Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

Delish devil’s food cake, creamy chocolate ganache filling, topped with white chocolate buttercream frosting.

I seriously don’t think that I could say anymore that would entice you enough to want to try these cupcakes. This was the birthday flavor of the month. A definite must make again recipe (as if any of the recipes I post I wouldn’t make again). The ganache turns into this thick creamy center in the cupcake kind of like a chocolate truffle. It’s sinfully delicious and makes you want another one! Luckily all of these were pretty much designated to be given to people, otherwise I would not have let one of these tastey cakes go to waste!

Cupcake Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 package of instant devils food pudding (only the powder)
1 ½ c. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla extract
1t. almond extract
1/2 c. room temperature butter
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350°

Whisk together flour, baking powder, pudding powder and salt.  Separately mix milk with vanilla and almond extracts, and set aside.

With an electric or stand mixer in a large bowl combine butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time allowing each to incorporate well before moving on to the next ingredient.

Incorporate the dry ingredients and milk by alternating – half of the dry ingredients and half of the milk.

Use a small ice cream scoop for the cupcake batter. It makes the perfect size cupcakes.

Bake for 18 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting Recipe   

1/2 cup shortening (Crisco has sticks and they are so much easier to measure)
1 stick butter (1/2 cup) – room temperature
4 cups confectioners sugar
2-4 T. whole milk
1 T. vanilla extract
1 c. melted white chocolate

I used Wilton’s Candy Melts for the white chocolate because the Candy Melts, melt nice and smoothly too. Melt according to the package directions. (or use almond bark or your favorite white chocolate chips or bars).

In a stand mixer, beat the shortening and butter together, add the cooled melted chocolate and beat at low speed 1-2 on a KitchenAid stand mixer.  Now, incorporate the sugar gradually – 1c. at a time. Once sugar is incorporated (it will look dry) add the milk 1 T. at a time until you get the consistency you like. It will be about 3T for a medium consistency.

Cover with a wet cloth while not in use, or place in the fridge if you plan on using it much later.

Filling Recipe – Ganache

1 ½ c. heavy cream
15oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, or coarsely chopped

Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl. In a saucepan heat the cream to just before it reaches a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and allow the chocolate to melt and the mixture is smooth.

Now you need to completely cool the ganache either in the freezer for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator covered.

Once completely cooled whip the ganache with a whisk or using a hand or stand mixer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assembly

Using a cupcake filling tip on a decorating bag, fill the bag with filling then inject the cupcakes with the filling. (or use this method).

To decorate use the coupler only (without a decorating tip) and pipe the frosting in a circular motion. I sprinkled some black sugar flake I found at Michael’s Art and Craft store.

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

 

In my office I self appointed myself to make cupcakes for the office birthdays. It was a reason to practice baking, I can get creative with cupcakes, and everyone loves cupcakes. This month the request was for a simple vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. So to make plain vanilla a little more exciting I chose vanilla bean. I used my favorite cake recipe (see also lemon raspberry cupcakes). I had been looking for a butter cream frosting that tasted like something you would get from a local bakery that was not greasy like the buttery recipes I always came across.  Alas, I found one!! It’s actually from Wilton cake website, and several of my favorite baking blogs use the recipe as well.

This cupcake recipe can be altered for any flavor your heart desires, for chocolate I would add chocolate pudding powder and a 1/4 cup of cocoa powder (and bump the amount of milk to 1 1/4 cup). For the lemon recipe on my blog I experimented with vanilla pudding and lemon pudding it was good either way the lemon zest and juice really is what makes the lemony flavor. I haven’t tried other flavors yet, but you can be sure I will be experimenting.  This recipe will likely remain my staple cupcake recipe.  The pudding cake comes out so good!

Cupcake Recipe

2  cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 package of instant vanilla pudding (only the powder)
1 1/4 c. milk
2 t. vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean
1 1/2 sticks room temperature butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350

Whisk together flour, baking powder, pudding powder and salt. Cut vanilla bean lengthwise and then using the blunt edge of your knife scrape out the vanilla bean. Separately mix milk and vanilla bean and extract, set aside.

With an electric mixer in a large bowl combine butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time allowing each to incorporate well before moving on to the next ingredient.

Incorporate the dry ingredients and milk by alternating – half of the dry ingredients and half of the milk.

Use a small ice cream scoop for the cupcake batter. It makes the perfect size cupcakes.

Bake for 18 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Frosting Recipe   

1/2 cup shortening (used the Crisco stick because it’s easier to measure)
1 stick butter (1/2 cup) – room temperature
4 cups confectioners sugar
2-4 T. whole milk
1 T. vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean

In a stand mixer, beat the shortening and butter together, add the vanilla bean and extract.  Incorporate the sugar gradually – 1c. at a time. Once sugar is incorporated (it will look dry) add the milk 1 T. at a time until you get the consistency you like. It will be about 2-3T for a medicum consistency.

Cover with a wet cloth while not in use, or place in the fridge if you plan on using it much later.

Behind the scenes – mini food blogger in training, (in dress up).

The new cupcake carrier! SO much more convenient – Target for about $20

Cheesecake Cupcakes

For Kim’s birthday I decided to make cheesecake cupcakes since her favorite is cheesecake.  I have been making cupcakes each month we have birthdays in the office, which helps me develop better baking skills too. So I came up with this genius idea! Ha Ha I know I’m sure there are plenty of cheesecake cupcake recipes out there, but they are NOT all as good! This one got requests for the recipe…so they must be pretty good.

I made three different flavors – chocolate cheesecake, regular, lemon curd…

Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

2 – 8 oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1c. sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4c. sour cream
2 eggs
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 package of crushed Oreos

Heat the oven to 350°

I like to use my food processor to crush the Oreos, they come out more consistently. You can also put them in ziploc bag and pound them or roll over them with a rolling pin, or glass cup.

Mix together the softened cream cheese and sugar until forms a whipped consistency. Add vanilla and sour cream until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time and incorporate each one well before adding the next. stir in the cocoa powder.

I have found the foil cupcake cups are sturdier and work better for all cheesecake cupcakes. Put foil cups in each muffin tin. Add some crushed Oreos in the bottom of each cup, just enough to cover the bottom. Fill the cups all the way full with cheesecake mixture (unlike regular cupcakes you want to fill these to the top so they are full and you get thicker cupcakes).

Bake the cupcakes for 18 minutes.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

 For decoration I cut an Oreo in half and pressed it in the cupcake. The key is to do this immediately after pulling the cupcakes out of the oven otherwise the cupcakes crack and get messy.

 

Tragedy strikes…

I dropped the whole carton of eggs and an egg broke…but not the one you’d think! The one that broke wasn’t the one that hit the floor, but the one in the egg carton!!! WT….ha ha ha!

Okay on with the rest of the cupcakes…

Regular and Lemon Curd Cheesecake Cupcakes

This is the same recipe used for both of these cupcake versions, and just a slightly altered version from the chocolate cupcakes.

2-8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1c. sugar
1t. vanilla
2T. sour cream
2 eggs
1T lemon zest
1 box vanilla wafers

Heat the oven to 350°

Mix together the softened cream cheese and sugar until forms a whipped consistency. Add vanilla and sour cream and lemon zest until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time and incorporate each one well before moving on.

Put foil cups in each muffin tin. Add a vanilla wafer to the bottom of each cup. Fill the cups all the way full with cheesecake mixture.

Bake the cupcakes for 18 minutes.

For lemon cupcakes, just add a dab of your favorite brand lemon curd and spread over the top of the cupcake.

That’s all! It’s that simple and just about that fast too. These are very impressive but simple cupcakes. Let me know what you think!

Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes

I was inspired by the fake-out spring weather we got over a week ago. Now that we have gone back to winter in May I wanted to bring out the flavors that remind me of warmer weather! What better way to do that than with citrus? I knew I wanted to make lemon cupcakes with a pudding cake recipe and some lemony cream cheese frosting. Now what else can I add to compliment it? Strawberries? Yea! Then a co-worker suggested raspberries! Even better. (I originally made this recipe and filled the cupcakes with seedless raspberry preserves which was good, but making my own raspberry filling was tastier, the preserves were too jammy for me).

Lemon Pudding Cupcakes:
(adapted from http://www.carlyiscooking.blogspot.com)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 package of instant vanilla pudding (only the powder)
3/4 c. milk
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. room temperature butter
3/4 c. sugar
the zest of one lemon
juice of half a lemon
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350

Whisk together flour, baking powder, pudding powder and salt. Spearately mix milk and vanilla, set aside.

With an electric mixer in a large bowl combine butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest then the eggs one-at-a-time.

Incorporate the dry ingredients and milk by alternating – half of the dry ingredients and half of the milk.

A great tip got from the http://www.carlyiscooking.blogspot.com website was to use a small ice cream scoop for the cupcake batter – great tip! Perfect size cupcakes.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
(from http://www.xplicitsweetness.blogspot.com)

8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 T butter, softened
1 fresh lemon, juiced
5 c powdered sugar

Beat together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add in 2-3 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Blend in the lemon juice. Add the remaining powdered sugar according to your own consistency preference.

The filling…
12oz. fresh raspberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 T lemon juice

Mix all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Over low heat, cook the filling until boiling.

Using a cupcake filling tip on a decorating bag, fill the bag with filling then inject the cupcakes with the filling. (or use this method)

To decorate the cupcakes I used a cake decorating tip and placed a raspberry on top.