Red Velvet Cupcakes

Double post today folks! Sorry for the e-laziness. Getting back from Christmas break has been really tough.

The first recipe I have for you is a delicious red velvet cupcake recipe, which I made at the birthday request of my new co-teacher (and pretty awesome friend).

I'm not gonna lie, I'm not usually that into red velvet, but these were really good and pretty easy. And they're so pretty! I threw on some silver sprinkles I had leftover from Christmas baking.

Your ingredients: Cake flour, cocoa powder, sugar, red food coloring, eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, oil, cinnamon, powdered sugar, cream cheese, and vinegar

So first, sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder.

Next, beat together the sugar and oil, then the eggs, then the food coloring and vanilla.

Now add in your flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating between each one, starting and ending with the flour. (Sorry about the photo quality, getting photos in the mixer is always iffy with lighting) Doesn't it look red and delicious?

Now mix together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl. It will fizz and make you feel like you're doing a really cool science experiment. Then add it to the batter and mix it in.

Then just bake those suckers!

Mmm, then frost them, preferably to the soundtrack of Wicked.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Slightly adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen

Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups cake flour

2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 tsp. red gel-paste food coloring (or 1 tbsp. regular food coloring)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. distilled white vinegar

Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt. In a mixer, beat together the sugar and oil on medium-high until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mix well between each egg. Add in food coloring and vanilla.

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, mixing well between each addition. Alternate with adding the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small bowl, mix together the baking soda and vinegar, which will fizz. Add it to the batter, mixing on medium-high for about 10 seconds.

Evenly distribute the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 20 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

For the frosting, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in an electric mixer until smooth. Add the cinnamon and vanilla until combined.

Frost the cupcakes and enjoy!



Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes

Hooray, I'm back!

Hey, remember that time that I got in a car wreck and ruined my car? It was good times, also then I got the stomach flu and was the sickest I've ever been in my life. And then it was Thanksgiving. And I got a new car. And then I went to THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTERRRRRR! So it's been kind of a weird month.

But my triumphant return to blogging is going to be these, which turned out pretty magnificent.

Who doesn't love Cinnamon Toast Crunch? It's my favorite cereal (apart from Waffle Crisp, which they don't make anymore so I try to forget that it ever existed). And in cupcake form, it's delicious.

Your ingredients: Cinnamon Toast Crunch, butter, cream cheese, oil, vanilla cake mix, cinnamon, sour cream, vanilla, eggs, and powdered sugar (and buttermilk-pretend it's there)

First combine your eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla.

Add in the sour cream. Then add in some cinnamon and throw in some crushed up Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Now pour it into some liners, and bake it. Try not to faint at how good it smells.

While they're cooling, let's make our frosting. Beat your cream cheese and butter until it's fluffy, then add in some more crushed cereal. Except, crush your cereal a lot finer than I did mine, or you'll end up with lumpy frosting, like I did.

Now add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until it's frosting-y. (See? Lumpy. Don't be lazy like me.)

Now just frost up your cupcakes and enjoy!

Cinnamon Toast Crunch CupcakesFrom Your Cup of Cake

Cupcakes:

3 eggs

1/3 cup oil

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 box vanilla cake mix

3/4 cup sour cream

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch, slightly crushed up

Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 tsp. vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

2/3 cup very finely crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Preheat oven to 350° and line muffin tins with cupcake liners.

In a large mixing bowl, combine your eggs, oil, vanilla and buttermilk. Add in sour cream and mix. Add in cake mix and cinnamon, mix until the batter is smooth. Stir in the crushed cereal.

Pour the batter into cupcake liners and bake for 15-18 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make your frosting.

Cream together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add in the finely crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch, then add in the vanilla and powdered sugar.

Frost the cupcakes and top with Cinnamon Toast Crunch!



Nutella Cheesecake Cupcakes

Look, I have to tell you something. Last week I tried to make S'mores Cookies, and it was an epic, EPIC fail. It was... awful. It was the most disappointing and saddening thing that's ever happened to me in the kitchen. So this week, it was with great trepidation that I went back into the kitchen.

On an unrelated note, I just discovered Nutella. I know, right, I'm about 1,000 years late. But I think that when everybody was all, "I'm really into Nutella," I said I didn't like it because I wanted to be hip by being unhip. Because that's how I roll apparently. But guess what?

NUTELLA IS DELICIOUS. So I went back to every Nutella recipe I'd ever overlooked, and when I saw the word "cheesecake," I stopped. And here they are.

 

They are wonderful.

Your ingredients: Cream cheese, Sour cream, Butter, Graham Cracker crumbs, sugar, eggs, Nutella, condensed milk, and vanilla (oops).

Melt your butter, and mix it in with the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Press about a spoonful into the bottom of your cupcake liners and bake for 5 minutes.

Then, mix together your cream cheese and condensed milk, add the eggs and vanilla, then the sour cream, until it's all smooth, like this.

Pour it on top of the crust. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of Nutella into each one, then swirl with a knife. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheesecake is set and they look like....

this! Then just let them cool and refrigerate. Yummm.

Look at this guy! The reason I didn't post last week is because (of the cookie fail and) also I was at DragonCon! I bought him at one of the dealer booths because I fell in love with him on sight. His name is Mister Food, and I think his benevolent prescence is going to forestall any more baking disasters in my kitchen.

Nutella Cheesecake Cupcakes

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

4 tbsp. sugar

4 tbsp. butter, melted

2 14 oz. cans sweetened condensed milk

2 tbsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

In a bowl, mix together with a fork the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press about a tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each of the cupcake liners. Bake for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.

In an electric mixer, mix the cream cheese and condensed milk together until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla, then the sour cream, and mix well. Pour the batter evenly into the cupcake liners. Dollop about 1/2 tablespoon of Nutella into each one and swirl with a fork.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheesecake filling doesn't jiggle too much. Cool in the muffin pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool for another 10 mintues. Refrigerate at least 30 mintues before serving.

Cap'n Crunch Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Marshmallow Frosting

Remember those beautiful cupcakes I made last week? Simple, elegant. Dark and beautiful. These are nothing like that. They're like the wacky cousin of the cupcake family. Speaking of wacky cousins.... just kidding!

My wonderful cousin, who made these merely a week or two before going into labor with her second child (who is totally beautiful, just like the first) recommended that I make these, insisting that they had been a huge hit. (I know, right? I told you she was wonderful).

The Husband was so skeptical his eyebrows nearly jumped off his face. The frosting has peanut butter! I shouted at him, and went for it.

Thank goodness. Because these are so awesome, they'll practically melt your face off.

Your ingredients: Cap'n Crunch cereal, Duncan Hines classic yellow cake milk, eggs, milk, buttermilk, peanut butter, powdered sugar, marshmallow creme, vanilla, butter (and oil, not pictured)

So first, crush up 2 cups of cereal. Crush it up real good, it's going in the batter.

In your mixer, mix the crushed cereal, cake mix, eggs, oil, and buttermilk. Beat it on low for a minute, scrape it all down in there, and then beat it on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in the whole cereal by hand.

Pour it into cupcake liners that look like this, preferably. True Story: I pulled these out of the bag and Husband said, "Oh, pirates, for Cap'n Crunch." And I said, "Uh, yeah! Yeah! For Cap'n Crunch! Not because I'm 7 and just wanted to buy pirate cupcake liners."

Notice that I got a little overzealous pouring filling into a couple of them. DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO. Only fill them 2/3 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes. While they're cooling, make the frosting.

Beat the peanut butter, butter, milk, and vanilla together until smooth. Add the powdered sugar slowly, until just mixed. Turn the mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in the marshmallow creme by hand. It's flippin' delicious, taste it.

Frost the cupcakes generously- don't skimp on icing, I made that mistake last week. Sprinkle with Cap'n Crunch.

Bask in what an awesome baker you are. You deserve it.

Cap'n Crunch Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Marshmallow Frosting
From Confessions of a Cookbook Queen
For the cupcakes:
4 cups Cap'n Crunch cereal, plus extra for garnish
1 box Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake Mix
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup oil
For the frosting:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 sticks butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
7 oz. marshmallow creme
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350°. Line your muffin pan with liners.

Finely crush 2 cups of Cap'n Crunch. In a mixer, beat together the crushed cereal, cake mix, eggs, buttermilk, and oil on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down everything into the bowl and mix it on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in the remaining 2 cups of whole cereal into the batter. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 way full, bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are springy.

Let the cupcakes cool on a wire rack while you make the frosting.

For the frosting, beat together the peanut butter, butter, milk and vanilla until smooth. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until just mixed. Mix it on medium speed for 2 minutes, until fluffy. Stir in the marshmallow creme by hand.

Frost cupcakes very generously and garnish with Cap'n Crunch.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Guess what, friends. This week I discovered that Joy the Baker and I both use Knock Knock's All Out Of shopping lists to write our grocery lists on. Don't believe me? Look! You know what that means? She and I are one step closer to being blog buddies.

They're pretty fun, actually. You should get one. All the cool kids are doing it.

Chocolate peanut butter cupcakes. There's not much to say about these except that they're delicious. And pretty easy. And they made me long for a bigger muffin pan.

They're not as pretty as Joy's, but who am I to compete with Joy the Baker?

Your ingredients: Flour, sugar, oil, white vinegar, cocoa powder, vanilla, peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, cold water, and a little milk.

First, sift together all your dry ingredients into a big bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together the oil, water, vanilla, and vinegar. Now slowly mix your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients. Don't over mix. It will be a very liquidy mixture, that's okay, don't worry. Pour into cupcake liners and bake for 22 minutes or so, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Aren't they a gorgeous, dark color? I wanted to scarf them all down right then and there.

While they're cooling, make your frosting. In a mixer, blend the butter and peanut butter until you can't see any butter chunks left. Don't even think about not using natural peanut butter in this frosting. Friends don't let friends not use natural peanut butter. Or something like that. Add in your powdered sugar, and then that litttle bit of milk. Mix it together real good.

Now just wait until the cupcakes are cooled, then frost! You can either chop up the peanut butter cups, like Joy did, or get little ones and chop them in half, like I did, or just leave them plain.

Mmmmm...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
From Joy the Baker
Makes about 24 cupcakes
For the Cupcakes:
2 1/4 cups AP flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups cold water
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. white vinegar
2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
For the frosting:
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350°. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together the cold water, vinegar, oil, and vanilla. Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry, be careful not to overmix. Pour into cupcake liners and bake for 20-24 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. While they're cooling make the frosting. In an electric mixer beat the butter and peanut butter together until no butter lumps remain. Add powdered sugar and beat on low for 1 minute. Add the milk and beat on medium-high for one minute.

Once cupcakes are room temperature, frost and garnish with peanut butter cups.