Chocolate Caramel Spice Frosting

Hello Friends!

Can you believe that March is almost over, Spring is here, and Easter is right around the corner! I honestly didn’t even realize just how close Easter was until I actually looked at a calendar. I plan to work on some fun Easter cupcakes this weekend so I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures and share with you some of my tips for creating the perfect Easter cupcake treats. For today though, I want to share a recipe for some sinfully delicious frosting.

Chocolate Caramel Spice frosting is perfect for almost any cake flavor. I suggest making a batch of the frosting first, tasting it (try not to eat it all) and then deciding what flavor cake you think it will best accompany. So far my favorite cakes to use with this frosting have been:

• Chocolate Coffee Cake
• French Vanilla Cake
• Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cake

I’ve worked hard on perfecting the recipe and am so happy to finally be able to share it with you!

Chocolate Caramel Spice Frosting

What You’ll Need:

1. 2 sticks of unsalted butter (room temperature)
2. 1/3 cup of cream-cheese (room temperature)
3. ¼ cup of milk chocolate chips
4. 15-20 caramel squares
5. 2 tbs of heavy cream
6. 2 cups of powdered sugar (sifted)
7. 2 1/2 tbs of cinnamon

The Process

• Start by unwrapping all of your caramel squares. Place them in a pan on the stove over medium heat.
• Stirring the squares constantly, add the heavy cream.
• Continue cooking until the caramel is melted and you have a nice caramel sauce. Let cool (do not put in the fridge though)
• In a mixer, cream together your butter and cream-cheese until it is light and fluffy.
• Add in 1 ½ cups of the powdered sugar and all of the cinnamon – continue mixing for 1-2 minutes until well combined.
• In a microwavable bowl, melt the chocolate chips (usually 40 seconds does it) Make sure the chocolate is melted smooth and does not have any chunks left in it.
• Pour the melted chocolate in the mixer and mix for 1 minute.
• Add in the remaining ½ cup of powdered sugar – mix well.
• Pour in the cooled caramel sauce – mix for 1 minute or until frosting is smooth.

** If your frosting is too thin – add more powdered sugar. **

There you have it – another great “go-to” frosting recipe! If you have questions about the recipe, let me know. I hope you all enjoy the recipe as much as I do.

Stay Sweet!

xo, Jill

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Cookie Dough Cupcakes. Yum!!

It’s Wednesday! That means halfway through the week. You made it this far, I think it’s time for a super indulgent treat! How about some chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes? These cupcakes are so good, that I have a hard time sharing them. This recipe is fool-proof and will be one you use for many events to come. I promise!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Chocolate Cake: I always use this chocolate recipe!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting:

Recipe from The Cupcake Review

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

1. Cream the butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add water and vanilla and mix well. Add flour and salt and stir to combine. Stir in mini chocolate chips (optional).
2. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

• 1-3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon milk

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1-1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, unsalted butter, salt, and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.
2. Add milk and continue mixing until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary. With the mixer running, slowly add remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, mix until well combined.
3. At this point you can mix in the eggless cookie dough mixture that you placed in the fridge. Mix in enough cookie dough to suit your taste. I like a lot 🙂

Frost your chocolate cupcakes with this delicious cookie dough frosting, top with some mini chocolate chips, or even some choco9late jimmies, and enjoy!!

Have a great rest of your week my friends. Stay Sweet!

Xo, Jill

Red, White, and Blue!

Is everyone ready for some fun 4^th of July Cupcake ideas?? Ok good, me too! I’ll start with my really fun, and really easy Red, White, and Blue Minis.

What you will need:

• Vanilla or White Cake Cupcake Batter. My favorite recipe is this one!
• Red and Blue food coloring
• Vanilla Frosting (Great Buttercream recipe here)
• White Mini Cupcake liners
• Festive Sprinkles
• 3 medium size bowls

Directions:

1. Split the cake batter into 3 different bowls
2. Dye one bowl of batter red, and one blue
3. Place your cupcake liners in your cupcake pan
4. Start by putting a small amount of red batter at the bottom of each cupcake liner
5. Follow that by putting the plain vanilla batter in each cupcake liner on top of the red
6. Finish with a small amount of blue batter in each liner
7. Bake according to direction in recipe
8. Once your cupcakes are completely cooled, frost them. Do not use too much frosting, a little dollop will work just fine
9. Pour your festive sprinkles on a plate – I like to combine a bunch of different types of sprinkles.
10. Turn your frosted cupcake upside down and dunk it in the sprinkles on the plate

It’s as easy as that! Absolutely the perfect size for kids to enjoy at a 4^th of July BBQ!

You can use the same technique to make Jumbo cupcakes too. Just use a bigger cupcake pan and more batter 🙂

Like the idea of cupcake jars?

Just layer the cake and frosting in a red white and blue pattern and voila – the perfect 4^th of July picnic dessert!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous week and is ready for a relaxing holiday weekend.

Happy 4th of July my loves!

Stay Sweet,

Jill

Summer Flower Cupcakes

 

Summer Lovin'

Hello my loves! Today I am so excited to share a super fun recipe with you!

This weekend I was asked to cater a special “going away” luncheon. I decided to make summer flower cupcakes. They were so easy and the guests loved them! The set up and decorations were really fun too.

Let’s get started!

Summer Flower Cupcakes

Ingredients for the Cake

• 6 cups white flour sifted

• 2 tablespoons baking powder

• 1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened

• 3 cups granulated sugar

• 2 cups milk

• 2 tbs of Vanilla Extract

• 12 egg whites

Directions for the Cake

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Fill cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

2. Sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside.

3. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Set aside.

4. Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Set aside.

5. With mixer at slow speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately with milk.

6. Beat well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.

7. Gently fold egg whites into batter.

8. Pour into cupcake liners.

9. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Bright Colored Marshmallows make these flowers POP!

Ingredients for the frosting and the decoration:

• One bag of mini, colored marshmallows

• 1 stick of unsalted butter (softened)
• 1 stick of salted butter (softened)
• 4 cups of powdered sugar (sifted)
• 3 tbs of half and half
• 1 tbs of vanilla

Directions

1. In your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium high until it turns white and fluffy (about 5 minutes)
2. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time- mixing on medium speed
3. Add the half and half and the  vanilla – mix well for 2 minutes or until well combined
4. If you want thicker buttercream – add more powdered sugar.

1. Once your frosting is finished, set aside
2. Cut the mini marshmallows is half, creating little petals
3. After your cupcakes have cooled completely, frost them. For best results, I used a piping bag to pie the frosting in a swirl on the cupcake. This gave the cupcakes a more polished look once the petals were placed on top.
4. Starting at the outside edge of the cupcake, place the petals all around. Do this for 3 layers. Finish by putting a different color marshmallow in the center. I used yellow.

***Important note: These cupcakes should not be left uncovered or refrigerated, it makes the marshmallow petals dry put and look shriveled up.

Perfect Little Flower Pots

For the display, I used some pots from the gardening section of my local grocery store, covered them with some ribbon, and placed Styrofoam inside of them. I covered the Styrofoam with some green “grass” and placed the cupcakes on skewers and stuck them into the pot. It turned out really cute and people were amazed at how creative the cupcakes were. The best part was, these cupcakes were one of the easiest things I have done in a while.

 

These cute cupcakes are a must for your next event! Let me know if you have any questions about the recipe.

 

Stay sweet!

xoxo, Jill

 

Watermelon Strawberry Ice Cups

 

Ok, I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is, I made some fabulous 4th of July cupcakes and cupcake jars to share with you guys! The bad news is, I didn’t have a chance to upload the photos yet, so I have to wait til tomorrow to share the recipe. I know, bummer! But don’t worry, I still have a great summer recipe to share with you.

Watermelon Strawberry Ice Cups! Sound good, right?? Well they are beyond good –  in fact, they are down right addicting. In Florida it has been around 100 degrees outside so these are the perfect cool down treat. They are really simple to make too. Enjoy the recipe!! Xo

Fruity and Delicious

Watermelon Strawberry Ice Cups

Recipe Makes 12 cups

Ingredients

• 4 cups of cubed seedless watermelon
• 2 cups of diced strawberries
• 1 cup of Sprite
• ½ cup of cool whip
• ¼ cup of powdered sugar

Directions

1. In a blender (or food processor) puree the watermelon and strawberry pieces
2. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, followed by the cool whip
3. Mix for a few seconds and add the sprite
4. Puree mixture for  30 seconds
5. If the mixture seems to chunky or thick – add a little bit of water and puree for 30 more seconds
6. Pour mixture in small cups
7. Freeze for 4-5 hours
8. Serve and Enjoy!!

These Ice cups can also be made into really yummy popsicle too! I hope you, your family, and your friends enjoy this summer treat!

Summer = Love

Stay Sweet My Friends!

xo, Jill

Fourth of July Inspiration

Happy Monday!

As you all know – the 4^th of July is right around the corner.  I LOVE the 4^th of July! Great food, a day spent at the beach or laying by the pool, lots of friends, and an evening filled with fireworks – not many things could make me happier!

It’s also a great excuse to make really adorable and festive cupcakes! Before I decide what I want to make for the 4^th, I took a look online and gathered some really awesome inspiration.

Enjoy 🙂

P.S. Just click the photo and it will take you to the site where I found the photo!

American Flag Cupcakes

Patriotic Tye-Dye – So much Fun! I also LOVE the little American Flag on the top. Perfect touch!

Ice Cream and Cupcakes - Nothing more American 🙂

Ice cream cone Cupcakes. A not-so-traditional approach to the normal ideas of red and white blue cupcakes. Simple but adorable!!

Simple and Elegant

This set up is just so perfect! I love the coordinating wrappers and the small red and blue flowers. This shows a perfect balance of color without having red, white, and blue overkill.

Popsicle Cupcakes!

Red, White and Blue “Bomb Pop” Cupcakes. I love the popsicle stick for added effect!Kids will go crazy for these!

Beautiful Swirl Frosting!

3 color striped frosting! This is such a fun technique. I’ve done it a few times here and here.

Lot’s of awesome ideas, right?! I am going to do a lot of baking and experimenting tonight, so make sure you check back for my 4^th of July cupcake recipe and more decorating ideas!

Have a sweet day!

Xoxo,

Jill

Classic White Cake

Image from weheartit.com

Ah, Wednesday. Halfway through the week – Wednesday feels good, doesn’t it?! I’d like to thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes! You sure know how to make a girl feel loved 🙂

I have to admit though, with everything going on for my birthday, I neglected to notice that it was my dear friend’s one year wedding anniversary. Such a great milestone to celebrate! And you know that no one loves a celebration as much as I do, it’s the perfect excuse for eating tons of cake (or cupcakes in my preference!)

So today, I dedicate this post to my close friend Nikki. You are inspiring, determined, and oh-so creative. Thanks for being my friend and happy ONE YEAR Anniversary! So happy for you and your hubby!

Let’s celebrate with a recipe for traditional white cake and some great cupcake decorating ideas!!

Beautiful Cake and Cupcake Display! By "Cakes and Culinary Creations"

Classic White Cupcakes (adapted recipe from Wilton)

Ingredients

• 6 cups white flour sifted

• 2 tablespoons baking powder

• 1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened

• 3 cups granulated sugar

• 2 cups milk

• 2 tbs of Vanilla Extract

• 12 egg whites

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Fill cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

2. Sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside.

3. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Set aside.

4. Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Set aside.

5. With mixer at slow speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately with milk.

6. Beat well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.

7. Gently fold egg whites into batter.

8. Pour into cupcake liners.

9. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

I would use any of the following frostings – depending on what mood you’re in!

Strawberry Buttercream

Classic Buttercream

Marshmallow Whip

Pinapple Cool Whip Frosting

Classic White Cupcakes with white pearls! LOVE it!

Mini White Cake Cupcakes. So Cute!

That’s all for today. Have a fabulous Wednesday, and as always, Stay Sweet!

xoxo, Jill

Banana Nut Crunch Cupcake Topping

Happy Thursday!

Need a quick trick to spice up your Vanilla cupcakes? How about a Banana Nut Crunch topping that bakes right into your delicious cupcake?

This topping is so simple and turns a traditional vanilla cupcake into a yummy banana treat.

Banana Nut Crunch Cupcake - Unfrosted

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 Cups of Pecans
• 1 Banana
• 2 Cups of Dried Banana Chips
• ½ cup of honey granola
• 1 tbs of cinnamon
• 2 tbs of Brown Sugar

What to do:

1. Using a food processor, grind the pecans to small little chunks
2. Slice your banana into small cubes
3. Place your dried banana chips in a ziplock bag and lightly crush them with the palm of your hand. You do not want these pieces too small.
4. Combine a all of your ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well
5. After you have poured the batter for your vanilla cupcakes – place a spoonful of the topping mixture on top of each unbaked cupcake
6. Bake according to your cupcake recipe
7. When your cupcakes are done baking, the mixture will be baked on top of your Vanilla cupcake! Crunchy and delicious!  I like to top these with Peanut Butter or Cream Cheese Frosting!

Enjoy!

Xoxo, Jill

Cinco De Mayo! Drink Up!

Adorable photo from we heartit.com

You absolutely CANNOT celebrate Cinco De Mayo without the Margarita! And what better way  to enjoy the fresh lime and tequilla combo, than in a cupcake version!

Enjoy mi amigos!! xoxo

Margarita Cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 limes, zested and juiced
1.5 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners. (Which I think is pretty obvious, but I figured I’d say it anyway)

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Using a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.

One at a time, add in the eggs. Mix well after each addition.

Add in the lime juice, lime zest and vanilla and beat well. Make sure your lime zest is small rather than large chunks – it will give the cupcake better texture.

Beat the flour mixture into the bowl. Do this in three additions, starting with the flour mixture and adding the buttermilk after the first and second flour additions.

Fill the cupcake liners about half-full with the batter (Again, obvious)

Bake 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cupcakes will not brown so don’t be alarmed if they still look white.

Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes.

Tequilla Lime Buttercream

2 cups sugar
8 large egg whites
Pinch of sea salt (a pink is about ½ tsp.)
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tsp of vanilla
3 tbsp. tequila (maybe more depending on the kind of day you’ve had)

Combine sugar, egg whites and salt in a medium sauce pan and heat until it reaches 160 degrees F and the sugar has completely dissolved.

Transfer to a stand mixer and beat on medium-high until stiff peaks form and it has cooled to room temperature. This takes awhile – so don’t get discouraged, just practice patience…or have a drink of that tequila.

Add in the butter, two tablespoons at a time — mixing well after each addition.

The mixture may start to look curdled…just keep mixing it and, eventually, it will look like frosting.

Stir in the lime juice and tequila.

**Before piping the frosting onto the cupcakes, I make a mixture of half lime half tequila to brush on the top of my cupcakes – This gives it a more authentic margarita taste vs. a lime cupcake with a kick. Trust me, you’ll want to do this **

Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes

Decorate with a slice of fresh lime (or a candy lime) and green sprinkles.

I added straws to mine because I thought it looked cute – but it’s not necessary.

Enjoy!

Let’s Get Nutty!

Photo by Elinor Carucci

I’m in the mood for something nutty and delicious. I’m thinking a butter pecan cupcake would be the perfect treat right about now! But since my chances of having a cupcake magically appear next to me are pretty slim, I will share this recipe with you instead. Talking about cupcakes is almost as good as eating them..right?

This recipe is simple and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

Ingredients for the Cupcake (makes 12 cupcakes):

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
½ of a well beaten egg
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup of milk
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine your flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Beat in the egg and vanilla into your creamed butter.
Mix in half of the flour mixture, followed by ½ of the milk.
And now the rest of the flour, mix well.
Add the rest of the milk, mix well.
Fold in the pecans.
Fill your cupcake liners and bake for 24 minutes.

Now, for my favorite part of this cupcake…Honey Brown Sugar Frosting! I recently came up with this recipe and LOVE it – it’s such a nice change from the traditional Vanilla Frosting.

1 stick (1/4 cup) of Butter
2 tbsp milk
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup icing sugar
2 Tbs of honey
Pinch of cinnamon

In a saucepan on medium heat, bring the butter and milk to a boil.  Slowly add in the brown sugar, honey and cinnamon.  Reduce the temperature to medium low. Stir frequently so your brown sugar doesn’t burn on the bottom. Let boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm temp.

Whisk the icing sugar into the lukewarm mixture. Keep stirring until smooth and desired consistency is reached.

If your icing is too thin, just add some more icing  sugar.

Frost your cupcakes and enjoy! You can add some chopped pecans to the top of your cupcake for a perfect garnish!

Til next time, stay sweet!

xoxo, Jill