Summer Luv!

For the recipe it is all mine.  I have a cake I make that my husband LOVES. And when I say love.. I mean you better get your piece before he gets his. I watched him eat almost a whole one by himself once.  The recipe is pretty easy. Its light, not super sweet, with a hint of pineapple :)

Recipe

Cupcake:

1 box white or yellow cake mix ( I use white)
12 oz of DIET sunkist (it has to be diet. The regular sunkist can be used, but it just does not turn out the same)

Directions:

Dump your cake mix in a mixing bowl, and add the 12 oz of diet sunkist. DO NOT USE ANY OF THE OTHER INGREDIENTS LISTED ON THE CAKE BOX!

Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 22-25 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool thoroughly.

Icing

1 -regular size instant vanilla pudding mix (you could probably also do a coconut cream flavor or orange for a more tropical taste)
1 - 8 ounce tub cool whip (completely thawed)
1 - 8 ounce cream cheese
1 - small can crushed pineapple.
@ 3 cups powdered sugar.

Directions:

FIRST thing you need/want to do is throughly drain the crushed pineapple, you basically want to squeeze them out until it is almost dry. The juice needs to be as scarce as possible, too much liquid and your icing will be a runny mess.

Add your cool whip, cream cheese, pudding mix, and drained pineapple to a mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until combined.  Once combine start adding your powdered sugar.  Add as much as needed until you get the proper consistency.  This icing is not super thick, it is a softer icing.

Once you have the consistency you want, pipe or spread on to your cupcakes.

NOTES and COMMENTS:

I like to chill these cupcakes. The cake is so airy and light that it doesn't get super cold but the icing chills and makes for a cool sweet treat.

Booze + Baking...what could be better???

So Sunday night, I got the craving for a sweet. Naturally, I got up and checked out the cupcake ingredients I had on hand.  Flour..check...sugar..check..butter..check...all the usuals.. but nothing to really give it a flavor. So I double checked my fridge one more time.. .and there it was....a bottle of Amaretto liquor with just enough left to cook with.  So I figure why not...something sweet..and my first 'boozy' cupcake.  How could booze and baking not go together, right?  The recipe I used was pretty simple, as was the frosting.

Amaretto Cupcakes
FOR THE CUPCAKES:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp Amaretto

FROSTING:

1 cup cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp Amaretto (taste to see if it needs more...I used 3 tbsp)

1) Preheat oven to 350 F and line mini cupcake pans
2) Add all ingredients into mixer and mix until combined
3) Pour batter into cupcake pans and bake for 12-15 minutes
4) Remove from oven, let cool slightly, then brush tops of cupcakes with Amaretto
5) While cupcakes are cooling, mix together ingredients for the frosting, adding more Amaretto if desired and adjusting thickness
6) Frost cupcakes and top with decoration of choice and enjoy!
7)  Makes 12 cupcakes (or you can do the mini's)

Comments, tips, recommendations:

Turns out...for this particular recipe... booze and baking were not a match made in heaven!  These were...ehh... I really expected more for these little guys.  The cook time says 12-15 minutes... I eneded up having to cook mine right at 20 minutes.  The cupcake was VERY dense and heavy.  These are also not a cupcake I recommend eating while warm. They need to be fully cooled, I even stuck mine in the fridge over night so that the icing didn't melt, but they tasted better when they were cold. I love amaretto, but this cupcake was a fail for me.  I don't think I will be making it again.

I might recommend substituting one cup of the cake flour for a cup of all purpose and adding 1/4 tsp of baking soda. I think this would lighten the cake up a bit.

It's my (well not really) party...

My latest baking creation was for my baby girl's 4th birthday!  The theme was Strawberry Shortcake.  If you are facebook fan, then you have seen the pics.  So naturally, the flavors were a good ol' white cake and strawberry flavor.  For these recipes I started with a box mix and added to it to pump it up and extend the batter.  I used the following recipe twice... made the first batch with a white cake mix, and my second batch I used a strawberry cake mix.

The Recipe

 

Ingredients

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 4 egg whites
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt until well blended.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the mixture and beat with a mixer/hand mixer for two minutes.
3. Fill 30 lined cupcakes 3/4 of the way full.
4. Bake according to directions on the cake mix.
5. Allow to cool and frost with frosting.

I will have to come back and add my recipe for the frosting... I don't currently have it with me at the place I type this from...  But I will say the frosting turned realllllyyyy good.

I think these cupcakes were fabulous, dense and smooth, wonderful flavor! The party crowd seemed to agree as well.

I don't have any pics of the individual cupcakes.. but here is the finished product... It's the BITTY CITY HOT AIR BALLOON FEST!!!! (and yes.. I did the baking and decorating... who needs a bakery...)

Did you miss me?

Hello everyone!  Sorry I haven't blogged in a few weeks.  I have come to the realization that... baking a new cupcake every week just isn't gonna happen. It's not because I can't, it's because I don't want to. Just like any relationship... when you do the same thing over and over... it gets BORING! I love to bake, so I don't want it to become boring, or feel like a chore...I mean who wants to be in that kind of relationship!  I won't be baking every week but I do promise to update and blog when I do try out a new recipe.  Hmmm... I wonder if this is how a real affair is... exciting a fun at first... then fizzles when you have to much of it... lol. Something I shall never know...

Margarita.. Please !

So this past weekend was one of my big sister's birthdays.  For dinner... taco soup.  What better dessert is there for taco soup then Magarita cupcakes!  So not a lot of hoopla to say today...just going to get straight to it!


Someone pass the salt....

The Recipe



Ingredients

• 3 sticks (12 ounces) butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature, plus 1 large egg white
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
• Grated peel of 4 limes, plus 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons gold tequila
• 1 drop green food coloring
• 1/2 cup large multicolored sugar crystals
• 24 lime wedge candies

 

In goes the grated lime peel..smelled wonderful!

Mixing..Mixing.. Mixing

As you see... We have our cupcakes.. and icing too :)

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . Line 2 cupcake pans with baking liners. Using an electric mixer, beat 2 sticks butter and the granulated sugar until creamy. Gradually beat in the eggs, egg white and oil. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt. In a large glass measuring cup, stir together the milk, 2 tablespoons lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. On low speed, mix in one-third of the wet mixture, then one-third of the dry mixture. Repeat twice, ending with the dry mixture. Mix in half of the grated lime peel.
3. Fill each baking liner about three-quarters full with batter. Bake until the cupcakes spring back when gently touched, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, using the electric mixer, beat the remaining 1 stick butter until creamy. Beat in 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Beat in the tequila, and the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, lime peel, 1 teaspoon salt and the food coloring until smooth and creamy. Beat in the remaining 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar one-third at a time, until just soft enough to spread.
5. Spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes. Add the sugar crystals to a bowl; lay each frosted cupcake on its side in the bowl and gently rotate to form a rim of sugar. Top each cupcake with a lime wedge candy.

Review and Comments:

Step 5 above was just part of the regular recipe.. I didn't do all the garnishing!  But if you wanted it to be pretty go ahead :)

First off.. The icing... it's yummy.. how could it not be? It is where the tequila is! BUT.... when you make this the icing is super runny... not spreadable or piping friendly at all!  I had to add about 2 more cups to get it to the consistency in the pictures above.  So if you decide to make these... just continue to add powdered sugar until you have reached your desired thickness for the icing.

They definately have a very lime/citrus flavor. Everyone else seemed to like it as well.  We even sat the extra icing on the table with us and added more to our cupcakes (or someone.. I won't name..just wanted to eat the icing alone with a spoon...lol)

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Hey there everyone!  Happy Valentine's to you and everyone you love!  This week I made a cupcake I knew I would personally love.  I am a big fan of pretty much anything that has cinnamon in it.  So when I came across this recipe I knew I was going to have to try it out.  No, its not a typical Valentine's cupcake choice, but I was giving myself a gift.

The Recipe

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Yields 24 cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self- rising), sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, plus 1/2 teaspoon for dusting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for dusting
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.
3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters 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 up to 2 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

Cinnamon Frosting
2½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
2½ cups Confectioners’ sugar (10 ounces)
1/8 tablespoons table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons cinnamon (or to taste)

In standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add confectioners’ sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds; scrape bowl, add vanilla, cinnamon, and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.

Reviews and Notes:

My icing turned out perfect on this one!!!! YAY!!! It was light and fluffy, easy to pipe on, and yummy!  My husband is not a huge fan of cinnamon and he ate 2 of these back to back.  That's what was nice about them. There is no doubt it is a cinnamon cupcake, but the taste is not over powering.  I love these, but like I said I love just about everything with cinnamon in it, and these are not an exception to that!



#6 has arrived

Hello everyone! Hope you had a great weekend!  Did you miss me...lol.  Well, I figured I better get back on track this week since I was so behind last week.  I hope I am back on schedule now.  This week I tried to go a little lighter.. I have done so many dark cupcakes with chocolate and such in them.  So I did a classic Coconut Cupcake this week.  I am starting to figure out what flavors are going together, so I can take more liberties and tweek the recipes to my liking. 

Yup, thats the actual cupcake right in the middle.. blends with the towel pretty well, huh




The Recipe

Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting
recipe by Baked Perfection

makes 15 cupcakes

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cups sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut milk (full fat)
1 cup shredded coconut

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and egg white, one at a time. Add the vanilla and almond extract; mix well. Add the flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with coconut milk (batter will be thick). Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Coconut Frosting
recipe from Baked Perfection

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups powdered sugar
generous pinch of salt
4 tablespoons coconut milk
pinch of salt

Beat butter, vanilla, and almond extract until creamy. Add salt. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, alternating with coconut milk, beating until combined.

(this recipe doesn't tell you how to toast the coconut as far as temp and time.. so here is what i did.  Put your desired amount of coconut spread on a bakin sheet. I set my oven to 275 degrees. Put the coconut in and stir about every 10 minutes. You will see some start to turn golden brown, at that point its just letting it go until its your desired toastiness.  Mine was toasty but not completely brown.)

Reviews and Notes:

Alright... I still haven't figured out what I am not doing quite right when it comes to these types of frostings.  Mine always turn out a little too runny.. Albeit they still take fantastic but not quite the correct consistancy.  Hopefully, I will get it figured out. 

Another thing I did with this recipe was make a white chocolate ganache filling (totally optional).  If you choose to do that then you will need to cut a small well in the cupcake once it has completely cooled.

My Ganache Recipe (and yes... I figured this one out all on my own)

1/2 c. Heavy cream
6 oz. white chocolate chips
2 tbsp butter

Bring cream to a light boil.  Once it begins to boil, take it off and pour it over the white chocolate chips in the bowl.  Let that sit for about 3 minutes (giving it a chance to melt the chocolate).  After 3 minutes add the 2 tbsp of butter and whisk together.  Let sit and wisk periodically until it thickens or you can stick it in the fridge and stir about every 10 minutes until it thickens ups.

After it was ready I just poured it into the wells with a spoon.

Something else I did with the recipe was sprinkly a tiny bit of sea salt on each one of the cupcakes.  And for me this was the perfect finish, that little sprinkle made it a sweet with touch of salty goodness!

Personally,  this recipe is a runner up for my favorite so far!  My husband enjoyed this cupcake so much he said it literally turned him on... lol.  His reaction was hilarious!  I love watching people eating my cupcakes and knowing they enjoy eating them as much as I do making them.

MMMMMMMMmmmmmm... Is All I can Say!

Ok! Here I am with my much anticipated weekly recipe!  And let me tell you I think it was worth the wait!  I have to thank R.T. for sharing this recipe with me a while back! So thank you R.T.

This recipe is super easy at that!  The worst part is the expense of the ingredients. But it's still not too bad...

Ok.. This particular pic is not of mine.. But in all honesty mine did actually look like this!


Here is the recipe!

Chocolate Syrup Cupcakes from Ina Garten

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 11 fluid ounces Hershey's chocolate syrup
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Line muffin pans with 15 paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Don't overbeat, or the cupcakes will be tough. Scoop the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Don't overbake! Let the cupcakes cool thoroughly in the pan.
Makes 15 cupcakes.

Frosting!

1 jar of 13 oz Nutella ( It only took me about half the jar-- but it depends on how much you prefer)
15 Ferrero Rocher Candies

Once your Cupcakes are cooled thoroughly, you are then going to use a pearing knife and make a shallow well in the top of each cupcake.  Once you have done that, pipe the nutella into the hole and allow some over flow.  You want it to overflow so that when you add the candy the excess pushes outward. (like the pic above)  Once you have done that just top with the candies and.. there you have it!

Notes and Reviews:

I like the simplicity of this cupcake.  Even though it's simple the flavor is just... WOW!!!  Just remember when you make these, and it says to just combine, you will notice your batter looks a little clumpy when you start spooning into the pan.. not to worry.. it still bakes correctly.  I add that little tidbit, because I was worried something was wrong with mine.  These are much sweeter than the first chocolate cupcake I made, very rich and decadant (in my opinion).

These are a chocolate lover's heaven!

Chocolate Luver!

MMMMMMMM.... If you love Chocolate, this is the recipe for you!  My husband loved... loved... loved these! He sat down and ate 3 of them at one time!  Though I am not sure if its the actual cake so much as the rich and fabulous ganache.  Though I have to be honest... once I baked these and tried them.. I am not so sure where the donut part comes in.  They aren't textured like a donut or anything.. I am assuming it's because there is coffee in the batter. 

Chocolate Dipped Donut Cupcake

Chocolate Dip Doughnut Cupcakes
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup boiling water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup cold strong coffee
2 tsp. vanilla.
Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugars for a minute, until well blended. Add the eggs and beat for two minutes, until pale and creamy.
Meanwhile, stir together the cocoa and boiling water – it will make a thick paste. Beat it into the butter-sugar mixture. Add half the flour, the baking soda and salt, beating on low just until combined. Add the coffee and vanilla, then the rest of the flour, beating just until blended. Divide among paper-lined muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes, until the tops are springy to the touch. Tilt them on their sides to allow steam to escape and help them cool before frosting. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

Quick Ganache or Glaze: heat 1/4 cup cream and 1/4 cup honey or corn syrup in a small saucepan; take off the heat and stir in 4 oz. chopped chocolate or chocolate chips. Let sit a minute or two, then stir until smooth.

Reviews and comments:

Like I said before.. I am not sure where the donut part comes in, but they were still yummy.  Also, for these you don't pipe or spread the ganache on.  While the ganache is still a little warm you dip the cupcake in it, so they are glazed instead of iced. 

These were pretty easy to make.  I think I probably could have made the coffee I used in these a little strong. The coffee taste got lost once I baked them.  It was very noticable in the batter itself, but once it was baked.. not so much.

My husband loved these... but I still tend to think its the icing/glaze he favors. I used the ganache in last week and this weeks cupcake.. and he refers to it as "Sex in your mouth"... lol.  It is pretty darn good.. and so simple to make... heavy whipping cream warmed to a light boil, poured over a mixture of milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips, and butter = WOWZA!

A---MAY---ZING!

Picture this... peanut butter, chocolate, and bananas... sounds kinky.. huh!!! (lol..sorry for the foul humor.. got keep you guys interested some how)  This weeks cupcake was to die for!  If you like Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream... you will love this!!! ( I took a lot more pics this time! I was very excited about this recipe!!!)


Chubby Hubby Cupcake!





Chunky Hubby Cupcakessources: idea from Pink Parsley Catering
cupcake recipe: adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
ganache: adapted from Tartlettefrosting:adapted from Ina Garten
For the Roasted Bananas:1 1/2 cups bananas – sliced into 1/2″ pieces – about 4 bananas plus an extra banana for garnish, if desired
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp butter, cubed small

For the Cupcakes:2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
11 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk

For the Chocolate Ganache:

4 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature

For the Peanut Butter Frosting:

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon heavy cream

Directions:

Roasted Bananas:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  In a shallow baking dish, toss the sliced bananas with brown sugar and bits of butter until bananas are well-coated with sugar.  Roast for 20 minutes, turning the bananas after 10 minutes.  When the bananas have deeply browned and are caramelized, transfer them to a medium-sized bowl.  Be careful, the bananas and sugar will be very hot.  Spray a potato masher with a light coating of baking spray (like Pam) and mash the bananas up. Set aside to cool almost entirely, stirring every so often to keep them from clumping up.

Cupcakes:

When the banana have finished roasting, turn the oven down to 325 degrees F.  Line two 12-cup muffin/cupcake pans with paper liners.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together on medium speed until fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.  Scrape down the bowl, add the eggs one at a time, and beat until just combined.  Scrape down the bowl again and beat in the roasted bananas just until they are combined with the batter.  Turn the mixer to low.  Add the flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating between the two in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Scrape down the bowl again and mix on low for a few seconds to ensure the mixture is well-combined.

Fill the paper liners about 3/4 full.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, rotating the pans 180 degrees after 15 minutes.  Remove the pans to wires rack and cool for 10 minutes.  Remove the cupcakes from the pan and allow them to cool completely on the racks.

Ganache:

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.  Bring the cream to a gentle boil in a small saucepan.  Pour it over the chocolate, and allow to sit for 3-4 minutes.  Add the butter to the bowl, and whisk until smooth.  Allow to sit at room temperature until it reaches a consistency suitable for piping, or refrigerate, being sure to stir every 10 minutes.

Peanut Butter Frosting:

Place the confectioners’ sugar, butter, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the sides as needed.  Add the cream and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.

To assemble:

Use a small paring knife to cut out a small cone from the top of each cupcake.  Cut the end off a pastry bag fitted (a 1/4″ hole is suggested), fill with the ganache, and pipe each cupcake full of ganache.  Frost as desired with peanut butter frosting.

Note: The proportions in the above recipes make enough for 22-24 cupcakes with plenty of frosting for 24-26 well-frosted cupcakes.

 

Reviews & Notes

 

This cupcake...oh how do i describe it... This one was fantastic!  The cupcake is not too sweet so it balances out the rich chocolate ganache and peanut butter frosting.  My kids and husband were sampling along as I was baking... It was so good even my six year old was making goofy faces and noises! And my 3 year old daughter squealed with joy! 

 

To quote my husband... (and I hope this doesn't offend anyone)... "I think my tongue just had an orgasm!"  (bahahahaha I thought that was quite funny!

 

I didn't make any adjustments or subsitutions to this recipe.. I followed it exactly like it is. It is a little labor intense from start to finish. But it is soooooooooo soooooooooo worth it!!!

Recipe Two

For my second recipe, I thought I would invite my husband into the cupcake relationship :). He like many people, especially men love..... you guessed it... BACON!  This treat was created for dessert for our Alabama vs. LSU National Championship hang out.  I tried to put a manly twist on it.  What else is there to make for a bunch of men but.. Maple Bacon cupcakes! 



Maple Bacon Cupcake

On this recipe I doubled up to make 24 cupcakes, as there was a complaint last week that they only got one little cupcake each.



Bacon Maple Cupcakes

Ingredients
* 4 1/2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
* 1/2 tablespoon bacon drippings (left in the fridge to become solid)
* 1 egg
* 5 tablespoons brown sugar
* 4 tablespoons maple syrup
* 1 1/4 cups self rising flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* tiny tiny pinch kosher salt
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1/4 cup of minced bacon, cooked and drained
What you’ll do–
* 1) Cook some bacon in a fry pan (I used regular cut, hickory smoked). Reserve the drippings and place in the fridge to solidify. Mince 1/4 a cup of the bacon.
* 2) Beat the crud out of the butter and solidified bacon fat ’till light and creamy. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup and beat well until combined.
* 3) Add the egg and beat until incorporated.
* 4) Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and powder together.
* 5) Add some of the flour and mix, then some of the milk, then continue to alternate the dry and wet ingredients, ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in the bacon. Taste and add more maple syrup, flour, or milk if needed for desired taste. Keep in mind the maple frosting is very sweet, and to add in very small increments for alterations as maple syrup in large amounts can break a cake batter. ( I didn't add any extra.. once you put the icing on it's sweet enough to me!)
* 6) Scoop into cupcake papers and bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Be sure to rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes for even baking.

(the hubby chopped and crumbled the bacon for me while I started on the batter, it made things a lot quicker)

Maple Syrup Frosting

Ingredients
* 4 tablespoons of butter.
* 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.
* 1 cup of powdered sugar.
* turbinado sugar (optional, but recommended).
* coarse grain sea salt (optional, but recommended).
What You’ll Do –
* Combine the syrup and butter until combined. Add the sugar, a bit at a time, and whip at high speeds until combined. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes. Sprinkle on sea salt and turbinado sugar for decoration and a lot of added flavor.
(add some crumbled BACON TOO!)

I didn't use the turbinado sugar (brown sugar in the raw) or the sea salt.

Notes and reviews:

I must  admit, my icing was a complete FAIL... but that was my fault. I forgot to take the butter out so it was room temp, so I stuck it in the microwave for 15 seconds.. it made it too soft and made my icing runny (it still tasted good though).

This one is more like a muffin texture, a little more heavy. The batter is thick. Its a savory sweet cupcake. Not to sweet and just enough salty, to make you more than likely indulge in a second one!  Think of a pancake with bacon cooked in it. I liked this one while the cupcake itself was still a little warm.

There were lots of moaning and groaning coming from the men folk... and anyone in a good relationship can tell the difference in bad moaning and groaning and GOOD moaning... So i would say over all it was another... WIN!

First Rendezvous... 1/3/2012

So my initial thought when this started was.. "I wanna make cupcakes, but I don't want to just make CUPCAKES."  So, naturally, I googled... "unique cupcake recipes". and BOOM there was an abundance of FABULOUS ideas!  So I start to sift through all the tempting recipes. I wanted something simple enough to start off with!  And then I saw it! Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes! 

(This was the last one of the batch... luckily I grabbed it to snap the pic before someone shoved it in their mouth!)


Recipe

Strawberry Lemonade CupcakesRecipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 egg yolks, at room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tsp Instant Pink Lemonade Mix (I used Crystal Lite)

4 large strawberries, carefully diced

Makes 9-10 regular sized cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 10 muffin cups with baking cups and set aside.

Cream butter, sugar and lemonade mix until fluffy. Add vanilla, soda, salt and eggs yolks. Mix in buttermilk and gradually add flour.

Clean berries and remove the stem. With a very sharp knife slice the berries and then dice into 1/4″ pieces careful to not crush the berries. If the berries are crushed and then added to the cupcakes, there will be too much moisture and your cupcakes will not bake properly.

Fill each baking cup with about a TBL of batter. Then sprinkle in each cup 5-6 pieces of fresh strawberry. Then add more batter per cup filling each to about 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until a test straw can be cleanly removed.

**This calls for 4 strawberries... but if you cut up 1 or 2 fairly large ones the right way that's all you need**

**also I didn't have and buttermilk on hand, so I subsituted!  I did 1/2 c. of 2% milk (it's what I had) and then add about 1-2 TBPS lemon juice, let it sit and thicken for about 3-5 minutes.**

Cream Cheese FrostingRecipe adapted from Sprinkle’s Cupcakes

8 ounces cold cream cheese
1 stick butter, firm but not cold
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Combine butter, salt, and cream cheese in mixer and beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes. Add sugar until just incorporated. Don’t over mix. It should be thick but not fluffy. Add vanilla.

Notes and Reviews:

These are a fantastic treat! They are not too heavy, not to sweet!  The tartness of the lemonade and the strawberries in the bottom would make this a perfect summer treat!


This recipe only makes about 10-11, needless to say.. that was not enough!  We happen to have some friends come by that night so they (along with the household folks) tried them out! Rave reviews! They loved them!  The question of the night.. When and What is the next recipe!


Ah.. I love cupcakes!

The Beginning of the Affair....

It's always been an unspoken attraction with me and cupcakes.  They are just so stinkin' cute.  I have always loved baking, but the other older I am getting the more I enjoy it.  It is my "Happy Place" so to speak.  When I am baking... nothing else in the world is happening. And that says a lot when I have a 3 and 6 year old running around like monkeys!  So like any good relationship.. I have decided to nourish my love of baking.. specifically cupcake baking!  So my resolution for NYE 2012 was to try a new cupcake recipe every week!  (Yes, I know most people's resolution is to lose weight.. and I pretty much sound like I have set out to gain.. lol)  So with the start of this blog I am actually heading in to week 3.  So I have some catching up to go with post.  I hope you all enjoy watching the affair unfold.. just promise you won't tell my hubby... he might get jealous!

P.S. Just a disclaimer... I do not pretend that these cupcake recipes are my own by any means!  I will share the recipes I have used and give you links when possible.  I hope as my torred love affair progresses and gets steamy I will be able to evolve and create my own flavors and such.. but for now I will follow the leader!