Red Velvet Cupcakes
Posted: 06/26/2012 Filed under: cakes, desserts, recipes | Tags: baking, cake, cream cheese frosting, cupcakes, dessert, Fourth of July cupcakes, recipe, red velvet cupcakes 32 Comments »
Red Velvet Cupcakes
One of my favorite shows to watch on the Food Network was Throwdown with Bobby Flay. Unfortunately the show is no longer on, but the premise was Bobby Flay would go all over the country challenging local chefs who were experts in a certain dish, to a throw down. Two local judges would blindly taste each chef’s dish and decide who’s was the best. Often times Bobby Flay would beat out the expert, but not always. One of my favorite episodes was when Bobby challenged Brooklyn’s Cakeman Raven to a red velvet cake throwdown. Ever since watching that episode, this is the only red velvet cake recipe I use, because it’s so darn good.
The Fourth of July is right around the corner and that means backyard barbecue and son #1′s birthday. What better way to celebrate both events then with Red Velvet Cupcakes. I really can’t think of anything more festive.
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Cakeman Raven, Cakeman Raven Confectionery, NYC
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and line your cupcake pans with your liners.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla.
- With mixer on med-low, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined and a smooth batter is formed.
- Fill you regular sized cupcake liners about 2/3 full.
- Bake for about 21 minutes and let cool for 5 minutes in the pan.
- Cool completely before icing.
- 1 pound cream cheese, softened
- 4 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup) softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated.
- Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the vanilla and then increase the mixer speed to high until light and fluffy. Refrigerate frosting until it’s consistency is stiff enough for frosting.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Mama’s Tips: You can leave your butter and cream cheese out overnight to get the perfect consistency for your frosting.
Recipe: Intermediate
Brownie Cupcakes
Posted: 02/23/2012 Filed under: cakes, recipes | Tags: baking, brownie cupcakes, brownies, cake, chocolate, cupcakes, recipes 17 Comments »
Brownie Cupcakes
Growing up in a Philadelphia suburb, I have vivid memories of a restaurant called the Country Squire Diner. It was one of those typical 1970′s diners with large booths. The restaurant had a long counter with round stools, and behind the counter were mirrored display cases with sundae dishes filled with cubed jello or fruit cup. Does anyone even serve fruit cup anymore…or jello? Anyway, what always caught my attention upon entering this place was the revolving display case with pre-cut pieces of cake, endlessly going around in circles.
Now these were huge hunks of cake, usually seven or eight layers. Chocolate, lemon, carrot cake and strawberry shortcake were popular 1970′s favorites. My friends and I would actually order those desserts, one for each of us, and finish them. Those days are so over. If you read my blog, then you know I make my desserts now in mini versions. Everything in moderation, right?
My family are big chocolate lovers, so I made these Mini Brownie Cupcakes. They’re not really brownies, nor are they cupcakes, but kinda like if a brownie and a cupcake had a kid, this is what you would get. There’s lots of bold cocoa flavor in these little mini’s. You can give them a dusting of confectioner’s sugar if you like, or maybe a drizzle of melted chocolate. For me, they’re a perfect, little treat.
Brownie Cupcakes
Brownie Cupcake Bites
Adapted from Best Ever Cookie Collection
- 1 1/2 sticks of butter
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetend coca powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line your mini muffin tin with mini cupcake papers, or you could brush your tin with melted butter using a pastry brush.
- Melt the butter in a small pan over medium-low heat.
- Pour the butter into the bowl of an electric mixer, and using the paddle attachment stir the sugar and cocoa powder in until incorporated.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and slowly beat until combined.
- In another bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and pinch of salt. Stir with a whisk.
- With mixer on medium-low, add flour mixture to the chocolate mixture. Stir in milk until well blended.
- Spoon batter into cupcake liners until 1/2 full.
- Bake for about 10-13 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Do not overbake these or they will become hard. Remember all ovens are different, so keep an eye on the pan
Recipe: Easy
Summer Citrus Cupcakes…Orange You Glad I Said Citrus!
Posted: 07/19/2011 Filed under: buttercream icing, cakes, recipes | Tags: baking, cupcakes, dessert, orange, orange cupcakes, recipes 15 Comments »
It’s another blazing day in the San Fernando Valley. Everyday my pal Jimi and I take our walk through the neighborhood together. He’s really a great guy to hang out with. As soon as he see’s me put on the Tom’s shoes he knows we’ll be on our way out the front door. But today the pavement is just too hot and the sun is beating down with unusual intensity. When I take off the Tom’s shoes, Jimi realizes the walk is not going to happen. This was the look on his face, total disappointment. I thought it best for him and me to turn on the air conditioning and break out the cupcake pans.
You can see by the look on Jimi's face he's not very happy about this heatwave
On a day filled with bright sunshine, chocolate didn’t seem appropriate. I was feeling something more fruity and citrus-y was in order. I looked at the bag of oranges that I just brought home from the farmer’s market and thought they would make some awesome cupcakes. These cupcakes, filled with fresh orange zest and orange juice, will absolutely make your mouth pucker!
Orange Cupcakes
From The Silver Palate Cookbook
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
grated zest of 2 oranges
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and line pan with cupcake papers.
2. Cream the butter, and gradually add the sugar, beating until light in color. Beat in egg yolks one at a time, and the orange zest.
3. Sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients alternately with the orange juice to the batter.
4. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the batter.
5. Pour batter into cupcake papers until 2/3 full. Bake for about 18-22 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean.
6. Let cupcakes completely cool before icing.
Let The Sun Shine In!
Orange Buttercream Frosting
From My Recipes
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 pound powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Directions
1. In bowl of electric mixer using the paddle attachment, beat butter and orange zest at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until well blended.
2. Stir in 2 tablespoons of orange juice, adding more until you achieve the consistency you desire.
Tickled Pink!
Posted: 02/26/2011 Filed under: buttercream icing, cakes, recipes | Tags: buttercream icing, cupcakes, party cupcakes, pink, raspberry filled cupcakes 10 Comments »
To me, cupcakes are like a party in your mouth. I like that you can get three distinct flavors and textures all in one bite. The cake, the filling and the icing. It’s the perfect little package. A friend of mine asked me if I would make some cupcakes for her “tween-agers” birthday party. I thought the girls would enjoy a rich, eggy yellow cake topped off by a vanilla buttercream icing. Just to kick it up a notch, I thought I would add the raspberry preserves for an unexpected surprise.
And, if you’re talking “tween-agers”, the accent color HAD to be pink, which is also my favorite color.
Recipe for Yellow Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling and Vanilla Buttercream Icing
Adapted from The Well-Decorated Cake
Makes about 30 cupcakes
Moist Yellow Cake
2 cups cake flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
Raspberry Preserves
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with cupcake papers.
In a medium bowl sift together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
Cut up the butter into smaller pieces and place in large bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment. Beat for 3 minutes on medium-high speed until butter is light and creamy in color. Stop and scrape down the bowl and beat for another minute.
Add the sugar in small increments beating well after each addition, scraping down the bowl as you go. Add the eggs one at a time until incorporated.
Reduce the mixer speed. Stir the vanilla into the buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk. Mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another minute.
You can spoon the batter into the cupcake papers, or I used a piping bag which made it easier for me. I filled the liners 2/3 full. Tap the cupcake pan on the table several times to get out all the air bubbles.
Place the pan in the lower third of the oven and bake for 21-24 minutes until slightly golden brown on top, or when a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
To fill the cupcake:
Wait until cupcake is completely cooled. I used an apple corer to core out the center of the cupcake. With small spoon, fill the center with the preserves. Then cover with icing.
Buttercream Icing
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), room temperature
4 1/2 – 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
up to 6 tablespoons of milk or heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter using the paddle attachment on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes scraping down bowl every so often. Turning the mixer to the lowest speed, add 4 cups of powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, increasing the speed as the sugar becomes incorporated with the butter. Add vanilla extract, salt, lemon juice and 4 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. Depending on the consistency that you want, add more sugar for a stiffer icing, or more milk (a tablespoon at a time) for a thinner icing.
For this cupcake, I wanted a stiffer icing. I used a piping bag with a large round tip to get this particular look.
