S'mores Cupcakes

S'mores Cupcakes

Another birthday party this weekend gives me another reason to try out a new cupcake recipe! Woo hoo! This party was a bon fire so I thought a Smores cupcake would be perfect. I’ve wanted to make this one for a WHILE!!

The cupcake is graham cracker flavored and actually has no flour in it. The graham cracker crumbs substitute as the flour.

This is not the easiest of cupcakes to make…as in it has several steps…separating eggs, ganache, all that jazz…but it is worth it.

I made jumbo cupcakes and after doubling the recipe had 20 jumbo cupcakes. If you stick to the recipe you should have 24 standard cuppies.

Smores Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cake:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

3 large eggs, separated

8 Tbsp butter, room temp

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup milk

Chocolate Ganache:

2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

¼ cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp powdered sugar

Marshmallow Fluff Buttercream:

1 cup butter

1 jar (7oz) marshmallow fluff

3 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbsp milk

Garnish:

Hershey Chocolate Bar

Graham cracker piece

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line your muffin tin with liners. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Stir together and set aside.

In bowl of electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks are formed. Transfer to another bowl and set aside. Replace the mixer bowl and fit with paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolks until well combined. Stir in vanilla

.

Add in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk on low speed starting and ending with the dry stuff.. Fold in egg whites.

Bake about 15 minutes. Allow to cool. 

For the ganache:

Combine ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 20-30 seconds. Whish together until smooth. When cupcakes are cool. Spread a tsp on top of each cupcake or core out the center and fill with ganache.

For the Frosting:

Beat butter until fluffy. Beat in marshmallow fluff until incorporated. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add milk until consistency desired. Pipe onto cupcakes.

Garnish with a Hershey Chocolate bar brick and a piece of a graham cracker. Delish!

Happy Baking!!

Cookies 'N Cream Cupcakes

Cookies 'n Cream Cupcakes

 

It's about time I posted another cupcake recipe. And thanks to a birthday party this past weekend, I got the chance to try out a new recipe. And who doesn't need a new cupcake recipe, right?!!

I must add that this cupcake turned out delish!! I don't usually like to work with cream cheese frosting (unless of course it's red velvet, because then it has to be cream cheese). I'm a buttercream girl. But this cupcake tasted just like an Oreo cookie. It has crushed up cookies and chunks of the cookies 'n cream candy bar inside the cupcake. Yum.

I apologize for the coloring of my picture. My two year old had changed the setting on my camera. I finally figured out how to get it back to normal. So no more strange looking pictures.

Here is the recipe.

 

Cookies 'N Cream Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes-

• 1 box devil's food (or chocolate) cake mix
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 vegetable oil (or 1/3 depending on which cake mix you use)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 12 mini Hershey Cookies and Cream bars, break bricks in 1/2
• 12 Oreos crushed

Frosting-

• 1 pkg 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 6 Oreos finely crushed/processed (make sure there are no large chunks-this will clog your piping bag!)

Garnish-

• 12 Oreos, cut in half
• Mini Hershey Cookies and Cream bars, cut into bricks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix your cake mix as directed on the box, with the addition of vanilla. Once mixed, add in crushed Oreos and candy bar chunks . Stir into batter and they are ready for the oven. Pour batter into cupcake liners. Bake for 18 minutes. I ended up with 2 dozen cupcakes.

For the Frosting:

Cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar. Once your frosting starts to thicken, add vanilla. Then add milk by the Tbsp. You don't want to add too much. Once the consistency is to your liking, fold in oreo crumbs. Fill your piping bag and get to work! Garnish with Oreo half and candy bar brick.

Enjoy!!

This recipe was adapted from Menu Musings from a Modern American Mom.

Happy Baking!

 

Coconut Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream

I have had this recipe for coconut cupcakes with lime buttercream pinned for almost a year. I have yet to have a reason to make them or the all the ingredients to make them. Today was no exception. I had no reason and I didn't have the ingredients. But I couldn't resist any longer. Friends were coming over so I considered that reason enough and off to the store I went.






I was pleased with the outcome.

Although, I did add a bit of lime juice to the frosting for a touch more lime flavor. And just a heads up- there is about an hour and a half of reducing and cooling involved in making the frosting. It's worth it, but don't try to make these on a day when you are in a hurry.

Coconut Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream

For the Cupcakes

1 (18 ounce) box French Vanilla cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) package Jell-o Coconut Cream pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 (13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk; divided use
2/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut

For the Frosting

remaining 9 ounces of coconut milk
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
zest of 2 medium limes
1 1/2 pounds (about 5 3/4 cups) confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Directions:

For the Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pan with paper liners .
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs and 1/2 cup (4 ounces) coconut milk. Beat for about two minutes on medium speed until well combined. Fold in the shredded coconut.
3. Using a large cookie scoop, distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched. Allow cupcakes to cool inside muffin tins for about 10 minutes.
5. Remove cupcakes from muffin tins and allow to fully cool on a wire rack. Prepare the frosting.

For the Frosting

1. Place the remaining coconut milk into a medium saucepan with high sides. Over medium heat, bring the coconut milk to a boil, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat down to medium-low heat and reduce the coconut milk for about 20 minutes. Turn the burner off and allow the coconut milk to cool completely. Cover and chill (about an hour), this will cause the coconut milk to thicken up a bit
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and reduced and cooled coconut milk on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes. Add in the lime zest and mix to combine.
2. Turn the mixer down to low speed and gradually add in the confectioners' sugar until it is completely incorporated. Add in extracts and mix until incorporated. Turn off the mixer and check the buttercream for taste and texture. Turn the mixer back up to medium-high speed and beat the mixture for about 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy.
3. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and if desired, garnish with a dusting of shredded coconut.

I got this recipe from my baking addiction.

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Baking!!

Summer themed cupcakes {free printable toppers}

I was asked to make cupcakes with a Summer theme for my daughter's Fun Day at school this past Tuesday. They were having a water day outside. This is what I came up with.


I made beach ball toppers -which are available for you to download at the end of this post.

I wanted the beach balls to look like they were sitting in water so I made blue and white swirled frosting. I just recently learned how to do the swirl technique. To learn how to create swirls click here. Basically you put your two colors in two different bags. Put those bags inside another bag. But if you want more details click the link. :-)

I also crushed some cookies to look like sand along the "water."  I think they turned out pretty cute. I didn't think my picky daughter would eat them, though, so the 2 cupcakes you see in the back...unadorned...those are hers. Isn't that awful?!! My own daughter won't eat my cupcakes.

For the actual cupcake, I used my chocolate cupcake recipe from this post.

My vanilla buttercream recipe is as follows:

2 sticks butter
1/2 cup  Crisco - don't use any other brand
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp milk

Whip butter and Crisco until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar. Mix on low until creamy. Add vanilla and milk.

If you would like to download the beach ball cupcake toppers, click here.

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Baking!

Cupcake Post #2- Cupcakes for Sale

Just yesterday I was doing a cupcake order for a friend, and it occurred to me that I need to let my readers know that I DO cupcake orders!! (For any local readers, that is.)

So,I would be happy to meet your cupcake needs for your next celebration- birthday, school party, holidays, showers, or if you just want to eat some cupcakes with some friends!

Prices are as follows:

$12/dozen - add $2 for cream filling and $5 for customized toppers

Cupcake flavors- chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mocha (my personal favorite!), peanut butter, pumpkin spice, lemon, coconut,  white chocolate cranberry, peppermint mocha and carrot cake

Frosting Flavors-  vanilla buttercream, chocolate buttercream, peanut butter, cream cheese, and mocha

Here are some pictures of my work. They are not the highest quality since I did not expect to be using them on a blog.

Birthday cupcakes from my daughters 5th

valentine's cupcake

Teacher Appreciation Cupcakes- peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate peanut butter ganache and chocolate buttercream

Minnie Mouse cupcake- my first use of fondant

Summer fun!

Swirls!

Coconut with Lime Buttercream

as seen in my 1st cupcake blog...chocolate cupcakes with cream filling

Easter cupcakes...Charlie already ate the cross off! :-) These were mocha

peppermint mocha cupcake

If you would like to make an order, leave a comment here on my blog, contact me personally, or leave a facebook message. I would love to work with you!