Saturday, November 26, 2011

Cupcakes Week 36

Hope your Thanksgiving was fantastic and filled with food!

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup half and half

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or silicone liners. *If using paper liners, evenly coat them with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and half and half until well combined.

Add in dry ingredients and whisk until no streaks of flour remain and batter is smooth.

Distribute batter evenly in the muffin tin. (they should be about 3/4 of the way full.)

Bake for 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan. (They will sink as they are cooling.)

Chill cupcakes before serving. Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Makes 12

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Cupcakes Week 35

Chai Cream Cupcake Recipe

1¾ cups cake flour
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
4 Chai Spiced Tea Bags
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut-up
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1½ tablespoons vanilla extract


Heat milk in microwave until hot (about 60-90 seconds). Steep 3 Chai tea bags in milk 10-15 minutes. While tea is steeping, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut open remaining tea bag and grind until fine. (I used my electric coffee grinder.) In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, sift together, flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and ground Chai tea; mix to combine. Add butter and mix until coated with flour.


Once tea has steeped, squeeze milk from tea bags and discard bags. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together eggs, tea-steeped milk, and vanilla. Mixing at medium speed, slowly add wet ingredients, pausing to scrap the bowl a couple of times. Beat the batter until ingredients are thoroughly combined, being careful to not over beat.


Line cupcake pans with paper liners. Using a large scoop, fill each liner about two-thirds full. Bake until cake tester comes out clean, 18-22 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 24 cupcakes.


Cream Cheese Frosting


2-8 ounces packages cream cheese at room temperature
1 stick (8 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 pounds sifted confectioners' (powdered) sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract


Cinnamon for dusting
Cinnamon sticks for garnish


In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cheese until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add confectioners' sugar until thoroughly incorporated and smooth. Add vanilla and mix to combine.


Once cupcakes have cooled, pipe cupcakes with frosting. Dust lightly with cinnamon and garnish with half of a cinnamon stick if desired.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Cupcakes Week 34

Cupcakes are amazing. Wine is amazing. Together it's phenomenal!

Sauvignon Blanc Wine Cupcakes

CUPCAKES
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Sauvignon Blanc wine
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
FROSTING
6 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Sauvignon Blanc wine
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
GARNISH
Yellow decorator sugar crystals
Edible yellow pearls
Directions

1Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on box, using cake mix, water, 1/2 cup wine, oil, eggs and 2 teaspoons lemon peel. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (about two-thirds full).
2 Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3In large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter and salt with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Beat in 1/3 cup wine and 1 teaspoon lemon peel. If frosting is too thick, beat in more wine a few drops at a time. Frost cupcakes. Sprinkle with yellow sugar and pearls.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Cupcakes Week 33

This is my all time favorite dessert, and now in cupcake form? I mean seriously, how does it get better than that??

Creme Brulee Cupcakes
For cupcakes
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch for the egg whites
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 cup milk (I used half and half)
3 tablespoons caramel syrup (I used Hershey ice cream topping)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For brown sugar swiss meringue buttercream
1 cup light brown sugar
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

INSTRUCTIONS

To make cupcakes—
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Alternately beat in dry ingredients and milk.

Add caramel syrup and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff but not dry. Gently fold whites into batter.

Spoon batter into cupcake papers, filling cups about 2/3 full. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool.

To make meringue buttercream—
Put sugar, egg whites and salt into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees). Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 minutes total.

Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low, add butter two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and continue beating 1 minute to reduce air bubbles.

To assemble cupcakes—
Remove center of cupcake using the cone method. Fill cupcake with buttercream. Sprinkle brown sugar on top and caramelize with creme brulee torch.