, the vanilla and salt and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then reduce the speed to low. Add the chocolate and beat until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more.
If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Nov 11, 2010

As you’re reading this, I’m probably on a plane somewhere en route to NYC for the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Holiday Bakeoff. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway if you haven’t already!

I went to a General Mills blog event back in August and really learned a lot about myself on that trip. See, GM was awesome and put together a booklet with all of the bloggers’ pictures, blog URLs, and a blurb about each person. As I was on the plane, I was reading Twitter reports about how it said so-and-so was a homeschooling mom of 6 kids who loves housework and also runs a business out of her home while coaching little league and keeping up with her yoga practice. Okay, I might be exaggerating slightly but seriously, amazing things about these amazing women.

So I get to the hotel and flip open the book to see what it says about me. Any guesses?

Anyone?

“Amanda blogs about food and really likes the Real Housewives.”

Done.

I about fell on the floor.

And then I realized it’s my own fault. Because I talk about the Real Housewives. A lot. Way more than is probably considered “normal”. In fact, I bet that while you’re reading this I’m on the plane wondering if the hotel we’re staying at will have Bravo because tonight is the fight between Camille and Kyle.

I have a problem. I recognize it now and today I am here to tell you 7 things that you may not know about me so that next time someone needs to include me in a “Get to know your fellow bloggers” booklet, there’s something semi-interesting to say about me.

My first car was a 1985 Z28 Camaro.
Once, in a fit of blind rage, I bit a hole in my parent’s shower curtain.
My best friend and I once ate an entire cheesecake while doing serious MySpace stalking.
My favorite color is purple.
My first job was at McDonald’s.
I own every Anne Hathaway movie ever.
I drink my wine on ice, in a plastic Starbucks cup.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 stick, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg room temperature
2 large egg yolks room temperature
1 vanilla bean split and scraped to remove seeds

For the frosting:

5 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

To make the cupcakes:

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla bean seeds; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.
Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tin. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature before frosting.

To make the frosting:

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. You want it to be very thick, thicker than cake mix, more like a brownie mix is. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If Iâ€™m in a hurry, I place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) It must be completely cool before you use it in the next step. Stir in vanilla.
While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You donâ€™t want any sugar graininess left. Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat the living daylights out of it. If it looks separated, you havenâ€™t beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream. Spread on cooled cupcakes and dip in sprinkles if you wish!

cupcakes

Ingredients

For the frosting:

Instructions

To make the frosting:

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

Did you make this recipe?