I’ve recently had the honor of baking for a wedding! When a friend from high school asked me to supply the baked goods for a dessert bar she wanted at her wedding, I was super excited to get into the kitchen and whip up some wedding-worthy treats. I met with the bride-to-be months before the actual date to discuss colors, flavors, and what types of desserts she wanted, and I’ve spent the past few months brainstorming ideas and bookmarking recipes online. Here are a few pictures I quickly snagged of the cupcakes I made before I delivered them to the bride. Recipes to come!

For this cupcake, I wanted something elegant but simple, and because the colors of the wedding were cream, black, and silver, I decided on a vanilla bean cake with vanilla bean frosting. My sister had bought me vanilla beans a few months ago, so I used pure vanilla seeds in both components, giving this cupcake a strong vanilla flavor. Some may think that’s too much vanilla for one cupcake, but as a chocolate lover, I must say, this cupcake was pretty darn tasty.

The first cupcake of this post and this one are the same flavors, only frosted and decorated slightly different. Personally, I’m not a cupcake lover, so buttercream frosting doesn’t really do much for me. I absolutely love to make it and pipe it, but indulging in it just isn’t my cup of tea. However, I am a sucker for anything coffee flavored, and mocha falls right into that category. With strong black coffee as a main ingredient in this frosting, this mocha buttercream is heavenly – piped on top of devil’s food cake, I think the combo might have made me a cupcake lover after all!

I never have been a big cupcake fan. For my birthdays when I was a kid, my mom would always make a large chocolate chip cookie with whipped cream and sprinkles. Poke in a few candles, and vuala, I was a happy camper. I never could get over that thick and sweet frosting that was pipped high on cakes and cupcakes. Nowadays, I’m a much bigger fan of cupcakes. Maybe it’s because I’m the one making them and I can adjust the sweetness of the frosting to my liking, or maybe it’s because I’ve finally discovered whipped cream frosting.

Originally, I pictured making angel food cupcakes, topped with a light and airy whipped cream frosting, drizzled with fresh raspberry sauce. Sounds delicious, right? Well, if you must know, my angel food cupcakes were an utter fail, leaving me with little deflated, pancake-like sponges, crispy at the top and squishy at the bottom. I fed them to my garbage.

Which brings me to these cupcakes. I guess I had breakfast on my mind, or maybe next week’s Easter brunch, because after I gave up attempting angel food again, I decided to make french toast cupcakes. These cupcakes were just how I like my french toast, moist with maple syrup, dolloped with whipped cream, and finished off with fresh berries. The cake had warm spices and a hint of maple syrup and the whipped cream frosting was cool and not too sweet. I drizzled a few with some maple syrup for an added maple flavor and topped each cupcake off with a fresh raspberry. These would be a great addition to any Easter brunch table, or even just a fun dessert for the family!

French Toast Cupcakes
adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup half-and-half, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Prepare the cupcakes: Combine the flours, baking powder, potato starch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl with a whisk.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugars with a mixer on low speed until combined, 6 to 8 minutes. Gradually mix in the vanilla and egg whites. Scrape down the sides of the bowl; continue mixing until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the maple syrup and half-and-half, mixing after each addition and ending with flour. Mix until the ingredients are just combined; do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about three-quarters of the way. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

My Favorite Whipped Cream Frosting

Ingredients

• 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Using a stand mixer, whip the cream cheese for 5 minutes until smooth. Slowly add the heavy cream and beat on medium until it starts to thicken. Add the granulated sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Lower the speed to low as you slowly add the powered sugar (it makes a bit of a mess so help incorporate it with a spatula if needed). Continue to beat on medium for 5 minutes.

Guinness infused, chocolaty cupcakes, filled with Jameson Irish whiskey ganache, topped with sweet and creamy Baileys buttercream. Did I get your attention yet??

Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought to add beer to my cupcakes. Okay, I might have thought about it, but I wouldn’t expect it to taste any good. When I think beer I think… wings, sliders, football, barbecues, pretty much anything but cupcakes. But my friends, I have to tell you, combining a cup of stout beer like Guinness with this chocolate cupcake recipe resulted in a surprisingly moist, rich, chocolaty cake I would recommend to anyone.

Since St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner (March 17th to be exact) and Hoboken is celebrating with Lepre-con all day today, I figured now is a perfect time to introduce these Irish Car Bomb cupcakes.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with America’s staple St. Patrick’s Day cocktail, here’s what it contains: 3/4 pint of Guinness, 1/2 shot of Irish whiskey such as Jameson floated over 1/2 shot of Irish cream such as Bailey’s. The shot is dropped into the beer and chugged quickly, before the mixture begins to curdle. Some say it tastes like a chocolate milkshake. I must agree.

For those of you who are very familiar with this St. Patty’s Day drink-of-choice, are you also familiar with what an Irish car bomb is exactly? I would assume that if you’ve never looked into the meaning, you’d have no idea where the name came from. Well, it’s your lucky day (no pun intended), here’s a little history lesson!

From the 1960s to the later years of the 1990s, Northern Ireland was involved in a period called the Troubles. During the Troubles, war was declared and ongoing violence took place. On July 21, 1972, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) used 22 car bombs in the city of Belfast. These bombs took the lives of a few innocent people, while many were left severely injured. This day became known as Bloody Friday.

Many people these days find the use of the name ‘Irish Car Bomb’ to describe a popular drink to be offensive and distasteful, while some find it fairly harmless. In American culture, this is a drink we are simply accustomed to ordering on St. Patty’s Day. So next time you order one, you’ll know a bit of the history, too.

Now, I didn’t mean to be a Debbie Downer telling you the historical meaning behind an Irish car bomb, so let me lift your spirits a little. Irish car bombs as a drink are very tasty, but as a cupcake – even tastier! As I mentioned earlier, these cupcakes are alcohol infused from top to bottom (literally). Guinness is baked right into the cupcake batter, resulting in a rich, chocolate cake, Jameson is poured into warm ganache which is piped into the center of the cupcake, and they’re all topped off with creamy, rich, and decedent Baileys buttercream. Although the process to make these cupcakes many seem like a lot of work, they’re worth it, trust me. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Irish Car Bomb Cucpakes
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Makes 24 cupcakes

For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 2-3 teaspoons Irish whiskey

Baileys Frosting

• 4-5 cups confections sugar
• 2 ½ stick unsalted butter, at room temperatue
• 6-7 tablespoons Baileys

Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)

Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

The insides will look like this:

Frosting Directions: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.

When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.

Enjoy, and Happy Hoboken St. Patty’s Day!

Lately, I’ve been on some kind of chocolate peanut butter kick and dreamed (literally… I dream in chocolate and frosting) of making a rich chocolate cupcake with a creamy peanut butter frosting. I searched high and low (aka I Googled a ton of recipes) to find a cake and a frosting recipe, and was completely satisfied with the results of both. The peanut butter frosting was very rich and very much a crowd pleaser, but I’m thinking next time I might add about 4 ounces of cream cheese to the mix. I made a few special ones with mini Reese’s cups baked inside the cupcake and the feedback was that they tasted like Funny Bones. Remember those?!

I have a little confession to make. Until this past weekend, frosting cupcakes was my worst baking nightmare. I envied bakers who were able to master the technique of using a pastry bag and decorating tip to frost cupcakes. I’ve searched site after site trying to find the correct way to frost a cupcake with little to no luck of actually creating a beautiful one myself. I had received a 15 piece Ateco decorating tip set for Christmas last year and insisted on using it every time I made cupcakes. My only problem though, was that I just wasn’t achieving that perfect ribbon-like swirl.

Then it hit me. I was using cake decorating tips! To me, a decorating tip was a decorating tip, and every time I watched a tutorial online, the closed star tip they used (the one that makes the pretty ribbon swirl) looked exactly like the one I had! But, to my surprise, it wasn’t. At all. I want to inform everyone out there reading this that you too can become a master cupcake froster. All you need is a 2D large closed star decorating tip, a large coupler, and a pastry bag – oh yeah, and some frosting!

(I’ll post a picture of the two tips tomorrow to show the size differences!)

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe

Chocolate Cupcakes
From Annie’s Eats

Ingredient:

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 large eggs

Directions:

To make the cake batter, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; whisk together and set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, stir together the sour cream, milk and vanilla extract. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated.

Spoon a tablespoon or two of batter into the bottom of each cupcake liner. If using, place a mini peanut butter cup in each cupcake well and top with the remaining batter so that all the cups are filled. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Frosting
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Enough to frost 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Sunday is a holy day to some and a relaxing day to most. To me, Sunday is not only holy and relaxing, but also the best day to bake! Yesterday, I sat pondering what yummy goodness I would make that day. I’ve really been tempted to make cinnamon buns, but figured those could wait for a morning that I didn’t wake up at noon. I then found a recipe for a chocolate cake with peanut butter moose and chocolate drizzle. While this sounds heavenly and I will most likely make it in the near future, I voted against it when I found the recipe for spiced vanilla cupcakes. Spiced vanilla cake? Sounded too interesting to pass up. So, ladies and gentlepeople, this is what I have for you today: spiced vanilla cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting.

To be completely honest, I’m not a fan of cupcakes, and I’m surely not particularly a fan of vanilla cupcakes. I nearly loathe buttercream frosting (even though these aren’t buttercream), but will make it, strictly to have fun piping it. I guess the good news in me not liking cupcakes is that there are more to give away, because, between me and you, I would have housed that chocolate and peanut butter cake I mentioned before. Then I would have gotten nasty looks from my roommates for not sharing. (Love yous!)

I used my lovely decorating tips I got for Christmas and finally got to use the pretty neon cupcake cups I got the other day. The cake part of these cupcakes, as you can read, are spiced with cinnamon, giving them just a little kick you wouldn’t expect. The cream cheese frosting is not too sweet, but goes nicely with the cinnamon vanilla cake.

Spiced Vanilla Cupcakes
adapted from Cupcake Rehab

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Cream the butter in a stand mixer until smooth and light. Add sugar and continue to mix until fully incorporated and fluffy. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

Preheat oven to 350° degrees F.

Combine milk and vanilla. Add portions of the flour mixture and milk mixture to the electric mixer, alternating, starting and ending with flour. Pour evenly into cupcake pans lined with paper liners, about ½ – ¾ full. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cupcakes spring back to the touch.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Cupcake Project

• 8 ozs cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 C sifted powdered sugar (You can decrease this amount if you don’t care about it being as stiff for piping)
• 1/2 C cocoa powder

Directions:
Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Mix in cocoa powder.

I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me
-Philippians 4:13

The other day I came across a recipe for dulce de leche cupcakes on Joy the Baker’s blog. Now, I’m not a huge cupcake fan, but these looked and sounded absolutely delicious.

I won’t lie, I ate a good portion of the cake batter. I made to make sure it tasted right, you know? Oh, I also ate one of the cupcakes unfrosted right out of the oven. Had to make sure that tasted right too! The cake consists of brown sugar and buttermilk which gives it a really nice pound cake texture. They are my new favorite cupcake cake. And the frosting is a rich cream cheese frosting mixed with a hint of dulce de leche. How can you go wrong with this combination?

Dulce de leche is translated to “sweets made of milk.” It is a caramel-like sauce that can be made from sweetened condensed milk right in your own home. Unfortunately, making homemade dulce de leche takes hours, and I simply did not have that time this weekend, so I headed to the local Whole Foods and picked up a jar of caramel sauce which worked just as well. I’ve read reviews from people who have made their own dulce de leche and it seems that David Lebovitz’s recipe takes the cake.

Fact: I’m eating one of these cupcakes as I write this.

You can store these cupcakes in the fridge so the cream cheese frosting keeps cool, and then let them sit at room temperature before serving. But to be honest, I think I like them better right out of the fridge!

Make these and enjoy! Share them, hoard them, mail them to your secret crush, just make them. You’ll be happy you did!

Dulce de Leche Cupcakes from JoytheBaker

For the Cupcakes:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk

For the Frosting:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup dulce de leche, plus more for drizzling
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with paper or foil liners. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed until fluffy and pale brown, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add one egg. Beat on medium for one minute. Add the remaining eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute between each addition. Stop the bowl and scrape down the sides as necessary. Beat in vanilla extract.

Add half of the flour mixture to the egg and butter mixture. Beat on low speed and slowly drizzle in the buttermilk. Beat until just incorporated. Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl and add the rest of the dry ingredients. Beat on low speed until just incorporated. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and finish incorporating with a spatula. Try not to over mix the mixture.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake pans, filling each liner about two thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of one of the cakes comes out clean. Let rest in the cupcake pans before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Cupcakes should be completely cooled before frosting.

To make the frosting:

Place cream cheese in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds, until very soft and pliable. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the butter and dulce de leche. Beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Stop the mixer and add the salt and powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until fluffy and lighter in color. Generously spoon frosting on top of cupcakes, or use a large frosting tip to pipe on frosting.

For garnish, I heated a few spoonfuls of dulce de leche of a low flame until just pourable. Then I drizzled it over the cupcakes and topped with a few sprinkles. Add a few sprinkles of fine sea salt if you’re feeling fancy. I stored the cupcakes in the fridge for an hour to chill the frosting slightly.

I like to enjoy my cupcakes within two days of preparing them. Feel free to wrap and refrigerate them because of the cream cheese in the frosting. Let come close to room temperature before serving.

[Thanks for posting this great recipe Joy!]

These are just a few things I’m loving this week:

This past Monday, I went to the Great Jones Spa in NYC for a facial. I’ve gotten a few facials in my lifetime, and this one takes the cake! It was the most relaxing and stress-relieving experience ever – other than the fact that I got lost getting there. I really need to learn my way around the city, or invest in a Droid. Anywho, they had water coolers full of lemon infused water.

Now, let me tell you how just the other day I told my roommate, who loves lemon in her water, that lemon-water is the most disgusting thing ever. Water is water. Water with lemons is wannabe lemonade. After my spa experience, however, I am obsessed. To the point where I made my dorm room our very own lemon-infused water pitcher (the pitcher is pink, not the water) =)

To top off a great trip to the city, I stopped at pinkberry, and pondered life. Well, not really. I did a photo assignment and then scurried off to make the bus back to school. Pinkberry is heaven. In a perfect world, after-dinner dessert would always be pinkberry. But this world is far from perfect my friends…

While listening to a Mumford & Sons playlist on YouTube, I came across these guys: Iron and Wine. I like them a lot, and I suggest you give them a listen. And if you haven’t listened to Mumford, do yourself a favor and listen to them too. Not just “little lion man,” listen to other songs not played on the radio every 5 minutes.

Tonight’s after-dinner dessert wasn’t pinkberry. It was chunks of dark chocolate and cupcakes. Beggers can’t be choosers, ya know.

What were your favorite things this week?

I guess I just have to share how very excited I am about my early Christmas present from Chris. A 14 piece cake decorating set from Ateco. Twelve stainless steel tips, a 12″ flex decorating bag, and a coupler attachment. I swear I didn’t beg him to give them to me early so I could make a certain cupcake for Christmas (stay tuned for my creation!)

I don’t make cupcakes or cakes very often, but trust me, I will now!

Oh, and that personalized apron straight from Venice, Italy… no words, just adorable I can thank Chris for that one too!

Any cupcake suggestions?! I’m all for using my new tips!

Well a few weeks ago, after our lovely dinner at Cafetasia, Chris, (Chris’s friend Matt (hey, Matt!)), and I went across the street to Crumb’s Bake Shop in order to satisfy our sweet-tooth. Crumbs has a bunch of locations on the east and west coats, but the one we went to was located on 37 East 8th St (University/Broadway).

Needless to say, Chris and I ordered the red velvet cupcake, the mother of all cupcakes (in my opinion).

A tid bit of background: Crumbs opened in 2003 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and has been baking their irresistible treats ever since! They have more than 50 varieties of cupcakes, deliver right to your doorstep, and always have a cupcake of the week.

As you can probably tell by the two forks, Chris (shown stuffing his face to the left) and I split one. But what the pictures don’t show you is that the cupcake was huge! But worth every calorie See, it’s okay to splurge!

The red velvet was moist and fluffy and melted in your mouth. I’m not particularly a cupcake fan – I’d much rather enjoy a homemade patch of cookies – but this was heavenly. The rich frosting wasn’t too sweet and didn’t overwhelm the cake in the least. Now, if only I could make a cupcake that good…