My First Cupcake Blog Post

Who out there among you hasn't hopped onto the cupcake train? It seems like EVERYBODY is baking cupcakes...and why not? Who doesn't like cupcakes? So with all this wealth of knowledge out there from everyone else, why would I want to share what I know, too? Well...I just do, ok. So, I am.

These are the cupcakes I made yesterday for my husband's principal's 50th birthday party at the school. The most exciting part is that I made the toppers myself following the directions I found here on how to make labels using Word. I like the way they turned out. I'm gonna play around with it some more. I'm not very tech savvy so I was proud of myself for figuring that out!






Now for the recipe. These are chocolate cupcakes with a cream filling topped with a chocolate buttercream.

Chocolate Cupcakes (I got this recipe from Cookies and Cups).

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder (you can also use regular cocoa powder)
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners
3. In your stand mixer sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder together. Add in the sugar and salt.
4. With your mixer on low speed add eggs, one at a time and then the vanilla, water, vegetable oil and buttermilk.
5. Mix on medium for 2 minutes until combined.
6. Fill liners 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes until set.
7. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.

While your cupcakes are cooling, make the filling. I got my filling recipe from Sugar Bean Bakers.

Filling Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Whole  Milk (not 2%, 1%, or fat free)

5 Tablespoons Flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Cup Butter (not margarine) barely room temp

1 Cup Granulated Sugar (NOT powdered sugar)

Directions:

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into the milk until smooth. Heat, stirring constantly, until very thick- thicker than pudding. Remove and allow to cool fully. You can sit the pan in an icebath if you don’t want to wait.

In your mixer, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. 

Once cool, add the vanilla to the flour/milk and stir until fully combined. 

Then add the flour/milk/vanilla mix to the butter and sugar and beat until fluffy!

Once finished, it will look like whipped cream, but be much thicker.

To fill your cupcakes, fill a piping bag attached with star tip with your filling. Stick the tip directly into the cupcake and squirt the filling into your cupcake. Make sure your cupcakes are cool before you fill, or the filling will melt.

Now you are ready to frost.

Chocolate Buttercream Recipe: (I got my recipe from Cookies and Cups - this is for vanilla buttercream, so I adjusted the recipe adding the cocoa powder)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups room temp salted butter (3 sticks)
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 7-8 cups sifted powdered sugar (2 lb)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

Directions

1. Cream butter and shortening together until smooth, approx 3 minutes using a paddle attachment.
2. Slowly add sugar, once all added turn up speed on mixer to med- high and whip it up for approx 1 min.
3. Add milk according your preference: stiffer-less milk, creamier-more. If you add too much, no worries, just sift in a little more sugar.

Notes

I only add vanilla extract if I am coloring the frosting, otherwise, it is just as tasty without and the extract tends to make it a little tan, unless you use clear vanilla. This will frost 24 cupcakes (piped on) or cover 9" round cake.

Enjoy and let me know if you try it out for yourself!!