Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Birdonacake.blogspot.com

These cupcakes were moist, flavorful, SO easy, and delicious! Definitely something I will make again...and again...and again and again....:)

Strawberry Cupcakes:

Ingredients: 

1 box white cake mix

1 (3 oz.) box of strawberry instant gelatin

1/2 cup fresh strawberries, pureed

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake tins with paper cups. In a large bowl, combine cake ingredients. Beat until blended. Pour into lined cupcake tins. Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting. 

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients:  

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

just under 1/2 cup fresh pureed strawberries

1 tsp. vanilla

6 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Beat in strawberries and vanilla. Gradually add sugar, beating until smooth. Use to frost cooled cupcakes.  

Source: http://birdonacake.blogspot.com/2012/02/strawberry-cake-valentine.html

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Adapted from Birdonacake.blogspot.com

I was given an assignment to bring cupcakes to an event. One problem there:  I could probably count on one hand the amount of times I have made cupcakes. I'm just really not much of a cake person. Therefore, I had a bit of searching to do before the event. I stumbled upon this great blog with yummy cake recipes and decided to use them to make cupcakes. They were a huge crowd-pleaser! And after trying them myself, I think I might be a cake fan after all :)

Chocolate Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

1 cup boiling water

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk (OR 1 cup milk mixed with 1 Tbsp. vinegar)

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake tin with paper cups. Bring a small pan of water to a boil and keep it simmering while you mix the other ingredients. 

In a large mixing bowl combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Beat with mixer until combined. 

Add 1 cup of the boiling water and carefully stir until it is mixed in. Beat for 1 1/2 minutes with mixer. Pour the batter into cupcake tins. Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Allow to cool before frosting cupcakes. Frost as desired. Top with crumbled Reese's Peanut Butter cups. 

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:  

1 cup salted butter, softened

2 cups creamy peanut butter

4 cups powdered sugar

approximately 1/3 cup milk

In a medium bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar. When it starts to get thick, add a little milk at a time until frosting is spreadable. (The amount of milk you use depends on the thickness of the peanut butter). Beat for 3 minutes or until fluffy. 

Source: http://birdonacake.blogspot.com/2012/01/reeses-chocolate-peanut-butter-cake.html

   

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

Recipe from my MIL

Valentine's Day is all about chocolate.  This cake is similar to a molten lava cake, but instead of making individual dishes it all comes out in one pan (much easier to make!).  The hot fudge is rich and delicious.  This is a recipe Tim grew up with and is simply ideal for Valentine's Day.  He attempted to make it for me for the first Valentine's Day that we were married, but added 4 tsp of salt rather than the 1/4 tsp of salt, which was obviously disastrous.  We ended up making regular brownies from a mix that year.  So this year I decided to take over making this chocolatey goodness.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup sugar, divided
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 7 Tbs. cocoa, divided
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 ¼ cup hot water

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  In medium bowl combine ¾ cup sugar, flour, 3 Tbs cocoa, baking powder, and salt.  Blend in milk, melted butter and vanilla; beat until smooth.  Pour batter into square pan- 8x8” or 9x9”. 
• In small bowl combine remaining ¾ cup sugar, brown sugar and remaining 4 Tbs. cocoa; sprinkle mixture evenly over batter. Pour hot water over top; do not stir.
• Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set.  Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
• Spoon into dessert dishes and top with ice cream. 

Serves:  8-10

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Recipe from my SIL Amanda

I was totally intimidated to make this cake. The directions seemed sooo detailed and I had never made a layered cake before. But it was for my husband's birthday, so how could I say no? Surprisingly, it is a lot simpler than I thought and so rich and delicious. My husband raved about it. It will definitely become a regular dessert around here for special occasions :)

This recipe requires a 9" springform pan at least 3 inches high. It is imperative that each layer is made in sequential order. Cool the base completely before topping it with the middle layer. Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar or chocolate chips are recommended for the base and middle layers. The preferred brand of white chocolate is Guittard Choc-Au-Lait White Chips but Ghirardelli works well too. For best results, chill the mixer bowl before whipping the heavy cream. The entire cake can be made through step 8 and refrigerated up to a day in advance; leave it out at room temperature for up to 45 minutes before releasing it from the cake pan and serving. For neater slices, use a cheese wire or dip your knife in hot water before cutting each slice.


Ingredients

Bottom Layer

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, cut into 6 pieces, plus extra for greasing pan

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 large eggs, separated

Pinch table salt

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar, crumbled with fingers to remove lumps

Middle Layer

2 tablespoons cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed

5 tablespoons hot water

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon table salt

Top Layer

3/4 teaspoon powdered gelatin

1 tablespoon water

6 ounces white chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]--> Shaved chocolate or cocoa powder for serving, optional

Instructions

1. FOR THE BOTTOM LAYER: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of 9 inch springform pan. Melt butter, chocolate, and espresso powder in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool mixture slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in vanilla and egg yolks; set aside.

2. In stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt at medium speed they form soft peaks. Add half of brown sugar and beat until combined. Add remaining brown sugar and beat at high speed until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, scraping down sides halfway through. Using whisk, fold one-third of beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain. Carefully transfer batter to prepared springform pan, gently smoothing top with offset spatula.

3. Bake until cake has risen, is firm around edges, and center has just set but is still soft (center of cake will spring back after pressing gently with finger), 13 to 18 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. (Cake will collapse as it cools.) Do not remove cake from pan.

4. FOR THE MIDDLE LAYER: Combine cocoa powder and hot water in small bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly, 2 to 5 minutes.

5. In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream, granulated sugar, and salt at medium speed until mixture begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 seconds.

6. Whisk cocoa powder mixture into melted chocolate until smooth. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Spoon mousse into springform pan over cooled cake and gently tap pan on counter 3 times to remove any large air bubbles; gently smooth top with offset spatula. Wipe inside edge of pan with damp cloth to remove any drips. Refrigerate cake at least 15 minutes while preparing top layer.

7. FOR THE TOP LAYER: In small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand at least 5 minutes. Place white chocolate in medium bowl. Bring ½ cup cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; add gelatin mixture and stir until fully dissolved. Pour cream mixture over white chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes (mixture will thicken slightly).

8. In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip remaining cup cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 seconds. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream into white chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold remaining whipped cream into white chocolate mixture until no white streaks remain. Spoon white chocolate mousse into pan over middle layer. Smooth top with offset spatula. Return cake to refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2½ hours.

9. TO SERVE: If using, garnish top of cake with chocolate curls or dust with cocoa. Run thin knife between cake and side of springform pan; remove side of pan. Run cleaned knife along outside of cake to smooth sides. Cut into slices and serve.

Wannie's Coffee Cake

Adapted from Ivory Family Favorite's Cookbook

Dal had never tried coffee cake and it was a big success! We decided it tasted like the coffee cake version of a snickerdoodle:)

Ingredients:

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix together and set aside

1 1/2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup shortening

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

In mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and shortening. Add egg, milk and vanilla and mix well. Pour batter into greased square pan or rectangle dish. Sprinkle on topping. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Almond Angel Food Cake with Coconut Frosting

Adapted from Cooking Light

This angel food cake is great for winter when berries become too expensive to heap on every dessert you eat.  The coconut replaces the sweetness of the berries.  However, I think you could still throw a few berries on there for an extra burst of sweetness if desired.  We seved with homemade blueberry ice cream instead, but I think I might throw a few fresh blueberries on tonight when I have another piece. 

Ingredients:

Angel Food Cake

• 12 eggs
• 1 ¼ cup confectioners sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 ½ tsp cream of tartar
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar

Frosting

• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp almond extract
• ¾ cup flaked sweetened coconut

Directions:

Angel Food Cake

• Separate eggs; discard yolks.  Measure egg whites adding or removing whites as needed to equal 1 ½ cups.  Place in a mixing bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, sift confectioner’s sugar and flour together three times.  Set aside.
• Add cream of tartar, extracts and salt to egg whites.  Beat on high speed.  Gradually add sugar, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form.
• Fold in flour mixture ¼ cup at a time.  Gently spoon into an ungreased pan.  Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets.  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes.

Frosting

• Combine sugar, water, cream of tartar & egg whites in a medium sized pan.  Beat at low speed for 30 seconds.  Heat on oven at medium-low heat and beat for seven minutes constantly at high speed.  Remove from heat and continue beating until stiff peaks form. 
• Add in vanilla and almond extract.  Spread frosting over cooled angel food cake and then sprinkle with coconut.

Spice Cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Spice Cupcake recipe adapted from FoodNetwork and Caramel Cream Cheese recipe from MyRecipes

I'm actually quite particular when it comes to cake recipes.  I think it's because I like my desserts dense and rich and sometimes cake is too, well, airy for me.  But this spice cupcake recipe with a caramel cream cheese frosting fits the bill for my type of cake.  The oil and buttermilk makes the cake moist and the caramel cream cheese make the dessert decadent.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Spice Cupcakes:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 2 extra-large eggs, separated
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp. ground allspice
• Pinch salt
• ½ cup buttermilk

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting:

• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup butter
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 6 Tbs butter, softened
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar

Directions:

For the Spice Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Prepare muffin pan with baking cups or spray with cooking spray.
• In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream the brown sugar and butter.  With the mixer running, add the oil in a steady stream.  Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the batter, mixing well. 
• With the electric mixer, in another small mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold them into the cake batter.
• Fill prepared muffin tins with batter about three-quarters full.
• Bake for 24 minutes or until lightly browned.

For the Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting:

• Melt the brown sugar and ¼ cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until sugar dissolves.  Bring to a boil over medium heat; remove from heat.  Whisk in cream; blend well.  Transfer to a heat-resistant bowl.  Cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally.
• Place remaining 6 Tbs. butter and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth.  Beat in vanilla and salt.  With mixer running, slowly pour in cooled brown sugar mixture; beat until smooth.  Add powdered sugar gradually, beating well after each addition until completely smooth.  Chill until ready to use.

Notes:  Double cupcake recipe to use as a regular cake recipe.  Do not need to double frosting recipe.  This makes A LOT of frosting.