Caramel Frappuccino Cupcakes

It's been a while since I baked cupcakes and I found a recipe yesterday for Caramel Frappuccino Cupcakes. I do not go to starbucks that often but when I do that is my drink of choice and not it can be made in cupcake form?? Um yes please!! These were so easy, the batter comes out very thin but the cupcakes bake light and fluffy.

Caramel Frappucino Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed, hot coffee
1 tsp espresso powder

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 18 muffin tins with cupcake liners
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt
- Brew the coffee and dissolve the espresso powder in the coffee
- In the bowl of an electric mixture, beat buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla together on medium speed until well combined
- With the mixer on slow speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, mixing until only just incorporated
- Add the coffee and stir until combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula
- Fill cupcakes liners a little more than halfway (don't put too much in!), and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean


For the Whipped Cream Frosting

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla

- It's best to chill your bowl and whisk attachment before whipping the cream for the fastest results, so remember to stick your clean bowl in the freezer for a few minutes after you're done making the cupcakes
- Once cooled, beat the heavy cream on high speed until stiff peaks form
- Add the sugar and vanilla and beat further until incorporated
- Place frosting in a piping bag with a large round tip and decorate cupcakes as desired


For the Easy Caramel Sauce:

1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp light corn syrup
1-1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and boil briskly for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Cool before placing in a piping bag or plastic squeeze bottle (If you plan to refrigerate before use, make sure to use plastic wrap touching the top layer to help prevent crystallization)
- Once the cupcakes are cooled, use a serrated knife to cut out a small cone-shaped chunk from each cupcake
- Fill with caramel, cover hole with slice of cake, top with frosting, and drizzle more caramel on top

Recipe yields 18 cupcakes

Rolo Cupcakes

Good Evening Dolls! It's Saturday and I'm here again baking. :-)

I got a letter a few days ago from my daughter's kindergarten teacher stating since her birthday is in the summer she will be having a special day for her May 10th and for me to bring in some type of treat. I wanted to be different and bake something so I asked her, "What would you like me to make for the class?" And she responded "Strawberry Donuts"... Hmmm I never made donuts before so I have been on pinterest searching for donut recipes. I finally found out that wilton sells donut pans at BB&B so I went yesterday to grab one, and I thought this is such a great idea since you just bake the donuts rather than fry them. So I probably will experiment with the pan sometime this week to test it out before that day comes.

While I was at BB&B yesterday I grabbed a bunch of cupcake liners, they were so adorable. I loved how theyre so colorful and fun. My youngest daughter Zaina was holding them till I checked out and when we came home she asked me where the cupcakes were. Lol she thought I was making some, but she will have plenty of cupcakes today since I am making Rolo Cupcakes. I found this recipe on Pinterest as well from My Baking Addiction.


Rolo Cupcakes
YIELD: 24 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE 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)

FOR THE 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

FOR THE 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

DIRECTIONS:
FOR THE CUPCAKES
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line (2) 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, water and vanilla until well combined and smooth.

4. Evenly divide the batter amongst the prepared pans. {I use a large cookie scoop from OXO to scoop my batter; it holds 3 tablespoons}.

5. Gently push a frozen Rolo into the center of the batter and smooth the surface making sure to cover the candy with batter.

6. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch. A small divot may appear in the center of the cupcake, no worries though because you’ll cover that with frosting.

7. Cool cupcakes thoroughly on wire rack.

FOR THE FROSTING
1. Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the vanilla extract, salt and caramel syrup and combine well.

2. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, give it a taste and decide if you want to add in more caramel syrup. For thicker frosting you can gradually add in a little more sugar.

FOR THE GANACHE
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until very hot, but not boiling.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Top each cupcake with a Rolo.

5. Store cupcakes in the refrigerator. Remove them to room temperature one hour before serving.

Oreo Cupcake

Another cupcake recipe from Annie's Eat's. I followed her Cookies And Cream recipe and instead of using the butter cream to frost those cupcakes, I wanted a whipped cream frosting instead and used the frosting recipe from her Oreo Cupcakes. I posted both recipes below, I am personally not a butter cream frosting type of person, I prefer whipped cream frosting over anything so that is how I chose to do it. You can always go to her page by clicking those links and follow the original recipe if you'd like.


Yield: 24 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
24 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 2/3 cup sugar
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup milk
20 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped (I quarter them)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line the wells of two cupcake pans with 24 paper liners. Place an Oreo halve in the bottom of each liner, cream side up. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir together with a fork to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Add the milk and beat just until combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Gently fold in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.

Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp. whipping cream
3 tbsp. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 tbsp. Oreo cookie crumbs

To prepare the frosting, in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until the whipped cream holds stiff peaks. Gently fold in the cookie crumbs with a spatula.

Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle with Oreo crumbs and garnish with Oreo halves.

S'mores Cupcakes

I have been wanting to make these cupcakes for a while and oh boy they were worth the wait. I made them last night and took them to my family's house and everyone loved them. The process of making them is a bit long especially if you have only one muffin pan, but the end result is just fabulous.

My daughters are huge cupcake fans and my little one just could not wait till I frosted them and insisted she had one immediately.

She finished her first cupcake than I made a mistake of asking her if she wants another one.. And this was the aftermath.

I found the recipe for these s'more cupcakes from Annie's Eats. I tried getting them to look almost identical to her's yet they were not quite as pretty, but they still were delicious. The recipe states that the cupcakes make 24 cupcakes but I actually got 33 cupcakes out of it. The last 9 I left plain with no crust just the marshmallow topping. 

Directions

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

1/4 Cup Sugar

5 1/3 tbs Unsalted Butter

8oz. Bittersweet Chocolate, Finely Chopped

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter; mix well with a fork. Drop about 1 tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture in the bottom of each cupcake liner and press down to line the bottom. (Note: I found the bottom of my squeeze bottle to be the perfect size to do this job neatly and quickly.) Sprinkle a small amount of the chopped chocolate on top of the graham cracker crusts. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, and maintain the oven temperature.


Chocolate Cake
2 Cups plus 2 Tbs. Sugar
1 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup plus 1 tbsp. Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 ts. Baking Powder
1 1/2 ts. Baking Soda
1 tsp. salt
2 Large Eggs
1 Cup Whole Milk
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 ts. Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Boiling Water

To make the cake batter, sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on low speed just to combine. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract; whisk together. Add to the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the boiling water and stir just to combine (batter will be thin).

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ of the way full. Return the pans to the oven and bake about 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

Marshmallow Frosting
8 Large Egg Whites (At Room Temperature)
2 Cups of Sugar
1/2 ts Cream of Tartar
2 ts. Vanilla Extract

To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the top of a double boiler. (Note: I just set my clean, dry mixer bowl over simmering water, to avoid dirtying two bowls.) Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it reaches 160° F with an instant-read thermometer. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. Mix in the vanilla until combined. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. Brown with a kitchen torch and garnish with chocolate and graham cracker segments (optional).

Carrot Cake Cupcake

Can you believe I have made carrot cake only one time? Well it's true.. I made carrot cake once about 7 years ago and it was pretty darn good. Even one of my uncles asked me for the recipe hehe. I honestly don't remember where I got the recipe from and how I made it but recently I stumbled upon this recipe at Brandy's Baking blog and thought I'd give it a try. Well it's Saturday and usually on saturday nights the hubby, kids and I go to my in laws house to have dinner and spend quality time together. The majority of the time I make some type of sweet and take with me. So considering that today is Saturday, these are what I'm taking with me today. 

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Source:  Brandy's Baking

makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 to 1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots (about 3 carrots)

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. 

In a food processor pulse carrots until very fine.

In a large bowl, whisk together the grated carrots, sugar, oil, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla to combine.  

Gently fold the flour mixture into the carrot mixture until completely combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.  

Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean--20 to 25 minutes.  Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes.  Transfer the cupcakes to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

Frost the cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting:
12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 - 2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until light and fluffy.  Gradually add in the powdered sugar and beat until well blended and spreadable.