Owl Birthday Cupcakes

Occasion

Sophia Leach turned one this week!  Her party theme was owls, so I followed a similar strategy to the skeleton and went with a piece-together item instead of individual decorations.  Larger items are definitely easier, and that’s always a plus as I am approaching the end of pregnancy.

Cupcakes: White Almond Wedding Cake

Frosting: Chocolate Buttercream.  Four of the cupcakes had a standard vanilla buttercream: the two green ones and the two white ones for eyes.

Filling: Chocolate Filling

Toppings: Nabisco Chocolate Wafers (thanks to Nate for finding these!), pretzel rods, coconut (dyed pink), 2 gummy rounds, 2 M&Ms, 6 orange Starbursts.

Decoration idea from Hello! Cupcake.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

A very rich chocolate frosting.

Ingredients

• 1 cups butter, softened
• 4.5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/4 cups baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk or half and half

Cream butter in stand mixer. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, and vanilla. Add enough milk for desired consistency. Beat frosting until fluffy; use whisk attachment and cream for a more whipped result.

Chocolate Filling

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup half & half

• 5 egg yolks

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 square (2 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

In small saucepan, blend sugar, flour, salt, half & half and egg yolks with wire whip. Stirring constantly, heat over medium heat until mixture is thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and chocolate. Continue stirring until chocolate is melted. Cool quickly. To prevent a skin from forming, brush surface with melted butter. Stir before using.

Fills about 24 cupcakes.

Recipe from Wilton.com.

Skeleton Halloween Cupcakes

Occasion

My little sister Anna is having a Halloween party this year, so I made my first piece-together cupcake figure. The Halloween party occurred the same day as the one-year-old’s birthday party, so I made extra pumpkin toppers and cupcakes earlier and was able to cut down a little of time.

Cupcakes

Same as the Fall Birthday Cupcakes.

Decoration

The cupcakes used for the skeleton had the same vanilla bean frosting, but after frosting them as smooth as I could, I put then in the fridge to setup a bit and then rolled them on a paper towel to get a smoother top. They were then rolled in Oreo crumbles for a dark background. The skeleton pieces are made out of almond bark. Hello! Cupcake provided a pattern, which I simply put wax paper over and traced.

The Oreo crumbles was actually a delicious topping, in addition to providing the color we needed...

Fall Birthday Cupcakes

Occasion

One of Nate’s co-workers enjoyed the Candy Corn Cupcakes and wanted similar ones for her daughter’s one-year birthday party. The theme was fall/pumpkins, so I used the occasion to try out a new candy mold.

Cupcakes (Identical to the Candy Corn Cupcakes)

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
Vanilla Bean Pastry Filling
Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting

Toppings

I used the Wilton Pumpkin Candy Mold to make the toppers. They were made entirely from almond bark. I painted in the green leaves and brown stem, refrigerated, and then poured in orange almond bark to complete the molds. After they were removed I brushed on a light gold dust to give them a slight shimmer.

The birthday girl’s cupcake was the lone pumpkin, with orange frosting and green licorice rounding it out. I didn’t quite like the smooth look (as shown in the picture on the left) but I didn’t have anything orange to add for texture. Of course it was late and stores were closed so I had to use something at home. I ended up coloring sugar orange and sprinkling it on top to give the pumpkin a more subtle look (shown in the picture on the right).

Candy Corn Cupcakes

Occasion
Halloween is quickly approaching and I wanted to try some October-themed desserts.  My sister Maria sent me a link to a bunch of Halloween ideas, and several jumped out at me.  The candy corn cookies were actually made without thinking of cupcakes, but then once they were finished we 1) had a ton of them and 2) they were the perfect size for cupcake toppers!

 Candy Corn Cookies

2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 teaspoons orange juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. Cream together sugar and butter. Add egg, vanilla, almond extract, and orange juice. Whip until light and fluffy. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt and add slowly to the wet ingredients until well incorporated. When the dough is formed, remove it from the bowl, and divide it into thirds. Tint one third of the dough orange and leave the other two-thirds uncolored.
2. Afterward, line a 9×5 loaf pan with plastic wrap. Press one third of the white dough into a flat layer on the bottom. Next, add the orange dough on top creating the second layer. Finally, use the last of the uncolored dough to make layer three. Cover the top with the overhanging plastic wrap, and chill, preferably overnight. Slice into “candy corns” and bake at 375 for 7-10 minutes.
3. After completely cooled, dip the large ends of the cookies into yellow-tinted almond bark.

Recipe from The Sweet Adventures of Surgarbelle.

Candy Corn Cupcakes

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Vanilla Bean Pastry Filling

Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting

Recipe design for a candy corn layered filling from Sugar Turntable.

Changes for Next Time

• I tried substituting whipped cream for the white filling of the cupcakes and it is too thin; the pudding filling absorbed it to where you could only see orange and yellow on the inside.
• Buy vanilla beans from Costco- they sell them in bulk and they are less than half the price of anywhere else!

Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Possibly one of my favorite frostings; the use of real vanilla beans adds a great look (speckles all throughout) and strong vanilla flavor.

Ingredients

2½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar (10 ounces)
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons heavy cream

1. In a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Using a paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into butter and beat mixture at medium-high speed to combine, about 15 seconds.

2. Add confectioners’ sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully incorporated, about 30 seconds; scrape bowl, add vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 20 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.

Serves: 3 cups (enough for 12 cupcakes if using a large tip and piling on the icing).

Recipe from BrownEyedBaker.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 3 - 9 inch round cake pans. In medium bowl, pour boiling water over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. Spread batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.

Serves: about 24 cupcakes.

Recipe from Allrecipies.com.

Vanilla Bean Pastry Filling

A delicious filling for any cupcake…

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 6 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 pinch salt

Directions

1. Place the milk, half the sugar and the vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Combine the egg yolks and the remaining sugar in a bowl and whisk until light in color. Add in the flour and the salt, mix to combine.
3. When the milk just begins to boil, remove from heat and remove vanilla bean. Very slowly dribble the hot milk into the yolk mixture, stirring all the time. When about half of the milk has been added, place all of the yolk mixture into the saucepan over medium heat. Using a spatula or a whisk, mix the pastry cream as it heats, making sure to reach all of the corners of the pan when you stir. Bring the mixture to a boil. Let boil for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. The mixture will be thick.
4. Remove from heat and add the butter. Strain if you wish for a smoother cream. Place into a bowl and cover directly with plastic wrap to stop a skin from forming on the cream. Chill and use within a few days.

Serves: enough filling for 24-36 cupcakes.

Recipe from Allrecipies.com.

Rolo Cupcakes

Occasion

None… except that someone sent this recipe to me and I love Rolos, so they had to be made!

Rolo Cupcakes
1 (18.25 ounce) package Devil’s Food Cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs; lightly beaten
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon of vanilla
24 frozen Rolos (freeze for at least 2 hours)

Frosting
4 sticks unsalted butter; room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
⅓ cup caramel syrup
1 1/2 pounds confectioners’ sugar

Ganache
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into very small pieces
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla

24 Rolos for garnish

Mix cupcakes normally.  Push a frozen Rolo into the center of the batter and cover the surface before baking.  Bake 18-22 minutes.  

Ganache Instructions: In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until very hot, but not boiling.  Place chocolate pieces in a heat safe bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk the cream and chocolate until smooth and thoroughly combined. Whisk in the honey, corn syrup, and vanilla. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Do not let the glaze sit for too long or it will harden up before you spoon it over the frosting.

Spoon the glaze on the tops of the frosted cupcakes, allowing it to drip down the sides a little bit. Don’t add too much glaze or it will drip all over your liners.

See recipe on MyBakingAddiction.com for more detailed baking instructions.

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Occasion

It’s a girl!!!  Unfortunately I didn’t get any close ups of these cupcakes because we were a bit distracted with the occasion… announcing the gender of our baby!  The filling in the middle was the key -- it is pink. 

Tiramisu Cupcakes
1¼ cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ cup milk
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
3 whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar

Coffee-Marsala Syrup
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly brewed espresso
1 ounce marsala (substituted rum)
¼ cup granulated sugar

Marscapone Frosting
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

See recipe at Brown Eyed Baker for mixing instructions.  They are very important (and long!) to ensure the cupcakes are as light and airy as they are meant to be.

Changes for Next Time

• The flavor of these cupcakes was phenomenal – exactly like eating regular tiramisu.  However, the batter was best at the beginning.  The batter that had to sit for the second batch made for much harder cupcakes instead of the light and fluffy consistency they are meant to be.
• Always make “extra” of this frosting- I’m sure it will all be used.  Mascarpone is what makes tiramisu so delicious, and so a lot of frosting is a necessity.  I had to go back to the store for more mascarpone in order to triple the batch instead of just doubling it.

Winnie the Pooh Birthday

Occasion

My niece, Grace Nelson, turns one this week!  She loves Winnie the Pooh, so he was selected as the theme of her birthday party.  Maria made the mini-Pooh cake for Grace to eat, and I provided honeycomb cupcakes for the guests.  The idea for the honeycombs came from the book What’s New, Cupcake?

Cupcakes: White Almond Wedding Cake – you can never go wrong with this recipe when trying to please 30 people!

Frosting: Vanilla buttercream

Decorations: The honeycomb is made out of a white sugar cookie (Pillsbury premade sugar cookie dough, mixed with flour to make it thicker).  The cookies were rolled and then cut into a honeycomb shape before baking.  The bumble bees are chocolate covered almonds, with almond sliver wings and yellow striped frosting; the stingers and nose were black frosting.

Changes for Next Time

• The design turned out perfectly, but to save time I would go to the hardware store and buy some pliable, thin metal to make a cookie cutter.  I cut these with a knife around a paper stencil, and it took a fair amount of time.
• On a positive note, the work in these cupcakes (honeycombs and bees) can all be done ahead of time.  This made the assembly go quickly and the overall process pretty enjoyable because it wasn’t rushed.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Occasion

This weekend is my mom’s birthday!  Anna came over to my house and picked out a cupcake that she wanted to make as a surprise.  The winning selection was a sunflower from Hello, Cupcake! made out of Red Velvet cupcakes.

Red Velvet Cupcakes
2 1/4 c flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c butter, softened
2 c sugar
4 eggs
1 c sour cream
1/2 c milk
2 t vanilla extract
Red food coloring- lots

Mix dry ingredients and set aside.  Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Mix in sour cream, milk, food color, and vanilla.  Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended.  Do not over beat!  Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese, softened
1/4 c butter, softened
2 T sour cream
2 t vanilla extract
16 ounces powdered sugar

Decorations: One Oreo cookie (halved) with a ladybug made out of red M&Ms and meticulously decorated with spots by Anna and a bag of chocolate.

Changes for Next Time

• Cream cheese frosting is delicious, but not meant for decorating.  It is much to runny to hold its shape.  We decorated about half of the cupcakes before calling it quits and starting over with buttercream frosting.  We still used the cream cheese for the bottom layer to stick on the oreos, but next time it would be better to use a cupcake recipe that is good with buttercream instead of cream cheese.
• To give the petals more definitions, we ended up refrigerating the cupcakes after the bottom row was added.  Waiting for them to harden before adding the second row helped maintain shape and keep even the buttercream from blending together.
• A variation of large and small Oreos/flowers would add for a nice touch.  We didn’t have any small Oreos at the time, though.

Youth Services–Graduation Cake

Occasion

The Kansas City Associated Youth Services has a neat program where they provide “occasion cakes” for youth involved in the various programs. Every month a list of the events is published and volunteers select a cake to make. I was able to make one for Steven, who was graduating high school and loved cheesecake.

No Bake Cheesecake
16-ounces (2 packages) cream cheese
3/4 c powdered sugar
8-ounces cool whip
1 T vanilla extract
1 T almond extract
Graham cracker pie crust (3/4 c graham cracker crumbs, 2 T sugar, 1/4 c butter)
Chocolate chips, melted and spread on crust.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, and extracts. Fold in cool whip. Bake graham cracker crust for 5 minutes. Cool briefly and spread melted chocolate on crust; freeze until chocolate is hardened. Spread cheesecake into crust.

Changes for Next Time

• I need to remember that with cakes, simpler is often better. I would have preferred this cake with a bit less decoration on top, but when you have a plate of fresh cut strawberries in front of you, that’s hard to remember!
• For delivery, I need to make a portable container so that I can pass the cake off and it can travel to its final destination.

Graduation Cupcakes

Occasion

Shaw graduated with his Masters today, so there was much to celebrate at the Leaches tonight.

Cupcakes: Irish Car Bomb cupcakes for the adults, standard white almond cupcakes with vanilla frosting for the kids.

Changes for Next Time

• Making the Irish Car Bomb cupcakes for the third time, I think I finally got it down…

Latte Love Cupcakes

Occasion

Katie and Derrick Stolee came into town, so I wanted to make cupcakes.  Since we all love coffee, I thought I’d try an espresso-themed cupcake, filling, and frosting… similar to the Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes that were such a success.

Cupcakes: Standard Chocolate Cupcakes, but substituting shots of espresso for the water.  1 shot with water run through to make 2/3 cup, times 2.

Espresso Filling: Mascarpone cheese (tiramisu/coffee flavored), mixed with espresso and thickened with powdered sugar, cream cheese, and cornstarch.

Frosting: Bailey’s Frosting with some of the extra Espresso Filling added to give it a hint of espresso.

Changes for Next Time

• I had a hard time thickening the Espresso filling.  I don’t think the Mascarpone, espresso, and powdered sugar mixed well.  If I had had more cream cheese, it might have worked out, but since I ran out it was a bit grainy and required a lot of cornstarch and fridge time before being ready.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Occasion

Saint Patrick’s Day, of course! This was my first attempt with the extra large star tip and I LOVE how it turned out. Kudos to Nate for turning down my attempts with other tips, thereby allowing me to branch out and use a new tip.

Guiness Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake about 17 minutes.

Whiskey Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (or to flavor…)

Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.

Bailey’s Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream (or to flavor…)

Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

Changes for Next Time

• Nothing!!

Source: BrownEyedBaker.com

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

The Occasion
Valentine's Day... I wanted to make mini cupcakes because I had made some big ones recently and also knew that the Ducks were coming up soon, so didn't want to get burned out on eating large cupcakes. This was also a learning experience for "dipping" cupcakes and making smooth tops!

Cupcakes: Chocolate (Devil's Food mix with extra added)
Frosting: Chocolate Buttercream ('normal' cupcakes) & Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Frosting (heated for the 'smooth' cupcakes)
Toppings: Chocolate-frosting covered marshmallow halves, gummy flower heads, & peanut butter hearts. Pink baking chips were melted and drizzled over the marshmallows and hearts.

Changes for Next Time

• The cupcakes were too fluffy for the heft of toppings on them. More importantly, it was difficult to decorate them without the sides caving in while they were held. A more bundt-like cake batter would have worked better.
  
• Dipped cupcakes: It is worth the extra seconds to make sure the frosting is done dripping before turning them upright. A lot of these were ruined (in look- not taste!) because the frosting continued to drip down the side of the liner.
  
• The chocolate frosting was a bit too runny (hot) when I dipped the marshmallows, so it didn't coat them evenly. It should be a bit thicker to completely cover them.

Horse Cake & Cupcakes

Occasion
Anna's surprise 11th birthday party!  The theme was horses, and I had seen the horse cupcakes in Hello, Cupcake and had been dying to try them!

Cupcakes: White Almond Wedding Cake & Chocolate Bundt Cake (without the chocolate chips) mixed 3 to 1 with the remaining white cake mix.
Cake: Same as chocolate combination above. 12x12 pan.
Frosting: Buttercream- stand mixer recipe with some marshmallow fluff added(?)
Fencing: Crème de Pirouline Artisian Rolled Wafers: Dark Chocolate.  Held together with melted chocolate chips.
Horses: Necks made of two sugar wafers connected with and dipped in almond bark; tails of pretzel pieces; heads of circus peanuts dipped in almond bark; mane/tail of frosting; eyes and nose of melted chocolate chips.

Changes for Next Time

• Give the fence ample time to freeze prior to assembly.
• The cake board is covered in a fondant that did not turn out well.  Still need to find a fondant recipe that spreads well.  This one was oily so it smoothed out ok as a board cover, but wouldn’t work on a cake.

Duck Cupcakes

Occasion
One of Nate's co-workers had previously requested these ducks, which grace the cover of What's New, Cupcake?, and so they were made for her birthday.

Cupcakes: White Almond Wedding Cake
Frosting: Buttercream to hold the donut holes, marshmallows, and eyes on. Duncan Hines Homestyle Vanilla was tinted, melted and used for the shiny dipping.
Accessories: Starbursts for the beaks and feet, mini-M&M's for the eyes, marshmallows for the tails (large for the regular cupcakes, minis for the mini cupcakes), and donut holes for the heads.

Changes for Next Time

• Coming soon!