Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

Ingredients

1 cup milk (or non-dairy substitute)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups flour
2 Tbsp corn starch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested and juiced


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and fill your muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Whisk together the milk and vinegar in a small bowl, and set aside for about 10 minutes to let the milk curdle.

In a large bowl, beat together the milk/vinegar mixture, oil, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

In a second bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until well combined.

Fill the cupcake cups, and bake for about 20 minutes (or about 10 minutes for mini cupcakes) or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.


Raspberry Buttercream

1/2 cup butter
2 cups icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
heavy cream


Directions

Cream together the butter and the vanilla.

Add the icing sugar a cup at a time, and mix until smooth.

Mash together the raspberries, and drain out the excess fluid. Add the raspberry mash to the icing and whip until fluffy.

If the icing is still too stiff for piping, add heavy cream 1/2 Tbsp at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and garnish as desired. 

Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 24 paper cupcake liners 
• Batter for 24 cupcakes (box mix or your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, it’s your call) 
• 24 Mini Cadbury Creme Eggs
• 24 Mini Cadbury Creme Eggs, frozen (freezing the eggs keeps them from completely vanishing inside the baked cake) 
• 1 batch of buttercream frosting (or your favourite white frosting)
• yellow dye 
• Large Round piping tip or snip the end off of a piping bag. 

Directions:

1. Scoop batter into paper liner 2/3 of the way full. Place one frozen Mini Cadbury Creme Egg into the middle of each cupcake. Use a spatula to spread the batter over the egg.
    
2. Bake according to the recipe you are using. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.
   
3. While your cupcakes are cooking, make your buttercream. 
   
4. Remove about 1 cup of buttercream from the mixing bowl and dye it yellow.
   
5. Assemble your piping bag fitted with a large tip and pipe a large circle around the perimeter of the cupcake.
   
6. Fill in the center of the circle with the yellow buttercream and top with a Mini Cadbury Cream Egg.

Pineapple Picnic Cakes

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, with juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line muffin tins with paper liners. 

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. 

Add the eggs, oil, pineapple and vanilla, mix until well blended. 

Spoon into muffin tins. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Salted Caramel Brownie Bites with Salted Caramel Buttercream

For the brownies you’ll need:

3/4 cup unsalted butter
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour
about 36 of your favorite bite-sized salted caramels

 For the buttercream you’ll need:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
15-20 caramels
2 Tbsp whipping cream
2 cups powdered sugar
kosher salt


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the brownies, melt together the butter and unsweetened chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl on high heat for 90 seconds. Remove it from the microwave and stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add in the sugar, and stir until it is well combined. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla and salt. Finally, stir in the flour.

Put a teaspoon of brownie batter into paper-lined mini cupcake tins. They should be about half full. Put one caramel in each tin, then cover with another teaspoon of batter so the tins are about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until the brownies have set. They will give a little when you gently press your finger into the top of them, but they should not be too soft. Allow to cool, then make the buttercream.

First, melt the caramel with the heavy cream. You can pop it in the microwave for 30 second increments, until the caramel is smooth. Allow it to cool in the fridge for a few minutes.

Whip the butter for about 30 seconds on med-high speed, so it gets fluffy. Add in about one cup of powdered sugar, and mix until it’s all combined. Once the caramel is cool to the touch, turn the mixer on medium speed and then drizzle the caramel into the frosting. If it’s too hot, it’ll melt the buttercream, so be patient. Beat until fluffy. Then add in the other cup of powdered sugar and the salt, a 1/4 to a 1/2 tsp at a time, mixing and then tasting after each addition to make sure you don’t add too much. A little goes a long way with the salt. Once it tastes the way you want it to taste, frost the cupcakes and garnish as desired.

Snickers Cupcakes

Cake:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners. Recipe yields about 30 cupcakes. Combine sugar through salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and beat on low until just incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat two minutes. Stir in boiling water, the batter will be thin. Transfer batter to prepared pans, filling each liner about 2/3 of the way full, approximately 1/4 cup of batter. Bake approximately 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans about five minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

When cool, use a paring knife to cut a small cone shape out of the top of each cupcake. Add caramel sauce as desired. You can cut the point off the cone and add it back to the cupcake if desired.


Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup caramel sauce
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb powdered sugar
8 mini Snickers bar for garnish

Beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about two minutes. Add caramel sauce, heavy cream and vanilla and mix to incorporate. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating on low speed until incorporated to reach the right consistency. Increase speed to medium-high and whip about one minute until light and fluffy. Fill a piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes or frost as desired.

Coarsely chop candy bars and sprinkle over the top of cupcakes.


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Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut flour, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp vanilla extract


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 9 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, salt, baking soda and sugar. In a small bowl, blend together eggs, oil and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into dry and blend with a mixer or hand blender until smooth.

Pour batter into paper-lined muffin tins. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes.

Cool completely. Frost as desired.


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This Week's Cravings: Special Diets (GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, NUT FREE and MORE)

Black Forest Cupcake

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups buttermilk


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 32 muffin cups with liners.

Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a medium-size bowl.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the brown sugar and continue to beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined, scraping down sides of bowl often. Mix in the sour cream. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 3 additions of buttermilk, and mixing until just combined after each.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until tops are firm to the touch and a cake tester inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool about 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.


Cherry Filling:

1 1/2 lbs sweet cherries, washed, pitted, and de-stemmed
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp water
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp cup sugar

Throw all the ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let mixture simmer for 15 minutes, stirring periodically. Remove from heat and let cool.

To fill the cupcakes, use a paring knife to cut a hole out of the top of each cupcake and place two cherries and a few teaspoons of the juice into each hole. Then, replace the tops. **make sure you save some for your garnish**


Whipped Cream Frosting:

I just whipped together 2 cans of whipped white frosting (the kind that says "whipped" or "fluffy" on the can) with a container of Cool Whip. Pipe it on top of the cake with a large star tip. Garnish as desired. You could use straight up whipped cream or Cool Whip, but I find mixing it with the whipped frosting gives it a stability and smoothness I can't get otherwise (plus it doesn't melt as easily).


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Mudslide Cupcakes

Cake:

3 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup strong coffee, at room temperature
3/4 cup Kahlua


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake pans (24 cupcakes) with paper liners. (You may get a couple extras out of this - I did.)

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites until frothy with whisk attachment. Slowly add in sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Measure coffee, vanilla and Kahlua and stir together in measuring cup. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the batter and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Add 1/2 the Kahlua mixture, mix until incorporated and repeat alternating flour and Kahlua, ending with flour mixture. Gently fold in egg whites.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full and bake approximately 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool about 10 minutes and transfer to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.


Bailey's Irish Cream Buttercream

1 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 lbs powdered sugar


Beat butter on medium speed until smooth. Add Bailey's and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add powdered sugar, 2 cups at a time, mixing on low speed until frosting is the desired consistency. Pipe onto cupcakes as desired. I piped these with a large star tip.


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Almond Amaretto Cupcakes

Cake:

1 cups unsalted butter
2 cups almond meal
pinch of salt
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp Amaretto liqueur

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 cupcake cups with liners.

Melt the butter in a saucepan (or the microwave) and set aside to cool.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the almond meal, salt, and sugar until well combined.

In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, and Amaretto until combined. Add the cooled melted butter to the wet ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Divide mixture evenly between 12 cupcake liners.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are slightly browned and bounce back when lightly touched.



Amaretto Whipped Cream Recipe

1 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp powered sugar
5 Tbsp Amaretto liqueur
sliced almonds (optional)

Whip heavy whipping cream until it looks like whipped cream. Mix in powdered sugar and Amaretto until just combined. Pipe or spread on cooled cupcakes. Garnish cupcakes with almond slices.


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Gluten-Free Wednesdays
This Week's Cravings: Special Diets (GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, NUT FREE and MORE)

Coconut-Lime Cupcakes

FOR THE CUPCAKES:

1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp lime zest
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sweetened coconut


FOR THE LIME BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
1 cup butter
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 tsp lime zest


DIRECTIONS FOR THE:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake pans with liners. Again, this recipe makes 18 regular cupcakes or 36 mini cupcakes.

In a medium bowl, mix vegetable oil and sugar. Add the coconut milk, milk, vanilla extract, and lime zest. Mix well.

Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until smooth.

Add the coconut and gently mix to incorporate.

Fill cups about 3/4 full. For regular cupcakes bake 20 minutes. For mini cupcakes bake for 16-18 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool completely before frosting.


DIRECTIONS FOR FROSTING:

Beat the butter until fluffy.

Add the confectioner’s sugar and beat for 3 minutes.

Add the vanilla extract and lime juice, beat for another 5 minutes or until fluffy.

Add the lime zest and fold into frosting.

Chill until ready to frost.


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Everyday Sisters' Sharing Sundays: Green

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree


Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 butter, room temperature, in small pieces
1 1/2 to 2 cups confectioner's sugar


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway.

Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed.

Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese on medium speed for several minutes, until creamy. It's hard to get out all the lumps, but keep beating!

Add vanilla.

Gradually add butter while beating on medium speed. This will take several minutes. Turn up to high speed for 30-60 seconds; frosting should be smooth.

On low speed, add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. If the frosting is stiff enough to pipe, you can use it now, but depending on the temperature in your kitchen, you may want to refrigerate it before using.

If it's too stiff after refrigeration, just mix again for 30 seconds or so.

Frost the cupcakes once they're completely cooled.


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It's a Blog Party's Fall Fest Recipes 2011
Food on Friday: Parsnips and Pumpkin

Root Beer Float Cake

FOR THE CAKE:

2 cups root beer (not diet, old fashioned if you can find it)
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs


FOR THE FROSTING:
2 ounces dark chocolate (60% cacao), melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup root beer
2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder


For the root beer Bundt cake:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously spray the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray; alternatively, butter it, dust with flour, and knock out the excess flour.

In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy--do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small sharp knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the rack.


For the root beer frosting:

Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the frosting is shiny and smooth.

Use a spatula to spread the fudge frosting over the crown of the Bundt in a thick layer. Let the frosting set before serving, with the ice cream on the side.

NOTE: I made mine into cupcakes and garnished with a scoop of vanilla butter cream icing and a piece of a bendy straw.


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Everyday Sisters' Sharing Sundays: Cupcakes
Sweets for a Saturday

S'mores Cupcakes

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham crackers (approx. 1 pkg out of the Honeymaid box)
1/4 cup sugar
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
9 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
mini marshmallows (you'll need about 100)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. In food processor, pulse graham crackers until they are fine crumbs. Add sugar and melted butter and mix until well combined. Add approximately 1 tablespoon of crumbs to the bottom of each liner. Use a small circle object (I used a shot glass) to press the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of each liner. Reserve any remaining graham cracker mixture for topping. Bake for 5 minutes and remove from the oven.

Place 2 teaspoons chocolate in each muffin cup. Add approximately 4 marshmallows to each tin.


Cake: (you can use whatever chocolate cake recipe you want)

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt in your mixing bowl. In a small bowl, add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and whisk together. Add to dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add boiling water and beat on low until just combined.

Spoon batter evenly into cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle each cupcake with remaining chocolate and graham cracker mixture. The marshmallows will float to the top but that's okay. Bake approximately 18 - 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center cupcake comes out clean. Cool for about 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.


Frosting:

4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract


Preheat oven to broil. Place cooled cupcakes on a baking sheet.

In a clean stainless steel mixing bowl or double boiler, combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Whisk frequently, heating the mixture over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Transfer egg mixture to stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Begin mixing at low speed, gradually increasing to medium-high speed as the mixture becomes thicker. Beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. Add in the vanilla and mix until just combined. Transfer frosting to a piping bag and frost as desired.

Put baking sheet with frosted cupcakes into the oven. You just want to keep them in long enough to get some colour on them so they resemble marshmallows toasted by a campfire (you're going for lightly toasted frosting not black and bubbly marshmallow). Garnish if desired.


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Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Cake:

3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup buttermilk
Zest of 2 lemons


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 muffin tins with liners (makes 24 cupcakes). Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Add sugar and lemon zest to mixing bowl or stand mixer and rub zest into sugar with your fingertips until well distributed and fragrant. Add the butter and cream cheese to the sugar and beat until light and creamy, 2 - 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating about 1 minute after each egg. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, beating on low speed until just incorporated. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk, once incorporated, add the next 1/3 of the flour mix, followed by remaining buttermilk, and remaining flour, beating each addition until just incorporated. Add lemon juice, beating until just incorporated on low speed.

Transfer batter to muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center cupcake comes out clean. Cool about 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.


Frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 tsp lemon extract
2 pounds powdered sugar


Cream butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add in raspberries and lemon extract and beat until most of the chunks are gone. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating on low speed until incorporated. Increase speed to medium and whip for about thirty seconds. Transfer to a piping bag and decorate as desired. Top with fresh raspberries if desired.


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Apple Cobbler Cupcake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp lemon extract
2 1/2 cups apples, roughly chopped and loosely packed (I like having the large chunks of apple in the batter, but you can chop the apples more finely if you like a smoother look.)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ginger.

Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, sour cream, and lemon extract until blended. Mix in flour mixture. Fold in apples.

Divide batter evenly among the cupcake liners (they will be filled almost all the way to the top).

Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean. Cool about 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.



Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

Beat butter in an electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar 1/2 cup at a time until completely mixed. Add the milk 1 tbsp at a time to achieved desired thickness. Mix in vanilla and cinnamon until well combined. Transfer to a piping bag and decorate as desired.


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Everyday Sisters' Sharing Sundays: Cupcakes
Everyday Sisters' Sharing Sundays: Apples
Crazy Sweet Tuesday
Cast Party Wednesday
Sweets for a Saturday
Saturday's Seasonal Inspiration
This Week's Cravings: Apples
It's a Blog Party's Fall Fest Apple Recipes 2011

Peaches and Cream Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup peach puree (fresh peaches pureed in the food processor with few drops of lemon juice to keep the peaches from turning brown) **I don't quite puree it because I like having chunks of peaches in my cupcakes. You could also use a peach jam, but you'd need to decrease the sugar.**


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 12 cup muffin tin with liners.

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar for about 2 minutes, or until light and creamy. Add the butter and vanilla and beat on low speed for about 1 minute, or until well blended. Beat in the dry ingredients on low speed until blended. Add the sour cream and beat until smooth and well blended. Mix in peach puree.

Divide batter evenly among 12 cupcake liners.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean and the tops are firm. Cool about 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.



Peach Buttercream:

3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup peach puree (fresh peaches pureed in the food processor)
A few drops of lemon juice to keep the peaches from turning brown
Vanilla, to taste

Whip the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until well combined. Add peach puree and vanilla and beat again until smooth. I added just a touch of yellow and red food coloring to enhance the color. Transfer to a piping bag and decorate as desired.


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This Week's Cravings: Peaches

Pina Colada Cupcakes

Cake:

1/3 cup rum
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 3 Tbsp sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup crushed pineapple (drained)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line pans with cupcake liners (makes 18 cupcakes).

In a small bowl, combine rum, coconut milk, pineapple juice, and vanilla. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs to the sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add the flour mixture and the rum mixture, beating well after each addition. Fold in the coconut and pineapple.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.

Bake for 25 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when lightly touched.



Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

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

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp coconut cream

Mix cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in powdered sugar a little bit at a time. Mix in coconut cream. Pipe or spread on cupcakes. Garnish as desired.


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Everyday Sisters' Sharing Sundays: Yellow

Oreo Cupcakes

Cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 2/3 cups sugar
3 large egg whites
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
36 Oreo cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Separate 24 Oreos, leaving cream filling on one half. Place cream side up in the bottom of each liner. Add the other halves and remaining cookies to food processor and pulse a couple times to create large chunks. Set aside Oreo chunks.

Combine butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add egg whites, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Add milk and vanilla to a large measuring cup and stir together. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Follow with 1/2 the milk mixture, mix on low and continue alternating additions, ending with flour mixture. Stir in Oreo chunks.

Scoop batter into prepared liners, filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan about five minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 T vanilla extract
2 T heavy cream
1 lb powdered sugar


Beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and cream and beat until incorporated. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating on low speed until incorporated. Increase speed to medium high and whip for 30 seconds to a minute. Fill a piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes as desired.

Garnish with an additional Oreos or Oreo minis.


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Everyday Sisters' Sharing Sundays: Cupcakes

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin tins with papers. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add vanilla. Mix and scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about halfway full. Bake for about 25 minutes. When done, transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.


Salted Caramel Filling:

1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons salted butter cubed
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature

Melt the sugar over medium high heat in a large pot. Whisk the sugar as it melts and cook until it becomes a deep amber color. Add the butter and stir it in until melted. Pour in the heavy cream (mixture will foam) and whisk until you get a smooth sauce. You may have some lumps but keep stirring until they have melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Cut a small round piece out of the tops of each cooled cupcake and pour in 1 teaspoon of caramel. Replace the cake piece and set cupcakes aside.


Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick salted butter
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar


In a saucepan, stir together granulated sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook without stirring until mixture turns a deep amber color. Remove from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla, stirring until very smooth. Let caramel cool for about 20 minutes, until it is just barely warm and still pourable.

In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and salt together until lightened and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the caramel. Beat on medium high speed until light and airy, and completely mixed (about 2 minutes). Mixture should be ready to use without refrigeration. If your caramel was too hot when added, it will cause your icing to be runny. If this happens refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.

Top caramel-filled cupcakes with frosting.


This recipe is also linked on...

Delicious Dishes
Everyday Sisters' Sharing Sundays: Cupcakes
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Crazy Sweet Tuesday
Cast Party Wednesday
Sweet Treats Thursday
Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweets for a Saturday