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.

Week 45, December 8, 2014 ~ White Chocolate Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes

So I knew I was going to make a gingerbread cupcake for the holiday season and when deciding what direction to take it in I decided to be selfish and make a cupcake that reflects me favorite holiday beverage at work. It is a latte with half gingerbread syrup and half white chocolate syrup. The sweetness of the white chocolate balances out the spice of the gingerbread and tasted like an iced gingerbread cookie! So to replicate that I made a gingerbread cupcake and tried a different technique with filling them by cutting an opening in the top and stuffing them with white chocolate truffles as soon as they came out of the oven. This was seriously so much easier and faster than if I make a white chocolate ganache and cored them and filled them with that. I then topped the cupcakes with coffee buttercream. It tasted like coffee ice cream and it was delicious. 

The recipe makes 12-14 cupcakes

• 1/2 cup canola oil
•  1/2 cup sugar
•  1/2 cup molasses
•  1 egg, room temp and beaten
•  1-1/2 cup flour
•  1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
•  1 teaspoon cinnamon
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
•  1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
•  1/2 cup boiling water
•  1/2 tablespoon baking soda
• 12-14 white chocolate Lindor Truffles (small bag was plenty)

Preheat oven to 350° and line muffin tins with baking cups.

In mixing bowl, using whisk attachment, combine oil, sugar, and molasses; then add beaten egg until well mixed.

In a medium bowl whisk flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and cloves. Whisk into molasses mixture until well combined.

Boil water and remove from heat. Add baking soda and whisk into batter.

Fill baking cups 2/3 full and bake for 25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. 

With a pair of kitchen scissors cut an X in each cupcake just wider than the truffle and then insert a truffle into each cupcake (see photo below) Set aside to cool.

For the coffee buttercream:

• 1 1/2 T. instant coffee granules
• 1 1/2 T. water
• 1 1/2 T. vanilla extract
• 3/4 lb. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 c. confectioners' sugar
• 3 T. milk

 1. Combine water, coffee granules, and vanilla extract in a small bowl; stir till coffee is dissolved and set aside.

2.  Beat butter on medium speed until fluffy.  Reduce mixer speed to low.  Add confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, until incorporated.  Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes.

3.  Add the coffee mixture and milk; beat on low speed to combine.  Scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.  Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until fluffy, 4 minutes.  

I topped my cupcakes with a sprinkle of cinnamon but if you wanted to be really cute you could use mini gingerbread man cookies!