Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cheesecake Frosting

This has been one crazy summer. We've traveled, done some home renos, had visitors and are trying to get ready for our little man's arrival. The heat has been killer too. Figures I'd be pregnant during the hottest summer we've had in a few years. All this has led me to be neglectful of my beloved blog! (and my sweet tooth) But being pregnant has it's advantages, like cravings stronger than the 30+˚C weather. Last night my hormones said "Heat wave be damned, we want cupcakes!" So cupcakes were made. I had a strong desire for chocolate and peanut butter so I went looking for a peanut butter frosting.

I found a cream cheese frosting recipe at allrecipes.com and threw some peanut butter and extra icing sugar in and it was yummy. The reason I call it cheesecake frosting is because of the strong cream cheese taste to the frosting, it's more like cheesecake than cream cheese icing. The heat made it a bit soft, but it was silky and smooth and made my boxed mix cupcakes taste like the I-spent-30-minutes-baking-from-scratch-even-though-I'm-sweating-like-a-pig-cause-I-love-my-family kind. Pair these up with some ICE cold milk and you've got one tasty little chocolate peanut butter treat!
Print this recipe

Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cheesecake Frosting adapted from allrecipes.com

cupcake:

1 box Devil's Food cake mix (I used Betty Crocker, I love Betty)
eggs, oil and water as per your brand's instructions
1/2 c. chocolate chips

frosting:

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. icing sugar

Instructions:

1. Prepare your cake mix as per your brand's instructions adding chocolate chips into the batter and bake cupcakes until cooked through.
2. Remove from oven and cool completely.
3. Beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla and peanut butter until smooth.
4. Slowly mix is icing sugar until thoroughly combined.
5. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes and enjoy!

Print this recipe

enjoy!

Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream Frosting

My good friend Michelle sent me an email the other day. That's not out of the ordinary at all, except for the fact that it was a recipe. Michelle is not really known for emailing out recipes (pictures of her fun nights out, and more recently of her expanding belly yes, but not recipes). So immediately I knew it HAD to be good!

OH. MY. GOD. The name alone had me drooling. Chocolate. Coffee. Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur. Hello? Even my husband, who hates cake of any kind, was intrigued. He asked me to make these when he was on night shift this weekend so he could take them into work to help keep the guys awake. He's so funny.

These cupcakes taste like your favourite coffee blend. They taste like a chilly winter's night by the fire. They taste like... heaven. Give'em a try and tell me I'm lying!


Print this recipe

Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream Frosting

cupcakes:

1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 c buttermilk, room temperature
3 heaping tbsp cocoa
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup coffee, hot
1 c sugar
1 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

frosting:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
4 c icing sugar
1/4 c Bailey's Irish Cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp milk
2 tbsp coffee, cooled

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolves the baking soda in the buttermilk.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter slowly over low heat and add the cocoa. Mix until combined and smooth.
3. Remove from the heat and add the coffee to the cocoa/butter mixture and stir.
4. In a seperate bowl sift together the flour, sugar and salt.
5. While slowly mixing add the cocoa mixture and egg to the flour mixture.
6. Next add the buttermilk and vanilla and continue to beat until smooth.
7. Bake at 350˚F for 20 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when touched.
8. Cream together the butter and icing sugar for the frosting.
9. Add the Bailey's, vanilla, milk and coffee and whip until combined and smooth.
10. Frost tops of cooled cupcakes and decorate with chocolate shavings, chocolate covered espresso beans or enjoy all on their own!

Print this recipe

Look at how moist these babies are!

enjoy,

Gingerbread Buttercream

I was at the bulk barn and stumbled upon these adorable little gingerbread man sprinkles. I had no idea what I was going to do with them but I had to have them. Fast forward 3 weeks and there I was baking for my 3 year old's pre-school Christmas party. I was digging through my baking cupboard for chocolate and found the sprinkles, and knew exactly what I needed to make... cupcakes!

I had already baked 4 different kinds of cookies and fudge and whoppie pies (blog post to come!) and so I was pretty tired but I thought the kids would love some little cupcakes and the sprinkles would put them over the top, so I grabbed a cake mix from the cupboard. *gasp* I KNOW, you're all disappointed with me and wagging your fingers, but I was tiiiiiired (said like a whiny teenager), besides, they're a total time-saver, they're just pre-measured dry ingredients, and they're yummy, thank you Betty Crocker!

The sprinkles are little bits of gingerbread cookie so I wondered if I could create some gingerbread buttercream to go on the cupcakes. Success! Total yumminess that turns a boxed cake mix into heaven!


Gingerbread Buttercream

1 stick (1/2 c) butter, softened
1/2 lb powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions

1. Cream butter and sugar together until thoroughly incorporated.
2. Add cream and vanilla and mix until fluffy.
3. Add spices and mix.
4. Pipe or spread onto anything, cupcakes, cookies, bars, your finger...

Triple Vanilla Party Cupcakes with Smartie Frosting AND...My First Giveaway!

My 3 year old is OBSESSED with smarties. Well, all candy really, but chocolate holds a special place in her heart (that's my girl!). She's also been chattering for days about cupcakes so I thought I'd try to find a way to combine the two. I decided the easiest thing to do is crush some up and throw them into some Buttercream Frosting. I've been dying to try Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake, but with so little opportunity to bake actual cakes I thought it would make great cupcakes (Jamie did it too!). But to make it for a 3 year old I made some minor changes. For the original recipe head on over to mix, mix, stir, stir.



Perfect Triple Vanilla Party Cupcakes with Smartie Buttercream Frosting

For the cake:

2 ¼ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups vanilla sugar*
1 vanilla bean, seeded
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Frosting:

2 sticks softened unsalted butter
1 lb powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup smarties

Instructions:

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

2. Beat together the milk and egg whites in a bowl.

3. Put the sugar into your mixer and add the butter, and beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are fluffy.

4. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.

5. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.

6. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.

7. Scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean and add to the bowl and give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and will aerated.

8. Spoon the batter into greased cupcake liners and bake at 350˚F until golden and cooked through.

9. Cool.

10. For the frosting, cream together the butter and sugar until thoroughly combined.

11. Add in the salt, vanilla and cream and whip until light and fluffy.

12. Place smarties in a plastic zipper bag and pound with a mallet (or rolling pin, or wine bottle, whatever is handy) until crushed.

13. Add to frosting and mix to distribute.

14. Pipe onto cupcakes and serve.

*How to make Vanilla Sugar: You know that vanilla pod you scraped the seeds out of? Don't throw those empty pods away! Place in a mason jar and add a few cups of sugar and seal. The longer it sits the more vanilla flavour will impart onto the sugar.

And now for the free stuff!

My First Giveaway!

I was out to pick up a bundt pan the other day as mine vanished into thin air and I spied these adorable silicone baking pans (you can click on the picture for a more detailed view). I grabbed a set for myself and then noticed they were 50% off so I grabbed another set for some lucky winner to snag. There's a heart, a star, a crescent moon and a teddy bear. They are all around 4" at their longest/widest part, perfect for single servings. I have already used my star and moon ones and they work great. The cakes cooked evenly and popped out so easily.


How do you win you ask?

Leave a comment on this post by midnight on Wednesday, August 12 2009 telling me about the first thing you can remember baking or cooking. If you Twitter, tweet about this contest using @caffeinated_mom adding a link to this post and you can enter a second time by submitting another comment here about the tweet!

Rules
1.) Open to continental USA & Canadian residents only.
2.) One winner will be chosen on 8/12/09 by using random.org.
3.) Make sure you tell me how to contact you when you leave a comment; either on your blog or an email.
4.) One comment per person, please. Plus one *tweet entry; totaling 2 possible entries per person.
5.) I will contact the winners via email or commenting on the winner's blog.
6.) You have until 8/14/09 to claim your prize, or I will choose another winner.

Good luck!

Amanda

Hostess Inspired Cupcakes & a Great Cupcake Find!

In Canada, Hostess isn't as popular as Vachon and their deliciously addictive Jos. Louis cakes, but if you've ever had a Hostess Cupcake you'll know they're pretty much the same thing, minus the chocolate glaze.

After gobbling up all the S'mores Cookie Bars in less than 12 hours my nephew requested some cupcakes. It's a good thing the kid practically lives in the gym or else he'd be well on his way to needing to be cut out of the side of the house! I saw these Hostess inspired cupcakes on the My Baking Addiction blog and figured since he inhaled a box of Ah Caramel's last week (ooo, I'm gonna have to try to figure out how to make those from scratch sometime soon!) he would appreciate these.



I changed the recipe slightly using my Grandma's recipe for One Bowl Chocolate Cake as it's my favourite cake recipe although I'm sure any cake recipe would be fabulous including a box cake mix.

The cupcakes with the white frosting aren't filled, I was pressed for time so I filled half and then just piled on the frosting for the other half, equally tasty if you ask me!


Hostess Inspired Cupcakes adapted from mybakingaddiction

Gran's One Bowl Chocolate Cake
1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. shortening (or butter)
1 1/4 c. milk
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Filling (Seven Minute Frosting):
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Ganache
1/4 cup cream
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Instructions:

1. Combine ingredients for cake in the order they're written one ingredient at a time with a hand or stand mixer.
2. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake at 350˚ for 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely.
3. While the cupcakes are cooling, combine filling ingredients in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water and beat with a hand mixer at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled. Reserve 1/2 cup of the filling to use for piping the swirls on top of the cupcakes at the end.
4. Once the cupcakes are cool, use the cone method to fill them with frosting. (click here for a description on this technique)
5. Once they are filled, make the ganache. In a small pot, heat cream until steaming. Remove from the heat, add chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until smooth. (This can also be done in the microwave by heating up the cream and then adding the chopped chocolate and butter and stirring until melted.) Transfer the frosting to a small bowl and dip the top of each cupcake to thoroughly coat. Spoon the reserved filling into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain tip and pipe swirls across the center of each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for 10 minutes to set the frosting.

Now for the great Cupcake Find!

I was at my local Home Hardware picking out paint colours for my kitchen and family room and I happened to wander over to the kitchenware department on my way out and immediately spied these little gems.


Cupcake travelers called Cupcake-on-the-go containers. Made by FoxRun Craftsmen they have a lid that screws off and they securely hold a standard size cupcake or muffin without squishing it. The dome is high enough to accommodate even the most liberal application of frosting. I found them online at Golda's Kitchen for $4 a piece (couldn't find them on FoxRun's website) which is what I paid and seems pretty reasonable to me. I can't wait for my girls to go to school so I can send them in their lunches!

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon these yummy cupcakes, but as soon as I saw them I HAD to make them. Um, a cookie dough ball in the centre of a moist vanilla cupcake...my idea of pure heaven! The original idea came from sugar on top, I used her icing recipe, my own cupcake recipe and the cookie dough recipe from Alton Brown.

Be warned, there is raw egg in the cookie dough so if that worries you this cupcake is not for you... and you are totally missing out.


Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes (Cake)

1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, seeded (optional, vanilla beans are a great touch but not necessary if you don't have any)
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 c.milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
5. Split vanilla bean length-wise and scrape seeds out with a knife and add to batter.
5. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
6. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth.
7. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

Note: It is very important to whip the batter between each step for an extended amount of time. This will create a nice fluffy batter and cake.

Cookie Dough

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 c. sugar

1 1/4 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tsp milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Melt butter.
2. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda.
3. Pour butter and sugars into mixer bowl and beat on medium speed.
4. Add egg, yolk, milk, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
5. Slowly add flour until thoroughly combined.
6. Stir in chocolate chips.
7. Scoop dough with a small scoop (about an inch in diameter).

If you're planning on making actual cookies, scoop with a larger scoop and bake at 375 for about 14 minutes. Cool on sheet for a few minutes.

8. Roll into little balls and place on cookie sheet.
9. Freeze for 1 hour or more.

Icing

2 sticks butter, soft
1 lb. powdered sugar, sifted
2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1/4 c. heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Cream butter and sugar on low.
2. Once blended, add vanilla, salt and cream and whip for 5 minutes.

To assemble cupcake:

1. Fill cupcake liner with batter.
2. Place frozen dough ball on top, do NOT press down.
3. Bake. As batter cooks it will rise up and surround dough ball.