Tag Archives: cupcakes

Mounds Cupcakes

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Julie • 0 Comments

I have a little bit of a thing lately for candy turned cupcakes. I guess there’s no real reason to do this – why not just eat the candy and call it a day? I’ll tell you why – because it’s fun to reinvent the wheel when the new wheel is a delicious frosted hug. These cupcakes were my mom’s request for her birthday last year, and she requested them again this year for Mother’s Day. She’s a dark chocolate fanatic, which is why these are topped with a rich, fudgy ganache instead of a standard buttercream. Bittersweet ganache is also a perfect yin to the yang of the (to die for) coconut filling – I think heaps of frosting on this might be overpowering.

The best thing about these cupcakes – aside from the fact that they taste exactly  like a Mounds bar and are really yummy – is that they’re super easy to make. The coconut filling has three ingredients and can be pre-made and set aside, the cake recipe doesn’t even require a mixer, and the frosting is another three-ingredient wonder. Frankly, I’d be perfectly happy if my mom continued requesting these for every special occasion. But because she “went under the knife to give me life,” as she likes to say, I suppose she can order whatever cupcake she wants. Thanks, Mom!

Mounds Cupcakes
Print
Category: Dessert
The classic Mounds bar in cupcake form.
Ingredients

Cupcakes:

    • 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup (85g) unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
    • 1 tsp (5g) baking soda
    • 1 tsp (5g) baking powder
    • 1/2 tsp (3g) kosher or sea salt
    • 1/2 cup (120mL) vegetable oil
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1 cup (250g) sour cream
    • 1 cup (237mL) coffee, at room temperature

Filling:

      • 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
      • 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
      • 2 Tbsp powdered sugar

Frosting:

        • 2/3 cup heavy cream
        • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
        • 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Optional garnish:

        • Toasted coconut
Instructions
  1. Make the filling – combine coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and powdered sugar in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
  3. To make the cupcakes, sift flour and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Add sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. In another large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, sour cream and coffee. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until well-mixed and smooth. Divide evenly among prepared pans, filling each 2/3-3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  4. To make the frosting, heat cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until just beginning to bubble at the sides. Pour over chopped chocolate and let sit for five minutes. Stir until glossy and smooth. Set aside to cool at room temperature.
  5. To prepare the cupcakes, use a paring knife to cut a circle out of the middle of each cupcake. Stuff each cupcake with 1-2 teaspoons of the coconut filling.
  6. To frost, dip each cupcake upside down into the ganache. Top with toasted coconut (if using) and serve.

Source: Cake recipe from Baking Bites

Filed Under: Desserts

Blue Velvet Cupcakes

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Julie • 7 Comments

I’m hanging out in St. Louis this week!

Okay, I’m not hanging out. I’m (sigh) working. But that’s okay! I’m lucky enough to have a job that occasionally brings me to new cities – St. Louis, I’ll admit, was a city I was less than enthusiastic about, but then I got here. The people are friendly, the food is good, and they have a hockey team in the midst of a playoff run. Their Blues are down 2 games to 0, but not out, and the enthusiasm in the city is infectious. “Let’s Go Blues” signs hang on every beautiful historic building, the most tightly wound professionals are flaunting temporary Blues tattoos, and the streets near the arena (right next to my hotel) have been teeming with eager, hopeful fans in the throes of playoff excitement.

So, is there a better time than now to share a blue recipe? The team had a tough loss last night, but today I’ll share a recipe that I hope will bring good juju back to them, for the sake of these enthusiastic, friendly fans. I made these cupcakes a couple of weeks ago for a little guy’s baby shower, and paired with coconut cream cupcakes, they were warmly received. This is a classic red velvet cake turned blue – the taste is absolutely identical, and there is no need to color the frosting unless you’re looking for a paler blue somewhere in the mix, since the cake gets pretty dark. With the light cream cheese frosting, the hint of chocolate in the cake, and the lovely slate blue hue, these are a guaranteed hit for a baby shower, St. Louis hockey party, or David Lynch theme dinner (I’ll admit the latter two may be fewer and farther between than the first).

Blue Velvet Cupcakes
Print
Category: Dessert
A blue variation on classic red velvet cake.
Ingredients

For the cake:

    • 2 1/2 cups (270g) cake flour
    • 1 1/2 cups (312g) granulated sugar
    • 1 tsp (5g) baking soda
    • 1 Tbsp (6g) unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 1 tsp (5g) kosher or sea salt
    • 2 eggs, room temperature
    • 1 1/2 cups (360mL) vegetable oil
    • 1 cup (240mL) buttermilk, room temperature
    • 1 tsp blue food coloring or several drops violet gel food coloring*
    • 1 tsp (5mL) distilled white vinegar
    • 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla extract

For the frosting:

  • 8 oz (230g) cream cheese
  • 8 oz (230g) unsalted butter
  • 1/8 cup (20g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 4 cups (400g) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
  • Several drops blue food coloring (optional)
  • 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp (15mL) heavy cream
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt.
  3. In a larger bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar until combined (about two minutes). Add the dry ingredients in two additions and beat on medium speed until each addition is incorporated. The batter will be runny.
  4. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for 18-20 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). Let cool in pans for five minutes. Remove to racks to cool completely.
  5. To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about a minute. Add the butter and beat until combined and fluffy, about two minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the brown sugar, salt, and vanilla and beat to incorporate, then add desired amount of blue food coloring, if using.
  6. With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating each addition until well-incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the cream and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy.
  7. Frost and serve immediately, or keep refrigerated in a tightly closed container for up to three days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes

*Liquid blue food coloring tends to have a greenish tint with this because of the egg yolks (blue and yellow make green)! Wilton’s violet gel requires less color and gives you a deeper blue hue – the pictured recipe is using liquid blue coloring.

Filed Under: Desserts

Coconut Cream Cupcakes

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Julie • 5 Comments

I’m in Florida this week for the wedding of an old and dear friend (she’s not old, but the friendship is). Given the fact that I’m in the sunshine state, my plan was to have a treasure trove of citrusy Floridian recipes in my back pocket to share throughout the week. However, if you’ve met me in real life or have ever read this blog, you’ll know that one thing I’m not is a planner. Hence, I’ve spent all my citrus recipes, but I promise this is just as good (and maybe better). Coconut…tropical…Florida! There we go. Delicious and thematically relevant.

I made these for a little boy baby shower with a nautical theme last weekend. When the hostess of the shower chose these, I was so excited. I almost never get to make them – coconut is kind of polarizing. People seem to either love it or hate it with equal levels of passion, so it’s not generally a popular choice for group events. These, though, might be able to topple even the most dedicated coconut hater. The cake itself has barely a hint of coconut, and the shredded coconut mixed into the batter just adds a bit of moisture and texture without being overwhelming in the least. The fluffy frosting is pure vanilla, so the filling is where the real coconut magic is. Creamy and sweet, there’s just enough to pack a subtle punch without screaming “HELLO! I AM COCONUT!”  I also love how this cake domes up when baking without spilling over – I know we’re supposed to love the flat-top cupcake because it’s a better decorating canvas, but once in a while I really love to see a cake rising triumphantly beyond its means without collapsing into a muffin.

Long story short, these are cupcakes that are ideal for coconut lovers, while being subtle enough to possibly tempt coconut haters. And if the coconut haters are stubborn, more for us, right?

Coconut Cream Cupcakes
Print
Category: Dessert
A moist coconut cake with coconut filling and fluffy vanilla frosting. Yields 24 cupcakes.
Ingredients

Cupcakes:

      • 3 cups (410g) all-purpose flour
      • 1 cup (120g) sweetened flaked/shredded coconut
      • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp (20g) baking powder
      • 1/2 tsp (2.5g) salt
      • 2 sticks (228g) unsalted butter
      • 1 1/3 cups (265g) granulated sugar
      • 4 large eggs, room temperature
      • 2 tsp vanilla extract
      • 1 1/3 cup coconut milk

Coconut Filling:

          • 7 oz sweetened condensed milk
          • 1 cup (120g) shredded coconut

Frosting:

      • 3 sticks (340g) unsalted butter, room temperature
      • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
      • 5-6 cups (500-600g) powdered sugar
Instructions
  1. Make the filling – combine sweetened condensed milk and coconut. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
  2. To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350 F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, coconut, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
  4. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
  5. Add 1/3 of flour mixture and beat to combine. Add half the coconut milk, followed by another third of the flour mixture. Add the remainder of the coconut milk and the rest of the flour, beating each addition until well incorporated.
  6. Fill liners 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pans for five minutes, then remove to racks to cool completely.
  7. To make the frosting, beat butter on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add vanilla and beat to combine. Add powdered sugar a few tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition.
  8. To assemble, use a paring knife to cut a circular core out of each cupcake. Fill each with 1-2 teaspoons of coconut filling, depending on how filling heavy you want them. Frost and enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Pastry Affair

Filed Under: Desserts

Creme Egg Cupcakes

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Julie • 2 Comments


Cadbury egg recipes have been flying around the blogosphere this spring, and each time I see one, I have a little mantra I recite to myself as I frantically click the back button: “I will not make this. I will not make this.” Every day it’s gotten more and more difficult to click away, and today I cracked. I blame these creme egg brownies for pushing me over the edge. I was able to resist all of the recipes that called for scraping out creme egg middles, because it just looked like such a pain, but Lindsay’s super-easy homemade filling took away both the annoying prep work and the suspect ingredients. How could I turn away? I went straight to the kitchen before I even had time to feel ashamed of my fleeting willpower (or lack thereof).

These cupcakes are extremely rich and very sweet. Stuffed with homemade creme filling and topped with chocolate frosting and a Cadbury mini egg, one is definitely enough. I had actually wanted to top these with a thin layer of ganache rather than a buttercream, since the centers are so decadent, but I had no heavy cream on hand and no car – and frankly, rich isn’t always a downside.

The Cadbury Creme Egg brings back a lot of memories for me. My dad used to bring them home for us as a treat here and there in the weeks around Easter, and I’ll always remember how much I looked forward to him coming home from work with those foil-wrapped chocolaty treats oozing with creamy filling. As I’ve gotten older, my sweet tooth has tempered itself somewhat, and I find them to be a little too sweet for my taste buds these days. But the memory of waiting for my dad to come home on spring nights with a handful of Cadbury eggs for us? That will never be too sweet. Happy Easter, everyone!

Sources: Cake recipe from Baking Bites, filling adapted from Love and Olive Oil.

Creme Egg Cupcakes
Print
Category: Dessert
Yield: 24 cupcakes
A tribute to the Cadbury Creme Egg – chocolate cupcakes with homemade creme egg filling and chocolate frosting.
Ingredients

Cupcakes:

  • 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (85g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp (5g) baking soda
  • 1 tsp (5g) baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp (3g) kosher or sea salt
  • 1/2 cup (120mL) vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (250g) sour cream
  • 1 cup (237mL) coffee, at room temperature

    • Filling:

  • 1/2 cup (120mL) light corn syrup
  • 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (150g) powdered sugar
  • 1-2 drops yellow food coloring

    • Frosting:

  • 12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (85g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 1/2 cups (350g) powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • Garnish (optional):
  • Mini Cadbury eggs
    • Instructions
    1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
    2. To make the cupcakes, sift flour and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Add sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. In another large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, sour cream and coffee. Pour into the bowl with the flour mixture and stir until well-mixed and smooth. Divide evenly among prepared pans, filling each 2/3-3/4 full. Bake 17-19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    3. To make the filling, beat butter, corn syrup, vanilla and salt on medium speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar a few tablespoons at a time, beating until smooth. Remove about 3/4 of the mixture to a bowl. Add 1 or 2 drops of yellow food coloring to the remaining filling and beat until color is distributed and the mixture is a deep yellow. Pour yellow mixture into white mixture and use a fork to swirl gently together (make sure the colors stay distinct).
    4. To make the frosting, beat butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in cocoa powder and powdered sugar alternately with the milk until frosting is the desired consistency – you want it to hold its shape. Add more milk if necessary if frosting is too stiff.
    5. To assemble, use a paring knife to cut the middle out of each cupcake (you can save the middles for cake balls or something else). Fill each cupcake with 1-2 teaspoons of the filling. Frost with a dollop of frosting and garnish with mini Cadbury eggs.
    Filed Under: Desserts

    Springtime and Fresh Starts (Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes)

    Posted on April 4, 2012 by Julie • 0 Comments

    I complained a lot this winter about its appalling lack of wintry-ness. For every 70-degree January day, I probably spent several more whining about how seasonally inappropriate the beautiful weather was. It was probably annoying, so my apologies for that. I do like spring. I like the way winter creates a blank canvas for spring to doodle on, and how the first smatterings of green become lush landscapes over the course of just a few weeks. I like the metaphorical alignment with new life.

    Most of all, I like lemons. And asparagus. And artichokes. But most of all, lemons. Bright yellow lemons seem like little tiny suns emerging after long dark winters – they’re so freaking cheerful, they chase the winter cynic right out of me. You may be seeing a lot of lemons here for the next few weeks, until I find something else to be cynical about (don’t worry, there will be something).

    One other thing I like about lemons? They never met a berry they didn’t like. I am 100% down with any lemon/berry combination, and these lemon-blueberry cupcakes are no exception. The lemon cake is fluffy and light as air, and the blueberry Swiss meringue buttercream? You’ll know from past posts that I’m a sucker for SMBC, but the berry variations just take the cake (har har). It literally melts in your mouth like blueberry ice cream – sure, it’s a little more high maintenance to make, but I promise that powdered sugar icing will seem like a fading and insignificant memory. Kind of like winter.

    Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes
    Yield: about 24 cupcakes

    Ingredients:
    For the cupcakes:
    2 1/4 (255g) cake flour
    1 Tbsp (15g) baking powder
    1/2 tsp (3g) kosher or sea salt
    1 1/4 cups (295mL) buttermilk
    4 large egg whites
    1 1/2 cups (312g) granulated sugar
    1 Tbsp lemon zest
    1 stick (4 oz/113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
    1/2 tsp vanilla extract
    1/2 tsp lemon extract

    For the frosting:
    6 oz fresh blueberries
    1 Tbsp granulated sugar
    4 large egg whites
    1 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
    3 sticks (12oz/340g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

    Instructions:
    Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.

    In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. In a measuring cup, combine the egg whites and buttermilk and stir. Set aside.

    In a stand mixer bowl or other large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Mix together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and lemon-scented. Add the butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the vanilla and lemon extracts and beat very briefly to combine. Add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk/egg mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing well between each addition. Beat on medium speed for about one more minute to thoroughly combine all ingredients. Divide batter evenly between cupcake tins, filling each about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for five minutes, then remove to racks to cool completely.

    To make the frosting, first blend the blueberries and 1 Tbsp sugar in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Refrigerate for at least an hour – the pureed berries will take on a jelly-like consistency.

    Fill a medium saucepan with about 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Rest the mixer bowl over the saucepan, whisking constantly until sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is thick and glossy (note: to completely pasteurize the egg whites, they must be heated to 140 degrees).

    Remove mixer bowl from heat and place on stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until cooled and the egg whites hold stiff peaks, about 8 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the butter two tablespoons at a time. Beat until fluffy and smooth, about 3-5 minutes. Add the pureed blueberries and continue beating until fully incorporated and smooth. Frost and serve.

    Sources: Cupcakes from Dorie Greenspan via My Baking Addiction; frosting adapted from Life a la Mode.

    Filed Under: Desserts