Margarita Cupcakes

This is for you lil' sis - Happy Birthday!!! Can't believe you are turning 23 this year... how time flies! I'm glad I had the opportunity to send you a nice birthday treat through our middle sis, so I hope you enjoyed it.
With your standing request of green treats, this time I made a margarita cupcake - although not entirely green (the green curd was made by adding artificial coloring, or else it would just look like lemon curd), you get a nice surprise green middle. And limes are green, so that counts right? :)
Here is my wish/hope that you have a wonderful birthday, and that this coming year is as exciting and fulfilling as you want it to be!

Ingredients:

For the curd: 

• 2 whole eggs plus 8 egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 6 limes)
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
• a tiny bit of green food coloring (optional, add a little at a time)

For the cupcakes:

• 3 cups AP flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 100g (about 1 1/4 cup) unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup lime juice (about 4 limes), zested and juiced
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk

For the frosting:

• 2 cups sugar
• 8 large egg whites
• Pinch fleur de sel (coarse salt)
• 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. tequila

Directions:

1. Lime Curd: combine whole eggs and yolks, sugar, and lime juice in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat back of a spoon. Remove from heat. add butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap, pressing it directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).
2. Cupcakes: preheat the oven to 325˚ F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, coconut flakes, and salt; stir with a fork to blend.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.  Blend in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Beat in the lime zest and lime juice.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Beat each addition just until incorporated.2. Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ full.  Bake 20-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  If desired, brush the cooled cakes with tequila to emphasize the true margarita flavor.3. Frosting: combine the sugar, egg whites, and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.  Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated.  If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (don’t worry, it will come together, though it may take a very long time!)  Stir in the lime juice and tequila and mix until fully incorporated and smooth.4. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.  Frost the cooled cupcakes with the buttercream.  Garnish with a dot of lime curd.

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats (for cake and frosting) and Martha Stewart's Cupcakes (for lime curd)

Butterfinger Cupcakes

This is a special post for Karen! 
Karen is the awesome lady who takes care of my children while I work. So what do I call her: nanny, babysitter? Those words just don't fit all that she does. She has taken care of my daughter since she was about 3 months old (she is 3 now!), and my son since he was 2 months old. She watches them from the moment I drop them off before work until after all the patients and charts are done (which is sometimes a lot later than I would want). Rain or shine, healthy or sick (either her or the kids!), she is there for us. She has even taken care of me when I smashed my finger on my car door, or fed me when I didn't have time to grab lunch... She is so much more than just a babysitter because she is an integral part in my children's life. She has taught them so much, so many good life values like patience, kindness, prayer and friendship... 
I think that any mother would understand this (and fathers too): it is a very stressful thing to choose who/where should take care of your children. There are so many different options around, so which one best fits your family needs? We met Karen through one of the gals I work with (Karen takes care of her son too), and she was exactly what we needed. From day one, I felt comfortable in leaving my first born in the hands of a "stranger". Having her there for us gives me the peace of mind that my children are in good hands while I work. It's a good sign when you pick up your children and they don't want to leave (either that or I'm just a boring parent...)!
Anyways, thanks for everything Karen, and happy birthday!!! :)
PS: a little birdie named Sarah told me your like Butterfingers!
About the cupcakes: the base is my favorite chocolate cake recipe, and the frosting is a mixture of butter, peanut butter, and... wait for it... melted candy corn!!! Weird? Yes! But amazing flavor, totally tastes like the inside of a Butterfinger. I got the recipe from The Baking Robot.  They did have an additional step, which I didn't do for lack of time, but would have totally made it since it sounds so good! You can freeze the cupcakes and coat the outside of the frosting with chocolate to really mimic a Butterfinger candy bar. Yum!! Head on over to her blog to see that part of the recipe and also a tutorial link.

Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes ~2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients:
-2 cups white sugar
-1 3/4 cups AP flour
-3/4 cup cocoa powder
-1 1/2 tsp baking powder
-1 1/2 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp salt
-2 eggs
-1 cup milk
-1/2 cup canola oil
-1 cup boiling water (yes boiling!)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line two 12-count muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, sift together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. In a large bowl of a stand up mixer set with the paddle attachment, beat eggs, milk, and canola oil until well combined. Add the dry ingredients in 3 increments, mixing well after each addition. Carefully stir in boiling water, mixing until combined and batter has thinned.
4. Fill paper liners 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

"Butterfinger" Frosting
Ingredients:
-1/2 cup milk
-1 1/2 cups candy corn
-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
-1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth
-3-4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
1. In a saucepan over low heat, combine candy corn and milk. Melt the candy corn, stirring occasionally, until it is completely dissolved and the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Let cool to room temperature. This will yield 1 cup.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and peanut butter. Add 2-3 cups of powdered sugar. Gradually add candy corn mixture until desired consistency is achieved. Add more powdered sugar if necessary. If too thick, add some milk or heavy cream and beat well.
3. Frost cupcake as you desire. I added a baking version of Butterfingers to the top for garnish :)

Recipe adapted from The Baking Robot

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcake and Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

This post is dedicated to my dear friend Rachel, who is expecting her first baby (a boy!) in January. 

Rachel and I met in dental school, first person I really interacted with since we were in the same small group together. We hit it off pretty easily, having common grounds on a lot of things (including our love for The Amazing Race!). We hung out a lot during dental school, with our many weekend nights playing Euchre against our husbands. Since we both graduated dental school, we've moved to different places (although still within the same state) so we don't see each other as often as before... makes me miss her a lot.

When we (and by we I mean our small group of dental school friends) found out that she was pregnant, we offered to throw her a baby shower. Her mom was gracious enough to host the shower at her house. I jumped at the opportunity to bake the cupcakes for the party. I thought and thought of a cupcake flavor for her, and since the shower and baby room have a monkey theme, I thought banana would go well. I just had to make sure that she didn't have an aversion to bananas (she didn't), and it was all set. This "concoction" was a combination of different recipes I found and meshed together. The final product seemed to please everyone who tried it! Hope you enjoy it!!!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Yield: 30+ cupcakes

Ingredients:

-2½ cups all-purpose flour
-1 Tbsp baking powder
-½ tsp salt
-12 Tbsp (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
-2½ cups sugar
-6 eggs
-1 cup plus 2 Tbsp buttermilk
-1 1/3 cups mashed ripe banana

-1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk together and set aside.  

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Reduce the mixer speed to medium low and add in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Mix in mashed banana until well combined.  With the mixer on low speed alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing only until just incorporated.

3. Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 full.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

-8oz cream cheese, room temperature

-1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

-3-4 cups confectioners' sugar

-Garnish - banana chips

Directions:

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream together the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.

2. Add in cocoa powder and mix very well. Then add the confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, until desired consistency. 

3. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Garnish the top with a whole banana chip (and eat the small chips!)

Cupcake recipe adapted from Annie's Eats

Frosting recipe adapted from Cupcake Project

Congratulations Rachel!

Roasted Banana Cupcake with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

My, how time flies... it has been such a long time since I posted last in this blog. Here is a little update with my life in general: 

Daughter - she is an energetic three year old who owns every bit of the word "terrible threes"! Ok, that makes her sound bad... she is actually a sweetheart (most of the time), but when she wants something and doesn't get her way, watch out! She is slowly learning how to cope with the environment around her and not be so fiery at times. She is a wonderful big sister to her "new" little brother, always watching out for him and entertaining him when he is crying.

Son - he is about to turn 7 months this weekend. He is such a calm, laid back little guy. As long as you keep his tummy nice and full, he is all fun and smiles. He is rolling around very well, and we can see him wanting to crawl soon. I think that he will start to crawl just in time for Christmas decorations and tree :P

As for me? I went back to work at the end of June (coincidentally right around the time I stopped posting anything), but think we have finally settled into a new routine and things are not as crazy as before. Still very busy, but I think we can tread water better and not feel like we could drown at any minute!

So enough chit-chatting, here is a recipe I made during the summer, took pictures, but just didn't post: the banana is roasted prior to being mashed and added to the rest of the ingredients, so it has a sweeter, earthier taste. Now this frosting - it is just plain AWESOME! Sweet, but not too sweet. It compliments the cupcake super well!

Roasted Banana Cupcakes

Makes ~16 cupcakes

Ingredients:

-3 ripe bananas, plus 1-2 more for garnish

-2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted

-1/2 tsp baking soda

-1/2 tsp baking powder

-3/4 tsp salt

-1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

-3/4 cup sugar

-3 large eggs

-1/2 cup sour cream

-1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. To roast the bananas: preheat oven to 400F. Place 3 whole unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes (the peels will turn a very dark brown, that's ok!). While the bananas are roasting, line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Also, sift together the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Once bananas are done, remove from oven and let cool before peeling. Reduce oven temperature to 350F.

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. Add vanilla. Add roasted bananas, and beat to combine. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 additions of sour cream, and beating until just combined after each. 

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester (toothpick!) inserted in centers come out clean, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely. 

*Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Ingredients:

-2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

-2 Tbsp honey

-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat all ingredients until smooth. Use immediately, or refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container; before using, bring to room temperature and beat until smooth.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewarts Cupcakes By Martha Stewart Living Magazine

Triple Lime Cupcakes

Hello everyone! Today's sweet treat was planned for a very special occasion: six years ago today, I married my best friend. It has been a very busy six years, with so many changes in our lives. Six years ago I had no idea that we would be where we are today... I feel so truly blessed to have my amazing husband by my side through thick and thin. 

Us on our wedding day - first dance!

To celebrate this occasion, I knew I wanted to make cupcakes, but I just had to figure out the flavor. He has been asking for something citrus-y for a little while, so I gave him the option of either lemon or lime. He chose lime! I think he would have preferred key lime, but in good ol' Indiana I haven't found a reliable fresh key lime source yet (if you know of any, please let me know!)
So I came across this recipe from She Makes and Bakes for a key lime cupcake, so I just adapted for regular limes. The cupcake itself though I used my recipe from Lime Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting recipe since I love it so much! The lime curd came out very creamy and with the right amount of tangy-ness. Since I didn't want a regular cream cheese frosting, I added 1 Tbsp of the curd that I made to it to give it just a hint of lime too. All in all, a very successful recipe, if I may say so myself!

 Look who I had eyeing my cupcake while I took pictures!

Now the recipe below made 24 cupcakes, plus an 8-inch cake (just a little on the thin side). I doubled the original recipe for the curd, and I still wish there was a little more. I may increase it a little more next time, and if I have extra I can always save it for some yummy toast! I also wish I had more frosting... so therefore the little cake I made especially for my husband and I to share is not covered completely in frosting (like I would want it to be). I filled it with half curd and half frosting.

Triple Lime Cupcakes
~makes 2-3 dozen cupcakes~


Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
Same cupcakes from my Lime Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting recipe

For the lime Curd:
1/2 cup lime juice (about 2-3 limes)
1 Tbsp lime zest
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened and cut into 4 pieces

For the cream cheese frosting:1 package cream cheese (8 ounces)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter1/8 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp of lime curd
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Bake the cupcakes according to the directions in my  Lime Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting recipe. Let cupcakes cool completely to room temperature before cupcake assembly.

To make the curd, whisk together the lime juice, zest, eggs, and sugar in a mixing bowl set on top of a saucepan with simmering water (this is the double boiler method). Add butter and whisk until thickened and smooth (a thermometer would read 160-170 degrees). Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap to chill. It will pipe into your cupcakes much easier if it's chilled. Once chilled, set aside 1 Tbsp of the curd for the frosting.

To make the cream cheese frosting, in your mixing bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the lime curd and salt and mix until incorporated. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix until smooth.

To assemble the cupcakes, use an apple corer or a knife to cut a hole in the center of your cupcakes (cone method - for directions, check out this link). Fill the hole with the chilled lime curd. You can do this with a spoon, a pastry bag, or a sandwich bag with the corner snipped off. You don't need to place cake over the hole as the frosting will cover it (I'm sure you can find plenty of mouths to eat those cones!). Pipe frosting on top of the cupcake. 


Lime curd and frosting recipes adapted from She Makes and Bakes

Chocolate cupcake with an AMAZING vanilla frosting!

Hello everyone! We are finally in May, the month of graduations and celebrations! My wonderful nanny/babysitter's son is graduating from college today! She mentions how time has absolutely flown by... I probably will blink and be going to my own children's graduations soon (I don't know if I am ready for that yet...) 
To mark such a special occasion, I thought I'd make him a cupcake treat. I asked his mom what he would like, and she said: vanilla or chocolate (he is not an adventurous eater!). Well, I had been dying to have an excuse to make this intriguing frosting recipe I saw on Pinterest. Why is it intriguing, you ask? You use FLOUR in the frosting! AND you cook it! I was skeptical at first, and I had a backup plan just in case it didn't turn out well. But, I did follow through with it since the source of the recipe I saw is none other than Ree Drummond! Oh, for step-by-step picture directions on how to make the frosting (if you like that sort of thing like me...), go to this link. 
Now, I did already have a favorite chocolate cake recipe, but figured I'd also try Ree's chocolate cake recipe that I keep seeing pop up around the internet. Plus, when I saw her make this cake on her FoodNetwork show, I had to borrow one of my children's bibs for all my drooling! If you are a visual learner like me, I recommend you check out the link for the chocolate cake to see all her amazing pictures.

And, for my "garnish": a graduation cap idea from Skip To My Lou made of miniature Reese's cups, upside-down Ghirardelli chocolate squares, brown miniature M&M's, and melted white chocolate for the tassel. Also saw this idea on Pinterest (can you tell I'm on there a lot???)

Hope you enjoy these Jacob! Congratulations on all your accomplishments!

Ree's Chocolate Cupcakes
~makes 24 cupcakes~

Cupcake ingredients:
-2 cups AP flour
-2 cups sugar
-1/4 tsp salt
-4 Tbsp (heaping) cocoa powder
-1 cup (2 sticks) butter
-1 cup boiling water
-1/2 cup buttermilk
-2 large eggs
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp vanilla extract


Cupcake directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare muffin pans with 24 cupcake liners; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt; set aside. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Once melted, add cocoa powder and stir well together. Add boiling water, then allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds; turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture and stir lightly to cool.
In a measuring cup (I used a 2-cup measuring cup), add the buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Using a fork mix all ingredients well. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into each cupcake liner about 2/3 of the way full and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Once baked, allow cupcakes to cool on wire racks before adding the frosting.

Awesome Frosting


Frosting ingredients:
-5 Tbsp AP flour
-1 cup milk
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 cup butter (2 sticks), lightly softened
-1 cup granulated white sugar (not powdered sugar)


Frosting directions:
In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Be careful not to burn it. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. You can place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools if you are in a hurry. Stir in vanilla. This mixture must be completely cooled in order for the frosting to work.
While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add the cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat until it all combines and resembles whipped cream. Make sure you scrape down the sides every so often so that it all gets incorporated and whipped. If it's not looking like whipped cream, keep on whipping. This frosting is great for piping. Best served the same day.

-Chocolate Cupcake recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
-Frosting recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything, originally from Tasty Kitchen
-Graduation cap decoration idea from Skip To My Lou

My favorite vanilla cupcake

Wow... it has been a while since I last posted. Things got away from me, busy life took over, and now it seems like forever since I last wrote a post. 
As an update to our personal life, I am due any day now (!) and looking very much forward for baby #2 to arrive. I am officially on maternity leave and hope to take some of this time to post some of the stuff I've made but just not posted. 
On to the recipe though! I have been looking and looking for a good, reliable, and simple vanilla cupcake (or cake for that matter) recipe. I've tried many but never found one that would truly deliver the same results every time. I like the little dome on top of the cupcake, and I like the cake itself to be moist but with good consistency. AND (not to be picky or anything), I like it when it doesn't take a whole bunch of bowls, I don't need to whip up the eggs separately (which does deliver a good fluffy cake, but man... the extra work...), and I don't have extra mess to clean up!
So, have I finally found the recipe "of my dreams", you ask? I think so! :) So far this recipe has made me very happy, and I can officially say that I can retire the cake box mixes for vanilla/yellow cakes (I've already done that with my chocolate cakes/cupcakes!).
So here is the recipe, from one of my all-time favorite food bloggers Annie from  Annie's Eats . I didn't modify/tweak this recipe at all; it's that perfect (I just omitted the lemon zest for the same reason Annie did too)! :) You can basically pair this cupcake with any frosting you want, which I chose (this time) to frost with a nice chocolate frosting (another recipe that has become my go-to one!)

Vanilla Cupcakes

Make 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

¼ cup milk

1-1 ½ recipes easy vanilla buttercream frosting (or any other frosting you want)

Directions:

Get your ingredients ready!

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.  Set pan aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

 In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides and beating well after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla extract. 

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter (about 2/3 up the cup) and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool in pan 5 minutes.  Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Prepare frosting.  Decorate cooled cupcakes as desired.

Recipe from Annie's Eats

Chocolate Salted-Caramel Cupcakes

Hello everyone! I LOVE August!!! You know why? Because there are four coworker birthdays this month, including my own :D That means I get to roll up my sleeves and try their requested cupcake recipes from the Martha Stewart's Cupcakes recipe book. This week was Lori’s big 5-0 birthday! *She can kick!* (haha sorry, inside joke), and being a chocolate and caramel lover, she chose this recipe as soon as she saw it.

I must confess though, I did have a mishap when I was making this cupcake last night. The original recipe calls for the Salted Caramel Filling recipe, included in the recipe book…  Well, let’s just say that the attempt was made and that I had the best of intentions to make homemade caramel, but that is not what I had in the end. You see, I was caramelizing the sugar and monitoring the temperature… and all of a sudden the sugar burned! Well, at that time I didn’t realize that had happened yet, but then I went to taste it when all was said and done and it was… BITTER. Yuck! By then it was late in the night, and my wonderful husband offered this golden nugget: why not use some caramel topping we had? Bingo! Caramel topping it is. I will, however, attempt to make this caramel again, and when I get it right, I’ll post it here. That is a promise!

But other than the problematic caramel filling, everything else worked great! The cupcake turned out very moist and a little dense, which was perfect for the caramel filling. The frosting was almost like a mousse; very creamy and fluffy!

Chocolate Salted-Caramel Cupcakes

Makes about 22 cupcakes

Cupcake ingredients:

1 ½ cups AP flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/ ½ cups sugar

1 ½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp baking powder

¾ tsp salt

2 large eggs

¾ cup buttermilk

3 Tbsp canola oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

¾ cup warm water

Cupcake directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tins with paper liners. In a separate bowl, sift and whisk together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a mixing bowl set with the paddle attachment, add eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and the water and mix it all for about one minute on medium speed. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the liquids while mixing on slow speed. Beat until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

2.    Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake until cake tester (i.e. toothpick) inserted in the center comes out clean, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool for 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.

Dark Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:

12oz best-quality semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled (I used Guiradelli = 4 oz bittersweet, 8oz semi-sweet)

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup boiling water

4 ¼ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted

1/8 tsp salt

A tip to melt the chocolate: Place finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water (make sure to not let ANY of the water touch the chocolate). Heat until chocolate is almost melted, then stir with a flexible spatula until completely melted. Remove bowl from pan, and let chocolate cool, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes before using (Oh, and you can use the boiled water for the frosting! Double use!!)

Directions for Frosting:

Combine cocoa powder and the boiling water, stirring until cocoa has dissolved completely. With an electric mixer set with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed, beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add melted and cooled chocolate, beating until combined and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture. If the frosting seems too runny, place it in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes , then beat them again for another minute.

Do you see the gooey center oozing out?! 

Look below to see who could just NOT resist this...

To assemble cupcakes

Ingredients:

One jar of your favorite caramel topping

Sea salt, preferably fleur de sel, for garnish

Directions:

1.    Using a paring knife to cut a cone-shaped piece (about ½ inch deep) from the center of each cupcake (discard, i.e. eat, pieces). Spoon 1-2 tsps caramel topping into each hollowed-out cupcake. sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over filling.

2.    Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with frosting, and pipe frosting onto each cupcake. garnish each cupcake with a pinch of sea salt (optional). 

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat

My daughter just couldn't resist the caramel and helped herself to a taste :)

Happy Anniversary to my parents!

Thirty years ago on July 11^th, 1981, my wonderful parents made their vow to become husband and wife. Today my sister and I threw an anniversary celebration party for my parents and invited some of their closest friends to join us. It was a wonderful party with great food, good laughs, and many fun moments.

We celebrated this party at Piepers Gourmet Catering, a local restaurant/caterer in Columbus, IN. I must tell you; their food is delish! I frequently eat lunch there during the week, but when I saw that they also cater for parties, I got in touch with the owner and planned my parents’ anniversary party.

Here is some of the yummy food provided by PGC:

Caprese Salad

Greek Salad Bruschetta

Rosemary Lemon Chicken

Fruit Salad in Lime-Mint Syrup

Now for such a special occasion, I just had to make my own cupcakes! To make it more bite-sized, and of course, so people won’t feel guilty of eating several ;), I made mini-cupcakes. 

I used my favorite Red Velvet Cupcake recipe, the Lime Cupcake with Strawberry Frosting I made for my sister this past spring (and I tweaked the recipe to make it fluffier!), and a not-yet posted recipe for Coconut Cupcake (well, now it is posted below).

This Coconut Cupcake recipe is from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat recipe book, and it is one of my favorite cupcake recipes from this book! I got this book for Christmas this last year from my mother in law and I have been slowly making my way through the recipes. I did tweak the recipe just a tad bit (increased shredded coconut, decreased sugar, and changed egg requirements), but all in all it’s pretty much the same. It is fluffy, moist and wonderfully coconut-y! Any coconut lover MUST try this recipe! I dare you!!!

Coconut Cupcake with Coconut Frosting

Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups AP flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut (I use Brazilian shredded coconut)

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1 ¼ cups sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Pulse shredded coconut in a food processor until finely ground, and whisk into flour mixture (if you use American shredded coconut; the Brazilian coconut is already pretty fine so I leave it as is).

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in eggs and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of coconut milk, and beating until combined after each.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each ¾ full. Bake rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester (good ol’ toothpick) inserted in centers come out clean, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven; turn out cupcakes onto wire racks and let cool completely.

Coconut Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1 Tbsp meringue powder (optional)

2-3 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp coconut extract

Directions:

With an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat butter and meringue powder (optional) on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Reduce speed to medium. Add the confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. After every couple of additions, raise speed to high and beat 10 seconds to aerate frosting, then return to medium. This whole process should take about 5 minutes, and frosting will be very pale and fluffy.

Add coconut extract, and beat until frosting is smooth.

Happy 30 years mae and pai!

Lime Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

Hi everyone! This past week was our city's spring break and I had the opportunity to be at home Wednesday-Friday from work! Man was I needing a little time off :) Not that I don't like my work, I absolutely love what I do, but sometimes you want to take a breather. Why the need to share about my past week, you may ask? Well, two wonderful things have happened: we have made huge progress towards potty-training our 20-month old daughter (super yay!!!!!!!!!!) AND my middle sister got engaged (double super yay!!!!!!!!!!). With the potty-training, well, if you have had any experience with children, you'd know that not having to change a diaper is an amazing thing. I definitely worked with my mom this last week on tips and ideas to make sure we could survive it. I must tell you, it takes an IMMENSE amount of patience and positive reinforcement to get through it. There were times I felt like giving up, but you know what? Since starting it Wednesday, today she finally started getting the hang of it and did not have any accidents! It's the little things in life, but it made me so proud to see her achieve yet another milestone in her life.

Okay, now to the other wonderful event - my middle sister's engagement! My soon-to-be brother-in-law (man that is a mouthful!) told us ahead of time that he was going to propose to my sister when she got back from her spring break from Florida on Friday evening. I told him I would make the celebratory cupcakes for this special occasion! I knew my sister likes fruity things, so I thought something fruity and sweet would be perfect. Since I had some limes at home, I searched for a recipe with limes on Foodbuzz and came across this wonderful recipe from Ryan Bakes. This recipe was wonderful: the cupcake had a nice hint of lime with the use of both the fresh squeezed juice and the zest. The frosting.... oh man, the frosting. It was strawberry heaven! So fluffy, smooth, sweet... just perfect. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it hehehehe.

*Note (7-9-11) - I modified the cupcake recipe a little bit since I made it again. Instead of milk, I used buttermilk. To counter-balance the buttermilk, I added 1 tsp. baking soda. The result? A fluffier cupcake! :D

So in honor of the newly engaged couple: to a life full of happiness and prosperity!

Lime Cupcakes:

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. freshly grated lime zest

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners. 

Blend butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 to 3 minutes); add eggs 1 at a time beating after each addition.  Sift flour, salt and baking powder.  Add dry ingredients to wet, alternating with milk. Be careful not to overmix.  Add in lime juice and zest and mix.  Fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 of the way full. 

Bake at 350 degrees about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 


For the Strawberry Buttercream:

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup fresh or frozen strawberry puree
pinch of salt

Directions:
In a food processor place fresh or frozen strawberries and puree the strawberries until there are no visible lumps. Set aside. *Note: I chose to not pass the puree through a strainer because I like my frosting to have the strawberry lumps, but you could make a strained puree if you so choose.

In a large mixing bowl add the butter, 2 cups of the sugar, pinch of salt, and a couple of Tbsp of the strawberry puree.  On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.  Continue to add more strawberry puree into the mixing bowl until you reach your desired amount of strawberry flavor.  Start by adding the puree Tbs. by Tbs., taking care not to add too much or your icing will be runny (which mine did a little, I got a tad strawberry-happy). Then, add the remaining 1-2 cups of powdered sugar and blend until your icing is stiff enough that it will be able to spread on your cupcakes.  If you've added too much puree, just add a little more powdered sugar to make your icing more firm.  

Cupcake and Buttercream recipes adapted from Ryan Bakes

Look at that bling!