Easter Cupcakes

Easter morning in our house usually goes something like this... sleep in, make coffee, eat candy and other various forms of sugar for breakfast. I guess once D and I have little ones running around we may have to set a better example but until then we are going to live it up.

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour

3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 

1 1/2 cups Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda

3/4 teaspoons Baking Powder

3/4 teaspoons Salt 

2 Eggs

3/4 cup Buttermilk

3 tablespoons Canola Oil

1 teaspoon Vanilla

3/4 cup Warm Water 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a standard muffin tin with baking cups. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Beat in the eggs, buttermilk, canola oil, vanilla, and water. Divide batter among the prepared cups, filling 1/2 to 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. 

Recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Toasted Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting 

16 Large Marshmallows

1 cup Powdered Sugar

1/2 pound Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract 

8 ounces Marshmallow Cream

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set oven to broil. Broil marshmallow for about two minutes or until toasted. Keep a close eye on them so they don't burn. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the butter and powdered sugar until combined. Add the vanilla and beat for a few minutes until fluffy. Beat in the toasted marshmallows and marshmallow cream until incorporated, about a minute.

Recipe from Sweetapolita

Toasted Coconut
5 ounces Sweetened Coconut

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread coconut out on a baking sheet. Bake for about 7-8 minutes, tuning coconut half way through. Keep an eye on the coconut as it bakes, it can burn pretty quickly.

Assembly 
Frost cupcakes and pour toasted coconut into a bowl. Swirl frosted cupcake around in the coconut until all the frosting is covered. Top each cupcake with a mini Cadbury Creme Egg.

Coconut Lime Cupcakes

Fridays are my favorite day of the week. Most Fridays D and make a pizza, have a glass of wine or two and watch a movie. I know this is not the most exciting evening, but it's what we do. Tonight however we will be going over to a friend's house for dinner because one of D's good friends is in town and we are going to celebrate his birthday. We actually celebrated his birthday last year too, only he wasn't there. It's long story, anyway this year we are happy he will be in town to celebrate his birthday with us.

Lime Cupcakes

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Cake Flour

3/4 cup plus one tablespoon Super Fine Sugar*

1/2 tablespoon Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon Salt 

6 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened*

2 Egg Whites

1 Whole Egg

1/2 cup Sour Cream (the full fat kind)

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Zest and Juice of 1 Lime 

Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together all of the dry ingredients starting on low then gradually increase the speed to medium until well mixed, about 2 minutes (make sure flour doesn't fly out). Switch to the paddle attachment, add the softened butter and mix till crumbly. Beat in the egg whites until fully incorporated, about 1-2 minutes, then beat in the whole egg, about 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom as necessary. In a separate bowl stir together the sour cream, vanilla, lime juice and zest then beat 1/2 of the mixture into batter until well mixed about 1 minute, then beat in the rest of the sour cream mixture until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping sides and bottom as necessary. Fill baking cups 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. 

Makes 12 cupcakes 

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

* A few notes:

1) To make super fine sugar from regular granulated sugar, put it in a food processor and grind until sugar is fine. 

2) Make sure butter is soft. To soften butter cut it up into tablespoon sized pieces and allow it to sit at room temperature until it become very soft, I let mine sit for 45 minutes. 

3) Always remember to scrape down the bottom and the sides of mixing bowl as needed to be sure all of the ingredients get incorporated.

Super Fine Sugar

Batter

Baked

Frosting

8 ounces Cream Cheese, Softened 

4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened 

1 cup Powdered Sugar

2 teaspoons Vanilla 

3 ounces Sweetened Coconut for Topping 

Beat together the cream cheese and the butter for a few minutes. Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar beat for a few more minutes. Frost cooled cupcakes. 

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home

Assembly 

Pour the coconut into a wide and shallow dish such as a pie tin. Using a small offset spatula, create a little dome of frosting on top of each cupcake. Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the coconut and roll them around a bit until the coconut covers the frosting.

This post is linked with Everyday Sisters Sharing

Frosted 

Peach Cupcakes with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

The peach flavor in these cupcakes is very subtle. When paired with the ginger cream cheese frosting, the subtle peach flavor compliments the ginger nicely. If you prefer a stronger peach flavor you could add a teaspoon of peach extract to the batter.


Subtly Peach Cupcakes 
1 18.25 oz. box white cake mix
3 egg whites
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup peach nectar

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat all of the ingredients together for 2-3 minutes. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with baking cups. Fill each cup 1/2 way full. Bake according to box instructions, usually about 16-21 minutes. Once cupcakes are done, carefully remove them from pan and cool on rack.

Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting 
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted Butter, room temperature
16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
crystallized ginger for decoration

Please note if you do not pile your cupcakes up high with lots frosting you can half this recipe.
In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together the butter and the cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar, ground ginger and vanilla. Beat until creamy, about 3-4 minutes.

Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with crystallized ginger.

Makes 24 cupcakes

Cherry Chip Cupcakes

When I was a kid I loved Cherry Chip Cupcakes. Not only because they were pink, although that was a big part of it, but because they were sweet and soft and they are the kind of cupcake that you can't stop eating.

For the cupcakes you will need...

-One box of Betty Crocker Cherry Chip Cake Mix

-3 Large Eggs

-1 1/4 Cups Water

-1/3 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil

Prepare cupcake according to cake mix box directions 

Line cupcake pans

Fill 2/3 the way full and bake according to the directions on the cake mix box

Cool on wire rack 

For the frosting you will need...

-2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 

-2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

-1 teaspoon imitation cherry extract

-1/4 teaspoon vanilla 

If you are planning on piling your cupcakes up high with frosting, you will need to double the recipe above, if you are just lightly frosting, this amount should do. 

Put the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and add the confectioners' sugar (you can sift the sugar if you like, I do because I enjoy sifting, but if you don't, you don't have to). Start the mixer on low and watch it very carefully so you don't get sugar all over your kitchen. As the butter and sugar come together increase the speed until they are thoroughly combined. Then add a tablespoon of milk and mix. Then add little more milk if you like, to achieve the desired consistency.  Now add the extracts. Please note I did not add any food coloring to the frosting, the color came from the cherry extract. If you would like more color try adding pink or red food coloring until you get the color you want.

So a big part of the reason I decided to make these cupcakes was because I really wanted to try out my new mechanical pastry bag that my sweet husband gave me for Christmas. After Christmas I was so burnt out on sweets I haven't felt much like making buttercream frosting until now. With Valentine's Day around the corner I felt it was time to break out my new toy and see what it can do!