Cake Batter & Crumbs

Valentine's Cupcakes

For Valentine's week, we had a red/pink themed lunch at work where everyone brought a food item in those colors. I chose to make mini red velvet cupcakes -- although a snow storm kept me from going to work the actual day of the lunch, so I missed out!

Anyway, these mini cupcakes were supposed to be of the red velvet variety, but they came out more chocolaty brown -- still delicious, but certainly not the pretty red color I was aiming for. I take all blame though, as I thought the batter needed more chocolate than called for and I also used both regular baking cocoa and dark baking cocoa.  More chocolate on Valentine's Day isn't necessarily a bad thing, right? The batter at least was a lovely shade of deep red, though the final product was decidedly not. Although, I really do think that if you hold them up to the light and squint just right, you can see a slight red coloring!

Topping these little guys is the traditional cream cheese icing, tinted pink (to fit our red/pink theme, of course) and on the tippy top I placed a little conversational heart candy. This particular cupcake, of course went to my husband!

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Red Velvet Cake recipe
Makes 48 mini cupcakes

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour, not self-rising
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini cupcake trays with liners. Set aside. Whisk together flour, salt, and cocoa in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Mix sugar and oil on medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk until combined. Add eggs one at a time; mix well after each addition. Mix in food coloring and vanilla. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with flour, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
3. Stir together baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl. Add baking-soda mixture to batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 15 minutes. Let cool completely in pans on wire racks.

Cream Cheese Icing

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 (8-ounce) cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• red/pink food coloring

Place butter in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, and beat until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add sugar and vanilla, and beat until combined, about 2 minutes.

Very Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla & Blackberry Buttercream

I saw these gorgeous blackberries at the grocery store and tossed them in my cart without having any specific plans for them. I decided they would look beautiful sitting surrounded by rich buttercream on top of vanilla cupcakes.

I wasn't feeling stingy with the vanilla that day and used 3 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract in the batter. These cupcakes have a wonderful strong vanilla flavor and full dense texture.

So, what better to pair with a dense vanilla cupcake than a heavy, rich buttercream! This is a classic buttercream using egg yolks, butter, and sugar that I found in the Taste of Home Baking Book that my parents gave me for Christmas. Yum! I frosted the tops of the cupcakes with the vanilla buttercream.

...and..

To bring in the blackberry theme again, I took out around 3/4 cup of the buttercream and folded some blackberry preserves. The buttercream turned this amazing shade of light purple with little darker specks of dark blue/purple. Using a pastry bag I filled the centers of the cupcakes with the blackberry buttercream.

I kept these cupcakes in the fridge and they lasted a good week. Just remember to take them out a few minutes before devouring them. Mmmmmmmm.

Very Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes around 18 cupcakes

1½ sticks unsalted butter
1¾ cups sugar
3 large eggs
3 teaspoons pure vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
2½ cups flour
1 cup milk

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Whisk together all of the dry ingredients -- salt, baking powder and flour. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with milk. Mix on low speed just until combined and then on medium for 2 minutes.

Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick into center comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack.

Classic Buttercream

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
6 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups butter, softened

6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

In a heavy saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil; cook over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat. Add a small amount of hot mixture to egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Cook 2 minutes longer or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cool to room temperature.

In a mixing bowl with the whisk attachment, cream butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Gradually beat in cooked sugar mixture. Beat in confectioners' sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. If necessary, refrigerate until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 3 cups.

Blackberry Buttercream

Using around 3/4 cup of the classic buttercream, fold in 1-2 tablespoons of blackberry preserves.

 

 

Tiramisu Cupcakes

One of my most favorite desserts ever is Tiramisu. There's something about the combination of sponge cake and velvety mascarpone cream filling that is irresistible to me. Throw in some chocolate and a hint of coffee, and I'm in heaven.

When I saw that the Cupcake Hero's challenge this month was coffee, I decided to try turning this classic Italian dessert into a cupcake.

To get started with the base, I adapted the tiramisu sponge cake recipe from a Williams Sonoma Desserts cookbook. Instead of baking in a spring form pan, I filled 18 cupcake liners. You really have to watch these in the oven as the batter is so airy, it takes a very short time to bake. Once the cupcakes have baked and cooled, I made some slits in the tops with a knife and then brushed them with a sweetened espresso syrup. The final component is the mascarpone cream that I filled inside the cupcakes as well as on top. Dust them with cocoa powder, and a few chocolate shavings, and it's all set! These were so tasty and just as good as their full-sized counterparts. Yum!

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Sponge Cake
1 cup (4 1/2 oz / 140 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, at room temperature
2/3 (4 2/3 oz / 145 g) sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with 18 liners. I sprayed the liners with nonstick spray. (I don't know if that's necessary, but the cake didn't stick in the end so it worked)

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until blended.  In a large bowl, using a mixer on medium-high speed, beat the eggs until pale and thick (about 3 min). Add the sugar and vanilla and continue beating until very thick and tripled in volume (about 3 min more). Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients, and using a rubber spatula, fold gently until blended.

Fill the liners with the batter and baking until a toothpick inserted in the cakes comes out clean. Mine only took around 15 minutes. Let the cake cool completely

Syrup
1/2 cup (4 fl oz / 125 ml) water
1/3 cup (2 1/3 oz / 70 g) sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

Combine the water and the sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves.Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Stir in the rum and espresso powder. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Make slits in tops of cupcakes with a sharp knife and then brush on the espresso syrup.

Filling
8 oz mascarpone
scant 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon marsala
1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled

Beat together the mascarpone, confectioner’s sugar and marsala in a mixer until well blended. Add the cream for around another 1-2 minutes until it is fluffy.

Using a pastry bag with the filling mixture, insert the tip in the cupcake to squeeze a small amount. Then frost the tops of the cupcakes with the mixture. Sprinkle cocoa powder and chocolate shavings.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Frosting

It's been a chilly and snowy weekend here in Pennsylvania. For me there isn't a better way to spend a winter-y Sunday afternoon than cozied up with a platter full of frosty, peppermint cupcakes and watching many, many hours football. Cupcakes and football could be two of life's greatest things, especially in this house!

Add kittens to the list of life's greatest things too! We just got a new kitten this weekend and are introducing her to our other younger cat, so I wanted to bake something easy this week. I had a box of Betty Crocker cupcake mix in the cupboard and decided this was the way to go. The cupcake mix comes with a little packet of dry mix and 12 cupcake liners. You just add the water, oil, and an egg like a regular mix.

The peppermint frosting was a great addition to the chocolate cupcakes. I didn't want the frosting to be too strong, so I only added a touch of the extract. I had both peppermint hard candies and also a bag of Andes holiday peppermint crunch candies in the house. I chopped up some of both and decided the Andes mints tasted better when sprinkled on the cupcakes. The chopped Andes candies aren't as crunchy as the hard peppermints and had a sweet taste that went well with the icing. The result is a sweet frosting with a nice mellow peppermint flavor.

I love the look of crushed peppermints against the white icing. They look so festive!

Peppermint Frosting

3/4 cup vegetable shortening, like Crisco
3-4 TBL water
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup powdered coffee creamer (I used French vanilla)
1/8 tsp peppermint extract

Mix vegetable shortening and water in a mixer until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar and powdered coffee creamer. Mix until well combined. Add the extract and mix. Add some extra water if needed to get the frosting to the right consistency.

A rare photo of the two cats where they're not chasing each other around the house!

Cinnamon Toast Cupcakes

I’ve had my eye on these cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor Cupcake book for a while now and decided to give them a try this past weekend. Now that it’s just before Thanksgiving, a cinnamon spice cupcake just seemed like the right choice and we surely were not disappointed.

In typical Cake Mix Doctor fashion, this recipe calls for various additions, like instant pudding, milk, and ground cinnamon to be mixed in with the ordinary yellow cake mix. The cinnamon gives a nice speckled look against the yellow cake batter. The icing is a simple cream cheese recipe with a teaspoon of ground cinnamon added at the end. The final step is sprinkling cinnamon sugar on top, giving a nice little crispness to each bite.

These are truly cinnamon rolls masquerading in cupcake form, from the vanilla--cinnamon flavor combination of the cake to the tangy-ness of the cream cheese icing. It gets two thumbs up from this crowd. After all, I suppose if one had to choose a disguise, a cupcake, in all its cuteness, really wouldn’t be a bad way to go.

Cinnamon Toast Cupcakes - Ingredients
1 (18 1/4 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (3 1/3 ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups whole milk [I used skim milk and they turned out great]
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top

1. Preheat to 350ºF and line cupcake pans with liners.
2. Place cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix on low for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and increase to medium for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes.
4. Spoon 1/3 cup of batter into each liner (about 3/4 full). Bake cupcakes till they are golden brown, (about 18 to 22 minutes). Cool on wire racks for 5 minutes, remove cupcakes from pan and cool 15 minutes.
5. Spread Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing on cupcakes and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing - Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar, then add the cinnamon and mix until everything is well combined.

***

I've taken a small hiatus from the baking world, but I'm back, ready to pull up my sleeves and dive into some more sweet fun.

Italian Meringue Buttercream - Birthday Cupcakes

Well, the office move is officially completed. We’re in our new building, and I’m happy to finally have my own office with a nice view. But—on to more important things… cake!

We threw a birthday party over the weekend for our friend Dave. The party planning detail that I of course, was most interested in, was what kinds of treats to serve. I wanted to do a twist on the usual cake and ice cream menu, so we had a make-your-own sundae bar along with vanilla cupcakes topped with Italian meringue buttercream icing.

I was under pressure to get everything ready, so I just used a box cake mix. The icing recipe came from The Baker’s Field Guide to Cupcakes. This is a really great “idea” book as every cupcake is pictured in full color. I’m a sucker for photographs, so that’s what sold me on the book!

This icing recipe was the first I’ve made from the book, and it was quite tasty. For me though, it’s just not style of icing I love though. I, unlike a lot of people out there, adore the really sweet and rich, heavy icings. They’re not very good for you, but hey, it’s all about moderation, right? Anyway, this was a very smooth, delicate and not-too sweet icing.

The recipe as listed in the book is a basic version and it’s suggested to add flavorings to create different icings. I split the batch in two and added a little vanilla to one and some cocoa powder to the other. I dusted the tops of the chocolate ones with some additional cocoa powder, just to make them look prettier. I kept these in the fridge and let them come to room temperature before serving.

   

Ingredients:

Scant 2/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup water
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces   

Directions:

Place 2/3 cup sugar and water in small pot. Stir to wet sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, swirling pan occasionally. Dip pastry brush in cold water and wash down sugar crystals from the sides of the pot once or twice. [I didn’t have a pastry brush and just used the spoon] Turn down heat to simmer gently.   

Place egg whites in mixing bowl and whip until frothy on low speed using balloon whip attachment. Add cream of tartar and turn speed to medium-high. When soft peaks form, add remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar gradually. Continue whipping until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Bring the sugar-water mixture to a rapid boil and cook until it reaches 248°-250° F. As syrup cooks, look for visual clues to assess the temperature. It starts out thin with many small bubbles over the surface. The water will begin to evaporate, and the mixture will become thicker. The bubbles get larger and sticky and pop more slowly. At this point the syrup looks thickened, but it has not begun to color. If you drop a bit of the syrup into a glass of cold water, it will form a ball. This is the firm-ball stage and the syrup is ready. 

Pour a thin steady stream over meringue, without pouring any on the rotating whip or the sides of the bowl. Whip meringue on high speed until cool. When the bowl is no longer warm, stop the machine and touch the surface of the meringue with your finger to check that it is cooled. With mixer on medium speed, add the butter, a couple of tablespoons at a time. Keep beating until the buttercream is completely smooth. Any flavorings may be added at this point.

Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake & Chocolate Frosting

My husband's birthday was this past Saturday and is traditional for us, we spent the day at Hershey Park. I can't think of anything better to go with amusement park rides than chocolate! Actually I think chocolate nicely compliments just about anything.

In honor of our day at Hershey, I decided to make some cupcakes using Hershey's baking cocoa. I looked through my Hershey's cookbook that I purchased last time we were there and also did a recipe search on their site. In the end I decided on the Perfectly Chocolate Cake & Chocolate Frosting that was actually listed both in my book and on their website.

This was my second time making a recipe from the Hershey's website and I've been really impressed with each so far. I really think this is probably the best chocolate cake I've ever made from scratch. Sometimes the chocolate cakes can get a little dry, but not this one. The texture is really great, more on the light side, and it has a nice moist crumb. And, as the name suggests, the chocolate flavor is just perfect.

I followed the variation for cupcakes and halved the recipe to get around a dozen cupcakes. The recipe notes that the batter will be thin, and was it ever. It seemed like I was scooping chocolate sauce into my cupcake liners rather than chocolate cake batter. In the end though, it made some awesome cupcakes. I will definitely be using this cake recipe again.

The chocolate icing took the cupcakes to the next level of chocolaty heaven. I am a huge chocolate lover, so these were a perfect combination for me. I can see how some might prefer something different--less chocolaty. I used the recipe suggested on the website and added a little salt to bring out the flavors more.

All in all, these were a huge success, surely satisfying any cravings for chocolate. As for my husband's birthday cake, in his typical fashion, he requested an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, made his way, with no chocolate crunchies in the middle. He can have his chocolate-less crunchie ice cream cake, but I'll stick with my over-the-top chocolate cupcakes.

Our trip to Hershey Park, was a fun one. Even though the park was insanely crowded, our group had a great time, and it's so true when they say, Hershey is definitely the sweetest place on earth.

HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:            

    

• 2 cups  sugar
• 1-3/4 cups  all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup  HERSHEY'S 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
•    "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)

   

                

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. 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 mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.
         
VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.


"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Huckleberry Cupcakes with Sweet Cream

I was flipping through my mom's copy of Martha Stewart Living magazine a few weeks ago and came across this recipe. The July issue had a lot of really good recipes for summertime desserts, I hounded my mom to get me a copy of a couple of the recipes.


The recipe calls for huckleberries, but notes that you can substitute blueberries. I haven't ever seen huckleberries at our grocery stores here, and since blueberries are in season now and the prices are lower, I used them instead.

Without the cream topping, these cupcakes are really like sweet blueberry/vanilla muffins. The whipped cream topping is just subtly sweet and a nice accompaniment to the cupcake. I tend to like things extra sweet, and I was tempted to add a little extra powdered sugar to make it a really sweet cream. I'm glad I didn't though because the whipped topping doesn't overpower or take away from the cake flavors this way.



These cupcakes will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. Since they have the whipped cream topping, they must be refrigerated. I'd let the cupcakes come to room temperature  before eating though, so the cake is softer.

Thanks, mom for getting me a copy of this recipe... even after I forgot it at your house!


Martha Stewart's Huckleberry Cupcakes with Sweet Cream

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole milk, room temperature
2 cups huckleberries, plus more for garnish (substituted blueberries)
2 cups cold heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together flours, baking powder, and salt.

Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat until combined after each addition. Fold in berries by hand.

Divide batter among cups. Bake until golden brown, around 25 minutes. Let cool.

Beat cream and confectioners' sugar until firm peaks form. Dollop cupcakes with whipped cream, garnish with berries and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Billy Reese’s Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes

I had a vacation day off from work today and decided to bake up a small batch of Billy Reese's Vanilla Vanilla cupcakes with his butter cream icing. I've heard lots of good feedback on these cupcakes, so I decided to give them a try myself. As expected, I was not disappointed. My overly sweet-sensitive husband thought they were delish even with their butter cream icing.



The original recipe makes around 30 cupcakes. I thought that might be overdoing it for just the two of us this weekend, so I halved the recipe. Next time I'll make sure to not fill the cupcakes as full as I did because they got too high and not very pretty. I bought an ice cream scooper today to use for filling my cupcakes, and thought I needed the jumbo size scooper. Boy was I mistaken! A full scoop filled the cupcake liners to the very top, so I had to use less than a full scoop and even that ended up being too much! I think I may be on the hunt for a new scooper!



All in all these cupcakes came out a bit sloppier than I like, but they definitely do taste good.

Billy Reese's Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes 

Makes about 30 cupcakes
1 3/4   cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/4   cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2   cups sugar
1   tablespoon baking powder
3/4   teaspoon salt
1   cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4   large eggs
1   cup whole milk
1   teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.

2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.

3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about two-thirds full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.

4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Billy Reese's Vanilla Buttercream

Colored sprinkles, for decorating (optional)
Makes enough for 30 cupcakes

1   cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 to 8   cups confectioners' sugar
1/2   cup milk
1   teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

In celebration of my mom’s birthday tomorrow, I decided to make her favorite, chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. Chocolate and peanut butter, what’s not to love? These turned out beautifully, and I can’t wait to deliver them to her tomorrow night. Maybe I should give her a carton of milk with a bow on it as well, because these go so perfectly together! 

 

 

I found these cute birthday cupcake liners at a local store, but unfortunately the chocolate cake made the birthday pattern hard to see.

 

 

The cakes were made using a slightly modified recipe from the Cake Mix Doctor’s Cupcake book. I chose the Chocolate Almond cupcake recipe and swapped the almond extract for vanilla extract. I wanted a good chocolate base recipe, and this seemed to fit the plan for a mid-week bake when time is at a premium.

 

 

To make the icing, I used a recipe from Allrecipes.com for Fluffy Peanut Butter Icing. It got a large number of high reviews, so I figured I’d give it a try. I was delightfully pleased with the icing. It had a creamy texture and I didn't think they were too sweet or rich. Although  my husband and father-in-law always think any icing is too sweet. I, however, thought it worked well with the chocolate cake. I topped the them with chopped Reese's peanut butter cups. Yum.

 

 

 

Fluffy Peanut Butter Icing

 

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons milk, or as needed
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar

   

1. Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat      with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to      get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the      sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at      least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.