Angel Food Cupcakes and McCormick Spring Giveaway

Are you ready for spring? Here in PA, the weather went from sorta-winter into summer. Or at least that's what it feels like some weeks. Where did spring go? Well if it's not spring outside, then it's spring in my kitchen, thanks to McCormick with their latest Spring Baking Kit. One of the recipes you can make is Angel Food Cupcakes. When you pair it with lemon, I think it pretty much screams spring, don't you?

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Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes

So I brought to you the Cadbury milkshake yesterday. Still intrigued by the idea of homemade fondant cream, I decided to fill and frost some chocolate cupcakes. Sure, I could've put a Cadbury egg in the middle and called it a night, but I wanted to be different. Plus this means I can make these any day of the year and not be too dependent on the candy ;)

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Irish Cream Cupcakes for #SundaySupper

Happy #SundaySupper! This week the Inspiring Foodies are bringing you a special St. Patrick's Day menu, which ends with these Irish Cream Cupcakes filled with Irish Cream mousse and topped with Chocolate Irish Cream Frosting. If that doesn't sound like a party, then I don't know what does!

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Banana Cupcakes for #SundaySupper #ProgressiveDinner

Today's Sunday Supper is brought to you by The Inspiring Foodies Tribe. The lovely Isabel of Family Foodie coordinated a progressive dinner, which means one person is responsible for one part of the meal. Naturally, I signed up for dessert, which ended up being Banana Cupcakes. A simple yet moist and delicious cupcake. And although it may seem a little too casual for a nice "get-together," it makes a great dessert to have with your evening coffee.

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Chocolate Cherry Brownie Cupcakes

This year, I'm making a vow that I will not pity myself on Valentine's Day, that I will love myself and not cry over the fact I'm alone in everything I do. Maybe I'll even get some virtual kitty kisses (or I will play my video of Murray meowing 12783987347 times and stare at his Valentine's Day picture from last year). This year I am going to indulge myself, starting with these Chocolate Cherry Brownie Cupcakes, filled with cherry mousse and topped with cherry buttercream and a Cherry Cordial Hershey Kiss.

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Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes

You can't go through the holiday without baking something chocolate and gingerbread! Looks like at the beginning of this year, I posted this recipe. Here it is again to share :) (hahahaha I used the same cupcake liners too! Just noticed that. Same tray was on purpose).

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Apple Crisp Cupcakes

Does anybody else feel like they’ve been cheated out of enjoying fall? I
live between mountains, and when the leaves changed, it was breathtaking
driving over them. Then Halloween weekend, Pennsylvania got about six
inches of snow, and now most of the trees are bare. Then yesterday it went
up to 70F!! In November!! The week before Thanksgiving nonetheless. What is happening to my beautiful fall season? I didn’t even get a chance to take pictures of the trees to share.



To keep fall in my heart, I’ve been doing some fall baking with apples.
Today I have cupcakes for you. The last time I made a fruit cupcake, it
didn’t have much fruit flavor. I wanted to make sure these cupcakes
screamed apple, so in addition to the apple chunks in the batter, I paired
it with an apple frosting. The first recipe I found had me boil apple cider
and then cool to room temperature. Didn’t have time for that. I wasn’t
having much luck until I remembered a buttercream recipe that used pumpkin butter. What if I switched out the flavor and spices?



Perfect. Each bite was full of apple goodness. In the middle of each
cupcake is a streusel filling, so it was like eating an apple crisp in
cupcake form.

Apple Crisp Cupcakes with Apple Butter Frosting

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced

Streusel
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp butter, room temperature
Pinch of salt

Frosting
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup apple butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners.

In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and milk, beating until smooth. Fold in apple.

For the streusel, in a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar and cinnamon. Add butter in pieces and rub in with fingertips until mixture holds together in small, moist clumps.

Scoop half of the batter into each liner. Place some streusel into each one then top with the remaining batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (watch the streusel). Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove to cooling rack.

For the frosting, beat butter until smooth. Beat in apple butter, cinnamon, and vanilla. Gradually beat in sugar until thick and smooth.

Makes 12 cupcakes
Source: Cupcake recipe from 125 Cupcakes by Julie Hasson; Frosting by me (adapted from Baking Bites)

Black Velvet Cupcakes

Fall is in the air. Leaves are changing colors. Days are getting cooler (and darker). Halloween is almost around the corner, and stores are filled with black and orange.



Black and orange. Such iconic colors for Halloween. Orange desserts are pretty easy to make. Just add red and yellow food coloring. But what about black? Growing up, black was never food coloring you used.



Now McCormick offers black food coloring, which works very well. My hands and nails can attest to it haha I was surfing online when I got the idea for black velvet cupcakes. Just like red velvet but subbing the coloring.

When I took them to work, we discovered they also stain your lips and teeth. Don't worry! It goes away after drinking some water. For the frosting I just used leftover whipped cream w orange coloring added.

Black Velvet Cupcakes



4 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ounce black food coloring
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp vinegar

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Add egg and beat until incorporated.

In a separate bowl mix together cocoa, vanilla and black food coloring to make a thick paste. Add to the batter, mixing until completely combined.

Slowly add half of the buttermilk to the batter. Add half of the flour and salt and mix until combined. Repeat with the remaining milk and flour. Beat until smooth.

Add baking soda and white vinegar. Beat a few more minutes.
Spoon batter into cupcake liners and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then place them on cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

Makes 12 cupcakes
Source: Cupcakes from Java Cupcake; Frosting from Candy Corn Cupcakes

Candy Corn Cupcakes

What is one of the best things about Halloween? CANDY CORN! I'm sure by now you have seen plenty of candy corn-related recipes. I am following Peabody on Twitter, and she posted a link to her candy corn whipped cream frosting. I just knew I wanted to make it, so I did.



I've learned you either love candy corn or you don't. What's nice about these cupcakes is it doesn't taste much like candy corn. Really it's just vanilla cake with food coloring. As for the frosting, I'm highly disappointed I didn't get a strong candy corn flavor. Honestly, if I didn't know any better, I would've thought it was regular whipped cream.



Then again, I didn't follow directions very well. I halved the recipe but failed to realize I was supposed to only use half of the cream to infuse with the candy corn. Whoops. Of course I didn't discover this until after I whipped it, so I just beat it a little longer with the powdered sugar. I wonder how much of a difference the plain cream and cornstarch would have made? Below I posted how I made it. You can view Peabody's recipe if you want the original version.



I have leftover frosting, even after halving it, so I need to find some more treats to bake. I did see a recipe for black velvet cake, so that may be coming soon.

What is your favorite Halloween candy?

Candy Corn Cupcakes


12 Cupcakes:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 egg whites
1 tsp almond extract
2/3 cup buttermilk
Red and yellow food coloring

Frosting Will need to sit overnight!
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1/2 cup candy corn plus 12 for garnish
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line cupcake pan with fun Halloween liners.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until well combined. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in almond extract. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour and two of buttermilk, beating until smooth.

3. Divide the batter into 3 parts. Leave one untouched. For the second bowl, add a few drops of yellow until it looks like mustard. For the third bowl, add a few drops of red and yellow until it is orange. Layer the batter into each cup, starting with the yellow, then orange, then white.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes then remove from the pan to cool completely.

5. For the frosting, put the 1/2 cup of candy corn in a bowl with the cream. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready, strain into a mixing bowl. Beat the cream until soft peaks form. Slowly add in powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Pipe onto cooled cupcake. Top with sprinkles and a candy corn.

Makes 12 cupcakes
Source: Cupcake from 125 Cupcakes by Julie Hasson; Frosting adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes

Gingerbread. It's one of those flavors that screams Christmas. And when you know Christmas is just around the corner, you can almost taste it. Last post I made cookies. This post I have cupcakes.



Gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese icing - definitely a match made in heaven. I had no trouble making these cupcakes. It's pretty much beat everything in a bowl, scoop, and bake for 20-some minutes. Perfect to eat during the snow fall.

Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes



1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake liners with paper. In a small bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice and salt.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour and two of buttermilk, beating until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Scoop into pan. Bake 22-27 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Let cool for 10 minutes then remove to cooling rack.


Cream Cheese Frosting



4 oz. cream cheese, room temp
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
Pinch of salt
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1. Beat together cream cheese, butter, and salt. Beat in sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy.

Baby Cones

Wow, so it's been about two months since I last posted. Here I am, almost at month five in my new town. Some mornings I wake up, finally happy with moving in the right direction. Other mornings I wake up, wondering what the hell am I doing here. "The only way we get there is one step at a time."



Did you know they now make baby ice cream cones? I didn't know that until the one guy at work brought in these baby ice cream cone cupcakes his wife made. After about five of us asking him where his wife got the cones, he called her and told us only one chain carried them. Although that chain isn't nearby here, it is very popular back towards Pittsburgh.



If I had a bakery, these would be on the menu, along with matching holiday sprinkles. I decided to bake a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. You take any cake recipe, fill each cone 2/3 of the way, bake in a mini muffin tin for 15-20 min at 350F, and let cool before frosting. I bet you could do a brownie mix instead of cake (although I wonder if it would rise enough?)


Aw it melted

One problem I had with them was after storing them in an airtight container, the cones got really soft. They weren't that soft before storing them, so...eat them all before storing? haha

Black Raspberry Cupcakes

Anybody watch Cupcake Wars? I'm sitting here watching the Good Cause episode where it benefits a children's foundation. After several episodes, the show can get kinda boring - focus on flavor, focus on decorating, focus on display. What doesn't get boring is how many flavors people can invent. Kinda makes me wish I went into cupcake baking for a living!



Before the big move, I hurried up and went black raspberry picking because I didn't know if I could later this summer. I already made cheesecake and ice cream sauce. While I was at the farm, I saw a brochure with what you can make with curd. One of the ideas was cupcakes. You fill the cupcake with curd and make frosting with it. I thought, hey I could make my own black raspberry curd and make cupcakes.

Unfortunately, it's been a month since I looked up a recipe for raspberry curd, so I really don't remember which one I used. What I do remember is I went to Food Blog Search and typed in 'raspberry curd.' You can either make homemade or store bought.




You make chocolate cupcakes (your favorite recipe or cake mix). After they cool, you cut a hole in each center and fill with curd. Replace the top. Pipe on frosting and top with chocolate sprinkles and a berry.

Frosting: Whisk together 2 Tbsp melted butter, 1/4 c curd, and 1 1/2 c powdered sugar. Frosts 12 cupcakes.

McCormick's D.I.Y Workshop

The lovely people at McCormick have contacted me again about trying out their "Decorate It Yourself (D.I.Y) Workshop." Now, when they said they'd send me a toolkit, I thought they meant a care package like last time. I remember coming home and my parents asking, what did you order?? I said oh McCormick is sending me some stuff. When I walked into my room, there was this HUGE box on my floor. I'm talking big enough to hold two Murrays. It was HUGE. After opening it, I realized McCormick literally sent me a toolkit. Like, a box with hinges. Literally.


Palette, brushes, egg holders, sprinkles, neon and regular food coloring, vanilla, spice drops, marshmallows, cookie cutters, cupcake liners, and coconut

Even McCormick had something special for the cat.



Huge kudos for their PR/marketing team. Literally, a toolkit. I am so shocked and super excited I have another storage container (yes, I have issues being obsessed with storage containers).

Among my goodies was a packet of creative ideas and recipes. I won't have time to blog all about it now (simply bc there's so much and I still have lots to try), but I did make the Hello Flower Cupcakes. My neighborhood holds a spaghetti dinner each month. Being it's a neighborhood dinner, donations are always welcomed. Since my toolkit arrived several days before the dinner, I thought it was convenient to make flower cupcakes for a spring spaghetti dinner.



This is the second time I've donated and the second time my dad had to deliver for me. Both times I had to work. Although he didn't stick around for taste comments, there were a lot of ooos and ahhs. The recipe called for yellow cake cupcakes and 1 can vanilla frosting. With me being me, I made chocolate cupcakes and vanilla frosting from scratch. I chose chocolate cupcakes instead because they looked like flowers in soil instead of flowers in...uh...sand? Although technically you shouldn't be able to tell because of the green frosting, but you get the point. Plus I don't have a tested and approved yellow cake recipe yet. Here is the link to make Hello, Flower Cupcakes.



One awesome trick I learned is to take white sprinkles and add food coloring. Mix it around a bit (they say use a container with a lid and shake it but I just stirred it in a bowl), spread it onto a plate/wax paper/foil/whatever, then let dry for 15 minutes. Tada! Colored sprinkles! Now I don't have to buy a million things of sprinkles (although I still will). I used this trick with the green sprinkles (on the grass part). I already had blue and purple sprinkles, so I wasn't going to make more.

This is just one of the many ideas McCormick has to offer in their D.I.Y. Workshop. The rest I haven't tried yet (stupid Target). In case you can't wait or I don't get around to it in a timely manner, you can try Stuffed French Toast, Cheesy Bacon and Egg Brunch Casserole, and Festive Meringue Cookies.

Also, make sure you use McCormick's food coloring for dyeing Easter eggs this year. You can check out their virtual Easter workshop for decorating tips and ideas.

Red Letter Day

McCormick recently contacted me and told about how they are making Valentine's Day this year a "Red Letter Day" - a special day of significance that infuses red into baking and activities. Not only can you use food coloring for baking, you can also use it for crafts. They offered to send me a kit including a menu for the day, recipes, images and craft ideas...



...but I wasn't expecting this! I sent my reply Wed. night, and soon Thursday morning the FedEx guy showed up with a giant red box. Talk about special delivery! And I was definitely not expecting to find all this


Cookie cutters, stencils, measuring cups, paint brushes, food coloring, vanilla extract, cupcake liners, plus heart placemats, recipes and a menu

Amazing! Funny thing was I was going out to the store and had vanilla on my list. Another funny thing I was originally going to make McCormick's Red Velvet Cupcakes for my neighborhood spaghetti dinner, but because of the 24+ inches of snow, they cancelled it. Now that I received this kit, I was still determined to make them, but I made sure to cut the recipe in half. 30 is way too many for any family to eat haha



Before I talk about dessert, I want to share some ideas with you. Because Valentine's Day is on a Sunday, it is much easier to plan a whole day menu(i.e. breakfast, dinner, and dessert) rather than on a weekday with work, school, life, whatever. Start the day off right with Love Bug Cinnamon Pancakes, Very Vanilla Fruit Salad, and Hot Cocoa with Red Sugar Crusted Marshmallows. For dessert, try Cupid's Cupcakes, Tender Heart Cookies, or Red Velvet Cupcakes.



The red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting turned out delicious. Then again, I don't know what red velvet cake should taste like. Cutting the recipe in half made 15 cupcakes perfectly. Big thank you to McCormick for making the opportunity to bake these easier and to try their Red Letter Day kit. For more recipes and craft ideas, please visit McCormick's site.

Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes

Tada! I'm alive! Target stole my soul for the holiday season, but now that my hours are cut (and really no clue how I'm going to pay the bills), I have some more time in the kitchen. Slowly my cooking spirit is coming back, but eh we'll see.

Hope everyone had a nice holiday. Mine was pretty decent. I got a kitchen pantry to store all my junk, so now my counters are not cluttered with the bread maker, George Foreman grill, and random pans. I also got Julie Hasson's 125 Best Cupcake Recipes, which I have had on my wish list since forever. Can't believe my parents actually spent $20 on it though, but it's super duper hard to find it used.



I decided to make cupcakes the other night bc I have so many cupcake liners. Christmas may have passed, but I do have winter ones I got on clearance last year, AND they come with matching toppers. I chose Julie's Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes bc I love love LOVE marshmallows! As you can see, some of them peek out after you cut out the middle. You're supposed to let them melt a little and squish the top down, but I was too tired to stand and wait for that. I opted to just cover the tops with frosting lol

I had trouble frosting them. Since I ran out of pastry bags, I used sandwich bags. Normally this is fine, but I guess I filled the bags too much, and two bags ripped open. Fortunately, my bff bought me this cake decorating press thing (think cookie press but with icing tips) so after making a huge mess and wasting some of the icing, I managed to finally frost them. And let me tell you, this frosting is cupcakelicious!! So what if my sprinkles don't match? They taste pretty good to me!

Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes



1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp chocolate cream liquer OR chocolate syrup
12 large marshmallows OR handful of mini ones

Chocolate Fudge Frosting
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter or baking margarine, room temp
2 tbsp chocolate cream liquer OR milk
1 tbsp coffee OR milk

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin pan with 12 liners. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In another bowl, beat together sugar and oil until well combined. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and chocolate. Alternately beat in dry mix and buttermilk. Beat in chocolate syrup.

3. Scoop into liners. Bake 20-25 minutes or until tops spring back and toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan. While cupcakes are still hot, cut out the middle of each. Insert a marshmallow. If they stick up, try squishing them down while they soften from the heat. If that doesn't work, you can cover it with frosting. Or just use a handful of mini marshmallows.

4. Frosting: Beat all frosting ingredients together until smooth. Frost cupcakes after they are completely cooled.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Source: 125 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson, 2005 p.28

Angel Food Cupcakes

Angel food cake is probably one of my favorite cakes ever. Probably because I rarely have it. I don't buy bakery goods and finally bought a tube pan a few months ago from the thrift store for $2. Still haven't attempted the actual tube cake, but if you don't want to deal with the hassle of letting it cool upside down, twisting the pan, etc, try it in cupcake form. Much easier to serve plus no frosting is needed. All you need is lemon zest.

Angel Food Cupcakes


Looks so plain but tastes oh so good!

3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup cake flour (click here for substitution)
5 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of one lemon

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

2. In a small bowl, sift together flour and 1/4 cup sugar.

3. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, beating on high speed the egg whites to soft peaks. Gently fold in vanilla and lemon zest. Then fold in flour mixture, adding it in two or three additions.

4. Fill muffin cups pretty full. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until golden brown. The tops will spring back when lightly touched. They are also lightly sticky. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Source: Two Peas and Their Pod

Virtual Great American Bake Sale - Cupcakes!

Welcome to the Virtual Great American Bake Sale! 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these ebooks will go toward Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale program. Funds raised through Great American Bake Sale are donated to after-school and summer feeding programs - food programs that many kids depend on when school is not in session. Great American Bake Sale is a program of Share Our Strength, a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry.

This Virtual Bake Sale is sponsored by Cooking During Stolen Moments. I contributed Cookies and Cream Cupcakes to this great cause. To clear up some confusion, purchasing an ebook is not necessary to view all of the recipes bloggers have contributed. This ebook is a more convenient way to save all of the recipes in one spot. Think about it - how many recipes do you have bookmarked? This is just one file saved onto your hard drive for easy access. If you want to see the individual recipes, please visit the virutal bake sale table.

To purchase an ebook, please read the information posted after the recipe.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes



2 1/4 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
3 egg whites
1 cup Oreos, crushed

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 Tbsp cocoa
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp milk
12 Oreos, cut in half

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners or grease really, really well.

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add milk, butter, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg whites; beat another 2 minutes. Stir in crushed Oreos. Spoon batter evenly into cups. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.

3. For frosting, beat together sugar, cocoa, butter, and vanilla. Add milk. Frost cooled cupcakes. Place halved Oreos on top for garnish.

Source: Recipe Zaar

Makes 24 cupcakes.

This is just one recipe you'll find in the ebooks. The ebooks are a compilation of recipes from submitters across the blogosphere and beyond. They are available for purchase based on any donation amount of the buyer's choosing.

The Complete 2009 VGABS Recipes Ebook

Features all 170 of the submitted recipes. Many of the recipes include pictures.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.


Shopping cart courtesy of E-Junkie.

Because we know file size may be an issue for some, the below ebooks have split the 170 recipes into 4 categorized ebooks so that you can choose just 1 or 2 of your favorites, if you'd prefer. Just like for the Complete ebook, many of these recipes include pictures. And again, they are available for purchase based on any donation amount of the buyer's choosing.

Muffins & Breads

Features 24 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Cookies, Candy, Cakes, Bars & Brownies

Features 50 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Desserts

Features 49 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Beyond Baked Goods (Appetizers, Breakfast, Main Dishes, etc.)

Features 47 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Who Needs Pie When You Can Have Cupcakes

Because the frosting on Dorie's cake used four egg whites, that means I had four egg yolks leftover. Egg yolks are generally used in custards and puddings. My original plan was to make Boston Cream Sponge Cakes with my heart pans, but I wanted to use my heart cupcake liners. I've been wanting to buy a cupcake decorating kit, so I gave in and went to Joann Fabrics. Every week, their flyer offers a 40% off coupon on anything regular price, so I got Wilton's 12-piece set for about $5. Apparently it makes a nice pillow too.




I was nervous because I never used a piping kit before and knew I would mess it up somehow. I just don't have decorating skills. But no worries! I think this kit is fool-proof because even I made beautiful cupcakes.




I cut the batter in half and got five cupcakes. I was hoping for six, but I didn't want to make five semi-nice ones and one really flat one. To insert the custard, I cut a hole out of each one and spooned it in. The batter is really sticky though, so it was hard to cut. I might use a regular yellow cake recipe next time. I sprinkled the leftover crumbs on top. Instead of the icing the recipe called for, I used a chocolate buttercream. Using my wonderful math skills, I made enough without any leftover. Actually, I wish it would have made slightly more because I was having trouble piping towards the end.

Boston Cream Cupcakes




For the recipe, use this one. Depending on how many cupcakes you want, you may need to cut it in half. You can also use your favorite yellow cake recipe.

For five cupcakes' worth of frosting, use these proportions:

3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp milk

Beat sugar, cocoa, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Add milk. If it's too thick, add another Tbsp of milk.

All I Want To Do...

...is bake cupcakes all day long! Except I get stuck eating most of them, and that's probably not good for one's diet haha I baked White Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes for New Year's Eve. I found a similar recipe at Baking Bites, but I dressed it up with peppermint extract and crushed candy canes. Since I only had enough white chocolate for the batter, I used a plain cream cheese frosting.

Nicole's recipe called for 18 cupcakes, so I cut it in half and made 9. Next time, I will probably make the same amount but scoop out 6 cupcakes because as you can somewhat see, mine were too tiny to be full cupcakes. I also ended up baking them an extra 10 minutes.

I imagine you can do more with the white chocolate cupcakes as a base, such as adding raspberries or macadamia nuts. A raspberry buttercream perhaps?


White Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting




3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 Tbsp butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2-oz white chocolate, chopped
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tsp milk

Frosting
2-oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/8 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp milk
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line muffin pans with 6 cupcake liners.

2. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. Melt white chocolate by either heating it in 30 second intervals in the microwave or in a heat-proof bowl over boiling water. Stir well with a fork and cook only until the chocolate is smooth when stirred.

4. In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg, followed by chocolate and peppermint extract. Working in three additions, alternate adding in milk and flour mixture, ending with flour. Mix until just incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin cups.

5. Bake 20-23 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a fingertip. Cool on a wire rack.

6. Frosting: Cream together cream cheese and butter. Beat in vanilla and milk, then add in the confectioners’ sugar gradually until the frosting reaches desired consistency. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Makes 6 cupcakes.

Source: Adapted from Baking Bites

The Spirit of Cupcakes

Well, I'm home from school for the holidays, although it doesn't feel like it. I'm slowly regaining my spirit after an incident last week, but that's life for you. And although lately a lot of my baking has been a flop, I did somewhat make cupcakes. I put too much batter in because the overfill resulted in a flat and brittle top. At least they tasted good, especially with peanut buttercream on top.

I halved the recipe and got 6 cupcakes. The recipe below makes 12 cupcakes and without leftover frosting. To halve the 3 eggs, use 1 egg, 1 Tbsp water, 1 1/2 tsp oil, and 1 tsp baking powder.

Also, did you know maraschino cherries get their flavor from almond extract? Seriously. When you come across almond extract, smell it. If you are not a fan, sub the almond for more vanilla.

Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Buttercream



Cupcakes
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
3 eggs
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Peanut Buttercream
2 2/3 Tbsp peanut butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2-3 Tbsp milk

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.

2. Mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

3. In another bowl, beat together both sugars and butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture, stirring by hand until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Scoop batter into prepared liners. Bake for 28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs and a little melted chocolate. The tops will not spring back when touched. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan before removing to cooling rack.

5. Peanut Buttercream: Cream peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Add milk until desired consistency is achieved. Frost cooled cupcakes.

Both recipes make enough for 12 cupcakes without leftover frosting.

Sources: Cupcake, Frosting


Evil alien cat?


Don't know if you can tell, but Murray's eyes are closed.