Milky Way Cupcakes

Good Afternoon Everyone!
     I hope you're making the best of this rainy weather we've been having the past few days. If you're anything like me, then you know what I mean when I say I really haven't wanted to do anything ...however, I do get bored easily so I figured 'ya know what? I'm not doing anything, not going anywhere, and I could use some chocolate. But I didn't want just plain chocolate. No...it had to be chocolate and...because and is always better than or....at least that's what the new Ford commercial says :) And since it was also my girlfriend Kathleen's birthday I decided to ask her what her favorite candy bar was. She replied either Milky Way or 3 Musketeer's. Obviously you know which way I went. So then was decided what cupcakes were to be had :) When I first started baking many years ago I attempted to make these cupcakes and lets just say I've had better. So there was definitely a little personal goal to make sure these delicious little nuggets were fabulous.

Yummy, right? Yes indeed-ey they are! Chocolate cake, filled with Chocolate Marshmallow Filling, frosted with a Caramel Buttercream, drizzled with Caramel sauce, and finished with a Milky Way on top. Can you say 2 please?! I mean they're practically gone already! This recipe calls for 12, although I get about 15-16 which is great because then you have some to taste and some "left over" that you could eat or eat :) Don't worry, no one will judge you. And if they try to well then no cupcakes for them so I suppose next time they'll know better. Last time I posted cupcakes I took you through the whole process picture by picture with my Candy Land Cupcakes which you seemed to like, but the cake part of these cupcakes are so easy I know you don't need them. I did however take some and will take you through the filling of the cakes.

I use this recipe for every chocolate cake I make, its moist, flavorful, dense enough to hold up without being too hard, and soft without crumbling apart in your hands. Since these cupcakes are filled, there are some added steps to the assembling process, and if you don't have a plunger that's okay there are other methods to extracting the center of the cake. For instance you can simply take a thin knife and cut a hole out of the middle, just make sure you don't go all the way down and cut the paper. The plungers are inexpensive, less than $5 and they make you're life so much easier and cleaner, plus it provides a more uniform look and taste throughout. Okay enough talk and more recipes you have things to do I'm sure!

Chocolate Cupcakes
adapted from Bakers Royale makes 16

1 cup sifted cake flour

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

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

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup hot coffee

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. The batter will be thin enough to pour. Divide it evenly among the lined cups. Bake 15 minutes just until a toothpick inserted into a few of the cupcakes comes out clean. Set the pan on a rack to cool.

After your cakes have cooled, you'll need to take out the center. This is what that should look like if you have a plunger. I know you're surprised mine is pink aren't you? :) Except you cant even tell in this picture. Oh well. Just know that it's pink :)
Again, if you don't have one of these you can always use a knife. Next if you haven't already made your filling, you'll need to do that now and stuff these babies full of ooey gooey goodness.

Chocolate Marshmallow Filling

12 ounces milk chocolate
2 Tbs water
1/4 cup heavy cream

In a microwave safe bowl, add the milk chocolate and cook in 30 second intervals until melted. Once melted, add in the water and the cream and mix until well combined. Set aside.
*You could also use a double boiler for this but you'll need it later for your frosting, so if you don't feel like cleaning it then you can do it this way and it works just fine.

This is what they should look like after you fill them. Some people say you should save the inside that you took out and cap off the filling, but you really don't need to as long as you make sure you fill them enough so they run parallel with the top of your cakes. If you don't, then your frosting will sink, but you can always add more to the center if you notice it sank a little, which it will after it sets in, but that's right away. I used baby spoons to fill the holes, they hold just the right amount, and fit into the center without tearing into the sides of the cake. Its perfect. But if you don't have a baby or baby spoons around the house don't worry, regular spoons will work fine too. Good huh? You want to eat that filling don't you? It's okay. I don't blame you. I did it. I have no shame :)

Caramel Buttercream Frosting
 adapted from Martha Stewart

1 cups sugar plus 2 Tbs, divided
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup heavy cream, room temperature
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, divided
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs sugar and water in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and then leave alone until it turns a deep amber color. Quickly remove from heat and slowly pour in the heavy cream while whisking until completely smooth. Be careful when you do this, if you add the cream too quickly or it's too cold, it will ruin the caramel and you'll have to redo it.
In a double boiler, or in a bowl set over a pot of boiling water, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar with your egg whites, and stir continuously until a candy thermometer reads 160 degrees F. It's important to keep stirring so the egg whites don't cook. Transfer the egg whites and sugar to stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or to a separate bowl and using a hand mixer, mix until stiff peaks form and mixture has doubled in size. If using a KitchenAid, set it to number 8, this will take approximately 10-12 minutes.
Add butter, one tbs at a time, whisking well after each addition, until all the butter has been used. Your frosting will eventually look curdled, its okay just keep going, it will smooth out again. After you have used all the butter, add the vanilla and mix, then add in the cooled caramel and whisk until completely incorporated, about 3 minutes. Frost as desired.

Cut open your delicious creation or dive right in, whatever you choose you'll be sure to love it I'm sure! Here's the finished product above so you can see what it looks like, isn't it a sight!? Yum!
Please let me know if you try this and what your thoughts are, I'd love the feedback! As always, thank you for visiting and Have A Sweet Day!

Candy Land Cupcakes

Hello Everyone and Welcome Back!
I'm so glad I'm finally posting these! I'm also so glad my kids are asleep and I actually can finish! I made these Funfetti Cupcakes with a Candy Land theme for my niece and nephew. They both have birthdays this month and are only a year apart so naturally their mom has beaten the system and figured out a way to have one party for both kids! Smart woman. My kids would never go for that. Although they're 5 years apart so I suppose there's more speculation there. I'll apologize now if I'm not making ANY sense! I've been running around non stop today and have just sat down at 11:30 pm when I should have a glass of wine in my hand....hold on....
Okay now I have a glass of wine in my hand! The night can go on! Okay now to get to why you're all here. Cupcakes. I've tried a few different recipes for these bad boys and I think I've found the one. It's flavorful, delicious, moist, doesn't fall apart in your hands, and it's kid and adult approved! How much better could it get!? (wine sip)...it just did :)
This recipe I actually happened to find without really looking for it. Its from Eva Bakes which I of course tweaked a little to make my own. Now the recipe only calls for 12. I got more like 16. And I made 3 batches. Not only because I needed 36 for my little love nuggets but also because in this house one batch is never enough. This recipe is super easy to follow and super quick, which made making 3 batches seem like it flew by! And in this instance, I think decorating these suckers took the longest!
Any who, I decided too that I wanted to show pictures of the baking process this time. I've seen other bloggers do it, and I really like it, so I said what the heck, lets go for it...and so I did....(wine sip).
I always start by making sure I have everything I'm going to need set up on the counter, I have the oven pre heating, and I have my liners all picked out and placed in the muffin tins.  Next I read through my ingredients to double check, and read through the directions. ALWAYS read the entire directions. I cant tell you how many times I've failed to listen to that voice in my head telling me to finish reading and I tell it to shut up only to kick myself afterwards because I'm an idiot and now have to start all over (wine sip) I don't feel so bad anymore though.

For this recipe you want to start by sifting together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, that you'll set aside for later.

Next you'll want to take your MELTED butter, add it to your stand mixing bowl, or whatever large bowl you'll be using for the remainder of the time. Add your sugar to it and mix. It will look a little grainy, that's okay.

Next you'll add your liquid ingredients. You can add all of them before you mix. This includes your egg, sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla. Yum!
You can see how the sugar and butter are a little "sticky" looking. That's good, it'll go away soon :)

Now it's time to grab that flour mixture you set aside earlier. Go ahead and add about half of it and mix until its combined. You don't want to mix it for too long since you've added your egg. Once that's incorporated, add the second half and then scrape down the bowl after that's all nice and pretty looking. That is, after you've incorporated the second portion.

Now it's the best part! Adding the sprinkles! Woot woot! I like to use Wilton's Rainbow Crunch Sprinkles. They're colorful and have chocolate on the inside. I mean need I say more? I always make sure I fold any type of candy into my batter. It helps to keep the air from escaping, which can cause your cakes to flatten out, and not show that pretty little bump they get when they come out from the oven. Too with these sprinkles, if you over mix them the color can start to smear and that's not pretty at all!

Ooh yeah....no wonder we have fights over who gets to lick the spoon...I mean clean it! Who gets to clean the spoon! :) Fill your liners about 2/3 full. If you have a cookie scoop go on and use that! It ensures you're cupcakes will all be filled evenly and its less clean up. I do two scoops per liner. I love it! Now put these bad boys in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes. When its time for them to come out, let them cool for about 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack so you don't burn yourself and when they're completely cool you can frost them to your hearts content....if you can wait that long. I never can. I always have to make sure it tastes good! In case you're wondering, they do!
Below I'll post the recipe, and I used my Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting, which I've used before but will post again for convenience.

Aren't they adorable!? I just love all the bright colors and can't wait to see the kids reactions tomorrow. I hope they love them too! I decorated these cupcakes with gumballs, sprinkles, and Spree's and topped each one with a rainbow lollipop, which you can get at Joann's or Michaels. I had to cut the stems a little so they weren't sticking out so high, but it made a world of difference.

Funfetti Cupcakes
  (makes 16)
1 cup plus 2/3 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream, full fat is best
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350. Line 16 baking cups with liners. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and set aside. In a large bowl, take your melted butter and mix together with the sugar until combined. Add all of your wet ingredients including the egg, buttermilk, sour cream and vanilla until combined. Add half of your flour mixture and combine, then add the second half and scrape down sides of bowl. Fold in the sprinkles. Do not over mix.
Divide evenly into your liners and bake for 15 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
 (makes about 3 cups)

12 ounces, (1 1/2 blocks) full fat cream cheese, unsoftened
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners sugar
1-3Tbs heavy cream, if needed

Mix together on med-high speed the cream cheese and butter until well combined. Next add vanilla and combine well. Finally, one cup at a time, on low speed, add the powdered sugar until all 4 cups have been incorporated. If you find the batter is too stiff, which it shouldn't be (you want it a little stiff so it holds up better, especially if you're using decorations) you can add one tablespoon at a time the heavy cream. Frost as desired. I used a 1M tip fitted in my piping bag.
Thanks again for visiting and let me know what you think!
Enjoy and Have A Sweet Day!

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The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER! - 4th of July Edition

Okay so I know it's a little late to be doing a post on 4th of July since the day is halfway over. But I couldn't help myself! And not to mention, I'm doing this even though I should be at my girlfriends already....hopefully when I show up with extra goodies she won't be too mad. :) These cookies have been my go-to cookie for a few years now and everywhere I take them or even when they just stay at home there's never any left. I'm telling you you'll never want another cookie again! Even the cookie dough is good! Which lets be serious, that's the real reason we bake in the first place, isn't it?

Don't they look amazing!? I need that milk even before I start eating because I can taste them already! Okay so I'll keep it short and sweet and get right to the recipe. These can be made with any type of chocolate chips you prefer, or in this case, M&M'S. I usually use the standard semi-sweet chocolate chips, but if you fancy another type go for it!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
 (makes about 4 dozen)

2 cups plus 4 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbs pure vanilla extract
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups choice chocolate chips (or other candy)

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Gradually add both sugars until well combined, and light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, making sure not to overbeat, but just until combined. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture in batches of 3, until fully incorporated. Fold in chips. Make sure you're folding and not stirring, so the batter doesn't become overbeat.
Take your cookie scoop and place dough balls about 1-2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. If you don't have a cookie scoop, spoons or your hands will work also. I like the scoop so that they all come out uniform. Cook 8 minutes or until edges are just slightly turning brown. Let cool on baking sheet about 2 minutes to allow further cooking. Transfer to a wire rack. This will ensure they stay soft and chewy on the inside!
Eat and Enjoy!

Ohhh doesn't that just make you want to eat them all!? I can't stand it any longer I must leave so I can finish them off before everyone else does! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do and please continue to visit me. As always, Have A Sweet Day!
Stephanie

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Vanilla Cupcakes - 4th of July Edition

Happy Birthday, America!

 

 I'm sure you're all looking forward to seeing your friends and family, eating and drinking, having the day OFF! Whoo-hoo! In honor of this celebratory day, I wanted to make some cupcakes. I know, big surprise :)

At first I wanted to get all types of crazy with it, but in the end sometimes simpler is better. So I went with a Vanilla Cupcake. This recipe is moist, flavorful, and satisfying to your taste buds. I have been and still am on the hunt for the "perfect" recipe. This one I really liked, but I'm really kicking myself in the pants because I happened to find the one my heart decided on and unfortunately wanted to see if the grass was greener on the other side...turns out it's not....and now I'm retracing my steps trying to find my lost love. This particular recipe I used today was from Glorious Treats. I have never used her recipes before but when I saw her finished product I couldn't resist. I found that mine didn't rise quite like hers did, but never the less, they were AMAZING!  I will give you the recipe below.

Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes
 (makes 12)
1 1/4 cup cake flour
1 /14 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a medium bowl, add cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together with whisk, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add eggs and beat 10-20 seconds. Add sugar and continue to beat on medium speed about 30 seconds. Add vanilla and oil, beat.

Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add about half of the flour mixture. Add half of the milk, then the rest of the flour and the rest of the milk.  Beat until just combined. Scrap down the side of the bowl.

The batter will be thin. Pour batter into a muffin pan prepared with paper liners. Fill liners about 2/3 full.

 Bake cupcakes in pre-heated oven for 15 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan 1-2 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pan (carefully) and finish cooling on a wire rack.

Frost as desired when fully cool.

 

 

 

For the frosting I used my favorite Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting. I use these on my Red Velvet Cupcakes, which by the way, are the best Red Velvet Cupcake EVER. And I'd be willing to place a bet on that ladies and gentlemen! :) The key is to make sure you take the cream cheese out of the fridge right before it's time to make your frosting. If you don't and you leave it out to soften, your frosting will be runny and yucky. Leaving it cold when you mix it with the softened butter keeps it stiff and pretty looking :) Trust me, I've made this mistake many times before and I would hate for you to feel that panic and disappointment that I've felt from doing this before. I will post the recipe below.

 

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

 

2 blocks full fat cream cheese (unsoftened)

1 stick unsalted butter

1 Tbs pure vanilla extract

4 cups confectioners sugar (sifted)

 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the cheese and butter until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla and mix. One cup at a time, add the sugar until well combined. Before adding your fourth cup, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Scoop into a piping bag fitted with your favorite tip and frost as desired. I used a 1M. It's one of my favorites :)

 

I hope you like these recipes. Please if you have any you'd like to share or think I should try, let me know below in the comments portion of my blog! Enjoy a happy and safe holiday and I'll see you next time! Have A Sweet Day!

Banana Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

   So I found myself with some extra time on my hands this weekend, as I said goodbye to one job and hello to another...well I say hello in two weeks, thus the free time :) Naturally, the first thing I want to do is eat...I mean I am human! I also found myself with a few VERY ripe bananas and as soon as I put two and two together, well, it was over. I decided to make banana cupcakes, they were very easy and very quick. Now I can never just stop there mind you, I always need to find some fun and cool frosting to top it with and I think we can all agree that cinnamon and bananas go well together and I knew I had a frosting recipe that called for this yummy ingredient so alas....I ended up with a light, creamy, and (almost) healthy cupcake I could enjoy and not feel guilty about!

My Banana Cupcake recipe is from a lady who's failed to let me down yet, and her stuff is amazing! I highly recommend using her recipes, as I do a lot, with a little tweaking here and there. It's not that it needs it, but just that I don't want her thinking I'm stealing from her! If you haven't heard of Bakers Royale well now you have! Trust me, it is life changing! And for those of you who want to branch out, she not only does cupcakes, but other desserts, as well as savory foods. You can find her here at www.bakersroyale.com  I will provide the recipe below.

Banana Cupcakes  (adapted from Bakers Royale)
 makes 24

2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with liners. Set aside. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl to blend; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugars and eggs in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in buttermilk. Gradually beat in oil. Beat in bananas. Beat in cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended.

Fill cupcake wells 1/2 way up and bake for about 18 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out with moist crumbs attached. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

 

I chose not to add the filling or the Marshmallow Frosting, but I did adapt Martha Stewart's recipe for the Honey Cinnamon Frosting. I did feel the honey added a little too much sweetness, as I had to add a little extra (my recipe below has that included already) just to taste it. I would recommend adding some cream cheese to pull that back a little.  I will provide the recipe below. For those of you taking the time to read this I thank you, as this is my first official post and my first day of blogging! I'm very excited and eager to learn and can't wait to get good at this stuff! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did and Have A Sweet Day!

Honey Cinnamon Frosting (adapted from Martha Stewart)

3 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2 T honey
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix on a medium-low speed the butter, honey, and cinnamon until blended. Add sugar one cup at a time until incorporated. If you feel it is too sugary try adding 1/2 block of cream cheese to the mixture. This should help it :)