Fake Ginger

cupcakes

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

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

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!

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Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting - the perfect spring cupcakes! Fluffy cake with the most delicious frosting!

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!

Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting - the perfect spring cupcakes! Fluffy cake with the most delicious 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!

Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting - the perfect spring cupcakes! Fluffy cake with the most delicious frosting!

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!

Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting - the perfect spring cupcakes! Fluffy cake with the most delicious frosting!

 

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Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

Yield: 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

from Pillsbury

Ingredients

  • 1 box Pillsbury Moist Supreme Classic White mix
  • water, vegetable oil, and eggs required by cake mix box
  • 3 tablespoons lemon zest

For the frosting:

  • 1 container Pillsbury Creamy Supreme frosting in vanilla
  • 6 large strawberries

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
  2. Mix cake mix with all ingredients as instructed by box. Stir in lemon zest.
  3. Bake according to box instructions. Cool completely before frosting.
  4. To make the frosting, use a blender to puree the strawberries. In a large mixing bowl, fold the strawberry puree into the Pillsbury Creamy Supreme frosting. Spread generously on cooled cupcakes.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 99Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 166mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 0gSugar: 11gProtein: 1g

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© Amanda Livesay
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of The J.M. Smucker Company. The opinions and text are all mine.

 

Apple Spice Cupcakes

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

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!

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Small Batch Red Velvet Cupcakes

Small Batch Red Velvet Cupcakes – only makes 4 cupcakes! Moist delicious red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

Red Velvet Cupcakes - only makes 4 cupcakes! Perfect for when you don't watch a huge batch of cupcakes!

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.

Besides that, I have a small batch Red Velvet Cupcakes recipe for you today! It makes 4 cupcakes which means it’s perfect when you’re in the mood for a sweet treat but don’t want a dozen cupcakes calling your name. 

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Chocolate-Bacon Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Frosting

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!

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Chocolate-Bacon Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Frosting

Chocolate-Bacon Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Frosting

Yield: about 12 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • For the candied bacon:
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 6 slices bacon, cut in half

For the cupcakes:

  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup brewed espresso or coffee
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

  • 1 cup jarred dulce de leche
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • sea salt, for topping

Instructions

Make the candied bacon:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and set a rack on a foil-lined baking sheet.
  2. Whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Toss the bacon in the sugar mixture until coated, then arrange on the rack in a single layer. Bake until dark brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to a plate and pat dry with paper towels. Chop 3 pieces of bacon; set aside.

Make the cupcakes:

  1. Combine the vegetable oil, espresso, brown sugar, cocoa powder and chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave until hot, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth, then set aside to cool, about 15 minutes.
  2. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda and fine salt in a medium bowl. Add the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla to the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Add the flour mixture and continue whisking until combined.
  3. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Divide the batter among the cups, then sprinkle with the chopped bacon. Bake until the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting:

  1. Beat the dulce de leche, cream cheese and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until combined. Top the cupcakes with the frosting. Chop the remaining 3 slices of bacon and place on top of the frosting.. Sprinkle sea salt over the frosting.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 411Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 410mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 2gSugar: 35gProtein: 9g

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© Amanda Livesay

Apple Fritters

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!

Easy Apple Fritters - sliced apples dipped in batter and fried until golden and delicious! The easiest apple fritters you will ever make!

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.

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Orange Cream Cupcakes

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!

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Pineapple Fairy Cupcakes

 

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.

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Pineapple Fairy Cupcakes

Pineapple Fairy Cupcakes

Yield: 24 cupcakes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

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:

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

To make the vanilla bean buttercream:

  1. 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:

  1. 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.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 275Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 168mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 0gSugar: 40gProtein: 1g

Did you make this recipe?

Tag me in your Instagram photo - @fakeginger

© Amanda Livesay

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!

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Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Yield: 36 cupcakes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

adapted from King Arthur Flour

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

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

To make the frosting:

  1. 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: 36 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 341Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 163mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 1gSugar: 31gProtein: 4g

Did you make this recipe?

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© Amanda Livesay

King Cake Cupcakes

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.

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King Cake Cupcakes

King Cake Cupcakes

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 24 minutes
Total Time: 54 minutes

adapted from The Virtuous Wife

Ingredients

  • 2 tubes crescent rolls
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the filling:

  • 1 8-ounce block cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons water
  • purple, green, and yellow sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a muffin tin with baking spray.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until no lumps remain. Set aside.
  4. Working on a sheet of parchment paper, unroll one tube of crescent rolls. Divide into 4 rectangles and press to seal the seam going diagonally through each rectangle. Repeat with remaining tube of crescent rolls.
  5. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of each one. Spread a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture down one long side of each rectangle. Roll up each one as if rolling cinnamon rolls, sealing the ends. Then roll them up again so that they resemble cinnamon rolls. Transfer to prepared muffin tin.
  6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 12 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 12 minutes. Let cool before glazing.
  7. To make the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Add more water as needed to make it a good spreadable consistency. Spread glaze on each cupcake and top with sprinkles. I find that you need to let the glaze set for a minute or 2 and then sprinkle. But don't wait too long because the sprinkles won't stick if it sets completely!

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 187Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 79mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 0gSugar: 27gProtein: 2g

Did you make this recipe?

Tag me in your Instagram photo - @fakeginger

© Amanda Livesay

 

White Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

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: Cardamom Crumb Cake

Print
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:
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners or spray with nonstick spray.
  2. In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter and 1½ 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.
  4. 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 1¼ cups sugar and beat until the whites are thick and almost hold stiff peaks. Fold ⅓ of the whites into the batter to lighten it. Fold in the rest.
  5. Fill the muffin cups about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes -rotating the pans halfway through – until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clear.
  6. Cool completely before frosting.
To make the buttercream:
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Add in vanilla and beat until combined. Check the consistency; if it's too thin, continue beating until it's thick enough.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

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.

Print
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 confectioners’ 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:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a cupcake pan with paper liners, or grease and flour cups.
  2. 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.
  3. 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:
  1. Have all the ingredients at room temperature.
  2. 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.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the confectioners’ 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.
  4. 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

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.

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

 

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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:
  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.
  2. 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.
  3. 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:
  1. 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 I’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.
  2. While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You don’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 haven’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!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

We had a small family reunion recently and I offered to bring cupcakes, mainly because I didn’t know what else to bring. My plan was 3 dozen in 3 different flavors and obviously red velvet had to be one of them. Red velvet is always a crowd pleaser!

Honestly, I didn’t try these but they were definitely the most popular cupcake and I do believe I heard physical threats over them. (I kid.) I did try the cream cheese icing which is always excellent. My only problem with it is that it’s not stiff enough to pipe and really pile on top of the cupcake.

The recipe was simple. I did only make half of the recipe (which was a mistake) and it turned out fine. So if you’re not looking to have 24 cupcakes on hand, keep that in mind. Like I said, I didn’t taste these cupcakes but I liked the look of this recipe much more than others because of how little cocoa powder it calls for.

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Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
  • 2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 oz. red food coloring two bottles
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
For the cream cheese frosting:
  • 16 oz. cream cheese 2 packages, softened
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter one stick, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
  2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
  4. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Yes, it will fizz! Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake cups with cake batter (they should be 2/3 – 3/4 full). You may not fill all the cups, I ended up with 20 cupcakes. Place muffin tins on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check early and don’t overbake!
  5. Cool the cupcakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting. Frost cupcakes with cream cheese icing
For the cream cheese frosting:
  1. With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using (after frosting softens up, beat with mixer until smooth).

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

I have been in a bit of a blogging slump lately. I had a few baked good duds last week and since then, I haven’t had motivation to cook, bake, or blog. It is something that happens to me every few months and it’s one of those things that you really can’t force. But if there’s one thing I know, cupcakes can bring just about anyone out of a funk.

These are amazing. They are a brown sugar cake that’s filled with “cookie dough” (don’t try to bake it) and then topped with brown sugar buttercream. I had worried that the cookie dough part wouldn’t be obvious, that it would just be a sweet cake stuffed with an even sweeter filling but on his first bite my husband said, “This tastes like a cookie!”

4.5 from 2 votes
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Cookie Dough Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
  • 3 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar packed
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chocolate chips semisweet or bittersweet
For the filling:
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 7 ounce sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
For the frosting:
  • 3 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For decoration:
  • Mini chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (about 20). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
  3. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  4. To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.
  5. To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.
  6. To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Mix in the salt, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.
  7. Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips for decoration.