Cupcakes Week 39

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes
1 cup (4.5 ounces) all purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (7.3 ounces) sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) SCHARFFEN BERGER Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and warm
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
1 tablespoon instant coffee (recommended: Starbucks Via)
1/2 cup hot coffee
3/4 cup chopped peppermint Andes
Instructions:

1. Add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a blow and mix thoroughly to combine. Add the butter, eggs, and peppermint extract and beat on medium speed for one minute. Add the butter and egg mixture and beat for 20 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the instant coffee and the hot coffee. Beat for 20-30 seconds until the batter is smooth. Fold in chopped peppermint Andes. The batter will be thin enough to pour. Divide it evenly among the lined cups. Bake 18-22 minutes just until a toothpick inserted into a few of the cupcakes comes out clean. Set the pan on a rack to cool. Frost the cupcakes when they are completely cool. Store and serve at room temperature.

TIP: For light tender cupcakes, spoon flour and cocoa lightly into measuring cups (instead of dipping the cups into the flour or cocoa) and then sweep the measures level without tapping or shaking them.

Peppermint Swiss Meringue Buttercream

5 large egg whites
11/2 cup sugar
4 sticks unsalted butter, diced and softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Instructions:

Combine egg whites and sugar in a bowl placed over simmering water. Bring mixture to 150 degrees F while whisking constantly.
Transfer mixture to stand mixer bowl, fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium high speed (speed 8 on a KitchenAid stand mixer) until mixture cools and doubles in volume and forms soft medium peaks; about 10-12 minutes).
Add butter in one piece at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. The mixture may appear clumpy and almost curdled looking at first-this is normal. Keep mixing and it will become even and smooth again.
Add salt and peppermint extract and mix to combine.
Chocolate Pouring Sauce

2/3 cups dark chocolate
2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
4-5 tablespoons water, warm
Instructions:

Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then slowly stir mixture to combine.
Add powdered sugar and mix to combine.
Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until pouring consistency is reached.
Set aside and let sauce cool to warm.
To Assemble Cupcake:

Frost cooled cupcakes with buttercream frosting. Freeze frosted cupcakes for ten minutes. Drizzle chocolate pouring sauce over frosting (reheat chocolate pour in microwave as needed to keep pouring consistency). Sprinkle chopped peppermint Andes on chocolate sauce. Finish with a peppermint candy on top.

Cupcakes Week 38

It's Dec. which means it's time to start making some Christmasy cupcakes!

Candy Can Kiss Brownie Cupcakes

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt
1 c. flour

For the buttercream you’ll need:

Two sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 c. powdered sugar
2 t. vanilla extract (or peppermint would also be delicious!)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (F).

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a microwave safe bowl for 90 seconds to two minutes, on high. Stir the mixture until all the chocolate is melted and combined with the butter. Stir in the sugar until it’s well combined, and then add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla and salt, and stir until creamy. Finally, add the flour and stir until just combined.

Fill paper-lined mini cupcake tins with a heaping tablespoon of the brownie batter. Press one Candy Cane Hershey Kiss into the center, and cover with a little bit more of the batter, so the candy is fully covered (the little peak of the kiss might be visible, that’s okay). Bake for about 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the brownie comes out clean. Keep an eye on them, you don’t want to overbake.

Allow to cool, then make the buttercream.

Whip the butter until creamy, then add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until it’s fluffy. Whip in the vanilla and then give it a taste and make sure you don’t need more of anything.

To get the candy cane stripes, paint a couple of red stripes of food coloring gel straight up the side of a pastry bag. Then fill with buttercream, and pipe onto the brownies as usual. (If you’re doing this method, you may need to add another stick of butter and cup of powdered sugar to the buttercream recipe to ensure you’ll have enough for all the brownies—piping uses more frosting than just spreading it on.)

Finish with some chunky sugar sprinkles for a frosty touch. And enjoy!

Cupcakes Week 37

YUM!

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 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

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.

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.

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.