Happy Easter!! Caramel Cupcakes with Whipped Chocolate & Brown Sugar Frosting

HAPPY EASTER!

Today is a nice relaxing day for me, consisting of basking in the AZ rays by the pool, sipping an AZ cocktail (Vodka-kissed Pineapple & Prickly Pear juice), jamming to La Roux, and preparing for an afternoon BBQ. Can everyday be like this please?

At any rate, I made festive Easter cupcakes on Friday and brought them in for work: Caramel cupcakes made with caramel sauce, frosted with Whipped Chocolate & Brown Sugar Frosting, then topped with Coconut and Cadbury Easter eggs. I made the cupcake recipe using my Primrose Bakery Cupcake Recipe Book, and the frosting from All Recipes found here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Light-and-Creamy-Brown-Sugar-and-Chocolate-Frosting/Detail.aspx

Caramel Cupcakes

(Makes 16 Cupcakes)

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room remperature

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teasepoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup plus 2 Tabelspoons self-rising flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teasepoon baking soda

1/4 teasepoon salt

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup Caramel Sauce (recipe below)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. Make Caramel Sauce (see below) so it can cool slightly before preparing the batter.

3. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars until pale and smooth, about 3-5 minutes.

4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing for a few minuters after each addition.

5. Add vanilla extract to batter and blend.

6. Sift or whisk the flours together in a separate bowl.

7. Add one-thrid of the flour to the creamed butter/sugar mixture and mix until the batter just comes together. Now add the caramel sauce and beat well. Add another one-third of flour to mixture and mix until batter just comes together. Now add heavy cream and beat again antil just blended. Add the final third of the flour until mixture in combined.

8. Scoop batter into cupcake liners using a spring-loaded icecream scoop.

9. Bake for 22-25 minutes until slightly raised and golden brown and until toothpick comes out clean.

10. Remove from oven and let sit in pans for 10 minutes, then place on wire rack to finish cooling. Frost when completely cool.

Step #3: Creaming to buttrer and sugars.

Making the Caramel Sauce (recipe below) -- combining sugar and water in saucepan

Caramel Sauce: Bringing to a boil

Cook sugar and water until it has reached an amber color (does not have to be as dark as mine)

Step #7: Adding Caramel Sauce (slighty cooled) to the creamed mixture after adding the first 1/3 of flour.

Caramel Sauce

Makes 3/4 cup

1 1/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup water

1. Place sugar and 1/3 cup of the water in a heavy saucepan amd stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increas the heat and cook over a high heat for about 8-10 minutes, after which the mixture should be dark amber in color. (See images below)

2. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool slightly. The mixture is extremely hot!!!! Stir mixture to help it cool, stirring away from your face...this can be down by stirring over the sink.

3. Once mixture it has cooled slightly, stir in the remaining 1/3 cup of water and continue stirring. Even slightly cool, sugar is still really hot!! Add water over sink and away from your face as it may spatter.

4. Once completely cool, it can be poured into the batter mixture before the last 1/3 of flour is added.

Light and Cream Brown Sugar & Chocolate Whipper Frosting

Note: This frosting is runny! Works great to cover top with coconut shaving.

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup and 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

- Pour heavy cream into mixing bowl and whip with an electric mixer. Mix in remaining ingredients and whip until stiff and spreadable. Use pastry bag to frost cupcakes.

HOPE YOU HAD A LOVELY EASTER!!

Get Tipsy: Champagne Infused Cupcakes with Pink Champagne Buttercream Frosting

 

I made cupcakes yesterday for my friend Erika's Birthday Bash.  I wanted it to be a suprise, but decided to tell her so I knew what flavors to make. She said 'anything but chocolate'. So what better way to CHEERS at a birthday celebration than with Champagne Cupcakes!! Her sister bought this really awesome tulip candle holder that spun it's petals around, lit up sparkles, and sang, "Happy Birthday". It was quite the show, so now I need one!

I found this great Champagne Cake recipe from All Recipes (altered as I increased the alcohol amount. hehehe), frosted with Pink Campagne Frosting from Betty Crocker, then adorned with rainbow sugar sprinkles and fondant decorations that read, "Cheer to you".

[[ You will find that I use recipes often from branded consumer food companies such as Betty Crocker and McCormick (best Red Velvet Cupcakes!). This is because I know they spend a substantial amout of money creating the best 'fool-proof' recipes that are universally delicious, usually printed on their boxes or posted on their website. And of course, for marketing's sake, they implement their branded items into the recipes. So overall, I have good faith in using these recipes when I find them. ]]

What are we waiting for? Let's get tipsy!

Champagne Cupcakes
(Makes 18 cupcakes)

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup champagne (I used Andre's Blush Pink Champagne, only $6.99 a bottle)

3-4 drops of Pink food color (optional)

6 egg whites at room temperature* (This is important as you will whisk them to stiff peaks. I found out (the hard way) that this is best achieved with room temperature eggs. You can speed the process up by soaking them in warm water while you prepare the rest of the recipe until needed.)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with cupcakes liners.
2. In a stand-up mixer, cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, and then blend 1/3 into creamed mixture alternately with champagne.  Add in drops of food coloring at this time.
4. In another large clean bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (images below). Start on medium speed until whites start to form bubbles. Then on high speed, beat for about 5 minutes or until peaks are stiff and maintin their 'points' when lifting the whisk out.
5. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining egg whites. Use spring lever ince cream scoop to fill cupcake liners. 
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.

Step #3: Blending all ingredients and adding food color.

Step #4: Making Stiff Peaks, from bubbly to stiff peaks.

Step #5: Folding egg whites into champagne batter.

Pink Champage Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup champagne
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (I use Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract. Invest in the good stuff and it will pay off!)
4-5 drops of pink food color

1. Using a stand-up mixer on medium speed, cream together all ingredients until smooth. Frost cupcakes!
Then prinkle with with colorful sprinkles. CHEERS!

 

The awesome singing, sparkling, and twirling Tulip candle holder on a cupcake!

Me and the Birthday Girl with our cupcakes :D

Ready, Set, EAT!

People tested, puppies approved! Erika gave Stella one to lick... she ended up taking a HUGE bite!

Stella leaves no trace, licking the table clean! haha

Have a great weekend!

Little Miss Sunshine: Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Filling and Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

The days aren't getting any cooler in sunny Arizona, so what better reason to make another light, fruity and delicious cupcake treat!

By request in my office, Lemon Cupcakes were my next project. In fact, one of the girls wore a bright yellow shirt last week and recently lightened her hair...she said she reminded herself of a Lemon Meringue Cupcake! Hence, the t-shirt decor on one of my cupcakes. hehe :)

Now although I made these with Vanilla Buttercream, they are still refreshing with homemade lemon filling. I used The Primrose Bakery Lemon Cupcakes recipe from their book Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery, adding my own notes.  I then found Wilton's Lemon Filling recipe which is perfect since it does not require refrigeration of the cupcakes! I finished the cupcakes off with Vanilla Buttercream frosting from The Primrose Bakery again, colorful sprinkles and homemade fondant flowers from my NEW Cricut Cake machine! (will post review on first time use soon!).

Lemon Cupcakes

(Makes 24 cupcakes)

8 Tablespoons (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups & 4 Tablespoons of sugar

4 large eggs, free-range or organic

2 cups self-raising flour

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup 2% milk, at room temperature

4 Tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used 2 small lemons)

2 Tablespoons (about 2 lemon’s worth) grated lemon zest

2 Tablespoons of sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the creamed butter and sugar and beat well.

3. Sift two flours together in a separate bowl. Set aside for the moment. Mix the milk, lemon juice and sour cream in a third bowl (I kept it in the measuring cup).

4. Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to creamed butter mixture like so: add 1 /3of the flour and mix well. Add 1/3 the milk mixture and mix well. Repeat again until all is mixed with the cream mixture, adding lemon zest after the last 1/3 of the flour.

5. Use an ice cream scoop with release handle to fill cupcakes liners in pan.

6. Bake for about 25 minutes, raised until golden brown. Insert a toothpick of cake testing rod to make sure it comes out clean.

7. Remove from oven and let cupcake cool in pans for 10 minutes then remove and place eash on a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake and cut out the bottom tip of the cone, leaving only the top/lid (pictures below). Fill the center of the cupcake with lemon filling (recipe below).  Replace lid and tada! I also used extra lemon filling to lightly spread over the top of each cupcake before spreading the frosting.

Lemon Zest

Lemon Batter. Yum!

Step #8: Using the cone method to fill cupcakes.

The anatomy of filling a cupcake using the cone method.

Lemon Filling

(Makes enough for about 30 cupcakes, or fill and spread liberally on 24 cupcakes)

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cold water

2 egg yolks slightly beaten

1 teaspoon lemon peel grated

Juice of a medium lemon

1 Tablespoon butter
1. Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small saucepan. Gradually add water and whisk until well blended.
2. Whisk in egg yolks, lemon peel and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thick and bubbly.
3. Boil one minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter. Cool to room temperature, without stirring. (I filled the cupcakes when the filling was still slightly warm, makin it an easy scoop each time with a spoon.)

Little Miss Sunshine Cupcakes :D

This one was for Michele at work: an edible replica of her shirt that made her look like a lemon cupcake!

Cupcake Things at the Workplace

Outside of my life for cupcakes, I do have a job! haha.  I buy shoes for Dillards :)

There's no such thing as keeping work and fun separate for me.  I surround myself with positive things in case the going gets tough, I have things I love to stare at.

Here's Audrey Hepburn eating a cupcake.

My wall dedicated to all things fun & pretty.

This is actually a bath rug I got from Target. Makes a great piece of wall decor!

Cute little cupcake set of 4 (the other 2 are being consumed by Ms. Hepburn).

So these are the best things to store paper clips and thumb tacs in!



Aaaaaand cupcakes erasers from Target again from the $1 section.

I got this cute little cupcake key chain from one of my co-worker's mama.

And the keychain has a mom in the form of a gift bag that looks exactly like it!

Taking notes at work got alot sweeter with cupcakes :D



Good Night Everyone!!