Easter Edition part one: Salted Caramel Birds Nest Cupcakes

Birds Nest Cupcakes!

Ingredients:

1 and 1/4 cup                  All-purpose flour
3/4 tsp.                            Baking powder
1/2 tsp.                            Salt
1 cup                               Dark brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup                            Sugar
1/2 cup                            Unsalted butter, room temp
2                                      Eggs, large
1 tsp.                               Pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup                            Heavy cream  


Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream together brown sugar, sugar, and butter until lightened. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together AP flour, baking powder, and salt. Add alternated with whole milk/vanilla in three additions. Scrape down sides to make sure it is fully incorporated but DO NOT over mix. Pour evenly into cupcake liner and bake until done (toothpick comes out clean).

Caramel Buttercream:

1/2 cup                      Brown sugar
1/4 cup                      Heavy cream
2 tbls                         Unsalted butter
1 tsp                          Pure vanilla extract
                                 Pinch of sea salt
1 cup                        Unsalted butter
3 cups                       Powdered sugar
1/2 tsp                      Sea salt + a pinch
1 tbls                        Pure vanilla extract 
                                 Shredded coconut, toasted (for decorating)
                                 Cadbury mini pastel chocolate eggs (for decorating)


In medium saucepan mix together brown sugar, heavy cream, and butter. Bring to a boil and then stir continuously for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and salt. Beat until smooth and let cool to room temperature. Meanwhile in a mixer, cream butter until light. Add powdered sugar slowly (will look crumbly at first but keep mixing). Add salt and vanilla and beat on high until completely incorporated and frosting is smooth. Add caramel and mix until fully incorporated. Frost cupcakes (preferably piped with a star tip), roll in toasted coconut and decorate with chocolate eggs.

Easter Edition part two: Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Carrot Cake Cupcakes! 

Ingredients:

3 cups                    All-purpose flour
2 cups                    Sugar
2 tsp.                     Baking soda
1/2 tsp.                  Salt
1 tsp.                     Cinnamon
2 cups                   Raw carrots, grated
20 oz.                   Crushed pineapple + juice
1 cup                    Vegetable oil
3                           Eggs, large
1/2 cup                 Coconut, flaked


Pre-heat oven to 350. Line standard muffin pans with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together AP flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add carrots, pineapple, oil, and eggs. Beat by hand until fully incorporated (with no flour pockets). Fold in coconut. Pour evenly into cupcake liners and bake until done (toothpick comes out clean). 

Cream Cheese frosting:

  
8 oz.                             Cream cheese, room temp
8 oz.                             Unsalted butter, room temp
4 cups                           Powdered sugar 
2 tsp.                            Pure vanilla extract


With a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla. 
               

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes!

Spring is here!... So it's time to start fresh... and not to mention get rid of those winter blues! So here is a wonderful, fresh, light, and airy cupcake recipe to lift your spirits! These are delightful chiffon cupcakes filled with creamy lemon curd and topped with a torched Swiss meringue! ITS LIKE SUNSHINE IN YOUR BELLY!!!

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes!

 

Ingredients:

3 cups                     Cake flour
2 tsp.                       Baking powder
1 cup                       Sugar, divided
4                              Egg yolks, large
1 cup                       Vegetable oil
1 cup                       Water
1/2 tsp.                    Pure vanilla extract
                                Lemon zest
4                              Egg whites, large




 Pre-heat oven to 375. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a mixer with fitted paddle, mix flour, baking powder, and 1/2 cup sugar together. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, oil, water, vanilla, and zest. Add yolk to flour mixture slowly while the mixer is on low speed and it is fully incorporated. Scrape down sides of the bowl and set aside. In a medium sized bowl using a hand mixer, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Add sugar slowly while whisking. Whisk until whites come to medium peaks. Fold in half the egg whites to the batter until lightened. Add remaining whites and fold. Pour evenly into cupcake liners and bake until done (toothpick comes out clean). Cool completely.


Once cool, scoop out center of cupcakes and fill with lemon curd (homemade OR your favorite store bought kind).

Swiss Meringue

4                       Egg whites, large
1 cup                Sugar


Place a mixing bowl from stand mixer over boiling water on the stove. Add whites and sugar and stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to 140 degrees. Remove from heat and place on stand mixer with whisk attachment. Whisk until egg whites come to stiff peaks and are glossy looking. Place in piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes. Blow torch tops of meringues for a finished look.  
 

Irish Car Bombs! (St. Patricks day edition part one)

Irish car bombs..... A glass of Irish stout into which you drop a shot glass full of Irish cream topped with Irish whiskey. This drink is supposed to be chugged before the Irish cream curdles.... However THESE Irish car bomb CUPCAKES you can eat and enjoy at any pace! But if you would rather stuff them in your face that's fine too.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cup                        Irish stout (preferably Guinness)
1/2 cup (1 stick)                   Butter
3/4 cup                                 Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 cups                                   Dark brown sugar
3/4 cup                                 Sour cream
2                                           Eggs
1 tsp.                                    Pure vanilla extract
2 cups                                  All-purpose flour
2 and 1/2 tsp.                       Baking soda



Pre-heat oven to 325. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a sauce pan on medium heat, melt butter with stout until incorporated. Meanwhile, sift together cocoa powder and brown sugar. Pour hot butter/stout mixture over sugar mixture and whisk until smooth. In a small bowl whisk together sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until smooth (this will take a minute but make sure its all incorporated and smooth). Pour into mixture and whisk until smooth. In another bowl sift together flour and baking soda and add to mixture. Whisk until fully incorporated. Divide batter evenly into cupcake liners and bake until done (toothpick comes out clean).

Irish Cream Buttercream:

1 cup (2 sticks)                 Unsalted butter
4 cups                               Powdered sugar
4 tbls.                               Irish cream
1 tbls.                               Irish Whiskey



Cream butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until fully incorporated (mixture will look dry at first but keep going!). Add Irish cream and whiskey slowly until fully incorporated.

Bourbon Maple Bacon Cupcakes.

Cupcakes.... It's whats for breakfast!... Seriously... These cupcakes are silky-smooth maple goodness topped with a sweet, creamy, booze infused frosting and bacon shaped like a ROSE! (but you can definitely crumble the bacon if you are not feeling crafty).

Bourbon Maple Bacon Cupcakes! 

(Say THAT 10 times fast!)

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup                             Unsalted butter, room temp
2 cups                               Pure maple syrup, Grade B
3                                       Eggs, room temop
3 cups                              All-purpose flour, sifted
1 tbls.                               Baking powder
1 tsp.                                Sea salt, fine
1 cup                                Milk
1 tsp.                                Pure vanilla extract


Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a standard muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a mixer with fitted paddle, cream butter until smooth. Add maple syrup and mix on medium speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl and add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture and milk/vanilla alternately in three batches. Beat until smooth (like caramel). Pour evenly into cupcake liners and bake until done (toothpick comes out clean), about 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

Bourbon Maple Frosting:

1/2 cup                               Unsalted butter, room temp
8oz                                     Cream cheese
4 cups                                Powdered sugar
2 tbls.                                Bourbon, preferably Makers Mark
1/4 cup                              Pure maple syrup, grade B
                                          Bacon, cooked, shaped or crumbled



In mixer with fitted paddle, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until fully incorporated. Beat in bourbon and maple syrup until fully incorporated. 

Frost cupcakes and top with bacon.

A cupcake for any occasion!

Spring is almost upon us! And if you are like me... then you like to make cute, detailed, and festive cupcakes...maybe with grass? Or bunnies? Or butterflies?!... so sometimes its just nice to have a simple cupcake recipe to use under all that detailed frost-art.... So here is a good one! Super moist, super simple, yellow cupcakes.

Basic Yellow Cupcakes!

Ingredients:

1 cup                             Unsalted butter, room temp
1 and 1/2  cups              Sugar
3 cups                            All-purpose flour
3 tsp.                             Baking powder
1 tsp.                             Sea salt (fine)
4                                    Eggs, room temp
1 cup                             Milk
2 tsp.                             Pure vanilla extract


Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a standard muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a mixer with fitted paddle, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk/vanilla in 3 batches (scraping down sides as necessary). Scoop (a cookie dough scoop works best to make even cupcakes) into tins. Bake until done (toothpick comes out clean). 

Basic Buttercream:

1 cup                            Unsalted butter, room temp
4 cups                           Powdered sugar
1/4 tsp.                         Salt
1 tbls.                           Pure vanilla extract
4 (or more) tbls.          Heavy cream



In a mixer with fitted paddle, cream butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time (mixture will look dry at first but carry on!). Add salt and vanilla until incorporated. Add heavy cream by the tablespoon fulls until buttercream reaches the right consistency.

  

Jalapeno Cupcakes!

 I know it sounds a little strange but the luscious dark chocolate cupcakes are filled with a sweet yet slightly hot jalapeno jelly! The jelly I used for these particular cupcakes was homemade but you can definitely use your favorite store bought kind! I also made cowboy candy (candied jalapenos) as a nice little topper... but if that's a little much for you... just omit... But you might be sad you did!

Jalapeno Cupcakes!

 

1/2 cup                       Unsalted butter, room temp
1 and 1/4 cup             Sugar
2                                 Eggs (large), room temp
1 cup                          All-purpose flour
1/2 tsp.                       Baking powder
1/4 tsp.                       Baking soda
1/4 tsp.                       Sea salt (fine)
1/2 cup                       Unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder
1/2 cup                       Whole milk
1 tsp.                          Pure vanilla extract


Pre-heat the oven to 375. Line standard muffin tins with cupcake liners. In a mixer with paddle, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Add eggs one at a time scraping down sides of bowl after each incorporation. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Add flour mixture alternately with milk in three batches. Add vanilla and mix until incorporated. Divide batter evenly into cupcake liners (about 3/4 full). Bake until done (or a toothpick comes out clean).  


Cool completely. Fill cupcakes with jalapeno jelly (create a hole with a piping tip... then use the tip with a piping bag full of jalapeno jelly to fill). 


Lime Frosting:


1/2 cup                Unsalted butter, room temp
8oz package        Cream cheese, room temp
3 and 1/2 cup      Powdered sugar
1                         Lime, juiced


In a mixer with paddle, beat together butter and cream cheese. Add lime juice (and zest if you prefer). Add the powdered sugar slowly until frosting is light and creamy (no lumps! makes for grumps).   

Margarita Cupcakes!

So I know I am a day early on my blog post but I just had to share!! Happy Friday! These lovelies will get your weekend started! Tequila-lime cupcakes, brushed with tequila, and topped with a tequila-lime frosting sprinkled with GREEN sea salt!.... Well I dyed the sea salt... I don't think naturally green sea salt actually exists.... does it? ENJOY!

MARGARITA CUPCAKES!!

 

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cup          All-purpose flour, sifted
1 and 1/2 tsp.          Baking powder
1/4 tsp.                    Sea salt (fine)
1/2 cup                    Unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup                       Sugar
2                              Eggs, room temp
1 and 1/2                 Limes juiced and zested (you will use both in the cupcake)
2 tbls.                      Tequila (I used Cazadores)
1/4 tsp.                    Pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup                    Buttermilk


Pre-heat oven to 375. Sift together AP flour, baking powder, and sea salt. In a mixer with fitted paddle, beat together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl and add eggs one at a time (make sure they are fully incorporated). Add lime juice, zest, tequila, and vanilla until incorporated. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in 3 batches. Pour evenly into cupcake tins and bake until done (a toothpick comes out clean). Brush cupcakes with tequila while they are still warm. Let cool completely.

Tequila-lime frosting:

1 cup                   Unsalted butter, room temp
3 cups                  Powdered sugar
1 tbls.                  Lime juice
2 tbls.                  Tequila
                            Sea salt (colored... or not)


Beat together butter and 1 cup powdered sugar until creamy. Slowly add remaining powdered sugar. Beat in lime juice and tequila until fully incorporated.