coffee and cream cupcakes

These tasty cakes were the last treats I made this summer for the students at OMBC. It had been an especially trying day, as I faced closed doors concerning housing, loans and moving logistics. I was frustrated and irritable and decided I needed to bake. I scoured my pinterest cupcake board for inspiration and decided on this fantastic recipe from Annie's Eats. 

Meticulously measuring out the ingredients calmed my frenzied spirit. The sweet aroma of espresso powder and sugar dissolved my frustrated exterior into a vulnerable state. Now I don't know about y'all but God speaks to me through food. Alone in the kitchen, my guard down, God began to surround me with His presence. 

If you've ever made a swiss meringue buttercream (which is what this recipe calls for), you know that even the tiniest  can dissolve the beautiful, fluffy concoction into a soupy mess. I managed to whip the sugared egg whites into a perfect fluff, watched the butter thicken the concoction into a beautiful frosting. But then, for no apparent reason, the mixture broke down into a separated, ugly mess. The recipe assured me that if I kept mixing it, the frosting would come together. 

And God whispered to me- it's not together quite yet. This frosting, your life. You can't see how things are going to work out but if you wait and have faith, they will.

Five minutes later, the frosting returned to its glorious state of light loveliness. 

And you know what? Not everything in my life is answered for or makes sense right now. But all of the major things I was stressed over that night have been resolved! God is faithful.

Aside from the spiritual significance of these beauties, the flavor and texture are really divine. They have rich coffee flavor (I actually added more espresso powder than the recipe calls for). Buttery, light-as-air frosting balances the moist cake perfectly. One student even said these were the best cupcakes she's ever had! 

What You'll Need:

(makes 18-22 cakes)

for the cakes:

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 cups all purpose flour 

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp espresso powder

1/2 cup strong brewed coffee

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp buttermilk 

for the frosting:

3 large egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 

3/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tsp espresso powder

2 tsp very hot water 

What To Do:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Blend in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and espresso powder.  Whisk to blend.  In a liquid measuring cup, combine the coffee, buttermilk, and coffee liqueur.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients alternating with the liquids, mixing each addition just until incorporated and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ full.  Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the egg whites and the sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean pods.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.  (The bowl should be cool to the touch.)

Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated.  If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more. Remove about half of the frosting to a bowl and set aside.  In a small bowl, combine the espresso powder and hot water and whisk to dissolve.  Blend the espresso powder mixture into the frosting remaining in the mixing bowl until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Fit a pastry bag with a large tip. Fill one side of the pastry bag with the vanilla frosting, and then fill in the other side with the coffee frosting. Pipe a test streak until you see both colors coming out of the tip.  Frost cupcakes as desired, refilling the pastry bag in the same manner as needed.

Recipe from Annie’s Eats

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

These cupcakes were incredible. Each bite tasted like a different component of chocolate chip cookie dough, of which I'm a huge fan. Be sure you have people to share these with when you make them because it is hard not to eat the whole pan! 

What You'll Need:

For the cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

For the filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
2 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For garnish:
Tiny chocolate chip cookies
Mini chocolate chips

What To Do:

1.     To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

2.     Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

3.     Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

4.     To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.

5.     To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

6.     To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

7.     Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.

Recipe from Annie's Eats

Fresh Strawberry Cake

One of the best things about spring and summer is fresh strawberries. I made this delicious cake for a dessert auction, and although its appearance was what caught peoples' attention- the taste was just as impressive!


I love that it is made with real strawberries- no artificial flavors or coloring- and is still very pink and strawberry-ish (yep, that's now a word). The cake is moist and firm enough to handle layers or fondant. 


I spread remaining strawberry puree and cream cheese frosting between the layers, and used cream cheese frosting as a crumb layer. I then used a vanilla swiss meringue buttercream for the roses. Stick around for the frosting recipes and an easy as 1-2-3 tutorial on those gorgeous roses! 

What You'll Need:

• For the strawberry puree:
• 24 oz very ripe strawberries, hulled 
• 1-2 tsp sugar (optional)
• For the cake:
• 1/4-1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
• 6 large egg whites, room temperature (4 whole eggs can be substituted)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cup cake flour, sifted
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 12 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temp

What To Do: 

1. Hull, slice and toss the strawberries with a teaspoon or two of sugar and cover. Let them sit at room temperature for a couple of hours, until nice and juicy.
2. Place strawberries in a food processor or blender and puree.
3. Reserve 3/4 cup puree for the cake. 
4. Use leftover puree to fill the cake or fold into the frosting, if desired. It's also fabulous spooned over ice cream... and eaten straight with a spoon.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 8- or 9-inch pans: spray inside with baking spray with flour (or use some sort of grease/flour combination).
6. In small bowl, combine puree, milk, egg, vanilla and mix with fork until well blended. In bowl of stand mixer, add sifted flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. Continue beating at slow speed and add butter. Mix until combined and resembling moist crumbs.
7. Add wet ingredients and beat at medium speed for about 1 minute or until full and evenly combined. Stop mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl and hand beat for 30 more seconds.
8. Note: The batter will not get any pinker in the oven so if you're disappointed in the color from your berries, maybe consider adding a drop or two of pink or red food coloring.
9. Divide the batter evenly among the pans and smooth tops.
10. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (time will vary). Let cakes rest in pan for about 10 minutes and turn out onto wire racks. Let cakes cool completely (about 2 hours).

Yields: ~12-16 servings

From Confections of a Foodie Bride,

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated Classic White Cake and Good Things Catered

Decadent Chocolate Frosting

You may have noticed from other cupcake posts,

but I really love cream cheese frosting

So sometimes it's hard for me to understand why 

I would ever need to make any other kind

especially after this swiss meringue buttercream fail

But when I had two girls with birthdays in the same week

who both wanted some chocolately chocolate

I decided to try something new!

You see, buttercream frosting

even homemade

can be too thick or sweet or chalky

whatever

But this stuff. Oh.

This frosting is decadent and rich and bursting with flavor!

I definitely recommend you try it out.

And if you're not a double trouble chocolate fan

spread it on some yellow cake

You'll thank me later.

What You'll Need:

1 lb. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

6 tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder

6 tbsp. boiling water

3 sticks (1½ cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Pinch of salt

What To Do:

To make the frosting, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted.  Or be like me and microwave it in 30 second intervals, stirring between until all of the chocolate is melted. Let cool to room temperature, about 25-30 minutes.  

Meanwhile, combine the cocoa powder and boiling water in a small bowl; stir until the cocoa is dissolved.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, confectioners' sugar and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.  Add the melted chocolate; beat on low speed until combined, 1-2 minutes.  Beat in the cocoa mixture until well blended.  

I spread this over my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe

(with a cup of chocolate chips mixed in)

although it'd be fantastic on yellow cake, or strawberry! 

I normally pipe frosting on in pretty designs, but this is so rich 

that I didn't want to overload the cupcakes so I just spread it with a spoon.

Frosting recipe adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

Hummingbird Cupcakes with Dried Pineapple Flowers

(please excuse the iphone quality photo)

As I was baking these beauties on a late-night whim

and talking to my sister on the phone,

she exclaimed- "Hummingbird cupcakes?! That sounds gross!"

Well, have no fear ladies and gents.

No hummingbirds were harmed in the making of these cakes!

I made these for one of my students' 18th birthday

and since not all of my students are chocoholics like me

I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to test out this cake in cupcake form!

In the past, I've used this recipe from Southern Living and it received rave reviews

(but unfortunately both times I made it, I didn't get to try it!)

But this time I turned to my trusted source for all things delicious- Annie's Eats

The cake is deliciously moist

with bursts of refreshing banana and pineapple flavor 

and a perfect creamy cream cheese frosting.

It's perfect for celebrating spring time

and would also make a lovely addition at any bridal or baby shower!

What You'll Need:

For the cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
11 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1¼ tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups mashed ripe banana
2/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained
2/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted 

For the frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

What To Do:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; whisk together and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, vanilla, and sugar and beat until blended and smooth.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Mix in the mashed banana.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Gently fold in the pineapple and nuts with a spatula until evenly mixed.

Divide the batter between the prepared liners, filling each about ¾ full.  Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.  Mix in the vanilla extract.  Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.  Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. 

Note- I made half of the cake recipe and the whole frosting recipe. If you love frosting as much as I do, you might increase your frosting recipe a little!

Now, the pineapple flower garnish is completely edible 

(pretty delish actually) and super simple to make!

Mine don't look too stellar because I did not leave myself enough time to let them set...  but even without being perfect they added a lot to the presentation of the cupcakes!

What You'll Need:

a fresh pineapple

What To Do:

• Cut the top and bottom off of the pineapple, using a large knife. 
• Slicing down, cut off the rind of the pineapple leaving just the fruit. 
• Pop out any remaining seeds or peel.
• Slice the remaining fruit into very thin rounds. (This is definitely the hardest part!)

• Lay rounds onto a baking sheet (line with parchment paper or a baking mat if desired) and bake at 225 for 30 minutes. Flip rounds a bake for another 30 minutes. 

• Watch the fruit carefully so it doesn't burn! It will be ready when the edges brown and they have dried out almost completely. 

• Set each piece in the round of a muffin tin to help it form a flower shape. They may need to sit for several hours to retain the shape. ( I skipped this step due to time restriants)
• Top your frosted cupcakes with a dried pineapple flower for added flair! 

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I christened my new stand mixer 

by making these beauties

The great part was that I had all the ingredients already 

and didn't have to go buy anything

the other great part was that they came out moist and fluffy, 

but still firm enough to hold a pretty shape and some yummy frosting

And since one roommate doesn't eat gluten and one doesn't eat refined sugar,

I'm enjoying these a LOT more than I should :)

What You'll Need:
for cakes:3/4 c. cocoa powder
1 & 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 c. sugar
1 & 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. coarse salt
2 eggs
3/4 c. warm water
3/4 c. buttermilk
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
for frosting:
2 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract 


What To Do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside.

With the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, whisk together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix on low speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed.


The batter is very wet. Pour into a large glass measuring cup to easily pour into muffin cups.

Fill baking cups 2/3rd full of batter. Bake about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the tops bounce back when lightly pressed. Cool on wire racks 10 minutes, then invert and remove from pans.  Cool completely on the wire racks.


Meanwhile, on medium speed beat together cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar until fluffy and well blended. Check frosting for sweetness. If you like it sweeter, add another 1/2 cup powdered sugar, blend well and taste. (I don't normally measure out sugar for this part because I don't use a whole lot.)


Once cupcakes are completely cooled, fill a piping bag or Ziploc bag with frosting and pipe a generous amount of frosting in a swirl on each cake.

Cupcake recipe from Bake at 350, originally from Martha Stewart Cupcakes

Snickers Cupcakes

As a youth minister, I've tried to find ways to show love to my students in tangible ways and one of the ways that I love to do it is by baking them something special for their birthdays! This past week I had THREE birthdays so I decided to experiment with something fun- Snickers cupcakes!

I can personally vouch that these are fan-freakin-tastic right out of the oven. Mmmmmm.

I got the recipe here-http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/snickers-cupcakes/

For the cake:
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs; lightly beaten
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon of vanilla
24-30 frozen Snickers Miniatures

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line (2) 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, vanilla and water.
4. Evenly divide the batter amongst the prepared pans. {I use a large cookie scoop from OXO to scoop my batter; it holds 3 tablespoons}.
5. Gently push a frozen Snickers Miniature bar into the center of the batter and smooth the surface making sure to cover the candy bar with batter.
6. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Cool cupcakes thoroughly on wire rack.

Since one of my students has braces and can't have the caramel in Snickers, I made one dozen with just the chocolate and frosting and one dozen with mini Snickers baked into the center of the cupcake.

Also, I don't really care for buttercream, so I just made a basic cream cheese frosting and drizzled it with caramel sauce and crushed candies.

1 pkg cream cheese

5 tbsp butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Cream together cream cheese and butter. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Mix in the vanilla.

Definitely a keeper!