Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes

Hey loves! It’s been somewhat quiet over here lately. I have no excuse really just haven’t been in “blogging mode”. I’ve been in baking mode. Spending my days baking cookies, brownies, cakes, ect. to sell at my local bookstore/café as well as to family. It’s been so fun and has given me some great experience but I do not think I’ve ever been in the kitchen more!

And I’ve also as of late been in healthy eating & fitness mode. And how that fits into all the baking I’m doing for other people I have no idea, ha! Though I’m doing pretty good, I think. But I mean a good baker has to taste what she makes, right? Especially if someone is paying me for these treats… so I’d be lying if I said I haven’t taken a bite more than what I should’ve. Baby steps.

So all this to say, I thought I’d slip back into blogging mode with a yummy and indulgent cupcake recipe!!! Woot!  This is one of the cupcakes I’ve been making to sell at the bookstore/café and it’s been the one I’ve gotten the most comments on. So far it’s definitely been one of my best selling treats. I’ve also made it in cake form for family and got some really great feedback on it! It pairs two of my very favorite things, chocolate and coffee! Match made in heaven, right?

I have to give credit where credit is due though. I first got the idea for these babies when I tasted the “Chocolate Bolt” cupcake at a bakery called Yummy Finds, which is located just an hour from where I live. I was in love with the combo of  the chocolate cupcake with espresso filling and chocolate frosting. I was inspired so I just had to go home and try to replicate it. And I think I got pretty close. By the way, if you’re ever in Victoria, Texas do yourself a favor and stop by Yummy Finds. They not only have delish cupcakes but they serve awesome lunches as well. It’s one of my favorite places!

For this recipe I used what is now my very favorite chocolate cake recipe, along with an amazing recipe for espresso buttercream that I came across on Pinterest, and my stand by chocolate buttercream frosting I’ve been using for years. If you love chocolate and coffee and need a little caffeine jolt, give these cupcakes a shot!

Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes -

(First time I made them. Garnished these with just chocolate chips but I definitely  prefer the chocolate sprinkles and espresso beans.)

A moist, chocolaty cupcake filled with creamy espresso buttercream, frosted with a rich chocolate buttercream, and finally topped off with a small dollop of espresso buttercream, a chocolate covered espresso bean, and either chocolate chips or chocolate sprinkles!

This chocolate cake recipe is very similar to the one I’ve always used which is the Hershey’s recipe. But I recently tried this one and found that with the edition of the buttermilk and coffee it’s a lot more moist and rich then the Hershey’s cake. So this is definitely my staple chocolate cake recipe from now on.

This espresso buttercream… oh, what can I say? It’s magic. It’s just pure magic. It’s a fluffy, creamy coffee lover’s dream. And I’m definitely a coffee lover so, truth be told, I add in a smidge more espresso than the recipe calls for. Tell ya, I could eat it all with a spoon… ahem, not that I ever have or anything.

Like I said, I use my stand by chocolate buttercream. It’s just my favorite. It’s my own version of the one bowl buttercream recipe.

To hollow out the cupcakes so I can fill them I use my trusty cupcake corer. Makes it so much easier and faster. Plus, I kinda like eating the little centers lol. And then I just pipe some espresso buttercream right in the center!

Top these caffeinated lovelies off with an extra dollop of espresso buttercream, a chocolate covered espresso bean (got these in a Foodie Penpal package, love ‘em!), a dash of chocolate sprinkles and you’re good to go! 

And while they make amazing cupcakes they also make a very lovely cake! -

(My cousin asked me to make this one for her mom’s birthday. Really happy with the way it turned out and really really happy the they loved it!)

(First time I made this cake. For this one I used crushed chocolate covered espresso beans on the sides. But I ended up not liking the texture of them on the cake.)

Ingredients:

cake -

(Recipe adapted from mybakingaddiction.com)

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons King Arthur Flour Black Cocoa, optional
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup strong black coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
 
Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa(s), baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix on low until dry ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes; the batter will be thin. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.

For cupcakes bake for 16-18 minutes. For cake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Espresso Buttercream -
(Recipe adapted from browneyedbaker.com)

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons espresso powder

Directions:
Mix the espresso powder into the vanilla until dissolved; set aside.

Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar a little at a time, waiting until it is mostly incorporated before adding more. Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, scrape the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to medium-high and whip until fluffy, about a minute or two.

Add the espresso and vanilla mixture and continue to mix at medium-high until it is completely incorporated, scraping the sides as necessary.

Chocolate Buttercream -

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
4 tbsp. Cocoa
2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. corn syrup
heavy cream (I never measure how much. Just a little drizzle to make it light and fluffy.)

Directions:
In a medium bowl cream butter and cocoa with mixer until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add in vanilla, corn syrup, and heavy cream and beat on medium speed for two minutes until light and fluffy.

Assembly: After cupcakes are completely cool, hollow out the center and fill each one with espresso buttercream. Then pipe on chocolate buttercream. Pipe a small dollop of espresso buttercream right on top in the center. Finish with chocolate sprinkles or chocolate chips.

Red Velvet Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting + V-day Playlist!

Hey my Valentines! Hope you’re having a happy love day today! This has always been one of my favorite holidays… chocolate, roses, pink & red hearts! In a relationship or not, what’s not to love about that? It’s actually a holiday that just makes me want to bake cupcakes… always been this way for some reason. When I was a teenager I would buy a strawberry cake mix & canned cream cheese frosting (Ugh, even though now cake mixes & especially canned frostings go against everything I believe in. I was young.) and cover them with lots of pretty pink sprinkles. It was my yearly Valentines tradition for a while & it made me happy.

But another cupcake flavor that always seems to make an appearance on February 14th is the southern favorite, Red Velvet! In all honesty, I’ve never been a Red Velvet fan. Most red velvet cakes tend to be dry, crumbly, and lacking in flavor. And then the traditional cooked frosting always tastes like flour to me and I’m not fond of most cream cheese frostings. If I eat red velvet it has to be exceptionally good. And I believe it’s for this reason that I’ve wanted to find the perfect red velvet recipe. Especially in the last few weeks it’s sort of became my quest.

I scoured the internet looking for recipes. I finally found one that I thought looked and sounded amazing. It was this recipe from Rosie over at Sweetapolita. I just planned to make the cake part of it & find a cream cheese frosting to go with it. First let me say, I think this girl is a freakin’ baking genius! I’ve been stalking her blog trying to learn all her baking secrets. My family & I actually made her vanilla cake for my parents vow renewal this past summer and it was one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted.

So I tried this recipe, which calls for red velvet baking emulsion, which I’ve never used before but managed to track down. It’s the color and a flavoring all in one. The cupcakes came out super moist but the emulsion gave the them an almost citrusy flavor that I honestly couldn’t decide if I liked. So I decided to keep on looking and ended up going back to a recipe that I tried about a year ago and really liked. For some reason I had forgotten about this recipe. It’s the from a cookbook I have called “Chocolate Bar”. If you’re looking for a red velvet cake that is moist, flavorful, but still traditional, this is it! In my opinion it meets all the criteria I’m looking for in red velvet. 

Oh and the cream cheese frosting… heavenly! I scored big time when I found this recipe. But more about that below!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting -

(Recipe adapted from "Chocolate Bar" by Matt Lewis and Alison Nelson)

A traditional red velvet that is moist and flavorful! True test is that they honestly even taste good without the frosting… though you’d be crazy not to frost them with this lovely and delish cream cheese frosting.

So I haven’t stopped raving about this frosting since I made it. You HAVE to try it! And I can’t stress that enough. Some people like the traditional cooked frosting, some people like buttercream but now a days cream cheese frosting seems to be the consensus for red velvet. I don’t know about you but every cream cheese frosting I’ve ever made has turned out to be a soupy mess and tends to taste like unbaked cheesecake. This one, because it contains equal amounts of butter and cream cheese turns out fluffy, creamy, and perfectly pipable (Dear spell check, I’m aware that’s not a word but I’m using it anyway)!

And it doesn’t taste like unbaked cheesecake. It tastes like buttercream but with the slight tang of cream cheese. And it’s not toothachly sweet. Oh yes, perfect!

The frosting doesn’t over power these cupcakes but is the perfect compliment! If you’re feeling festive top them off with some sprinkles and leftover conversation hearts.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder
1 ounce red food coloring (1 bottle)
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoon shortening at room temp.
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 tablespoon white vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar after reading somewhere that it makes them a little sweeter)
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, red food coloring, and 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Set aside to cool.

Sift the flour and salt together. In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and vanilla together.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and shortening together on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue beating for approximately 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.

Add the eggs and yolk one at a time, blending well after each addition.

Mix in the cocoa, food coloring, and water mixture just until blended.

Alternately add the flour and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.

Dissolve the baking soda in the vinegar (the mixture will fizz) and add to the mixer until just combined.

At this point, though it’s not in the original recipe, I added in about 1/4 cup of mayonnaise. I know this may gross some people out but trust me, you can’t taste it whatsoever. It just makes the cupcakes even more moist. Just mix it in till well blended. 

Fill cupcake pan and bake for 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

I’m just going to direct you to Stacy over at The Wicked Kitchen, where I found this amazing frosting. She explains why it works better than I do. Plus she has a lot of killer recipes. Best Ever Cream Cheese Frosting.

 

Valentines Playlist -

And because this holiday deserves some tunes, here’s a lovey dovey playlist for you!

 

Also wanted to share a photo of some diy Valentines decorations I made…

Just some simple felt heart and xo garlands hanging in the kitchen. Think it lights a festive air! :)

Okay sweets, hope you’re having a lovely Valentines Day!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes & Halloween Playlist

I can’t believe Halloween is tomorrow! Feels like it just snuck up on us. I couldn’t let this fun holiday pass without making some Halloween cupcakes! Plus, I had these super cute cupcake liners, sprinkles, and picks that I had to get some use out of, right? ;)

One of my favorite fall dessert combinations is pumpkin and chocolate, they are just a match made in heaven. So when I came across this recipe I knew I had to give it a shot. I decided to make two different kinds of frostings for a little variety: Maple Buttercream Frosting and Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. These cupcakes just taste and look like the season to me.

So put on the Halloween playlist below the recipe and bake some of these lovelies for your trick or treaters! But if you decide to be selfish and keep them for yourself, I won’t judge!

Happy Halloween! :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Maple & Chocolate Buttercream Frostings -

(Recipes adapted from: here & here)

These cupcakes are light, fluffy, and super moist. The warm flavors of the pumpkin, cloves, ginger, and pumpkin pie spice pair perfectly with the sweetness of the chocolate chips.

Both frostings are a great compliment to these cupcakes. With the maple frosting, I left out the cream cheese and just added a whole stick of butter instead. It turned out just as good, very creamy, and fluffy. The maple flavor didn't come through as much as I was hoping but I'm pretty sure that's because I didn't have any maple extract and had to rely solely on the syrup. But it was still really delish! Very much the taste of fall. Though a little on the sweet side, I will say.

The chocolate frosting is my go to recipe. It's basically an adaption of Hershey's one bowl buttercream. Over the years I just started doing it this way and liked it better than the original. But feel free to use your favorite chocolate frosting recipe. It’s so good on these cupcakes! As I said before, chocolate and pumpkin are just meant to be. And while the maple rocked, I think I like them better with this frosting. It's rich, creamy, chocolaty, and fluffy.

I was going to go more elaborate on the decorations. I was very ambitious and had planned to make these cute white chocolate spider webs & chocolate spiders for the top. But alas, it was not to be. It looked so easy but mine were either turning out too big or too weird. Probably because I was trying to use a piping bag and tip instead of a squeeze bottle. So I got frustrated, threw the first batch in the garbage, made them again, got even more frustrated, threw the second batch in the garbage... and settled on sprinkles, candy corn, and little candy pumpkins for garnish lol.

In spite of that, I still think they turned out pretty cute & festive! Hope these cupcakes make your Halloween even more delish!

Cupcakes -

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of ground cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup mini chocolate chips
candy corn, candy pumpkins, and sprinkles for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with paper liners.

In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter at medium speed until creamy. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, and cloves. Set aside.

Gradually add both sugars to mixing bowl, beating well. .Add eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Gradually add flour mixture, beating just to combine. Add vanilla and pumpkin beating until blended.

Stir in chocolate chips. Divide batter between muffin cups. (You should get approximately 18.) Bake for 18 to 20 minutes and let cool.

Maple Buttercream Frosting -
Ingredients:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Cream together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the syrup, extract, pumpkin spice and sugar. Mix on low for a minute and then on high until creamy. NOTE: If your frosting is too thick you may add water but only a teaspoon at a time. This recipe is only for 12 cupcakes. Double recipe if needed.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting -
Ingredients:
1 stick butter
3-4 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 tbsp. heavy cream or half & half

Directions:
In a medium bowl beat butter till light & fluffy. Add in cocoa and beat till incorporated. On low speed, beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add in vanilla and heavy cream and beat 2-3 minutes till fluffy.

Pipe or spread chocolate & maple frostings onto cooled cupcakes. Decorate as desired.

Halloween Playlist -

(Source)

What is Halloween (or any holiday for that matter) without some awesome tunes? I wasn’t sure if I was going to make another Halloween playlist this year. I was pretty proud of the one I made last year (which you can listen to here) and I thought I might be just repeating a lot of the same songs. But I started to think of and find so many good ones! Thus, volume two, if you will, for your Halloween pleasure!

Snickers Cupcakes

If there’s anything that can make chocolate cupcakes even better … it’s definitely a Snickers Bar. I made these Snickers cupcakes for my cousin’s baby shower last month and I’ve been meaning to post this recipe.

This being her first baby, to say that we were all super excited would be an understatement. So planning for this shower started early. We knew there had to be cupcakes involved, they were just simply mandatory, but we weren’t sure what kind. We looked at several different recipes but finally landed on testing out a recipe we found for Snickers Cupcakes. Unfortunately, we were less than thrilled with the results. But it sort of became my mission to get these right … therefore I admittedly went a little nuts and tried out two more recipes lol. I mean this girl is not just my cousin she’s like my sister, it was important to me to get these right. But the good news is after combining a few different recipes, I got it! :D

I was so happy with how they turned out! My cousin said she loved them and everyone at the shower seemed to really enjoy them as well, which made all the recipe testing totally worth it! It was actually one of many delish treats at the shower, which was so lovely by the way!

And just a couple weeks later, her beautiful baby boy was born almost a month early. It was so special to see and hold him. It seems like just yesterday that my cousin and I were playing dolls and now she has a baby! Crazy! We’ve been through so much together and have so many good memories with each other. From Barbie's, Saved By The Bell, *Nsync, road trips, and lots & lots of concerts to weddings, and now babies! Okay, now I’m getting too emotional lol. So I’ll spare you the water works and just give you the cupcakes! ;)

Snickers Cupcakes -

(Recipe adapted from http://www.annies-eats.com/)

Moist chocolaty cupcakes, fluffy caramel frosting, and Snickers…needless to say these are a little rich but very delish!

I used Hershey’s chocolate cake recipe, which is my old stand by, you just can’t go wrong with it. I also added in a little coffee & melted Ghirardelli chocolate. The filling is chopped up Snickers coated in caramel topping. They’re topped off with Salted Caramel frosting, more chopped Snickers, and caramel topping.

These cupcakes are so easy to make. And let me just say this is the best Salted Caramel frosting I’ve tried so far. It complements the chocolate cupcakes perfectly!

With bits of Snickers inside as well as on top, this will make any Snickers fan a happy camper! Hope you give ‘em a shot! :)

Cupcakes -

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into lined cupcake pan.

Bake 16-18 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cool completely.

Filling -

Ingredients:

24 fun-size Snicker bars, chopped

1/3 – 1/2 cup store bought caramel topping

Directions:

Combine chopped Snickers bars in a bowl with the caramel topping and mix to coat.

Salted Caramel Frosting -

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter

2 cups powdered sugar

15-20 caramels

2 tbsp. heavy cream

Kosher salt

Directions:

In a small bowl, melt caramels with the heavy cream. You an pop it in the microwave for 30 second increments till smooth. Allow a few minuets in the fridge to cool.

In a large bowl, whip the butter for 20 seconds of medium high speed until fluffy. Add in one cup powdered sugar and mix until combined. Once the caramel is completely cool to touch, drizzle into frosting and beat on medium speed until well incorporated.

Then add in the second cup of powdered sugar and the salt (1/4 tsp. – 1/2 tsp.). Beat 3-4 minutes or until fluffy.

Garnish:

8 fin-size Snickers bars, chopped

Caramel topping

Assembly - 

After cupcakes are completely cool, use a knife (I use my cupcake corer) to hollow out out the center of each cupcake. Fill each cupcake with a spoonful of the filling mixture. Spread or pipe on caramel frosting. Garnish with chopped Snickers and drizzle with caramel topping. Then devour! :)

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes & a Playlist!

Hey friends! Stopping in today with a sweet treat for your tummy and some sweet tunes for your ears!

Hope y’all had a lovely Valentines day! Mine was spent cooking up a meal for my family, Stuffed Chicken Marsala (which is pretty much the best thing in the world, let me tell ya! Will share recipe soon!) and baking chocolate raspberry cupcakes! Whatever your opinion of Valentines Day is it’s definitely a great excuse to bake something yummy and evil, no? Well that’s my philosophy anyway! :D

I got the idea for these cupcakes the night before and thought they’d make the perfect Valentines treat. Plus, I wanted an excuse to use my cute V-day cupcake liners. I made chocolate cupcakes, using Hershey’s recipe because in my opinion, you just can’t beat it, made some raspberry whipped cream to fill them, and fluffy pink buttercream frosting to top them off. They were so delish, if I do say so myself! I mean you just can’t go wrong with the chocolate & raspberry combo, a match made in heaven.

I also got a little fancy schmancy thanks to Pinterest and tried my hand at making little chocolate hearts and “xo’s” for decorations. They were seriously so easy and fun to make. Will definitely be doing more of this in the future. Hope you give these babies a try!

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes -

This raspberry whipped cream is so light and fluffy! You could use store bought whipped cream and fold in the raspberry juice if you want but really there’s just nothing like homemade whipped cream. Plus it takes hardly anytime at all, it’s definitely worth it! Could seriously eat this by the spoonful! 

Cupcakes -

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into lined cupcake pan.

Bake 16-18 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cool completely.

Raspberry Whipped Cream Filling -

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 small pkg. frozen raspberries (thawed)

Directions:

Place the powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the cream and vanilla. Using a metal whisk or an electric hand mixer, whisk the cream just until stiff peaks begin to form. Fold in juice from raspberries. I wasn’t exact on the measurements here, I just added in enough juice to where it had the raspberry taste and color I wanted. You could add the raspberries as well but I just opted to use the juice. Makes two cups.

Buttercream Frosting -

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter (room temp.)

2 cups powdered sugar

1-2 tbsp. heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla

a few drops red food coloring (optional)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, beat unsalted butter till fluffy. Add in powdered sugar, beating one cup at a time till well incorporated. Add heavy cream and vanilla. Beat for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add in food coloring if desired.

 Assembly: After cupcakes have cooled, scoop out the center and fill with raspberry whipped cream filling. I use one of those cupcake corers and I really love it,  works great. Spread or pipe on buttercream frosting. Decorate with sprinkles and chocolate decorations, if desired.

The chocolate hearts and “xo” were really simple to make. It was my first time trying it so they’re not perfect but I think they turned pretty well considering. You just pipe melted chocolate chips onto wax paper in whatever shape you want. Let it harden, peel off wax paper, and they’re ready to use! If you want more info about how to do this click here.

And since I simply can’t bake without having some great tunes to dance around the kitchen to, thought I’d share a little playlist with y’all! These are songs that I’ve been loving and listening to constantly lately. Some new (or new to me) favorites such as Leagues, Family of the Year, & Haim to old favorites such as Jenny Lewis, Goldfrapp, & The Verve. And a song that I just discovered and have become addicted to, “The Zookeeper’s Boy” by Mew. How in the world am I just barely hearing this song?!  Why did no one ever share this with me? So wrong. It’s all kinds of awesome!

Anyway, hope you enjoy these songs! Would love to know what’s been on your playlist lately! :)

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

Dessert… if you know me you know it’s one of my favorite topics. Yes, I love to share what meals I’m currently making but dessert is just so much more fun to talk about. It also happens to be the day 23 topic of the January Blog A Day challenge! Right up my ally!

Okay, so yes, I know that Christmas was almost a month ago now but I decided to share this recipe for Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes with you anyway! They are just that scrumptious. 

I made these lovelies for my churches Christmas dinner. These cupcakes, which are a play on the yummy holiday drink from Starbucks, had been calling my name. And I thought this was the perfect excuse to make them. So I spent a couple hours in my kitchen the night before mixing batter, melting chocolate, and piping on luscious peppermint buttercream. I tasted the finished product and was so crazy happy with the outcome. A slice of heaven in a cupcake, let me tell you!

The next day at the dinner, I set out a dozen of these peppermint babies on the dessert table… and not one person even touches them. Nope. Nobody. Nobody ate even a one! Granted there were other desserts there… most of which were store bought… all of which were gobbled up. So I’m like, either I’m crazy or they are, ha!

So what if I slaved away to make these yummy cupcakes for all to eat and hopefully enjoy. It’s no big deal… live and let live I say! To each their own, right? I mean if you’d rather have store bought pie than homemade Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes… I may not understand you, I may think you’re slightly insane but I can… tolerate you. You know, who am I to judge?

Anyway, I took half home and gave the other half to family… family who raved about them, by the way! So there! ;) But really if you love the chocolate, coffee, and peppermint combo you’ll love these cupcakes. Who cares if it’s after Christmas, be a rebel and make ‘em anyway. Go ahead, I fully support your rebellion! :D

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes -

(Recipe adapted from bakersroyale.com & iheartnaptime.net)

Theses cupcakes are decadent but not overly sweet. I actually combined two different recipes to make them. The original recipe called for Peppermint Swiss Meringue Buttercream. And while I think Swiss Meringue buttercream is hands down the best frosting ever I’ve yet to work up the courage to try and make it. It seems complicated and I also didn’t have the amount of butter and eggs it called for. So I looked up a recipe for regular peppermint buttercream and was so happy with how it turned out! It was delish and the perfect compliment to the cupcakes.

Moist chocolate cupcakes infused with coffee and bits of Andes Mint candies, fluffy peppermint buttercream frosting, chocolate drizzle, topped off with peppermint candy. I actually used chopped up peppermint Hershey Kisses, which made the perfect topping. Hope you give ‘em a try! :)

Ingredients:

Cupcakes -

1 cup (4.5 ounces) all purpose flour

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (7.3 ounces) sugar

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and warm

2 large eggs

½ teaspoon peppermint extract

1 tablespoon instant coffee (recommended: Starbucks Via)

1/2 cup hot coffee

3/4 cup chopped peppermint Andes

Fluffy Peppermint Buttercream Frosting -

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp. heavy cream

1/2 tsp. peppermint

Chocolate Pouring Sauce -

2/3 cups dark chocolate

2 tablespoons heavy cream

4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted

4-5 tablespoons water, warm

Directions:

Cupcakes -

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and line cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and mix thoroughly to combine.

Add in the butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for one minute. Add half of the coffee into the mixture and beat for 20 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add remaining coffee. Beat for 20-30 seconds until the batter is smooth.

Fold in chopped Andes. The batter will be thin enough to pour. Divide it evenly among the lined cups. Bake 18-22 minutes just until a toothpick inserted into a few of the cupcakes comes out clean.

Set the pan on a rack to cool. Frost the cupcakes when they are completely cool. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Fluffy Peppermint Buttercream Frosting -

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter on medium-high speed until very pale and fluffy about 6 – 8 minutes, occasionally scrapping down sides of the bowl. Add in powdered sugar, heavy cream and peppermint extract then mix on low speed until combine, then increase mixer to medium-high speed and beat until very light and fluffy, about 3 – 4 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides and bottom of the bowl.

Chocolate Pouring Sauce -

Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then slowly stir mixture to combine. Add powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until pouring consistency is reached. Set aside and let sauce cool to warm.

To Assemble Cupcake -

Frost cooled cupcakes with buttercream frosting. Freeze frosted cupcakes for ten minutes. Drizzle chocolate pouring sauce over frosting (reheat chocolate pour in microwave as needed to keep pouring consistency). Sprinkle chopped peppermint Andes on chocolate sauce. Finish with a peppermint candy on top.

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

I'm so excited to share what is perhaps the very best cupcake recipe I've ever tried.

Recipes involving salted caramel seem to be the trend in the food world lately, and with good reason, it's seriously one of the best combos ever. These cupcakes actually started out as Salted Caramel Cake Pops, which I made to pass out as Mother's Day gifts at my church. They turned out so delish! After handing them out to all the mom's and giving the extra to the kids, we were fresh out. And while, yes, that's what I made them for... I think my family and I would've been lying to say we hadn't hoped there would be at least couple extra lol. ;)

Luckily, I had extra ingredients left and set out to make more later that day. But instead, I decided to make them into cupcakes! I couldn't help it, they were practically begging to be cupcakes! I knew they would be good but I didn't expect them to be become my new favorites. If you love caramel (& who doesn't?) and are looking for an amazing homemade cupcake recipe, these are a must try! :)

Salted Caramel Cupcakes -
(Recipe found @  http://www.52kitchenadventures.com)

These lovelies start out with a moist and fluffy brown sugar cake. I had never tried brown sugar cake before but with its subtle flavor of caramel, it was the perfect compliment to the frosting. And oh, the frosting! Let me just say that pouring lovely amber colored caramel into fluffy buttercream frosting is a really beautiful thing. It's a happy experience that I think you should have too, just sayin'.

And I hate making caramel...maybe it's just me, but I find it so temperamental. It burns super easy and ruins my happy baking vibe. But this caramel recipe was actually pretty easy and turned out great! The taste that it gives the frosting is just out of this world. You haven't tasted frosting till you've tasted this one!

After you pipe on the salted caramel buttercream frosting, drizzle on the caramel sauce and melted chocolate (not in the recipe but I just had some chocolate lying around), and finish with a sprinkle of sea salt. Now, the most important part... close your eyes, take a big bite, exhale and savor the caramel goodness! Happy cupcaking (I know it's not a word… but it should be)! :)

Brown Sugar Cupcakes -
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 °F. Line muffin tin with paper or foil liners.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each until fully incorporated. Mix in vanilla extract. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with 1/2 of the buttermilk, stirring after each until everything is combined.

Pour batter into prepared muffin tin until each liner is 3/4 full. Bake for around 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 15 cupcakes.

Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting -
Ingredients:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick salted butter
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water and cook over medium-high heat. Boil without stirring until it turns a deep amber color. Remove from heat and slowly pour in cream and vanilla, whisking until it is very smooth. Let cool for around 20 minutes, until it’s just barely warm and still pourable.

Meanwhile, beat butter and salt together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat until thoroughly combined. Pour in the cooled caramel and beat on medium-high speed until light and airy (around 2 minutes). If frosting is too runny, the caramel was too warm when added – refrigerate for around 15-20 minutes until frosting is stiffer.

Salted Caramel Sauce -
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) salted butter (I recommend using 1/2 salted and 1/2 unsalted, then add additional salt to taste if needed)
1/2 cup plus two tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature

Directions:
In a large saucepan, heat the sugar over medium-high heat. Once it begins melting, stir occasionally with a spatula to ensure it heats evenly.

Cook the liquefied sugar until it reaches a deep copper color, then add the butter. Stir until it has completely melted and combined, then remove from heat. Add heavy cream (be careful – it will foam) and whisk until you have a smooth sauce.

Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Microwave for a minute to bring it back to pouring consistency. Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

After cupcakes cool, spread or pipe on caramel buttercream frosting. Drizzle with caramel sauce and melted chocolate. Finish with a sprinkle of sea salt.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

Tell me, is there a happier subject than cupcakes? I think not. There’s just something fun about these little cakes with a generous swirl of frosting and sprinkles on top that makes you smile.

I was looking for a delish cupcake recipe to make for Easter a few weeks ago and after searching Pinterest and food blogs, I remembered this recipe that I got from a cupcake cookbook my sister brought with her while she was visiting (yes, I was quite happy to spend time with her new cookbooks…and her too, of course :p). It’s called “The Cupcake Diaries” and the lovely photos were simply calling my name.

I landed on a recipe for a two layer chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream frosting and decided to turn it into cupcakes instead. With the strawberry buttercream it seemed like the perfect “springish” cupcake!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting –

(Recipe adapted from “The Cupcake Diaries: Recipes and Memories from the Sisters of Georgetown Cupcake” by Katherine Kallinis and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne)

This cupcake recipe is seriously one of the best I’ve tried. The cupcakes came out super moist and chocolaty and the strawberry buttercream was rich and creamy; it complimented the cupcakes perfectly. I wasn’t quite sure how they were going to turn out because the measurements were a little … odd, shall we say. For instance, the frosting calls for 32 tablespoons of butter and 8 cups of powdered sugar (which is a whole bag, if you’re wondering)! Never have I used so much powdered sugar lol… needless to say, I was kinda covered in it (thank God for aprons!). And while the frosting did turn out rather sweet and a little bit stiff, once you add the strawberries in it makes all the difference!

 

(the cute cupcake liners & sprinkles my sister gave me )

I had to improvise on a few of the ingredients seeing as how my town is just not fancy enough to carry Plugra Unsalted Butter, Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, and Valrohna Cocoa powder lol. So I used regular unsalted butter, imitation vanilla, and Hershey’s Cocoa powder… cause that’s just how I roll. It worked fine; no need to be all fancy (except for I would splurge on the real vanilla if ya can).

After I frosted the cupcakes, to give them an “Eastery” touch, I shaved chocolate on top to look like a little nest and topped it off with mini chocolate eggs. But you can garnish these with just the chocolate shavings, fresh strawberries, or sprinkles. Happy cupcake baking!

Sidenote: This is the only recipe I’ve made from this cookbook and seeing as how it turned out so good, I was going to recommend it. It has lovely photos and stories from the sister’s of Georgetown Cupcake. Not to mention delish sounding recipes. But after looking at the reviews of this cookbook on Amazon, it seems the consensus is that majority of the recipes do not work. However I do plan to try out more of the recipes just to see for myself. All I know is that these cupcakes were really good, but just a heads up for all you bakers out there. :)

Ingredients:
For the cake -
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons European-style unsalted butter, at room temperature (Plugra brand recommended)
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla (preferably Madagascar Bourbon)
1 cup Valrhona cocoa powder, sifted (may substitute another good-quality coca powder)

For the frosting -
32 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 salt
1 cup strawberries, diced and strained

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt on a piece of parchment paper or wax paper and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium for 3 to 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.

Combine the milk and vanilla in a large liquid measuring cup. Add one third of the dry ingredients, followed by one third of the milk and vanilla, and mix. Repeat. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the last third of the dry ingredients, followed by the last third of the milk and vanilla. Add the cocoa powder, mixing slowly until just incorporated.

Pour batter into lined cupcake pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cupcakes cool completely (approximately 15 minutes).

Frosting -
Place all ingredients except for strawberries in a stand mixer and whip for 5 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy. Using a spatula, fold in the diced strawberries.

Frosting cupcakes and top with chocolate shavings, fresh strawberries, or sprinkles.

Lollycakes Cupcakes in Corpus Christi, Tx

Last month my sister Cecily and I had a chance to visit our cousin Pam for the weekend at her house in Aransas Pass. Since she moved there last year we hadn’t really been able to hang out and see her new place. So we spent the weekend just catching up, talking, laughing, and enjoying some much needed girl time. We also took a trip to Corpus Christi for a day out on the town… and where do three wild and crazy gals go when they are lookin’ for a good time you ask? Yes, a cupcake bakery…cause that’s just the type of girls we are ;).  Enter, Lollycakes Cupcakes.

 

Upon entering Lollycakes you’re not quite sure what to admire first… the lovely decor or the yummy looking cupcakes in the glass display case. Okay, so obviously you admire the cupcakes first, but still I’m always one to be taken in by the atmosphere. While the place is small it feels very inviting, stylish, and fun. Lavender paint on the walls, a lovely cupcake display, cupcake art, and glass light sconces bring such a touch of class and style. A white couch and a coffee table just beg for you to sit and relax with a cupcake and a friend. While us three girlies opted to sit at the bar along the windows to devour our cupcakes.

 

Oh happy little cupcakes… all different colors and sizes! It’s not just a display of cupcakes, it’s a display of happiness :p. You know that the cupcakes must be good if they are almost sold out by the middle of the day. But more about that in a minute!

Their menu has a lot of delish flavors to choose from and each with its own cute and quirky name! Such as “The Black Sheep” – cookies & cream cheesecake w/ Oreo crust, “Curious George” – banana chocolate chip pecan w/ cream cheese frosting, and “Strawberry Fields” – strawberry cupcake w/ strawberry buttercream frosting, just to name a few.

Rockin’ cupcake art!!! I would so love to have that in my house! The lady at the counter was telling us about all the cupcake paintings on the walls and the artist that did them just for the shop. Pam had mentioned that she would love to have one for her house so she told her to leave her name and number and she’d have the artist give her a call. So hopefully Pam will have some sweet cupcake art hanging on her walls soon! :)

These are the three yummy cupcakes that we chose: “Clay Boy” – chocolate cupcake w/ peanut butter chips and peanut butter buttercream frosting, “Heathcliff” – chocolate heath cupcake w/ chocolate frappuccino frosting, and “Nutty Nuttaurelia” - chocolate cupcake w/ chopped hazelnuts and a nuttella buttercream frosting. Yumo! We actually shared all three cupcakes just so we could get a taste of each kind lol. What can we say we’re indecisive girls, we wanted them all!

These cupcakes were so good it was a little hard to share (good cupcakes make you want to be stingy). The “Clay Boy” was my favorite (I’m always on the look out for a good peanut butter cupcake); with peanut butter chips in the cake, creamy peanut butter buttercream, and a mini peanut butter cup on top, it made for a great peanut buttery experience! For all the Nuttella fanatics out there the “Nutty Nuttaurelia” is for you! The chocolate and hazelnuts in the cake and the Nuttella frosting (Nuttella in frosting?! Genius!) is simply delish. And the “Heathcliff” with its heath bits in the cake and slight coffee flavor in the frappuccino frosting will make any heath lovers day.

It may be kind of a funny fact but we’ve been to quite a few cupcake bakeries (bakeries?…cupcakeries?) in our time and Lollycakes definitely made the grade! With its yummy cupcakes, cute decor, and friendly service, Lollycakes makes the perfect hang out for you and your girlfriends! Cause after all, what better combo than friends and cupcakes?

Lollycakes is located @ 5425 South Padre Island Dr. Ste. 147, Corpus Christi, TX 78411. For more info go to: http://eatlollycakes.com/

A couple photos of us hanging @ Lollycakes!

(me & Pam)

 

(Cecily & me)

Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes!

 

My sister and I made these Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes for our church Easter dinner this year and they were a hit so I thought I’d share these lovelies with you guys! It actually started out as a two layer cake, which I tested out a couple days before Easter. The picture of this cake looked amazing and I was hopeful that mine would turn out just as beautiful. I swear I followed the recipe to the letter but alas it was not to be. The cake ended up falling flat.. it looked bad and tasted even worse. Oh the joys of baking!

However, while the cake was a no go, the raspberry curd and lemon buttercream turned out absolutely heavenly! So I still had hope this could be a great combo. Not wanting to give up on it, Cecily and I did something .... something that goes against everything we believe in: Yes, we used a cake mix!!! (gasp) As much I believe in making things from scratch it's nice to know that you can pick up a cake mix and it always turns out perfect.

We made them into cupcakes, injected the raspberry curd into the middle, piped on the lemon buttercream, decorated them with little candy Easter eggs, and viola!

These cupcakes are so moist and the raspberry curd compliments the lemon cake perfectly... it's a combo that's just meant to be. Oh and don't get me started on the lemon buttercream! It's a fluffy, creamy, lemony piece of heaven! We added a little yellow food coloring to it just to get the perfect color. If your looking for a yummy, fresh, and spring inspired cupcake, these Lemon Raspberry  Cupcakes will be your best friends!

Ingredients:
1 box lemon cake mix (or your favorite lemon cake recipe)

Raspberry Curd Filling Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
Two 1/2-pints ripe raspberries or one 12-ounce package frozen raspberries, thawed
5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Lemon Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (or lemon extract)
3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Make cupcakes according to cake mix package directions.

Make raspberry curd: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the raspberries, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice and salt and cook, mashing the berries and stirring frequently at first and them constantly at the end, until thickened, about 10 minutes (this took longer for me — about 15+). Allow this to cool and then cover (with plastic wrap touching surface of curd to prevent skin from forming) and refrigerate until ready to use.

When cupcakes are cool; fill a piping bag with raspberry curd and inject it into the middle of each cupcake. Be careful not to over fill.

Make frosting: Beat the butter and zest with an electric mixer on medium speed in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice and beat for 1 minute longer. Fill piping bag with frosting and pipe frosting onto cupcakes, decorate as desired and devour!

(Recipe adapted from http://willowbirdbaking.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/lemon-raspberry-cake/)