cupcakes

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting.

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes makes 12 cupcakes 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups flour 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup chopped strawberries 1-2 tablespoons milk, if needed (I did not need/use this) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add flour, baking powder and salt with the mixer on low speed, then gradually increase speed. Add in chopped strawberries and beat on medium speed until the strawberries break down – about 1-2 minutes. At this point, the strawberries most likely have enough liquid that you don’t need to add any milk to the batter. If you batter seems dry and is not like typical cake batter (see 1st picture above), then add milk 1-2 tablespoons at a time, beating until incorporated. Pour into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 of the way full, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake is set. Let cool, then frost. Note: I would not suggest using frozen strawberries because of the high water content. If you must, make sure they [...]

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Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Cheesecake Frosting.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes makes about 12 cupcakes 1/4 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1 cup sugar 2 whole eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups flour 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/3 cup milk 3/4 cup peanut butter chips/morsels Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and peanut butter together in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and eggs and beat together until fluffy. Add vanilla and mix for another minute or so. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Add the milk. Once mixed, add remaining dry ingredients. Fold in peanut butter morsels. Pour into cupcake tins and fill 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350. Let cool, then frost.   Chocolate Cheesecake Frosting 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 block cream cheese (8 ounces), softened 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 4 cups powdered sugar 1/3 cup dark cocoa powder 1-2 tablespoons milk, if needed In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add in vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time [...]

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Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes.

Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes makes 12 cupcakes 1/2 cup butter 1 cup sugar 2 whole eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/3 cup milk 1/3 cup assorted brightly colored sprinkles + more for top of frosting Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Add the milk. Once mixed, add remaining dry ingredients. Fold in assorted sprinkles. Pour into cupcake tins and fill 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Let cool, then frost.   Vanilla Buttercream 2 sticks of butter, softened 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon of milk, if needed Cream butter in the bowl of an electric mixture until completely smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low speed, add in powdered sugar slowly. Gradually increase mixer speed and add vanilla, then beat for 2-3 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of the bowl. If frosting is too thick, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until [...]

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Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes.

I made these cupcakes four weeks ago today. I’ve stared at these cupcake pictures everyday for four weeks.   I just don’t like these cupcakes.   I don’t know why. They never did anything to me. They were insanely delicious, that is not the issue. They have a sweet and slightly tart lemony base and the strawberry buttercream? Well… let’s just say that me and a spoon… we had a good time. The lemon buttercream? Love. It’s fabulousness plus twelve. I’m just annoyed by these cupcakes. I want to chuck them out the window. But I want to eat them too. I want them to be prettier. But have less frosting. I want them to do a little dance for me, you know… a jig or something. But they just sit there. DO SOMETHING! Maybe I’m just doing some of that blah blah projecting or whatever. You know.   Bad news bears. Cupcakes don’t dance. They are sort of like that boy in seventh grade… who is really nice to you… and is sort of cute… but kind of boring… and not adventurous… and sort of nerdy… and who your mom really loves, which just makes you not like him [...]

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Brown Sugar Banana Cupcakes with Avocado Buttercream.

Raise your hand if you think I’m weird. Or… don’t. I’ve already seen enough hands. I’m beginning to develop a complex. So here’s the deal. Like bananas? Like avocados? These cupcakes were made for you. Yes, you! I had you in mind all along. We have so much in common, FYI. It’s like we share a brain. Someone I don’t share a brain with? Hmm… that would be my husband. This is made all the more evident considering he can calculate down to the penny just how much a pair of shoes that are 30% off + and extra 10% off will cost, while I sometimes try to count the 47 (48? 50?) states on my fingers and round my $78 grocery bill down to $50.   Pretty banana cupcakes with silky frosting that resembles Slimer? So cute, so sweet, so soft and fluffy? Mr. How Sweet’s worst nightmare. Only one way I could make it worse: adding coconut. I didn’t do that, by the way. I’m not mean. So don’t feel bad if you want to slap me silly. If you’re looking at me like I have a third eye. If you think my taste buds have gone off [...]

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Cupcake Fondue.

Pinterest is killing me. Really it is. My demise has began.   It’s making me sit on my rear for hours at a time and skip workouts and go to bed at a highly unreasonable hour and make things like this cupcake fondue. All signs point to a heart attack if you ask me. Why didn’t someone warn me just how addicting it was is? Why doesn’t my home look like any of the ones I pin? Why does it make me want to stand in front of the stove all day like it’s 1955? Why haven’t I ever made cupcake fondue in my incredibly deprived life?   And more importantly, why didn’t anyone tell me that wasabi peas were so… wasabic? My tongue hurts. [As a side note, how cute are my little cupcakes’ brightly colored unmentionables way up there? Heather sent me those a while back. I love cupcake liner lingerie.] Remember when I gave you a sneak peek of these pictures on Facebook yesterday and you all thought I made brownie pops? Tricked you, didn’t I? You should be glad. This is soooo much more exciting. Funner. Prettier. Fancier. Sparklier. So awesome that I make up words [...]

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Hot Fudge Root Beer Float Cupcakes.

Awhile back I did one of the darnedest things. You may recall. I made this root beer float. And I’m still trying to decide if it was the best decision of my life, or the catalyst to having nightmares when I envision warm, sandy beaches and waves crashing along the shore. Along with bikinis. Root beer floats and bikinis don’t go together. Did you know that?   Let me rephrase that. Daily root beer floats and bikinis don’t go together. Unless you’re a freak of nature. Even though root beer has never really tickled my fancy, I’ve developed something that some may call an… addiction. It hurts to say it out loud. For someone who has never found a thrill in drinking carbonated beverages, all I can think about is cold, bubbly root beer twenty four seven. It tastes so good when it hits your lips. See that frosting up there? It’s a bit ridiculous. The vanilla frosting tastes like vanilla ice cream, and that little guy? That little bowl is filled with root beer frosting. I’ll say it again in because I can’t really believe it either. Root beer frosting. Root. Beer. Frosting. I don’t want to lead you [...]

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One Bowl Vanilla Cupcakes For Two.

Let’s face it: sometimes we all need a dessert that only makes two servings. Sometimes we just can’t handle 12 servings. Sometimes we eat them all by ourselves. Sometimes we eat them all by ourselves in two hours. Sometimes we eat them all by ourselves in a matter of minutes. Sometimes it’s the best thing ever.   FYI: I have no idea what that is like. Haven’t you always wished you could make just enough dessert for yourself? Or yourself and one other person? Or… just yourself? Me too. But more often than not, I’ve found it to be a hassle to drag out the mixer, cream the sugar and butter, sift the dry ingredients and all that fun stuff for a measly two cupcakes. What can I say? I’m lazy. Well, I was lazy. Until I decided to make these cupcakes for two. This is only my second or third cupcake recipe completely from scratch and completely from my own recipe development, and I am so excited with the result.   It is definitely your typical white cake; fluffy and soft, full of vanilla flavor, and the perfect vehicle for some fluffy white frosting. And it only takes one [...]

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Peanut Butter Stuffed Hot Fudge Cupcakes.

Well… it is Fat Tuesday. Did you expect anything less from me? I made these cupcakes Friday afternoon to have for dinner on Friday night. And they are simple – only one bowl necessary! I think I told four different people that I needed to handcuff myself so I wouldn’t eat them before our company arrived. It wouldn’t have mattered… I could have chewed through the metal to get to these. I was craving a chocolate + peanut butter treat for dessert but as usual, wanted something different from what I already have made before. All I could think about was thick, creamy peanut butter buttercream frosting… So I stuffed the cupcakes, which was really easy! I just poked a hole in the cupcake with the pastry tip and filled them. You can never have too much peanut butter. Especially if it’s enveloped by chocolate. I’m the kind of person that just likes a big blob of frosting on the top of a cupcake. No spreading needed. But didn’t that cupcake look sort of naked? That’s what I thought too. Much better. Some of this may be necessary. Preferably of the anything-but-skim variety. Result? They were an absolute hit; my [...]

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A Healthier Pumpkin Cupcake.

Last fall, I made some delicious pumpkin cupcakes. I made them over and over and over again. And then I ate them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My goal yesterday was to try another pumpkin cupcake, but this time make it a bit on the healthier side. That way I could really eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. One thing I am not good at: staying out of cake and cookie batter. Major fail. Chew gum. It helps. Loved the way these turned out. All whole wheat flour, much less sugar, and no oil. Of course, there is still butter. I mean, who do you think I am? The cupcakes were still fluffy and moist. I put them in the fridge and snuck eighteen a few bites. They got just a tiny bit dry in the fridge, but as soon as I left them out at room temperature again, they were as fluffy as clouds. They tasted so incredible, I could barely tell they were a healthier version. Of course I couldn’t leave it at that. Me let things be? Never. I whipped up some pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting to pile on top. It made the cupcakes much [...]

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