Strawberry Buttercream

Pretty in Pink!

It should come as no surprise to that I love anything and everything girly! Including the color PINK! I especially love pink around the holidays – aren’t hot pink Christmas trees adorable?? These days it’s “trendy” to decorate with colors other than the traditional red, green, and silver. So today I want to give you a recipe for festive strawberry buttercream cupcakes. These will be a huge hit at any holiday party and are really fun to decorate!

Strawberry Buttercream

 

Pink Holiday Cupcakes - Yum!

• 2 sticks of softened sweet-cream butter (unsalted)
• 3 cups of powdered sugar (no need to sift)
• 2 tsp of Vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons of Strawberry extract
• 2 tablespoons of whipping cream
• Pink food coloring

Directions

1. In a standing mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk together powdered sugar and butter on medium high speed. Once combined, whisk for about 3 minutes until light and fluffly
2. Add the vanilla and strawberry flavoring – mix well
3. Add the whipping cream and food coloring and whisk for another 3 minutes

Golden Butter Cupcakes

Complete with Snowflake Sprinkles!

• 2 1/2 cup(s) (plus 2 Tbsp.) flour
• 1 tablespoon(s) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 cup(s) milk
• 2 teaspoon(s) (pure) vanilla extract
• 1 cup(s) (2 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cup(s) sugar
• 4 large eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. In measuring cup, mix milk and vanilla.
3. In large bowl, with mixer at medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat just until smooth, scraping the bowl occasionally with a  spatula.
4. Pour batter into cupcake liners and bake for about 20-22 minutes.
5. Let cool completely before frosting the cupcakes.

Hope you enjoy the recipe! Til next time, stay sweet!

xoxo, Jill

P.S. Don’t forget you can get 10% off any cupcake purchase if you use the code SCCS10. Visit my shop for some yummy holiday treats. www.etsy.com/shop/staycalmcupcake

Cookies-N-Cream Cupcakes

Happy Monday! Well, as happy as a Monday could possibly be, I guess. I trust everyone had a fun Halloween filled with sweet candies, fun costumes, and lots of laughter.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes!

Since I don’t have any little ones, and I’m much to old to go Trick-or-Treating by myself, I didn’t get any candy this Halloween! In all fairness though, I could have bought myself a bag of treats from Target, but It just would not have been the same 🙂 So last night I whipped up a batch of Cookies and Cream Cupcakes! They were delicious! The absolute perfect late night snack. Here’s the recipe – I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Vanilla  Cupcake (adpted from a vanilla cake recipe on foodnetwork.com)

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• Regular or silver cupcake paper liners

** I add 2 tbs of lemon juice to this recipe. You can’t taste the lemon in the cupcake, it just improves the vanilla flavor. Make sure to not put more then 2 tbs though, or you’ll end up with lemon cake instead of vanilla

Make the Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixer with a whip attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue to cream. Gradually add the vanilla and eggs and mix in well. Sift together the dry ingredients; then mix into the butter mixture alternating with the milk. Pour batter into cupcake paper-lined muffin tins filling them 3/4 full. Bake until puffed and firm in the center and light golden brown on top, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool.

Cookies and Cream Frosting

• 5 oreo cookies
• Marshmallow Whip Frosting (https://fontgirl.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/marshmallow-whip-and-mingle-monday/)
• Milk Chocolate Frosting (https://fontgirl.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/chocolate-caramel-cupcakes/)

Directions

1. Mix the Marhmallow and Milk Chocolate frostings together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix until the frosting is a light brown color.
3. Crumble the oreo cookies into very small pieces. I put my oreos in a zip-loc bag and rolled over them with a rolling pin. You don’t want large chunks, you want small crumbles.
4. Add the cookie crumbs to the frosting. Mix on medium speed until well combined
5. Place in piping bag and decorate your cupcakes!

This frosting is a great one to make if you have some leftover chocolate and vanilla frosting. While I used Marhmallow and Milk Chocolate frosting, you could easily use any kind of vanilla frosting and mix it in wth a choclate one.

** Don’t forget to enter my Stay Calm Cupcake Kit Giveaway!! TWO Winners will be announced on Nov. 8th https://fontgirl.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/619/

Until Next Time, Stay Sweet! xoxo

Red Velvet Cupcakes

What is better than a moist chocolate cake? I’ll tell you….a moist chocolate cake, colored red, and topped with the creamiest cream-cheese frosting you could imagine. That my friends, is better than moist chocolate cake!

Red Velvet cake and I used to have a bittersweet relationship…I could never get the recipe right. That was until I found a recipe that I actually like. I adapted this recipe from Bobbly Flay’s show “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” . Enjoy the recipe, and enjoy all the praises you get when you pass these little guys out. Happy tuesday!!

My Red Velvet Masterpieces

Red Velvet Cupcakes (adapted from “Throwdown with Bobby Flay”)

Makes 16 Large cupcakes – 24 regular size cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 4 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 ½  granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 3  large eggs
• 2 tsp of red food coloring
• 1/8 cup of water
• 2 tsp of vanilla
• 1 ¼ tsp of vinegar (white or apple cider)

Directions

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a bowl and set aside. (**Sifting is very important here – I usually skip sifting, but I don’t skip it in this recipe because without sifting, your cupcakes won’t be fluffy and moist.)

In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix oil, sugar, and buttermilk until combined. Add eggs, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla and water and mix well. Add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time and mix on low, scraping down sides occasionally, and mix until just combined. Be sure not to over mix, or the batter will come out tough.

Line a 16-cup cupcake pan with paper liners, scoop the batter into the liners and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Let cool

Creamy Dreamy Crean Cheese Frosting

• 2 packages of 8 oz. Cream Cheese
• 3 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 tbs of vanilla extract
• 2 Sticks of unsalted Butter

Cream together cream cheese and butter – Mix on high speed up soft and well combined

Add the powder sugar one cup at a time – mixing thoroughly after each cup

Add in the vanilla and mix well

Beat on medium high speed until desired consistency is achieved.

ENJOY!!

Friday Edition of Cupcake Cocktails

Happy Friday everyone! You have survived the week and only have a few hours left until the weekend is yours!! Last friday I posted a recipe for an oh-so-delish margarita cupcake (https://fontgirl.wordpress.com/2010/08/20/). This Friday however, I am all about the Strawberry Lemon Malibu Cupcake!

Enjoy the recipe and remember to eat responsibly 🙂

Strawberry Lemon Malibu Cupcakes

Photos by: http://www.iheartcuppycakes.com

Makes about 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

For lemon cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) salted butter, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

For malibu  meringue buttercream
2 egg whites at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
12 tbsp (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
2 tablespoons Malibu Caribbean Rum, coconut flavor, to taste

For Strawberry Puree

15 Strawberries – 3 tbs of sugar – 2 tsp of lemon juice

 

INSTRUCTIONS

To make cupcakes—
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line pan with cupcake liners.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and stir to combine.

In the bowl of your mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat until well-blended on medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the lemon zest and juice.

Fill each cupcake cup about two-thirds full and bake for about 17-22 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make buttercream—
Beat the egg whites in the bowl of your mixer with the whisk attachment until frothy, then add the cream of tartar and beat just before stiff peaks form.

Meanwhile, stir together the sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved and washing down side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. When syrup reaches a boil, put your candy thermometer into it and continue boiling, without stirring, until it reaches about 238-242 degrees Fahrenheit.

Immediately remove from heat, and slowly pour the hot syrup in a thin stream into the egg whites, beating constantly at high speed and making sure to not pour directly on the side of the bowl. Beat meringue until the bowl is cool to the touch.

Change out your whisk for your paddle attachment and scrapes down the sides of the bowl. On medium speed, gradually add butter about two pieces at a time, beating well after each addition until incorporated. Continue beating until buttercream is smooth. (Mixture may look curdled before all butter is added, but will come back together before beating is finished. If that doesn’t work, try chilling it a bit in case your meringue was too hot.) Finally, add the Malibu and mix thoroughly

To make puree—
Mash the strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar together. Heat to a slow boil over medium heat. Let cool before you drizzle on cupcakes.

To assemble cupcake—
Pipe the Malibu frosting on each cupcake. Drizzle some strawberry puree on top. Garnish with a strawberry if desired.

Butternut Squash Cupcakes

Picture submitted by Adrienne and Sara - Winners of the wacky cupcake contenst!

Congrats to Adrienne and Sara who teamed up to make the winning wacky cupcake!

The duo made “Butternut Squash Cupcakes with Sage Cream-cheese Frosting” A strange bunch of ingredients for a cupcake, but the reviews said this cupcake tasted just like carrot cake. YUM!

Not only did Adrienne and Sara search out a wacky and inventive recipe, they baked them and sent in pictures! Great job Sara and Adrienne, your recipe is wacky but sounds pretty darn good.

Enjoy the recipe below from VanillaGarlic.com ( http://www.vanillagarlic.com/2006/10/butternut-squash-cupcakes-with-sage.html)

Butternut Squash Cupcakes
Makes about 24 cupcakes
(Adapted from MarthaStewart.com)

These cupcakes make me think of Fall - they would make a great lunch box treat for those heading back to school!

What You’ll Need…
1 large butternut squash (for 2 cups of puree)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups of flour

What You’ll Do…
1) Quarter and seed the squash. Place in a dish with 1/4 cup of water and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool, scoop out (no skins!) then puree in a food processor or blender.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. Set aside.

3) In a large bowl, whisk together sugars, eggs, and butter. Add dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Whisk in butternut puree.

4) Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake at 350 until tops spring back when touched, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18-22 minutes. Rotate pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool.

Sage Cream Cheese Frosting
(This makes a lot; freeze the rest and use it for bagels or fruit. Throw in the fridge to thaw when ready for use.)

What You’ll Need…
1 bunch of sage
3 tablespoons of water
3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
12 ounces of cream cheese
1/2 cup of butter
3 cups powdered sugar

What You’ll Do…
1. Bring cheese and butter to room temperature.

2. Heat sugar and water in a small pan under medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

3. Chop up the sage and add to the sugar and let boil over medium-low heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until the mixture is syrupy. Set aside to cool.

4. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl or onto parchment.

5. Beat butter and cheese at medium speed until creamy.

6. Add half of the sugar and the sage syrup. Beat until combined.

7. Gradually add remaining sugar. Spread onto cupcakes and sprinkle on allspice if desired.

Breakfast of Champions

Coffee and Donut Cupcakes!

I’m just gonna cut to the chase here, I found a recipe for a breakfast cupcake that doesnt include bacon!! Its a take on donuts and coffee, and it looks so yummy! I found it on a Cupcakeblog.com (an overall amazing site for all things cupcakes!) So, without further ado, here is the recipe for “Coffee and Donut” cupcakes. These will deffinitely be a hit in the office!

Note: These cupcakes will take a while to make, but they will be sooooo worth it! For the full recipe and blog entry go to: http://cupcakeblog.com/?p=86

ENJOY!!

Coffee Cupcakes
19 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dark roast coffee grounds
1/2 cup strong brewed, dark roast coffee
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons milk

1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and coffee grounds in a bowl.
5. Measure out coffee and milk together.
6. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
7. Add about one third the coffee/milk mixture and beat until combined.
8. Repeat above, alternating flour and coffee and ending with the flour mixture.
9. Scoop into cupcake papers about two-thirds to three-quarters full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes. Note that these cupcakes will shrink slightly when they cool).
10. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Tip: Be careful when adding the coffee/milk mixture to the batter. If you add it too quickly the mixture will look curdled. Add small amounts and beat well to incorporate.

Whipped Cream

3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar

1. Whisk cream on high speed until soft peaks form.
2. Add sugar (more or less depending on your taste) and whip until thick.

Doughnuts

9 ounces whole milk
1/4 ounce envelope active dry yeast
17-1/2 ounces white bread flour (not all-purpose)
3 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 ounces superfine sugar
2 teaspoons fine-grain salt
2 large eggs
2 cups peanut oil
superfine sugar for dusting

1. Warm milk over low heat until it is ay body temperature. It should feel neither warm nor cold when you touch it.
2. Measure the flour into your mixer’s bowl. Rub in the yeast with your fingertips until it disappears in the flour.
3. Rub in the butter until its a sandy texture. Rub in the sugar and salt.
4. Using the dough hook attachment, turn the mixer onto the lowest speed. Add the eggs and milk. Mix for 2 minutes.
5. Turn up to medium speed and mix for 6-7 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
6. Gently remove the dough from the bowl with the help of a plastic bowl scraperonto a lightly floured surface. Form into a ball. Place into a lightly floured bowl and cover with a lint-free towel and set in draft-free spot to rise for 1 hour.
7. Gently remove the dough from the bowl with the help of a plastic bowl scraper onto a lightly floured surface. Cut into two equal portions with your scraper. Gently roll out to about 1/2 inch thick, turning and using flour only as needed.
8. Cut out doughnuts and their holes using a circular cutter and a large pastry tip, respectively.
9. Set on a lightly oiled and floured baking pan with sufficient space between each. Cover with a lint-free towel and set in draft-free spot to double in size or for 45 minutes.
10. Heat the peanut oil in a high-sided, 8″ diameter pan to 350 degrees. Using a slotted spoon gently add about 5 doughnuts to the oil. Allow them to fry on one side until golden, about 45 seconds. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove doughnuts onto a sheet pan covered in paper towels to drain. Continue in the same fashion with remaining doughnuts.
11. Roll drained doughnuts in the sugar. Eat.

Little Cups of Heaven

Happy Friday! Today is the last Friday of the summer that I will have off – what a bummer! So far I have spent my day baking cupcakes, making frosting, and drawing up plans for my niece’s 2nd birthday cake – Sesame Street of course 🙂 Overall, it has been a pretty relaxing day.

As I was looking through my recipe book, I realized that I have been meaning to share a great, oh so easy, recipe with you. Cake Parfaits! Little cups of cake and frosting, perfect for a personal treat or a dessert at a dinner party. Please forgive the picture  though,  trust me that they taste so much better than the picture makes them look!

I made two kinds of cake parfaits – Vanilla Pineapple Cream and Double Chocolate Butterscotch. Enjoy!

Little Cups Of Heaven!

Vanilla Pineapple Cream Ingredients:

• 1 box of Duncan Hines Golden Butter cake mix
• 3 large eggs
• 1 stick of softened butter
• 2/3 cup of water
• 1 tub of Cool Whip
• 1 small can of crushed pineapple
• 1 box of instant vanilla pudding
• Sliced strawberries
• Clear Plastic Cups

Directions:

1. Bake cake according to box directions
2. Let cake cool for 10-15 minutes
3. Cut cake into medium size cubes
4. Place a good amount (6-7) of cake cubes on the bottom of the clear cup
5. Layer Pineapple Cream on top of cake (see below for directions)
6. Add several strawberries
7. Repeat steps 4-6 until your cup is filled

Pineapple Cream Filling:

In a medium mixing bowl mix together the whole tub of cool whip and the dry vanilla pudding mix. Drain a little bit of the juice from the crushed pineapple – do not drain completely though. Gradually add in spoonfuls of crushed pineapple, mix with spatula until fully combined. Let chill in fridge for 15 minutes.

** I also use this as a frosting for vanilla or angel food cake cupcakes – it’s so good!** 

Double Chocolate Butterscotch Ingredients:

• 1 box of Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge cake mix ( and the ingredients listed on the back of the box)
• 1 bag of butterscotch chips
• 1 bag of milk chocolate chips (optional)
• 1 tub of Cool Whip
• 1 box of chocolate pudding mix
• Clear Plastic Cups

Directions:

1. Bake cake according to box directions
2. Let cake cool for 10-15 minutes
3. Cut cake into medium size cubes
4. Place a good amount (6-7) of cake cubes on the bottom of the clear cup
5. Layer Chocolate Cool Whip on top of cake (see below for directions)
6. Add several butterscotch and milk chocolate chips
7. Repeat steps 4-6 until your cup is filled

Chocolate Cool Whip Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl mix together the whole tub of cool whip and the dry chocolate pudding mix. Let chill in fridge for 15 minutes.

Simple Vanilla Cupcakes

I must start this blog by apologizing for my recent absence. I went to an airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin for work last week. I thought I would have time to post some things while I was away, but I was wrong. I was just too busy!

Today I am back at work and furiously trying to play catch-up. So for now, while I can’t give you a detailed blog about all of my traveling mishaps, or my luggage that weighed over 50 lbs because of cupcake supplies, I will give you a recipe that used while I was away (Yes, I made cupcakes on a work trip!)

I made yellow cake cupcakes with cream-cheese frosting (my favorite!!) Enjoy the recipe, its really simple and really yummy!

Vanilla with Cream Cheese Icing - Pure Heaven!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/the-perfect-yellow-cupcake-recipe/index.html

Cupcakes:

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• Regular or silver cupcake paper liners

** I add 2 tbs of lemon juice to this recipe. You can’t taste the lemon in the cupcake, it just improves the vanilla flavor. Make sure to not put more then 2 tbs though, or you’ll end up with lemon cake instead of vanilla 😉

Make the Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixer with a whip attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue to cream. Gradually add the vanilla and eggs and mix in well. Sift together the dry ingredients; then mix into the butter mixture alternating with the milk. Pour batter into cupcake paper-lined muffin tins filling them 3/4 full. Bake until puffed and firm in the center and light golden brown on top, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool. (Freeze at this point, if necessary.)

Thats all for now, I promise to write a longer blog this evening or maybe tomorrow. I recently got some great cupcake supplies that I can’t wait to review for you guys.

Til next time, stay sweet! xoxo

Chocolate Mousse

Hello readers! I trust you all had a good weekend, made it through Monday,  and are ready to tackle another week. HA! Who am I kidding, right? Weekends just never seem long enough, especially when you pack them full of activities (or hours of baking), and Monday’s never seem short enough.

I had a friend’s dinner party to go to this past weekend, and I was pretty excited about it because I was asked to bring the dessert. I was anxious to try out some new cupcake recipes, and there is no better place to do that than at a dinner party with friends.

My ambitions, though not thought to be too high, were to create two types of cupcakes. One, which I had made before – Vanilla Pineapple Cream – and another, which I had not tried but was “sure it would be easy”. I should have known better…..

Chocolate Buttercream frosting…it just sounds delicious, doesn’t it? I had to have chocolate buttercream on my cupcakes – there was no going around it. Besides, how could I possibly impress my friends if I didn’t make chocolate buttercream?! Come to find out, I could have fed those boys canned frosting and they would not have known the difference. Ahh, hindsight is 20/20

I found a buttercream recipe at tastepotting.com (by far one of the BEST recipe sites EVER! It’s worthy of having it’s own blog entry, and one day I will get around to that.) I spent at least an hour sorting through hundreds of chocolate frosting recipes. Who knew there were about 500 variations of the very basic and traditional chocolate frosting? It was exhausting! Anyways, I found the one that seemed simple and delicious. It was time to bake!

I followed the recipe extremely close – at times questioning some of the steps, but never deviating. I’m known to disagree with a recipe and do it “my way” – problem is, my way doesn’t always work out – so I stuck to what I was told to do.

2 hours (that’s not a lie) and several back-up plans later, I had some form of chocolate frosting sitting in my mixing bowl – not chocolate buttercream, not really regular chocolate icing, kind of an airy, light, fluffy blob. It was pretty disappointing to be honest. I let it sit for a bit and decided I had to use it because I was running out of time before the party started. Luckily it piped pretty nicely onto the cupcake. Once I realized that it tasted REALLY GOOD on the cupcake, and didn’t look bad either, I felt better about my new “creation”.

I have to say  though that by the time I was done with the frosting I had added several new ingredients into the mixer in order for it to thicken enough to stay on top of a cupcake. I also realized that I was right the first time and should have made it my own way when I saw that things on the recipe didn’t add up.

Overall, the cupcakes were a hit. I call my new and improved recipe “Chocolate Mousse”. I am proud to say that this recipe has been perfected through trial and error and tastes absolutely delicious. Enjoy!

Vanilla Pinapple Cream - Chocolate Mousse - Vanilla and Chcolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse Buttercream

yield: about 5 cups

• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 T. Dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 6 sticks (24 0z)of cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 12 0z semisweet chocolate, melted 

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and cocoa powder in the metal bowl of a stand mixer.

Fill a large saute pan with hot water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Place the mixing bowl in the water and whisk the egg mixture constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is thick and fluffy and very hot, 3-4 minutes.  The temperature should be between 120-140 degrees.

Remove the bowl from the water and using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs at a medium-high speed until they are tripled in volume and form very soft peaks.  The bottom of the bowl should be completely cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.  Beat in the vanilla and salt.

Switch to the paddle attachment on your mixer and turn to medium-high speed.  Add the chucks of butter a couple at a time.  Once all is added, turn the mixer on high speed and let it mix until the buttercream comes together and is shiny and smooth…don’t worry if it separates at first, it will come together!  

Add the buttercream to another bowl (not metal…it is too cold and will seize the chocolate) and then add 1/2 of the warm chocolate and stir to incorporate.  Add the remaining chocolate and stir to fully incorporate.    Place the chocolate buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with a #807 tip and pipe your buttercream onto the cupcake.  To get the swirl effect, simply start at one end of the cupcake and pipe in a circle.  Continue piping until you have two layers of frosting.  Stop squeezing the frosting and quickly pull tip away from cupcake.

Cupcake Crazies

It will come as no sudden suprise  when I say that I am a fan of all tings cupcake! I like to keep current with all the new and popular flavors, blogs, cupcake bakery’s, etc. Amidst all of my long hours salivating over anything  cupcake related research, I have come to find that there are some really weird cupcakes out there. It makes me wonder if people are just trying to be known for “unique” and “funky” cupcakes or if they are actually meeting the demand of a new cupcake demographic. Do people really want to eat spicy chili cupcakes or cotton candy cupcakes? I understand the occasional child’s birthday cupcake, but cotton candy? Really? Aside from being a very novel idea (and belive me, I think it sounds and look really cool) I’m not sure it actually tastes that great. Since I admit that I could be way off base, I have come up with some cupcakes that I think are just bizzarre and will let you decide if they are just for looks or actually have good flavor.

So here we go:

Cotton Candy Cupcakes: This cupcake recipe calls for cotton candy bits in the vanilla cake mix as well as cotton candy flavoring in vanilla buttercream frosting. An overall total of 5 cups of cotton candy is required. What do you think? Too sweet or just right?

http://barbarabeerykidscooking.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/193/

Cotton Candy Cupcake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rose Cupcakes: This recipe actually calls for rose water and real roses. Really? I don’t know, that seems kind of odd to me.

http://bossacafez.blogspot.com/2009/08/lychee-rose-cupcakes.html

Rose-water Cupcakes....hmm?

French Toats Bacon Cupcakes: I never thought I would say this, but this is one cupcake I would NEVER eat. I  just can’t get over the chunk of bacon…

http://ladolcivita.blogspot.com/2009/05/french-toast-and-bacon-cupcakes.html

French Toast Bacon Cupcakes

Jalepeno Jelly and Pinapple Cupcakes: I’m not a fan of anything spicy, let alone mixing vegetable with my dessert. This recipe won an award of somesort (I didn’t really read enough to know which one – sorry). What do you think? Yummy or terrifying?

http://cuptincreations.blogspot.com/2008/08/cupcake-hero-august-entry.html

Jalepeno Jelly Cupcake - Looks pretty spicy!

Gin and Tonic Cupcakes: They sounds so chic, but I’m not sure how they will taste. My mind could be changed on this one – not sure yet…

http://www.yumsugar.com/Cheers-Gin-Tonic-Cupcakes-2705466

Gin and Tonic Cupcakes

 Well there they are, just a few of the recipes that made me raise my brow. I recently made margarita cupcakes, as I was a skeptic of using alcohol in cupcakes, and wanted to see how they would turn out – but they turned out pretty good. They tasted a lot like lime cupcakes with vanilla and lime zest frosting – except they had a warm after taste – the way tequilla often does (I mean, thats what I’m told – Mom, I would never drink tequilla :))

Til next time, stay sweet! xoxo