Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

 As any high school student will tell you, senior year requires a lot of caffeine. From staying up late writing college application essays to running to rehearsals and club meetings, we all lead pretty busy lives. My friends and I have an odd obsession with pumpkin spice lattes - besides being overly sweet and artificial in a strangely delicious way, they provide us with the extra bit of energy needed to get through the rest of the day.

 This drink has a bit of a cult following. It's begun a "pumpkin spice" trend, which - with mixed reviews - has been popping up everywhere from donuts to burgers. (Pumpkin spice English muffins, by the way, are not highly recommended. Trust me on this one.) So why not cupcakes?

 These pumpkin spice cupcakes have a generous dose of caffeine themselves. The fluffy cakes have pumpkin, spices, and espresso powder in them; they're then soaked in coffee and topped with the lightest frosting ever. (This frosting is essentially whipped cream with a touch of sugar and cream cheese, but it's insanely delicious.) Top it off with a green straw, and there's your morning coffee.
Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes 

(slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

for the cupcakes:

1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
4½ teaspoons espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
¾ cup canned pumpkin
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
¼ cup brewed coffee, for brushing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, both sugars and the vegetable oil until completely combined, making sure to break up any chunks of brown sugar so no lumps remain. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour mixture in two additions, folding with a rubber spatula until no flour pockets remain.
Divide the batter between the baking cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. While the cupcakes are still warm, brush the tops with the brewed coffee. Let each coat soak in before applying the next. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

for the frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream 

cinnamon and straws, for decorating (if desired)

On medium speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixer with the whisk attachment until smooth and completely combined, about 3 minutes. Slowly add the heavy cream, scrape the sides of the bowl, then increase speed to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form.
Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, then sprinkle with cinnamon. Cut straws into small pieces and insert in frosting. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting (and homemade salted caramel sauce!)

 Figuring out what to bake for a big group can be tricky. Some people like something simple, light and fruity; other people require a serious dose of chocolate. A couple of weeks ago, I put together a little cupcake display for a party, and I think I got the balance down pretty well! The bottom tier was a light red velvet cupcake with tangy cream cheese frosting (recipe here). For the top two tiers, I went with something kind of over-the-top but wonderfully indulgent and delicious. Tender chocolatey cupcakes are topped with a light and fluffy salted caramel frosting - it's all drizzled with golden-brown salted caramel sauce and topped off with a sprinkling of coarse sea salt.
The salt isn't overwhelming, and it's the perfect balance to the caramel and chocolate. Definitely take the time to make the sauce at home - it's better than anything store-bought. These are a crowd-pleaser for sure, and I have a few friends in mind who will definitely be getting birthday boxes of these sometime soon!
Enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

(from Brown Eyed Baker)

for the cupcakes:

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon hot water

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup sour cream

for the salted caramel frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup salted caramel sauce (recipe below)

4 cups powdered sugar

to garnish:

leftover salted caramel sauce

fleur de sel (or other flaky sea salt)

Make the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 standard-size, 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Combine the butter and sugar in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is smooth, and the butter is completely melted. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-low speed until the mixture is cool, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and then the cocoa mixture, beating until smooth.
Reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix each addition until just incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the frosting:
Beat together the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed for 5 minutes. Pour in the salted caramel and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to medium-low and slowly add the powdered sugar, a little at a time, until it has all been incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
To finish, pipe frosting onto the top of each cupcake (or use an offset spatula to spread the frosting), drizzle with some additional salted caramel sauce, and sprinkle with a pinch of fleur de del.
-makes 20-24 cupcakes

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

(from Brown Eyed Baker)

2 cups granulated sugar

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces

1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

1 tablespoon fleur de sel (or any other flaky sea salt)

Add the sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a heavy saucepan, with a capacity of at least 2 or 3 quarts. Heat the sugar over medium-high heat, whisking it as it begins to melt. You'll see that the sugar will begin to form clumps, but that's okay; just keep whisking, and as it continues to cook, they will melt back down.
Stop whisking once all of the sugar has melted, and swirl the pan occasionally while the sugar cooks.
Continue cooking until the sugar has reached a deep amber color. It should look almost reddish-brown, and have a slight toasted aroma. Be very careful not to burn it - this can happen in a matter of seconds!
Once the caramel is golden-brown, add the butter all at once. Be careful, as the caramel will bubble up when the butter is added. Whisk the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted.
Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour the cream into the caramel. Again, be careful because the mixture will bubble up like crazy again.
Whisk until all of the cream has been incorporated and you have a smooth sauce. Add the fleur de sel and whisk to incorporate.
Set the sauce aside to cool for 10-15 minutes and then pour into a glass jar and let cool to room temperature. Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks; warm up before using.
-makes about 2 cups of salt
Note: Brown Eyed Baker has a wonderful tutorial on making the sauce; my one note is that mine was done long before reaching 350 F. 

Classic Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

 Being interested in a career in the culinary world, it's often easy to get caught up in all of the new, inventive flavor combinations and techniques. My favorite thing to do is add my own twists to classics, but this week I was reminded that sometimes it's important to go back to basics!
 I got an "emergency" phone call one night last week, from a friend of my cousin's, who needed a last-minute box of goodies for her boyfriend (a certain unnamed cookie company messed up her bouquet order delivery date). With the liberty to fill a box with whatever I thought he would like, plus the excitement of an early-morning delivery of a box of sugar to the gym where he works, how could I say no?

I made my choices pretty quickly - this guy likes chocolate, so brownies (salted, of course!) were a given; and who doesn't like peanut butter? Cookies it was. I wanted something additional that screamed "birthday," so I decided to go with a classic, rainbow-sprinkled red velvet cupcake. Until I realized I didn't have a go-to recipe!
  I went back to a few different recipes I've used as a basis for variations in the past (did you know red velvet cake and orange marmalade are a match made in heaven?!), and was able to find a great one I hadn't made in years. It's my favorite, and I think it's a wonderful go-to.

 The cupcake is tender, fluffy, and not too sweet. The frosting provides a great sweet touch, and is the perfect consistency for spreading or piping simply (if you want to get crazy with the decoration, just add in a little extra sugar to get a thicker mixture). So, emergency missing recipe crisis averted - on to the next twist!
  Enjoy!

All packed and ready for delivery!

Classic Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

(from Food Network)

Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

                                                        1 pound cream cheese, softened
                                                              2 sticks butter, softened
                                                             1 teaspoon vanilla extract
                                                          4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.
Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Decorate as desired.

Teatime Lavender Cupcakes

 Lately I've been loving using herbs and teas in sweets. From earl grey ice cream to rosemary shortbread, the idea is all over - and these cupcakes are a great example. A while back, I bought a big bag of "culinary lavender" for these shortbread cookies, and I've been trying to find other recipes to use it up. I've had my eye on this one for a while, so I decided to finally try it out.

 These are the perfect way to infuse some flowery flavor into a baked good without making it seem like a bite of perfume. A little bit of lavender is ground up into the sugar, and then sprinkled on top (use a sprig of lavender to garnish if you have it). The icing was interesting because it's kind of a take on royal icing - just egg white and confectioner's sugar. It's very sweet, but in a thin layer it's a nice contrast to the cake.
  These are perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon. Or for breakfast, because ya know... it's tea. Kind of.
   Enjoy!

Teatime Lavender Cupcakes
(from Cupcakes)

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried lavender flowers (safe for culinary use)
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 cup self-rising flour
2 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 egg white
lilac food coloring
dried or fresh lavender, for decorating

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, then line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
Put the sugar and lavender flowers in a food processor and process briefly to combine. Tip the lavender sugar into a bowl with the butter and beat together until pale and fluffy.
Beat the eggs into the butter mixture, one at a time, then sift in the flour and fold in. Stir in the milk, then spoon the mixture into the muffin cups. Bake for about 18 minutes until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
To decorate, gradually beat the confectioners' sugar into the egg white in a bowl, then add a few drops of food coloring and stir to achieve a lavender-colored icing. Spoon the icing over the cupcakes, then top each one with a sprig of fresh lavender (or a few bits of dried lavender). Let icing set before serving.
   -makes 12 cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream

    Valentine's day can be a total downer for girls without boyfriends. This year, my friend and I decided to have a girls' night in to celebrate the fun parts of the holiday for single girls like us - takeout, romantic comedies, and most importantly, chocolate!
   We took a basic yet delicious chocolate cupcake recipe (with amazingly tasty, slightly chewy edges!) and wanted something to make it incredible. We found a recipe for buttercream. With an entire jar of Nutella added in. This frosting takes everything great about the chocolatey spread and multiplies it by a thousand, making it light enough to eat by the spoonful! Although, who am I kidding, we ate some plain Nutella by the spoonful too...
   Enjoy!

Basic Chocolate Cupcakes

(from Hershey's Kitchens)

2 cups sugar 

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda 

1 teaspoon salt 

2  eggs 

1 cup milk 

1/2 cup vegetable oil 

1 cup boiling water  

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 30 cupcake cups with paper liners, or grease.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Divide batter amongst prepared pans.
Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Nutella Buttercream 

(slightly adapted from Cannella Vita)

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 13-ounce jar Nutella
pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1.5 pounds confectioners’ sugar
6-8 tablespoons milk

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and shortening until well combined, thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar, and continue mixing until well blended.

Add salt, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 3-5 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. 

Add the Nutella and beat for another 3 minutes.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

I wanted cupcakes, but I was sick of making the same old vanilla and chocolate recipes over and over. I was considering a salted caramel cupcake (it would be great if anyone has a good recipe?) when peanut butter came up. Sounded good to me!
I didn't waste a lot of time searching for a recipe: I found the first one that looked good and went to the grocery store!

This recipe was perfect. I had never used shortening in cupcakes before, but it gave them a really good texture, and I used butter-flavored shortening so that the buttery flavor wasn't lost. The peanut butter flavor definitely came through in the cupcake but wasn't too strong. These could be frosted with a peanut butter or marshmallow frosting and would be very good, but I decided to top them with this chocolate buttercream. It is my favorite recipe and so easy to make. It paired very well with the peanut butter; this might just be my new favorite cupcake!
Enjoy! <3

Peanut Butter Cupcakes
(from Allrecipes)

2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening (I used butter-flavored)
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two 12-cup cupcake pans with paper liners, or grease and flour cups.
In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, shortening and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter alternately with the milk. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting as desired.
- makes 24 cupcakes

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Chocolate Mousse Buttercream

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine and I were hanging out at my house. Our plan was to bake something, but we simply couldn't decide what. I pulled out one of my favorite baking books, Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey, and we decided that the recipe had to come from it. (FIY, no, this is not a paid or even sponsored book review, I just think the book is beautiful and has delicious recipes.) When my friend flipped to the page with a glossy picture of a sky-high chocolate mousse cake, we knew that was it.
My friend had never baked before in her life. I mean, never. Not even a chocolate chip cookie. So I figured that a cake that large probably wasn't the greatest first recipe. We decided to make it into cupcakes instead. Little did I know, this recipe would take us several hours! The actual cupcake batter didn't take too long, but we had some issues with the frosting. It never totally emulsified like the recipe says it will - it was delicious, but had tiny bits of butter spread out through it. I think our problem was that we didn't soften the butter enough when we pounded it, so the butter was never beaten as much as it needed to be.
That said, the cake part of the cupcakes was so delicious, the buttery bits in the frosting didn't matter. The cake was super moist, rich, and dark, and nobody minded that the recipe made a huge batch of about 3 dozen cupcakes! Looking back, maybe this wasn't the best first recipe for a new teenage baker, but hey, she won't be easily intimidated by recipes in the future, right? We agreed that these cupcakes are delicious and so worth the time that goes into them.
Enjoy! <3

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Chocolate Mousse Buttercream
(slightly adapted from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey)

Devil's Food Cupcakes
1/3 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Lightly grease 36 cupcake cups, or line with paper liners.
In a large bowl, combine the cocoa powder, espresso powder, and chocolate. Pour in the boiling water and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Let the mixture cool, then stir in the buttermilk.
In another bowl, using an electric mixer set at medium speed, beat the butter and oil together until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add one third of the flour mixture to the batter and beat at low speed for a few seconds, just until combined. Beat in half of the chocolate-buttermilk mixture, again beating for just a few seconds, just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in another one third of the remaining flour mixture for no more than a few seconds, just until combined. Add the remaining chocolate-buttermilk mixture, beating just for a few seconds until combined. Finally, fold in the remaining one third of the flour mixture by hand, using a large balloon whisk or rubber spatula, just until no streaks of flour remain.
Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake tins. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes (start checking at 15). Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

Chocolate Mousse Buttercream
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 pounds (6 sticks) cold unsalted butter
8 to 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and cocoa powder in the metal bowl of a stand mixer.
Fill a large sauté pan or skillet with water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Place the mixing bowl in the simmering water and whisk the egg mixture constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is thick and fluffy and very hot, 3 to 4 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of the mixture; it should be anywhere between 120 and 140 F.
Remove the bowl from the simmering water and, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium-high speed until they are tripled in volume and form soft peaks and the bottom of the bowl is completely cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and salt.
While the eggs are mixing, unwrap the individual sticks of butter and rewrap them loosely in plastic wrap. Pound the butter 5 or 6 times with a rolling pin, or until the butter is soft and malleable but still cool.
With the mixer speed still on medium-high, add the butter, approximately 2 tablespoons at a time, to the egg mixture, beating in each addition until it is incorporated. Don't start to panic if the buttercream seems too liquidy or looks curdled as you beat in the butter. It will magically emulsify into a smooth, creamy frosting by the time the last bit of butter is mixed in. Hold your breath and keep going!
When the buttercream is smooth and glossy with a subtle brown tint from the cocoa powder, turn off the mixer and, using a rubber spatula, carefully fold in about two thirds of the melted chocolate. Taste the buttercream. You can add as much of the remaining melted chocolate as you like for an evern richer, denser buttercream.

Frost cupcakes with the mousse buttercream. You will probably have some extra frosting depending on how much you use for the cupcakes, but I'm sure you can find something to do with it! If you feel like using it for some vanilla cupcakes, these are delicious.

Moist Vanilla Cupcakes with Rich Chocolate Frosting

These are perfect cupcakes for celebrating a birthday. Mine is actually this weekend, and while I will be away for the weekend, I would love to celebrate with a batch of these when I get back. These were made by me and my friend for my mom's friend. He was having a birthday barbeque, and I (of course) offered to bring dessert. We have this sort of ongoing joke about making everything from scratch (I made this birthday cake for his wife a few months ago), so we made the cupcakes super colorful. I claimed that I made every sprinkle from scratch, and he pretended to believe me. As always. :)
This vanilla cake is moist with a light vanilla flavor. It's perfect for any sort of yellow cake you want - whether it's in a layer cake piled high with swirls of frosting, or in a simple bite-sized dessert like this. The frosting is simple but always delicious. Enjoy! <3

Moist Vanilla Cupcakes
(adapted from Allrecipes)

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 24 cupcake cups, or line with paper wrappers. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly tapped. Cool slightly minutes before turning out onto cooling racks.
-makes 24 cupcakes

Rich Chocolate Frosting
(from Baking Bites)

1/4 cup butter
1 cup chopped semisweet chocolate (or chocolate chips)
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup milk (lowfat is fine)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt together butter and chocolate in a medium-sized, microwave safe bowl. Work in 30 second intervals, stopping to stir frequently, and continuing until the mixture is smooth. Let cool slightly (about 3-5 minutes).
Add in confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

Is this not a very pretty cupcake? Yes. Is it also the first time my cupcakes are photographed by an actual photographer / test prep teacher? Also yes. <3

Gluten-Free Molten Lava Cakes

Happy anniversary mom and dad! Well, one day late. I made this for dessert last night to celebrate, because we wanted something chocolatey and delicious. It was perfect. My dad wanted something with berries, so we served it with raspberry ice cream. This cake is super rich, so it definitely needs something creamy and light to balance it.
The baking time for this recipe is just right. The center was liquidy and I felt like I was actually eating a chocolate volcano :) I made it gluten-free by substituting a gluten-free flour mix and adding a little xanthan gum. Recipes like this where there is very little flour to begin with are easy to adapt and always winners in our house.
Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Molten Lava Cakes
(adapted from Paula Deen for Food Network)
8 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) butter
1/2 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange liqueur

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Grease 6 (6-ounce) custard cups.
Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, or in a double boiler.
Add the flour, xanthan gum and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur. Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.

Mini Cheesecakes and a new plan

This is another recipe I made for our New Year's party. I loved it! It's super simple and anyone (I mean anyone, even if you NEVER bake) can make it. It starts off with mini cupcake wrappers. You put a nilla wafer in the bottom of each one. I have made these like this before with success, but this time I just put some cookie crumbs in the bottom of each one because I wanted to make them gluten free, and I couldn't find gluten-free cookies that small. Over the "crust" comes a simple mixture of cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, and sugar (of course. what blog do you think you're reading??). They are baked for a few minutes and then topped with some sort of sweet deliciousness. I have made them with canned cherry pie filling like the recipe calls for, but this time I put a dollop of raspberry jam on top. They were delicious, and my best friend and I had fun making them. They are a great project to do with little kids, or just for a quick dessert. Enjoy!!

Mini Cheesecakes (from Allrecipes)
Ingredients
1 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line miniature muffin tins (tassie pans) with miniature paper liners.
Crush the vanilla wafers and place 1/2 tablespoon of the crushed vanilla wafers into the paper lined miniature muffin tins.
Cream together with an electric mixer the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Fill each miniature muffin liner with this mixture, almost to the top.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Cool and then top with a teaspoonful of cherry (or any other flavor) pie filling.


Now for the new plan. Remember when I was in Tuesdays with Dorie? I loved being in that group, and it motivated me to bake new things more often. Last year I had to drop out due to lack of time, and I just heard that they are starting a new book. I'm joining in again, SO here's my new plan:
I want to keep baking from BFMHTY. Sometimes. I love that book and it has been something I do for the past 2 years, but I realized that since I joined so late in, I'm not even halfway through with it. I love the recipes from it but don't want to have the goal of finishing it anymore. Maybe someday!
I bought Baking with Julia. I joined the new group! I'm not sure how far this will go - doing one every two weeks is definitely more manageable, so I think it will work out better this time. I'm excited to start from the beginning of a book with that group.
I may try to take up Daring Bakers again. I will keep looking at their challenges each month (somehow they still haven't kicked me out - I guess they don't check who posts each month), and I'll try to do them sometimes. I think this way I'll learn how to make things I wouldn't have otherwise. But no pressure on this one - baking new things isn't something I want to feel like I have to do.
So that's my plan. I hope you keep reading my blog, and follow along whatever crazy baking adventures I go on. <3

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Sometimes the simplest things are the best. Warm blankets, fuzzy sweaters, and chocolate cake of course. My best friend and I were in the same math class last year. One day it was our friend's birthday, and we decided to make cupcakes for the class to celebrate. After having them once, the class became obsessed, and we became the official cupcake bakers. My friend's mom gave us a great recipe that happens to be vegan, but it also happens to be the best chocolate cake recipe I've ever used. The cake is moist and delicious. We always made these with a simple buttercream, leaving it off for our friend who can't have dairy.
Towards the end of the year, we were bringing in cupcakes nearly every week. If it wasn't a friend's birthday, we would find an excuse - some weird holiday, or a celebrity's birthday. It was always the same recipe - the only difference was that we would dye the icing a different color every week. We kept it simple. We once tried bringing in vanilla cupcakes (for my birthday), but they just weren't as good and we decided to stick to these.
I switched schools this fall when we started high school, but my best friend stayed at my old school. I still see her every weekend, but I miss those afternoons baking cupcakes for math class. A few weeks ago, she said she had volunteered to bring in cupcakes for a class, so we decided to make them together. Our old recipe, nice and simple. Yum.

Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake (from The Joy of Cooking)
Whisk together in a large bowl until well blended:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1⁄3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
Add:
1 cup cold water
1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Whisk until smooth. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly.
Bake about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Slide a thin knife around the cake to detach it from the pan. Invert the cake and peel off the paper liner, if using. Let cool right side up on the rack.
*One recipe makes about 12 cupcakes - we always double it. Bake the cupcakes for about 15 minutes - check on them until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Quick Buttercream Frosting (from Baking Bites)
1 cup butter, room temerature
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners’ sugar (approx. 1 lb.)
2-4 tablespoons milk

Cream butter with an electric mixer until soft. Add vanilla and gradually add in sugar until most has been incorporated. Mixture will look a bit sandy. Add in milk as necessary (start with 2 tbsp), along with any remaining sugar, until frosting reaches an easy to work with consistency.
*This frosting is so good, we eat it by the spoonful. Our teacher loved it so much, she asked us to bring in whatever was leftover for her. So every week, she got her own little tub of frosting. She says she used it as a dip for pretzels. Yum.

TWD Rewind: Gooey Chocolate Cakes

The great thing about baking my way through this book is that I can always trust the recipes - I can make them for anything without worrying that they'll be a disaster. This week, we wanted a special dessert for dinner, and so I consulted my list of "TWD rewinds". When I saw these cakes, I knew they were the recipe I needed. They are quick to prepare (melt some chocolate and butter, mix in some other ingredients by hand, all done), and don't have to be refrigerated for three hours. They are even easier to serve - no slicing of layer cakes or flipping of tarte tatins. Just put them on a plate with a little ice cream and you're good to go.

I read on some other blogs that the 13 minutes the recipe says you should make them for is too long - they don't come out with liquid centers. For fear of under-baking mine, I baked them for 12 and a half minutes. They could have been baked for less time, but the centers were gooey, and the cakes delicious. I didn't sprinkle the finely chopped chocolate on top before baking, but I don't think they need it. They were very rich, and wonderful warm. But, I agree with what Dorie says - you have to eat them with something that balances the richness. Hence the vanilla ice cream.

If you need a quick dessert, then make these. I loved them, and hopefully you will too! If you want the recipe, you can find it in the book (link above) or here. Enjoy!

TWD: Mini Milk Chocolate Bundt Cakes

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was chosen by Kristin of I'm Right about Everything. She chose the Mini Milk Chocolate Bundt Cakes. This recipe brought up a lot of questions on the P&Q - Can they be baked in muffin tins? Why wasn't the glaze working for some people? Where can you buy mini bundt pans? I was about to bake them in muffin tins when I remembered that this summer I bought some mini bundt pans (although they don't have pretty designs on top like Dorie's), so I used those. The batter was easy to make - the chocolate component is melted milk chocolate. I had a bunch of semisweet, though, and barely any milk, so I used that. It worked out great! Instead of the swirl recommended, I used some currant jam, which made it a bit less chocolatey. I had some serious issues with the cakes sticking to the pans - even though I greased them well (maybe the jam?). Also, I made my glaze with a mixture of dark and milk chocolates, but it DID NOT come out to glaze consistency. It came out more like a frosting, and I only had enough to frost four out of the six it was supposed to. Oh well, they were delicious, even though I think I might have under-baked them a bit. Everybody liked them, and I will be making these again! If you want the recipe, Kristin will be posting it later today (link to her blog above) or you can buy the book. Enjoy!

(I doubled the recipe)

TWD Rewind: Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes

This weekend a couple of friends stayed over at my house. We thought a fun activity would be decorating cupcakes, and I figured this was a good time to make Dorie's Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes, which I have been looking forward to. The batter was super easy to make, and the icing was pretty quick as well. We made a couple of changes - first, since we like really sweet desserts, we used semisweet chocolate instead of bittersweet in both the cupcakes and the frosting. Also, the recipe for frosting didn't seem like it made that much, so we doubled it and ended up with only a little bit left over.

The cupcakes were just alright. They were tall and very pretty, but still weren't very sweet and were a bit too dense for my liking. They were also a bit on the dry side. The icing was good, though, although it got very thick once it was on the cupcakes for a while (but I guess this is normal for ganache). All in all, I might make these again for a bakesale, but make a few changes to the recipe. If you want to try it for yourself, you can buy the book or find the recipe here. Enjoy!
(to explain my piping: I was using store-bought frosting and no real piping bag, okay?)

TWD Rewind: Brownie Buttons

Let me start off by saying that Tuesday's TWD recipe is coming. Tomorrow. Sorry! I have been so busy, I haven't baked anything since the cherry pie. I know, unbelievable. But last night I had a rehearsal for christmas caroling, and I only had a couple of hours, so I made these. I have been wanting to make them for a long time. I didn't have any oranges, so I didn't put in the optional orange zest. I also didn't have any white chocolate, so I melted some candy melts. However, I overheated them a bit, so I couldn't dip the brownies in them. I spread them on like icing and put on some sprinkles, and it worked great. However, when we tried to unwrap them, the paper stuck and was really hard to get off. BUT, they tasted wonderful. They were chewy but not fudgey, and the white chocolate topped it off. I recommend making these, but don't use paper cups. If you want the recipe, you can buy the book or find it here. Enjoy!

Lots and Lots of (mini!) Cupcakes

I got an order this weekend for a friend's birthday party. She said that she wanted 36 mini cupcakes. She was very specific - what flavors, how many of each flavor, what liner to use, how to decorate them - so I really didn't have much to do besides make them. (As opposed to when people leave the decorating up to me). Since there were only going to be twelve of each kind, I went on Allrecipes, where you can scale down the recipes. Since the batter for one regular sized cupcake makes three mini cupcakes, I scaled the cupcake recipes down to five (which would make 15 - 12 for the party and 3 for tasting :D ). 

First up: Chocolate. I have made this recipe in the past for full-sized cupcakes, and it worked great. They had huge domes. But for some reason in mini size they had flat tops. And they were chewy (but in the best way). Yum!  You can find the recipe here. 

Next: Red Velvet. I had never made this recipe before, but it looked very much like the red velvet cake recipes I have made in the past. These didn't spread out at all, which made them really cute. They were delicious - light and fluffy. You can find the recipe here. 

Finally: Vanilla. On Allrecipes, there was only one plain vanilla cupcake recipe. The reviews said that they were more like muffins, but I decided to go ahead. The had huge tops, and they were delicious, but the reviewers were right - they are more dense than cupcakes should be. But, everybody loved them and they would probably make excellent muffins. You can find the recipe here. 

For the icing, I used a simple vanilla buttercream recipe I found at BakingBites. (2 sticks butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 2-4 tbsp milk, 2 tsp vanilla).

All of these recipes are delicious, and a hit at parties! I recommend you make one (or three!) of them. Have fun!

Burger Cupcakes

Has anybody seen Bakerella's hamburger cupcakes? They are so cute, so I decided to make some for our 4th of July BBQ today. However, I didn't make the sugar cookie fries :D These are basically vanilla cupcakes with brownie and "ketchup, mustard and lettuce" in the middle. I didn't put in the lettuce, though. They are topped with sesame seeds to look like hamburger buns.

        Hamburger Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 batch vanilla cupcakes

1 batch brownies

small batch soft cream cheese frosting

food coloring

water 

sesame seeds

Instructions:

Cut the vanilla cupcakes in halves or thirds, depending on how thick they are. If cutting into thirds, discard the middle (or eat ;D )

Cut the brownies the size of the cupcakes. If you can't cut enough, make the scraps into patties. Stack a cupcake bottom, then a brownie. Dye the cream cheese frosting and pipe on mustard and ketchup or mustard, ketchup and lettuce. Stack on the top of the cupcake. Repeat with rest of the cupcakes.

Brush the tops with water and attach sesame seeds to the top.

Warning: Don't leave them uncovered overnight, because they will become stale.

Enjoy!

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Hey everyone! Today was my last day of school until next Tuesday! I got home and looked at a cookbook to try to find a cupcake recipe that looked good. I found a recipe for cupcakes that you could either flavor chocolate, vanilla or lemon. I decided to go with the lemon and found a recipe for a cream cheese frosting that took lemon too, from the same book. I died the cupcake batter orange because of Halloween, as I did with my marble cake. More proof that I am obsessed with Halloween. LOLz. If you wanna make the recipe, here it is:

Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temp

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs 

1 cup self-rising flour

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, grated zest of 1 lemon or 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (optional) (I used lemon)

a 12-cup muffin pan

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F, then line the muffin pan with paper liners. 

Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. You can do this either by hand, or using an electric mixer. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Sift over the flour, then fold in by hand. Stir in the milk and flavoring (if using) to make a creamy, spoonable mixture.

Spoon heaped tablespoons of the mixture into each muffin cup, then bake for about 17 minutes until risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool completely before decorating. 

Cream Cheese Frosting 

Beat 6 oz. cream cheese, 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar, and 2 teaspoons lemon juice together until smooth and creamy. (add more sugar if needed. I needed to.) Swirl on top of the cupcakes.

Peace and Dee Love,

Sophia

P.S.

As you can probably tell, I used my halloween cupcake cups again :)

Button Cupcakes

Last Friday, I got home from school and felt like doing some baking. I was looking through a cookbook that I got for my birthday and I found a recipe for some cute cupcakes. They are basic vanilla cupcake batter with a hershey kiss pressed into the middle. My friend was coming over and we both love "Wicked," so I decided to add some green colored sugar on the top. When my friend got to my house, the first thing we did was eat cupcakes. The picture below shows them before they went into the oven.

Button Cupcakes (from Honest Pretzels)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 stick butter

12 Hershey's Kisses

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar. Mix and make a dent in the center.

Put the eggs, milk, and vanilla to a bowl. 

Melt the butter and add it to the milk mixture. Whisk to combine. Pour this mixture into the dent in the flour mixture.

Beat with electric mixer on low speed for 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl in the middle.

Divide the batter evenly into the 12 muffin cups.

Put a Hershey's Kiss, pointing down, into the center of each cupcake. Push it down, but not so far that you can't see the top anymore. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before eating.