Tag Archives: recipe

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes!!!!

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Ruthanne

Two years ago today, I started a blog. I had no idea it would blossom into what it is today, and no idea I would have so much fun with it! I’ve made such great new friends, learned so much about photography and design, and loved every second of the process.

In honor of our anniversary, I chose the recipe that is (by far!) the most visited on the site and re-made it in cupcake form. Strawberry Lemonade Cake is already on the Easybaked site twice:

Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake Strawberry Lemonade Birthday Cake

The Layer Cake is more like a torte, the lemonade mixture is more like a filling than a frosting.

The Birthday Cake has a lemonade frosting, and it is one of my very favorite frostings ever. It’s soooo creamy and light.

Both recipes top the list of my most popular recipes, together they have been viewed just over 435,000 times (as of today…!)

It seemed fitting that I feature everyone’s favorite recipe to celebrate two years with all of you~ so let me present: Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes:

These are easy to make (much easier than a layer cake, in my opinion) and just the yummiest treat. I loved the pink wrappers and the paper straws I found for these- I think they would be such a fun shower, picnic or birthday party treat!!

INGREDIENTS:

One box of strawberry cake mix (plus oil, water and eggs as directed on box)
2- 8oz. packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened to room temp.)
1 packet (0.23oz.) of Kool-Aid Lemonade
Yellow food coloring (as desired for color)
1- 7oz. container Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
1/3 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip Topping
Confetti sprinkles and paper straws to decorate as desired

DIRECTIONS:

Make cake according to box and bake in 24 cupcake liners placed in cupcake tins, as directed. Cool completely.
In a mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese, lemonade and yellow food coloring until smooth.
Beat marshmallow creme and powdered sugar into cream cheese mixture and then fold in Cool Whip until completely smooth.
Spoon frosting into a zip top bag that has a piping tip inserted into one corner (I used a Wilton 1M star tip).
Pipe frosting on tops of each cupcake- you can be generous, as this recipe makes a lot of frosting and the frosting is so light and fluffy.
Decorate as desired.
Refrigerate and serve chilled.
Enjoy!!!!!

My thoughts: A tried-and-true recipe in a fun new format…what’s not to love about that?!? I’m incredibly thankful for all of YOU who visit, comment, “like”, rate and (most of all) MAKE the recipes I create! I had no idea how much I would love hearing from complete strangers that a recipe “made my husband’s birthday perfect” or “made all the kids at the party laugh”. When I hear how happy a recipe makes you and your family it literally makes my day…and fuels my desire to bake and share more! Here’s to another year of Easybaked recipes! Enjoy! ~r

06-13-14 Did you know, that this recipe is now available in a set of adorable note cards? With a picture of these cupcakes on the front, the recipe on the back, and lots of space inside to write a note, these are a PERFECT little gift! Why send just a card, when you can send the gift of a recipe as well?!? Click here for more information and to order.

Such a fun year….check out our photo gallery for these and other yummy treats!

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Posted in Cupcakes and tagged baking, birthday dessert, confetti, cool whip, Cream Cheese, cupcake, dessert, fun cupcake, lemonade, marshmallow creme, paper straws, party dessert, recipe, shower dessert, strawberry, strawberry Lemonade cake, strawberry lemonade cupcake. Bookmark the permalink.

Polka Dot Cake!!!

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Ruthanne

It just makes you smile, doesn’t it? I don’t think I can adequately express how happy this cake makes me.

I made this cake for my friend Nikki’s birthday and it made her happy too…

I simply can’t take credit for the idea behind this cake, that credit goes to an adorable blog called “Once Upon a Pedestal”. I can’t even take credit for finding the idea… that goes to my wonderful Pinterest addicted friend Laura. I can tell you this: it is NOT hard to make. It does take some time, but it is very easy to put together, and the “wow” factor? Incredible!

The 1st question everyone asks is “How did you get the polka dots INSIDE the cake?” They are cake balls. To make this recipe, you will need one piece of special equipment: a cake pop/ doughnut hole maker. I feel like I walked by those like 100 times over the holidays in various stores and every time I thought, “I wonder why you would ever buy one of those?” Now I know! Here’s the one I got: Bella Sensio Cake Pop Maker

There are several brands and varieties- I’m sure they all work great- I would look for one that does 12 at once, just as a time saver! The good news? Once you make this cake, your friends will all want to borrow your cake pop maker and you won’t have to store it anywhere!

Are you ready to see how this is done? Here we go: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

2 boxed white cake mixes (plus the oil, water and eggs to make them according to the package)
You favorite frosting (I used my buttercream recipe, doubled, which you can get by clicking here)
Sprinkles or candy to decorate the cake.

DIRECTIONS:

Plug in/turn on your cake pop maker to warm it up.
Make one of the cakes according to package directions.
Divide batter evenly into smaller bowls based on the number of colors you want to use (I did 4)
Color the batter using color gels (I love the Wilton brand in particular because it gives such a vivid color)
Following the directions for your particular cake pop maker, make cake balls using each of the colors.

(with mine I sprayed it with Pam, used a small (2 tsp) cookie scoop, rapidly scooped batter in and immediately closed the lid. My directions said 4-5 minutes and they all were burnt to a crisp– about 2 minutes worked perfectly for me. I just set them out on a plate to cool then…be prepared to experiment a little with this– you will have some extra pops at the end, so its ok if you mess some up!)

While cake balls are cooling, preheat oven to 350F, and make the second cake mix according to package.
Spray 3 – 6″ round pans with non-stick spray and set a circle of parchment paper in the bottom of each one (to keep your layers pretty!)
Spread a thin layer of batter in the bottom of each pan, place cake balls on top in any pattern you choose and divide remaining batter over the top of the balls so they are completely covered.

Ready to bake!

Bake layers at 350F degrees for about 30 minutes. You can use the toothpick test (I recommend it!) but be careful to hit cake and not cake balls….you can kind of tell where they are- they bump up just a bit.
When cooked all the way through, tip over on a cake rack to cool completely.
Trim, if needed, to flatten layers and use frosting to stack all three layers and cover the entire cake with frosting.
Decorate as desired.

My thoughts: I’m not a cake decorator, and my buttercream is a whipped frosting that is OH so yummy, but not very good for a smooth cake surface….it still makes me smile…bumps and all. You can decorate your cake however you like. I used Wilton Jumbo Confetti Sprinkles on this one. I really hope you give this cake a try– if you have any questions about the process just ask!! — or check out “Once Upon a Pedestal”, as her pictures were very helpful. She also uses a different type of cake pop pan than I did. I hope this recipe idea made you smile on this cold winter morning– enjoy!!!!! ~r

Other Easybaked cake recipes you might enjoy: (click on the photo to see the recipe)

249 Comments

Posted in Cakes and tagged baking, birthday cake, brightly colored cake, buttercream frosting, buttercream recipe, cake, cake balls, cake mix, cake pop maker, cake pops, cakes for little girls, dessert, food, fun cake idea, kids cake, layered cake, party idea, pattern inside a cake, Polka dot cake, polka dots, recipe, sensio, Unique cake, vivid color, white cake. Bookmark the permalink.

Opera Creams

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Ruthanne

Opera Cream Candy These cream-filled chocolates are so smooth and rich you won’t be able to stop at just one!

I work in a genetics lab. Every year at Christmas my co-worker Gail brings in the most wonderful candy I’ve ever eaten. Every year I ask for the recipe and she smiles and says that she can give me the recipe but that I’d need to visit and learn the recipe from her. Now that I’ve made it, I understand. This is not a typical Easybaked recipe, it’s very involved. It’s fun and challenging and oh- soooo worth the effort though!

Gail recently retired and about a week ago I visited her in her kitchen to learn how to make opera creams.

This is a recipe passed down to her from her mom, who had all kinds of thoughts about the making of this candy. My favorite was that the recipe works best on sunny days and if it’s raining you might as well just wait to make it another day. We had a beautiful sunny December day to make our candy on, so I’m sure she would have approved.

Lets start with the recipe– that’s the easy part. I’m going to post it twice– once with pictures and videos and once just straight so you can read it easier.

Gail's moms recipe card

INGREDIENTS:

4 c. sugar
2 c. heavy cream
1/8 t. cream of tartar
2 T light corn syrup
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 t butter
1/4 t. salt
Chocolate (of your choice) for dipping- we used tempered dark chocolate bits

DIRECTIONS:

Put sugar, cream, cream of tartar and corn syrup into a large saucepan and mix well.
Use a pastry brush and a little water to brush all of mixture down the sides of the pan to remove any sugar stuck to the sides.

Use a pastry brush to brush water down sides of pan Gail and her moms candy thermometer

Cover pan and bring to a boil.
When boiling, uncover and clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.
Bring mixture to 240F degrees
(While you are waiting for this to come to temp, butter the bottom and sides of a shallow glass or ceramic dish.)

Bring to 240F degrees Don't stir!!!

Remove from stove and add salt, butter and vanilla– do not stir!
Pour mixture into buttered dish (don’t use plastic!) and allow this to cool completely (we put it on the back porch where it was cool and this took 2 hours)
Spoon cooled mixture onto clean countertop (it will be like a very sticky caramel)

Pour into a non-plastic dish Cooled mixture Knead into a soft cream

Work with hands until firm and creamy- it takes 20-30 minutes and this is pure craziness….here are the stages to expect:

sticky caramel- fairly firm
slimy/ buttery texture– almost like its falling apart
sticky but workable
so sticky that you literally cannot move your fingers and you are sure you will have to get the mixture surgically removed.
no longer sticky- but like playdough with little crumbs falling off at the edges…keep kneading!
Finally creamy and smooth- kneads together in one beautiful dough- like ball.

I filmed Gail as she went through this process. Click HERE to see the near-miraculous transformation from sticky to creamy smooth!

Place this ball of filling in a dish, cover with a damp towel and refrigerate for 2 days….yes. TWO DAYS.
Bring cream filling back to room temp and roll into balls.

Roll into balls Dip into chocolate...

Dip into melted chocolate and cool.
You can mix nuts or coconut into the cream if you like, or just leave them plain.

My thoughts: amazingly yummy. The cream is just like no other candy I’ve tried. It is worth every bit if the effort it took us to make these. I found myself cringing as people popped them whole into their mouths though…I kept thinking, “SAVOR those!!! You’ve no idea how hard I worked on them!!!” So hard, in fact that I took a two hour nap when I got home!

Now for the recipe in an easy-to-read format:

INGREDIENTS:

4 c. sugar
2 c. heavy cream
1/8 t. cream of tartar
2 T light corn syrup
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 t butter
1/4 t. salt
Chocolate (of your choice) for dipping- we used dark tempered chocolate bits

DIRECTIONS:

Put sugar, cream, cream of tartar and corn syrup to a large saucepan and mix well.
Use a pastry brush and a little water to brush all of mixture down the sides of the pan to remove any sugar stuck to the sides.
Cover pan and bring to a boil.
When boiling, uncover and clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.
Bring mixture to 240F degrees
(While you are waiting for this to come to temp, butter the bottom and sides of a shallow glass or ceramic dish.)
Remove from stove and add butter and vanilla– do not stir!
Pour mixture into buttered dish (don’t use plastic!) and allow this to cool completely (we put it on the back porch where it was cool and this took 2 hours)
Spoon cooled mixture onto clean countertop (it will be like a very sticky caramel)
Work with hands until firm and creamy.
Place this ball of filling in a dish, cover with a damp towel and refrigerate for 2 days.
Bring cream filling to room temp and roll into balls.
Dip into melted chocolate and cool.
You can mix nuts or coconut into the cream if you like, or just leave them plain.

A huge “thank-you” to Gail for spending so much time teaching me her family recipe! We had such a fun day together cooking AND trying lime phosphates while we waited for candy to cool!

Enjoy!!!!! ~r

Other (easier!) Christmas recipe ideas from Easybaked~ Click on the image to be taken to the recipe:

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Posted in Candy, Complicated recipes and tagged almonds, baking, candy, candy thermometer, chocolate, Christmas candy, coconut, dessert, family recipe, food, handmade candy, light corn syrup, old-fashioned candy recipe, opera cream, opera cream candy, pastry brush, pecans, recipe, whipping cream. Bookmark the permalink.

Butterscotch Caramel Cheesecake

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Ruthanne

Creamy butterscotch cheesecake and a thick layer of caramel sauce over a gingersnap crust . A unique combination of delicious seasonal flavors!!!

Are you ready for Thanksgiving? Have you decided what you’re having for dessert yet–other than the proverbial pumpkin pie? This cheesecake combines three unique fall flavors- ginger, butterscotch and caramel- and it simply melts in your mouth. Wow your guests with an Easybaked cheesecake!!

INGREDIENTS:

Crust:

One bag (13 oz.) of Archway ginger snaps, finely crushed. (approximately 2 cups)
1/4 c. butter

Cheesecake:

2 (8oz.) packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)
1/2c. sugar
3 eggs
2 c. butterscotch chips (melted)
1 c. heavy whipping cream
3 tsp. vanilla

Caramel Topping:

32 Kraft caramels (unwrapped)
1/2c. butter
1 can (14oz.) sweetened condensed milk

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Crush cookies into fine crumbs and add melted butter. Combine well and press into the bottom of a 9-Inch Springform Pan
Beat softened cream cheese with sugar until smooth.
Add eggs one at a time, beating in between each one.
Add remaining cheesecake ingredients, beating until smooth.
Pour into crust and allow to sit at room temp for 30 minutes.
Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 60 minutes,
Turn off oven, open oven door a little and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and run knife around edge of pan. Remove edge of pan.
Allow to come to room temperature (make caramel topping during this time.)

Put caramels, condensed milk and margarine into a saucepan and melt over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth (6-8 minutes)
Pour caramel over the top of the cooled cheesecake, spreading to edges.
Refrigerate overnight
Remove bottom of pan when cheesecake is thoroughly chilled.
Before serving, pipe whipped cream around edges of cheesecake if desired and sprinkle with a little cocoa powder.

My thoughts: A flavorful creamy cheesecake. I love the gingersnap crust– that adds a lot of the fall spice to this. I ADORE caramel- so there’s a lot of it on this cheesecake. If you want less, simply halve the recipe and be happy!! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends!!!! Enjoy! r~

One last yummy bite…..

Other cheesecake recipes from Easybaked that you might enjoy~ click on the image to be taken to the recipe:

Shop Amazon – Black Friday Deals Week

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Posted in Cheesecakes and tagged baking, butterscotch, butterscotch cheesecake, butterscotch chips, caramel, caramel cheesecake, caramel sauce, cheesecake, cocoa, Cream Cheese, dessert, dessert ideas, fall flavors, food, ginger snap crust, ginger snaps, gingerbread, heavy whipping cream, holiday dessert, Kraft caramels, philadelphia cream cheese, recipe, seasonal flavors, springform pan, thanksgiving, unique dessert, whipped cream. Bookmark the permalink.

Chocolate Lava Cupcakes

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Ruthanne

These rich chocolate cupcakes are made with a cake mix, but filled with warm chocolate fudge that pours out when you take a bite~ yum!!!!!

INGREDIENTS: (makes 18-20 cupcakes)

One boxed dark chocolate cake mix (plus water, eggs and oil to make according to box)
1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. whipping cream
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1/2 c. white baking chips

DIRECTIONS:

Heat semi-sweet chips and whipping cream in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted and smooth, making a ganache.
Refrigerate for about 2 hours, until hardened to a soft fudge consistency.
Scoop small balls of cold chocolate ganache out of bowl using a small cookie scoop (I highly recommend a small cookie scoop for this job- the chocolate is sticky and hard to work with until it is rolled in cocoa- a scoop makes it so much easier!)
Roll balls in cocoa powder and keep refrigerated until use.
Preheat oven to 350F degrees
Make cake mix according to box and spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter in 18-20 cupcake liners in tins.
Gently press a ball of ganache into the center of each cupcake.

Cover each ball with a small scoop of cake batter- just enough to cover the ball completely.
Bake at 350F for the time recommended on the box.
Remove from oven and serve warm with ice cream and drizzles of white chocolate.

If you aren’t serving immediately, warm each cupcake in the microwave for 15-20 seconds before serving.

My thoughts: I’ve had many a molten lava cake and cupcake before, but usually they fall apart right out of the pan. These cupcakes hold together beautifully and don’t leak all that warm fudge out until they are cut into. They are perfect re-heated and sooooo yummy with a little ice cream and raspberry sauce. A perfect treat for a chilly fall day!! Enjoy!! ~r

Other cupcake recipes you might enjoy: (click on the image to be taken to the recipe)

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Posted in Cakes, Cupcakes and tagged baking, cake mix, chocolate cake mix, chocolate cupcakes, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, dessert, food, ganache, lava cake, lava cupcake, molten lava, molten lava cake, recipe, semi-sweet chocolate, sweet chocolate chips, warm cupcakes, whipping cream, white chocolate. Bookmark the permalink.

Honey Cookies (Medovniky) in fun fall colors!

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Ruthanne

It’s almost too late for these cookies. Around here the leaves are turning brown and falling fast! The good news is that these incredibly flavorful cookies can be cut into any shape for any season!

These are a traditional Slovak cookie, generally made around Christmas. When I traveled to Slovakia I fell in love with a traditional cake called Medovnik (if you want to see my attempt at it, click here). When I came across this recipe on the Slovak Cooking blog, I knew I had to try them.

They are wonderful. A little like honey graham crackers, a little like gingerbread cookies, a little like spice cake… an incredibly unique cookie that is SO easy to roll and cut out (I can’t stand sticky, messy cut-out cookie dough!) They filled my house with wonderful fall scents when I baked them and I will definitely be making them again. Here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

4 ¼ cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 ¼ sticks (5 oz.) of unsalted butter
3 ½ tablespoons of honey
½ cup of water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon
½ tablespoon ginger
½ tablespoon cloves

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the sugar, water and honey in a sauce pan until the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly.
Stir in the butter, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
Once the butter has melted, let the mixture cool.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
Pour the sugar-spice mixture over it and mix well.
Knead lightly to form a smooth dough.
Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour. (the recipe called for refrigeration, but my dough was just perfect to roll out immediately.)
Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
Roll dough out on a board dusted with flour.
Cut cookies in whatever shapes you want and place on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 5-8 minutes (they bake fast, so keep an eye on them).
Cool and frost with your favorite glaze or frosting (I used Royal Icing, click here for the recipe and for directions on how to use it)

My thoughts: I really do love these cookies. The recipe was so different than any other cookie recipe I’ve made before. I have a love/hate relationship with royal icing. I hate the 12 years it takes to frost my cookies, but then I LOVE the finished result. However you ice them, these cookies are a unique addition to your cookie recipe collection. Enjoy! ~r

Other recipes you might enjoy: (just click on the image to see the recipe)

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Posted in Cookies and tagged autumn dessert, baking, baking powder and baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, cookies, cut-out cookies, dessert, fall dessert, fall scents, food, ginger, gingerbread cookies, honey, honey cookies, honey graham crackers, icing, leaves, medovnik, Medovniky, recipe, royal icing, spice cake cookies, spice mixture, spices, tablespoon ginger, unique cookie recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

Mummy Oreo Pops for Halloween!!

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Ruthanne

These make me smile– aren’t they cute? I saw the idea on a regular cookie at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (along with a really cute mummy hot dog idea!) and I immediately thought of my Oreo pops recipe from last spring and decided to turn some Oreos into mummies! It was a little time consuming, but not difficult. I think the results were worth the effort! Here’s how we did it:

INGREDIENTS:

1 package of Double Stuff Oreo cookies
2 bags (14oz) Wiltons candy melts in white
About 24 4 inch lollipop sticks
One package of Wilton Candy Eyeballs
One box of Wilton Pure White Rolled Fondant
Little candy bags and ties (if you want to package them up to give away!)

DIRECTIONS:

Carefully twist apart all of the Oreo cookies.
Using one of the pop sticks, make an indentation in the white filling of each cookie.
Melt the Candy Melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring until completely melted and smooth.
Dip the end of one stick into the melted white chocolate, drizzle a little in the center of the white cookie filling and then gently press it into the indentation made.
Place the top of the cookie back on and allow white chocolate to harden (5 minutes or so), cementing the cookie back together with a stick inside.

(For a picture tutorial on this click here)

Before dipping the entire cookie, unwrap your fondant, split it in half and immediately place one half in an air-tight zip-top bag (you will only use half of the fondant).
Roll the remaining fondant out with a rolling pin as directed on the box. Using a sharp knife, cut strips (about as wide as an oreo) in the fondant and then cut narrow strips across (see photo)

Now it is time to dip your Oreo pops (you may need to put your candy melts back in the microwave for a few seconds to remelt them)
Holding the stick, lower the entire Oreo into the bowl of melted white chocolate, spooning it over the top and sides to cover it completely.
Allow the excess chocolate to drain off and gently place covered Oreo on a piece of parchment paper to harden.
Immediately place two eyes on the front and gently lay strips of fondant back and forth across the cookie. It took me a little bit to figure out a pattern that looked good and worked– copy mine if you want!!
Allow everything to harden and place in treat bags with ties.

My thoughts: These are a little time-consuming, but if you enjoy the process (I do!) and you have a free afternoon (I did!) these are just really fun to put together. The smiles when people see them make all that work worthwhile! Enjoy! ~r

Other recipes you might enjoy (click on the image to see the recipe):

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Posted in Cake Pops, Candy, Cookies and tagged baking, candy bags, candy eyeballs, candy eyes, chocolate covered oreos, cookies on a stick, cookies suckers, dessert, fall, fondant, food, Halloween, lollipop sticks, mummy, Mummy cookies, Mummy oreos, oreo cookies, oreo pops, recipe, rolled fondant, white chocolate, wilton candy, Wiltons candy Melts. Bookmark the permalink.

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Ruthanne

These rich cupcakes, topped with vanilla buttercream frosting, have a gooey cinnamon roll filling that will leave you wanting cupcakes for breakfast every morning! These are an absolutely perfect treat for a breakfast party or a brunch!

(makes 24 cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed yellow cake mix (with oil, water and eggs to make according to package)
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 T. ground cinnamon
6 T. packed brown sugar
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar (divided)
2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temp
2 sticks of salted butter, room temp
2 T. clear vanilla flavoring

DIRECTIONS:

Make your filling first so it can cool while your cupcakes bake.
Place whipping cream, cinnamon and brown sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Set aside to cool (you can place this into the refrigerator if you want to speed the cooling process along.)
Make 24 cupcakes according to the directions on whatever box mix you choose to use. (I like Duncan Hines)
Use a small paring knife to cut a small cone out of the top of each cupcake.

Finish the filling by adding 1/2 cup of powdered sugar to the (cooled!) cinnamon/brown sugar/cream mixture.
Beat on medium speed until well combined and creamy.
Place filling in a zip-top bag, clip a corner and pipe filling into each of the cone-shaped holes on the top of each cupcake. You should have some filling left at the end- set this aside to drizzle on the top after frosting.
Make your buttercream frosting by placing all 4 sticks of (softened) butter, 3 cups of powdered sugar and the vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beating on high until very light and fluffy.
Clip a corner of a zip top bag, place a decorating tip in the corner, fill the bag with frosting, zip it shut and pipe frosting over cupcakes, covering up the filling (check out this video if you need help piping frosting).
Drizzle the remaining filling over the top of each cupcake and sprinkle each with just a little cinnamon.

These cupcakes are best served shortly after they are made (like cinnamon rolls are!) If you need to make them in advance, keep them refrigerated (because of the cream filling). Be sure to let the cupcakes come to room temperature before you serve them or your buttercream will be hard.

My thoughts: You know when restaurants indicate on a menu that a dish is one of their signature dishes and *hint hint* you should try it? This is one of those recipes for this blog. These are one of my very favorite creations thus far. Now, I have to qualify that with this: I LOVE cinnamon rolls- especially big gooey ones, and I love frostings and fillings. These cupcakes have gotten rave reviews with everyone I know. The only negative comments I’ve heard have been from people who say there’s too much frosting/filling. If you are the sort that scrapes frosting off things anyway, my recommendation is to cut the frosting recipe in half. As for me…bring on the gooey sweet happiness!!! I really REALLY hope you get a chance to try these –if you do, let me know what you think! Enjoy! -r

9-24-12 I’m adding to this post because my friend Megan just told me about a really cool time-saver—a cupcake corer!!! (honestly, what will they think of next….!) I just ordered it and I’ll let you know what I think. If you want to check it out yourself click here: Cupcake Corer. So fun…!

24 Comments

Posted in Cupcakes and tagged baking, breakfast, breakfast dessert, brunch recipe, buttercream frosting, cinnamon, cinnamon brown sugar filling, cinnamon roll, cinnamon roll cupcakes, cinnamon roll filling, cupcake mix, cupcakes, dessert, homemade, original cupcakes, party, recipe, unique cupcakes, vanilla buttercream. Bookmark the permalink.

Kool-Aid Truffles

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Ruthanne

These chocolate-dipped truffles have creamy sweet centers made with the unique flavors of Kool-Aid drink mixes! Your kids will love them!!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese (softened to room temperature!)
3 cups of powdered sugar
3 cups of white chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1 (0.16oz) packet of Kool-Aid drink mix (any flavor- see my choices below)
2 bags of Wiltons Candy Melts in White chocolate or Dark chocolate
Sprinkles, cookie crumbles or colored candy melts (I used Blue and Red)

Blue Raspberry Truffle

Lemon-Lime and Graham Cracker Truffle

Chocolate-covered Black Cherry Truffle

White chocolate Mango-Peach Truffle

DIRECTIONS:

Cream together cream cheese, powdered sugar and Kool-Aid in a large mixing bowl.
Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second increments (stirring in between) until smooth and creamy.
Add melted chips and vanilla to cream cheese mixture and combine until completely smooth.
Refrigerate for at least one hour.
Remove mixture from refrigerator and use a small cookie scoop to make small balls of filling (I placed these on a plate and put them back in the fridge to chill while I prepared my chocolate to dip)
Melt the Wilton’s Candy Melts in the microwave in 30 second increments until smooth and creamy.
Dip chilled balls of filling in the melted chocolate, draining away excess and placing on parchment paper to harden (if you want pictures of how I dip things click here for a previous recipe)
Decorate with sprinkles, cookie crumbles or drizzles of fun colored chocolate.

My thoughts: These are so much fun to make!! I just love them. I actually divided the recipe in half (and used just 1/2 of a packet of Kool-Aid) so that I could try lots of flavors and not make 4 full batches. One batch makes quite a few truffles- about 40 if you use a small cookie scoop to measure them out.

My warning???? These are SO sweet. (SOOOOOOOO sweet!) They almost make your teeth hurt they are so sweet. They are great with a cup of coffee though, and they will cure you of your sugar cravings fast!

Dipping them in chocolate is always the hard part if you haven’t done much candy making. Keeping the fillings chilled helps and (of course) practice helps. They are MUCH easier to dip than cake pops though. If you don’t want to dip them, I’d suggest chopping chocolate up fine (or cookie bits, or candy bits) and just rolling the finished truffle filling in toppings instead. Be amazing and create your own flavor combinations– I’d LOVE to hear about what you and your family create!!! Enjoy! -r

23 Comments

Posted in Candy and tagged candy, dessert, dipping candy in chocolate, drink mix, fancy dessert, fruit truffles, kids candy, kids recipe, kool-aid, Kool-Aid dessert, Kool-Aid recipe, recipe, truffles, unique candy, white chocolate, wiltons candy coating. Bookmark the permalink.

Mini Boston Cream Pies

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Ruthanne

These miniature Boston Cream Pies are the CUTEST treat! Covered in chocolate glaze with a surprise yummy filling in the middle, these are sure to make you and your family smile!

When you are as obsessed with desserts as I am, you get really fun kitchen presents! For my birthday last year, my friend Angie got me the most adorable Mini Cake Pan ever. They are made by Wilton and they create cute little layer cakes that have a square of filling on the inside. I love them and decided to use them with this Boston cream Pie recipe instead of just a plain old regular size cake. If you want to try the pans out just click on Mini Cake Pan and you can see them on Amazon– if you don’t want another kitchen gadget (I totally understand the dilemma!) just make this recipe in two regular round cake pans- put the filling in the middle and just pour that glaze right over the top.

Ingredients:

One white cake mix (with water, oil and eggs to make according to box)
One box (3.4 oz) JELL-O instant vanilla pudding
1 c. milk
1 1/2 c. Cool Whip Topping
2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
1c. unsalted butter
1 T. corn syrup

Directions:

Make glaze 1st: Melt together chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup and mix well. Refrigerate at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Make cake mix (whole egg method) according to box.
Spoon about 1/2 c. batter into each well greased Mini Cake Pan.
Place pans on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
Tip pans over onto a cake rack and allow cakes to cool completely.

Repeat process (one cake mix makes 4 to 5 full (two piece) cakes).
To make filling, combine pudding mix with milk and whisk for 2 minutes.
Fold Cool Whip topping in and set aside for at least 5 minutes.
Trim bottoms of cakes flat and spoon filling into each cavity.

Tip one cake on top of the other, keeping the filling in the center.
Remove glaze (it will be pretty thick) from the fridge and frost tops and sides of each cake.
Reheat remaining glaze and pour over the top of each cake to make a smooth outer layer (do this on a cake rack over a cookie sheet so excess glaze can drip through).
Chill until glaze is hard.

My thoughts: I just served these last night and they were a huge hit. Everyone loved how cute they were and the surprise filling in the center. I loved the creamy filling with the rich glaze…YUM! The glaze is a little difficult to get right (I thought!) I was hoping for a smoother finish- but it tasted GREAT! –Enjoy!!!!!!! -r