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.

Oreo Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcake:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.

3. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Oreo Filling:

1/2 cup shortening
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix together and fill cupcakes by cutting a cap out of the top of the cupcake. Fill with a small ball of filling and replace cap.

Oreo Buttercream

3 cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

2 "rows" of Oreos, crushed

1. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar slowly.

2. Add vanilla and milk until creamy

3. Add 2/3 of crushed Oreos

4. Frost cupcakes, top with remaining Oreos

Creme Brulee Cupcakes

Happy Birthday To Matt!!! These were my friend Matt's choice for his birthday week, so I hope he likes them. I had trouble with the original recipe for the cake part, so I ended up using two cake mixes combined to get the right flavor. I used Duncan Hines' Caramel and French Vanilla cake mixes and baked them according to the box's directions, which turned out really well.

Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream
1 cup light brown sugar
4 egg whites
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

Put sugar, egg whites and salt into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees). Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 minutes total. Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low, add butter two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and continue beating 1 minute to reduce air bubbles.

I garnished with some natural sugar crystals and melted sugar chips. I just put a thin layer of sugar on parchment paper under the broiler until it melted and browned. When it cooled, I cracked it into little pieces to simulate the "crack" on top of creme brulee.

Banana Pudding Cupcakes

Banana Cupcakes
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.
2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs to the creamed mixture and beat well. Add the bananas and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add all the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix until completely integrated.
5. Add the milk and vanilla. Mix for 1 minute on medium speed.
6. **Fill cupcake liners one-half to three-quarters full with batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan.

**I added crushed Nilla wafers in the cupcake liners before I added the batter.

I filled the cooled cupcakes with banana cream pudding and then frosted them with swiss meringue buttercream frosting. I followed the recipie from: http://howtoeatacupcake.blogspot.com/2008/02/face-your-smbc-fears.html

The frosting was amazing! I may never go back to regular buttercream (until next week). It was fluffier and less tooth-achingly sweet than regular buttercream, but it took quite a bit longer to make.

Until next week!