Sweet Enough

I was asked to create a sugar free cupcake for my husband's work party. I will say that this is not an easy or inexpensive thing to do. It's no wonder so many people eat too much sugar! I used a basic chocolate cupcake recipe from splenda.com and I adapted a recipe for chocolate chip cookie dough frosting from a cookie dough dip recipe on pinterest. I will always love the full sugar cupcakes, but these are a nice alternative.

 

Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 16
Oven 350

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 cup boiling water

1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

1 cup SPLENDA^® Sugar Blend

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Combine cocoa and boiling water, whisking until blended. Set aside.

Combine flour, SPLENDA^® Sugar Blend, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with a fork or a pastry blender until crumbly. (This procedure may be done with a mixer at the lowest speed.)

Combine eggs, milk, cocoa mixture and vanilla in a small mixing bowl; add 1/3 of the egg mixture to flour mixture. Beat at low speed of an electric mixer until blended. Beat at medium speed for 30 seconds or until batter is smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of the bowl. Repeat procedure 2 times.

Spoon batter into paper lined muffin tins.

Bake 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar or frost.

 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting

 

2 cups almond flour/almond meal (Trader Joes)
1/2 cup shortening or butter
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips

 

Blend together flour, shortening, honey, vanilla, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips, saving a few for decoration on top of cupcakes.

Anyone Out There?

It's become more and more difficult to get my posts completed for Sunday. Although, I'm not entirely sure anyone besides me has noticed....anyone out there? I have been frantically working on the first half of my thesis. It's due in a couple of weeks...I think I can, I think I can.

I can not wait to be done with taking classes and writing papers. It's almost June, right? I'm all for being a lifelong learner, but does it have to involve papers every week?

This week I made a special birthday dessert for my dad. He requested Devil's food and cream. We had a large Italian dinner with family and then enjoyed the dessert for this week. I have to say these were beautiful cupcakes and probably the best ones I've made so far!
(If you are reading this, hello!)







Devil's Food Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
adapted from insanitytheory.net
Oven 355
Makes about 30 cupcakes
Cupcakes
1 cup good quality dark chocolate, melted
2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
4 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 stick 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, diced and at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar


Cream Filling
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 vanilla pod or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp sugar

Chocolate Buttercream
2 sticks 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced and at room temperature
1/3 cup dark chocolate, melted
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
6 cups confectioners sugar

For cupcakes:
Mix together melted chocolate, buttermilk, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

















Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to thoroughly mix between each one. Set aside.











Sift together the flour and the baking soda. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the chocolate mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until the texture of barely whipped cream.










Fill cupcake liners 1/3 of the way with batter (I used a large cookie scoop for each).












Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.












For the cream filling: Beat the cream with the vanilla and sugar until soft peaks form.












Fill a piping bag with the cream, push the tip right to the bottom of the cupcake and slowly fill the cupcake while pulling upward.











For the chocolate buttercream:
Mix the melted chocolate  together with the cocoa powder and milk till it forms a smooth paste.










Beat the butter till light and fluffy, then add the chocolate paste and 2 cups of icing sugar and beat at high speed till it is well mixed in and fluffy again.










Add the icing sugar, 1 cup at a time, and make sure that you beat the icing at high speed for 5 minutes after each addition. Fill a piping bag with buttercream and frost cupcakes as desired.

Blackout

It's been a long week without power. We lost power Monday afternoon and it finally returned late Friday night. Luckily, we had many friends and family members with power, hot water, and hot coffee! We finally broke down and borrowed my parents' generator Friday night, only to have power restored a few hours later! This week's baked good is a nod to our blackout week.



(our neighbor's tree that fell down)


Generators
Makes 12 mini bundt cakes
Oven 375

Cakes
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant espresso
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup dark chocolate bark, chopped

Espresso Glaze
1 teaspoon instant espresso
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup dark chocolate bark, chopped
2 tablespoons warm water

In a mixing bowl combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso.

















In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Slowly add liquid mixture to flour mixture. Mix on low speed for 5 minutes and add hot water. Mix for an additional minute.















Pour batter into mini-bundt pans (previously greased well). Sprinkle dark chocolate onto each. Bake in oven for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before removing from pans.















While cakes are cooling, mix espresso and warm water in a small bowl until espresso is dissolved.

















Mix in powdered sugar.













Drizzle over cooled cakes and sprinkle with dark chocolate pieces.

Calm

We've been preparing for Hurricane Sandy! It's pretty calm outside now, but the weatherman says to prepare for quite a storm. Schools have already been cancelled for Monday and Tuesday (no complaints here)! Hope everyone stays safe!

I've been enjoying Taylor Swift's new songs. I especially like this video (mainly because it takes place in Paris)! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
adapted from annies-eats.com
Oven 350

2 2/3 cups flour
3 tablespoons espresso powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs

Combine first 8 ingredients, up to and including salt. Set aside. Combine pumpkin, sugars, and oil in mixing bowl. Mix until incorporated.
















With mixer on low, add in eggs, one at a time. Add flour mixture and mix until incorporated.

















Fill cupcake tins (already lined with cupcake liners) with batter.

















Bake in oven for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when tested.

















Top with your favorite frosting and even a drizzle of caramel. Or leave plain, they taste just as good!

Makes 8 dozen mini cupcakes.

The Orchard in Your Room

Our puppy, Ms. Bailey, has been quite busy this week. She discovered that her Aunt Kelley keeps apples in her bags in her bedroom (not quite sure what that's all about). She's proven that she can sniff out almost anything, after taking one away she quickly returned to the room to find another. My mother-in-law managed to get a video of her eating one, notice how she doesn't scold her or take it away! We joke that you can't correct her she's too cute! Don't worry, she was eventually corrected and my sister-in-law removed any additional apples from her room.

We'll be celebrating my mother's birthday tomorrow and I was asked to make dessert. My mother requested something with lemon. I picked these lemon coconut cupcakes with lemon buttercream and toasted coconut. They can easily be made dairy free by substituting margarine for the butter.

Lemon Coconut Cupcakes
adapted from goodlifeeats.com
Oven 350
 Cupcakes:
4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 large eggs
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
zest of 2 extra large lemons
3/4 cup butter, softened 
2 1/2 cups coconut milk

 Lemon Buttercream:
4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
juice of one extra large lemon
2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Zest the lemons. Add to a bowl with the sugar and rub with your fingers to release the aromas from the lemon skin. Set aside.









In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat for 2 minutes, scraping the sides as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the coconut extract. Beat for 3 minutes.










Slowly pour half of the coconut milk into the batter. Beat until well incorporated.
Add half of the flour mixture, beating until incorporated.







Then, add the remaining coconut milk, beating until smooth, followed by the remaining flour mixture. Scrape the sides and give it one last beating so it is mixed well.
Divide batter into cupcake tins. Makes 30 standard sized cupcakes. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool before frosting.








For the Lemon Buttercream:
Cream the butter in the large mixing bowl of a stand mixture. Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar as you continue to cream. Add the lemon juice.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat on high speed until fluffy and smooth.
I topped my cupcakes with toasted coconut!

Nod to Summer

It's that time of year again..... Short shorts are coming down the hallway along with obnoxiously short skirts! Flip flops and sandals are being worn, even in the rain. Students are attempting to make it summer. They think "maybe if we dress like it is, it will come sooner." Despite their attempts we still have a little under a month to go. The college students however are out and enjoying their freedom, or the idea of finding that first job. My sister-in-law and cousin-in-law both graduated this week, one with a masters and one with a bachelors. My sister-in-law had a small graduation picnic to celebrate and asked if I would bake something (her words were "surprise me.") I decided to make these cupcake cones, a nod to Summer and the wish for warmer days.

Cupcake Cones

I started with my traditional chocolate cake recipe (yes, I've been using that a lot lately). You could use any cake/cupcake recipe or just boxed cake mix (if you must). Instead of cupcake liners I used sugar cones.













To secure cones I used an upside down aluminum lasagna pan with holes cut out. I baked them for about 20-25 minutes. Once done I allowed cupcakes to cool.
















I frosted with my usual Magnolia Buttercream Frosting Recipe using a star tip. I added sprinkles for decoration.

Bailey's Path

We spent the majority of today raking out the flower beds. It wasn't the nicest day, but it wasn't raining. Ms. Bailey spent the time getting to know the front yard and the electric fence (luckily she only got zapped twice). She has definitely discovered how to get around the entire yard, under the deck, around the pool, through the front gardens. She reminds me of the old Family Circle cartoon that follows Billy's Path through the neighborhood in no particular pattern.

The dessert for today is for only two cupcakes. I did end up making twelve for a dinner party I was having. I have to say that they were just okay. Not necessarily my favorite for a lot of cupcakes, but if I just wanted to make two cupcakes this would be the recipe I would go to.

Vanilla Cupcakes for Two
from howsweeteats.com
Oven 350

1 egg white
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup flour
1/4 heaping teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons milk








Line a muffin pan with 2 liners.In a bowl, add egg white and sugar and whisk until combined. Add in vanilla and melted butter and stir until mixed. Add flour, baking powder and salt and stir until smooth. Stir in milk.














Divide batter equally between the 2 cupcake liners.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cake is set. Let cool completely, then frost as desired.

Grover

My nephew turned one this week! I helped in his first birthday celebration by making Grover Funfetti Cupcakes. His parents did a great job decorating (although, Grover is not one the most popular Sesame Street characters, so it's difficult to find things with him). He got a lot of new toys, books, a hand painted chair, a personalized birthday music CD, and some new clothes.


He definitely enjoyed himself and his cupcake!
Grover Funfetti Cupcakes
Oven 350
Makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
¼ cup butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ tsp almond extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles/jimmies

Place liners in a 12 cup muffin tin.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until it looks creamy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla and almond extracts until mixture is smooth.
Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until almost combined. Add buttermilk and stir, again, until almost combined. Add the rest of the flour and stir until all ingredients are mixed in.








Gently fold in sprinkles (if you mix too much the colors will run and create a brownish green swirl). Divide batter evenly into muffin cups (you can even put some sprinkles on top before baking).
Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Let cupcakes cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the muffin pan. Cool completely before frosting.











I used my favorite Vanilla Buttercream recipe and added blue coloring for Grover. I cut the eyes, mouth, and nose out of Wilton Sugar Sheets. I was going to use candy, but I didn't want my nephew to choke on anything, the sugar sheets were perfect.








 If you have kids this would be a fun activity to keep them busy for at least a few minutes! Click the link: Cupcake Cut-outs

Friend

We were at church yesterday and the priest was talking about how we choose our friends. He talked about who our true friends are, the people you could go 2-3 years without seeing and still pick up the conversation where you left off. Or the people who would drop everything to come help you. Or the people that would give you a place to sleep when you show up at their door with your pillow. It made me really think about who my friends are, who could I call?
 He talked about how parents should not be their children's friends. Too often parents lose sight of the fact that they should be the voice of reason, not the friend their teenager chats with on facebook and at the mall.
My favorite part of his homily was when he said that your best friend should be your spouse, if you have one. From behind my husband and I, a little old man told his wife, " You're my best friend..." "What?" replied his wife very loudly. " You're my best friend!" he replied, equally as loudly. I couldn't help but smile. They must have been married for quite some time and I loved that he wanted her to know she was still his best friend!




Mini Cupcake Toppers

What you'll need:
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (small)
Favorite Frosting
Sprinkles
Cupcakes

Unwrap reese's cups from foil, but not paper.













Decorate with frosting (I used a star tip) and sprinkles.












Place on top of cupcake or eat as a mini dessert!