white chocolate cupcakes w/white chocolate buttercream...

1 1/4 cup cake flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

3/4 cup whole milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

6 Tbsp butter; room temp

1 cup sugar

3 large egg whites; room temp

1/2 cup chopped white chocolate pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper cupcake liners.

Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl set aside. In a small bowl stir the milk and vanilla together.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until smoothly blended and light in color, about 3 min. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed and in 3 additions add the flour mixture and milk mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix just until the flour is incorporated and the batter looks smooth. Fold in white chocolate. Set aside.

In a clean large bowl and clean beaters on medium speed, beat the egg whites until foamy, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and continue beating until the egg whites look shiny and smooth. Stir in about 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the cake batter, Use a rubber spatula to fold in the remaining egg whites just to blend into the batter.

Fill each paper liner about 2/3 full with batter.

Bake about 20 min, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

white chocolate buttercream:

3 oz white chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup butter; room temp

4 oz cream cheese; room temp

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Melt white chocolate in microwave (starting at 30 sec, then 10 second intervals stirring in between). Stir until completely melted and smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla. Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat until smooth, about 1 min. Add powdered sugar, mixing until the frosting is smooth (thin with milk, if necessary). Frost cooled cupcakes, top with white chocolate curls (or chocolate chunks) and dust with powdered sugar.

These are lovely, yummy little creations, I must say. The white chocolate cream cheese buttercream (say that three times fast) just takes these over the top. To be completely honest...you could substitute a white cake mix here. I've done it (in a pinch) and was not disappointed. These would be a fabulous Easter dessert...that is if you haven't had enough chocolate bunnies, jelly beans & peanut butter eggs...just sayin'.

chocolate peanut butter cupcakes...

24 chocolate cupcakes (made from scratch or a mix)

peanut butter frosting:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 Tbsp butter; room temp

3/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup heavy cream or milk

Place first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl and mix on medium low speed until creamy. Add the cream or milk and beat on high speed until light and smooth.

I wish I could say that I made the cupcakes from scratch. I can say that I attempted to make a fabulous "from scratch" recipe, but they bombed. That's another story for another day...

This recipe is of course, another Barefoot Contessa winner (if you don't have any of her cookbooks, go buy one...or ALL of them!) It is amazing. Top the cupcakes with chopped peanuts or crushed up peanut butter cups and oh my!

homemade Hostess cupcakes...

1 devil's food cake mix

filling:

8 Tbsp butter; room temp

1 1/2 cups marshmallow cream

1/2 tsp vanilla

granulated sugar (to taste)

icing:
2 big Hershey bars (or 8 reg size)
1 12oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 bar of wax (melt in a rinsed out soup can inside a pan with 1-2 in water)

Make cupcakes according to pkg directions (adding 1/4 tsp vanilla; if desired) and bake in well greased, unlined pans. Let cool completely.

For filling mix butter and marshmallow cream until fluffy. Add vanilla and a little sugar to desired taste. With a piping bag squirt a small amount of filling up into the bottom of each cupcake.

Melt chocolate together. Melt wax separately. Gradually add wax to melted chocolate, stirring constantly.

Dip tops of cupcakes into the chocolate and set aside until firm. With a small piping tip decorate tops of cupcakes with remaining filling.

Oh yes, I did. And I'm glad I did. YUMMY!!

When I made them, however, I did not add the vanilla or granulated sugar to the filling and I think it really needed it. Just make the filling and taste it, then adjust it to your liking. Also, the chocolate icing can be all milk chocolate or any combination of chocolate you prefer.

I have to say they were relatively easy to make. The most time consuming part was the chocolate icing...and the fact that I double dipped them!! I did double the recipe for cupcakes, and even tripled the filling amount so I wouldn't run out and I had exactly enough.

I took these to a Cub Scout event and thought the kids would go crazy over them, which they did...but the adults suddenly turned into a bunch of kids, as well!

(The spray pictured is the one with flour in it. I HIGHLY recommend using it. The tip is the one I used to insert the filling and it is a 1M (Wilton) piping tip.)

red velvet cupcake heaven...

1 Red Velvet cake mix (made according to pkg directions)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

6 oz cream cheese; room temp

1 cup butter; room temp

4 tsp vanilla

5 cups powdered sugar

milk (if needed)

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating well. If frosting is too thick add milk 1 Tbsp at a time until creamy.

Boxed cake mix, you say??? ABSOLUTELY. Cakes from scratch are not my specialty. I generally don't even like the taste of boxed mixes, but this Red Velvet is a winner. Canned frosting is something, however, I have to pass on...especially when there is a cream cheese frosting as fabulous as this one.

These cupcakes were my offering for a fun bake sale. They were a hit. Worth every fake dollar that was spent on them!

The frosting recipe is doubled here because when you use a piping bag & a large tip to frost with it uses more frosting. What a shame, huh? There was a little extra left over and if you have never tried frosting on graham crackers...you just haven't lived life to it's fullest.

I used the cooking tongs to lower the cupcakes into the cellophane bags. Great tip!

coconut cupcakes...

Here you go, Macy!

1 pkg white cake mix with pudding
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter; melted
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Combine all ingredients and beat at low speed with an electric mixer just until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 min., or until batter is smooth. Spoon batter into paper lined muffin cups and filling each 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min. or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

cream cheese frosting:

6 oz cream cheese; room temp.
1/2 cup butter; room temp.
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
milk; if needed
sweetened flaked coconut

Combine all ingredients and thin with a little milk to spreading consistency. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with coconut.
*coconut can be toasted in the oven, if desired

if you like coconut and like cake...brace yourself...these are dangerous!!

cup cakes and magic squares...

*cup cakes* lots of cup cakes...

i have a fabulous cup cake recipe but I need to tweak it a little before sharing it (altitude issues)

* * *

*magic squares*

these are a long-time family favorite. i made them for my baby's b-day party (because 48 cup cakes weren't quite enough...)

1/2 cup butter; melted

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (abt 1 pkg)

12 oz chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups coconut

1 can sweetened condensed milk

chopped nuts

*mix graham cracker crumbs and butter. press into 9x13 pan. sprinkle with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. drizzle with sweetened condensed milk. bake at 325 degrees for 30 min. cool and chill before cutting

*a yummy variation on these is to substitute the chocolate chips for white chocolate chips and add craisins...soooo good!