tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11495127544836715382024-02-18T22:11:25.816-08:00Not Just A CupcakeCupcake recipes with unique and fun flavors!Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-52458449110032905982012-07-23T20:03:00.000-07:002012-07-23T20:03:15.410-07:00Summertime and the living's easy. {Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting}Hello cupcake lovers! I haven't blogged about baking cupcakes for a really long time. Life happened and things were busy. (Isn't that always how it goes?) But I'm finally in a place that I can bake again. During my time away, we had a baby and moved back to Arizona. Life has changed dramatically for us, but in a good way. I like where things are going right now...<br />
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Anyways! Enough about me and more about how much I love living in Arizona again! ;) The only downside to living in Arizona (and honestly this isn't even a downside) is that it's pretty much summer all year long! So, in order to make summer feel more summery, I decided to bake a cupcake that will help make it feel more like summer.<br />
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When we lived in Maryland we had the chance to try a bunch of different cupcake shops. From the most popular ones: <a href="http://www.georgetowncupcake.com/">Georgetown (DC) Cupcakes</a> to <a href="http://www.sprinkles.com/">Sprinkles Cupcakes</a>. We even got to try a Cupcake Food Truck: Curbside Cupcakes. But my favorite cupcake shop in the DC area was <a href="http://bakedandwired.com/offerings/cupcakes/">Baked & Wired</a>. Their cupcakes were so amazing, I wish I had gone there more than once! But they had a cupcake that I never got to try called the Smurfette, which was a vanilla cupcake with blueberries topped with a lemon buttercream. So since I never got to try theirs, I wanted to make my own version! And here it is...<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #bf9000;">{</span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: small;">Blueberry <span style="color: #bf9000;">Lemon</span> Cupcake with <span style="color: #bf9000;">Lemon Buttercream </span>Frosting</span><span style="color: #bf9000;">} </span></b></span><br />
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<u><b>Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes:</b></u> </div>
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{makes 36 cupcakes}</div>
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3 1/2 cups all purpose flour</div>
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1 teaspoon baking soda</div>
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1/2 teaspoon salt</div>
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2 sticks of butter (room temp)</div>
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2 cups sugar</div>
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3 eggs</div>
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract</div>
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zest of 1 lemon</div>
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fresh squeezed lemon juice (to taste)</div>
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2 cups sour cream</div>
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1 pint of blueberries</div>
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1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with paper liners.</div>
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2. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside. </div>
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3. Mix the
butter and sugar together in a stand up mixer until it's light and fluffy. Add
the eggs 1 at a time and mix thoroughly. Add the vanilla and lemon zest, mix to combine.</div>
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4. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts alternating with the sour cream, ending with dry mixture. </div>
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5. Stir in the blueberries by hand.</div>
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6. Give the batter a taste and if it isn't lemony enough for you, add a little of the lemon juice. </div>
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7. Fill the prepared tins two-thirds full and bake 16 to 20 minutes. </div>
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<u><b>Lemon Buttercream Frosting: </b></u></div>
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3 sticks of butter (room temp)</div>
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3 - 4 cups of confectioner's sugar</div>
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1 tablespoon vanilla extract</div>
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1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice</div>
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1. Whip the butter until light and fluffy.</div>
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2. Slowly add in the confectioner's sugar. I normally add it one tablespoon at a time (8 tablespoons = 1 cup). It's a little tedious and you HAVE to pay attention, but it makes it mix smoother. Be sure to stop and scrape the sides periodically, too. If you lose track, just stop and do a taste test every so often to make sure it's sweet enough. And remember that you can always add more but you can't take any out, so make sure you don't add too much or it will be too sweet.</div>
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3. Add in the vanilla extract, mix well.</div>
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4. Lastly, add in the lemon juice. Start with a tablespoon and if that isn't lemony enough for you add more. But it should be enough.</div>
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5. Pipe on to the cupcakes once they are cool. (Or else it will melt the frosting.)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqDtD_otX9Vx-esLVppxu_5GkxHy6goQh-N7Z66dTkxb5qQhjWVjw0m5AkCqHXnXYS1x3uDRemIHwTkmOptsvxVvUwFMcq_sW_TT-rqai_cDHa2fDcb_AdQLrHWMhkJ6nJAbFUyPiUhmp/s1600/IMG_0428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqDtD_otX9Vx-esLVppxu_5GkxHy6goQh-N7Z66dTkxb5qQhjWVjw0m5AkCqHXnXYS1x3uDRemIHwTkmOptsvxVvUwFMcq_sW_TT-rqai_cDHa2fDcb_AdQLrHWMhkJ6nJAbFUyPiUhmp/s400/IMG_0428.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am loving how these two flavors play with each other. The sweetness from the cupcake mixed with the tartness of the blueberry and then complimented nicely with the tang of the lemon. Even if you just leave off the frosting, you have an amazing breakfast cupcake! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I am going to keep the summer fruit theme going for my next cupcake. I'm in the mood for rhubarb, how does that sound?... :) </span></td></tr>
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</div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-35583526832417061312011-09-16T11:22:00.000-07:002011-09-16T11:22:30.320-07:00Pumpkin + Beer + Cupcakes = Is it Fall yet?!My absolute favorite season is right around the corner! The season of scarves, crunch leaves under your feet, warm coffee beverages, and pumpkin flavored everything... Yes, I am talking about <b style="color: #b45f06;">FALL</b>! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgin4sbzgm-NTl_YlbAxrpBrfxi4LCdpJlJj8tYSS5jlLolXFNlgGZK1viur_vtdd2cY985z4XpPLTA6U1NgmBeBFPVkWovXg_XaaLx5LSnh5iCo5bKtkREji8pDqJ4s70tm2MBXU88Nuhi/s1600/IMG_9598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgin4sbzgm-NTl_YlbAxrpBrfxi4LCdpJlJj8tYSS5jlLolXFNlgGZK1viur_vtdd2cY985z4XpPLTA6U1NgmBeBFPVkWovXg_XaaLx5LSnh5iCo5bKtkREji8pDqJ4s70tm2MBXU88Nuhi/s200/IMG_9598.jpg" width="200" /></a>One of my favorite things about this season (besides the aforementioned items) is <a href="http://www.dogfish.com/">Dogfish Head</a> <a href="http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/seasonal-brews/punkin-ale.htm">Punkin Ale</a>. Well, that was before I got pregnant. Now I just get to enjoy watching my hubby drink it. But that doesn't mean I can't bake with it! ;)<br />
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I created a heavenly delicious fall inspired cupcake using Punkin Ale. It may just be my new favorite cupcake.<br />
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The Punkin Ale Cupcake with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting! Last year I tried to make these and I put the pumpkin puree in the cupcake, but it completely took over the beer flavor. So I modified my recipe this season and it's a million times better. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitduK-7l9SDmSAtlzQ1L1vUo7PBPYdA7Jq2sB9c-P-nAjmDHY6zHKXJUTh6Nzr-8_3XTuIOgFZgQp6R8AnwiYK3m8nGjZJBBrJU7SgPk5MrNm5RLVEuPs1EANmVP7N4fu-aLxJxNWTZdVE/s1600/IMG_9614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitduK-7l9SDmSAtlzQ1L1vUo7PBPYdA7Jq2sB9c-P-nAjmDHY6zHKXJUTh6Nzr-8_3XTuIOgFZgQp6R8AnwiYK3m8nGjZJBBrJU7SgPk5MrNm5RLVEuPs1EANmVP7N4fu-aLxJxNWTZdVE/s320/IMG_9614.jpg" width="240" /> </a><br />
<b><u> Punkin Ale Cupcake</u> (makes 24) </b><br />
1 cup Punkin Ale (this can be substituted with any pumpkin flavored beer you can find or like!)<br />
1 cup unsalted butter<br />
1/3 cup brown sugar (for beer/butter mixture)<br />
2 cups all purpose flour<br />
2 cups sugar<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda<br />
3/4 teaspoon salt<br />
2 eggs<br />
2/3 cup sour cream<br />
1/4 cup brown sugar (for finished cupcake batter)<br />
ground cinnamon, to taste<br />
ground nutmeg, to taste<br />
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1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake trays. You can make normal or mini-sized cupcakes.<br />
2. Chop the butter into squares, doesn't have to be perfect it just
helps it melt faster, and throw them into a sauce pan over medium heat.
Add the Punkin Ale and let it come to a simmer (this helps cook off the
alcohol, but not the delicious beer flavor). <br />
3. As the butter and beer are simmering, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl.<br />
4. After the butter and Beer have simmered, remove from heat and add the brown sugar. Let this cool for a minute.<br />
5. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sour cream together with an
electric mixer until smooth. Combine this mixture with the cooled butter
and beer concoction.<br />
6. Combine the butter/beer/brown sugar goodness into the bowl of dry
ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt) you have set aside.
Gently stir until all is combined.<br />
7. To bring out the flavors in the beer, I added a touch of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg to the batter.<br />
8. Finally, I wanted my cupcakes a little sweeter, so I added another 1/4 cup brown sugar to the batter. This is optional and depends on how sweet you want them.<br />
9. Fill your cupcake trays, each cup should be 3/4 of the way full.<br />
10. Bake the cupcakes for 15 minutes.<br />
11. Allow the cupcakes to cool before frosting them!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0gmPclLIJn0iDawI4fd0i3jDhh58JvORu-7yiUl2jqRdUpzaqenpIoG6VJHdMzSKtLD8qccNMCOZ9rs3uYrhWwT5-FX31ZOi8nf6l7wyTw0Ro-njqa0IFq-iXlmWSycWr42RzgZekaH_/s1600/IMG_9628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0gmPclLIJn0iDawI4fd0i3jDhh58JvORu-7yiUl2jqRdUpzaqenpIoG6VJHdMzSKtLD8qccNMCOZ9rs3uYrhWwT5-FX31ZOi8nf6l7wyTw0Ro-njqa0IFq-iXlmWSycWr42RzgZekaH_/s200/IMG_9628.jpg" width="200" /></a><u><b>Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting</b></u><br />
1 8oz package cream cheese (softened)<br />
1/4 cup pumpkin puree<br />
1/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)<br />
1 tablespoon orange juice<br />1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
4 cups confectioners sugar<br />
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1. In a mixer, beat the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, butter, orange juice, and vanilla extract together.<br />
2. Add in the confectioners sugar one cup at a time.<br />
3. Once everything is mixed together and thickened it is ready to go on top of your cupcakes!<br />
4. I added a sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the cupcakes once they were frosted. Totally optional.<br />
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<br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-39995029162970145152011-06-05T21:22:00.000-07:002011-06-05T21:23:30.091-07:00Pineapple Upside Down {Cup}CakeHello my dear, sweet, neglected cupcake fans! Long time, no see. I know, I know... But I'm baaack! And I have a brand new cupcake for you all to enjoy! Yay!<br />
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Me and my hubby have gotten really into eating fruits and veggies that are in season. Today we even went out and picked our own strawberries! They were soooo good too. This cupcake doesn't contain any strawberries.... It does, however, contain pineapple! Which are also in season! :)<br />
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Today, I introduce to you the Pineapple Upside Down {Cup}Cake! Okay, I need to be honest with you guys. I don't think that I have ever had an actual Pineapple Upside Down Cake before. Terrible, I know. But these cupcakes were delish, so I think you will like them!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaS3vqmgqQE-9XiRW3Mz3OWTnf0O3y3iEKi0T50TKnBgoSBVtBHCRtyZx_ViJ6VxPPOXe88MHSQAPUIRrE1uKHH-HzI6i6NnN7g77ol_QpV0srcePLOrv2cCstP3yGxAQtmRhr6vFvwIzO/s1600/IMG_6097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaS3vqmgqQE-9XiRW3Mz3OWTnf0O3y3iEKi0T50TKnBgoSBVtBHCRtyZx_ViJ6VxPPOXe88MHSQAPUIRrE1uKHH-HzI6i6NnN7g77ol_QpV0srcePLOrv2cCstP3yGxAQtmRhr6vFvwIzO/s320/IMG_6097.jpg" width="320" /></a><u><b>Basic Vanilla Cupcake</b></u><br />
<div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="bod"><span class="value">1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature</span></span></span></div><div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="bod"><span class="value">2/3 cup granulated white sugar</span></span></span></div><div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="bod"><span class="value">3 large eggs</span></span></span></div><div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="bod"><span class="value">1 teaspoon pure </span> vanilla extract</span></span></div><div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="bod"><span class="value">1 1/2 cups all purpose flour</span></span></span></div><div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="bod"><span class="value">1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder</span></span></span></div><div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="bod"><span class="value">1/4 teaspoon salt</span></span></span></div><div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="bod"><span class="value">1/4 cup milk</span></span></span></div><div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="bod"><span class="value">12 pineapple slices (either fresh or canned, I found the canned ones fit on the cupcake perfectly!) </span></span></span></div><div align="left" class="ingredient"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="ingredient"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="ingredient">1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.<br />
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.<br />
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. <br />
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix.<br />
5. Reduce the speed to low. Add a little of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then gradually add some of the milk, 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!)<br />
6. Scoop batter into baking cups.</div><div align="left" class="ingredient">7. Carefully place the a pineapple slice on top of each cupcake. </div><div align="left" class="ingredient"></div><div align="left" class="ingredient">8. Bake for 15-19 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. (Some batter will come through the hole in the middle of the pineapple. That is totally fine, I just popped off the excess cupcake once they were cooled. It made for a nice snack while making the frosting! ;) )</div><div align="left" class="ingredient"></div><div align="left" class="ingredient"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="ingredient"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="ingredient"><u><b>Whipped Creme Frosting</b></u></div><div align="left" class="ingredient"></div><div align="left" class="ingredient">1 cup Heavy Whipping Creme<br />
5-6 tablespoons granulated sugar<br />
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
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1. In a standing mixer, beat the whipping creme on a medium speed until thickened (about 2 minutes).<br />
2. Slow the speed down on the mixer and add the sugar one tablespoon at a time until the whipped creme gets stiff peaks. You may have to stop the mixer to check the whipped creme peaks.<br />
3. Mix in the vanilla extract, to taste.</div><div align="left" class="ingredient">4. Frost the cupcakes and top with a cherry.<br />
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</div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-49214835888802582322011-04-20T07:07:00.000-07:002011-04-20T07:11:49.698-07:00I am in desperate need of a {cupcake}!It's been nearly a month since I have been in my kitchen baking cupcakes. I guess that means that I have been busy doing other things, which is fine by me. But this weekend cupcakes will be happening!<br />
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Luckily, I have a cupcake in mind since this weekend is Easter! :) So stay tuned!<br />
<br />
Also, I will be working on trying to ship some cupcakes soon. Still gathering materials and figuring out the cheapest route to go! Ultimately, I don't think this will be ideal, but I really want to try it out.<br />
<br />
<3 JennaJennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-64727365432439507592011-03-27T19:23:00.000-07:002011-03-27T19:23:18.641-07:00Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup{cake}<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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! </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">I dedicate this cupcake to my husband: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup{cake}</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZM3XGqxSQpUJfc-NLYp7vkGr72Xmo1WHtGWjXhkQ9uVvk_qyxEXHLrv3PkOn_sfn8lmxOpNO-9WdCDVni1QA3szM3uqyBo4aaykvDGZPtXa3owBJxjoDY6HOcm73JxCn1sklWuD28MgSn/s1600/IMG_8272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZM3XGqxSQpUJfc-NLYp7vkGr72Xmo1WHtGWjXhkQ9uVvk_qyxEXHLrv3PkOn_sfn8lmxOpNO-9WdCDVni1QA3szM3uqyBo4aaykvDGZPtXa3owBJxjoDY6HOcm73JxCn1sklWuD28MgSn/s400/IMG_8272.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Devil's Food Cupcake</b></u>: <i>(makes 32 cupcakes)</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">3/4 cup hot water</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">3 cups all-purpose flour</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">3 teaspoon baking soda</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 teaspoon baking powder</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 1/4 cups sugar</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">4 large eggs, room temperature</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 cup sour cream, room temperature</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line the cupcake pan with paper liners. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">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. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">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.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqJN_VOff-bO43QhNnjK-iJRrdNHjr7tf1Ms5-jbfyLlSPMibZ9HHdhYlN5k0Sj1DsBKs1U_LriLRUDiO71eqBo_wrIB5v3q0_J_HUty3QdTDOBPkfBwJzSghSkwvgPftDBJOMVwxf9H4/s1600/IMG_8274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqJN_VOff-bO43QhNnjK-iJRrdNHjr7tf1Ms5-jbfyLlSPMibZ9HHdhYlN5k0Sj1DsBKs1U_LriLRUDiO71eqBo_wrIB5v3q0_J_HUty3QdTDOBPkfBwJzSghSkwvgPftDBJOMVwxf9H4/s400/IMG_8274.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><u><b>Chocolate Ganache Filling:</b></u><br />
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream<br />
8 oz Chocolate, chopped<br />
<br />
1. In a small saucepan, bring the whipping cream up to a boil.<br />
2. Put the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl.<br />
3. Once the whipping cream is boiling, pour it on top of the chocolate.<br />
4. Stir the chocolate until melted through.<br />
5. Pop the bowl of chocolate into the freezer for about 15 minutes to thicken the consistency a bit.<u><b></b></u></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><u><b></b></u></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><u><b></b></u></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<u><b>Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting:</b></u> </div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">6 ounces cream cheese</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">1/3 cup confectioners' sugar</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">1/2 stick unsalted butter </div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">1/2 teaspoon salt</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">1 cup creamy peanut butter </div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">1/2 cup heavy cream</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">1. With an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks are formed. Set aside.</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">2. With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and butter until fluffy.</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">3. Add in the salt, peanut butter, and vanilla, mix until incorporated.</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">4. Fold in the whipped heavy cream.</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<u><b>Putting together the cupcakes:</b></u></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">1. Punch out a hole in the center of your cupcakes.</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">2. Fill the hole with the chocolate ganache.</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">3. Frost your cupcakes with the peanut butter frosting.</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">4. Drizzle on some chocolate ganache.</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">5. CONSUME. (With milk, because that frosting is really rich.)</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MTXak6yszjY4nOZjXZjpzkfJl7hgkvqzMQoUuwV-Su48t91pVdpGwaUxK9KmvyKfXWVarcaKmp7ORi4ck1dOLPLMU1f-AreYx8pJcXOwvoxZdrUf7RUUinoIG50WCQL1SD8EWHSSt2vh/s1600/IMG_8273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MTXak6yszjY4nOZjXZjpzkfJl7hgkvqzMQoUuwV-Su48t91pVdpGwaUxK9KmvyKfXWVarcaKmp7ORi4ck1dOLPLMU1f-AreYx8pJcXOwvoxZdrUf7RUUinoIG50WCQL1SD8EWHSSt2vh/s400/IMG_8273.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-46098337800364689432011-03-20T22:04:00.000-07:002011-03-21T07:33:54.005-07:00Cinnamon 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. :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqfmOC9eah2qvzLP93tcca0BcG1wVrr068sHc9DECaCARx-97TlZ2Yft9qxUaSJeDBlnPdXdR7N8baOkxq6BiFl_9UALn1SKDYiQOPlck7Y9_B8CD45ZTLxKYYDlsbdrtIJwY899XQMcm/s1600/IMG_8259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqfmOC9eah2qvzLP93tcca0BcG1wVrr068sHc9DECaCARx-97TlZ2Yft9qxUaSJeDBlnPdXdR7N8baOkxq6BiFl_9UALn1SKDYiQOPlck7Y9_B8CD45ZTLxKYYDlsbdrtIJwY899XQMcm/s400/IMG_8259.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<u><b>Cinnamon Cupcake</b></u>:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>2 1/2 cups flour <br />
1/2 tsp. baking powder <br />
1/4 tsp. salt<br />
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temp<br />
1 3/4 cups sugar<br />
2 eggs, room temp<br />
2 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract<br />
1 1/4 cups whole milk, room temp<br />
1 tsp cinnamon<br />
<br />
<u><b>Brown Sugar Filling</b></u>:<br />
1/4 cup dark brown sugar<br />
3 tbsp unsalted butter, cold<br />
sprinkle of cinnamon<br />
<br />
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 cupcake pans with paper liners.<br />
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.<br />
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. <br />
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition. <br />
5. Combine the vanilla extract, cinnamon and milk in a large liquid measuring cup. <br />
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!)<br />
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. <br />
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.)<br />
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. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvh2aHsWIihVEtYpLMhVApktaLFt168OPn28KHFz1_mOwscnimbi1e9YR7kUHmhQetArB3_sAFnCaNr8shxjAeZP2yjyGkgubHsPmD_T_VWSsmugJoNQBqwf7a0twsyOnUSBubPIVHHo2p/s1600/IMG_8263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvh2aHsWIihVEtYpLMhVApktaLFt168OPn28KHFz1_mOwscnimbi1e9YR7kUHmhQetArB3_sAFnCaNr8shxjAeZP2yjyGkgubHsPmD_T_VWSsmugJoNQBqwf7a0twsyOnUSBubPIVHHo2p/s400/IMG_8263.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<u><b>Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting</b></u>:<br />
16 ounces cream cheese, room temp<br />
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp<br />
3-4 cups confectioner's sugar<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
cinnamon <br />
<br />
1. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until nice and whipped.<br />
2. Slowly beat in the confectioner's sugar one cup at a time until sweetened to your liking.<br />
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. :)<br />
<br />
Once the cupcakes are cooled, pipe on your frosting and sprinkle a little cinnamon on top for decoration.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPRl0X9BzKCqARYAUd1QxI43nZqPl18VRaHWmH9hxTH5xUCy2vyIjTANL1wSXmuP6HnPUF4p1daAfIRCCPFqwac2roi-FZIyovzU3GwkevMwHMB2XUN8xjiFQQJ7rmwhE5iDUpHNqrwxm/s1600/IMG_8267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPRl0X9BzKCqARYAUd1QxI43nZqPl18VRaHWmH9hxTH5xUCy2vyIjTANL1wSXmuP6HnPUF4p1daAfIRCCPFqwac2roi-FZIyovzU3GwkevMwHMB2XUN8xjiFQQJ7rmwhE5iDUpHNqrwxm/s400/IMG_8267.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-83480041834779676742011-03-05T14:49:00.000-08:002011-03-05T14:53:09.402-08:00Things 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....<br />
<br />
<b>Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies!</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEb5vbF7PEoYqL5aTRh9ZSkX-v5HhHcic2mqn6ac79C0oPaW8nO8qysNqSAa_fu-a_OaAoX7wBUFYwtrPrLupCqnFk5eNQbCfV3OqNEghvg4yAxLDmXeXl8jfR6fADH4nMs2lZHOszEV9/s1600/IMG_7887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEb5vbF7PEoYqL5aTRh9ZSkX-v5HhHcic2mqn6ac79C0oPaW8nO8qysNqSAa_fu-a_OaAoX7wBUFYwtrPrLupCqnFk5eNQbCfV3OqNEghvg4yAxLDmXeXl8jfR6fADH4nMs2lZHOszEV9/s400/IMG_7887.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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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 <a href="http://picky-palate.com/2011/01/06/oreo-stuffed-chocolate-chip-cookies/">Picky Palate</a>, and I followed it to a tee.<br />
<br />
<u><b>What you need:</b></u> <br />
2 sticks softened butter<br />
3/4 Cup packed light brown sugar<br />
1 Cup granulated sugar<br />
2 large eggs<br />
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla<br />
3 1/2 Cups all purpose flour<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
10 oz bag chocolate chips<br />
1 bag Double Stuf Oreo Cookies<br />
<br />
<u><b>What you do:</b></u> <br />
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.<br />
2. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
5. Share with friends. Or not. Either way, make sure you have some milk.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQH4dfoaeyrA38mj0Dde0NnNN-pGFKS-YDl82SSTwsPlqfPLgQtHp6U9b8rjcxKEK7tT9r0_2HOPUoWSKnfxkofeSukTshAH1MA5a2AXJW3TSzftyRrY-AWREnZoEOYUty5vuEEolQXEB/s1600/IMG_7888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQH4dfoaeyrA38mj0Dde0NnNN-pGFKS-YDl82SSTwsPlqfPLgQtHp6U9b8rjcxKEK7tT9r0_2HOPUoWSKnfxkofeSukTshAH1MA5a2AXJW3TSzftyRrY-AWREnZoEOYUty5vuEEolQXEB/s400/IMG_7888.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-35398975771688886942011-03-05T07:49:00.000-08:002011-03-05T07:49:33.720-08:00Birthday Collaboration! {Triple Chocolate Truffle Cupcakes}<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This past weekend I celebrated my 26th birthday! So for my birthday my dear friend Alyson (who is a </span><a href="http://www.hastyquilter.net/"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">crafty woman</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 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 </span><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/devils-food-cupcakes-book"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Devil's Food Cupcake</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> with a White Chocolate Amaretto Ganache filling topped with a </span><a href="http://cupcakeblog.com/?p=260"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chocolate Ganache Frosting</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. 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! :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Also, she found these adorable cupcake decorations that we fell in love with! :) </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjZy8TD9Yn6HhsW667uVhkilJM7RSscnDu_zzap_EhBeVktS89qgWM94OzLmlVSolSEMs7Ibqjh_do7-5UKu1xiTVEFF1yyfnALNWv2eDidwkxpTECyLgFBnji1Tjd05TUAYhGeBHFraV/s1600/IMG_7268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjZy8TD9Yn6HhsW667uVhkilJM7RSscnDu_zzap_EhBeVktS89qgWM94OzLmlVSolSEMs7Ibqjh_do7-5UKu1xiTVEFF1yyfnALNWv2eDidwkxpTECyLgFBnji1Tjd05TUAYhGeBHFraV/s400/IMG_7268.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><u>Devil's Food Cupcake</u>:</b> (<i>makes 32 cupcakes)</i></span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytYJl94vg8qtnC2Ow1_9NcRqGeJaMxTOMivIrNiePdrVw_XJL6NyCisDO48AF-T__-WosxGVdqIbTVbe5sOr3ZoaJ13KQGpJ3IZqG6lYyvurHgnUojxWhkna-0GNgRRVLaPiwHet5w3xw/s1600/IMG_7266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytYJl94vg8qtnC2Ow1_9NcRqGeJaMxTOMivIrNiePdrVw_XJL6NyCisDO48AF-T__-WosxGVdqIbTVbe5sOr3ZoaJ13KQGpJ3IZqG6lYyvurHgnUojxWhkna-0GNgRRVLaPiwHet5w3xw/s320/IMG_7266.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (Alyson's note: We used Penzy's natural high fat, NOT Dutch process)</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3/4 cup hot water</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3 cups all-purpose flour</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3 teaspoon baking soda</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 teaspoon baking powder</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 1/4 cups sugar</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4 large eggs, room temperature</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 cup sour cream, room temperature (Alyson's note: we substituted plain nonfat yogurt)</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line the cupcake pan with paper liners. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2yCTuSanoa_c2BcAbv6Wj5gQzhpaucQJ_eQ419qRgQsTXX58RLwNvW930Y7b-paKsatTi7rhcalzAMbkfZC2uAbDfJgQMvHG3ti_JaMe2ZnvjtJqov3j_VD9SH4lydWyuj6Wv0F6qUTz/s1600/IMG_7272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2yCTuSanoa_c2BcAbv6Wj5gQzhpaucQJ_eQ419qRgQsTXX58RLwNvW930Y7b-paKsatTi7rhcalzAMbkfZC2uAbDfJgQMvHG3ti_JaMe2ZnvjtJqov3j_VD9SH4lydWyuj6Wv0F6qUTz/s320/IMG_7272.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>White Chocolate Amaretto Ganache</u>:</span></b></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">12 ounces white chocolate (chopped or in chip form)</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/2 cup heavy cream</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut in half, softened</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 - 4 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur (depending on how strong a flavor you want, we did 4)</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Place the chopped white chocolate in a medium bowl, set aside.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. In a small saucepan, heat the cream with the butter until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a gentle boil. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. Stir in the liqueur. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. Try not to eat this whole bowl of deliciousness. But seriously, dip some strawberries in it because that would be amazing. Nom...</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6. Put the bowl in the freezer to harden the white chocolate a bit in preparation to put it into the cupcakes.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Chocolate Ganache Frosting</u>:</span></b></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">9 ounces bittersweet chocolate like Valrhona 61% cocao</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 cup heavy cream</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 teaspoon vanilla (Alyson's note: we scraped 1 vanilla bean instead)</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 tablespoon butter</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3-4 cups powdered sugar</span><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Chop chocolate and transfer into the bowl of your standing mixer.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream over the chocolate.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. Add vanilla and butter. Stir until butter is melted. Let cool to room temperature.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl and mix until fluffy.</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Assembling Your Truffle Cupcakes</u>:</span></b></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once your cupcakes are cooled and your white chocolate is hardened you can begin assembling your cupcakes.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. After all the cupcakes are filled, pipe on your frosting.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. And since these were for my birthday, we decorated them with some pearl candies and paper wrappers.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. DEVOUR. :)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVL9jFhPS0ba7Ib5zqTjL-xCm3e1iWjmWREXSIdUCT1AuGDepGTLVq_AVWqcQGmgpN_WOFdEgHv6UXkI5CSt7l8QlSi_NZya-T26oR2cN_6XJcXeUfpwOwFrBsH3f2viIsX7MnlrSDDQc/s1600/IMG_7293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVL9jFhPS0ba7Ib5zqTjL-xCm3e1iWjmWREXSIdUCT1AuGDepGTLVq_AVWqcQGmgpN_WOFdEgHv6UXkI5CSt7l8QlSi_NZya-T26oR2cN_6XJcXeUfpwOwFrBsH3f2viIsX7MnlrSDDQc/s400/IMG_7293.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I want to thank Alyson for collabing with me on this! I hope that we can do it again one day soon! <3</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b></b></div></span></span>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-32698690819926602972011-02-21T08:12:00.000-08:002011-02-21T08:12:30.747-08:00{Chocolate Covered Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes}I know I have been slacking in the cupcake department, but I got a little sad when my dentist told me to stop eating cupcakes. Pffft, what does she know anyways! So, today I bring you a Valentine's treat that I have been fantasizing over for the past month: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes! I got the idea to make these when we kept neglecting a bottle of Champagne in our fridge. I finally said, "Fine! I'll put them in some cupcakes!" And I did!<br />
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I started off my baking by covering some strawberries in chocolate with my hubby. It was a fun way for us to cook and spend time together. So we just melted some white chocolate and some semi-sweet chocolate in a homemade double-broiler (which is just a heat resistant bowl sitting in a pot of boiling water, but not touching the water!). Then we carefully dipped the strawberries in chocolate and drizzled them with the other chocolate with a fork. We let them sit on cookies sheet covered with parchment paper. Easy peasy! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4xcME7p6EL4FFWTUHWVzYVX_kkEE10J0l0tykkSjoGyS6G4KlihcThK6aFQ0SHShD7YW5W8yYKyQj3AwNCCr0o320EAr3fneNcANWDBIpIF6Xsev-Z0xx0uzuWi46ebaKNDEoUWErc8P/s1600/Strawberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4xcME7p6EL4FFWTUHWVzYVX_kkEE10J0l0tykkSjoGyS6G4KlihcThK6aFQ0SHShD7YW5W8yYKyQj3AwNCCr0o320EAr3fneNcANWDBIpIF6Xsev-Z0xx0uzuWi46ebaKNDEoUWErc8P/s400/Strawberries.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Next comes the cupcakes. I got the recipe from Georgetown Cupcakes (also known as DC Cupcakes if you watch their show on TLC) who made these <a href="http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/DC-Cupcakes-New-Years-Eve-Strawberry-Champagne-Sparkler-Cupcakes">Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes</a> for New Year's Eve for Oprah. I was really stoked to find a recipe by them because I absolutely adore their shop and their cupcakes are delicious. We frequent their cupcake shop often because it's right by my work. (I truly think Georgetown Cupcake is the only perk to living here.)<br />
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<u><b>Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes</b></u>:<br />
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced<br />
1/2 cup good Champagne (the one I had on hand was really dry, but choose whichever champagne you like, sweet or dry)<br />
2 1/2 cups flour <br />
1/2 tsp. baking powder <br />
1/4 tsp. salt<br />
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temp<br />
1 3/4 cups sugar<br />
2 eggs, room temp<br />
2 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract<br />
1 vanilla bean <br />
1 1/4 cups whole milk, room temp <br />
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1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 cupcake pans with paper liners.<br />
2. Dice up 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries and soak in 1/2 cup of Champagne. Set aside.<br />
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.<br />
4. 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. <br />
5. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition. <br />
6. Combine the vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds and milk in a large liquid measuring cup. <br />
7. 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!) <br />
8. Gently fold in the diced Champagne-soaked strawberries, just until incorporated. <br />
9. Scoop batter into baking cups and 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.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_keJjiAD3_204cq1PCbMLuFOhZdWcWhPaEWRyAyledQdCKrewQyP_JmDvzgD01q_NDkXnm2jAyyNa1K2KY-BzNj8V31CwtPrtNpSDl78oCL1-a-7aj1JGRCf3jhlOpIRKLUU5Fn44DFb/s1600/theprocess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_keJjiAD3_204cq1PCbMLuFOhZdWcWhPaEWRyAyledQdCKrewQyP_JmDvzgD01q_NDkXnm2jAyyNa1K2KY-BzNj8V31CwtPrtNpSDl78oCL1-a-7aj1JGRCf3jhlOpIRKLUU5Fn44DFb/s400/theprocess.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Since I really wanted to capture the chocolate covered strawberry aspect in this cupcake, I chose to do two different chocolate butter creme frostings that match my chocolate covered strawberries that I made earlier. I followed <a href="http://itsnotjustacupcake.blogspot.com/2011/01/im-not-ready-for-holiday-season-to-end.html">this</a> recipe that I posted a few weeks ago and made a white chocolate and a semi sweet chocolate butter creme frosting.<br />
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Once my cupcakes were cooled, I covered 12 with the chocolate frosting and 12 with the white chocolate frosting. Then to make it look pretty I topped with opposite covered strawberries. They were so pretty I didn't even want to eat them... But I did! And they were DELICIOUS.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4TIhI3AHqL6q3mcJ8SMH070q-cltosoANQ9BqGlc_7HBw1dfDHAJ-k4wfEJouS5PPCU4Lak-lFazqqfIcFgrks0UGpe4LG1PjLSCGm8MvV_v-2OFVRhQXGRtER0g08x6i_K0X4TM_hg2/s1600/IMG_7001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4TIhI3AHqL6q3mcJ8SMH070q-cltosoANQ9BqGlc_7HBw1dfDHAJ-k4wfEJouS5PPCU4Lak-lFazqqfIcFgrks0UGpe4LG1PjLSCGm8MvV_v-2OFVRhQXGRtER0g08x6i_K0X4TM_hg2/s400/IMG_7001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Now, go make these for your sweetie! Just because Valentine's Day is over doesn't mean you have to stop treating your loved ones to yummy baked goods! <3Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-75555895065572025652011-01-17T20:42:00.000-08:002011-01-17T20:44:27.461-08:00Monday Funday = Banana Split Cupcake!One of my New Year's Resolutions for 2011 was to eat healthier. (I know, a cupcake blog really kind of contradicts that. Haha.) Last weekend I bought a bunch of bananas that I planned on eating throughout the week. Well, I only ate one banana from the bunch and by Friday they were starting to get brown. Luckily, that is a baker's perfect banana! I just let them sit there in my fruit basket and get their brown on until I was ready to party! And what is the best thing to have at a party?! Well, a banana split, of course! :) So this week I decided to try out a Banana Split Cupcake, which is a banana cupcake (recipe from <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/desserts_E0308WELD_T">Martha Stewart</a>), with a chocolate ganache filling, topped with a vanilla whipped creme frosting. Delicious!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWv2oZHRYs-gnELwERw4-vo2MQ2SLKk3rkCSyrTgtsoV5e8tp0T6RM7qowjZV7-bsbd7wJRLzpsPqMbVm_5foGk5Fv04WfCU8uxn0wiR5ZVVV1JJTmvWkarbi4zTdiq2UNEiZtryhepSs/s1600/IMG_6374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWv2oZHRYs-gnELwERw4-vo2MQ2SLKk3rkCSyrTgtsoV5e8tp0T6RM7qowjZV7-bsbd7wJRLzpsPqMbVm_5foGk5Fv04WfCU8uxn0wiR5ZVVV1JJTmvWkarbi4zTdiq2UNEiZtryhepSs/s320/IMG_6374.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><u><b>Banana Cupcake:</b></u> (makes 18)<br />
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)<br />
3/4 cup sugar<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted<br />
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe medium-sized bananas)<br />
2 large eggs<br />
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
<br />
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake pans.<br />
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.<br />
3. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. In the well, mix together the melted butter, mashed bananas, eggs and vanilla extract.<br />
4. Carefully incorporate the flour mixture with the banana mixture. Be sure not to over mix the batter.<br />
5. Fill the cupcake pans, each cup about 3/4s of the way full.<br />
6. Bake for 15 minutes.<br />
7. Take them out and let them cool on a wire rack.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAhXSn6rSP2teVmXSkC5-CqZ0k2-pylgJPqEr80r6qNxeaU9P48v2fVGQWB0pZWIHa08gRd2B00b1rVw10Ca2cMPZL-qG4TvKsw7ebn6TpGE-w7B4z0aLZIolJRer5yrBLE6uylCELAvHi/s1600/IMG_6381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAhXSn6rSP2teVmXSkC5-CqZ0k2-pylgJPqEr80r6qNxeaU9P48v2fVGQWB0pZWIHa08gRd2B00b1rVw10Ca2cMPZL-qG4TvKsw7ebn6TpGE-w7B4z0aLZIolJRer5yrBLE6uylCELAvHi/s320/IMG_6381.jpg" width="320" /></a><u><b>Chocolate Ganache Filling:</b></u><br />
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream<br />
8 oz Chocolate, chopped<br />
<br />
1. In a small saucepan, bring the whipping cream up to a boil.<br />
2. Put the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl.<br />
3. Once the whipping cream is boiling, pour it on top of the chocolate.<br />
4. Stir the chocolate until melted through.<br />
5. Pop the bowl of chocolate into the freezer for about 15 minutes to thicken the consistency a bit.<u><b><br />
<br />
Whipped Creme Frosting:</b></u><br />
1 cup Heavy Whipping Creme<br />
5-6 tablespoons granulated sugar<br />
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
<br />
1. In a standing mixer, beat the whipping creme on a medium speed until thickened (about 2 minutes).<br />
2. Slow the speed down on the mixer and add the sugar one tablespoon at a time until the whipped creme gets stiff peaks. You may have to stop the mixer to check the whipped creme peaks.<br />
3. Mix in the vanilla extract, to taste.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Building the cupcakes into Banana Splits:</b></u><br />
1. Once your cupcakes are cooled, you will have to put a hole in them. I used a frosting tip that I had lying around. But you could even use a pearing knife (which may take a while) or a straw. Really, anything that will make a 1/2 inch hole in your cupcake.<br />
2. Fill your cupcakes with the Chocolate Ganache Filling. Overfilling is totally acceptable.<br />
3. Pipe on your Whipped Creme Frosting. (You can use a large ziplock bag to pipe on the frosting. Fill the bag and cut one the tips off the corner. Voila! You have a piping bag!)<br />
4. Top with a Maraschino Cherry and Nuts, if desired.<br />
5. PARTY!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfREGnomNSVNobHRQ0MrvEWUk51aQ-Kr5A2RuAAfeGUrw0EUQIKVwF7Yai1Qkw4SrXZ2Zo990x0XkBr07baUQ-o72Dw-E1hiS6VuXpUOUpIkgeDThHIQEMnyDrWvH8WxpHlL5JmMIctOA/s1600/IMG_6390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfREGnomNSVNobHRQ0MrvEWUk51aQ-Kr5A2RuAAfeGUrw0EUQIKVwF7Yai1Qkw4SrXZ2Zo990x0XkBr07baUQ-o72Dw-E1hiS6VuXpUOUpIkgeDThHIQEMnyDrWvH8WxpHlL5JmMIctOA/s400/IMG_6390.jpg" width="400" /><br />
</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Storage: </i></b><i>I am storing these in the refrigerator due to the fact that the frosting is really fragile and will probably melt if they sat at room temp.</i></div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-71489181390949486412011-01-09T19:32:00.000-08:002011-01-27T10:59:46.210-08:00I'm not ready for the holiday season to end! {Gingerbread Cupcakes with White Chocolate Butter Creme Frosting}<div style="text-align: center;"> Happy New Year! It's 2011! I hope you all are as excited about 2011 as I am! :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12Fl2v1a_lrInJnMPfK1gREGypbGbkhuu13v_buY2Oygg2MfPXBmyw1NC7C21MYoTIyB70sUx-Yb4APwcCoOV06VCftUrQCAKEth2YXmtelWHUUu-npLPq8xSL-LOqjktrj5r8DscNV9J/s1600/IMG_6198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12Fl2v1a_lrInJnMPfK1gREGypbGbkhuu13v_buY2Oygg2MfPXBmyw1NC7C21MYoTIyB70sUx-Yb4APwcCoOV06VCftUrQCAKEth2YXmtelWHUUu-npLPq8xSL-LOqjktrj5r8DscNV9J/s320/IMG_6198.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
For one of my New Year's Resolutions, I told myself that I would do my best to blog at least once a week on both of my blogs. (Yes, I have TWO! Haha. I have considered starting a third blog about cooking, but decided against it.)<br />
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As I was scouring my brain and my cupboards for a cupcake to make today, I remembered that I (sadly) did not make anything Gingerbread this Christmas season. Normally, we make a homemade Gingerbread house. However, I did consume a LOT of Gingerbread Lattes. Yum! So, I decided to make a Gingerbread Cupcake. I got the recipe from <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/gingerbread-cupcakes">Martha Stewart</a>. And I have been craving White Chocolate all day, so I went with a White Chocolate Butter Creme Frosting.<br />
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AND OMG.... I finally just tried one and this is probably my new favorite cupcake. So delicious!<br />
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<u>Gingerbread Cupcakes</u> (makes about 24 cupcakes)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmg0WRixpUguvncRUtA04bUC853mk8bz_HM7HC4t7W9sQu_waeNTwWvit4kffCQU8RGiizftGib9d4RXYptgQYafRdtd6xbd83NDGZlwawUAFkf9JfcYTfXyORq7Rn77IDjkY9KoK6pdaG/s1600/IMG_6196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmg0WRixpUguvncRUtA04bUC853mk8bz_HM7HC4t7W9sQu_waeNTwWvit4kffCQU8RGiizftGib9d4RXYptgQYafRdtd6xbd83NDGZlwawUAFkf9JfcYTfXyORq7Rn77IDjkY9KoK6pdaG/s320/IMG_6196.jpg" width="320" /></a> 2 teaspoons baking soda<br />
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
2 teaspoons ground ginger<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature<br />
2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar<br />
1 cup molasses<br />
2 large eggs, room temperature<br />
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1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.<br />
2. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. In a bowl, combine boiling water and baking soda; set aside.<br />
3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, ground spices, salt, and baking powder; set aside.<br />
4. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light.<br />
5. Beat in the brown sugar until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.<br />
6. Beat in the molasses, baking-soda mixture, and flour mixture.<br />
7. Beat in the eggs.<br />
8. Fill your cupcake trays that are lined with paper three-quarters full.<br />
9. Bake for 15 minutes.<br />
10. Let cool on a wire rack before frosting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7DWn71YGzWARw714JaAx5GCKuUj_uI4iE_v_7-RulgyrmMf9Dmsj39nn57ZeBSqx6H-XcCzlpydieWS-X3dZ9MvSJhh8zH2jnvCg6xHyndWGFf6Ze1YBbFreGuqAyia6e6tvQ3-ffOpz/s1600/IMG_6192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7DWn71YGzWARw714JaAx5GCKuUj_uI4iE_v_7-RulgyrmMf9Dmsj39nn57ZeBSqx6H-XcCzlpydieWS-X3dZ9MvSJhh8zH2jnvCg6xHyndWGFf6Ze1YBbFreGuqAyia6e6tvQ3-ffOpz/s320/IMG_6192.jpg" width="213" /></a><u>White Chocolate Butter Creme Frosting</u><br />
1 bag White Chocolate Chips<br />
2 sticks butter<br />
3-4 cups confectioner's sugar<br />
<br />
<br />
1. In a small saucepan, add about a cup of water. Get a glass bowl that can handle high temperatures and that can fit inside the small saucepan. Make sure that the water in the sauce pan does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Bowl the water in the saucepan and place the bowl on top. Fill the bowl with the White Chocolate Chips. You have just created a double boiler. With a spatchula, stir around the chips until all are melted. Try not to eat the entire bowl of melted white chocolate... ;)<br />
2. Put the butter in a standing mixer and beat until whipped.<br />
3. Slowly add in the melted White Chocolate. Beat until incorporated.<br />
4. Add in the confectioner's sugar one cup at a time until it meets the correct consistency. Try not to eat the entire bowl of frosting...<br />
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<br />
Once your cupcakes are cooled, frost those babies. Then give them a try. Your taste buds are going to dance. Your house is going to smell like Christmas. It's going to be a really good day for you. Trust me.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZfdGPRRCZKD01tDSHH69FR0Kqmfst7aXPh0ixrLT57t_RaMieOgNsKVXXKNm4u2nnV58W1Mu-eSYNiOarkBclT6oHAP-sKAgRKPDMfFV6hMolvUfq4wW7nXxu240Zicx_hb5lUakR1Rv/s1600/IMG_6206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZfdGPRRCZKD01tDSHH69FR0Kqmfst7aXPh0ixrLT57t_RaMieOgNsKVXXKNm4u2nnV58W1Mu-eSYNiOarkBclT6oHAP-sKAgRKPDMfFV6hMolvUfq4wW7nXxu240Zicx_hb5lUakR1Rv/s320/IMG_6206.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="display: none;"><br />
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<li>2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar</li><br />
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<div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br />
Read more at Marthastewart.com: <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/gingerbread-cupcakes#ixzz1Ab6qTuan" style="color: #003399;">Gingerbread Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Recipes</a> </div></div><div style="display: none;"><br />
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<li>2 teaspoons baking soda</li><br />
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<div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br />
Read more at Marthastewart.com: <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/gingerbread-cupcakes#ixzz1Ab6qTuan" style="color: #003399;">Gingerbread Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Recipes</a> </div></div><div style="display: none;"><br />
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<li>2 teaspoons baking soda</li><br />
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<li>2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar</li><br />
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Read more at Marthastewart.com: <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/gingerbread-cupcakes#ixzz1Ab6qTuan" style="color: #003399;">Gingerbread Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Recipes</a> </div></div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-50339117124136678042010-12-28T18:25:00.000-08:002010-12-28T18:25:55.021-08:00Everything is better with BACON!<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">We caught a few episodes of "Cupcake Wars" where some of the bakers incorporated bacon into cupcakes. I did a few Google searches and found an amazing recipe for <a href="http://www.vanillagarlic.com/2007/05/maple-bacon-cupcakes-with-maple.html">Maple Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Frosting</a> and I knew I <b>had</b> to try them. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfWoo_wffJ9TK6iv9TDwICX8cjjgKgxxSoW_AnKYDYEruA2Hcc_cN713w2np3o6XGDFqPsGMugRvy6nX2_q2538nsTjMpf7_68m27iV_ay3vuIo2gPism5ksYPF5uiLBm3P8ar7q-vvw8/s1600/IMG_3859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfWoo_wffJ9TK6iv9TDwICX8cjjgKgxxSoW_AnKYDYEruA2Hcc_cN713w2np3o6XGDFqPsGMugRvy6nX2_q2538nsTjMpf7_68m27iV_ay3vuIo2gPism5ksYPF5uiLBm3P8ar7q-vvw8/s320/IMG_3859.jpg" width="213" /></a>I just want to reinstate that <i>everything</i> is better with bacon.<br />
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<b><u>Maple Bacon Cupcakes:</u></b><br />
4<b> </b>1/2 tablespoons of butter, room temperature <br />
1/2 tablespoon of bacon drippings (left in the fridge to become solid)<br />
1 egg <br />
5 tablespoons of brown sugar <br />
4 tablespoons maple syrup <br />
1 1/4 cup flour<br />
1 teaspoon of baking soda <br />
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder <br />
pinch of kosher salt <br />
1/4 cup of milk <br />
1/4 cup of minced bacon, cooked and drained <br />
<br />
1. Fry up about 6 thick strips of bacon. Reserve the drippings and place in the fridge to solidify. Chop 1/4 a cup of the bacon. Anything you have leftover, you can save and use a decoration on top of the cupcakes.<br />
2. In a mixer, beat the butter and solidified bacon fat until light and creamy. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup and beat well until combined. Add the egg and beat until incorporated.<br />
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking soda and powder together.<br />
4. Now you will alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk into the mixing bowl. Always start with dry and end with dry.<br />
5. Gently fold the chopped bacon into the batter.<br />
6. Scoop the batter into the cupcake tray and bake at 350 degrees (F) for 15 minutes.<br />
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<b><u>Maple Syrup Frosting:</u></b><br />
4 tablespoons of butter<br />
2 tablespoons of maple syrup<br />
1 cup of powdered sugar<br />
turbinado sugar (optional, but recommended)<br />
coarse grain sea salt (optional, but recommended)<br />
chopped leftover bacon from the cupcakes (optional, but recommended)<br />
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1. Beat the maple syrup and butter together until combined.<br />
2. Gradually add the powdered sugar at a low speed (to ensure that it doesn't fly out of the bowl and into your face) and be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to get all the sugar incorporated. <br />
3. Do a taste test to make sure that you can taste the maple syrup, but that it is not too sweet.<br />
4. Frost your cupcakes once they are cooled.<br />
5. Sprinkle the frosting with a little sugar, salt, and bacon for decoration and extra flavor.<br />
6. Enjoy! It's like breakfast in a cupcake!</div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-78167834669064462292010-12-16T19:11:00.000-08:002010-12-16T19:12:05.895-08:00My favorite chocolate cupcake recipe ever.Earlier this year, I ran across this amazing (complete understatement) recipe for what the website called <a href="http://sffoodwars.com/2009/11/crowd-favorite-recipes-guinness-gasm/">"Guinness Gasm" cupcakes</a>. I made them for St. Patty's Day and my life has been a million times better ever since. The recipe, essentially, is a chocolate cake with a buttercream frosting, but the kick is that the cake has Guinness Stout in it and the frosting they use has Bailey's Irish Cream Liquor in it so it is like an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Car_Bomb">Irish Car Bomb</a> in cupcake form! To be honest, this is my "go-to" chocolate cake because it's delectable! I am going to put the recipe on here for you all, but I highly suggest going to the website itself and reading their recipe because whoever wrote it has an incredible sense of humor. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gO_sBGjQmoBuu8dhq7OLHuRZBESK496JHuMdBZkaFT_25pp1gJY_WFqO4C96piK4rbWAP7v3yAZgjvEQU4Ze4q02cWDFjwKtZYJqv61EOvGd_0plBChJCp9NUBhea2QQOKYaEvy6f6T8/s1600/IMG_5239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gO_sBGjQmoBuu8dhq7OLHuRZBESK496JHuMdBZkaFT_25pp1gJY_WFqO4C96piK4rbWAP7v3yAZgjvEQU4Ze4q02cWDFjwKtZYJqv61EOvGd_0plBChJCp9NUBhea2QQOKYaEvy6f6T8/s320/IMG_5239.jpg" width="228" /></a><b><u>Cupcakes (makes 24):</u></b> <br />
1 cup Guinness<br />
1 cup unsalted butter<br />
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
2 cups all purpose flour<br />
2 cups sugar<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda<br />
3/4 teaspoon salt<br />
2 eggs<br />
2/3 cup sour cream<br />
<br />
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake trays. You can make normal or mini-sized cupcakes.<br />
2. Chop the butter into squares, doesn't have to be perfect it just helps it melt faster, and throw them into a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the Guinness and let it come to a simmer (this helps cook off the alcohol, but not the stout flavor). <br />
3. As the butter and beer are simmering, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl.<br />
4. After the butter and Guinness have simmered, remove from heat and add the cocoa powder. Let this cool for a minute.<br />
5. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sour cream together with an electric mixer until smooth. Combine this mixture with the cooled butter and Guinness concoction.<br />
6. Combine the creamy chocolate Guinness goodness into the bowl of dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt) you have set aside. Gently stir until all is combined.<br />
7. Fill your cupcake trays, each cup should be 3/4 of the way full.<br />
8. Bake the cupcakes for 15 minutes.<br />
9. Allow the cupcakes to cool before frosting them!<br />
<br />
<b><u>Frosting:</u></b><br />
3 to 4 cups confectioners sugar<br />
1/2 cup room-temperature, unsalted butter<br />
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream<br />
<br />
1. Put the butter in a bowl (or your electric mixer) and beat it until it's some sort of fluffy.<br />
2. Mix in the confectioner's sugar one cup at a time.<br />
3. Finally, add in the Bailey's one tablespoon at a time until it has enough flavor for you.<br />
4. Frost your delectable chocolate cupcakes once they are cooled.<br />
5. DEVOUR.<br />
<br />
You can also use a simple buttercreme frosting if you aren't a big drinker (which basically means, replace the Bailey's with 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cTKUEzsIkbs-JsDt6iwMYMu2PtYiWHqDFHsBLvVUFO4_d8K_Sxfq4WItAtXoi3JAschg8Zeh5WNnwA1s0CIZ3PtAnjQnv1nz0B7_nacB7xpePxaD-55TOfYh_gtOqpIeyhponthC3mlt/s1600/IMG_5237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cTKUEzsIkbs-JsDt6iwMYMu2PtYiWHqDFHsBLvVUFO4_d8K_Sxfq4WItAtXoi3JAschg8Zeh5WNnwA1s0CIZ3PtAnjQnv1nz0B7_nacB7xpePxaD-55TOfYh_gtOqpIeyhponthC3mlt/s400/IMG_5237.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
These cupcakes are <i>always</i> a big hit, so if you are making them for a party, make a lot. :)Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-40300456429806876572010-09-26T20:03:00.000-07:002010-09-26T20:03:55.199-07:00Chocolate + Jalapeno + Lime = Yum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHjK2LSDM_dyUIgsQvlqsRJrz1OAfGqs92ISEeU7JA7EPAKUCdHuzGMLvfN9p2TcxSwWypZFu2vTG7cFLGLAJOAOMLDW9zNOaaAQJoCTWj1b0RcMd-609bnIV2vYl1CtqATw2tEVpnGv9/s1600/IMG_4487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHjK2LSDM_dyUIgsQvlqsRJrz1OAfGqs92ISEeU7JA7EPAKUCdHuzGMLvfN9p2TcxSwWypZFu2vTG7cFLGLAJOAOMLDW9zNOaaAQJoCTWj1b0RcMd-609bnIV2vYl1CtqATw2tEVpnGv9/s320/IMG_4487.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Last weekend, I was suppose to make a cupcake with jalapenos in them. However, I got stuck and frustrated making the jalapeno jelly that I was going to use as the filling so I gave up. I did follow through this weekend though! <br />
I took the idea of jalapeno and decided to make a jelly to put inside a cupcake. For the cupcake flavor, I thought about this one time that I had a chili flavored chocolate and it was delicious, so I chose a chocolate cupcake to hold my jalapeno jelly. The frosting was the hard part for me to figure out. I was trying to stick to a theme that would taste good with jalapeno without turning it into a dinner muffin not a dessert cupcake. I went with a Cream Cheese Frosting with a little lime flavor. This sounds like a strange mixture of flavors, but it surprising turned out amazing!<br />
Okay, so let's start with the hard part: the jalapeno jelly! If you have never made jelly before, let me tell you, it is quite the process. But now that I have done it once, I want to make jelly all the time!<br />
I found <a href="http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/red-and-green-christmas-jalapeno-jelly/Detail.aspx">this</a> recipe via Google, but I couldn't get it right on the first try so I had to "re-jelly" the jelly. I think the problem was that I chose to use powder pectin and not liquid pectin, so use the liquid! It's a little pricier, but well worth it!<br />
<u><b>Jalapeno Jelly:</b></u><br />
(<i>Makes 6 Jelly Jars</i>)<br />
1 cup Red Bell Pepper chopped<br />
1/2 cup Jalapeno chopped<br />
5 cups sugar<br />
1 1/2 cups Apple Cider Vinegar<br />
1 (6 oz) Liquid Pectin <br />
Crushed Red Peppers (optional)<br />
<br />
<span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Remove stems, veins and most of the seeds of the bell and jalapeno peppers. Mince peppers in a food processor.</span><span class="plaincharacterwrap break"> </span><br />
<span class="plaincharacterwrap break">In a 5-quart pot over high heat, combine bell peppers, jalapenos, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a rolling boil; boil for 3 minutes.</span><span class="plaincharacterwrap break"> (For extra heat add a few dashes of crushed red peppers.)</span><br />
<span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Stirring constantly, add the pectin and let mixture cool for 2 minutes. Now stir for 1 minute.</span><span class="plaincharacterwrap break"> </span><br />
<span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Pour into hot, sterilized jars and top with sterilized lids. Secure lids with bands and allow jars to cool slowly, creating a vacuum seal. (<i>Sterilized jars are fresh and hot from the dishwasher or a hot pot of water</i>.) </span><br />
<br />
<span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Next, I just used a basic chocolate cupcake recipe.</span><br />
<u><b><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Chocolate Cupcakes:</span></b></u><br />
<span class="plaincharacterwrap break">(<i>Makes 20 cupcakes</i>)</span><br />
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temp<br />
2 large eggs, room temp <br />
1-1/4 cups sugar<br />
1 cup flour<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
1/2 cup milk<br />
1 teaspoons vanilla<br />
<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined. Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a small sized bowl and whisk to combine. Measure out the milk and vanilla and stir to combine<br />
Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.<br />
Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 2/3’s full. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake cupcakes for about 15-18 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.<br />
<br />
And finally, the yummy Limey Cream Cheese Frosting:<br />
<u><b>Frosting:</b></u><br />
1 stick of butter (room temp)<br />
1 8oz package of cream cheese (room temp)<br />
3-4 cups of confectioner's sugar<br />
1 lime<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Put the butter and cream cheese in a bowl and zest some of the lime into the bowl. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the lime juice into the bowl. Whip up the ingredients until mixed well. Then start adding a the confectioner's sugar one cup at a time and continue blending until all has been combined. Then, naturally, taste to make sure you have the flavor of lime and cream cheese. <i>Nom</i>. <br />
Now that you have all the ingredients made, it is time to put together this cupcake. If you have ever watched any of the cupcake shows that are on, you may have caught them with a contraption that helps them fill the cupcakes with a filling. Well, I don't have that so I had to improvise. I just used a funnel to make a hole in the center of the cupcakes and then just kind of used a knife to put the jelly in the cupcakes. It wasn't perfect, but it worked. Then I used a large ziplock bag and filled it with the frosting, cut off the tip, and then frosted the cupcakes.<br />
As strange as this combination sounds, they actually turned out amazing. Now, if only I could figure out a name for them... Haha.<br />
<br />
<span class="plaincharacterwrap break"></span>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-87573365032340305012010-09-12T15:58:00.000-07:002010-09-12T15:58:10.840-07:00Perfect Breakfast Bites - Mini Cream Cheese Filled Puffins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVTYBGjo4mgIQZb4uPst5Ocs9jcvR7WPfxNCgkq6Uq11odJS5AhtqXyyCOLMx219OoAy_NzIcBDH4Pa78jhBLICgFnwF4tA0cn-Mj6UMUxNSm54-kY7C1jgyZE0RS1_eb3yyohuSAoUMF/s1600/IMG_4192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVTYBGjo4mgIQZb4uPst5Ocs9jcvR7WPfxNCgkq6Uq11odJS5AhtqXyyCOLMx219OoAy_NzIcBDH4Pa78jhBLICgFnwF4tA0cn-Mj6UMUxNSm54-kY7C1jgyZE0RS1_eb3yyohuSAoUMF/s200/IMG_4192.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Okay, so this recipe isn't necessarily a cupcake, but it's too delicious to not share. I had an idea to make Cream Cheese filled Pancake balls, something I have been wanting to do ever since I have seen this contraption from <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/ebelskiver-filled-pancake-pan/?pkey=x%7C4%7C1%7C%7C4%7CEbelskiver%20Filled-Pancake%20Pan%7C%7C0&cm_src=SCH">William Sonoma</a>. I do not own said contraption, but I figured there had to be another way to do it... and there was!<br />
I found this tasty recipe for <a href="http://www.bakerella.com/mini-maple-pancake-muffins/">Mini Maple Pancake Muffins</a> and used that as my foundation for the "puffins". Then I used a simple Cream Cheese Frosting recipe for the filling.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeC5DwCc0h2QjS05_swfc1E3ovHyGUooinmke6-MrLJhwxk9elZ4hbli0_6UW_WLkl7sn32ki7PvI5Z8UmHxj4Wey6VVCvDtHdIgTe0Olhh6N-JlgdyVkevmQdJDoTNOKFqTLCi47GPelC/s1600/IMG_4195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeC5DwCc0h2QjS05_swfc1E3ovHyGUooinmke6-MrLJhwxk9elZ4hbli0_6UW_WLkl7sn32ki7PvI5Z8UmHxj4Wey6VVCvDtHdIgTe0Olhh6N-JlgdyVkevmQdJDoTNOKFqTLCi47GPelC/s320/IMG_4195.jpg" /></a><u>Puffins</u>:<br />
1 cup flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
2 tablespoons sugar<br />
2/3 cup buttermilk<br />
1 egg<br />
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup<br />
2 tablespoons melted butter<br />
ground cinnamon to taste<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Sift together with a wire whisk. In another bowl, stir buttermilk, egg, maple syrup and melted butter until just combined. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until combined. Sprinkle in some cinnamon, as much or little as you like.<br />
<br />
<u>Cream Cheese Filling</u>:<br />
4 ounces unsalted butter, softened<br />
4 ounces cream <a class="cimotif" href="" style="border-bottom: 2px dotted green; color: green; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">cheese</a><img height="10" src="http://a19.g.akamai.net/7/19/7125/1450/Ocellus.coupons.com/_images/showlist_icon.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static;" width="10" />, softened<br />
2 cups powdered sugar<br />
1 teaspoon <a class="cimotif" href="" style="border-bottom: 2px dotted green; color: green; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">vanilla</a><img height="10" src="http://a19.g.akamai.net/7/19/7125/1450/Ocellus.coupons.com/_images/showlist_icon.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static;" width="10" /> extract<br />
<br />
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract.<br />
<div class="instructions"><br />
Now comes the fun part! First, make sure that you have your mini cupcake pan greased up. Then I add a little layer of Puffin batter to the bottom of each cup, just to cover the bottom. After that, I put in a scoop of the cream cheese filling. I usually add about 1/2 a tablespoon in each cup. Finally, I cover the filling with the remaining Puffin batter. My cups are normally pretty level and they turn out fine. Now, pop those bad boys into the oven for about 8-10 minutes.<br />
Makes 24 mini puffins.</div><div class="instructions"> </div><div class="instructions">Once they are done, dish them up and serve them with some syrup like you normally would with pancakes. I even served mine with some sliced strawberries, but any other fruit would be fine too!</div><div class="instructions"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1leBGooUpxhRecTGlYNnJkNeuJ7X2IM3eKpMuqnJxh5IQHwgGyQCyVMYOuhqMaC4p9RsdohNy1bzKB4PTQc44FfLmMGd0eyCsK0AKGSzCqY7X59eGHYBwrJsCFOHTcMVRAEJdLc5rF5V/s1600/IMG_3891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1leBGooUpxhRecTGlYNnJkNeuJ7X2IM3eKpMuqnJxh5IQHwgGyQCyVMYOuhqMaC4p9RsdohNy1bzKB4PTQc44FfLmMGd0eyCsK0AKGSzCqY7X59eGHYBwrJsCFOHTcMVRAEJdLc5rF5V/s320/IMG_3891.jpg" /></a></div><div class="instructions"> </div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-38399623023220346172010-09-12T11:48:00.000-07:002012-09-13T11:03:53.624-07:00French Vanilla & Chocolate Marble CupcakesI don't want every cupcake I make to be from a recipe I found via Google because I feel that is the easy way out, but that doesn't mean that most of them won't be. ;)<br />
This cupcake was an experimental, mix a few different recipes together to create the cupcake you want, kind of cupcake. My husband, Brad, wanted a French Vanilla Marble cupcake, which I thought sounded delectable! Naturally, I couldn't find a recipe for such a cupcake, so I had to get creative. I did a Google search for <a href="http://www.vanillagarlic.com/2007/08/french-vanilla-cupcakes-with-rose.html">French Vanilla Cupcakes</a> and another search for <a href="http://52cupcakes.blogspot.com/2009/08/martha-stewarts-marble-cupcakes-10.html">Marble Cupcakes</a>. I combined the two of them to create my desired flavor. This was the recipe I used:<br />
<br />
<u>French Vanilla & Chocolate Marble Cupcakes</u>: <br />
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature<br />
2 cups of sugar or vanilla sugar<br />
1 large egg, room temperature<br />
2 egg yolks, room temperature<br />
3 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1 teaspoon of baking soda<br />
pinch of salt<br />
1/2 cup milk<br />
1/2 cup of cream<br />
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract<br />
1 vanilla bean<br />
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder<br />
1/4 cup boiling water<br />
<br />
Preheat your oven to 350. Beat butter on high until soft for 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy. Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda, in a bowl. Measure out milk and vanilla extract in another glass. Cut open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds and add them to the milk. Mix in the flour mixture then the milk mixture, alternating between the two and ending with the flour. Mix thoroughly.<br />
To make chocolate batter, measure out 1 cup batter, and transfer to another bowl. Combine cocoa and the boiling water in a bowl. Stir into reserved 1 cup batter.<br />
Fill prepared cups with alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate batter, filling each three-quarters full. Run the tip of a paring knife or wooden skewer through batter in a figure-eight motion to make swirls. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until tops are golden and a cake tester (i.e. toothpick) inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.<br />
<br />
I had to do some searching for the Vanilla Sugar and Vanilla Beans, but I found them at a store called <a href="http://www.penzeys.com/">Penzey's</a>, thanks to my friend Alyson who told me to go there. (I, then, fell deeply in love with Penzey's and I could easily spend my entire paycheck buying tons of spices from there. <i>Swoon</i>.) <br />
Now, let me take this time to mention that I do not have a picture of these cupcakes because they did not come out exactly how I wanted. To be honest, I was really disappointed in how they came out. I blame this completely on my lack of actual baking skills and not the recipe itself, because the taste was perfect. The French Vanilla (which I learned isn't even really a <i>flavor</i> per-say, but it is the heavy use of vanilla in a recipe. Hence, the vanilla sugar and vanilla bean.) was very vanilla-y and had the perfect amount of sweetness to it. And the Chocolate was a great compliment to the French Vanilla. The problem was the consistency; the texture was much more like cornbread and not cupcake. So this will be a recipe that I will have to try again to get the consistency right, and I will definitely do an update. If you give this a try, let me know how they come out. :)<br />
As for the frosting, I just used some leftover <a href="http://itsnotjustacupcake.blogspot.com/2010/09/chocolate-butter-cream-frosting-and.html">Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting</a> to top them, since I had so much of it.Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-67613215600821914782010-09-11T22:06:00.000-07:002010-09-11T22:11:03.930-07:00Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting (and LOTS of it!)The first request I had from my husband was a Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting. I dove into this whole cupcake business with no experience at all, so this sounded like a really hard task. Luckily, I had a box of Funfetti cake mix that my Mother-in-Law sent me, so I didn't really have to worry about the cupcake itself.<br />
For the frosting, I had to do a Google search for a recipe. I had NO IDEA where to begin with making a butter cream frosting, so naturally I needed help. I found <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chocolate-buttercream-frosting-recipe/index.html">this</a> recipe and followed it pretty well, except I didn't have any espresso powder and I didn't use the rum. ;) And I didn't realize how much frosting this recipe actually made because I <i>still</i> have leftover frosting in my freezer, haha. But, I would say, for my first attempt at making a butter cream frosting, this turned out amazing. It was light and fluffy and tasted like heaven. What more could you ask for in a frosting, honestly?!<br />
As for my piping skills, yeah... Still working on that! I am saving my pennies for an awesome piping set, but until then I guess I will keep using ziplock bags. :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQD1Yt_u4tzqK_sKHEJonqU1UfrTe9F5g1iBJ3Sp2dvBNkcIrE5TaghOfSp3kWZImcebDLHgoDdSJXuQjqK02YWnpRjD7zvKWbB61OlOSGUPm0UGBtqfAsuzojAN8bCBnsvPbX3wJqgj-/s1600/IMG_3659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQD1Yt_u4tzqK_sKHEJonqU1UfrTe9F5g1iBJ3Sp2dvBNkcIrE5TaghOfSp3kWZImcebDLHgoDdSJXuQjqK02YWnpRjD7zvKWbB61OlOSGUPm0UGBtqfAsuzojAN8bCBnsvPbX3wJqgj-/s320/IMG_3659.jpg" /></a></div>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149512754483671538.post-35593173980872443612010-09-11T20:54:00.000-07:002010-09-11T20:54:18.203-07:00Cupcakes?!In the past few months, I have fell head over heels in love with the new cupcake trend. I really blame TV Shows like "Cupcake Wars" and "DC Cupcakes". You can't HELP but want to whip up a batch of cupcakes after watching those shows. At first, the obsession was just that I wanted to learn how to make a delicious cupcake. But then my husband, Brad, started giving me ingredient challenges, much like they do on "Cupcake Wars".<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPai4vTAqtSPaGRf1K_8RpSd8cnJefX40YcycdUg7eG7HBZoAowfpPBjaxseyHPSnak4BG6Z1h64atRsJPXenjV7vEPd3ognKQzdZLsO_0FOPmkkYqEmInGQPuDMr9Dlf2Mk0hyphenhyphen9nc-ZGQ/s1600/IMG_3638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPai4vTAqtSPaGRf1K_8RpSd8cnJefX40YcycdUg7eG7HBZoAowfpPBjaxseyHPSnak4BG6Z1h64atRsJPXenjV7vEPd3ognKQzdZLsO_0FOPmkkYqEmInGQPuDMr9Dlf2Mk0hyphenhyphen9nc-ZGQ/s320/IMG_3638.jpg" /></a></div>So starts my addiction. I will be posting the cupcakes that I make here, along with pictures and the recipes. I will also be taking suggestions and challenges. If there is some flavor you would like to see in cupcake form, let me know. I am willing to try anything. And once I figure out how to ship cupcakes to people and have them get to the other end safely, I will be taking orders. :)Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811397439818247700noreply@blogger.com0