Tag Archives: buttercream

Pancake and Bacon Cupcakes!!!

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Ruthanne

These sweet maple pancake flavored cupcakes are topped with syrup-coated bacon and real mini-pancakes. The only question remaining is, will you eat them for breakfast???

My answer to that question is a resounding YES, I will eat them for breakfast, and any other time of the day too!

Did you know that today is National Pancake Lovers Day??? There is no better way I know of to celebrate pancakes than by making these! [Plus, Monday is National Coffee Day, and believe me these go GREAT with coffee!]

These cupcakes were a complete experiment, and when they came out of the oven and I tentatively tasted one, I smiled. They taste like pancakes- they really do! Here’s how we made them: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter, melted
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup maple syrup (I didn’t use the real stuff– too expensive!)

Frosting and toppings:

2 sticks (1 cup) of salted butter, softened
2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
8 pieces of bacon, cooked until very crisp
1/4 cup of maple syrup
Pancake batter- enough for about 50 mini pancakes (I used the add water and shake Bisquick bottle, and it took about 2 cups of batter to make these up.

DIRECTIONS:

Cupcakes:

Combine all dry ingredients and mix in medium bowl
In large bowl, whisk eggs, whipping cream and vanilla together, add melted butter slowly while whisking.
Alternately add dry ingredients and syrup to the egg mixture, whisking until thick and smooth.
Scoop evenly into 18-20 cupcake liners placed in muffin tins. Don’t overfill!
Bake at 350F degrees for 14-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove cupcakes from tin and allow them to cool completely.

Frosting and toppings:

Crumble bacon into small pieces and toss with maple syrup until completely coated.
Make mini pancakes on a hot griddle by using a small spoon and making just a tiny circle of batter. Let these cool on a piece of parchment paper.
Make frosting by placing butters, powdered sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beating on high for 3-4 minutes until very light and fluffy.
Place frosting into a large zip top bag that has a decorating tip fitted into one corner.
Pipe a circle of icing around the edge of the cupcake.
Sprinkle with bacon.
Place pancakes on top, using a small amount of frosting to stick them together into a stack.
Add a dollop of frosting on top and add sprinkles or a red “cherry” sixlet, like mine.
ENJOY!!!!

Pancake Cupcakes!!! My thoughts: These are really good. The sweet cupcake with that salty bacon….yum! I was a little skeptical about the bacon, but it really adds a wonderful flavor to these! If you are short on time, skip the mini pancakes on top and just frost these and sprinkle them with bacon. You could even use a bottle of those real bacon bits, but I suspect that the freshly cooked bacon tastes best. Happy Pancake Day to YOU!!! Enjoy!! ~r

Other treats that you “could” eat for breakfast:

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Posted in Cupcakes and tagged bacon, baking, best, breakfast, buttercream, cupcakes, dessert, fun, idea, maple, maple syrup, pancake, recipe, salty, sweet, syrup, unique. Bookmark the permalink.

Bomb Pop Cupcakes!!

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Ruthanne

Does anything scream SUMMER, or FOURTH OF JULY like Bomb Pops? These adorable cupcakes capture the flavors of an iconic summertime popsicle and make a perfect holiday treat!

You know those memories from childhood that spring up unexpectedly and make you smile? Bomb Pops have that effect on me. My brother and I always spent a week or two at my grandparents house each summer. They had an immaculately clean garage with a huge freezer in it. Grandma would always keep a box of bomb pops inside for our visits. I remember so clearly, sitting out on her porch eating these in the evenings, letting the drips of sweet popsicle land on the cement by my bare feet. Every time I eat one, it’s like traveling back in time to those days.

I wanted to capture the flavors of these summer treats in cupcake form, and I love how these turned out! The kids in my life who tried them exclaimed, “These taste like popsicles!”

I consider that a success!

These were not hard to make at all- simply add jello to white cake mix and pipe the batter into cupcake liners in layers.

Here’s how we made them: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed white cake mix (with oil, water and eggs to make according to package)
One small box of blue raspberry Jell-O (Jolly Rancher had this flavor, and Jell-O has a Berry Blue that works)
One small box of Cherry Jell-O
2 sticks of salted butter (at room temperature)
2 sticks of unsalted butter (at room temperature)
3 cups of powdered sugar
3 teaspoons of lemon extract or flavoring (technically the flavor in the popsicles is lime…but I couldn’t easily get my hands on lime extract. The lemon was great- but feel free to use lime instead, if you want!)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees
Make cake mix as directed on box, and divide batter equally into two bowls.
Add 3 Tablespoons of Blue Raspberry Jell-O to one bowl, and 3 Tablespoons of Cherry Jell-O to the other bowl.
Mix each bowl of batter until well combined
Place each flavor of batter into a large, sturdy (I use freezer-type) zip top bag.
Clip a corner off the bag of Blue Raspberry batter and evenly pipe into 24 cupcake liners placed into muffin tins.
Clip a corner off the bag of Cherry batter and evenly pipe over the top of the Blue Raspberry batter.
Bake cupcakes as directed on boxed mix, remove from oven, and cool.
Make frosting by combining butters, powdered sugar and lemon extract in a large bowl. Beat on low until combined and then high, until light and fluffy.
Put frosting into a large, sturdy zip-top bag that has been fitted with a decorating tip, and pipe frosting on the top of each cupcake.
Decorate as desired. I saw these cute little Mike and Ike “popsicle” toppers on a fun site called Party Pinching. They were fun and easy to make, but they use toothpicks and could be dangerous to serve- especially to kids. I love how cute they are, but I can’t recommend them. Use cute sprinkles and maybe a popsicle stick instead!
Enjoy!

My thoughts: These were really easy to put together and the fruit flavors are so refreshing! I love the patriotic colors too!

Just as a note: the blue layer of cupcake rises to the top, just a little bit, so don’t panic! You will still have nice layers of the two flavors.

I really hope you get a chance to try these treats in celebration of summer! Enjoy! ~r

Other fun summer treats to try:

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Posted in Cupcakes, Uncategorized and tagged bomb pops, buttercream, cake mix, creative desserts, cupcakes, edible star glitter, fourth of July, holidays, jell-o, kids, Labor day, Memorial day, patriotic, popsicles, red white and blue dessert, summer, unique recipes. Bookmark the permalink.

Pink Champagne and Raspberry Cupcakes!

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Ruthanne

These cheery pink cupcakes are made like a 7-Up cake, but with sweet pink champagne instead! Topped with a raspberry buttercream, they are a perfect way to bring in the New Year!!!

INGREDIENTS: (printable recipe)

Cupcakes:

3 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sweet champagne or bubbly wine (I used Barefoot Bubbly, and wished it had been sweeter)
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 cups granulated sugar

Frosting:

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons raspberry extract
pink food coloring gel (as desired for coloring both cupcakes and frosting)
fun sprinkles! (I used edible star glitter and pearls—love them!!!)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees
Place 24 cupcake liners into muffin tins
In a medium bowl, combine champagne, eggs, and vanilla
In a second medium bowl, mix together flour and salt
Use an electric mixer to beat together 2 sticks of softened butter, shortening and granulated sugar.
Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes
With the mixer on low speed, add about 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/3 of the champagne mixture.
Alternate the flour and champagne, mixing until well combined.
Add a little bit of pink food coloring gel if you want a pink tint to your cupcakes and combine well.
Spoon batter evenly into cupcake liners
Bake at 350F degrees for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.
Allow cupcakes to cool completely.
When cupcakes are cool, you can add a little extra champagne taste by poking holes in the top of each cupcake with a toothpick and brushing the tops of each cupcake with champagne.
Make frosting by combining all of the frosting ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beating on low until combined and then on high until light and very fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
Pipe frosting on tops of cooled cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles as desired.
ENJOY!!

My thoughts: These are just fun little cupcakes. Use the sweetest sparkling wine/champagne you can though. For an alcohol-free treat use sparkling grape juice. I made a valiant attempt at including the champagne in the frosting, but it was TERRIBLE. Simple buttercream with a touch of raspberry flavor was perfect instead.

Happy New Year!!!!!

Other fun New Years recipe ideas:

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Posted in Cupcakes and tagged 7-up cake, best, buttercream, cake, cupcake, cupcakes, dessert, holiday, New years, pink champagne, pink champagne cupcake, raspberry, recipe, sparkling wine, sweets, vanilla. Bookmark the permalink.

Toxic Slime-filled Cupcakes!

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Ruthanne

Fudge cupcakes filled with toxic green slime! Yummy white chocolate pudding makes the slime and fun buttercream and bones complete this mad-scientist dessert. Print some free radioactive cupcake toppers and you have such a fun October treat!!

These cupcakes are delicious….. I know the green slime might throw you off, but that slime is the creamiest pudding filling….oh my. It is like a custard filled doughnut…but better.

I’m a scientist in my day job, so when thinking creepy I tend toward the blood and guts variety more than ghosts and monsters. I knew I wanted green slime, so I looked up recipes for ideas (realistic slime….it needed to be realistic….) and I came across an adorable blog with the idea of using plain old pudding with green food coloring– easy! Plus I loved her frosting “blob” technique, so a few parts of this recipe are borrowed from ideas on Make Bake Celebrate.

I also created some free printable “radioactive” cupcake toppers for you. Just click here for the link, print 2 pages on card stock, cut them out and use double-sided tape to stick them back-to-back over a toothpick. Easy-peasy and a perfect finish on these! Aren’t they fun?!???

Lets make these cute little cupcakes together! (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed cake mix (plus water, oil and eggs to make according to box)
One box (3.3 oz.) Jello Brand White Chocolate Pudding (instant)
Milk (to make pudding according to package)
Green food coloring gel
Purple food coloring gel
2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon clear vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
Sprinkles/ decorations for tops of cupcakes (I used Wilton Bones Sprinkles)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Make cupcakes according to box and divide evenly into 24 cupcake liners placed in cupcake tins.
Bake according to times given on boxed mix.
Remove from oven and cool completely.
Make pudding according to package and at the end add green food color gel (I used Leaf green by WIlton ) until it looks like radioactive slime!!! Carefully spoon into a zip-top bag.
Core your cooled cupcakes- you can use a paring knife to just remove a core, but a cupcake corer is much faster and more uniform. I use the Chicago Metallic Cupcake Plunger and it is cheap and small and perfect for the job!
Carefully clip a corner of your green slime (pudding) bag and fill each cupcake cavity about half full of “slime”.
Trim a little off the bottom of the “core” you removed and place it back on top of the filling- like a little cupcake cork!

Make frosting by combining butters, powdered sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beating it on high until light and fluffy.
Divide frosting in half and mix green into one half and purple into the other half until fully combined.
Place each color of frosting in a bag that has been fitted with a Wilton 2A round decorating tip. Pipe round dots of frosting in alternating colors all over each cupcake top.

Add sprinkles, bones, skulls, eyeballs…. any cool and creepy decorations you want!
Top each cupcake with a free printable topper and ENJOY!!!!

My thoughts: I would make these again in a heartbeat. I might make them again this weekend. Yes, they are super fun, but the pudding is really SO good inside! I feel like every cupcake should have pudding inside…! I always love to watch the reactions when people bite into things for the first time– and these don’t disappoint!!! Lots of laughter and smiles at this yummy green slime! Enjoy!!!!!! ~r

Other fun Halloween treats to try!!

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Posted in Cupcakes, Seasonal dessert, Uncategorized and tagged baking, best, buttercream, chocolate, creative, cupcake, cupcake toppers, cupcakes, edible, fun, green slime, green slime filled cupcakes, Halloween, kids party, mad-scientist, party, radioactive, sprinkles, unique. Bookmark the permalink.

Key Lime Layer Cake

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Ruthanne

Moist cake layered with buttercream and tart key lime filling. A perfect summer treat!

Key lime pie is one of my favorite desserts. It’s just so refreshing and fun! Whenever I am pondering the question of what dessert to try in a restaurant I am always caught between chocolate and anything key lime.

I’ve already done a few key lime recipes here on Easybaked, but never a cake. Until today…..

The key lime filling is tart, but the sweet buttercream layered with it makes each bite a refreshing treat!

Here’s how to make it: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed yellow cake mix (with eggs, oil and water to make according to package)
1 cup of key lime juice
1 can (14 oz) of sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
2 sticks (8 oz.) of salted butter
2 sticks (8 oz.) of unsalted butter
3 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of clear vanilla
1/4 cup crushed graham crackers

DIRECTIONS: (make filling 1st to save time)

Cake:

Make cake mix according to package and bake in two 8 or 9 inch round pans.
Turn cakes out of pans onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Filling:

In a medium mixing bowl blend together key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and egg until combined.
Pour into a small casserole dish and bake at 325F degrees for 15-20 minutes until center is set.
Cool completely (I make this 1st and place it in the fridge while I make the cake and frosting)

Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, add softened butters, powdered sugar and vanilla.
Beat on high for several minutes until frosting is light and very fluffy.

Putting the cake together:

Trim the tops of cakes to make them flat using a large serrated knife.
Cut each cake into 2 layers using the same serrated knife.
Place 1st layer on a serving plate and lightly layer with frosting.
Spread 1/3 of the cooled key lime filling over layer
Place 2nd layer on top and repeat until last layer has been placed on top.
Frost entire cake (top and sides) with buttercream frosting.
Crush a few graham crackers and gently press the crumbs along the sides of the cake.
Decorate as desired. I used little dollops of extra frosting and little lime green chocolates.

(Aren’t they cute?!?)

My thoughts: I love this cake so much! It’s not only one of my favorite flavors, but it’s pretty and it holds together so well and cuts beautifully! If you love key lime like I do, this is the cake for you! I hope you get a chance to try it!!! Enjoy! ~r

Other layer cake recipes you might enjoy:

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Posted in Cakes and tagged baking, buttercream, cake, cake mix, dessert, easy cake, food, frosting, key lime, key lime filling, key lime juice, key lime pie, key lime recipes, layer cake, recipe, sweetened condensed milk, sweets, yellow cake, yellow cake mix. Bookmark the permalink.

Baileys Irish Cream Cupcakes

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Ruthanne

These amazing cupcakes are made with Baileys Irish cream and topped with a Baileys buttercream frosting. They are incredibly good–and the way I came across this recipe is quite the story!

Have you watched the TV show that’s out right now called The American Baking Competition? The one with all of the challenges each week– breads, cakes, pies…? I love it. Aaaaand…I auditioned for it last fall. I’m actually not one of those “I wanna be on TV” people, but I am one of those “that sounds like a crazy fun adventure, let’s do it!” people. In 2002, my coworkers dared me to audition for The Weakest Link game show and they picked me– I’d never actually seen the show which made things a little awkward at first…lol! So auditioning for a cooking show? Why not??

I know you are dying to know how these cupcakes are made, so I will save my story-telling for later, but long story short– I met a ton of wonderful bakers at the audition and one of them was Lauren Shilt. She brought these Baileys cupcakes to her audition and gave me an extra. I fell in love with this cupcake! It is so dense and moist and rich….so I begged for the recipe and Lauren kindly obliged.

Here you have it… Baileys Cupcakes: (printer friendly recipe)

INGREDIENTS: (makes 30-36 cupcakes)

Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups cake flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (use super fine sugar, if you can find it!)
3/4 cups unsalted butter room temp.
3 eggs room temp.
3 teaspoons of vanilla
1 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream (separated, 1/2 cup for the cakes, 1/2 cup to pour over the cakes after they have been baked)

Buttercream Frosting:

2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, room temp.
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temp.
3 cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 cup Baileys Irish Cream-enough to get the frosting to the desired flavor and consistency.

For the Chocolate Ganache to drizzle over the top:

1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips (or if using a bar, chopped)
3 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

(I used 1/4c. heavy cream and 1/2c. semi-sweet chips plus 3 teaspoons of Baileys for mine, and I made it at the end since it was thick enough to use as soon as it cooled a bit. It’s just how I always do ganache and I needed to save time.)

DIRECTIONS:

Make the Ganache first (unless you use my recipe)

In a saucepan bring the cream to simmer over med heat
Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate until it is melted and incorporated
Whisk in the Baileys Irish Cream
Refrigerate until it has a good consistency to drizzle over the top

Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the muffin tins with 36 cupcake liners (my batch only made 30)
In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon
In a large bowl, use a mixer to cream together the sugar and butter for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add eggs once at a time until incorporated and then mix in vanilla.
Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the Bailey’s Irish Cream, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for 17-20 min. (mine were slightly over-baked at 17 min, so check often!)
Cool in pan for a few minutes
Using a toothpick poke holes in the tops of the cupcakes and using a pastry brush, brush the additional 1/2 cup of baileys over the cupcakes.

Baileys Buttercream Frosting:

Place butters, powdered sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Beat on high until light and fluffy.
Add Baileys Irish Cream a bit at a time until buttercream is desired flavor and consistency.
Frost cooled cupcakes using a pastry bag, then drizzle with Bailey’s Ganache.

My thoughts: You are simply going to love these cupcakes. I’ve had 4 people (so far!) tell me that these are their favorite cupcake I’ve ever made. They are SO good!!!!! Plus, (be very proud of me!) they are not a cake mix! 😉

Ok. Story time.

So crazy, adventure-seeking me sent in my application for this “baking show” on CBS. I was invited to come to Chicago to do an in-person audition for the show. I needed to bring my “signature” baked good. Signature? How to choose from all my favorites? I decided on Salted Caramel Cookie Cups, because everyone loves them, they are easy to travel with and they are signature (in that they use lots of pre-made ingredients), making them EASYbaked 🙂 My motto.

A few days before the audition I got a call from CBS confirming my audition time and making sure I would be bringing everything I needed. This very nice man said–“now, be sure you plate your baked good”. I was like… “um…ok. I will make sure I put it on a plate.” Long pause. “No, you need to plate it.” “Yes,” I replied, “I will put it on a plate.” “You need to plate it- you know, make it look all fancy for the judges?”

Sigh. My 1st clue this isn’t going to go well. I hang up and google “how to plate a dessert”. Then I go to the store to buy little bottles with tips….and I practice “plating” my little desserts.

Laura and I pack up all my supplies and off we go to a very rainy and cold Chicago.

When I arrived and checked in I was seated in a room FULL of people carrying baked goods in all sorts of containers. I love meeting new people and within no time I had met all of the people sitting around me. It was SO much fun! A whole room full of people comparing ganache recipes and favorite frosting ideas. AMAZING! About 5 of us chatted while we waited to get called back and we all ended up getting called back together. We had to “plate” our items for the judges (thank goodness I got all of that sorted out ahead of time!) and they tasted our items and asked us questions. Lauren and I made it to the second round and we spent our waiting time really getting to know each other and exchanging our extra desserts with the bakers around us.

New Baking Friends!!!

The second interview was questions, asked in a group setting. Not too intimidating… The casting person (who, apparently was also a trained culinary person) asked me how I made my wonderful caramel filling. I explained that I use Kraft caramels, sweetened condensed milk and butter to make it.

There were audible gasps.

Everyone was staring at me.

What had I said wrong?

The interviewer said- you mean you didn’t make this from scratch?

Ummm…no.

Why would you bring this as your signature baked good if it isn’t from scratch?

Because my baking is rarely from scratch. Why slave over homemade caramel if you can just use caramels to make a filling?

But it’s not homemade….

Well, you loved it and sent me to the next round of interviews…?

I didn’t tell her that the crust was made of refrigerator cookie dough… yikes.

The next baker was a woman who literally forages in the woods for all of her ingredients. Literally. Forages.

I wanted to jump in and say that I foraged at WalMart on Black Friday for my ingredients…nearly died…got them cheap….?

I was fairly certain I was “out” of the running. Until I was handed a paper that said:

What?!?! This involved staying an extra day in Chicago (thank you dear, patient Laura!), panicking over the fact that I only brought a Green Bay Packer Jersey to wear home the next day…(can you interview on camera for a baking show dressed like a football player?), waiting for 2 hours, falling asleep in a hotel lobby and defending my use of Kraft caramels on camera for Hollywood to see.

Needless to say, I wasn’t called and invited to be a contestant on the show. Have you watched it? I would have gone down in flames the 1st week. These people are amazing! Francine is my favorite~ she uses crazy creative ingredients like bacon and red-hot candies in her recipes (anyone who bakes with candy is my hero!) Hope she wins!

After my long day of interviewing, Laura and I settled in at our hotel and pigged out on all the treats I exchanged with other bakers during the day. This was when I first tasted Lauren’s cupcakes…oh. my.

A collection of amazing baked goods!

A big BIG thanks to Lauren for sharing her recipe with us! If you’d like to get to know her and see some of her incredible baking creations, she is on facebook. Visit her page and give it a “like” by clicking here.

Lauren

I usually stick to sharing recipes in my posts, but this story was just too fun. Thanks for listening– now go and make these cupcakes— you will love them— I promise!!! ~r

Other “from scratch” recipes on Easybaked…yes, there are a few!!!!

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Posted in Cupcakes and tagged american baking competition, bailey s irish cream, baileys, baileys cupcake, baileys irish cream, baking, buttercream, cake flour, chocolate ganache, cupcake, cupcakes with alcohol, dessert, food, fun dessert, homemade cupcake recipe, recipe, sweets. Bookmark the permalink.

Coconut Caramel Cupcakes

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Ruthanne

Half-n-half coconut and caramel cupcakes topped with coconut buttercream and melted caramel sauce…yum…!

I was in the baking aisle of my grocery store the other day (of course!) and I saw these:

I was understandably intrigued….two flavors in one cupcake….? This has to be better than just one lonely flavor…..? Plus they weren’t very expensive. I had to try them! So I stood in front of the cake mixes pondering the possibilities… caramel sounded good…but with what? Coconut!!! Like those yummy Girl Scout cookies….

I grabbed two cake mixes, some caramels and some coconut. Ready to go. Note the two cake mixes. If you want two flavors you need two mixes, which means that this recipe makes a TON of cupcakes. 48 to be exact. I made 24 full size cupcakes and then used the rest of the batter making minis for a different recipe idea. You could make the full 48 and freeze half without the toppings too- just thaw and frost when you need them!

Here’s the recipe. Makes and frosts 48 cupcakes. (printer-friendly recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

1 boxed caramel cake mix (with water, oil and eggs to make according to package)
1 boxed white cake mix (with water, oil and eggs to make according to package)
1 cup shredded coconut (divided)
4 teaspoons of coconut flavoring (divided)
32 Kraft caramel candies (unwrapped)
1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) salted butter (divided)
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
3 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Make both cake mixes according to box instructions
Add 3/4 cup of shredded coconut to the white cake mix along with 2 teaspoons of the coconut flavoring. Mix well.
Place the rest of the shredded coconut on a small cookie sheet in oven for 10-12 minutes until toasted and browned. Set aside to cool and use for topping at the end.
Place cupcake liners in a cupcake pan and set batter dividers into center of cups. (get 12….I got 6 and it took longer than I wanted it to!!)
Gently spoon batter on each side of divider and tap pan to settle batter into bottom of cup.

Once batter is evenly spooned in on both sides, just pull divider straight up and out, leaving a half caramel/ half coconut cupcake! (so fun!!!)
Bake at 350F degrees according to times on boxed mix, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While cupcakes are baking, make your caramel sauce:

Place 32 Kraft caramels, sweetened condensed milk and 1/4 c. (1/2 stick) of salted butter into a saucepan and heat it on high, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth (takes about 5-6 minutes). Set aside.
Make buttercream frosting by adding 2 sticks of salted butter, 2 sticks of unsalted butter, powdered sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons of coconut flavoring to a large mixing bowl and beating it until it is light and fluffy.
Cool cupcakes completely.
Mix caramel sauce (reheat a bit if it has started to harden) and dip the tops of each cupcake in the sauce.

Allow caramel sauce to harden and cool completely (or it will melt your buttercream!)
Place coconut buttercream in a large zip top bag that has been fitted with a piping tip in one corner.
Pipe frosting over top of each cupcake.
Sprinkle toasted coconut on top.
Drizzle with any remaining caramel sauce you have left….and enjoy!!!

My thoughts: Loved these cupcakes…so flavorful and fun! The two-flavor center got lots of “wow”s and that caramel topping…yum….! I would get 12 of the batter dividers. It was just inconvenient to need to wash and dry them half way through. I’m excited to try other color and flavor combinations now. Super fun for school colors or sports team cupcakes (go Packers!!). Hope you are inspired to try these. I think you will really love them! Enjoy!!!! ~r

Mocha Caramel Cream Cupcakes

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Ruthanne

It’s that time of year here…that yummy cup of frou frou coffee just whispers your name until you find yourself nestled into an armchair at the local coffee shop watching it snow and sipping a mocha or a latte. One with chocolate drizzled on top…or caramel.

Why not capture those flavors in a cupcake?

These yummy treats are coffee-infused chocolate cupcakes filled with creamy caramel and topped with coffee buttercream.

Oh. My.

Bring it on winter!

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

One boxed chocolate cake mix (plus water, oil and eggs to make according to box)
1/4c milk (warmed)
2 T instant coffee granules

Caramel Cream Filling:

1 cup sugar
1/2 c. water
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 T. powdered sugar

Frosting:

2 sticks (8 oz.) salted butter
2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter
3 c. powdered sugar
2 T. vanilla
2 T. instant coffee granules

Directions:

Cupcakes:

Place 2 T. instant coffee granules into milk and stir. Allow this to sit and dissolve.
Make mix according to box
Add coffee/ milk mixture to cake batter and blend well.
Scoop into 24 cupcake liners in cupcake tins and bake at 350F degrees for about 20 minutes.
Remove from tins immediately and allow to cool on counter.

Caramel Filling:

Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir constantly and cook until mixture turns a caramel brown color. (about 10 minutes)
Remove from heat and slowly add cream, whisking vigorously (this will spit and splatter as you add it, so use caution!).

Chill in refrigerator until cold. (I did this the night before and just left it overnight)
When mixture is cold, add powdered sugar and beat on high until creamy and smooth.

Frosting:

Add 2T vanilla and 2T instant coffee granules together in a small bowl and allow the coffee to dissolve.
Place butters and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on high until very fluffy.
Add vanilla/coffee mixture and beat until well combined.
Core cupcakes and pipe caramel filling inside.
Pipe frosting on top and sprinkle with a little cocoa powder.

My thoughts: Goodness, I love these cupcakes. The filling is a touch fussy since you need to chill it until cold, but I have to say that it is WORTH the wait. I’m on a diet and I took ONE bite (to get a picture of the filling, of course..!) and I couldn’t stop. I had to finish the cupcake. I blew my diet for this cupcake…it is just so good. Two people have asked for *just* a bowl of the coffee buttercream frosting…haha!

Sigh. I will dream of these cupcakes until the diet is over….in two months….and then I will eat 3 of them.

Make these and enjoy them on my behalf!!!! ~r

In other (non-recipe!) news, I finally have a DSLR camera! (Nikon D5200) Yay! I feel like my photos are a little off as I adjust to it though. I had a system for making my point and shoot work for me and now I’m trying to adjust my system to get the right lighting and exposure. I previously used a homemade light box to control my lighting and now I’m just so excited to sit down at a coffee shop and take pictures using natural light. Yesterday I met my friend Ben for coffee and before he could take a bite or sip of his treats I was like, “WAIT!!! I have to take a picture of that!” So much fun. So my apologies for my fairly awful pictures in this post– I’m learning!!!

Yummy coffee shop treats (and practice with my new camera!)

Want some other winter dessert ideas? Click on the image to be taken to the recipe.

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Posted in Cupcakes and tagged baking, buttercream, caramel, caramel cream, caramel filling, chocolate, chocolate cake mix, chocolate cupcakes, coffee, coffee buttercream, coffee cupcakes, coffee granules, coffee mixture, cupcake, cupcake liners, dessert, filled cupcake, food, mocha, powdered sugar frosting. Bookmark the permalink.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake Roll!

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Ruthanne

This strawberry cake rolled with vanilla buttercream and dark chocolate ganache is not only a pretty Valentines Day treat, but such a yummy one! Plus, it looks A LOT harder to make than it really is!

February 1st. How can the first month of this year be gone already? I had already written a post for for this week when I looked at the calendar and thought, oh my- it’s time for a Valentine’s dessert! I had an unexpected day off of work this week and decided to experiment with turning an ordinary cake mix into a cake roll. I absolutely loved the results! Cake rolls will always be a little fussier than plain old cakes, but look at how cute it is…! If you’ve never made a cake roll, I will try to explain it as we go. I have a few pictures, but if you want a few more click here for my pumpkin roll recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed strawberry cake mix (I used Pillsbury this time)
Water, oil and eggs (we will adjust the amounts from the box just a bit!)
1/2c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. dark chocolate chips
2 sticks (8 oz) butter
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 T. clear vanilla flavoring.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees
Make boxed cake mix, but add just a little less oil and water. The Pillsbury mix called for 1 cup of water and 1/3 cup of oil. I used 3/4 c. water and 1/4 c. oil instead. I used the same # of eggs (3)
Cover the bottom of a standard jellyroll pan (mine is about 12″ by 17″, and about 1″ deep) with waxed paper- allowing the paper to extend just a bit over each end.
Lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Pour cake batter into pan and gently spread it out to cover the entire bottom in a thin, but even layer of cake.
Bake at 350F degrees for 15-20 minutes- checking often to make sure it isn’t browning too much.
Remove pan from oven, sprinkle a clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar, lay it powder side down on the top of the cake and holding the towel in place, flip the pan over onto a flat surface. You will have your powdered towel, the cake on top and wax paper on top of the cake.
Peel the wax paper off and gently roll the cake up in the towel, rolling from one short end to the other- keep the towel on the bottom and wrap it up with the cake.
Refrigerate for one hour.
While this is in the fridge, make your ganache and butter cream.
For the ganache: heat 1/2 c. of whipping cream in a medium saucepan until it starts to bubble around the edges. Turn off the heat. Add the dark chocolate chips and cover for 5-10 minutes. Stir until smooth and creamy.
For the buttercream: Place (softened) butter, powdered sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat on high until very fluffy and creamy.
After chilling for one hour, remove cake roll from fridge and gently unroll on a flat surface.
Gently and evenly spread ganache over entire surface of the cake roll.
Gently and evenly spread the buttercream over the ganache. This part was a little tricky- I wanted to make sure I didn’t mix the two layers, so I scooped the buttercream in little bits all over the top and then spread it a little at a time.

Gently roll the cake back up, leaving the towel behind. Carefully lift it on to a large plate and refrigerate it until the buttercream and ganache harden up.

The 1st time I made this it rolled beautifully and I just sprinkled it with powdered sugar….then when I made it for taking photos it cracked as I rolled. This sometimes happens with cake rolls and there’s an easy fix: make another batch of ganache and pour it right over the top! I think I actually liked it better this way! You can’t even tell it cracked, see:

When it is chilled, slice it and serve it with whipped cream and maybe even some chocolate covered strawberries? So yummy!!!!

My thoughts: I really had fun making this dessert. There’s just something about the pink cake and all that gooey chocolate that makes me smile! I hope this cake brings a smile to the faces of all the ones you love this Valentine’s Day! Enjoy!!! ~r

Want some other fun Valentines Day ideas? Click on the picture to be taken to the recipe.

32 Comments

Posted in Cakes and tagged baking, buttercream, cake, cake mix, cake roll, chocolate, chocolate chips, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate ganache, creative dessert, dark chocolate, dessert, food, heavy whipping cream, how to make a cake roll from a box mix, jellyroll pan, pumpkin roll recipe, strawberry cake, Strawberry cake roll, unique dessert, valentines day, valentines dessert. Bookmark the permalink.

A big pile of cupcakes!

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Ruthanne

Make everyone smile with a stack of three colorful cupcakes! Made with peanut butter cups, these mini-cupcake decorations are SO yummy with the chocolate cupcake they top. The occasions you could serve these at are endless. What a fun New Year’s Eve party treat, or birthdays? What about a Dr. Seuss themed party? SO much fun!!!! Here’s how to put them together:

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed dark chocolate cake mix (with oil, water and eggs to make according to box)
2 sticks (8 oz) salted butter (softened)
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter (softened)
3 cups of powdered sugar
2 tsp clear vanilla
24 Reese’s miniature peanut butter cups (unwrapped)
24 Reese’s minis peanut butter cups
Wilton Icing Colors
sprinkles, jimmies to decorate cupcakes

DIRECTIONS:

Make cupcakes according to the box. I used brown cupcake liners to match the chocolate on the peanut butter cup toppers.
Cool cupcakes completely.
Make butter cream frosting by combining butters, powdered sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
Beat on high until frosting is light and fluffy.
Divide frostings into bowls and color using icing gels. I made 5 colors, but you can do however many you want.
Pipe frostings on top of cupcakes and (using a smaller tip) pipe frosting on top of the two sizes of peanut butter cups. (I clipped both corners of a zip top bag and put the large tip in one and the small in the other. I piped the large cupcakes 1st and then squeezed the remaining frosting into the other corner and piped the frosting on the Reese’s cups.)
Gently stack the tiny cupcake on the medium and the medium on the full-size. (this buttercream recipe worked GREAT for these- it is nice and firm and hardens just a bit as it sets. I didn’t lose even ONE topping!)
Decorate with sugars and jimmies as desired I used Red Sixlets Candy for the large cupcakes and they looked so cute- like cherries!

Aren’t they fun? I just couldn’t stop taking pictures!

My thoughts: Goodness these cupcakes made me happy. My friend Danielle and I made them together and we both kept saying, “Ah! They are so CUTE!” My neighbors and coworkers were the recipients of these treats and the smiles when they saw them made my day! I love easy ideas that are high on the “WOW” factor. To give credit where it is due, my friend Megan from Happily Ever After Cakes pointed this idea out to me on Edible Crafts. They had only used one cupcake topper, but I love it so much with two!! Enjoy!!!!!! ~r