Mission: Cupcake ~ Week 13

I promised the hubby this week that I would make him a healthy cupcake {he is starting to complain about how the weekly treats are contributing to his waistline…I don’t see it, but I’ll comply}. So I did some research and found these carrot cupcakes made with whole wheat flour & applesauce…and carrots, of course {any cupcake with vegetables in it has to be healthy right???}. I couldn’t resist cheating a tiny bit on the recipe, so I topped them with an indulgent cream cheese frosting…but I did use a little less powdered sugar than called for. I sprinkled some lemon zest on top & the finished product looked quite lovely. And the taste? Not too shabby for a somewhat healthy treat! Well, at least J was happy J

Mission: Cupcake ~ Week 12

If any of you have ever been to the Spaghetti Factory, then you have probably tried, or at least heard of, a delicious dish called Mizithra. What sets this pasta apart (aside from the cheese), is the browned butter sauce…sounds healthy right? It’s amazing. So when I read this recipe for butter pound cupcakes with browned butter icing, I just had to try it out…plus I knew Paula Dean would be proud. And just as I guessed, I am a big fan…of the icing at least. For some reason my cupcakes are all coming out very dense…which I suppose pound cake usually is, but I think I am ready for a light & moist cake next. Let the search begin! Anyway, these cupcakes were extra delicious warm…and the browned butter definitely gave them lots of yummy buttery flavor...can’t go wrong with butter J

Mission: Cupcake ~ Week 11

This week I uncorked a bottle of Barefoot bubbly and made Raspberry Cupcakes with Champagne Buttercream Frosting. Sounds fancy right? But they were actually incredible easy to make despite how swanky they sound. The cupcakes were super moist and the fresh raspberry puree gave them lots of fruity flavor {in addition to the raspberry extract}. And the frosting surprisingly tasted quite a bit like champagne despite only containing two tablespoons in the entire batch.

I felt a tidbit funny giving Jayden one of these cupcakes given the champagne factor, but I decided the trace amount in each one wouldn’t hurt him…and he LOVED them {he must have thanked me 5 times for making them and letting him eat one}. And the best part is, there’s LOTS of bubbly left over for mimosas tomorrow morning!  

Mission: Cupcake ~ Week 10

Ten weeks in on this mission and I’m still going strong (and you all thought I would give up J)! We’ll see how long it lasts as my due date approaches…

This week has been CRAZY busy, especially with J out of commission, so I really needed a recipe that was quick and easy (and didn’t make a huuuuge mess…I am so tired of cleaning my kitchen!). My cousin Shannon tried this one out last week and said that not only was it easy, but it was super yummy as well. When I scoured my fridge & pantry and realized that I had everything I needed to make this cupcake without going to the grocery store, I was immediately sold.  Plus I love crumbs. And cinnamon.

So here are this week’s Top to Bottom Crumb Cupcakes: aka DoubleCrumblicious cupcakes (dubbed by JB), a moist yellow cupcake sandwiched between cinnamon sugar butter crumbs…and I’m talkin LOTS of crumbs! They definitely reminded me of a coffee cake, and if you aren’t opposed to sweets in the morning, would be served up nicely in the AM with a cup of java. And Shannon was right, these were super easy to make and were among the best I’ve tried so far. All of my willing taste tasters also concurred that these were one of their favorites, if not their VERY favorite one so far (the lemon poppy seed cupcakes are a close second!). These ones will be hard to top!



And here is the recipe for these little gems!

Mission: Cupcake ~ Week 9

Back to the sprinkles & chocolate with this week’s experiment; butter cake cupcakes, slathered with a sticky fudge frosting. These babies were definitely on the rich side, and were served best with a tall glass of milk…they kind of sucked all of the moisture out of your mouth. And speaking of moisture, I felt that the cupcake itself was unexpectedly (helllllooo, butter cake!) a little too dry. Maybe they needed more butter. The chocolate frosting was sweetened with a can of condensed milk, which gave it the “stick to the roof of your mouth” gooey texture. It was definitely delicious, although it never thickened up like the recipe said it would. So the frosting dripped all over place while I was topping the cupcakes, which left quite the mess on my counters (I had to scrape the sticky stuff off with a spatula!).

All in all, I’d say they were a good cupcake, but definitely not on the top of my list. The shiny frosting looked pretty though…and I finally got to break out the rainbow sprinkles!! J

Mission: Cupcake ~ Week 8

Well this week I attempted to go somewhat healthy by selecting a cupcake with lots of fruits & nuts inside…and I ended up with something that more closely resembled a dense muffin. Which was just fine, if that’s what you were expecting. So I definitely gave everyone the warning BEFORE they tried these to not expect a deliciously decadent cupcake (which actually resulted in some people declining them all together...not that I blame them. It’s kind of like eating low fat ice cream…if I am going to eat ice cream, it better be the full fat delicious varietal!). 

So here they are; Harvest Cupcakes...a cinnamon & nutmeg spiced cake batter crammed with pecans, walnuts, almonds, dried pears, apricots & cranberries. These hearty muffins would be great for breakfast, as several tasters confirmed. I also got a little brave this week & exchanged the icing from the recipe with a cream cheese frosting, and then topped each muffin with the fruit & nut mixture. They sure look purdy right??    

Mission: Cupcake ~ Week 7 (and a Recipe!)

For this week’s experiment, I decided to make cupcakes that would double as dessert and a little parting gift for our Easter brunch guests. I wanted a simple cupcake with pure white frosting so that I could embellish the tops with a flower from our front yard and tie it in with the table décor. So I went with Spring Bouquet Cupcakes, a simple yellow cake topped with a buttery vanilla & almond cream frosting. These not only tasted great (J said they reminded him of a pancake…not sure if I agree, but he LOVES pancakes so I’ll take it!), but they are perfect if you want a yummy cupcake and a clean palette to work with. These would be perfect for any springtime celebration; bridal showers, graduation parties, baby showers, Mothers day, etc. Just add a flower or two to the top & voile!

For Easter, I put them in individual cupcake boxes packed with colorful filler papers and then topped each one with a flower. I pinned place cards to the lids of each box using mini clothespins, and everyone took their cupcakes home to enjoy later (because we were all STUFFED from Easter brunch!).

As requested, below is the recipe from Week#2, Cinnamon Sugar Puff Cupcakes. Enjoy!

Cupcakes:

1 ½ C. Unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¾ stick unsalted butter (at room temperature)

½ C. sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ C. milk

Coating:

¾ stick unsalted butter, melted

½ C. sugar

1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Spray the inside of 12 muffin tin cups with nonstick cooking spray.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt & nutmeg into a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg, mixing until smooth & thick. On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in two additions, beginning & ending with the flour mixture and mixing just until the flour is incorporated and the batter looks smooth.

Fill each muffin cup with about 3 tablespoons of batter, to about ½ inch below the top (I use a large ice cream scoop). Bake just until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool for about 5 minutes.

Stir the cinnamon & sugar together for the coating. Dip the tops of each cupcake first in the melted butter, and then in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat it completely. Serve warm or at room temperature; I recommend in the morning with a cup of java! J

Mission: Cupcake ~ Week 6

After last week’s success with citrus, I decided to try it again this week, but this time with oranges instead of lemons. I also wanted to try a different texture, so I made orange chiffon cupcakes with orange butter icing. I really wasn’t sure what chiffon cake was, but based on how these cupcakes turned out it’s very similar to angel food cake…perhaps slightly more dense. And the verdict? Pretty tasty, but not amaaaaazing. J tried one without knowing what to expect and wasn’t crazy about them…but then I told him they were supposed to be like angel food cake and when he ate another one with that expectation, he really liked them. And the critics all agree: the icing is the best part. Can you really go wrong with powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and orange zest? I thinketh not!

Mission: Cupcake ~ Week 5

“Babe, your cupcakes taste great, but you could improve on the presentation a bit.”

As much as J loves to eat my cupcakes, he isn’t afraid to offer some constructive criticism regarding what I can improve on. So this week I decided to get a little more creative and make a cupcake that would look pretty, even if it meant sacrificing taste. So I made these lemon poppy seed cupcakes, which I turned into little butterflies by cutting off the cake tops & transforming them into wings and then piping a stripe of lemon curd for the body (I had to point out to all the boys what the cupcakes resembled, whereas the women saw it immediately…interesting…).

So I was pretty happy with how they looked, but I was definitely curious how they would score on flavor. To my surprise, they were actually several tasters favorite cupcakes so far. While some still hold week 1’s chocolate cupcake as their favorite, several felt the lighter; refreshing aspect of this cupcake moved it into the #1 position. And as you can see, Jayden wasn’t shy about getting his fill of them J Bon appetit! 

Mission: Cupcake ~ Week 4

This week I indulged my Oreo fetish with some Mississippi Mud Cupcakes. A chocolate cupcake sandwiched between two layers of crushed oreos & chocolate chips & a drizzle of dark chocolate on top! Yum! At first I was nervous about these cupcakes because I’m 87% sure I didn’t use enough butter (my sugar & butter mixture wouldn’t get creamy to save my life!)…but J reassured me two cupcakes later that they were satisfactory J So I felt confident enough to bring them into work & thankfully my coworkers agreed with the hubby. And then I got further praise from my parents & brother & son (as if Jayden wouldn't like anything made of chocolate and sugar!)…so all in all I would say: MISSION SUCCESS! 


OH! Aaaand...you only need about 20 Oreos for the whole recipe, so guess who is left with about half a package of cookies to nibble on?? Score!

P.S. I promise I'll post these recipes as soon as I get a chance to write them out!

Mission: Cupcake ~ Week 1-3

So since I am already on week 4 of my cupcake a week mission, I figured I’d throw in a recap of the first three weeks of cupcakes.

Cupcake #1 was a chocolate cupcake, filled with espresso chocolate mousse & then topped with chocolate fudge frosting…so basically death by chocolate! The verdict: deliciousness in a crinkled wrapper! This cupcake got rave reviews from husbands, coworkers, dads & brothers…and I have to admit, it was rather tasty. This cupcake was definitely the most difficult one so far...so many steps involved, but worth every drop of sweat! J

Cupcake #2 was a cinnamon sugar puff cupcake, whose texture was similar to a donut & therefore paired perfectly with coffee for breaky. Or dessert…or an afternoon snack…well, you get the idea. I am a sucker for cinnamon anything, so although this cupcake lacked the decadence of the first one, it was still d-lish & received good reviews. Scores high on the EASY to make list!

Cupcake #tres: Vanilla cheesecake crunch top cupcakes, served with assorted berries & a sprinkling of powdered sugar (/heaven). All my facebook amigos got a peek at this beauty and I think it tasted (almost) as good as it looked! I even got told that I’ve got Sprinkles beat with this cupcake (thanks James Bliss!).

So there you have it! Stay tuned for the next cupcake installment & reviews…Mississippi Mud Cupcakes!

When life gives you sprinkles… bake a cupcake!

Life has given me lots of sprinkles…little blessings that just top off something already delicious (like a chocolate mousse filled chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting!)! My wonderful husband, my beautiful (and let’s be honest, pain in the butt but worth every little frustrationJ) baby boy, my parents, brothers, sisters, nieces & nephews…friends…so many sprinkles! And to top it all off…I’ve got another sprinkle on the way! J And over the past year I’ve truly enjoyed reading about all of my friends and family’s experiences and become a HUGE fan of blogs in general. I follow party planning blogs, decorating blogs, fashion blogs, photography blogs…you name it! So I figured maybe I should give the blogging world a go…

And I’ve recently started a new experiment of testing out cupcake recipes. One new recipe a week is my goal…4 weeks in and I’m still on track! Although Jason (the hubby) complains about how this new hobby is contributing to his waistline…the only complaint I hear is him wondering why they take so long to  cool so he can devour 3 whole cupcakes at once (and then whine about why I let him eat so many!). And lucky for me I have lots of taste testers for this new hobby…family, friends, coworkers…everyone is on board!

So here goes nuthin…oh, and there is no particular theme to this blog. I’ll feature weekly cupcakes, events, experiences & whatever else is going on in the Trapp world. And I'm off...