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

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.

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.  

Pineapple Strawberry Cupcakes with Cherry Buttercream

These cupcakes came about as a way to use some of my leftover ingredients from the past week and make some cupcakes to celebrate a friend's engagement.  I knew she liked pineapples and strawberries, so I had the perfect opportunity to utilize my ingredients.  The pineapples and cherries were leftover from pineapple upside-down cake cupcakes, and the strawberry purée was from chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes.  I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to bake for some reason!  When I texted my mom a picture of the cupcakes along with a description, her response was, "Different lol."  True, they are definitely different, but the flavors mesh into tropical deliciousness!  Congratulations on your engagement Kendall & Brandon!  I hope you enjoy them!  

Pineapple Strawberry Cupcakes with Cherry Buttercream

1 can crushed pineapple (21 oz)

3 eggs

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup strawberry pie filling, puréed

Frosting:

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and puréed

1 tsp cherry or raspberry extract

6-8 cups powdered sugar

2-4 T half & half

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

2.  Combine crushed pineapple, eggs, and yellow cake mix in a large bowl.  Mix until combined.

3.  Layer 2 T of cupcake batter to muffin pan, followed by 1 T of puréed pie filling, and then top with 1 T of cupcake batter (totaling 3 layers).

4.  Bake for 16-18 mins or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

5.  Cool completely on wire rack.

6.  To make frosting:  beat butter until light and fluffy; add cherries, extract, powdered sugar, and half & half; mix until combined.  Continue to add powdered sugar and/or half & half until desired consistency is reached.

7.  Pipe onto cooled cupcakes. 

Cranberry-Blueberry Cupcakes with Fresh Lemon Buttercream

This cute little cupcake is similar to the last cupcake posted in some ways, but also has its own unique quirks.  When I opened my refrigerator today I was reminded I had some fruit leftover from other cupcake orders.  Instead of letting perfectly good fruit go to waste, I decided to just put everything in a cupcake together and see what happened.  The cake part of this cupcake is essentially the same as the previous recipe, with a few additions and subtractions.  The tartness of the cranberries balances out the sweet and citrusy flavor of the lemon frosting.  I wasn't sure how this recipe was going to turn out, and I certainly didn't think it would be blog worthy, so I'm sorry I didn't take any pictures along the way.  I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted the end result of my concoction.  It is a light and fruity cake with a sweet and fresh tasting frosting!  Enjoy!    

Cranberry-Blueberry Cupcakes with Fresh Lemon Buttercream 

1 cup butter, softened

3 1/4 cups sugar, divided

3 eggs

3 1/2 cups cake flour

1/4 cup corn starch

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sour cream

1 cup buttermilk

12 oz fresh cranberries

1 cup fresh blueberries + 1 T cake flour

2 cups water

Frosting:

2 cups butter, softened

2 tsp lemon extract

2 T lemon zest

5 T half and half

6-8 cups powdered sugar

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

2.  Combine 2 cups water, 1 cup sugar, and 12 oz cranberries in medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Boil until cranberries begin to burst.

3.  Strain cranberries and toss with 1/4 cup sugar.  Set aside to cool.

4.  Beat butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy.

5.  On low speed, add eggs one at a time, being sure to let fully incorporate before adding the next.

6.  In a separate bowl, whisk together cake flour, corn starch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together

7.  Add about 1/3 dry ingredients to the sugar mixture, then buttermilk, then 1/3 dry ingredients, sour cream, then final 1/3 dry ingredients.  Make sure to let the ingredients fully combine before adding the next.

8.  In another bowl, lightly toss blueberries with 1 T cake flour, then fold blueberries and cooled cranberries into batter.

10.  Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake for 16-22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

11.  To make frosting:  beat butter and lemon extract until light and fluffy, add lemon zest; beat until combined.  Add half and half, and powdered sugar (a couple of cups at a time) until desired consistency is reached.

12.  Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Cranberry Orange Cupcakes with Cranberry Orange Buttercream

This idea was 100% my mom's creative thinking.  After watching me bake dozens of lemon blueberry and lemon cranberry cupcakes this past week, she suggested I make a cranberry orange cupcake.  One of her favorite foods during the holidays is a cranberry orange relish served with Thanksgiving dinner.  I know you are probably envisioning the can-shaped cranberry sauce being sliced up and plopped down next to some turkey, but I ensure you this is not what I am talking about.  This cupcake is light, and refreshing, yet subtly sweet!


Cranberry Orange Cupcakes with Cranberry Orange Buttercream
1 cup butter, softened

4 1/2 cups sugar, divided

3 eggs

3 1/2 cups cake flour

1/4 cup corn starch

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sour cream

1 cup buttermilk

4 tsp orange zest

1/4 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed)

12 oz fresh cranberries

2 cups water

Frosting:

2 cups butter, softened

2 tsp orange extract

1/2 cup cranberries, boiled and pureed

6-8 cups powdered sugar

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

2.  Combine 2 cups water, 1 cup sugar, and 12 oz cranberries in medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Boil until cranberries begin to burst.

3.  Strain cranberries and toss with 1/4 cup sugar.  Set aside to cool.

4.  Beat butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy.

5.  On low speed, add eggs one at a time, being sure to let fully incorporate before adding the next.

6.  In a separate bowl, whisk together cake flour, corn starch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together

7.  In another bowl, combine buttermilk, orange zest, and orange juice.

7.  Add about 1/3 dry ingredients to the sugar mixture, then buttermilk mixture, then 1/3 dry ingredients, sour cream, then final 1/3 dry ingredients.  Make sure to let the ingredients fully combine before adding the next.

8.  Fold cooled cranberries into batter.

10.  Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake for 16-22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

11.  To make frosting:  repeat step 2 with a second bag (12 oz) of fresh cranberries; strain and set berries aside to cool.  Puree cooled cranberries and set aside.  Beat butter and orange extract until light and fluffy.  Add cranberries.  Gradually add powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.

12.  Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

White Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes

For most people, the phone ringing at 5AM is not a pleasant sound.  But when you work in a hospital, it can be the most beautiful sound in the world.  So when I got a call this morning at 5AM informing me of the low census in the nursery, I was excited to have the day off to relax, and of course . . . bake!  When I finally crawled out of bed at 1:30PM, I started thinking about what to bake.  I really wanted to make a white chocolate frosting, and even though it could go with just about anything, I decided on fruit because of its overt sweetness.  Since I happened to have a can of strawberry pie filling in my pantry, that was it!  Keeping with the theme of the day, laziness, I decided to pair this white chocolate frosting with a ridiculously simple cake.  However, if I make this recipe again, I wouldn't use the cupcake liners, but instead just grease the muffin pan with butter or baking spray.  The strawberries tend to stick to the liner when you peel it off.  Hope you enjoy!


White Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
1 box white cake mix
1 can strawberry pie filing (21 oz)
1 tsp of strawberry or raspberry extract
3 eggs


Frosting:
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 oz white chocolate chips, melted and cooled
3-5 T half-and-half


1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease muffin pan.
2.  In large bowl, mix together cake mix, pie filling, raspberry or strawberry extract, 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 strawberries into smaller pieces by inserting a knife in the can and cutting them against the wall of the can.

3.  Spoon batter into greased muffin pan 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.  

4.  To make frosting, beat butter and powdered sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy.
5.  Add in melted and cooled white chocolate and mix until combined.  Make sure the white chocolate is completely mixed into the butter and powdered sugar before continuing on to the next step.

6.  Begin by adding 3 T of half-and-half and mixing until combined.  You may need to add more half-and-half to achieve desired consistency.

7.  Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.  

 

Lemon Cranberry Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream

Last night I worked my very first 12-hour night shift in the hospital nursery.  It actually went surprisingly well.  But I have to say that after 25 years, trying to convince your body that staying up all night is the right decision is a difficult task.  You basically need to tell your circadian rhythm to take a hike and go about your tasks.  I think the strangest part of being up all night, besides acting like it was completely normal, was trying to decide what to eat.  Do I eat dinner at 2AM or breakfast?  Then, when I got home at 8AM, I couldn't decide whether to eat cereal or pasta.  I don't know if there is any right or wrong answer to these questions, except to avoid garlicky pasta, as my heartburn quickly taught me.  So when I woke up this morning . . . I mean this afternoon . . . I was inspired to make something that could double as breakfast and/or dessert.  One of my family's favorite cookie recipes is a citrus-glazed cranberry oatmeal cookie (which will be a later post).  I decided to take this versatile cookie and turn it into a cupcake.  This cupcake has the citrus flavors often associated with breakfast, yet it is in cupcake form, which classifies it as dessert.  Basically, it is the perfect snack for any time of the day or night!

Lemon Cranberry Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 T lemon juice
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1 cup dried cranberries (such as Craisins)


Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (16 oz) package powdered sugar, divided
1/3 cup milk
2 T orange zest


1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
2.  Combine all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk together and set aside.
3.  Combine butter, sugar, and lemon zest and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.

4.  Beat in eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.
5.  Beat in vanilla extract and lemon juice.
6.  With mixer on low speed, mix half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Add milk.  Mix remaining dry ingredients, just until incorporated.  Stir in dried cranberries.

7.  Divide batter evenly between the prepared liners, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. 
8.  Bake 20-22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9.  Let cool in pans 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool.
10.  To make frosting, beat butter at medium speed until creamy.
11.  Add 1 cup powdered sugar until blended.  Add milk, beating until blended.
12.  Add remaining powdered sugar, beating until well blended.
13.  Stir in orange zest.
14.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes to make frosting easier to work with.  Frost cupcakes as desired.