Football Pull-Apart Cake

With football season upon us, it's time to start thinking about the best part of football season, the food. Here is a fun little cake I made for a Packer's game. My family have been long time Packers fans and I am a fan of making football theme food. So enjoy this football pull-apart cake.

For cupcakes:
My Vanilla cake mix
3/4 cup water
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup softened butter
3 eggs


For chocolate ganache:
1 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
white decorating icing
colored candies (M&M, Reese's Pieces)


1. Mix all ingredients for cake in a large bowl to combine.

2. Line cupcake pan with wrappers and scoop batter in each cup (about 2/3 full).

3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 mins. Let cool.

4. While cupcakes cool, heat heavy cream in microwave for about 2 minutes. Pour over chopped chocolate and let it sit about 5 minutes.

5. Stir thoroughly until chocolate and cream are fully incorporated. Let cool. Beat on medium high speed for a minute or two, until fluffy and spreadable.

6. Arrange cupcakes in a football shape on a cake plate or baking sheet. Spoon dollops of whipped frosting all over the cupcakes. Use a knife to carefully spread frosting across all the cupcakes tops, like they are one unit. If the frosting is not spreading easily, dip the knife in a cup of hot water and then try again.

7. Fully cover the cupcake cake with frosting and even out the frosting. Sprinkle candies around the edge and pipe on football ties in the middle. Enjoy!

Irish Carbomb Cupcakes

For this month's What's Baking Challenge, Angela from The Tiny Tyrant's Kitchen were asked to bake your favorite cocktail. And I had made these cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day and they were a huge hit! So I decided to feature them here. They are cupcakes made up of Guinness chocolate stout cake, Jameson chocolate ganache, and Bailey's Irish cream buttercream. The picture below is from St. Patrick's day when I had made a variation. Some cupcakes regular size and also some mini cupcakes with a chocolate ganache topped with sprinkles and toffee and white chocolate cinnamon sugar pretzels. My husband brought the mini ones into work and everyone went crazy for them! Hope you enjoy it!

For the cupcakes:

1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2  eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the ganache:

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tsp Irish whiskey

For the frosting:

3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperate
3 tbsp Baileys
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp milk (if needed for thinning)


For cupcakes:
1. Melt butter in a large saucepan and then add stout beer. Let simmer for a minute and then whisk in cocoa powder. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

3. Beat eggs and sour cream on low. Add in chocolate stout mixture.

4. On low speed, gradually add in the dry ingredient mixture.

5. Line cupcake pan and spoon batter in cups til 3/4 full. Bake on 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. Let cool completely.


For ganache:
1. Place chocolate in a glass bowl. Heat heavy cream until simmering and then pour over chocolate. Let sit for 3 or 4 minutes to melt the chocolate.

2. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the whiskey. Let cool to thicken.

3. To prepare the cupcakes for the ganache filling, take a small pairing knife and cut out a cone shaped piece of cake from the center of the cupcake top.

4. Use a tiny cookie scoop or piping bag to fill the cupcakes with ganache.

For frosting:
1. Cream the butter on high until fluffy.

2. Add the powdered sugar gradually.

3. Pour in Bailey's and vanilla. If the frosting is your desired, spreadable consistency then it's ready. If it is too thick add a tbsp or two of milk to thin it out or if it is too thin add a tbsp or two of powdered sugar.

4. Use a knife to spread your frosting on cupcakes or fill a piping bag with a your desired tip and frost cupcakes. Decorate with mini chocolate chips, a chocolate drizzle, nuts, etc. Whatever you like!


Source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Easter Peeps Cupcakes

 

Even though it feels as if Christmas and Valentine's Day just ended, before we know it St. Paddy's day and Easter will be here! So today, I'm sharing these cupcakes I made for Easter. My hubby is obsessed with peeps, and so is my grandpa, despite the fact he shouldn't have them. These were super simple and cute for a last minute Easter dessert. I used this homemade cake mix recipe and this cream cheese frosting recipe.

One batch of vanilla dry cake mix (you can use store bought cake mix or icing and follow the instructions on box or make your own and follow these directions)
For cupcake mix:
3/4 cup water
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup softened butter
3 eggs

For icing and decorating:
12 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cup confectioner's sugar
sprinkles
peeps marshmallow candy chicks or bunnies

1. In a large mixing bowl, take your dry cake mix and add in 3/4 cup water, 2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 cup softened butter, and 3 eggs.

2. Combine well and bake on 350 degrees until toothpick comes out clean (about 12-15 mins).

3. Now for the frosting, start by beating the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla together. Add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy.

4. Frost cupcakes with large dollops of icing and smooth out the top. Then roll the edges in sprinkles, leaving the smooth top sprinkle free. Stick a peep of your choosing on the flat top.

Mini Brownies

Belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year's Eve to everyone! We are in a our new home!!! And we somehow managed to host a 20 person Christmas dinner made up of 5 courses with help of our awesome family!! We owe a lot to all the members of my family who dedicated countless hours to do everything from cook, clean, and unpack to lay flooring and painting. We still haven't fully unpacked and despite the fact that the kitchen floors are still not grouted, it was a perfect Christmas in our new home! However, our house and the internet have yet to be friends so this is my first post in the month of December as ironically the month and year come to a close! Pictures, stories, and of course, more recipes to come in 2012! Wishing many blessings to all of you in this new year!



Since December is National Brownie Month, Nicole, from Seven Ate Nine , chose a brownie challenge for this month's What's Baking. I used the brownie recipe from Baker's chocolate topped with a simple ganache for icing. It was a perfect bite-sized treat!




4 squares unsweetened Chocolate
3/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks


1. Melt the chocolate squares and butter in medium sized bowl in the microwave for about two minutes or until melted. Stir until thoroughly mixed together. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. Transfer chocolate mixture to a mixing bowl and add in sugar. Beat to incorporate.

3. Add in eggs and vanilla on low. Mix in flour and nuts until well blended. We skipped nuts for those who may be allergic, but it would be good. You could replace nuts with white chocolate or semisweet chunks too.

4. Using a small cookie scoop and a well VERY greased mini muffin pan, scoop small amounts into each cup. Put into a preheated oven of 325 degrees and bake for 12-14 minutes. Do not overbake. Flip them onto baking racks to cool. Make sure you grease those cups well or they will get stuck!

5. While the mini brownies cool, heat one cup of heavy cream on stove top or in a microwave until it reaches a boil, then remove. Pour atop chocolate chunks or chips. I opted for milk chocolate, but any kind will do! Let the hot cream soften the chocolate and then stir.

6. Dip mini brownies into the ganache for a yummy topping or eat them naked if you prefer. I also topped them off with dark chocolate chunks, festive sprinkles, and cinnamon chips. Use whatever you have in the pantry! Enjoy! HAPPY NEW YEAR!



Source: Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate Box or Kraft Recipes

Stuffed Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These cupcakes were simply delightful! They were were a perfect flavor combo! For this month's What's Baking challenge, hosted by Dunne from With a Cherry on Top, we were asked to share something Baked with Love. February is one of my favorite months. Not only is it Valentine's Day, but it's also our anniversary! I first made these cupcakes for one of my best friends, Stephanie's birthday, last year and then again for our anniversary recently. I loved the recipe both times I made it and I'll be sure to find another excuse to make them in the future.




Cupcakes:
2 1/2 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, room temp
1 1/2 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp gel food color, approx. (Wilton Red)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp white distilled vinegar

Filling:
10 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp lemon juice

Frosting:
12 oz cream cheese
12 oz butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cup confectioner's sugar


(Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes)

1. In a medium bowl, sift together all of the dry ingredients for the cupcakes: flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar until smooth.

3. Slowly add in the dry mix and blend for a minute or two until fully incorporated.

4. Fill cupcake pan with liners about 2/3 full. Bake on 350 for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Remove from pans and let fully cool.

5. While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare your filling and frosting. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and cinnamon just until well blended. Spoon filling into a pastry bag with no tip, just a coupler or a large round tip and set in refrigerator.

6. Now for the frosting, start by beating the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla together. Add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. Fill another pastry bag with the frosting using any tip you desire to decorate your cupcakes; I used a Wilton star tip. Store in refrigerator until ready. Both the frosting and the filling can be made in advance to save time, just twist the tops of your pastry bags so they are closed.

8. Once the cupcakes are cooled, it's time to make a hole for the filling. Using a small paring knife, cut a cone shaped piece of cake from the top center of the cupcake. Be sure to cut only partially into the cupcake and not all the way down to the bottom. Discard the cones or eat them while you decorate.

9. Using your pastry bag with filling, begin to squeeze filling into each cupcake's cavity just until it reaches the top.

10. Take your other pastry bag full of frosting and begin to ice the cupcakes by making concentric circles starting on the outer edge and working your way inward and up. These cupcakes are best stored in the refrigerator until it's time for your event. Hope you enjoy your cupcakes!

Source: Apple a Day, another great foodie blog

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

I love everything about the fall! The trees on the mountain changing colors, the cool breeze signaling that winter is around the corner, and of course, the scrumptious flavors of fall; apples, pumpkins, and cinnamon! Apples are very big around here! There is a popular Apple Festival where the town and orchards get flooded with tourists letting us know that fall is in full swing ! I returned with tons of apples waiting to be eaten! I love to eat apples on their own, but apples are a fantastic addition to so many dishes!


Carrie from Carrie's Sweet Life decided to head up a group of baking lovers, where we try a new baking challenge each month. This month's challenge was a fall themed cupcake and since I was the proud owner of a large bushel of apples, I knew it had be something with apples. I asked myself, what goes better with apples than caramel? And what could be more heavenly than a caramel apple cupcake? The apple cider brings out an extra blast of flavor to make these cupcakes even more irrestible. The homemade super thick caramel on top gives it a striking resemblance to a traditional caramel apple.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes
adapted from Chockylit

3 apples, Macintosh
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup oil
1 cup apple cider
1 tsp vanilla

1. Rinse the apples and core them. Place in a baking dish. Mix 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Fill the cavities of the apples with sugar mixture. Bake for 20 minutes on 350 degrees. Remove from oven and spoon 1/4 cup apple cider into the cavities of the apples. Bake another 20 minutes.

2. Let the apples cool slightly, then peel off the skin. Mush the apples and reduced apple cider with the back of a fork or potato masher. Measure out 1 cup of apple mush and set aside.

3. Combine flour, cake flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Whisk to combine.

4. In a separate mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add in oil, apple cider, vanilla, and apple mush. Beat until combined.

5. Slowly add dry ingredients while beating. Spoon into cupcake liners at least 3/4 of the way full, almost to the top. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway.

Super Thick Caramel

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
6 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Bring the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk to a boil over medium-high heat stirring to combine.

2. With a wooden spoon, stir all ingredients together and then slowly add the heavy cream.

3. Continue to stir for about 20 minutes until the caramel reached 248 degrees. It is important to continuously stir the mixture and to allow it to reach temperature.

4. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Transfer to a bowl and continue to stir for 2-3 minutes allowing the caramel to cool slightly.

5. Using a small offset spatula, frost each cupcake with the caramel. If desired sprinkle warm caramel with any number of toppings, like coconut or crushed nuts.

6. Transfer the cupcake into the freezer to allow the caramel to set without dripping over the edge of the cupcake paper.

7. Continue frosting and topping the cupcakes and try to work fast. As the caramel cools, it becomes less spreadable. It is so yummy, but you must work very quickly, because it hardens very fast. If possible work in pairs and let your helper top the cupcakes and transfer them to the freezer. By the time you reach the last few cupcakes, you will not longer need to freeze them and you can take all the cupcakes out and transfer them to the counter. If you have any leftovers, spread some on regular apples!

8. Top off each cupcake with a popsicle or craft stick to finish off the look. They look so cute, like little caramel apples! The only challenging part to these cupcakes was the caramel, but it was well worth it! Just ask my husband who is currently licking the bowl! :)

Sit down, relax, and enjoy a fall festive treat!

Cookie Sandwiched Cheesecakes

This is quick and simple variation of my cheesecake recipe made into cute little sandwiches. It's very easily adaptable to your own tastes. I'm a fan of chocolate chip cookies (the chewy kind) and Oreo's too! The only way to improve on this recipe would have been to have my own chocolate chip cookies or be really brave and make my own Oreos. Someday...
But for now, please enjoy these yummy handheld snacks! They are a perfect kid-friendly version of cheesecake!

1 1/2 lbs cream cheese
1 1/3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
16 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoons lemon juice
1 package of chewy chocolate chip cookies
1 package of Oreos (or any other cookies you like)


1. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy.

2. Add sugar and continue beating on low.

3. Add eggs one a time and keep on low speed.

4. Add flour, lemon juice, and vanilla.

5. Stir in sour cream.

6. Place cupcake liners in pan. Put one half of an oreo(icing side up) or chocolate chip cookie(flat side facing up) in each liner.

7. Spoon cheesecake filling on top till just about full.

8. Top with corresponding cookie to finish.

9. Bake on 325 for 15 minutes.

10. I also took used some chopped Oreos as topping and some combined in the filling for a slightly different approach in some sandwiches.

Amazing Rainbow Cupcakes!

This is by far and beyond the most fun I've ever had baking! I love these cupcakes so much! I made these with some kids I was babysitting and it was a hit! Then we brought them to a bake sale and they were the best seller! Kids love these crazy colors and so did the adults. Please do yourself a favor and make these!

Amazing Rainbow Cupcakes (stolen from Our Best Bites) Thank you for sharing this recipe!

1 white cake mix
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

1. Combine all ingredients until incorporated.


2. Divide batter according to how many colors you are using. I used 5 colors and it worked out to a little over 1 cup for each color.

3. Add food coloring to each bowl of cake batter to the desired color. I used the Wilton Gel Dye. I can't believe how bright the colors turned out! Goodbye to McCormick Liquid Food Coloring!


4. Now time to start layering! You can get creative here! Change the order of layers, do some swirls. I made mine in very specific orders and the kids I was baking with made their own tray of crazy, creative cupcakes which turned out just as beautiful(if not better than mine)!



5. Bake according to the box (about 20 mins on 350).

6. Ice with your favorite icing and eat them fast before everyone else gets them!

Easter Peep Cupcakes

I wanted to make really cute cupcakes for my Kindergarteners this year. So I googled cute cupcakes and came across these. The Food Network Cutest-Ever Easter Cupcakes. I loved the little chicks and they won in the Nest poll over the bunnies. My kids loved them and hopefully you will too!



Easter Peep Cupcakes

1 box cake mix (white)
oil
eggs
water
1 can of frosting (white)
food coloring (blue and green)
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1 bag of Easter Egg jelly beans
3 packs of Peeps
Airheads (white is best but I ran out so I used some other colors as tulips)


1. Mix cake mix, oil, eggs, and water as per directions on the back of box. Bake in cupcake liners.


2. Tint frosting blue with 6-8 drops of blue food coloring. Mix well. Frost cupcakes

3. Stir 5-8 drops of green food coloring into the coconut. Stir till welly coated.


4. Unwrap airheads and cut in half. Then cut each half into a cracked egg shape.

5. Place one peep toward the back end of the cupcake. Add a cracked egg shell airhead in front of it.



6. Sprinkle some green coconut in front and around the peep and egg.

7. Place 3 jelly bean eggs in the coconut.

Happy Easter!