Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup{cake}

We are a little short on cash and who knew that baking cupcakes would be an expensive hobby! Ha! So, I rummaged my pantry and realized that I had most of the ingredients to make one of my husband's favorite cupcake flavors: Chocolate & Peanut Butter. Naturally, I had to run to the store and get more butter and sugar. I seem to run out of those the fastest! 

I dedicate this cupcake to my husband: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup{cake}

Devil's Food Cupcake: (makes 32 cupcakes)

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

3/4 cup hot water

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line the cupcake pan with paper liners.

2. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

 

Chocolate Ganache Filling:
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
8 oz Chocolate, chopped

1. In a small saucepan, bring the whipping cream up to a boil.
2. Put the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl.
3. Once the whipping cream is boiling, pour it on top of the chocolate.
4. Stir the chocolate until melted through.
5. Pop the bowl of chocolate into the freezer for about 15 minutes to thicken the consistency a bit.

Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting: 

6 ounces cream cheese

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup heavy cream

 

1. With an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks are formed. Set aside.

2. With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and butter until fluffy.

3. Add in the salt, peanut butter, and vanilla, mix until incorporated.

4. Fold in the whipped heavy cream.

Putting together the cupcakes:

1. Punch out a hole in the center of your cupcakes.

2. Fill the hole with the chocolate ganache.

3. Frost your cupcakes with the peanut butter frosting.

4. Drizzle on some chocolate ganache.

5. CONSUME. (With milk, because that frosting is really rich.)

 

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes! {Breakfast for Dessert!}

I have only tried to make homemade cinnamon rolls once in my life because it is a ridiculously long (and messy) process. Plus, me and dough reaaaallllyyy don't get along too well. So, I decided to turn this breakfast favorite into a delicious cupcake. :)

Cinnamon Cupcake:

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temp
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs, room temp
2 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole milk, room temp
1 tsp cinnamon

Brown Sugar Filling:
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
sprinkle of cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 cupcake pans with paper liners.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
3. Place the unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Add the sugar; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.
5. Combine the vanilla extract, cinnamon and milk in a large liquid measuring cup.
6. Reduce the speed to low. Add a little of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then gradually add some of the milk mixture, beating until well incorporated. Continuing alternating the addition of the flour and milk until all the ingredients are included. (Always start and end with the dry ingredients!)
7. For the filling, just mash all the ingredients together until well incorporated. The butter should be cold enough to have the sugar clump and then stick together.
8. Scoop batter into baking cups and then stick a small spoonful of the filling in the middle. (Now, in retrospect, I would probably put a bigger dollop in the middle, or try to swirl it around. Mine were just small in the middle, which saved the best bite for the center. But I guess that makes it the same as a real cinnamon roll, so it's personal preference really.)
9. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
16 ounces cream cheese, room temp
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
3-4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
cinnamon

1. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until nice and whipped.
2. Slowly beat in the confectioner's sugar one cup at a time until sweetened to your liking.
3. Beat the vanilla extract in and then add in some cinnamon. I just kept adding it until it tasted good to me, so have fun with it, but remember start with less because you can always add more. :)

Once the cupcakes are cooled, pipe on your frosting and sprinkle a little cinnamon on top for decoration.

Things are just getting out of control here!

I started this blog with full intent of blogging about cupcakes with unique flavors. But in the world of baking, sometimes I just have to talk about some of my other creations. This is definitely something that needs to be shared with all of you! Please, be seated when you read about what I have baking in my oven right now. Are you ready? (I doubt it...) But okay....

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Try and wrap your head around that! I feel the diabetes kicking in just by typing that! Haha. The reason I am making these is because they were requested by my friend Niku as a going away gift. Obviously, I couldn't say no! I got the recipe from Picky Palate, and I followed it to a tee.

What you need:
2 sticks softened butter
3/4 Cup packed light brown sugar
1 Cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
3 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 bag Double Stuf Oreo Cookies

What you do:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   In a stand or electric mixer cream butter and sugars until well combined.  Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.
2.  In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda.  Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.
3. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie.  Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo Cookie.  Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo Cookie is enclosed with dough.
4. Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until cookies are baked to your liking.  Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
5. Share with friends. Or not. Either way, make sure you have some milk.

Birthday Collaboration! {Triple Chocolate Truffle Cupcakes}

This past weekend I celebrated my 26th birthday! So for my birthday my dear friend Alyson (who is a crafty woman and also a lover of cupcakes) asked me if I wanted to bake cupcakes with her. Like I could say no to that! She picked out the recipes for what we decided to call the Triple Chocolate Truffle Cupcake. It consisted of a Devil's Food Cupcake with a White Chocolate Amaretto Ganache filling topped with a Chocolate Ganache Frosting. And let me tell you they were DIVINE. It was so much fun working with someone else who has a cupcake passion like myself! I can't wait for our next collab! :)

Also, she found these adorable cupcake decorations that we fell in love with! :)

Devil's Food Cupcake: (makes 32 cupcakes)

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (Alyson's note: We used Penzy's natural high fat, NOT Dutch process)

3/4 cup hot water

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream, room temperature (Alyson's note: we substituted plain nonfat yogurt)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line the cupcake pan with paper liners.

2. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream (or yogurt, in our case), and beating until just combined after each.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

White Chocolate Amaretto Ganache:

12 ounces white chocolate (chopped or in chip form)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut in half, softened

2 - 4 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur (depending on how strong a flavor you want, we did 4)

                 

1. Place the chopped white chocolate in a medium bowl, set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, heat the cream with the butter until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a gentle boil.

3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let the mixture stand for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate. Whisk the mixture until smooth.

4. Stir in the liqueur.

5. Try not to eat this whole bowl of deliciousness. But seriously, dip some strawberries in it because that would be amazing. Nom...

6. Put the bowl in the freezer to harden the white chocolate a bit in preparation to put it into the cupcakes.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting:

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate like Valrhona 61% cocao

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla (Alyson's note: we scraped 1 vanilla bean instead)

1 tablespoon butter

3-4 cups powdered sugar

1. Chop chocolate and transfer into the bowl of your standing mixer.

2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream over the chocolate.

3. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.

4. Add vanilla and butter. Stir until butter is melted. Let cool to room temperature.

5. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl and mix until fluffy.

Assembling Your Truffle Cupcakes:

Once your cupcakes are cooled and your white chocolate is hardened you can begin assembling your cupcakes.

1. Cut out a hole in the center of your cupcake, approximately 1/2 way into the cupcake and an inch across. This is where you are going to put your white chocolate ganache.

2. Roll a small bit of the white chocolate goodness in your hand to form a ball that will fit in the hole that you just made. Place in the cupcake.

3. After all the cupcakes are filled, pipe on your frosting.

4. And since these were for my birthday, we decorated them with some pearl candies and paper wrappers.

5. DEVOUR. :)

I want to thank Alyson for collabing with me on this! I hope that we can do it again one day soon! <3