Chocolate mint cupcakes

I just made French toast cupcakes yesterday but to more is jimmys birthday sooooo I needed to bake more cupcakes, new cupcakes... Some,thing different. A look through my cabinets and a little cupcake wars inspiration and I decided on tiramisu which I don't have all the ingredients so, oddly I decided on an Andes mint inspired cupcake. Random story, I know. 

Chocolate mint cupcake 

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup boiling water

Directions:

Add all dry ingredients into mixer and combine well. In a separate bowl combine all wet ingredients except for the water, mix well. Pour wet ingredients into dry and beat for three minutes. Add boiling water and combine. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and teaspoon of sugar, mix. Pour into a prepared cupcake tin with liners. Bake at 350 for 23 minutes. Cool and then frost.

Frosting

One stick of room temperature butter, 

One to two cups of powdered sugar

One teaspoon vanilla extract

One teaspoon peppermint extract

2 tablespoons water

Chocolate whiskey cupcakes

Sunday I was off from work and my plans were cancelled so after watching copious amounts of anime, I decided to do something productive and make something yummy. I made bread pudding and ziti. Unfortunately I have leftover whiskey sauce from my bread pudding, so I decided to use the sauce instead of sticking it in the fridge and being forgotten. Desert crossover! Leftover whiskey sauce is now becoming my filling for Chocolate whiskey cupcakes. (curious about the bread pudding or ziti, ask me.)

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 cup flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup whiskey (approximate)

 

 Whiskey sauce filling

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup whip cream

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tbsp. butter (I used earth balance, soy free butter)

1 tbsp. corn starch

1 tsp. vanilla extract

 

Combine sugar, cream, spices and butter in a saucepan and bring to gentle boil.

When the butter is melted, on the side add the whiskey, corn starch and vanilla together in a small bowl and then add the saucepan. Slowly whisk mixture.

 

 

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°. Prepare cupcake tin with liners or grease with spray.

2. Combine soy milk and apple cider vinegar and let it sit. After a few minutes, it should start to curdle.

3. Beat in the sugar, oil, and vanilla and almond extracts.

4. Slowly sift in all of your dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, baking powder. (ignoring the salt is ok...)

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick can come out of the center clean.

Optional

Before the cupcakes cool brush whiskey over each cupcake.

 

Whiskey Buttercream Frosting

 

2 cups powdered sugar

1 stick of butter  (I used the equivalent amount of a stick of earth balance soy free butter)

1 tbsp. soy milk

2 tbsp. whiskey

1 tsp vanilla

 

Cream butter. Add the powdered sugar gradually. Add the soy milk. Add the vanilla. add more powdered sugar. Add the whiskey.

 

**Please note: Cupcake and frosting recipe are vegan, but filling is not (it has cream in it).

 

 

Cupcake recipe adapted from Kindofalotocupcakes.blogspot.com

whiskey sauce adapted from about.com , Southern food

Caldron Cupcakes

Cauldron Cakes
 

Another Harry potter treat! 

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups white sugar 2 eggs 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
2.	In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
3.	Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Frost with your favorite frosting when cool.

Chocolate Glaze
6 ounces (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips 
4 tablespoons butter

In a double boiler, melt together the chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. Glaze will be relatively thick. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes before use. If chocolate thickens too much, return to heat and stir until smooth and melted once more.

I recommend making two batches of this glaze, using half a cup of chips each time so that you don't lose the consistency of the chocolate. When glazing for the top of the caldron, you want the glaze to be warm still.

Marshmallow Filling
1 cup Marshmallow Fluff (or prepared marshmallow cream)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (this can be left out and it will still taste good)
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, beat together the marshmallow fluff, shortening, sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.

To assemble
Using a cupcake corer or sharp knife, cut out a cavity in the bottom of the cupcake. When using a knife, I run it in a circular motion around the cupcake, while always pointing the knife towards the center (this will make the cavity cone shaped).
Dip the top of the cupcake into the chocolate glaze. Flip the cupcakes right side up and let rest until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes. To speed up the process, place cupcakes in the refrigerator.
To make the cauldron feet, take 3 chocolate chips and form a small triangle, placing each chocolate chip roughly an inch from the others. Place the top of a cupcake onto the chocolate chips and push down ever so slightly so the chocolate chips will stick into the chocolate glaze. Repeat for the rest of the cupcakes.
Place remaining chocolate glaze into a piping bag and pipe a chocolate rim around the edge of the opening to the cauldron. If chocolate is too thick to pipe, heat chocolate glaze up until warm and allow to sit until glaze thickens slightly. If chocolate glaze is too runny to pipe, wait a few minutes until the glaze thickens to a pipe-able consistency. Alternatively, you could use a knife to spread the glaze around the edge of the cupcake.
Fill a pastry bag with marshmallow filling and pipe into the cavity of the cupcakes. Garnish the top with edible gold glitter.

To make cauldron handle, melt the remaining chocolate chips, stir until smooth, and place into a pastry bag. You don't need a special tip for this step; I simply cut off the very end of the pastry bag which was sufficient. On a non-stick mat or wax paper, pipe out the handles. Let the chocolate set until hardened, approximately 30 minutes, before very carefully peeling off of the non-stick surface and placing into the top of each cupcake.

recipes adapted from Pastry Affair and allrecipes.com

Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes

Here is a cupcake that I made for my mother in laws gathering for Fourth of July.

 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 Tb cocoa powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 6 large egg whites at room temperature*
• 2 1/2 Tb warm water
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
Topping
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 6 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, plus more for dusting (optional)**
• Fresh strawberries, raspberries or blueberries, or chocolate covered berries

 

 

 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a food processor, pulse sugar until super fine, about 2 minutes (if you don't have a food processor caster sugar should also work). In a mixing bowl, sift together the sugar, the flour, cocoa powder and the salt. (I ignored the salt, but left it in the ingredients in case you wanted to follow directions, I avoid salt when I can though).
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg whites, water, vanilla extract and cream of tartar until well combined, about 2 minutes. Switch to a hand mixer and whip mixture on medium speed while slowly adding 1 tablespoon of sugar to mixture, until medium peaks form. Sift or sprinkle just enough of the flour mixture in to evenly dust the top of the egg white mixture and using a spatula gently fold flour layer into egg white mixture and continue this process until all of the flour mixture has been incorporated (I did this by using a 1/4 cup measuring cup and gently sprinkling until the egg whites mixture was covered).
• Divide batter among paper lined muffin cups, filling each cup nearly full. Bake in preheated oven 18 - 20 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely then spread Chocolate Cream Cheese Whipped Cream over cupcakes just before serving, dust with cocoa if desired and top with fresh fruit.

For the Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Topping:

• In a mixing bowl whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.
• In a separate mixing bowl, whip cream cheese until light and fluffy. Mix in cocoa powder.
• Combine whip cream into cream cheese mixture and whip again.
• Spread on cooled cupcakes or use a piping bag to apply topping.

Optional sprinkles and blueberries...possibly strawberries next time ;-)

 

Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy.

 

 

Chocolate cupcakes

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 cup sugar

• 3 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• Easy White Icing

• Sprinkles (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. STEP 1

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.

2. STEP 2

   Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.

3. STEP 3

   Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

4. STEP 4

   Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool .

   
   

   Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (from Glorious Treats)
   1/2 cup butter ( in room temperature
   8oz cream cheese
   1 teaspoon vanilla
   1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
   4 cups powdered sugar
   1 to 4 teaspoons heavy whipped cream
   
   
   Strawberry whipped cream filling
   1 cup heavy whipped cream
   1/3 cup sugar
   1 tsp vanilla
   5 to 6 T crushed strawberries
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Frosting and filling Recipe from Tidy Mom 
   Cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart
   
   

Chocolate merlot cupcakes with buttercream frosting

After dinner, I felt like I needed a little chocolate, so I researched a bit and found this recipe for chocolate merlot cupcakes from "life tastes like food" blog that I modified a bit.

3/4 Cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 Cups sugar
4 Eggs
1 Cup Merlot
2 1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 Ounces dark chocolate, melted
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line two 12-cup cupcake pans with cupcake baking cups*. Cream the butter and sugar together, then mix in the eggs one at a time until everything is incorporated. Then add the Merlot. In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the dry ingredients together and then slowly add to the butter mixture. Mix in the melted chocolate. Pour batter into the cups, filling them about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Makes around 20 cupcakes.


My bottle of red ran dry before I reached the one cup mark, so it will taste a little less boozy. I know! Sad right? Whatcha gonna do? Run out and buy another bottle of the same brand? Thought about it....I happened to have two new bottles waiting for me in my trunk that I almost forgot about ( or rather was too lazy to go back outside and get them).
You can also use whatever butter you have in the house, salted or un-salted. Both ways the recipe will taste good.
If you use less amount chocolate in your batter, for example 4 oz of 60%cocoa bittersweet ghiradelli your cupcakes will come out lighter in color but still very tasty.




Almond buttercream frosting


Ingredients :

1 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup softened butter ( make sure it's softened and not melted. Should be room temperature and feel like its gonna squish if you touch the package too hard)
1/2 tablespoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon water

Cream butter in mixer with paddle attachment for two minutes. Add confectioners sugar one cup at a time until incorporated. Add almond extract. Add vanilla extract. Add water.

Half way through spreading my frosting, I decided to make it chocolate based and added a tablespoon of cocoa powder and a tablespoon of water until it have the consistency of a mousse.

Makes 19 ( if you over fill the cups like I do). Ideally if you fill your cups 3/4 of the way full it should make 24, but who wants tiny cupcakes?

Enjoy!

Cookie dough frosting

Chocolate cupcakes with cookie dough frosting

The other day I really wanted something sweet to eat so I looked around the kitchen for something good and found a box of vanilla cake mix.
So I decided to make some chocolate cupcakes by adding two tablespoons of cocoa powder.
While I waited for those to bake, I found an awesome recipe for cookie dough batter icing. I originally wanted to bake a half baked cookie into the cupcake, but I was feeling lazy and just made frosting.
This recipe will frost 12 cupcakes, with a little left over to like the bowl and have a spoonful.


Cookie Dough Frosting
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup + 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar (or dark brown)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons milk (I used vanilla almond milk, but soy or regular would be fine)
1 and 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
With an electric or stand mixer using a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar at medium speed. Add the vanilla and beat well. Stir in the flour and salt until doughy. Beat in the milk until fluffy. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Frost cooled cookie cups.