Maple Bacon Cupcakes

I don't know what compelled me to do this, I'm a vegetarian after all.

But I've been wanting to make bacon cupcakes for a very long time. To be honest, it scares me a little that I didn't sample them to see if they turned out ok. But I guess that's what boyfriends are for.

I just used the maple bacon cupcake recipe from Vanilla Garlic and it turned out ok. If I ever made them again there would be some things I would change. They came out a little crumbly and they rose more than I thought they would (my second batch I just learned to put less batter in the cups than normal).

But as far as an experimental cupcake it wasn't bad. And I also made a little candied bacon to go on top which Andrew said tasted like a super sugary version of bacon. But I think he enjoyed it.

I think I'll start experimenting a bit more now that I finally took the leap into weird cupcake-land.

Hanukkah Cake Pops

I'll be heading to a Hanukkah party tonight and I thought I would make some treats. I have been fascinated by cake pops lately so I thought I would try them again. There were a few things I learned from the last batch I made (like making the chocolate coating thinner) and I think they turned out very nice.

I baked the cake last night so it would go faster today. After crumbling up the cake in a bowl and mixing in the frosting I made them into little balls.

I used a small scoop to get the balls about the same size.

I cut out the stars using a Star of David cookie cutter I found. My wonderful boyfriend decided to help me out and made me this little tool for getting the cake out of the mold. It made things go super fast!

After getting all the stars molded I put them on the sticks. I used a little of the white chocolate I colored blue to help the cake stay on the sticks.

I dipped and dipped and dipped and then decorated....

And these were my final product.

I hope everyone enjoys them!

Turkey Cake Pops

I haven't updated in a while. Oops.

That doesn't mean I haven't been busy in the kitchen though.

I made some cake pops last night. It's the first time I've ever made them and I think they turned out pretty well. I made some of them Thanksgiving themed.

I had fun. I have a feeling this will not be the last time I make cake pops. (Sorry again for the bad pics)

Candy Corn Cupcakes

A Halloween party at work means I got to bake last night. It's been a while.

I didn't do anything too exciting (as I was also carving pumpkins last night).

I just did a basic white cake, with a little vanilla and almond extract. I hadn't used this recipe before and it looks like they ended up rising more than I thought they would, next time with this recipe I'll probably just fill the cups half full.

I had some fun with the frosting though and made them look as much like a candy corn as I could. I've started using gel dies and I'm loving them. You get great colors and it doesn't change the consistency of your frosting.

I haven't actually tasted them yet (bad baker!), so hopefully they are a yummy treat!

S'more Cupcakes

Since it's fall and I'm in the mood for fall foods I decided to try my hand at a s'more cupcake. All the recipes I've seen around have a marshmallow topping with a chocolate center. I decided to switch it around and put the chocolate on top and cream in the center.

I was also planning on decorating the top with some of the remaining graham cracker crumbs but I just forgot. I think they would look good on top though.

Anyway, here is the recipe if you would like to try it:


Graham Cracker Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

Creme Filling
1-7 oz container marshmallow cream
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 T water
1-4 tsp salt

Ganache Frosting
12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chopped into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream

Instructions
Beat the butter until well creamed. Add the sugar and mix for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, be sure to beat for about 30 seconds for each egg.

Place the graham cracker crumbs in a food processor, or if you're poor like me and don't have one you can crush them in a ziploc bag using a rolling pin. Ground them into small crumbs and powder. You'll probably need around 15 whole crackers.

Sift together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add the flour/cracker mixture and milk into the butter/sugar/egg mixture alternating between the wet and try ingredients, ending with dry.

Bake at 350 F for 15-18 minutes. This made about 18 cupcakes.

While the cakes are baking you can make the cream and frosting.


Mix all ingredients for the creme filling with an electric mixer (believe me, you'll want it on this one) until fluffy. Fill the center of the cupcakes with the mixture after they have completely cooled.

For the frosting, heat the heavy cream up in the microwave or on the stove, be careful not to scorch it. Pour hot cream over the chocolate chips and let sit a minute or so to let it all melt. Stir. Let the chocolate get back to room temperature (I actually put my in the refrigerator). With an electric mixer (again, you'll really want it) beat until fluffy. Decorate as you wish.

I really enjoyed this recipe and I think it's something that adults and kids would both like. It's perfect for fall. Have fun!

Sangria Cupcakes

So I have totally fallen in love with the idea of this blog, Spain In a Cupcake. I seriously want to try everything she has posted so far.

I started last night by making her version of a sangria cupcake. I was really excited for these, they sounded very interesting.

Well, let's just say that there were aspects of this experiment that were successful and some that were a total disaster. But I'm still new to baking, and learning along the way.

First off, let's start with the good points:

I really liked the flavor of these treats. They were unlike any other cake I've ever had. It was quite dense and very moist with some dark notes from the red wine coming out. Since I used an actual sangria wine instead of just a red wine the citrus flavors really came out without me actually having to add anything.

The fruit that was added I felt was unnecessary, especially because I had used sangria that already had the citrus in it.

Now comes the failure part. My buttercream. I've made some pretty awesome buttercream frostings in the past (remember the Bailey's one? Yum!). I don't know what happened with this one. It literally started melting everywhere the minute I put it in the bag to start piping. Looking back I'm thinking I didn't cream the butter enough and it just separated. I remember looking at it when I put the die in and it didn't look quite right.

The buttercream tasted pretty good, it just didn't look good. I took a picture anyway, so I can remember this little lesson and move on.

I wish it had turned out better because I thought these would look so pretty, I even created some cute little toppers that looked like wine glasses made from white chocolate and red sprinkles.

So I will actually be trying this recipe again tonight. Leaving out the fruit and trying my buttercream again. Hopefully they look better. Even if they don't they still tasted good.

Red Velvet

I can tell just by that picture I over mixed. I'm still learning.

Cooling before the decorating

When out of piping bags a ziploc works nicely

All ready to eat

Tasty!

Metric v. US

I recently found a recipe I really want to try. Unfortunately the ingredients are listed in metric units. So I'm trying to convert it for my personal use. I'll let you know how it goes.

Wish me luck.

Cooking: Ikea Style

I saw these pictures today for the new Ikea cookbook. They are kind of pretty. I wish all my ingredients were laid out so precisely before I start cooking.

(via Carl Kleiner)

Tie-Dye Birthday

I created these for a friends birthday tonight. She is gluten intolerant so I had to go in a direction I hadn't tried before, gluten free deserts. I cheated a little on this one by using a boxed mix. I actually was looking forward to the frosting on these ones more than the cake.

The cake turned out better than I thought and I think they look pretty awesome as well. I was pleased with my effort.

For the frosting I did a simple white frosting and divided it into 4 bowls. I used a gel dye to color the frosting because I feel like the gel gives it a more vivid color and you also don't run the risk of changing the consistency of your frosting. I then put each color into the bag, trying to keep them as separate as possible. To mix it up just a little more without actually running the colors together I stuck a knife down in the bag just a few times. Then decorate away!

I'm usually not a fan of using box mixes, especially when making cupcakes from scratch is so easy. But I was short on time today and when in a rush they will do. Maybe in the near future I'll try to make a gluten free cake from scratch. But that's an adventure for another day.


(Just a note: I'll improve the pictures in the future. These first ones were all taken on my cell phone.)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

This recipe is also from Frosted!. There were parts of this recipe I liked and parts I didn't. The frosting was to die for. It tasted like a cookie. Amazing.

The filling in the center will not be in my next batch if I make these again however. It was tasty and I admit I ate some of the remaining dough but it was an odd texture for the center of a cupcake. It was too hard compared to the soft cake around it.

Overall I really did like these cupcakes and I'll probably make them again very soon.

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For the cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

For the filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2½ tsp. vanilla extract

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Lemon Ricotta Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

If you haven't noticed, I like to make cupcakes. I know there is a big cupcake craze right now around the country, but they really are a great little treat. The perfect size and so many things you can do with them!

I also made these ones for the cupcake housewarming party. I really liked them. They were a little heavier than most cupcakes I've had but at the same time they had a really light taste to them.

The original recipe from Frosted! calls for shortening in the buttercream but I tried it with the shortening with only butter and preferred the butter version. But it's your choice.

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Makes 24 cupcakes.

4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar (granulated sugar) place in food processor and make super fine
2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
2 sticks melted butter (cooled)
2 eggs
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tsp lemon extract
juice and zest from about 2 med lemons (4T juice, 2T zest)

Preheat oven 350 set rack in middle of oven

Sift together flour and baking powder. Cream eggs and sugar for 2 minutes until pale. Add in melted butter, lemon juice, zest, ricotta, and extracts and finally the flour/baking powder mixture until well mixed on medium. The dough should be smooth and silky. Stop and scrape down the sides then mix on medium for 30 more seconds.

Fill cupcakes 3/4 full and bake 20-25 minutes until tops bounce back when pressed slightly and tester comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 min. Then remove to cooling rack.

Raspberry Buttercream

1 cup butter + 1 cup shortening (or 2 cups butter)
4-6 cups powdered sugar
4T milk (if necessary)
1 cup raspberry pie filling (puree so it’s smooth before adding)
1 tsp Raspberry Extract
Dash of Salt

Cream butter and shortening together for 5 minutes. Add Raspberry Pie Filling, Raspberry Extract and Salt. Gradually add powdered sugar and milk until you reach your desired piping consistency.

Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream

This is where a lot of my baking recently started.

We had a cupcake party at our house as a housewarming party. Everyone brought some cupcakes to share. It was a fun time and we had some delicious cupcakes.

I made these wonderful chocolate Guinness cupcakes with a Bailey's Irish cream buttercream. They have been a hit. Since I made them about a month ago I've made them 2 other times.

They really are delicious.

If you are thinking that the beer is not something you want in your cake then you should give it a second chance. It makes a very rich, moist cake and doesn't at all taste like beer. The combination of the chocolate made it even better.

The best part of these cupcakes was definitely the Bailey's buttercream. I could eat it all by itself (and I might have licked the bowl a few times after).

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Ingredients (12 cupcakes)

Cupcakes
1/2 cup Guinness Stout
1 stick unsalted butter
3/8 or little less then 1/2 a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp of baking soda
3/8 or little less then 1/2 tsp of salt
1 egg
1/3 cup sour cream

Filling
4 oz bittersweet chocolate (minced/small shavings)
1/3 heavy whipping cream
1 T butter at room temperature

Buttercream
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
3 T Baileys Irish Cream (or you can substitute it with milk or heavy cream but really why would you want to?)

Cooking Directions
Prehead oven to 350°F and line muffin pan.

Making the cupcakes:
Take unsalted butter and Guinness and let simmer in a small sauce pan. When mixture is simmering, add cocoa powder and whisk thoroughly. Turn off heat and allow mixture to cool. (I stuck mine in the fridge.)
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Whisk.
In a large mixing bowl, combine egg and sour cream. Whisk until the consistency begins to look like cream.
Take Guinness mixture from fridge and combine into egg/sour cream mix bowl. Whisk. (You will start to obtain a soft creamy chocolate-y consistency here).
Add your flour mix, and continue to whisk thoroughly.
Using a large spoon, scoop mix into lined muffin pan. Place in oven and allow to bake.

Filling:
Bring heavy cream to a simmer in a small sauce pan.
Pour over bittersweet chocolate. Allow to sit for one minute, then whisk. Add in butter and continue to whisk until consistency becomes creamy.
Pipe filling into center of each cupcake.
Baileys Buttercream Frosting:
Whisk butter. Add in a few tablespoons of powdered sugar at a time and continue to whisk butter.
Once all the sugar has been used up, add in Baileys and continue to whisk. If cream becomes too thin, add in a few more tablespoons of powdered sugar.
Pipe or spread butter cream over cupcakes and serve. Or you can place it into the fridge to allow butter cream to thicken then serve.

Welcome

Well, since I've been in major bake mode lately and everyone keeps asking me for recipes or how I do certain thing I thought I would start a little blog to keep track of it all.

I honestly don't know how long I'll keep up with this but it's something fun to do for now.

So welcome to my baking blog. I'm not an excellent baker or trained in any way (except for in my mom's kitchen). I don't have much money or great tools. But I have fun and I think that's the most important thing.

Enjoy.