Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ok- Let's talk about the best pumpkin cupcake out there.
Because this is it.

I'm sure that I saw this cupcake last year or the year before that even, but I never paid it too much attention until I saw it recently on Tracey's blog. Tracey mentioned a post that Bridget did where she compared different pumpkin cupcake recipes and this one was her clear winner.

I was in a cupcake mood and already making a small amount of Snickerdoodle cupcakes, so I figured why not make these pumpkin cupcakes too. Then there would be more options for people to choose from when I offer them a cupcake.
For some reason it seems easier to me, to bake more than one thing at a time. It sounds crazy, but it works for me. I tend to plan at least a couple things each time I bake. Just for the fun of it. This time it was 2 cupcakes and 2 frostings.

This pumpkin cupcake is light, but has really great pumpkin flavor. Very nice taste and texture. I can't even describe it properly. It is just perfect.
I like to frost my cupcakes with pretty frosting, but I can't stomach that much frosting on a cupcake when I actually eat it. That being said, I thought this cream cheese frosting was a pretty great match for the pumpkin cupcakes. I can't say that the maple flavor was too noticeable in the frosting.

I also used some of the Seven-Minute frosting I had leftover from the Snickerdoodle cupcakes (I made that frosting first) to frost some of the pumpkin cupcakes. That was a really great combination. These cupcakes would taste great just dusted with some powdered sugar too.

Recipe for Pumpkin Cupcakes

Blackberry Cupcakes with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

There have been a couple of times that I have had exactly 5 egg whites leftover in my fridge from making some sort of tart with pastry cream. It happened twice last month and this is one of the recipes that I made with the egg whites.
I saw these cupcakes awhile ago on Peabody's blog and they just looked too good to pass up. I printed the recipe and then tried to fit them in somewhere.
When I saw that blackberries were really cheap a couple of weeks ago, I decided that was the time. The same day someone asked me to bring something to a game night and these were the perfect thing.
I had to make some into mini cupcakes, so my kids could at least try them.
The flavor of the blackberry cupcake with the key lime frosting was perfect.
I also thought the color of the cupcakes was really pretty. Kindof a blueish-purpley color. Especially because it was colored that way naturally.
If you have egg whites hanging out in the fridge or want an excuse to buy blackberries, these cupcakes are the perfect excuse!

Blackberry Cupcakes with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting from Peabody
Blackberry Cupcakes
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cake flour (you can use all-purpose if you need)

2/3 cup blackberry puree (with the seeds removed)

1 TBSP. baking powder

1 tsp salt

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup whole milk

5 egg whites

Sift together flours, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

In a mixing bowl (if using a stand mixer use the paddle attachment), cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla extract and blackberry puree. Beat until incorporated.

In a liquid measuring cup, combing vegetable oil and milk. Add flour mixture and milk/oil mixture alternatively to the mixing bowl. Beating on low speed after each addition. Pour mixture into a large bowl. Scrape down to make sure you get all of the batter. Clean out bowl and switch to whisk attachment.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter, to “lighten” the batter. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites.Grease and lightly flour muffin pans. Fill each cup half full.

Bake at 375 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until done. Cool on a wire rack. Frost with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting.

Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

3 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup key lime juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-4 cups powdered sugar (depending on the consistency you are going for)

Beat together the cream cheese and butter, about 2 minutes. Add key lime juice and vanilla while mixer is on low until fully incorporated.Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until you reach desired consistency.

For Mothers Day- Tea Sandwiches, Petit Fours, and Lemon Scones

Aggie's Food and Football Days- His and Hers' Nachos and Red Velvet UGA Cupcakes 2 ways, with Fluffy Meringue or Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

This is my entry to Aggie's Food and Football Days event. I made one of my husbands favorite things to eat while he watches the game, featuring our Georgia Bulldogs!

I try to serve my family healthy dinners, but my husband would be happier eating the way that he wants too. That is why I decided to make him the Nachos of his dreams and decided I was going to have to make 2 kinds, because our nacho dreams are very different.

So, here I go with my stereotype. I made 2 kinds of nachos, his and hers. You might disagree with me and maybe it is different in your family, but this is how it works in ours. Above, are HIS (a little less healthy) nachos-ground sirloin, seasoned with spices, jalapenos, black olives, and a melty cheese sauce (I usually use a nice white, Mexican melting cheese, but after searching every grocery store in town and even making a special trip to a bunch of authentic stores, with no luck,) I settled for Velveeta mixed with salsa. HER nachos are below- multigrain tortilla chips with flaxseeds and seasoned with sea salt, spicy blue corn chips, refried beans, pinto and black beans, red and green pepper, tomato, and shredded cheese- popped under the broiler.

Now on to our team. My husband was born and raised right outside of Athens, Georgia. I grew up in Utah. I was lucky enough to finish up my degree at UGA. College Football is a different experience down in Athens. I had never seen anything like it. The tailgating, the clothes, the millions of people that are everywhere. You can't understand it until you experience it. It blew me away. We are diehard University of Georgia Bulldog fans. (GO DAWGS!)

So, in honor of the red and black, I decided to make red velvet cupcakes. I did a taste test, using 2 different cupcake and frosting recipes and made the colors a little more fun with alot of food coloring. The black cupcakes with meringue frosting were more popular with the kids and tasted very chocolaty. The red cupcakes with black lemon cream cheese frosting were more popular with the adults, so everyone was happy!

His Nachos by Mary Ann-serves 2 hungry guys or more if servings are smaller :)

White Corn tortilla chips

1 pd. ground sirloin

dehydrated onion

cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano

jalapeno slices

sliced black olives

6 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed

3/4 cup salsa

In a skillet, heat 1 Tbls canola oil. Brown ground sirloin, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Season with onion, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, and oregano. Cook completely and set aside.

In a microwavable bowl, combine velveeta and salsa. Melt in microwave, 30-50 seconds at a time, stirring, until completely combined and melted.

Place desired amount of chips on a plate or serving platter. Place seasoned meat on top of chips. Add jalapeno slices and sliced olives.

Drizzle warm cheese sauce over the top and Eat!

Hers' Nachos by Mary Ann-serves 5-6 adults

Multigrain Tortilla Chips with Flaxseed and Sea Salt

Spicy Blue Tortilla Chips

fat free refried beans

1 can black and pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 each, red and green pepper, diced

2 medium tomatoes, diced

shredded cheese

Preheat broiler. On a large cookie or baking sheet, layer desired amount of chips. Drop spoonfuls of refried beans over chips. Spoon beans over chips. Add bell peppers and tomatoes. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top

Broil until cheese melts and nachos are warm.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Fluffy Meringue Icing
Recipe courtesy Wes Martin (found on Food Network site)

Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons red gel paste food coloring ( I used black) (See Cook's Note*)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature (I used half nonfat Greek Yogurt)

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Red, pink and white miniature nonpareils, for sprinkling

Meringue Icing:

5 large egg whites

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar

Pinch fine salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 to 3 drops pure almond extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the muffin tin with pink or white cupcake liners
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Occasionally turn off mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Reduce the speed to low, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix until incorporated after each addition. Add the food coloring and vanilla and mix well.
With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and sour cream in 3 additions, beginning and ending with the flour, waiting until each addition is well incorporated before adding the next. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and soda, and once fizzing has stopped, add to the batter and mix well.
Divide the batter evenly in the tin, filling each liner about 3/4 full. Bake until cupcakes are set and spring back when touched, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
For meringue icing: Bring a few inches of water to a gentle simmer in a saucepan large enough to hold a standing mixer bowl above the water. Whisk the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt together in the bowl until combined. Set the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is smooth and hot to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat at medium-high speed until meringue is cool and holds a soft peak, 4 to 5 minutes. With the speed on low, add the vanilla and almond extracts; increase speed to medium and continue whisking until mixture is glossy and holds a stiff peak, 1 to 2 minutes more.
To decorate: Using a spoon or offset spatula, spread about 1/2 cup meringue over each cupcake and sprinkle with nonpareils. Cupcakes are best served the day they are made.
*Cook's Note: If you're unable to find gel food coloring, add drops of liquid food coloring until the desired shade of red is achieved.

Red Velvet Cupcakes from Better Homes and Gardens
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ tsp salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup butter, at room temperature
2¼ cups granulated sugar
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ounce bottle of red food coloring (2 Tbsp.)
1½ cups buttermilk
1½ tsp baking soda
1½ tsp vinegar

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
2 In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
3 In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until combined. One at a time, add eggs; beat on medium speed after each. Beat in food coloring on low.
4 Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to egg mixture; beat on low-medium after each just until combined. Stir together baking soda and vinegar. Add to batter; beat just until combined.
5 Fill cupcake liners two-thirds full. Bake 15 to 17 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Gently remove cupcakes from pans; cool.
6 Frost with lemon cream cheese icing* or dust with powdered sugar

*Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting by Mary Ann
1 stick butter, softened
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1 pd powdered sugar, sifted
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

Beat butter and cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in lemon juice and lemon zest. Frost cupcakes when cool

Cupcake Hero -Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream, Raz-Pepper Preserves, and Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

I have to admit- when I saw the theme for this month's Cupcake Hero, I was a little shocked. I mean, I have heard of mixing chocolate and chilies, but JALAPENO for a cupcake? My mind was completely blank. Completely. This month is being co-hosted by 2 guests, Rachel- Confessions of a Tangerine Tart and Teri-the 90/10 rule. And they are the ones responsible for this interesting challenge. I was racking my brain, seriously, and then, when I was at the Farmers Market with my mom and sister, I saw the answer to all my problems-Pepper Jelly. PepperLane Products happened to have a booth at the Farmers Market and they were selling ALL sorts of Pepper jelly. We tasted-Blackberry Buzz,Pepp'ricot, Cherry Bomb, etc. You get they idea. There was every type of Pepper jelly and I decided that Raz-Pepper would pair perfectly with these Lemon Cupcakes which have a cream cheese center and lemon cream cheese frosting. I added a 1/2 tsp to the filling before the cupcakes baked and then swirled some into the frosting and, SURPRISE- They were amazingly delicious! Try them out for yourself and see.


Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream from Gourmet Magazine, makes 5 large cupcakes 3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 large eggs

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cream cheese (about 2 ounces), softened

2 1/2 tsps Raz-Pepper Preserves

Preheat oven to 350° F. and line four 1/2-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
Into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk in 2 teaspoons zest. In another bowl with a fork blend butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon juice until smooth. With a wooden spoon beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until smooth. Stir butter mixture into flour mixture until batter is combined well.
In a small bowl with a fork stir together cream cheese and remaining 1/2 teaspoon zest, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon juice until lemon cream is smooth.
Spoon 3 level tablespoons batter and about 1 tablespoon lemon cream into each paper liner. Drop 1/2 tsp Raz-Pepper Preserves over the lemon cream. Spoon remaining batter over preserves, and smooth the tops. Bake cupcakes in middle of oven 20 minutes, or until golden brown, and transfer to a rack to cool.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting with Raz-Pepper Swirl

1 stick butter, softened

6 oz cream cheese, softened

1 pd powdered sugar, sifted

juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

Raz-Pepper Preserves

Beat butter and cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in lemon juice and lemon zest. When ready to pipe, spread desired amount of Raz-Pepper jelly into your decorating bag and fill with frosting. Pipe onto cupcake. or, stir desired amount of preserves into frosting and spread onto cupcakes. There will be leftover frosting.

TWD-Bill's Big Carrot Cake

This week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe was chosen by Amanda over at slow like honey-Bill's Big Carrot Cake. Baking cakes is one of my favorite things to do. This cake smelled amazing and was a cinch to throw together. The recipe calls for three 9-inch layers, but that is alot of cake, so I made one 6-inch round for my brother at college (carrot cake is his ultimate fave!), one 8-inch round for us and 10 cupcakes because we were taking someone dinner. So it worked out perfect and we didn't have any leftover.

I went for the pecan-dried cranberries option in the cake and thought that it looked so pretty mixed with the carrots and coconut! I also added the zest of 1 lemon to this mixture before I mixed it into the batter.

I knew ahead of time from other TWDer's that the cupcakes would sink so I kept them upside down. My other cakes sank a little too, but the bottoms were beautiful so I iced them upside down.

My brother's personal 6 inch carrot cake with his initial in Craisins

This frosting came together beautifully I added the zest of 1 lemon to the frosting as well. What can I say, I love zesting citrus fruits! This cake turned out great and was delicious!

Bill's Big Carrot Cake
Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
Yields 10 servings
Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
½ cup shredded coconut (optional)
Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional)

Getting ready:
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To make the cake:
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.
The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the frosting:
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract.
If you'd like coconut in the filling, scoop about half of the frosting and stir the coconut into this position.

To assemble the cake:
Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer (or generously cover with plain frosting). Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft.
Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:
This cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and while it's good plain, it's even better with vanilla ice cream or some lemon curd.
Storing:
The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Freeze it uncovered, then when it's firm, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

Monkey Cake and Jaguar Cupcakes

This monkey cake was so fun to make and the actual cake/frosting combo was very tasty.
It was a banana cake with chocolate and regular buttercream frosting. It was not very easy to pipe the frosting onto the cake, but it was worth the effort.


Baby Jaguar Cupcakes were fun to make also. I used a cake mix and store bought frosting, which also is not as easy to use as decorator frosting for details. The kids loved these.

Carrot Cake

This is the literal carrot cake I made my younger brother for his birthday last year. I doubled the recipe and made 1- 9 by 13-inch cake for the carrot part and 1- 8 by 8-inch cake for the greens. He loves carrot cake, so I took a hint from Clare Crespo's The Secret Life of Food and made a giant carrot. This is also a healthy cake, so give it a try!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
2 cups grated carrot
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter and lightly flour the cake pans. (2- 8 or 9-inch rounds, 1- 13 by9 by 2-inch pan, 24 cupcakes) Sprinkle the carrots with the lemon juice and stir in the zest; add the raisins and, and if desired, walnuts, and set aside.
3. In an electric mixer or food processor, cream the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, oil, and honey. Sift together the dry ingredients and gradually add them to the mixture, stirring just until smooth. Stir the carrot mixture evenly into the batter and pour into prepared pans.
4. Bake 35 minutes for round cake pans, 40 minutes for 9 by 13, and 20 minutes for cupcakes, or until the top feels firm to the touch. Wait for the cakes to cool before removing them from the pans.

Frosting:
7 ounces cream cheese
3 1/2 Tbls milk
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a medium mixing bowl, blend together the cream cheese and milk until soft and fluffy.
2. Gradually beat in sugar.
3. Add the vanilla and blend until smooth.
note- this icing can be dyed with food color paste to make it more fun!