Cupcakes Week 52!!!!!!

I'm done!! and my waist line couldn't be happier!!! WAHOO!!!

and instead of posting on a Friday, i'm doing it today because i am soooo happy!!! well, and tomorrow is my birthday :)

Vanilla Sour Cream with Fudge Icing

FOR THE CUPCAKES:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup fine white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large egg at room temperature
2 large egg yolks at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (love Madagascar vanilla in these!)
1/2 cup full fat sour cream at room temperature


FOR THE ICING:

2 ounces of dark baking chocolate
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (you can go with baking chocolate or even chocolate chips)
2/3 cup unsalted butter @ room temperature
1 1/3 cups sifted icing sugar
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
GREASE 12 muffin cups or LINE with paper liners (I am always a fan of liners!)
IN A LARGE BOWL, whisk together first four ingredients
WITH ELECTRIC HAND-MIXER, add all other ingredients and blend until combined
DIVIDE batter evenly among muffin cups
BAKE for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean
ALLOW to cool in muffin tin 5 minutes
REMOVE cupcakes and allow to cool 1/2 hr on a cooling rack before icing


MAKE THE ICING:

CHOP chocolate into small pieces
IN A SMALL MICROWAVE SAFE BOWL, combine dark and semisweet chocolate
MICROWAVE 30 seconds at 50% power
STIR and microwave again 30 seconds at 50% power
STIR and if melted then great ! If not, back in it goes
ONCE MELTED, allow to cool to room temperature
IN SEPARATE LARGE BOWL, whip butter with electric hand-mixer until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes at medium speed)
SIFT in icing sugar and mix until blended (1 minute at medium speed should do it!).
ADD vanilla extract and mix til combined.
ADD cooled chocolate mixture and blend until well combined.

ICE the cupcakes: I used a 1M Swirl Wilton piping tip.

Cupcakes Week 51

Butterscotch Cupcakes

Ingredients
Cupcakes
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
Butterscotch
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Scotch (or other whisky)
1/4 cup 35% cream, hot
2 tablespoons salted butter
Vanilla buttercream icing
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons 35% cream, hot
Directions
Cupcakes
With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Place paper or silicone liners in 9 or 12 muffin cups.
In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with the vanilla using an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until the mixture is smooth. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a cupcake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly. Unmould and finish cooling on a rack.
Butterscotch
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Cook until the mixture turns golden-brown. Off the heat, add the Scotch, the cream and butter. Continue stirring until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.
Vanilla buttercream icing
In a bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cream in a thin stream and continue beating until smooth. Set aside.
Assembly
Using a apple corer or a melon baller, cut a pocket from the centre of each cupcake, removing about 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of cake without cutting through. Fill the pocket with 15 ml (1 tablespoon) butterscotch. Ice the cupcakes with the buttercream icing.

Cupcakes Week 50

BANANA SPLIT CUPCAKES

INGREDIENTS
1 box Duncan Hines French Vanilla Cake Mix
1 stick butter, melted
4 eggs
3/4 cup water
2 medium sized ripe bananas, mashed
7 oz jar marshmallow creme (or fluff)
For Frosting:
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sliced strawberries, pureed into a pulp
5-6 cups powdered sugar
Chocolate sauce
Sprinkles
Chopped almonds
Maraschino Cherries
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 muffin tins with liners.
In the bowl of a mixer, combine cake mix, melted butter, eggs, water, and mashed bananas. Beat on low for 1 minute. Increase speed to medium high and beat for 2 minutes more. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full with batter and bake for about 15 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Remove cupcakes from tins and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
Once cupcakes are cool, prepare frosting:
In the bowl of a mixer, combine butter and strawberries and beat on medium until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar on low until just mixed. Increase speed to medium high and beat for about1 minute.
Cut holes in the top of cupcakes with a sharp knife, about 1/3 of the way into the cupcake. Fill holes with a spoonful of marshmallow creme, then pipe or spread frosting on top. Top with chocolate syrup, chopped almonds, sprinkles and a cherry.
Notes:
For the strawberries, I used unsweetened frozen sliced strawberries. I thawed out a cup, then pulsed them in the food processor.
In the frosting, start out with one cup of powdered sugar. If the frosting seems to runny after beating it, add the other cup or more if necessary.