Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes

Here is another leftover cupcake for you!  Leftover lemons and leftover raspberry pie filling = lemon raspberry cupcakes.  I have been wanting to experiment with lemon curd for quite some time now, so the pile of lemons in my fridge proved useful.  A light and refreshing cupcake resulted from my endeavors!  


Cake:

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

4 egg whites

1 box white cake mix

Lemon Curd Filling:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup lemon juice

zest of one large lemon

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

6 large egg yolks

Frosting:

1 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup raspberry pie filling

1 tsp raspberry extract

3-4 cups powdered sugar

1.  Begin by making lemon curd filling.  Melt butter in medium sauce pan over medium-low heat.
2.  Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and zest.
3.  Combine sugar, salt, and cornstarch in small bowl and add to the mixture.
4.  Whisk in egg yolks until smooth and return to heat.
5.  Cook over medium-low heat for roughly 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon.  Do not allow mixture to boil!
6.  Once thickened, strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into medium bowl.  Allow to chill completely before using.
7.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tins with cupcake liners.
8.  In a large bowl, whisk together water, buttermilk, oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
9.  Add eggs whites; whisk to combine.
10.  Slowly add the white vanilla cake mix while stirring.
11.  Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full, and bake for 13-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
12.  Place cupcakes on wire rack to cool completely.
13.  After cupcakes are cooled, using an apple corer, remove center of cupcake and fill with lemon curd filling.
14.  To make frosting:  beat butter until light and fluffy; add raspberry pie filling, raspberry extract and powdered sugar; beat until desired piping consistency is reached.
15.  Pipe onto cooled and filling cupcakes.

Source:  Lemon curd recipe courtesy of Annie's Eats

French Toast Cupcakes

I'm going to apologize in advance for not having a picture of this cupcake, but the thought crossed my mind after they were shipped off to be devoured!  This cupcake is something totally outside the normal realm of chocolate and vanilla.  This cupcake can do double duty as breakfast and/or dessert.  I was thrilled when finally someone asked me to bake these because I was dying to do something other than red velvet (trust me my red velvet is delicious, but I needed a change of pace!).  Hope you enjoy this tasty little number!


French Toast Cupcakes
Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 tsp maple extract
1/2 cup half & half, divided


Glaze:
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp ground cinnamon


Whipped Cream Buttercream:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 oz heavy whipping cream


1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2.  Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a mixing bowl.  Whisk to distribute ingredients and set aside.
3.  In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, butter, and eggs until combined.  Add maple extract and whisk until combined.
4.  Add 1/3 flour mixture to butter mixture, followed by 1/4 cup half & half, 1/3 flour mixture, 1/4 cup half & half, and final 1/3 of flour mixture.  Whisk until smooth.
5.  Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter and bake 18-24 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
6.  Cool cupcakes for 10 minutes on wire rack.
7.  Combine ingredients for glaze and brush warm cupcakes with glaze.
8.  Finish cooling cupcakes completely.
9.  Whipped cream buttercream:  cream shortening and butter until fluffy; add powdered sugar and cream until well blended; add salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and whipping cream; beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.
10.  Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.


Source:  Cupcake adapted from BakeSpace French Toast Cupcake & Frosting adapted from Wilton's Extra Special Buttercream Icing

Peanut Butter Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Cookies & Cream Buttercream

Wow, it certainly has been far too long since my last post!  I just want to apologize for my lack of updates!  Exactly 5 days from today I will officially be done with nursing school!  After that you can expect many more posts, since I will have lots more free time.  Let me make up for my absence with a phenomenal cupcake.  Cupcakes, peanut butter, and Oreos???  Trust me this can't go wrong.   


Cake:
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1 box french vanilla cake mix


Peanut Butter Filling:
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 T half & half

Frosting:
1 cup butter
Oreo creams from separated cookies (entire package)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
4 T half & half
1 cup Oreo cookie crumbs sifted



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, cream all filling ingredients together until well combined and set aside.
9.  After cupcakes are cooled, using an apple corer, remove center of cupcake and fill with peanut butter filling.
10.  To make frosting:  beat together butter and Oreo cream centers; add vanilla, powdered sugar, and half and half; add sifted Oreo cookie crumbs and beat just until combined.
11.  Pipe frosting onto cooled, filled cupcakes.

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.

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