Mini Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes

I made these cupcake`s this week for an X-MAS order, I had to post them because I thought they were the cutest cupcakes ever, not to mention best tasting haha ;)

The first picture is a Dark Valrhona Chocolate Coffee Cupcake Topped with a Bailey`s Caramel Sauce and Dark Chocolate Swiss Meringue.

This second picture is a Mini Vanilla Bean Cupcake Topped with my Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue!

Merry Chrsitmas Everyone, and a Happy New Years!



MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!



Mini Red Velvet with Vanilla and Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Here is my classic red velvet cupcake made mini :)!

My boyfriend wanted me to top it off with a chocolate cream cheese frosting, I was a little hesitant at first, but I was shocked to how great it was!

Gingerbread Cupcake topped with Brown Sugar Frosting

   Had so much fun baking, decorating and eating these extremely delicous gingerbread cupcakes today!

Can`t wait for Christmas!



Merry Early Chritmas



Kyle`s Crunchy Hazelut filled Dark Chocolate Cupcake

   So I was baking my peppermint cupcake today, which I will be posting pictures of right after this haha, and my brother wanted me to make him his own cupcake. He absolutely loves chocolate and hazelnuts and he wanted something with a crunch to it. So I used the same dark chocolate batter that I used for my peppermint cupcake, filled it with a milk chocolate crunchy hazelnut ganache and topped it off with a dark chocolate mousse frosting. It was really rich and delicious, I liked it better than my peppermint one, but I will definitely not let him know that his idea was better than mine ;)!

Vanilla Bean Cupcake with a Vanilla Swiss Meringue Frosting

   For the second frosting i decided to go with my fav frosting of all time, the swiss meringue.

  I love the texture of this frosting, it is so silky smooth. I added Wilton icing gel to it just for fun, and i think it came out pretty sick. I topped it off with some Michel Cluizel white chocolate curls and silver glitter.

I didn't feel like the vanilla flavor was strong enough though, so i will be adding double the vanilla extract and perhaps a whole vanilla bean into the mix next time. It will be absolutely PERFECT! :)

Next week I've decided to make my dark chocolate cupcake, with a whipped dark chocolate peppermint ganache, sprinkled with crushed candy cane's! YUMMY

Vanilla Bean Cupcake with a Bailey's Chantilly Frosting

   Alright so i spent the day with my brother and he wanted me to bake some cupcakes for him :)! I ended up making two different frosting's for the same vanilla bean cake. First one being this extra light bailey's chantilly frosting. I found it absolutely delish! The cake is amazing, and i love how you can see all the little specs of vanilla in the batter,  It's stunning! My brother loved it, he found it taste like a vanilla milkshake. My other taste tester's found it so fluffy and delicate that it made them want to have a lot more. The only thing that could have been different was the bailey's flavor in the frosting. I will definitely be adding more bailey's next time! I think I'll add an extra two tablespoons or three :P into the cream. I want it to really taste like a martini!

I won't be posting the recipe for both frosting's, since it is my own recipe :P. But all you have to do is bake your favorite vanilla cupcake and top it off with a chantilly frosting which is basically like whipped cream frosting, and add just as much liquor in it as you wish haha ;)!

Red Velvet With Cream Chesse Frosting

   I tried red velvet for the first time last year at a wedding shower and immediately fell in love with it`s unique flavor. Red velvet is a tangy buttermilk cake with a very mild hint of chocolate and vanilla flavor. It`s really a flavor on it`s own! This cake came out perfectly, my boyfriend told me that it`s the best red velvet cake hes ever tried, and that he would have another one if i brought over more :p! And that`s a huge compliment since he doesn`t like red velvet and especially cream cheese frosting. My other taste tester`s told me that the cake was delicious, so fluffy and light! They didn`t get that disgusting feeling after eating a very heavy dessert.

Here is a very similar and simple red velvet recipe that you can try out. It`s from one of my favorite cupcake bakers... Martha Stewart :)!

• 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
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

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.

4.     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 overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

5.     To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting.

Here is a very quick, ideal cream cheese frosting for this classic cake!

• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 pound (4 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.     Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then vanilla; mix until smooth.



White Moka Frappucino Cupcake

   This week`s inspiration came from one of my favorite STARBUCKS drinks :), a white moka frappucino! I tweaked Martha Stewart's simple chocolate cupcake by adding freshly brewed coffee, 72% melted valrhona chocolate and filled it with a creamy dark chocolate mousse. Topped it off with a light fluffy white chocolate whipped cream frosting and a home made chocolate decoration. My taste testers thought it was absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making this yummy cupcake again :)!!!

Martha Stewart's Chocolate Cupcake

• 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

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

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

4.     Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then spread with Easy White Icing using a table knife or small offset spatula. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

You can top this off with your favorite frosting, I would recommend Martha Stewart's 7 minute frosting. It has the same light creamy texture that would go perfectly with this cupcake!

http://www.marthastewart.com/313138/seven-minute-frosting

I'm thinking of doing a peppermint cupcake for next week's cupcake of choice :)! So excited since peppermint is one of my favorite flavors.



Banana Cream Pie Cupcake

   For some reason I`ve been craving bananas all the time, this might be the reason why i made this mini delightful banana cream pie cupcake this week :). It was jam packed with yummy banana flavor, and the subtle caramel drizzle was a perfect topper. I found this recipe on a website called, ``Bakers Royale.`` This guy makes flawless desserts that look extremely delicious.

 Fill cupcake pan with liners. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coconut and Pecan Graham Cracker Crust

• 1 ½ C graham cracker crumbs
• ½ C sweetened coconut shreds, toasted
• ½ C pecans
• ½ C sugar
• 8 T butter, melted

1. Place graham cracker crumbs, toasted coconut shreds, toasted pecans and sugar in a food processor bowl and pulse to crumble.

2. Place 1 ½ tablespoon of graham cracker crust mixture into bottom of cupcake liner. Use the bottom of a glass to press mixture down. Bake crust for about 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.

Banana Cream Pie Filling

• 1 ½ bananas, 1/2 banana for divided use
• 1 C milk
• 1 C heavy cream
• ¼ C corn starch
• ½ C sugar, plus 2 T sugar
• 1 T vanilla
• ¼ kosher salt

1. Place all ingredients in food processor bowl or blender and process to combine. Pour mixture into a saucepan over medium heat and cook until mixture starts to bubble, making sure to constantly whisk. Continue to cook mixture until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Assembly

1. Pour mixture banana cream filling over crust and into liner about 2/3 of the way up. Using the remaining bananas, place one layer of sliced bananas on top. Place a thin second layer of banana cream filling on top of bananas. Pipe whip cream and drizzle caramel sauce on top

I hope you enjoyed this cupcake!

I`m planning on making a Christmas theme cupcake next week, I know it`s early... But I`m so excited!

I`ve already made my Christmas list ;).

Vanilla Cupcake

 I had so much fun baking and decorating these yummy vanilla cupcakes. I got the cake recipe from the blog site, ``Cupcake Project.`` They truly are the ultimate vanilla cupcake. It was my first time using vanilla beans, and I have to admit they really do make a huge difference. The vanilla flavor is multiplied by 100%. This cupcake was honestly delicious and so simple.

The Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

•1 C granulated sugar

•1 vanilla bean

•1 3/4 C cake flour

•1 1/2 t baking powder

•1/2 t baking soda

•1/2 t salt

•1/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature

•2 large eggs, room temperature

•1/3 C full-fat sour cream

•1/4 C canola oil or vegetable oil

•1 T pure vanilla extract

•2/3 C whole milk

1.Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).

2.In a small bowl, combine sugar and seeds from the vanilla bean.

3.Using the back of a spoon, move around the bowl and apply pressure to break up any clumps of seeds and to better infuse the vanilla flavor into the sugar. Set aside.

4.In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

5.Add the vanilla bean sugar and mix until well combined.

6.Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes. 

7.In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.

8.Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.

9.Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined. 

10.Fill cupcake liners just over 1/2 full.

11.Bake for 14 minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it. 

12.When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins and leave them on a cooling rack to cool.

You can top this cupcake off with your favorite frosting. The great thing about vanilla, is that it goes well with everything :).

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

Double Choco-Oreo Cookies

So I know I'm only supposed to post new cupcakes that i bake every week. But this is my blog and I make the rules lol, plus I just made these crazy delicious choco chip Oreo cookies for my brothers, and i wanted to show them off. They were amazing! Fluffy, extra chewy in the middle and crispy on the edges, just how I like them. I have never been able to find a cookie recipe that i absolutely love, and I'm pretty sure that I've found the winner today. I baked 24 cookies 10 minutes ago, and I'm now down to 4 haha.

I got the recipe from the, "Chef at home" cookbook, and added my own little tweaks to it. Here is the final recipe :).

Double Choc-Oreo Cookies

• 1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 T cocoa powder
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 C brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 t pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 C dark chocolate chips
• 6 semi-chopped up Oreo cookie

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder together and set aside.
3. Using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. If you don't have a stand mixer, beat vigorously by hand in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the egg and vanilla and continue beating until well combined. Scrape down the bowl and gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and chopped Oreos.
5. Scoop out a big tablespoon ball of dough, roll it for a moment in your hands and then drop it onto parchment paper. Slightly flatten the balls.

For a soft, chewy cookie, bake for exactly 12 minutes. For a cookie with a bit of crispy crunch, bake for exactly 15 minutes.

Hope you guys try out these tasty cookies, let me know what you think of them and how they turned out :).

Next week I'm thinking of baking the, ULTIMATE VANILLA CUPCAKE! From the blog site called, "Cupcake Project." I'll be putting a little Halloween touch on them. I'm also baking a french toast cupcake with maple buttercream frosting for my brother's breakfast party!

Have a great week :)



Chai Tea Cupcake with Cinnamon Frosting

I ended up making the chai cupcakes with cinnamon frosting from Baa Baa, Cupcake this week :). The flavor was amazing, but i found that the cake was way too heavy. My dad and I came to the conclusion that it was dense, due to the recipe having no eggs in it, since it was vegan. Besides the weird texture of this cupcake, the frosting I have to say was soooooo good. It had just a hint of cinnamon flavor that didn`t overpower the chai spices in the cupcake and it was silkyyyyy smooth, YUMMY. I would definitely recommend this frosting, but would choose a different cake recipe to go with it next time. Maybe you can use your favorite vanilla cupcake recipe and add chai spices to it. I`ll have to try that out and let you know how it turns out.

I topped this cupcake off with edible gold flakes, that i found went great and looked amazing with the frosting`s color :)! Got a new piping set, still have a lot of practising to do with it lol. Here`s the recipe!

Chai Tea Cupcake with Cinnamon Frosting

Makes 4 dozen mini

• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 5 black tea bags
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• pinch ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Line mini cupcake tin with paper liners
2. Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to boil.  Add the tea bags and cover.  Remove from heat and leave covered for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, squeeze the remaining milk out of the tea bags.  Remeasure the milk and save one cup of it (drink the extra as a mid-baking pick-me-up!)
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the oil, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla into a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.  
4. Add the tea mixture and mix until well combined.
5. In a medium bowl, add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and pepper.  Mix with a whisk.
6. Add the dry ingredients into the large mixing bowl.  Mix until well combined.
7. Fill paper liners 2/3 full of batter.  Bake for 13-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Cinnamon Frosting

Enough to cover 4 dozen mini cupcakes

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2-3 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1 T milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Beat butter until light and fluffy.
2. Slowly add the confectioner's sugar 1/2 cup at a time until you have added 2 cups.  Mix well after each addition. 
3. Once you have added 2 cups of confectioner's sugar, add the milk and vanilla. Mix well.
4. Add the cinnamon, mix well.
5. Add remaining confectioner's sugar to achieve desired consistency. If you accidentally add too much sugar and the frosting becomes dry, add a little more milk.  

And there you have it! I`m thinking about baking a cupcake that incorporates coffee since i didn`t do it this week, but i can`t seem to find a recipe that catches my eyes or looks good. I did find a cool snickerdoodle cookie cupcake that looks interesting from a blog site called, cupcake project.

Until next week everyone :)

BON APPETIT

 I don`t really know why I'm doing this. Maybe because i see all these cupcake blogs, and tell myself, I love baking and eating cupcakes just as much as all these other people do. So why not start a blog of my own ? I might not be as good or knowledgeable as some of these fellow bloggers are, but hopefully Ill get great advice back and grow as a baker!

  I`ve been thinking long and hard about what I want my concept to be, actually just since yesterday night lol. The first thing that came into my mind was the movie, Julie & Julia! I don`t know why, but it just did haha. I want to bake a new cupcake every week! Either my own recipe or cupcakes from my all-time favorite pastry books and online sites. Ill always put the recipe because I HATE IT when I see something yummy online and the recipe isn`t posted GRRRRRR. Ill also explain how it turned out, and what my secret taste testers thought of them. One of them being my toughest judge, ``The Boyfriend.``I still havn`t been able to bake a cupcake that he loves. So far I have a cake he thought was great, and a chocolate cream cheese frosting he liked. Hopefully doing this mini enjoyable challenge of mine, will help me bake Jonathan's favorite cupcake. If not, that will be a whole new concept ill have to try out :) !!!

This week I`m thinking about either baking a chai cupcake with cinnamon frosting from one of my favorite blog sites called Baa Baa, Cupcake.

 Or a cupcake that incorporates coffee in some way. HMMMMM... what to bake, what to bake? Ill have to decide pronto, since we are Tuesday and I only have 5 more days to make a not so easy decision.

Until next time cupcake lovers, hope everyone has an AHHHHHMMMAAAAZING week! :)