Pancake cupcakes

Here is a cupcake that I made for April Fools day 2014.

The cupcake tastes like pancakes with maple syrup and looks like a little pat of butter is melting on top. If you make the icing fluffy and swirly it could also look like mashed potatoes. 

Ingredients:

***Cupcakes***

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon maple extract, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.    

• Maple Frosting***

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 5 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon maple extract, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 375°.

Cupcakes: If using cupcake papers, spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with the prepared cupcake papers. Or, grease and flour the cups or spray with baking spray.

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.

In a large bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the eggs and melted cooled butter until smooth. Whisk in the flavoring(s). Stir in the flour mixture until smooth. Spoon into the prepared pan, filling cups or papers about 2/3 full.

Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.

Frosting: In a mixing bowl with electric mixer, use paddle attachment and beat the butter. Gradually add 1 cup of confectioners' sugar until smooth and light. Add the maple syrup and more cups of confectioners' sugar, and the maple and vanilla extracts. Beat until light and fluffy, adding more confectioners' sugar as needed.

****

Decorating  

Normally I would just frost this with maple buttercream frosting, but I wanted to be silly for April fools day, so I took the frosting and made it a filling by coring the cupcakes after they cooled and stuffed it in with a measuring cup. You can also use a piping bag to fill them. I then made a new batch of frosting minus the maple extract so that the frosting would stay white. 

You can frost it smoothly or make it fluffy. To make the appearance of butter on top, place an unwrapped yellow Starburst candy in the center and drizzle Carmel sauce across it. Alternately, you could make a well of Carmel sauce and put the Starburst in the center, pressing down a bit on the candy so that the sauce spills out onto the sides of the cupcake. 

This recipe is adapted from about.com southern food by Diana Rattray.

Tomato soup cupcake

• I loved this cupcake for the simple reason of having people guess what the main ingrediant was and watching their reaction to an unexpected desert ingrediant.        

  
  

  
  

          1 can condensed tomato soup

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 /3 c white sugar

  1 egg

  1/3 cup butter

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
  Combine the tomato soup and the soda in a bowl, and let it stand.
  Cream sugar, egg, butter, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix in tomato soup and soda mixture, and then flour. Pour the batter in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle teaspoon of sugar ontop if each.
  Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 24 minutes or until done. Cool.
  Optionally you could add a nice sour cream chocolate butter cream icing.... :-)
  
  
  
  
  Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Chocolate cherry cupcakes

Chocolate Cherry Cupcake Recipe

Yield: 14 cupcakes

• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 C cocoa powder
• 3/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 C brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 C sour cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 C liquid from a jar of
  
  cherries

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder.
2. In another medium-sized bowl, beat butter and sugar until well combined.
3. Mix eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, and cherry liquid into the wet ingredients.
4. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined.
5. Divide evenly between 14 cupcake liners.
6. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Cherry Buttercream Frosting

Note: Double this recipe if you prefer lots of frosting.

• 1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 C powdered sugar (If you prefer a thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar.)
• 5 tbsp liquid from a jar of cherries
• Three mashed cherries
• 1 tbsp vanilla

1. Mix butter and powdered sugar until the mixture looks like frosting. Add cheery juice and cherries.
2. Pipe or spread on cupcakes.

Recipe modified from the Cupcake Project.

Eggless banana muffins

Ingredients

• 2/3 c sugar 
• 1/3 c vegetable oil
• 2 c all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3 bananas ,mashed

Directions

1. Mash well ripened bananas in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Mix baking powder,baking soda,flour and sugar.
3. Add mashed bananas and oil . Stir well. This batter will be very thick.
4. Spoon ingredients into a greased muffin tin.
5. Optional: for a crumb topping, mix in a small bowl: 1/2 cup brown sugar , 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/3 cup flour and 1/4 , 2T melted butter and mix into crumbles. Sprinkle on top.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes muffins. 

Recipe adapted from Just a Pinch Recipes

Lemon coconut cupcakes

Went around and asked a lot of my coworkers at Bn what kind of cupcake I should make tommorro (for no reason but just to make cupcakes). This is the winning cupcake. Recipe found at tasteofhome.com

Ingredients 

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• LEMON COCONUT FROSTING:
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 cup flaked coconut, divided
• Shredded lemon peel, optional

Directions:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Beat just until combined. Fold in coconut.
• Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
• In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, grated lemon peel, vanilla and lemon juice until fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth; stir in 1/4 cup coconut. Frost cupcakes; sprinkle with remaining coconut. Garnish with shredded lemon peel if desired. Yield: 15 cupcakes.

Modifications:

- I got tired grating lemon, so I stopped at 2 teaspoons and added a little lemon juice ( just a few drops).

- I put some graham cracker on the bottom of some of the cakes and some on the top of some. Lets see how it tastes.

- I did not want, nor have, any cream cheese so I added a few generous squirts of lemon, extra stick of butter and a bit more powdered sugar.

-I also neglected to add the coconut... Oh wells. 

Chocolate chip banana crumb muffins

So I've been collecting ripe bananas and decided to make some banana muffins a while back. I'm awake and not distracted by Korean drama and decide I need to bake... Here is the result. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com and decided to adapt it just a bit. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon butter
    Directions
    1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
    2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Mix in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
    1. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
    2. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

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