Snickerdoodle Cupcake

I really like Snickerdoodle cookies. I've never really been a chocolate lover but I do love pumpkin and cinnamon. There's just something about a warm snickdoodle with a tall glass of milk (add ice please).

I came across some recipes on Pinterest for different cinnamon flavored cupcakes and thought that re-creating a snickerdoodle cookie could be very fun! I wanted to not only get the right cinnamon taste but I wanted the cinnamon coating crunch and the dense-foamy-ness that a true snickerdoodle possess.

I think the key to this cupcake turning out so delicious is using REAL cinnamon. I've done some research and the cinnamon that we can buy for $1 at save-a-lot is not real cinnamon. Its basically cinnamon flavored chalk dust. I bought THIS CINNAMON off of Amazon and have not been let down. A little goes a long way, I promise. And the taste is like nothing you've had before. 

I am really happy with the way that this cupcake turned out! I have made it about half a dozen times and each time people moan upon each bite and give rave compliments. I'm so happy that other people enjoy it as much as I do.

Snickerdoodle Cupcake with CinnaButtercream Frosting

Cake Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp cinnamon (I highly suggest a Grade A cinnamon)
1/2 c. melted butter, cooled

1 1/4 c. white granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

3/4 c. whole milk or buttermilk

cinnamon/sugar mix

1) Preheat your oven to 350 F and line cupcake tin with liners.

2) Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.

3) In a mixing bowl, beat together sugar and butter until it is fluffy and light in color. 

4) Add in eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla and almond extracts and milk. Mix until smooth.

5) Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.

6) Spoon into cupcake liners (I use an ice cream scoop for consistency). Fill 2/3 full. Before putting in the oven generously sprinkle cinnamon/sugar on the top of each cupcake then bake for 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out with sticky crumbs on it.

Frosting Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

3 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 T cinnamon

3 T whole milk

1) Beat butter until light in color and fluffy.

2) Slowly add in powdered sugar (I always start with 2 cups then add in) and beat for 3-4 minutes.

3) Add in vanilla and cinnamon and milk to loosen, if necessary.

Pipe onto cooled cupcakes, garnish with just a pinch more of the cinnamon/sugar mix and ENJOY!!

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Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

I owe all the credit in the world to This Blog for this recipe. I have never added any liquid fruit to a frosting before but now's as good a time as any, right?!

I paired this with a lemon cake and it was REALLY good.

I did tweak her original recipe just a bit and am definitely keeping this recipe in my back pocket.

Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

1/2 c. unsalted butter

12 oz bag of frozen raspberries (you can use fresh also)

1/2 c plus 2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

Lemon Zest

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 - 4 c. powdered sugar

pinch of salt

1 to 2 T. whole milk or cream, as needed

To make a raspberry sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the raspberries until they are broken down and turn into liquid (for the most part). Line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth  and place in a smaller saucepan. Pour the cooked raspberries into the cheesecloth and allow it to strain into the smaller pan. I used a plastic spoon and squished the raspberries to remove all the juices I could. Place back on to burner, add just a bit of lemon zest and cook until the sauce reduces. It will become a rich red color. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Affix the paddle attachment to your mixer and cream the butter until it is light colored and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar (I start with about 2 cups), 2/3 cups of the raspberry sauce, lemon juice, vanilla and salt and mix until it is really smooth. Add in additional powdered sugar to firm it up. You can add in milk/cream if you like a thinner consistency.

This buttercream was the perfect compliment to a lemon cake (I did not use her recipe for the lemon cake) but would also be quite delightful on a chocolate cake or maybe use the sauce as a base to create a filling!!! It is also good just off the spoon.....

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Choco-stachio Cupcakes with Rich Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

I stumbled upon a recipe sort of like this one on a blog that I occasionally visit for kicks. It's a pretty good blog but if I had to pick one thing that irkes me about it is that most of the recipes use boxed cake mix. And while that is okay (and sometimes necessary) I have taken to making my cupcakes from scratch. The one mix I don't mind using when I bake is Devil's Food. Not sure why I don't have an issue with this one but have trouble caving to the pressure of using others, but oh well. Not really too concerned.

So I found this recipe and thought "that's interesting". I've never had a pistachio prior to making this cupcake. In fact, my only known run in with pistachio's had been tasting a bite of a pistachio cheesecake when my sister, mom and I went out to lunch for Mother's Day. I was delighted with the smooth and slightly nutty taste of them. So when I saw this recipe I had a good feeling that the pistachio would be a nice compliment to a chocolate cake. Off to the store I went.....
(If I can offer a bit of advice, spend the extra dollar or two and go for the pistachio's that have been shelled. Trust me on this one)

Choco-stachio Cupcake with Chocolate Buttercream

Cake Ingredients:

1 box Devil's Food Mix
1 - 3.4 oz box of pistachio pudding mix

4 large eggs

1/3 C. oil

3/4 C. buttermilk

1/2 C. sour cream (I exclusively use Daisy Light)

1 tsp. almond extract

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 C. semi sweek chocolate chips

1-2 handfuls of finely crushed pistachio's

1) Set your oven at 350 Degrees F.

2) Combine cake mix and pudding mix in a bowl and set aside.

3) In mixer bowl, combine eggs, oil, buttermilk, sour cream and almond and vanilla extracts and combine until well incorporated.

4) Slowly add in the cake/pudding mix and mix until all the lumps are gone.

5) Fold in the chocolate chips and crushed pistachio's.

6) Pour into lined cupcakes (fill 2/3 full) and bake for 15-21 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with moist crumbles (not liquid)

Frosting Ingredients:

1/2 C. unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 C. salter butter, room temp

3/4 C. Ghiradelli cocoa powder, sifted

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 T. heavy cream or whole milk

2 second quirt of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup (yes that's a measurement in my book lol)

3-4 C. powdered sugar

1) Beat butter in a mixing bowl for 2-3 minutes. You want the butter to be a pale color and have a visible whipped look to it.

2) Add in cocoa powder, vanilla extract, cream and chocolate syrup (really, just squeeze the bottle and count to two)

3) Slowly add in the powdered sugar until you've reached the desired consistency.

Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe the frosting on top and garnish with crushed pistachio's.

(I used the Wilton large open star tip for this frosting)

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Cookie's N Cream Cupcakes

Wow...it's been a while since I posted and for that I apologize. I've been pretty busy with customer orders for invitations AND cupcakes (YAY!!), work and just enjoying life!! We've seen some pretty nice weather here in Ohio (although, I'd be interested in looking up how much rain we have had in the last few weeks and see if it broken records) so we've been trying to enjoy it while it's here. Bella has really taken a liking to going on walks after dinner.

Speaking of Bella....she has also taken quite the liking to helping me in the kitchen. I always plop her up on the counter while I'm cooking or baking and she always wants to help. I hope that these are memories that stick with her forever, but in the meantime I'm enjoying her wanting to share this time with me in the kitchen.

I have an order coming up that I am doing for a Military Women Appreciation Banquet. I met this lady through a local swap group on Facebook and I have become quite fond of her. She has the cutest little 7 month old son, three adorable dogs and has a big heart. I first met her when I bought some supplies off of her to create a diaper-cycle for my boss and his wife's baby shower here at work and since then I just adore her. Anyway, she is a career counselor for the Army and she came up with this idea to throw the women in her squad and wives of the men in her squad an appreciation banquet. She wasn't sure how it would go but its coming up this Saturday and I already know its going to be a WONDERFUL event. She's had so many companies and individuals donate items to thank these ladies for their sacrifices and has been so overwhelmed with the generosity. Anyway, she asked if I would donate a diaper-cycle for a raffle since a few of them women who will be attending are expecting babies and I happily accepted. I was talking to her about what her thoughts were on the dessert for this banquet and after a few conversations, we decided on a pretty nice dessert spread that will include a few cupcake flavors and some a few different varieties of cookies. I'm grateful to be a part of this event and am so excited to hear all about it once it's over!!
I pinned a Cookies N Cream cupcake recipe a while back and it's been begging for some attention. I guess the reason I hadn't made it yet is because we don't typically have Oreo's in our house. Certainly not because I don't like them. In fact, its the polar opposite. We LOVE Oreo's. Between Shawn and I, we could polish off two bags of them with no problem or remorse. Well...until the next day when we take off the comfy pants and try to slip into a pair of fitted pants lol. So we don't keep them in the house for that reason.

Well yesterday seemed like the perfect opportunity to make these.  My mom invited us over for dinner (swiss steak and mashed potatoes!) and it was someone's birthday at work and I had been toying around with this recipe for the Military Appreciation Banquet. Since I had three reasons to buy Oreo's, I took it as a sign from a higher power. And when the higher power says buy Oreo's, we listen.

While this recipe is pretty solid, I think I will experiment with a few changes next time. I'll let you know how those turn out. In the meantime, go pick up two packs of double stuffed Oreo's and make this recipe. Why two? Well, one for the recipe, one to sit down with a gallon of milk to enjoy while they are baking. Why else would you need the extra pack? LOL.

Cookie's N Cream Cupcakes

Cake Ingredients (yields about 30 cupcakes)
3/4 C. Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa, sifted
1 C. hot water
1 C. buttermilk
2 C. sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 C. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. heavy cream
14 Double Stuffed Oreo's, finely crushed

1) Add cocoa powder to the mixer bowl and add in the HOT water. Whisk until the cocoa is dissolved.
2)  Slowly add in the buttermilk to cool down the mixture then add in sugar and mix until combined.
3) Add in eggs, oil and vanilla. And mix.
4) In a bowl, add all dry ingredients (not the cookies). Slowly add into the wet mixture until all ingredients are well incorporated.
5) Stir in heavy cream until evenly mixed.
6) Gently fold in the crushed Oreo's.

(do not freak out if the mix seems watery before you add the cream. It will, but the whipping cream helps to thicken it up. If you're a little worried you can add a small amount of additional flour but it is not necessary I promise)

Pour cupcakes into lined cupcake tins and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15-19 minutes. Let cool and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

While your cupcakes are baking you can move on to the frosting.

Frosting Ingredients (will be enough to frost about 24 cupcakes generously or all 30 modestly)

1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese, softened
2 T. Butter, softened
1/2 tsp. salt
1 envelope of Dream Whip
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 C. powdered sugar
6 Double Stuffed Oreo's- separate cream and cookie

1)  Beat softened cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. 
2) Put the cream filling from the Oreo's into the bowl and continue to mix.
3) Add vanilla and salt and beat for a few minutes. 
4) Add in dream whip dry packet (not prepared) and mix well.
5) Add in sugar until desired consistency is met.
6) Lastly, crush the cookie very finely and add into the bowl and fold in until just combined.
Once the cupcakes have chilled, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and shove one in your mouth!!!

Enjoy!

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Lemon Poppyseed Surprise Center Cupcakes with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting

I wish that I could take credit for this recipe but I can't.  I pinned this recipe a few weeks ago while I was on a mission to find a few spring/summer inspired cupcake recipes. I then got an order for a Military Women's Gala and thought this would be a wonderful flavor combination. I would say the hardest part about these cupcakes was finding the freeze dried blueberries. I literally called 17 stores in my area and no one had them. I just happened to remember of a high-end market that concentrates on organic and healthy food option. So I took a slight detour on my way home and voila!!! They had them!!!! They can be found online but I didn't want to pay for shipping if I didn't have to. Once I had all the ingredients, I decided to whip up a batch of these to see if they were as delicious as the original authors photos were.

This recipe does not disappoint in the least. All of the flavors work wonderfully together and are an explosion of spring and summer on your taste buds. The tangy lemon dances on your tongue and the blueberry frosting provides a nice sublte lady like curtsy to round it off.  Anyway, I didn't make any alterations to the recipe to so I'll re-type the recipe as is but all the credit goes to Eva.

The only thing I will change is how it is presented. Her recipe was a lot of back and forth the way it was written but it didn't effect the cupcake, just the ease of use. So here it is!! You should definitely try these! They are worth the effort in finding the freeze dried blueberries.

Lemon Poppyseed Surprise Center Cupcakes with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake1 Stick of butter, softened
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar

2 Eggs

3 T fresh grated lemon zest

1/3 c. plus 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 c. Daisy light sour cream

2 T. milk

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. all purpose flours

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 T poppy seeds

1) Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Farenheit. Line cupcake pan with liners. (Eva says that this makes 12 standard cupcakes but i got 13 standard and 9 mini)
2) In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar then add the eggs, one at a time, mixin well between each.

3) Add grated lemon zest.

4) In a small bowl, combine ingredients in green above and set aside.

5) In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients in blue above and set aside.

6) Once you've added the lemon zest to the sugar/butter mixture, slowly alternate adding the flour mixture and the lemon juice mixture to the mixing bowl. Start and end with the dry flour mixture. Once combined, stir in the poppy seeds.

7) I filled cupcake liners 2/3 full and baked for about 25 minutes (your oven may vary so check on them after 18 minutes to make sure you don't overcook them.

While the cupcakes are baking, you can make the lemon curd!

Lemon Curd

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/4 c. plus 2T  granulated sugar

3 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 T butter, melted

1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1) Whisk together all ingredients in the top of a double boiler. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the top pan in the double boiler.

2) Allow the lemon curd to cook for 15 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes until it thickens.

3) Remove from heat, transfer to a small bowl and let cool to room temperature.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. butter, room temperature

1.2 oz package of freeze dried blueberries

1 c. powdered sugar

1) Pour freeze dried blueberries into a blender. Blend until they turn into a fine powder (Eva used a magic bullet)

2) Cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth

3) Add in the powdered sugar and powdered blueberry (you may add more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency).

Once the cupcakes and lemon curd are cooled, scoop a small amount of cupcake out of the center of each cake and fill the holes with the lemon curd. Then, fit a frosting bag with desired tip (she used 9mm star) and fill the bag with the frosting. Pipe frosting and top with a sprinkle of poppy seed on each cupcake.

Just look at these photos!!! Again, all gorgeous photos from the original poster, Eva

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Reese's Inspired Cupcake Heaven

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Filling and Peanut Butter Frosting

1 Box Devils Food Cake Mix
1 c. sour cream
1 /2 c. oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 /4 c. water
1 /2 c. buttermilk

Filling:
1 /2  bag semi sweet chocolate chips
2 T heavy cream
1/3 peanut butter (more or less to taste)
2-4 T powdered sugar (use to control consistency)

Frosting:
1 /2  c. butter, room temperature
1 c. peanut butter, creamy
2-3 c. powdered sugar (add in a little at a time)
Milk or cream (add a bit at a time to reach desired consistency)

1)    Preheat oven to 350*. Line cupcake tin with liners; set aside

2)    In a bowl, mix together sour cream, oil and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, mix thoroughly.

3)    In a small bowl, combine buttermilk and water. Alternating between the cake mix and the liquid, add to mixing bowl with egg mixture. (start and end with adding the cake)

4)   Fill liners 2/3 full and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until done.

5)    To make the filling: add chocolate chips, peanut butter and cream to a double boiler and stir to avoid burning. Keep stirring until the chocolate is silky. Add in powdered sugar to turn it into a consistency similar to ranch dressing. Not too runny but not too thick.

6)    Pour into a squeeze bottle or allow to cool a bit and put into a piping bag.

7)    When cupcakes are done, pull them out of the oven. Insert the end of the squeeze bottle or piping bag with small tip on it into the center of the cupcake and squeeze a filling into each. I usually count to two seconds.

8)    For the frosting, cream together butter and peanut butter until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar and add milk/cream until desired consistency is achieved.

Pipe onto cupcake and garnish with chopped reese cup’s and drizzle with chocolate/peanut butter filing!

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Pumpkin Crunch Cupcake

I love fall. Like...REALLY love fall. I love the chilly nights, I love making s'mores over a bonfire, I love wearing hoodies with flip flops, I love the colors. But what I love most about fall is PUMPKIN!! Everything has pumpkin!! Coffee, cakes, candles, cookies....the list goes on and on. As you can tell, I have the biggest sore spot for pumpkin!!!

So I stumbled across some inspiration on pinterest (go figure) for a pumpkin cupcake and headed straight for the kitchen. Well....I had to go pick up a few items from the grocery store first). The result was a deliciously light and fluffy cake with an airy whipped topping. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

Pumpkin Crunch Cupcake

Cake Ingredients:

24 Golden Oreos
1/2 c. Vegetable Oil
1/2 c. Cinnamon Applesauce
3 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 c. Sugar
1 c. Brown Sugar
15 oz Pumpkin Pie Puree (I used Libby's)
2 3/4 c. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
(if you use just canned pumpkin, you'll need nutmeg and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice)

Whipped Topping Ingredients:

1 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
2 tsp Vanilla
1 c. Powdered Sugar
A few dashes of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice for garnish

1) Preheat your oven to 350*
2) Line tin with cupcake liners. Separate the Oreos and drop the half with the cream in the bottom of each liner. (cream side up)
3) In a bowl, combine eggs, oil, applesauce and vanilla.
4) Stir in both white and brown sugar, and beat on low for a minute or two.
5) Stir in Pumpkin Pie Puree (if you use pumpkin puree, add your cinnamon/nutmeg here too; to taste)
6) In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix only until combined. Do NOT over mix. Take a test and add nutmeg/cinnamon/pumpkin pie spice to taste.
7) Fill the liners just shy of 3/4 full and bake for 17-20 minutes. To test, I stick a toothpick in and pull them out when the toothpick comes out sticky but not runny. I find that if you wait until the toothpick is clean that the cake is overdone.


For the whipped topping, the KEY is to use a very cold metal bowl and beaters. I put mine in the freezer when the oven gets turned. Put the heavy whipping cream in the bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Then add vanilla and powdered sugar. Then add in a few dashes of either cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and beat until the topping is stiff. Put it in a piping bag and go to town!!! Don't be shy with the topping! I sprinkled some seasoning on the top of each cupcake to add some pizazz to them.

The result is a moist fluffy wonderfully fall inspired pumpkin cake with a perfectly spiced whipped topping. The cream from the Oreo adds just a hint of creaminess to the cake and crunch is a nice finishing touch.



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