Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting topped with Mini Gingerbread Men

Merry Christmas to all my readers! Sorry I have been so MIA lately, I am just too busy to keep up.  I did a lot of baking this weekend so I have like 5 posts coming out soon!! These cakes are amazing and that's all I have the energy to say today!  Happy Holidays!!

Cupcakes - Adapted from - Melissas Munches
Yield: 22 cupcakes
Cupcake Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Flour
2 Tablespoons Ground Ginger
2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Ground cloves
1/4 Teaspoon Ground nutmeg
1 1/2 Cups Unsalted Butter (3 sticks), room temperature
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
3 Tablespoons Unsulphered Molasses
4 Eggs, room temperature
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
22 Gingerbread men

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing:
8 Ounces Cream Cheese, Softened
3 Cups Powdered Sugar
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 350. Line muffin pan with baking cup liners.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour and spices; set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light, about 3 minutes. Beat in the molasses until incorporated. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla. 
4. Add flour and mix on low speed until just combined.
5. Fill the cupcake papers three-quarters full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center of them comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cupcakes cool on a wire rack 10 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. To make the cinnamon cream frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Add cinnamon and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
7. Frost and top with gingerbread men.

Churro Cupcakes

Happy Cinco de Mayo, a few days late.  I made these on Cinco de Mayo for some friends and they were a huge hit!  The cupcakes was very light and fluffy, and full of flavor!  I have never made a cupcake where you beat the egg whites separately, and fold them in at the end.  The cupcake bottom is just a cinnamon cake base, but they were so good I ate a few plain with no whipped cream.  These cupcakes have 3-4 steps, depending on how much time you have.  First I made the caramel, I used the oven method because it was the fastest and safest.  After about an hour in the oven the Dulce de Leche was ready.  Then I went on the make the cupcakes, which turned out perfect.  I decided I would try to make the Churros for the top of the cupcake, but that was a major failure.  The batter looked like mushed bananas, so that went straight into the trash and I wasn't willing to try again.  I made the whipped cream and started an assembling them.  I used an apple corer to take out the center, then put some caramel in the middle, put the top back on, and squeezed some whipped cream on top.  Last but no least, I drizzled all the cupcakes with the extra caramel and sprinkled with a cinnamon sugar! For as much of a mess as these are, they are amazing!!

Churro Cupcakes - Adapted from The Tribune News

Yield: about 30 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 Cup Butter, unsalted and room temperature

2 Cups Sugar

4 Large Eggs, separated

2 3/4 Cup Flour

1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

1 Pinch of Salt

1 Cup Milk

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350˚F and line a muffin tin with baking cups.
2. Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed. Once the butter is smooth and creamy, turn the mixer to low speed and add the sugar. Keep beating the butter and sugar mixture until light and fluffy.  
3. Add the egg yolks one at a time, making sure to mix well after each addition.  
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
5. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla into the milk.  Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the butter-and-sugar mixture. You’ll want to start and end with the flour, and mix just until incorporated after each addition.
6. In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. It’ll be white and foamy. Fold the egg whites into the batter.
7. Fill your lined muffin cups about ¾ full of batter. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a cake tester stuck in the middle comes out clean. 
8. Let cupcakes cool completely.

Dulce de Leche Recipe

Ingredients: 

1 Can (14 ounces) Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Pinch Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F.  
2. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a shallow baking dish; a glass or ceramic pie plate works great.
3. Stir in just the tiniest bit of sea salt — a few grains will do it.
4. Place the pie plate in the middle of a larger pan and carefully pour in hot water into the larger pan until the water level hits about halfway up the pie plate. 
5. Wrap the top of the pie plate with aluminum foil and put it in the oven. 
6. Let it bake for 1 to 1¼ hours, checking the water level occasionally and add more water if you need to. 
7. When the milk is caramelized, carefully take the pan out of the oven and let cool to room temperature, then whisk until smooth.

Whipped Cream Recipe

Ingredients:

2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream

4 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Directions:

1. Pour the cream, sugar, and vanilla into the bowl of your Kitchen Aid mixer.  Whip on high speeds until stiff peaks form.  (cream tends to fly everywhere so I would recommend wrapping a dish towel or paper towel around the mixer to help contain the mess!)

Mini Churros - If you want to attempt this!

Ingredients:

2/3 Cup Water

1/3 Cup Butter

1 pinch salt

2/3 Cup Flour

2 Eggs

1/4 Cup Sugar

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Vegetable Oil, for frying

Directions

1. Heat about an inch of oil in a wide, deep pan to 360F.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring water, butter and salt to rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the flour, stirring until the mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
3. Beat the eggs in a small bowl until blended and then pour in the saucepan as you stir.
4. Spoon the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip and pipe the mini churros right into the oil. Use a butter knife to cut off the squeezed-out dough when it’s about an inch long.
5. Fry the mini churros until they are golden brown. It should take about 2 minutes on each side.
6. Scoop the churros out of the oil with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to absorb any extra oil.
7. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon, then dump onto the churros.

Enjoy!!

Oreo Cupcakes

Oreo's are amazing and that is a fact.  Not only are they delicious to eat when dunked in milk, they are also delicious in a cupcake!!  I found this recipe a while ago and made them for the first time before I had started my blog.  They were a huge hit with everyone and so I decided to make them again and feature them on my blog.  The cupcake recipe alone is great for everyday use, or you can add the Oreo at the bottom to make these.  The frosting is the Swiss Meringue buttercream that I have made a few times, you just add crushed Oreo at the end.  I made regular size cupcakes and mini's as you can see in my photos.  I like the mini's better because they are bite size and amazing!  The perfect chocolate cupcake with a great light Oreo frosting is like heaven in your mouth!  If you love Oreo's like I do, you will love this cupcake!!

Oreo Cupcakes Recipe from A Cup Full of Cake

Yield: 30 Regular Size Cupcakes or 12 Regular and 24 Mini

Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Ingredients:

3 Cups Flour

2 Cups Sugar

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, best quality possible

2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Whole Milk

1/2 Cup Bittersweet or Semisweet Chocolate, melted and cooled

1/2 Cup and 1 Teaspoon Boiling Water, have this ready to go

3/4 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil

2 Eggs, room temperature

2 Tablespoons Vinegar, not wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

1 Package of Regular Size Oreo's and 1 Package of Mini Oreo's

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare the cupcake tin with paper baking cups, and carefully twist off one side of the Oreo and place one in the bottom of each cupcake liner with the cream side up.  Use the regular size Oreo for the regular size cupcake, and use the mini Oreo for the mini cupcakes.
2. Whisk together the 5 dry ingredients in a medium size bowl; flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in the bowl of your Kitchen Aid, whisk the eggs together until slightly thicken and a pale color.
4. Add the milk, vanilla, oil, and vinegar, beat until combine
5. Add in the melted chocolate and beat until combine. Be sure to scrape down the sides.
6. Add all of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just to combine.
7. Add the boiling water and mix just to combine. Be sure to scrape down the sides.
8. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full.
9. Bake for 15-18 minutes for the regular size, and a little bit less for the minis, about 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Oreo Swiss Meringue Buttercream adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
6 Egg Whites
Pinch of Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
2 Cups of Butter, unsalted and room temperature, cut into tablespoons
1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla

Oreo Cookie Crumbs (12-14 whole Oreo's and the cookie tops from cupcakes, pulse in food processor until it is fine crumbs, or I just put them in a Ziploc back and crushed them myself with something heavy because I don't have a food processor. The smaller pieces would have been better for piping the frosting but that's okay.)

This recipe makes enough to frost a 2 layer cake or frost 24 or more cupcakes, depending on the amount of frosting per cupcake...

Directions:

1. Heat sugar and eggs: Bring a saucepan filled with about 2 inches of water to a simmer. Meanwhile, combine sugar, egg whites, and salt in a large heat-proof mixing bowl. Set bowl over (not in) simmering water, and whisk until whites are warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. (Heating the eggs relaxes their proteins, enabling the eggs to whip up higher and more quickly; the sugar also melts, for a silky smooth consistency.) Test by rubbing between your fingers; the mixture should feel smooth.
2. Whip meringue: Attach bowl to a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and beat on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and mixture is cooled completely, about 10 minutes.
3. Mix in butter: Reduce speed to medium-low; add butter 2 tablespoons at a time, beating to incorporate fully after each addition. Don't worry if the buttercream appears curdled at this point; it will become perfectly smooth again with continued beating. After all the butter has been incorporated, beat in vanilla.
4. Finish: Switch to the paddle attachment. Add the Oreo crumbs and beat on the lowest speed to reduce air bubbles, 3 to 5 minutes. Let stand, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature. (If not using the same day, transfer to airtight containers and store in the refrigerator up to 3 days or the freezer up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature; beat with paddle attachment on the lowest speed until smooth and pliable, about 10 minutes.)
5. I frosted the cupcakes with a large pastry bag and a 1M tip, and added another mini Oreo on top for decoration. 
6. Enjoy!!!

Rice Crispy Treat Cupcakes

Here is a fun alternative to a regular cupcake, although there is a mini cupcake hiding inside.  I have a friend who loves rice crispy treats and it was his birthday recently, so it was a perfect opportunity to try these.  Nothing fancy here, just the regular rice crispy recipe off the box, confetti cake mix, but fancy chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream.  They turned out pretty good, you couldn't really taste the cupcake inside, but the frosting and crunchy outside made for a fun treat!  Maybe if i had made chocolate cupcakes, the flavor would be more pronounced.   But anyway, this is a perfect recipe for a rice crispy treat lover!! 

Happy Birthday Pepper!

Rice Crispy Treat Shell Recipe:

Follow the box... I did 1/2 the recipe and it made enough for 12 cupcakes

Directions:

1. Melt the butter and marshmallows together.  Add the rice crispies and stir.
2. Coat a cupcake pan with PAM - i used a silicon one and it worked great because i was able to pop out the cupcakes when i was done.
3. Take a spoon full of rice crispies and mold it just around the edges of the cup.  I sprayed my fingers to make the shaping process less sticky.
4. Save for mini cupcakes.

Mini Cupcakes:  Use your favorite recipe here... don't cook in cupcake liners, just spray the pan with PAM so they are easier to put into the rice crispy mold.

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Recipe: 

1 1/2 Cup Sugar

6 Egg Whites
Pinch of Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
2 Cups of Butter, unsalted and room  temperature, cut into tablespoons
1 Cup Cooled Melted Chocolate - milk or dark - I used dark

This recipe makes enough to frost a 2 layer cake or frost 24 or more cupcakes, depending on the amount of frosting per cupcake...

1. Heat sugar and eggs: Bring a saucepan filled with about 2 inches of water to a simmer. Meanwhile, combine sugar, egg whites, and salt in a large heat-proof mixing bowl. Set bowl over (not in) simmering water, and whisk until whites are warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. (Heating the eggs relaxes their proteins, enabling the eggs to whip up higher and more quickly; the sugar also melts, for a silky smooth consistency.) Test by rubbing between your fingers; the mixture should feel smooth.
2. Whip meringue: Attach bowl to a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and beat on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and mixture is cooled completely, about 10 minutes.
3. Mix in butter: Reduce speed to medium-low; add butter 2 tablespoons at a time, beating to incorporate fully after each addition. Don't worry if the buttercream appears curdled at this point; it will become perfectly smooth again with continued beating. After all the butter has been incorporated, beat in Chocolate.
4. Finish: Switch to the paddle attachment. Beat on the lowest speed to reduce air bubbles, 3 to 5 minutes. Let stand, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature. (If not using the same day, transfer to airtight containers and store in the refrigerator up to 3 days or the freezer up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature; beat with paddle attachment on the lowest speed until smooth and pliable, about 10 minutes.)
5. I frosted the cupcakes with a large pastry bag and a 1M tip.
6. Enjoy!!

Check out this post on paisley passions

and check out this post on sweet-as-sugar-cookies - sweets-for-saturday

Hi-Hat Chocolate Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

So, I was bored today, had a ripe banana, and decided to bake.  The End.

I GOT TWIN CHICKENS!!! This is from one egg!! 

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes - From JoyofBaking.com

Yield about 24

Ingredients:

2 Cups Sugar

1 3/4cups Flour

3/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

2 Eggs

1 Cup Ripe Bananas (about 3 medium sized bananas mashed)

1 Cup Warm Water

1/2 Cup Milk (I used soy milk because that is what I had)

1/2 Cup Canola Oil

1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla

Directions:

1. Set oven to 350. 
2. In small bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
3. In another larger bowl, or with your KitchenAid and paddle attachment, mix together the eggs, banana, water, milk, oil and vanilla. 
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. 
5. Scoop the batter into 24 cupcakes, or until they are about 3/4 full. 
6. Bake for about 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick is inserted in the center and comes out clean. 
7. If you are going to do hi-hat cupcakes like the ones in the photos, you should freeze the cupcakes in-between putting the frosting on, and the dipping stage. 
8. Enjoyy! 

Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe - From http://acupfullofcake.blogspot.com/
Yield enough for 12 cupcakes so you might want to double it...
Ingredients:
½ Cup Softened Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter (skippy or jif is preferred)
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
¼ or so Heavy Cream (I used soy milk)

Directions:

1. Combine butter with peanut butter and cream add powdered sugar, mixture will be stiff. 
2. Then add the heavy cream a little at a time until you get the consistency you like for spreading or piping. 
3. Make sure that the cupcakes are cool before you frost them - even freeze them. 
4. After they are frosted freeze them!! 

Chocolate Coating Recipe
Ingredients:
2 Cups Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (or whatever chocolate you have)
2-3 Tablespoons Canola Oil

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate in a double boilers or in a heat proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir frequently until everything is mixed and smooth. OR microwave the chocolate but be sure to stir it at least every 30 seconds so it doesn't burn. It should take about 2 minutes. 
2. Once the chocolate is smooth, mix in the canola oil and transfer to a smaller deeper bowl that will be better for dipping. 
3. Let the chocolate coo for 10-15 minutes before dipping. I put it in the freezer to speed up the process. 
4. Take frozen cupcakes and dip them quickly into the chocolate then let the excess chocolate drip off for a few seconds. Make sure that you don't get too much chocolate on the top because that will make them too heavy and you could lose your top into the chocolate... that happened to me when i tried to dip one twice. 
5. Enjoy with a cup of milk! 

P.S. These are amazing cupcakes!! Sooo Delicious!

Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies

These are the most amazing, melt in your mouth, peanut butter cookies!!  The cookie itself is perfect but it gets even better when you put the frosting on it.  I could eat these all day long and not get tired of them!  So delicious!

The recipe is from LynnMarie - originally from cookie-recipes.net

Yield: About 5 Dozen Small Cookies

For the cookies:
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 Cup Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1. Set oven 375.
2. In a Kitchen Aid mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugar until fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
4. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture until completely incorporate.
6. Drop teaspoon size dough balls onto a lined cookie sheet.  They don't spread very much so you can put more then normal on a cookie sheet.
7. Bake at 375 for about 8 minutes or until slightly browned.  
8. While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting.

For the frosting:

1/2 Cup Butter

1 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

2 Teaspoons Vanilla

3/4 Cup Peanut Butter

1. Melt the butter, then beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla with hand mixer.
2. Then add the peanut butter and mix until smooth.  
3. Add milk if the frosting becomes too thick.
4. Spread a generous amount on each cookie.
5. ENJOY!!