Cupcake Hero - Squash

So, it's obviously been a while since I've blogged, but not since I've baked! I'm just lazy with getting my photos and recipes online.

This month's cupcake hero is squash, and though I've only participated once, I was excited to give it a go again. And my department hosted a breakfast for the building with a "harvest theme," which worked out well! I was asked for the recipe by coworkers, so that's got to be a good sign :)

Butternut Squash Cream Cheese Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Glaze

1.5 cups flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

.5 tsp cinnamon

.25 tsp salt

.5 cup granulated sugar

.5 cup dark brown sugar

.5 cup butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs

.5 cup milk (I used almond milk)

5 oz frozen butternut squash (half a box)

4 oz cream cheese (half a package_

-preheat oven to 350

-Heat squash in microwave per package. Mix in cream cheese and cool slightly

-Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl

-Mix butter, eggs and milk

-Alternate adding dry mix and butternut mix, ending with dry mix.

-Bake 20-25 minutes

*I doubled the recipe and used mini cupcakes, so it made a lot of cupcakes! Not sure how many it would make normally

Cream Cheese Glaze
1 pack cream cheese room temp
Half stick butter room temp
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp brown sugar

-Place cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl, blend until combined

-Add powdered sugar, a little at a time, mixing on low

-Add brown sugar and blend until fluffy.

This is supposed to be a frosting, however, I think I over mixed and it ended up being more soupy, like a glaze

Happy Easter Peep Cupcakes

This month I'm entering my first Cupcake Hero contest, and like the procrastinator I am, I'm sending in my entry the day it's due. The theme is marshmallows, so I made Chocolate Peep cupcakes for Easter dinner.

I was originally going to go with fluffernutter cupcakes, but then my mom suggested baking a peep into a cupcake. That got me thinking of the chocolate covered marshmallow candies out for Christmas (the ones shaped like Santa, I'm sure they have Easter Bunny ones too), and how some are strawberry flavored. And so came the chocolate cupcake with strawberry Peep filling, and a Peep buttercream frosting.

First, the attempt to bake a Peep. Poor pink chick. Luckily there wasn't a lot of splatter in the oven.

For the cupcakes, I use the Magnolia's Chocolate Cupcake Recipe. I don't think I used enough chocolate chips, but I liked the recipe otherwise.

Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes (depending on the size of your cupcake papers and muffin tins)

CUPCAKES:
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
-1 cup granulated sugar
-1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
-4 large eggs, at room temperature
-6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted (see Note)
-1 cup buttermilk
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-Peep mixture*

* I melted 4 peeps with 2tbsp of butter and a couple handfuls of big marshmallows. I used too much butter, especially since I added strawberry syrup (to taste), so I added marshmallows until I got the consistency I wanted

Note: To melt the chocolate, place in a double boiler over simmering water on low heat for approximately 5–10 minutes. Stir occasionally until completely smooth and no pieces of chocolate remain. Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm 5–10 minutes. (I melted in the microwave :30 second, stir, repeat until melted)

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. Set aside.

-In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.

-In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

-Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, just to cover bottom. Add spoonful of Peep mix, then cover with batter until three-fourths full.

-Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

-Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

For the icing, I used Wilton's Caramel Buttercream icing recipe as a base

2 sticks butter
2/3 cup (approx) melted peeps *
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approx. 1 lb.)
Yield: 3 cups icing.

* I melted 5 peeps with 1tbsp of butter and a handfuls of big marshmallows.

Directions
-Cream butter with electric mixer.

-Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often.

-Add water and vanilla (I would use less water next time, though it worked well for spreading)

-Fold in Peep mixture. I added a little more pink food coloring to even out the color from the Peep sugar.

I was really proud because it was the first time my decorating techniques turned out how I wanted

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Irish Car Bombs

Cupcake Calendar 2/12/08

I've been a little slacking on the baking lately, but a couple weeks ago I made White Chocolate and Vanilla Chai cupcakes. The cupcakes could have used a little more spice since the frosting was so sweet, but over all they were pretty good.

White Chocolate and Vanilla Chai Cupcakes
(from the book 500 Cupcakes)

For the cupcakes:
- 2 cups self-rising flour
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-pinch of salt
-1 tbsp chai tea powder (mine was chai latte powder, don't know if that made a difference??)
-1/4 cup (1/2 stick) sweet butter, softened
-3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
-2 egg whites
-2/3 cup buttermilk
-1/2 cup white chocolate chips
-1 tsp vanilla extract

For the frosting:
-1 cup cream cheese, softened
-1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
-1 tbsp lemon juice
-1 tsp vanilla extract

Cupcakes:
-Preheat the oven to 350.
-In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and chai powder
-In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smooth
-Add egg whites slowly, beating well
-Slowly add the flour mixture and buttermilk. Mix until combined
-Add the white chocolate chips and vanilla extract
-Bake 20 minutes

Frosting:
-Mix cream cheese and confectioners' sugar together in medium bowl and beat until soft and light.
-Add lemon and vanilla, and beat until smooth
-Spoon over cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes. Store unfrosted in airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Cupcake Calendar 1/30/08 Superbowl Cupcakes!

I'm glad that both teams had the same colors this year :) I split the batter in half and used blue and red coloring. The recipe says that it makes 1 dozen regular sized cupcakes. For minis, it made over 48.

The cupcake calendar recipes are from 500 Cupcakes by Fergal Conolly

Ricotta Cheesecake Cupcakes
-1 cup graham cracker crumbs
-3 tbsp margarine, melted
-2 tbsp honey
-4 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
-4 eggs
-1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
-1 tsp orange extract (I omitted)
-1/2 cup (3 1/2 ox) walnut halves (I used pecans)

-Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
-In a food processor, combine the cracker crumbs, margarine, and honey. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each cup (about 1 tsp for mini cupcakes), pressing firmly into the bottom. Chill until set.
-In a large bowl, beat the ricotta with an electric mixer until soft. Then beat in the eggs, confectioners' sugar, and orange extract. Fold in the walnuts. Spoon the mixture into the cups.
-Bake for 23 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack. Chill until ready to serve.

Failed Birthday Cake for Mom

So, my birthday present for my mom this year was supposed to be a yummy homemade and beautifully decorated cake. I used the red-wine cupcake recipe I have with raspberry wine. The filling was raspberry preserves mixed with Nutella. Might have tasted good, but as you can see from it falling apart in the picture, the recipe is better suited to stay in cupcake cups.

Besides that, the buttercream just did not turn out, after coloring looked like Slimer from Ghostbusters, and the piping bag for my chocolate frosting broke. It was going to be green with a chocolate basketweave on the sides. The sunflowers on my flourless cupcakes were supposed to go on the cake.

Luckily Safeway makes good cakes!

Cupcake Calendar 1/20/08

These were tasty cupcakes, just the right amount of chocolate and moistness for me. The frosting, however, was too light for me. I need frosting to be more pure whipped cream, or super sweet buttercream :)

The cupcake calendar recipes are from 500 Cupcakes by Fergal Conolly

Ultimate Flourless Choc Cupcakes
For the cupcakes
-1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz) bittersweet chocolate chips
-1 cup (2 sticks) sweet butter
-4 eggs
-4 egg yolks
-1/2 cup superfine sugar
-2 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
-2 tbsp ground almonds (omitted)
-1 tsp vanilla extract

For the frosting (I used the strawberry cream variation listed below)
-2 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder
-4 tbsp confectioners' sugar
-1 1/2 cups heavy cream
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 tsp orange extract (I omitted)
*For strawberry cream frosting: substitute 1 tsp strawberry extract for the vanilla extract (I couldn't find strawberry extract. I kept the vanilla extract, and omitted both the orange and strawberrie extracts) Fold 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries after beating the cream

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place 12 paper baking cups in a muffin pan. Put the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, or medium bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir until completely melted (I melted them together in the microwave). Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, cream the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and thick. Gently fold in the melted chocolate and remaining ingredients.
-Spoon th ebatter into the cups. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cool 5 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack.
-To make the frosting, sift the cocoa and confectioners' sugar together into a medium bowl. Add the cream, vanilla and orange extract. Beat until soft, but the cream should still hold its shape.
-Spoon over the warm cupcakes.
Makes 1 dozen

I made the sunflowers out of royal icing.

Cupcake Calendar 1/16/08

Mmmm muffins with fresh fruit! Unfortunately, I'm not too much of a whole blueberry fan, but I can't wait to make the strawberry and blackberry variations.

The cupcake calendar recipes are from 500 Cupcakes by Fergal Conolly

Blueberry Muffins

-1/2 cup superfine sugar

-1 tbsp grated lemon zest (I omitted)

-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 tbsp baking powder
-2 lightly beaten eggs
-1 cup milk
-1/2 (1 stick) sweet butter melted
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2 cups fresh or thawed frozen blueberries

-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place 12 paper baking cups in a muffin pan.
-In a medium bowl, stir the sugar, lemon zest, flour and baking powder with a spoon. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, butter and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients and stir until the blueberries are just combined. Spoon the batter into the cups.
-Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Serve muffins immediately.
Makes 1 dozen

Cupcake Calendar 1/09/08

My first attempt from my Cupcake-a-day calendar for 2008. I peaked ahead and was really excited about making these ones. I think I overcooked them a little bit, the picture on the calendar showed chocolate oozing from the cupcakes. But the tops especially were still moist and had a brownie texture and taste. It seemed like a lot of ingredients (specifically butter and eggs) for 12 cupcakes, but they came out well, so I'll go with it! It seems to be that way with most of the cupcakes in the calendar.

The cupcake calendar recipes are from 500 Cupcakes by Fergal Conolly

Chocolate Mud Cupcakes

-1 cup (7oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
-1 1/3 cups (2 1/2 sticks) sweet butter
-5 eggs
-2/3 cup superfine sugar (I couldn't find superfine, and just used regular granulated)
-3/4 cup self-rising flower
-2 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder for dusting (I didn't use)

-Preheat the overn to 325. Place 12 paper baking cups in a muffin pan.
-In a double boiler, or a medium bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring well. Leave to cool a little (I melted in the microwave, and think I overdid it a little. Next time I'll only do :30 seconds at a time, instead a minute)
-Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until pale and thick. Fold the flour into the egg mixture and then stir in the melted chocolate and butter until well blended.
-Spoon the mixture into the cups and bake for 20 minutes. The cupcakes will be soft and gooey in texture and appearance (I was a little afraid of the gooey-ness). Remove pan from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes from pan. Serve swiftly, dusted with cocoa powder.

Makes 1 dozen

The directions say to store in the fridge, but they were fine not in the fridge :)




I love the cupcake paper towels I had!

Red Wine Mini-Cupcakes

Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of these like I thought I did. I used the basic Wilton buttercream frosting I usually make, but used purple and red coloring for a burgandy color.

The cupcakes were very moist, perfect consistancy. But I'm not a big red wine drinker (even with chocolate!) Otherwise, pretty good :)

Recipe from http://dulcedoblog.blogspot.com/

I didn't use the glaze listed. I also used Little Penguin Merlot

Red Wine Cupcakes
with Chocolate Glaze and Salted Caramel Dollops

Yield: 30 shallow cakes (I used mini-cupcakes instead)

CupcakesAdapted from Cooking With Wine by Anne Willan, via Bon Appétit October 2001
-2 cups flour
-1 scant cup unsweetened cocoa
-1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 cup unsalted butter, softened
-1 3/4 cup sugar
-2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla
-1 1/4 cups red wine

*Chocolate Glaze
-2 cups (6 ounces) semi or bittersweet chocolate, chopped**
-6 tablespoons unsalted butter
-1/4 cup light corn syrup
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel Dollops
-1 cup cream
-3/4 cup sugar
-1/8 cup water
-Pinch salt
-1 tablespoon butter
-Fleur de sel (sea salt) for garnish

To make the cakes:
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
-In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
-In bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
-Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each.
-Mix in the vanilla extract.
-Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the red wine and beginning and ending with the flour.
-Mix until thoroughly incorporated (because you don't want any white, buttery chunks in your dark batter).
-Bake in your cupcake containers of choice for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
-Let cool in pan for 5 minutes or so, and then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

To make the glaze:
-Heat the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in a small saucepan over very low heat until shiny and smooth.
-Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
-Spoon over cupcakes.

To make the caramel:
-Warm the cream in the microwave or a small saucepan until heated through, but not boiling.
-In a separate pot with very high sides (this is important!), heat the sugar and water over high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
-When the sugar has dissolved, stop stirring and allow the mixture to come to a boil.
-When it reaches a medium brown shade, remove it from the burner. (The mixture will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat, so if you wait to see the dark amber color while it is still on the stove, you will run the risk of burning it.)
-Wearing oven mitts for protection, CAREFULLY and SLOWLY pour in the cream, whisking constantly.
-The cream will cause the mixture to seize and bubble up violently, so don't just dump it all in at once!
-Return the pot to the burner, add in the butter and salt, and continue to whisk over low heat until smooth.
-Allow the caramel to cool and then refrigerate or freeze until it is thick enough to drop by dollops onto the glazed cupcakes.
-Sprinkle with fleur de sel. (Any remaining caramel will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks.)

Pretty Flowers

Just showing off the pretty royal icing flowers I've made. Now I have to stick them on some cakes!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So, along with my resolution to be more organized (if you know me, please stop laughing - I'm going to try!!), I hope to be a little more up to date with this blog. I still have a few more entries from 07 to catch up on first.

I got a daily calendar this year - The Cupcake Calendar. It gives a main recipe one day, then the next few days are variations. One resolution this year is to try a recipe weekly, and post on it. January 1st's recipe was "Spanish Orange Syrup Cupcakes," which sound interesting, but I'm going to see what the next few days hold before I decide what this week's cupcake is. I'm trying hard not to peak ahead! (Today's variation is adding lemon juice to the orange flavor).

Happy new year's everyone! Hope your 2008 is fabulous :-D

New family favorite

I love love love the sweet potato casserole at Damon's, and even more when I order it for dessert with vanilla ice cream. However, trying to save money and not eat out so often, I haven't gotten my fix in a while. But I found this recipe, which is *almost* as good as eating out. In the future, I will chop up the pecans (bought chopped pecans at the store, but they were still too big) and spread the topping more. It didn't quite spread all over like I wanted.

I doubled the recipe, which ended up being too much even for a big family get together. I don't have the source, so I will add that when I find it!


Sweet Potato Casserole
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

PREPARATION:
Combine first 6 ingredients.
Pour into a buttered 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole dish.
Mix remaining ingredients together and sprinkle over top.
Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes, until hot and browned.
Serves 6 to 8.

Cake Decorating

In November, I started the Wilton cake decorating classes through Michael's. I'm really enjoying the classes, and am about to start Course 3 - tiered cakes and fondant :)

Below is my first decorated baked good. I tried writing on it, but I need more practice with that. I might invest in stencils to keep it even.

I didn't keep the cake recipe (I'm not too good with cakes from scratch yet!), but it was a basic white cake recipe found online. I used butterscotch pudding for the filling, and for the frosting, I used Wilton's buttercream recipe:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened I used 1 cup of vegtable shortening and omitted 1/2 cup of butter - Crisco sells premeasured sticks of shortening in 1 cup measurments
1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract I used regular vanilla extract instead of Wilton's clear extract, which didn't change the color
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approx. 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk I used water, which stores better.

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

Black Bottom Mini-Cupcakes

I got this recipe at http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blc96.htm. They were pretty good, and very straightforward to make.

Ingredients
Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg
1/3 cups sugar
Cupcake Batter:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 1 cup)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line mini-muffin tins with paper liners.
In a small bowl, blend cheese, egg and 1/3 cup sugar until smooth. Set aside.
In a nonreactive large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and 1 cup sugar.
Stir in water, vegetable oil, vinegar and vanilla.
Beat until smooth.
Fill paper-lined cups about 1/2 full.
Top each with about a half teaspoon cream cheese mixture.
Press 2 chocolate chips into cream cheese on each cupcake.
Bake in center of oven 14 minutes, or until firm. Cheese filling will still be a bit soft.
Cool completely before serving.

Yield: about 60 mini-cupcakes
For standard cupcakes:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 standard muffin cups with paper liners. Prepare filling and batter as above. Fill paper-lined cups about 1/2 full. Top each with about a tablespoon cream cheese mixture. Press 3 to 4 chocolate chips into cream cheese on each cupcake. Bake in center of oven 25 to 30 minutes, or until firm. Cheese filling will still be a bit soft.
Yield: 24 cups (or cupcakes)
CreditsRecipe revised from an heirloom recipe by: Peggy Trowbridge

(Ignore the pumpkin cake in the background - can't take credit for that!)

Happy Halloween!

Only a few months late, right? :) I made mini-cupcakes for a work Halloween party. I'm in love with mini-cupcakes now!

I used the recipe for Birthday Cupcakes, both the cupcake and frosting recipes. Not too much success looks wise. I also tried to sprinkle after the frosting was set, which obviously didn't work.

For the orange frosted cupcakes, I added cocoa powder to the batter. For the other batch, I added cocoa to the frosting.