Buttermilk Cupcakes with Praline Icing
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I was so looking forward to these, but they didn’t exactly come out right. The cake ended up slightly undercooked, and the frosting was just an all-around mess, setting the second I turned the mixer off. By the time I put the frosting on the spatula, it was already too hard to spread. I ended up going back to the mixer and adding a bit of milk each time I frosted about four cupcakes, just so I could get it temporarily back to spreading consistency.
I may try these again, but will definitely add milk while mixing the frosting.
Cake Ingredients
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 egg white
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
Cake Preparation
Preheat oven to 350F. Line 18 muffin cups (you’ll probably need two trays) with cupcake wrappers.
Combine the sugar and butter in a large bowl, and cream together with an elextric mixer until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Beat in the eggs and egg white, one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the 1/3 of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and stir well, followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk. Add in another third of the flour mixture, followed by the rest of the buttermilk and the last of the flour. Stir only until no streaks of flour remain.
Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed.
Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.
Frosting Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar, packed (light, dark or golden)
6 tbsp low-fat milk
1 tbsp corn syrup (light or dark)
1 tsp butter
dash of salt (1/8 tsp or so)
2 cups powdered sugar
Frosting Preparation
Combine the brown sugar, milk, corn syrup, butter and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat, and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Pour syrup mixture into a large bowl and let stand for about one minute. Add powdered sugar and the vanilla, then beat with a mixer at medium/high speed until smooth. Cool for 2-3 minutes (icing will be thin but thickens as it cools) before frosting, mixing for a few more seconds with the mixer to smooth it out.
Frost cupcakes and let them stand at room temperature until ready to serve so the frosting can set.
Makes 18 cupcakes.
Recipe from Bakingsheet.
Super Cool Product Alert
If you make cupcakes as often as I do, you’ll find this new cupcake courier a must buy as well! I’ll report back on how well it works when I use it. I can’t wait, I’ve been looking for something like this for a long time!
Peanut Butter Cupcakes
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I was having a party and wanted to make a few different kinds of mini cupcakes. Since I had already found amazingly delicious recipes for chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, I decided to give this peanut butter recipe a shot. My guests loved it; I thought it was just okay. Then again, I’m not a fan of nuts in baked goods, and this recipe calls for crunchy peanut butter. I think if I were try it again, I’d use smooth. Anyway, the cake definitely has a peanut butter flavor, but it’s not overwhelming and the chocolate frosting compliments it quite well.
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup milk
Preparation
- Prehead oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powerder and salt.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together granulated and brown sugars and butter until well combined. Add peanut butter, beating until smooth. Add egg and vanilla, beating well. Alternately beat in flour mixture and milk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of milk, beating until smooth.
- Scoop batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. Top cooled cupcakes with frosting.
Makes 12 cupcakes.
Notes: I used mini cupcake tins so I ended up with about 36 cupcakes. Also, I used this chocolate buttercream recipe.
Recipe from 125 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson.
Vanilla Cupcakes
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I’ve tried a slew of vanilla cupcake recipes and usually end up with a bland, dense cake. So when I came across this recipe for “Almost Cake Mix Vanilla Cupcakes, I was skeptical. But I am happy to report the name is right on! Not only are these cupcakes delicious, they are moist and light as well. And of course, I used my favorite buttercream frosting recipe.
Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup Crisco shortening, room temperature
2 cups sugar, ground in the processor until fine (measure before processing)
4 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract or lemon extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour (or combined together)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup warm half-and-half cream or full-fat milk (this is important, warm the milk!)
Preparation
- Set oven to 375 degrees (will reduce oven temperature just before baking cupcakes).
- Line 24 muffin pans with paper cupcake liners.
- In an electric mixer, cream butter and shortening until fluffy.
- Add in the eggs (one at a time) and the extracts and beat about 3-4 minutes on high speed (the mixture will seem to be a bit lumpy but will even out when you add in the sugar).
- Add in the sugar; beat well (another 3 minutes) until sugar is COMPLETELY combined.
- In a bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder.
- Blend into the creamed ingredients, along with the warm milk until smooth (about 3 minutes).
- Fill the prepared pans about two-thirds full.
- IMMEDIATELY, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Place the cupcakes in oven, and bake for about 20-24 minutes, or until the cupcakes test done.
Makes 24 cupcakes.
Notes:
- I used ultrafine sugar.
- I used cake flour.
- I used whole mik.
- I used lemon extract.
- After adding the eggs to the butter, the batter is very lumpy and kinda funky looking.
- The cupcakes were done after 18 minutes, so you may want to check them early.
- I usually get 30 (very nicely sized) cupcakes, not 24 like the recipe states.
Recipe from Recipe*Zaar.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
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I found this recipe (don’t know where I got it, but I would love to give props to the appropriate person) and made it for my mom’s birthday (which was during Passover). It was surprisingly good, and I will be making it again this year. The recipe calls for whipped cream and raspberries to top it, but we did a slight variation–ate the cake warm with ice cream and hot fudge…how can you go wrong? I think this year I may try a chocolate or raspberry glaze for the top, we shall see. Here it is:
Flourless Chocolate Cake
2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine
7 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sweetened whipped cream or whipped cream substitute (optional)
1 pint raspberries (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9 inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. Heavily grease the parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Beat the egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar in a large bowl for three minutes, or until the mixture thickens and turns a pale yellow.
Fold the chocolate mixture and vanilla into the egg yolk mixture and set aside. Using very clean beaters and a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat until medium-stiff peaks form.
Carefully fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture a quarter at a time, until all of the egg whites have been added and the batter is uniform in color. Do not overmix.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth evenly. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out with moist crumbs rather than batter.
Cool the cake thoroughly in the pan (the cake will fall dramatically).
Remove the cake from the springform pan and place on a serving plate.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Beat the heavy cream with the sugar and then spoon into the center of the cake. Top with the raspberries and refrigerate for up to 12 hours, or serve immediately.
Makes 12 servings.
