Chocolate cupcakes with malted frosting and toasted marshmallow filling

19 Apr 2012 17 Comments

by theregoesthecupcake in Cupcakes, Uncategorized Tags: , , ,

The first time I spotted these cupcakes I knew they would be perfect for a coworker’s birthday. Never did I imagined I would find these to be one of the best cupcakes I have ever had. I am not a chocolate cupcake person, alway been partial to vanilla but something about the combination of malt, chocolate and the marshmallow filling holy cow it was insane seriously like crack,  I was in love. To emphasize even more how good these are, my husband who doesn’t like cupcakes, ate 4, yes not only ate 4 but  did the over the kitchen sink-hope my wife doesn’t see me-because I am stuffing myface-good.  I think it goes without saying, these were an enormous hit at work, in fact people were fighting over them.  I already have two other people who have requested them for their birthdays. I am making them again next week and I am going to try using a malted chocolate cake, I will let you know how that goes. So if you want to be a rock star, bring these to your next party!

Chocolate Cupcakes:

Makes 24

 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

¾ cups cocoa power (extra dark works well)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking power

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs (room temperature is always good)

1 cup strong black coffee (can be hot)

1 cup buttermilk at room temperature

½ cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

 Preheat the oven to 350 F then line your muffin tins with cupcake liners. In your electric mixers bowl sift all the dry ingredients together. Then add all the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes on medium speed. (the plastic guard is good to use to keep the splashing contained). Pour the batter into the cupcakes liners 2/3 full, the batter is liquidly so using an ice cream scoop is easiest.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick come out almost clean. Cool in the pan for five minutes then cool them on a wire rack.

 

 Malted Chocolate Frosting

 ¾ lb butter (3 sticks) at room temperature

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¾ cup Ovaltine or malted powder

6 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped and melted

½ cup whipping cream

 In your stand mixer use your paddle attachment to combine the powered sugar and butter and beat on low speed for about 1 minute. Add the vanilla and malt powder and beat on low until combined. Add the melted chocolate and beat on medium speed until smooth- about 2 minutes. Add whipping cream and beat on medium high speed for another minute. Because this frosting has the whip cream in it I would not make it too far in advance, best to make and frost but it keeps well at room temperature.

 Toasted Marshmallow Filling (crack)

 20 large white marshmallows

½ cup powdered sugar

½  cup unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temperature

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 oz Marshmallow Fluff (Kraft Jet-Puffed marshmallow cream)

Pinch of salt (kosher is best)

 Place the marshmallows on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or SilPad. Broil on a lower rack in the oven until nice and brown- do not step away from the oven; they go from brown to burned very fast. Pull them out of the oven and let cool while you combine the butter and powder sugar in your electric mixer with the paddle attachment on low until blended. Add vanilla and mix on high for 3 minutes. Add marshmallow cream, toasted marshmallows and salt, mix on medium for about a minute. I combined mine a bit more to get the big clumps of marshmallows to combine but that is up to you.

 Now to Assemble:

 I found these cupcakes to be a bit soft and cutting the cone out was difficult, therefore I used an apple corer to cut a hole out of the middle. If you do not have one, you can use the cone method just be gentle.  The marshmallow filling is hard to spoon so use a piping bag or ziplock bag to squeeze some filling into the cupcake hole. You will need a large tip because of the large pieces of marshmallows, if you do not have one, then just cut a hole off the corner of a ziplock bag-they work great. Put in just enough filling to be level with the top of the cupcake. Then swirl the malted chocolate frosting on top, (Ateco #887 works). I topped with chocolate sprinkles and a malt ball. They will last for three days in an air tight container.

 Recipe slightly adapted from: Sweetopolita

Cupcake Battle

06 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment

by theregoesthecupcake in Cupcakes, Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

 

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes ~ BBQ Theme

Last week here at work they had a huge BBQ Rib competition and cupcake battle, people from all over the state came to compete. After some coaxing by my friends and coworkers I entered the cupcake competition clueless as to how I would make my cupcakes BBQ themed. They were even having someone from Sift Cupcakery as one of the judges, if you watch Cupcake Wars, you might remember them. I chose to do my Lemon Blueberry cupcakes because they are delicious and I figured no one else would make blueberry. I will say, we had a lot of fun decorating them, my coworkers and I sat in our office and played with fondant, creating tiny little BBQ items. We ended up coming in second out of twenty-nine which isn’t too bad considering I wasn’t having the best baking Karma the day I made them. The funnier thing is, the winner made smores cupcakes, which I had considered but thought wasn’t original enough! HA. I have to say thank you to my friends, we really had a great time decorating them.

*Please excuse the bad photos, I only had my phone with me.

Grill with Burgers

BBQ Kabobs

BBQ kabob

Fire pit with Marshmallows

Fire pit with Marshmallows

Burger and salad

Burger and salad

Chocolate and Strawberry Cupcakes

11 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment

by theregoesthecupcake in Cupcakes, Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

This post has two recipes I made last year but I felt the ideas where too good not to share and they could both be perfect for Valentine’s  treats.  With Valentine’s day on a  Tuesday this week and the ‘plague’ going through Gattor’s school right now, things have been challenging. But I plan on making some cute sugar cookies tomorrow that I will do my best to share before Tuesday.

One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

Ok, up first a super easy recipe that is great to do with the kids; one bowl chocolate cupcakes. Gattor and I made these one weekend a few months ago because I had promised her we would make some cupcakes, so we whipped them up and took them around the neighborhood to share . I chose to do mini cupcakes just for fun and to make things easier for her to decorate, she did a great job and had a lot of fun. I think these are perfect for those nights when you need a simple but delicious recipe for your kids class the next day.

I was told, "I want pink frosting with sprinkles."

Happy girl.

One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup warm water
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add the eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
  2. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, less if baking mini muffins (check them after 12), rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Recipe from: Martha Stewart Cupcakes

I made a simple American style vanilla buttercream. This is a very easy but very good recipe, the use of vanilla bean paste is what really makes it special but if you don’t have any that is OK, just be sure to pick some up the next time you are out. :)

Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar (add more until it reaches your preferred consistency)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (add more to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon milk (you can also use heavy cream-yum)

Directions

Mix together sugar and butter until they are blended and creamed. Add in the  vanilla bean paste and milk and continue to beat for another minute. If you have not reached your desired consistency sift in more confectioners’ sugar to make it stiffer.
Recipe from: The Cupcake Project

Strawberry cupcakes with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I made these cupcakes during the summer when strawberries were in season but you could easily use frozen with great results. I absolutely love this cake recipe and I have made it many times and everyone always loves it. Now the cake is great but the frosting, well that is another story entirely, in fact it really deserves its own post! It is one of the best frosting’s I have ever had and its pink, what could be better than that! The use of strawberry puree in the frosting is what makes it for me, it tastes so fresh and delicious, nothing fake or sugary about it. If this frosting seems intimidating, don’t worry, it really is reliable with some patience.

I have posted the recipe for the cake here.  You will need to adjust the cooking time, about 20 minutes for the cupcakes, this recipe also make a lot of cupcakes, about 36.

Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Adapted from:  Martha Stewart Cupcakes

Yield Makes about 5 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups strawberries (about 8 oz)
  • 5 large egg whites
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Puree the strawberries until smooth and set aside.
  2. Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips or gets to 140 degrees F ).
  3. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes. Set your timer, it makes life much simpler.
  4. With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. If for some reason your frosting now resembles curdled milk, don’t freak out, just keep beating it; it will come back I promise. Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla and the strawberry puree. Switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. Keep butter cream at room temperature if using the same day. This frosting can be made ahead and refrigerated, if you do that, make sure you let it get to room temp before you re-beat it. If you are using the next day, simply take it out the refrigerator the night before and let it sit on the counter, it will be the perfect temperature to whip the next morning.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

26 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment

by theregoesthecupcake in Cupcakes, Uncategorized Tags: , ,

 

Every year when September 1st rolls around I know our Starbucks budget is going to go through the roof. My husband and I are huge fans of their Pumpkin Spice Latte. And when I saw these cupcakes I was intrigued, they looked very good. Then when asking my office mate what kind of cupcake she wanted for her birthday I threw this one into the mix. She is also a big fan of the latte at Starbucks, so it seemed the perfect match.

These cupcakes are very good, they are very moist due to the pumpkin and the additional coffee added. I feel they are a little more muffin-like than a traditional cupcake but spice cake is often that way, even so they were pretty light and not too sweet. The whip cream topping is also barely sweet, so if you like your whip cream on the sweeter side I would test that as you make it. I know the traditional PSL’s at Starbucks do not have a drizzle of caramel sauce but I think it finishes the cupcakes nicely so I included it. Overall these were a big hit, my coworker loved them and everyone else who tried them did as well.  Some could really taste the coffee flavor and some couldn’t, for me it was there just enough but not overpowering. If you are looking for something a little different and not too sweet these are a lot of fun.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes:

From: Annie’s Eats

Makes just over 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. espresso powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground allspice                                                                                                               

1 tsp. salt
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree *( I used homemade)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 large eggs
½ cup coffee or espresso, for brushing

For the whipped cream:
2¼ cups heavy cream, chilled
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar (add more if you like your whip cream sweeter)

For garnish:
Ground cinnamon ( I used Pumpkin Pie spice)
Caramel sauce

 Directions: Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line your cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine flour, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside. In your electric mixer’s bowl, blend together the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar and oil. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. With the mixer on low-speed add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing until just incorporated.

 Fill the cupcake liners ¾ full. Bake until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick come out clean, about 18-20 minutes. After about 10 minutes remove the cupcakes from the pan and place on a wire rack, brush with the coffee or espresso several times to get it really soaked in. Then let them cool completely.

  To make the whip cream, place your mixer bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes. Then with the Wisk attachment, whip the cream on medium-low speed to start and gradually increase to high-speed. Sprinkle in the confectioners’ sugar gradually. Whip to stiff peaks.

  Assembly: Put the whip cream carefully into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and frost the cupcakes. Sprinkle with the pumpkin pie spice and drizzle with caramel sauce. These will need to be stored in the refrigerator because of the whip cream.

 *Pumpkin Puree:

 To make your own pumpkin puree (and yes its worth it) you want to buy the small “Sugar” or “Pumpkin Pie” pumpkins. You cut off their tops and then cut in half and remove the seeds. You then place them on a baking sheet and bake them for 45 minutes at 350 F. Once they have cooled, peel off the skin and cut into chunks. Then place them in your food processor and puree. I found I needed to add quite a bit of water but that will depend on your pumpkins, just be sure to add a tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you want.  You can use it immediately; store it in the fridge or the freezer. For more information and pictures check out the Pioneer woman’s site.

Baby Shower Cupcakes

20 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment

by theregoesthecupcake in Cupcakes, Uncategorized Tags: , ,

When my best friend got pregnant I was beyond excited for her.  They have wanted a baby for a long time and its been a somewhat painful and trying few years but they hung in there and now have a beautiful baby girl set to arrive early next month.  Everything has gone wonderfully throughout the pregnancy and mom is a glowing beauty filled with love and excitement as she waits to meet her baby. She jokes that they should have their hands full if the baby is in any way as active (and rather opinionated) as she has been during this pregnancy. I cannot think of two people who will be better parents and I am looking forward to watching them experience the joyfulness of parenthood. Nothing can prepare someone for the feelings and bond you share for your child, I think for me that was the best surprise. These final weeks I will be anxiously waiting for the phone call in excited anticipation of meeting their new baby girl. I know I sound a bit like a gushy ding-dong which is not normally my style but I know how much being a mom has meant to me, in ways I never expected and I  just so happy she gets to experience it too.

The shower itself was a tremendous success and a lot of fun. The cupcakes turned out very cute and it was one those times I felt the cake was cooked perfectly. That is not always easy to achieve with cupcakes,  perfection can be lost in just one extra minute.  For the cupcakes mommy to be chose a red velvet with cream cheese frosting and a vanilla cupcake filled with blackberry curd and a mascapone blackberry frosting. YUM, is all I can say. They were very good.

Recipes:

Triple Vanilla Cupcakes

Makes 20-24 cupcakes

By: Cupcake Bakeshop

  •  ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 2/3 cups vanilla sugar*
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 2 2/3 cups flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped out

In a medium bowl, measure out flour, baking powder and salt, whisk to combine.

Measure out the milk and vanilla, stir to combine. In your electric mixer, beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about three minutes.

Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add half of the milk mixture and beat to combine, continuing alternating between dry and wet finishing out with the dry. Beat to combine but don’t go crazy and mix it too much. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 2/3 full. Bake the cupcakes for about 22-25 minutes or until they spring back when touched or your cake tester comes out clean.

This blackberry curd is pure heaven, I cannot think of what it wouldn’t taste good on and the best part, you can use frozen berries so it’s a treat for any time of year.

Black berry curd

Adapted from:  Use Read Butter 

  • 4 cups of blackberries, fresh or frozen-thawed
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tsp orange zest (I have used lemon too and it’s just as good)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 ounces of butter
  • 4 tablespoons of cornstarch
  • 4 tablespoons of water

Puree blackberries in a food processor and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Put the blackberry puree, water and zest into a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in 1 cup of sugar and 2 ounces of butter. Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. While whisking the berry mixture, pour the cornstarch into the pan. Keep stirring until thick and bubbly and stir for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool with a piece of plastic wrap over the top. You can at this point put it in another container to cool, I always press plastic wrap directly onto the curd even in a Tupperware container.  

Blackberry Mascarpone Cream Frosting:

Adapted from: Not So Humble Pie 

  • 1 pound mascarpone cheese
  • 2/3 cup of blackberry curd
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 7 tablespoons sugar 

Beat the sugar and cream to soft peaks in your mixer, gently transfer to another bowl. Combine the mascarpone and blackberry curd in the mixer bowl and mix. Then add the cream to the mascarpone mixture. Gently fold to combine until no more streaks remain.  

Assembly: Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, cut a cone shaped piece out of the center of the cupcake; place a spoonful of blackberry curd in the hole and place the top back on. (You may need to trim the point of the cone for it to fit back on- oh darn, scraps to eat!)  Then place your frosting in a piping bag and pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake.  

 

So far I have always used this recipe for red velvet, there must be a million variations out there but I have had such good consistent results with this one I have never tried another.

Red Velvet cupcakes

Taken directly from: Martha Stewart cupcakes

Yield Makes 24

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self- rising), sifted
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon red gel-paste food color (or an entire 1.5 oz bottle of liquid)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.
  2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in food color and vanilla.
  3. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds-do not skip this step, it important!
  4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each two-thirds 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 completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

 

This is my go-to cream cheese recipe, it has wonderful flavor and holds up beautifully for piping swirls.  

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

By: Cupcake Bakeshop

  • 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¼ vanilla bean, seeds scraped out*
  • 4-5 cups powdered sugar (sifted)

With an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy.

Add the cream cheese and beat until combined

Add the vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, and 3 cups of powder sugar and start on low speed, scraping down side of the bowl as needed and work your way up to medium speed again until light and fluffy. Add more powder sugar until you get the consistency you need, more is better if you are piping cupcakes. Place frosting in a pastry bag with the tip of your choice and pipe onto the cupcakes, you can be generous with this recipe. 

 

 *Make sure you take this empty pod and put it in your vanilla sugar container, which is something everyone should have!  :) see…Love for vanilla beans.

On another note, I have to apologize for my lack of posts this summer. I have made and photographed tons of food but had very little time to put it together on here.  I have had a summer filled with weddings and baking and I am looking forward to things slowing down this fall. I have many, many things to share with everyone, so I am hoping for a fall full of new posts.

Chocolate x3

05 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment

by theregoesthecupcake in Cupcakes, Uncategorized Tags:

With another birthday at work comes another request, this one however was for all chocolate. What could be more fun than trying to come up with three ways to put chocolate together? And why stop there, if you get exact, there is actually 4 ways chocolate is used in these. You have my go to devils food cupcake which is filled with chocolate pastry cream, then topped with rich creamy Chocolate Swiss Meringue butter cream then sprinkled with a white chocolate drizzle. Well, that was the plan, then I went a little bonkers with the white chocolate shavings and chocolate sprinkles. I am not usually a chocolate cupcake girl, I will almost always choose a vanilla cupcake over chocolate and chocolate frosting has never been something I was fond of. This frosting however changed all that, I really, really liked it. Its not too rich, not too chocolaty, its smooth and creamy and light. (That is light on taste not calories!)

And again, these were night photos, I tried using a halogen light and instead of super yellow they now look freakishly psychedelic. That is probably why its taken me so long to post these cupcakes and they deserve better, they were delicious.

Recipes:

Devils Food chocolate cupcakes- this is my go -to recipe for chocolate cupcakes

Chocolate Pastry Cream:

Recipe from: Carroll Pellegrinelli

Ingredients:

  • 2-1/4 cups milk
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2/3 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
  • 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted

Preparation:

Boil 2 cups of milk. Beat yolks with sugar and remaining milk. Whisk until smooth. Add cornstarch and flour until combined. Gradually whisk hot milk into egg mixture (take your time with this step, drizzle very slowly). Return to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils and thickens. Reduce to low and stir for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and melted chocolates. Pour into a shallow disk. Cover with plastic wrap. (Make sure wrap touches surface to prevent a skim from forming.) Cool to room temperature  (you can put it in an ice bath to speed this up). Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Makes approximately 3 cups.

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

From Martha Stewart Cupcakes

  • Yield Makes about 5 cups

Ingredients

  • 4 ½ ounces semisweet chocolate
  • 5 large egg whites
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Melt  4 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate, let it sit until cooled. (It should be cool by the time you need to add it in step 3.
  2. Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips or gets to 140 degrees F ).
  3. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes. Set your timer, it makes life much simpler.
  4. With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. If for some reason your frosting now resembles curdled milk, don’t freak out, just keep beating it; it will come back I promise. Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla and cooled melted chocolate. Switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. Keep butter cream at room temperature if using the same day. This frosting can be made ahead and refrigerated, if you do that, make sure you let it get to room temp before you re-beat it. If you are using the next day, simply take it out the refrigerator the night before and let it sit on the counter, it will be the perfect temperature to whip the next morning.

White chocolate drizzle: simply melt some white chocolate in a bowl in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time until melted. Then put the melted chocolate in a pastry bag (or Ziploc baggie- cut a tiny hole in the corner) and drizzle on assembled cupcakes.

Assembly: Cut a cone shaped hole out of  the center of each cupcake and put a fair amount of pastry cream in. Replace the tops to cover the cream (you may have to trim the cones). Then swirl the buttercream frosting on top and add your white chocolate drizzle and shaved chocolate. I added some pastry cream to the tops of some of the cupcakes because I had a bit left over and it looked cool. Have fun with it.

Cones placed back on-ready for frosting.

Lemon Blueberry cupcakes

16 May 2011 105 Comments

by theregoesthecupcake in Cupcakes, Uncategorized Tags: , , ,

My BFF wanted something light and fresh for her birthday, this recipe looked fabulous and tasted even better. The combination of lemon and blueberries is very good not to mention biting into creamy lemon curd inside the cupcake. The recipe I used called for a lemon butter cream but I knew I wanted to use either a cream cheese or my favorite mascarpone frosting. After contemplating, I decided on the mascarpone, it really is delicious and so rich and creamy. I tweaked it a little bit to get a stiffer texture and it came out perfect. These cupcakes are as close to perfection as I have ever made.

If you can, take the time to make your own lemon curd it is really worth it. Filled cupcakes have really become my favorites and now I cannot imagine making cupcakes without.

Recipe:

Adapted from Sweetopolita

Lemon-Blueberry Cake

Ingredients

2 cups plus 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups white sugar

4 large eggs

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare muffin tin with cupcake papers.  Sift dry ingredients into medium bowl. Transfer 1 tablespoon flour mixture to larger bowl. Add fresh blueberries and toss to coat them with flour. Set remaining flour mixture and blueberries aside.

Stir whole milk, sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon extract and lemon zest in small bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar, until pale yellow and very fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, until well combined. Mix in flour mixture alternately with milk mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Divide batter equally among cupcake cups.

Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center of a couple cupcakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pans on racks for about 10 minutes, then put onto racks until completely cool. Makes 24-26 cupcakes.

Adapted from: Not So Humble Pie

Update: If you would like your cupcakes generously filled double this recipe.

Lemon Curd
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup lemon juice
zest of one large lemon ( I used 2)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks

Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat.  Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and zest.

Mix together the sugar, salt and cornstarch and add it to the pan.  Whisk in the egg yolks until smooth and return to heat. Cook over medium-low heat for roughly 10 minutes until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil.

Once thickened, strain the mixture though a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Allow to chill in the refrigerator completely before using.

Lemon Mascarpone Frosting:

adapted from: Not So Humble Pie

Lemon Mascarpone Cream Frosting

1 pound mascarpone cheese
2/3 cup lemon curd
2 cups heavy cream
7Tb sugar

Beat the sugar and cream to soft peaks in your mixer.

Combine the mascarpone and lemon curd in a separate bowl and mix. Add the cream to the mascarpone mixture. Gently fold to combine, take your time and be gentle. If the mixture is overworked it can separate or look grainy. To fix this add several tablespoons of heavy cream and mix with the spatula until smooth again.

Assembly: First measure out the 2/3 cup of lemon curd for the frosting and set aside. After the cupcakes are finished cooling, cut a cone shape out of the middle and remove the tops and put a tablespoon or so of lemon curd in the whole. Then place the tops back on (you may have to trim the cone a bit to get it to fit). I piped on the frosting with a large star tip but you could put it on however you like. Garnish with a washed and dried blueberry and yellow jimmys.

**Silly note: what you don’t see in all of these pictures, because I edited out the fingers, is Gattor, her face was about six inches from the cupcakes at all times. She came outside with me while I took the photos and was acting like a rabid beast trying to get her hand on the cupcakes. She kept playing with the blueberries, constantly asking me if I was done, she still doesn’t understand why mommy is always taking pictures of the food. I had promised her one and she almost fell apart when I cut one of them to show the inside. I assured her she could have the “un damaged” one and she was happy.

Baptism cupcakes

15 Apr 2011 2 Comments

by theregoesthecupcake in Cupcakes Tags: , ,

 

Gumpaste flowers

One of my best friend’s was having a baptism for her adorable baby girl and I offered to make cupcakes. I just knew I wanted something feminine and pretty. We decided on lavender as the theme color and we enjoyed a Friday night creating these. They turned out better than I expected, we could not find the flower cutout I wanted anywhere in town so we had to settle for one I already had. But, we made it work and had a lot of fun with the gum-paste and disco dust. My friend also got to create her first cupcake tower, it turned out so cute and the sparkle ribbon I couldn’t resist at the store looked wonderful.

For the cupcake flavors, I did a limonchello cupcake, with a lemon curd filling and limonchello cream cheese frosting and a chocolate cupcake with raspberry filling and a Swiss meringue butter-cream frosting. I will say this will be the last time I use this chocolate recipe, they just don’t hold up well to being cupcakes and they puff up so much in the oven its hard not to get an ugly “muffin top” on the cupcakes. They taste fabulous but just are not sturdy enough for cupcake production. They also make a lot of cupcakes, which is not necessarily a bad thing but no normal batch of frosting will cover them all so I had to make a half batch of chocolate cream cheese frosting to get them all covered.  I also  ran into another problem with the lemon cupcakes, the recipe only makes 12 cupcakes, which is fine but the amount of lemon curd was not nearly enough for all 12 in my opinion, therefore I have doubled the recipe below so you do not encounter the same problem. Also, the frosting recipe makes just barely enough (for my frosting taste), so it really would not hurt to do a double batch if you would like a little more frosting on top. As for the Limonchello, again not to diss this recipe but I would not go out and spend $25 on a bottle just for these cupcakes, I would use a lemon extract instead. I added a touch of lemon juice in my frosting to add more flavor, I have noted that below as well.

Limoncello Cupcakes:

Recipe adapted from: Brown eyed Baker

For the cupcakes: (makes 12 cupcakes)

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 ounces (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons limoncello
½ cup buttermilk
¼ cup lemon juice
Zest of one lemon

For the Lemon Curd:

Zest of 4 lemons
1 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs + 2 egg yolks

 For the cream cheese/limoncello frosting:

2 ounces (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon limoncello

1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

  1.  Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 F with the rack in the center of the oven. In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients and whisk together, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer add butter, cream cheese and sugar and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and creamy, (about 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the limoncello and beat and additional minute. On low-speed add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternatively,beginning and ending with the flower mixture (so, flower-buttermilk, flower-buttermilk-flower).  Add the lemon juice and zest and mix on low-speed just until incorporated. Divide batter between 12 muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until your inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
  2.  Lemon curd: In a heavy medium saucepan, stir together the lemon zest, juice and sugar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks. Whisk the lemon mixture into the eggs to temper them (start with a very small stream and whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling-take your time). Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium heat, whisking constantly until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat (at this point you can strain the it through a fine mesh strainer if you are concerned some of the egg might have scrambled-its a safe way to eliminate that concern). Cool completely.
  3. Cream cheese/limoncello frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed with the paddle attachment until light and creamy (about 3 minutes). Add the limoncello and lemon juice and beat for an additional minute. reduce speed to low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
  4. Assemble the cupcakes: Cut a hole (cone shaped) into each cupcake with a small pairing knife. Fill each hole with the lemon curd and then replace the top (you may have to trim the pointy part of the cone to fit it back on). Frost the cupcake however you like, either with a pastry bag and star tip or use an off set spatula to smooth it on top. Decorate however you like.

 

Other:

I plan on having another post about making gumpaste flowers next month.

Swiss Meringue butter cream

Chocolate cream cheese frosting

Cupcake tower directions

  

Pretty cupcake tower

Chocolate Caramel Coconut Pecan Cupcakes

14 Mar 2011 7 Comments

by theregoesthecupcake in Cupcakes Tags:

First off let me please apologize for the photos, it was 11pm and I have yet to invest in some lighting, so unfortunately they have a terrible yellow cast to them. On top of that I completely spaced cutting one in half so you could see the inside. With that out-of-the-way…

For my friend Jane’s birthday I told her to design her perfect cupcake and I think she did a fabulous job. She wanted caramel with pecans and coconut. We decided on a chocolate cupcake leaning towards a German chocolate type idea. I was browsing some blogs and came across a post for creating your own bakers coconut. I think it made a huge difference and the taste was fabulous. My husband who does not like coconut was eating it out of the pan while it toasted, so I can assure you its worth the extra work. I made my favorite salted caramel cream cheese frosting from my go to caramel recipe. The filling was wonderful too, toasted pecans, toasted coconut and caramel.  The chocolate cake was very good as well, light and moist.Overall these cupcakes were a huge hit. I took some extra time to decorate them, having fun with different ways to arrange them. Don’t let the multiple steps discourage you from making these, they are well worth it and the process was half the fun! I am going to put the coconut recipe in a separate post, so stay tuned.

Caramel coconut filling with caramel cream cheese frosting.

Yield: approx 36 cupcakes

Chocolate Cake:

  • 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tbsp instant espresso powder
  • 2 1/4 cups dark brown sugar (packed)
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups cake flower
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sour cream

Filling

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
  • 1 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted

For the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 36 cupcake slots with cupcake papers.  Combine chocolate, 1 cup water and espresso powder in heavy small saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Cool completely, stirring occasionally.

Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add chocolate mixture and vanilla and beat until blended. Sift four, baking soda, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with sour cream in 3 additions, beginning with dry ingredients and beating well after each addition.

Fill cupcake liners no more than 2/3 full;  1/2 full would work too just know you will make more than 36, do not do as I did and fill them 3/4 full, they will make a large muffin top which is very delicate and breaks when you try to move and frost them. Cool completely. They are super fragile cupcakes, so be very careful when removing them from the pans.

For filling:
Combine sugar and 1/4 cup water in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until syrup turns a light amber, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush ( I rarely do this) and swirling occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Carefully add cream (mixture will bubble ). Place pan over medium low heat and stir until caramel bits melt, about 5 minutes. Stir in coconut and 1 cup pecans. Cool filling until it thickens, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.

Assembly: After the cupcakes have cooled take a pairing knife and cut out a cone-shaped chunk out of the middle of the cupcake. Take a tablespoon of filling and fill the hole, replace the top. (you may have to trim a little off the bottom of the top if the filling is very full).  Make the frosting, fill a piping bag with a large tip of your choice and pipe frosting. Decorate with coconut and any left over caramel and filling. Have fun!

Recipe adapted from Epicurious
Frosting

 

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Cupcakes three ways

 

Chocolate cupcakes with Salted peanut caramel.

16 Nov 2010 2 Comments

by theregoesthecupcake in Cupcakes Tags:

I came upon a recipe for some peanut butter cookies topped with a salted peanut caramel and I could not get it out of my head. But as usual, I had to find a way to put this in a cupcake, since I had to bring some to a housewarming party. Not too difficult of a task but the caramel did prove a bit fussy, although when the instructions say to pay attention at a certain stage, one should not be off helping their two year old pick a movie to watch. I also read to pull the caramel off the heat a bit lighter than the amber color it suggested and that worked very well. The sauce calls for peanuts which I did use for the cupcake filling but I didn’t want peanuts in my frosting so I put aside a cup of the caramel before adding the peanuts.

I made my simple doctored up box chocolate cupcakes because I had very little time but any chocolate recipe would work here. I filled the cupcakes with the caramel using the cone method. I then topped them with a caramel cream cheese frosting and a tiny drizzle of caramel for effect. These are good, very good. Next time I would double the batch of caramel, and I have reflected that in the directions. Keep in mind, you need to use a big enough pot to make the caramel (even Dutch oven size), especially if you are going to double as I suggest. When you add the warm cream it will froth up and if you do not have a large enough pot it could be a scary disaster, so error on the side of bigger.

Chocolate cupcakes with salted peanut caramel.
24 chocolate cupcakes

Salted peanut caramel
Adapted from: Dave Lebovitz

(Recipe is doubled)

1 cup water
2 cups granulated sugar
2 TBSP light corn syrup
¼ TSP coarse salt (I used sea salt)
2 cups heavy cream
1 TBSP vanilla extract
¾ cup finely chopped roasted salted peanuts (if you want peanuts in your frosting double that amount)

First put your cream in a microwave safe dish or saucepan and warm it up, then set aside. Put the water, sugar, corn syrup and salt in a large sauce pan on med-high heat. Stir the mixture until all the sugar dissolves, at that point stop stirring and allow to boil. (At this point don’t abandon your sugar, keep a close eye on it, although it does take around 7-10 minutes). Swirl the pan every so often to ensure it heats evenly, especially once you start to see some color. Now once you start to see color, it happens fast so be ready with your warm cream. Once the color turns a LIGHT brown (I found it was easiest to see the true color with the pan tilted slightly), pull it off the heat and slowly add the cream while whisking the caramel. It will froth and foam up but it will receded quickly, keep stirring until it settles down, then add the vanilla. Set the mixture aside to cool.

Once the caramel has cooled enough to pour safely, measure out a cup (this will be for the frosting) and set aside, I suggest putting this in the fridge for a while because you want it to be cold when you add it to your frosting). Then add the peanuts to the remaining caramel in the pan. Let it sit until it has thickened (30 min) or put it in the fridge to speed it up. Once it has thickened and cooled put a tablespoon or more into each cupcake. And try not to eat it all while you are doing it! If this process make you nervous or you just want more pictures and information, check out the links provided below. If you want to drizzle some caramel over the cupcakes set aside another 2 tbsp or so, put it in a plastic zip lock and snip off the courner to drizzle over the finished cupcake. If you want the peanuts on top simply use a spoon to drizzle and be sure to set aside the caramel with the peanuts already mixed in.

Salted Caramel frosting:
Adapted from: Chockylit

2 sticks of butter at room temperature
8 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature
5-6 cups of powdered sugar
1 cup salted caramel

Beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until creamy. Sift in 3 cups of the powder sugar and beat till combined. Add the cup of salted caramel sauce and beat till combined. Sift in the rest of the powder sugar 1 cup at a time until it is the consistency you like. I used 6 cups total and then cooled it in the fridge for 10 minutes before piping it on the cupcakes. This makes enough frosting to generously frost 24 cupcakes.

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/12/peanut-butter-cookies-with-salte-1/

http://cupcakeblog.com/?p=91

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