Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Cherry Vanilla Cupcakes with Almond Buttercream

While at the grocery store yesterday I impulsively grabbed a bag of frozen cherries.  So today I had to figure what to do with them.  I originally planned on doing chocolate and cherry, but I realized I didn't have any chocolate cake mix, or cocoa after I had already begun!  Time to get creative . . . cherry vanilla it is!  The almond buttercream was kind of an afterthought.  I mean who wants a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting - boring!  These cupcakes are light, yet satisfying.


Cherry Vanilla Cupcakes with Almond Buttercream
Cake:
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 box french vanilla cake mix


Filling:
1 bag frozen pitted dark sweet cherries, thawed and chopped and dusted with 1/4 cup sugar
1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar


Frosting:
1 cup butter, softened
2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1 T half & half



1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tins with cupcake liners.
2.  In a large bowl, whisk together water, buttermilk, oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
3.  Add eggs, one at a time, whisking to combine after each addition.
4.  Slowly add the french vanilla cake mix while stirring.
5.  Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full, and bake for 13-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7.  Place cupcakes on wire rack to cool completely.
8.  While cupcakes cool, whip heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.  Fold in chopped, sugared cherries.
9.  After cupcakes are cooled, using an apple corer, remove center of cupcake and fill with cherry cream filling.
10.  To make frosting:  beat butter until light and fluffy; add almond extract, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and half & half;  beat until desired piping consistency is reached.
11.  Pipe frosting onto cooled, filled cupcakes.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Fudgy Centers

This flavor combination has been a long time coming.  Peanut butter is one of my absolute favorite things.  When I was a child, I remember eating peanut butter sandwiches for lunch everyday at school on my Papa's homemade bread.  Sometimes I ate jelly sandwiches, but never peanut butter and jelly together.  I know, I'm some kind of freak of nature that doesn't like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but it just never made much sense to me.  Plus peanut butter is completely delicious on its own, so why add jelly?  Chocolate and peanut butter . . . now that's a different story.  Those are two that belong together - a match made in heavy!  These cupcakes have a delicious fudgy center that add something special to its overall texture.  And the frosting, don't even get me started on that.  I'm lucky I had enough to frost the cupcakes.  Enjoy!
  
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Fudgy Centers
Cake:
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 box devil's food cake mix


Filling:
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 T heavy whipping cream


Frosting:
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup peanut butter
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 T half and half


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

2.  Combine filling ingredients in medium bowl, over a double boiler.  Let ingredients melt, stirring occasionally.  It will be very thick.  Refrigerate until later use.  
3.  In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
4.  Add eggs, one at a time, whisking to combine after each addition.
5.  Slowly add the Devil's Food Cake Mix while stirring.
6.  Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full, and bake for 18-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7.  Place cupcakes on wire rack to cool completely.
8.  Place refrigerated filling into bowl of stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
9.  After cupcakes are cooled, using an apple corer, remove center of cupcake and fill with chocolate peanut butter filling.
10.  To make frosting:  beat butter until light and fluffy; add peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla and beat until combined; add half and half 1 T at a time until desired consistency is reached.
11.  Pipe onto cooled and filled cupcakes.  
Source:  Adapted from Your Cup of Cake's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Friday, March 2, 2012

Peach Ginger Cupcakes

I've been intrigued by this combination ever since it became popular in the cupcake world.  I figured I might as well give it a try and see what happened when I combined the spicy and sweet.  Well . . . the jury is still out on this one as far as I'm concerned.  Usually, when I taste a cupcake I get am immediate "Yes!" feeling about it.  This one, however, not so much.  The cake is moist, light, and fluffy, and the frosting is sweet and peachy, but despite its positive qualities, I just don't get an overwhelming sense of success with this flavor combination.  I'm going to let some others sample it and see what they think!  Maybe peach and ginger just isn't my thing!  


Peach Ginger Cupcakes
1 can peach pie filling (21 oz)
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 eggs
1 box french vanilla cake mix


Frosting:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peach jelly or jam
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2.  In large bowl, mix together cake mix, pie filling, ginger, and eggs until combined.  You do not need to use a hand or stand mixer for this recipe, just a spoon works!  You may wish to cut the peaches into smaller pieces by inserting a knife in the can and cutting them against the wall of the can.
3.  Spoon batter into cupcake liners and bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
4.  Move cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely.
5.  To make frosting:  Beat butter until light and fluffy; add jelly or jam, vanilla, powdered sugar, and whipping cream.  Mix until desired piping consistency is reached.
6.  Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.