Turtle Cupcakes

I know... it's a little late, but hey it was a long weekend and I have finals next week. The base for this cupcake was a boxed swiss chocolate mix that I filled with caramel sauce and chopped pecans.

Caramel Buttercream:
1 cup softened butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup caramel topping

Cream butter and add powdered sugar slowly. Add vanilla and caramel. Add more powdered sugar or milk to adjust consistancy.

Top with pecans and melted milk chocolate chips.

Grandma Bonnie's Red Velvet Cupcakes

Growing up, my brothers & I always looked forward to the end of November, not because of Thanksgiving, but because it was my dad's birthday, and my grandma would make him his favorite cake... Red Velvet.. Mmmm.

For now, I'm not going to post the recipie because, well, it's a secret! If my grandma says it's alright, I'll post it later. For now, here are some pictures of my red frenzy:

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Welcome to week two of the wedding cupcake taste test! I thought that on a hot summer day, what dessert sounds more refreshing than strawberry shortcake? But, how to turn it into a cupcake? I made french vanilla box cupcakes and then cut the tops off using the method from http://bakingbites.com/2007/09/how-to-make-filled-cupcakes-step-by-step/

I filled the hole in the middle with a small strawberry (or a bigger one trimmed down), and topped the cupcake with vanilla dream frosting:

Dream Frosting:
1.5 cups cold milk
1 envelope Dream Whip whipped topping mix
1 (3.4 oz) Jello Instant Pudding (any flavor - I used vanilla)

Beat all ingredients together until blended on low speed. Beat on high speed for 4 to 6 minutes or until mixture forms soft peaks.

Mmmm.. I love this frosting. Growing up, my grandma always made a chocolate cake with chocolate dream frosting... so gooood. I thought this frosting would work well because it's more like whipped cream, but it will hold up in the fridge.

Lemon Cupcakes with Black Raspberry Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting

As most of you know, the two things that have kept me sane during my second year of dental school have been baking cupcakes and planning my wedding. Now that I'm getting closer to the big day, I need to start thinking about some of the details. We are actually having a cupcake tower as our wedding cake, so I'm going to be testing flavor combinations for the next few weeks.

I used a lemon cake mix for this recipie to make it a little easier on myself. I baked them according to the directions, and filled them with Smuckers black raspberry jam. Then I topped them with cream cheese frosting (below) and purple sprinkles. These cupcakes would be great for a bridal or baby shower, too.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 to 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Have the cream cheese cold and the butter at room temperature. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until blended. Add sugar one-third at a time and beat just until smooth and the desired consistency. If frosting is too stiff, beat for few seconds longer. Do not overbeat. If desired, stir in additional flavoring to taste. This keeps, refrigerated, for about 1 week. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Soften and stir until smooth before using.