Week 52, January 25,2015 ~ Creme Brûlée Cupcakes

The final cupcake! I did it! I made 52 different cupcakes in a year! I tried to post this a couple weeks ago but for some reason it got deleted and I was being stubborn about writing it all over again. So there is no better time than being snowed in to write it again. So for the final week I went out with a bang! Creme Brûlée cupcakes using a kitchen torch! I will be honest I probably am the last person that should be using a kitchen torch! But now I kinda want to try to torch everything! I will say that these cupcakes were really good however they don't hold that well. They were best eaten freshly torched, over time they got a bit soggy. The flavor was good but you don't get as much of the crunch you get if you eat them freshly torched. For the next year I am going to keep baking things weekly, I can't make any promises come summertime! 

This recipe makes 12-14 cupcakes!

For the Pastry Cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 4 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1. In a medium saucepan, heat heavy cream, milk, 6 tablespoon sugar, salt and seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean along with vanilla bean pod over medium heat (I used about a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste). Bring mixture just to a bubble, stirring occasionally.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 2 tablespoon sugar until well blended. Add cornstarch to egg yolk mixture and mix until very well combined and fluffy.
3. Take about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture from pan, and while whisking, slowly pour hot cream mixture into egg yolk mixture. Replace back on heat and reduce burner temperature to medium-low. Then, while whisking hot cream mixture in saucepan, slowly pour egg yolk mixture into hot cream mixture in saucepan. Whisking constantly until thickened. Allow it to boil for about 30 seconds after it has started to cook out starchy flavor. 
4. Immediately force mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Mix in 1 tablespoon of butter. Cover with plastic wrap pressing directly against surface of custard so it doesn't form a skin. Chill for about 2 hours.

For the Vanilla Cupcake:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk 

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cupcake/muffin pan with cupcake liners.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1¼ cups flour, 1¼ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda and ½ tsp salt. Set flour mix aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat 2 eggs with the whisk attachment on medium speed
3. Add ¾ cup sugar and continue to beat on medium speed 
4. Add vanilla and oil and beat on medium speed 
5. Reduce mixer speed to medium/low and slowly add about half of the flour mixture. Add half of the buttermilk, then the rest of the flour mix and the rest of the milk. Beat until just combined and smooth, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl. The batter should be thin.
6. Pour batter into a lined muffin pan. Fill to about ½ full.
7. Bake for 12 -14 minutes at 350°F. Let them cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then remove.
8. Once cool fill with the pastry cream and spread generously over the tops of the cupcakes.
9. Put cupcakes in fridge for about 20-30 minutes to set and then take them out a couple at a time to torch--if you don't have a torch you can put them under the broiler.
10. Dip the top of each cupcake in granulated sugar and then torch. I did this twice for each cupcake for extra crunch.

If I was serving these immediately I would have let them cool for a couple minutes and then topped them with a little bit of whipped cream and a blackberry or raspberry for color.

Week 51, January 19, 2015 ~ Cannoli Cupcakes

The end is near! This week I made a cannoli cupcake that I kind of have mixed feelings about. I think I could have done more with them. It made a vanilla cupcake that had some orange zest in it and then topped them with a cannoli filling whipped cream. I wish I had done one of 2 things, either filled the cupcakes with a chocolate ganache or with more of the cannoli filling. I then topped them with pistachios and chocolate chips--I wish I had used chocolate shavings instead. The whipped cream was really good though and definitely reminiscent of a cannoli! 

This recipe made 6 cupcakes- you could easily modify this to make more though!

For the cannoli cake:

• 3/4 C flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 C sugar 
• 1/4 C butter, softened
• 1 eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/4 C milk
• 1/4 C ricotta cheese
• 1/2 t orange zest
• 1 T powdered sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line two muffin pans with cupcake wrappers; set aside.
2. Combine all of the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. 
3. In a different, larger bowl, mix together the butter, eggs, vanilla, and milk. 
4. Add in the ricotta cheese, orange zest, and powdered sugar to the wet ingredients and then add in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined.
5. Pour the batter into cupcake liners, 24 in total. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the muffin pans to a cooling rack. 

For the cannoli whipped cream:

• 1/3 cup Mascarpone cheese
• 1/3 cup Ricotta cheese, strained slightly
• 2 1/2 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1/4 cup of sugar

1. Combine the mascarpone, ricotta, and powdered sugar until smooth.
2. Add the heavy cream and gradually increase the speed over a few seconds till on medium-high.  Slowly pour in the sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium-high until soft peaks form--this should not take more than a minute or 2...gradually lower the speed until you turn off the mixer.
3. Frost and garnish with pistachios and chocolate chips.

Week 50, January 12, 2015 ~ French Toast and Sausage Cupcakes

Things got real weird this week. I can't really take full credit for the weird though it mostly goes to my "creative consultant"...I suppose that title has been earned. We were trying to come up with an idea for a savory cupcake and we saw some recipes for french toast cupcakes and a lot of them had bacon, and while I normally love putting bacon in cupcakes it seemed a little too predictable this time and I prefer to shock and amaze! :) Then I heard the magic works "how about sausage", I thought it was just so crazy it might work! Now this is truly a cupcake you can eat for breakfast! It is a french toast cupcake with crumbled maple sausage and topped with a maple cream cheese frosting. Most people could not wrap their heads around meat in a cupcake but breakfast food tastes best when its all mixed together! 

This recipe makes 12-14 cupcakes!

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/8 t, ground nutmeg
• 1/4 t salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted then cooled
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 t maple extract
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 lb crumbled maple sausage, cooked

1. Preheat oven to 350℉ and line cupcake tin.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a small bowl.
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the maple and vanilla extracts.  With the mixer running at medium speed, alternately add in flour mixture and milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture; beat until smooth.  Fold in sausage.
4. Scoop batter into cupcakes tins, 3/4 full.
5. Bake 22-25 minutes, Let cool completely before icing.

For the maple cream cheese frosting 

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1-2 Tablespoons cream
• 1 teaspoon maple extract

1. Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.

2. Add confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup at a time and mix for 2-3 minutes

3. Add cream extract and mix 4-5 minutes, add more sugar or cream if needed to reach desired thickness.

4. Frost cupcakes!

Week 49, January 5, 2015 ~ Gluten Free Chocolate Raspberry Nutella Cupcakes

This week I made gluten free cupcakes for a friend's birthday. I was kinda nervous for this because I didn't really know that much about it and what products are good to make the best quality cupcake. I didn't want to just try any random recipe and have them come out bad. I have a cupcake reputation to uphold after all! I also knew some products were expensive--particularly xantham gum, which I learned is important in the gluten free cupcake making process. Then I went to do a recon mission at the grocery store and I stumbled upon the perfect solution for someone that doesn't regularly bake gluten free! 

It is a gluten free baking flour that is pre mixed with xantham gum and you can use it in any recipe in place of all purpose flour! This was a 5 lb bag for $9 but I was able to find a smaller 2 lb (?) bag for $4 which was significantly cheaper. If I bought the ingredients separately I would of spent $15+ so this was definitely worth a try and with this I could use my favorite super moist chocolate cupcake recipe! So I baked my chocolate cupcakes and put them in the oven and crossed my fingers! I would call the mission a success! The texture was slightly different but it was still really good. Everyone liked them, I think someone said I should make gluten free cupcakes all the time they liked them so much. I probably won't do that BUT I am less afraid to try it again. 

So anyways obviously I made a chocolate cupcake but then I filled them with a raspberry chambord compote (which helped bring moisture to the cake) and then topped them with nutella buttercream. I garnished them with some chocolate curls but I can't tell you where I got them, your kinda on your own there...sorry ;) You could use jimmies though if you want.

This recipe makes 14-16 cupcakes

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 ounces dark chocolate 

2 large eggs, room temp

2 large egg yolks, room temp

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup sour cream

1 cup gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup cocoa powder--I use Hershey's Special Dark

1/2 cup brewed coffee, room temp

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Melt the chocolate and set aside to cool.
3. Beat butter and sugar until fully combined and looks like wet sand; add the melted chocolate once cooled and mix to combine.
4. Mix in eggs and egg yolks one at a time until just combined.
5. Mix in oil, vanilla, and sour cream until just combined.
6. Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.
7. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture a little at a time until just combined.
8. Add the coffee and mix till combined.
9. Fill cupcake liners and bake with 18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
10. Set aside on a wire rack and let cool.

For the raspberry compote:

• 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2-3 tsp corn starch
• 2 ounces chambord or water

1. Slowly simmer the berries and sugar over low heat for about 10 minutes.
2. Dissolve the corn starch in the chambord and slowly pour into the berries stirring constantly until thickened.
3. Let cool and fill cupcakes with the filling.

For the Nutella buttercream:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup Nutella
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp Frangelico or heavy cream

1. Beat the butter until smooth and creamy

2. Add the Nutella and beat until fully combined

3. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until fully incorporated

4. Add the liquor or heavy cream and beat for 2-3 minutes--if too thick add more liquid or more sugar if too thin.

5. Frost the cupcakes as you wish

Week 48, December 29, 2014 ~ Turtle Cupcakes

I love chocolate turtles I think they are my favorite "fancy candy".  So I am not sure why I waited till week 48 to make them. For this cupcake I tried a new chocolate cake recipe that used greek yogurt as the acid instead of the typical sour cream or buttermilk and they came out really good. The were moister and had a slight tang to them. I am curious how using a flavored greek yogurt in a cupcake would turn out...thats a challenge for another day though. I out pecans in the batter and I also filled the cupcakes with chewy chocolate caramels. I used fancy ones I bought after christmas but rolos would probably work too. I then topped then with a caramel mascarpone buttercream. I topped them with turtles, which I admit was a bit much, you could also just drizzle some chocolate and caramel on top with a sprinkle of pecans. 

This recipe makes 14 cupcakes!

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, not packed
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup full fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup hot coffee
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 14 chocolate caramels

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tin.
2. Melt the oil, butter,and chocolate together in the microwave, heating in 30 second increments, and stirring between increments each time. You may also melt the oil, butter, and chocolate over very low heat on the stovetop, but I find the microwave option to be much easier. Whisk mixture until completely smooth; set aside to cool.
3. In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt; stir together until thoroughly combined; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolk, sugars, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Add the cooled oil/butter/chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Add half of the flour mixture, then half of the Greek yogurt. Repeat the process until everything is added, and gently mix to combine- then stir in the coffee and pecans and mix until just combined .
5. Divide the batter among the liners in your prepared pan. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. While the cupcakes are baking make sure your caramels are ready to get put into the cupcakes and you have kitchen shears ready to go.
7. As soon as you remove the cupcakes from the oven cut an X into the top of each cupcake just slightly wider than the caramel and then insert the caramel into the cupcake.
8. Let cool before frosting.

For the caramel mascarpone frosting:

• 8 oz Mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup caramel sauce
• 1/2 cup of sugar

1. in a bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the mascarpone cheese, heavy whipping cream, caramel sauce and salt. Gradually increase the speed over a few seconds till on medium-high.  Slowly pour in the sugar. Beat on medium-high until soft peaks form--this should not take more than a minute or 2...gradually lower the speed until you turn off the mixer.
2. Frost the cupcakes and garnish!

Week 47, December 22, 2014 ~ Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

So if a cupcake is based on a breakfast treat does that mean I can eat it for breakfast? I wouldn't judge you if you did! This was a hard cupcake week for me. It was the week leading into Christmas and I was going overboard baking a TON of cookies...way more than necessary but I still had to make a cupcake! I am in the home stretch and I am not about to give up now! So this cupcake is a vanilla cupcake with a cinnamon brown sugar mixture swirled in. Then they are filled with a cream cheese icing and topped with a cinnamon brown sugar frosting. 

This recipe makes 15 cupcakes

For the Vanilla Cupcake:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup canola oil 
• 1/2 cup buttermilk 
• ½ cup brown sugar - filling
• 2 TBSP cinnamon - filling

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cupcake/muffin pan with cupcake liners.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together  flour,  baking powder,baking soda and salt. Set flour mix aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat 2 eggs with the whisk attachment on medium speed.
3. Add sugar and continue to beat on medium speed.
4. Add vanilla and oil and beat on medium speed.
5. Reduce mixer speed to medium/low and slowly add about half of the flour mixture. Add half of the buttermilk, then the rest of the flour mix and the rest of the milk. Beat until just combined and smooth, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl. The batter should be thin.
6. Pour batter into a lined muffin pan. Fill to about ½ full.
7. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together then add about 1 tsp to each cupcake and swirl with a butter knife.
8. Bake for 12 -14 minutes at 350°F. Let them cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then remove.

For the cream cheese icing:

• 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 tablespoon to 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. 
2. Whisk in 1/2 tablespoon of milk and the vanilla. 
3. Add the powdered sugar and whisk that in too. Add more milk, as needed, to create a thick-but-pourable consistency. 
4. Put in a piping bag with a bismark tip and insert into the top of the cupcakes and fill with a tbsp or so of filling.

For the cinnamon brown sugar icing:

• 1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream if needed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, melted
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth 2-3, minutes. add the vanilla, powdered sugar and cream AND BEAT FOR ANOTHER 2-3 MINUTES.
2. in a small bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. add the brown sugar mixture into the frosting and gently mix the frosting together.
4. frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or be super ambitious and make mini cinnamon rolls and top them with those. :)

Week 46, December 15, 2014 ~ Candy Cane Oreo Cupcakes

These cupcakes are seriously amazing! Perfect from top to bottom! The cake seriously tastes like Oreo and it is filled with crushed up Candy Cane Oreos, the perfect cupcake mix in as it doesn't add too much crunch and melds in with the cake perfectly. Then they are topped with a peppermint mascarpone whipped cream, which was cool and light and delicious. I imagine it would to excellent atop a hot chocolate! Then they are adorably garnished with mini Candy Cane Oreos. 

This recipe makes 14-16 cupcakes

For the chocolate cake:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 ounces dark chocolate ( I used an 80%)

2 large eggs, room temp

2 large egg yolks, room temp

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup sour cream

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup cocoa powder--I use Hershey's Special Dark

1/2 cup brewed coffee, room temp

1 - 1 1/2 cups crushed Oreos

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Melt the chocolate and set aside to cool.
3. Beat butter and sugar until fully combined and looks like wet sand; add the melted chocolate once cooled and mix to combine.
4. Mix in eggs and egg yolks one at a time until just combined.
5. Mix in oil, vanilla, and sour cream until just combined.
6. Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.
7. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture a little at a time until just combined.
8. Add the coffee and mix till combined.
9. Stir in the crushed Oreos until evenly distributed.
10. Fill cupcake liners and bake with 18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
11. Set aside on a wire rack and let cool.

For the Peppermint Whipped Cream:

• 12 oz Mascarpone cheese
• 1 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• splash of vanilla
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• mini Oreos 

1. in a bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the mascarpone cheese, heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract. Gradually increase the speed over a few seconds till on medium-high.  Slowly pour in the sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium-high until soft peaks form--this should not take more than a minute or 2...gradually lower the speed until you turn off the mixer.
2. Frost cupcakes and top with the mini Oreos.