Banana Split Cupcakes!

Hot summer days like this make me sentimental to my childhood.... When my sister used to work at Coldstone and every summer day my mom would drive me and whichever hooligan of a friend I had over for an ice cream. (Sighhh).......... If you want to get extra fancy with these cupcakes try filling them with chocolate genache! or maybe add chocolate chips to the cupcake batter.... YUM!

Banana Split Cupcakes!

 

Ingredients: 

3 cups                               Cake flour
1 and 1/2 tsp.                    Baking soda
3/4 tsp.                              Baking powder
3/4 tsp.                              Sea salt, fine
4                                       Bananas, super ripe, mashed
3/4 cup                             Buttermilk
1/2 tsp.                             Pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup                             Unsalted butter, room temp
1 and 1/2 cup                   Brown sugar
3                                       Eggs, large, room temp


Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcakes liners. In a small bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another small bowl stir together bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated scraping down sides of bowl as you go. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture until fully incorporated. Bake until done (toothpick comes out clean).

Vanilla Buttercream:

1 cup                                 Unsalted butter, room temp
5-6 cups                            Powdered sugar
                                          Clear vanilla extract, to taste
                                          Sprinkles, cherries, waffle cone, banana chips, melted chocolate (for decoration)
                                         

In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream butter until lightened. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until fully incorporated and creamy. Beat in vanilla (to taste preference).  

Vegan Blueberry Streusel Cupcakes!

Its blueberry season!!!... And I have been stocking up. I used to LOVE fresh blueberry cheesecake and putting fresh blueberries in my cereal in the summer (Well I still do but since I have a dairy allergy I have had to do things a little different).... *The frosting can be made vegan OR regular

Vegan Blueberry Streusel Cupcakes!

Ingredients:

1 and 3/4 cup                        All-purpose flour
1 cup                                     Raw sugar or regular sugar
1 tsp.                                     Baking powder
1 tsp.                                     Baking soda
1/2 tsp.                                  Sea salt, fine
1 cup                                     Almond milk
1/2 cup                                  Canola oil
2 tsp.                                     Vanilla extract
1 tbls.                                    Apple cider vinegar
                                              Brown sugar/melted vegan butter/flour/cinnamon mixture, for sprinkling
1 cup                                     Fresh blueberries


Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, beat together sugar, almond milk, oil, vanilla, and vinegar. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add dry mixture to wet ingredients, scraping down sides of bowl. Fold in blueberries. Use and ice cream scoop to scoop batter into cupcake liners. Sprinkle brown sugar streusel on top on cupcakes. Bake until done (toothpick comes out clean).

 Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 stick                            Vegan butter, room temp
8 oz.                               Vegan cream cheese, room temp
1 cup                               Light or dark brown sugar
                                        Vegan streusel, for sprinkling


In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, beat together vegan butter and vegan cream cheese until well dispersed. Beat in brown sugar.

 

 

Blue-Raspberry Cupcakes!

I love coming home and spending time with my Mama... This weekend we picked fresh raspberries from our backyard (They are growing like crazy!).... We also have a new addition to the garden this year! BLUEBERRIES! My favorite.... So I decided to make fresh raspberry cupcakes with a blueberry buttercream. These babies would be perfect for your Fourth of July barbeque! Enjoy!

Blue-Raspberry Cupcakes!

 

Ingredients

2 and 1/2 cups                       All-purpose flour
2 cups                                    Cake flour
2 and 1/4 tsp.                         Baking powder
                                               Dash of salt
1 cup                                      Unsalted butter, room temp
2 and 1/4 cup                          Sugar
6                                             Eggs, large
1 and 1/4 cup                         Whole milk
1 tbls.                                     Pure vanilla extract
2 cups                                     Fresh raspberries, divided (1 cup whole, 1 cup pureed)


Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix for a few more seconds. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk/vanilla until fully incorporated. Fold in raspberries. Scoop into cupcake liners and bake until done (toothpick comes out clean). 

Blueberry Buttercream

1 and 1/2 cup                         Unsalted butter, room temp
6-7 cups                                 Powdered sugar 
                                               Blueberries (whole and pureed)
                                               Blue food coloring



In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream butter until lightened. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until fully incorporated. Beat in pureed blueberries until mixture is pipe-able (not too liquid). Top cupcakes with buttercream and whole blueberries if desired. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Cupcakes!

When I think of summer... I think of those hot days when my mama would have giant pots of rhubarb compote simmering on the stove while we (me and my sisters) went out and weeded the garden. We all HATED weeding the garden but when we finished we got vanilla bean ice cream and fresh rhubarb compote... So everything turned out okay :)

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cupcakes!

 

Ingredients:

2 and 3/4 cup                           All-purpose flour
1/2 cup                                     Cake flour
1 tbls.                                       Baking powder
1 tsp.                                        Sea salt, fine
1 cup                                        Unsalted butter, room temp
2 and 1/4 cup                           Sugar
3                                               Eggs, large
1                                               Egg white, large
1 cup                                        Whole milk
1 and 1/2 tsp.                            Pure vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean)
                                                

Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together AP flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk until fully incorporated (scraping down sides as you go). Spoon evenly into cupcake liners and bake until done (toothpick comes out clean). Cool completely.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote:

2 cups                                       Fresh strawberries, sliced
2 cups                                       Fresh rhubarb, diced
1 tbls.                                        Lemon juice
1/2 cup                                      Sugar
2 tbls.                                        Corn starch


Combine strawberries, rhubarb, and lemon juice in 2 quart saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally until fruit in tender. Combine sugar and cornstarch and stir into fruit. Continue cooking until mixture comes to a boil. Continue boiling for 1 minute until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Once cooled, pour into food processor and pulse until fruit pieces are broken down but not "pureed." (Whatever you don't use in cupcake recipe store in airtight container in the fridge for up to a week).

Strawberry-Rhubarb Frosting:

3 sticks                                Unsalted butter, room temp
6-8 cups                                Powdered sugar
                                              Strawberry Rhubarb compote
                                              Brown sugar (for sprinkling)


In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream butter until lightened. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until fully incorporated (6 cups to start). Add compote by the tablespoons until mixture is "pipe-able" not watery. Add powdered sugar as needed. Pipe onto cupcakes or spread with an offset (or butter knife) for a "rustic" look. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

Strawberry-Lemonade Cupcakes!

"Summer, summer, summer, summertime... Time to sit back and unwind".... Oh you know, just listening to Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince while everyone else goes on vacation.... But not me! Nope.... Just me and my tall glass of strawberry lemonade.... So here is my little tribute to summer.

Summertime.

Strawberry-Lemonade Cupcakes!

 Ingredients:

1 cup                              Unsalted butter, room temp
2 cups                             Sugar
4                                     Eggs, room temp
1 tsp.                              Pure vanilla extract
3 tbls.                             Lemon juice + zest
3 cups                            All-purpose flour
1/4 cup                           Powdered lemonade
2 tsp.                               Baking powder
1/2 tsp.                           Sea salt, fine
1 cup                              Milk

Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla and lemon juice. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, lemonade, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk until fully incorporated (make sure to scrape down sides of bowl a couple times). Pour into cupcake liners and bake until done (toothpick comes out clean). 

Strawberry Buttercream:

1 cup                          Unsalted butter, room temp
4 cups                         Powdered sugar
1/4 cup                       Strawberries, pureed
1 tbls.                         Lemon juice
                                  Lemonheads (optional)


In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream butter until lightened. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until fully incorporated. Beat in strawberry puree and lemon juice.
  
  

Cherry-Almond Tea Cakes!

I made these not-too-sweet little "tea cakes" or cupcakes for my Mamas birthday. I was inspired by her favorite ice cream flavor (and only request for the day), black cherry vanilla. So I used my basic vanilla cupcake recipe, added vanilla bean, almond extract, and fresh black cherries! I also dusted the cakes with powdered sugar for a touch of sweetness. SHE LOVED THEM! Happy Birthday Mama!

Cherry-Almond Tea Cakes!

 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
1                                    Vanilla bean, de-seeded
2 tsp.                              Almond extract
1 and 1/2 cups               Black cherries, chopped
24                                  Black cherries, whole, reserved with stems
                                      Powdered sugar, optional



Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla bean seeds and almond extract. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk until fully incorporated (scraping down sides as you go). Fold in chopped cherries. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full of batter and push a whole cherry in the center of each, stems up. Bake until done (toothpick comes out clean). Let cakes cool and dust with powdered sugar.

Vegan Peanut Butter-Chocolate Pretzel Cupcakes!

So I know that I did vegan chocolate-peanut butter cupcakes last week... But I decided to do a little re-vamping. These cupcakes taste devilish but are actually slightly healthy!... Well as healthy as a cupcake can get ;)...

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Pretzel Cupcakes! (Vegan)

 Ingredients:

1 cup                        Whole wheat flour
1 cup                         All-purpose flour
2 tsp.                         Baking powder
1 tsp.                         Baking soda
1/2 tsp.                      Salt
3/4 cup                      Peanut butter (creamy)
1 cup                         Coconut milk or almond milk
1/2 cup                      Canola/vegetable oil
1/2 cup                      Raw sugar
2 tbls.                        White vinegar
                                  Crushed pretzels (vegan)


Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners and sprinkle crushed pretzels in the bottom of each. In a small bowl, whisk together whole wheat flour, AP flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, beat together peanut butter, coconut milk, oil, sugar, and vinegar. Slowly add dry mixture to peanut butter mixture until fully incorporated. With an ice cream scoop, scoop batter into cupcake liners. Bake until done (toothpick comes out clean). 

Vegan Chocolate Buttercream

1 cup                     Vegan butter
4 cups                    Powdered sugar
1/2 cup                  Vegan chocolate chips, melted
3 tbls.                     Coconut milk or almond milk
                               Vegan chocolate covered pretzels (optional)


With a hand mixer, cream butter. Add powdered sugar slowly until fully incorporated. Beat in melted chocolate. Beat in coconut milk until desired consistency.