Key Lime Cupcakes

    I fell in love with the taste of key lime when I made my Bite Size Oreo Key Lime Pies. I needed to use up some more key limes and wanted to put them in a cupcake. These turned out delicious!! I highly recommend them! They have a nice, light, lime flavor.  Key Lime Cupcakesfrom Leenee's Sweetest Delights

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons key lime zest

3 large eggs

1/4 fresh Key lime juice

3 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

 Key Lime Fillingfrom  Our Everyday Life14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime  juice3/4 cup whipping cream Key Lime Whipped Cream my own creation2 cups whipping cream3/4 cup powdered sugar1 Tbsp. key lime juice1/2 Tbsp. key lime zest1 Tbsp. key lime filling*Adjust amounts to taste  Key Lime Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 24 cupcake liners in muffin tins.

In a large bowl beat butter, sugar, and lime zest at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in juice until combined.

 In a medium bowl, combine cake flour and baking soda; sift.

Gradually add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Pour evenly into prepared cupcake tins.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  Key Lime FillingMix together the sweetened condensed milk, whipping cream, and lime juice.

Two Filling Methods:(1) Poke several holes into the cupcakes with the back of a mixing spoon. Use a pastry bag to pipe filling into each hole. (2) Use a butter knife to cut a hole in the center of each cupcake. Fill with filling. Cover with cut out cupcake piece.  Refrigerate cupcakes for about an hour.
Key Lime Whipped Cream  Use a stand mixer to combine 2 cups heavy whipping cream and 3/4 cup powdered sugar. When stiff peaks form, add juice, zest, and filling to taste.  Pipe frosting onto cupcakes after they come out of refrigerator.   Enjoy!

You can also add green food coloring to the cupcake, filling, or frosting. I just opted for green sprinkles :-)

 

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

 

{not my picture, click for source)

 Spring is here! Do you remember those Orange Creamsicle ice cream cups? My grandma always had those in the freezer and I had one pretty much every visit. The flavor still brings back great memories. So when I found a recipe for Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes from Dulcedo I knew I had to try them! I can definitely say it was a good choice :-) The cupcake itself has a nice orange flavor and the frosting tastes exactly like the classic Orange Creamsicle cups.         Cupcakes
Makes a little over 24 cupcakes
2-3 medium oranges
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon orange extract
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

Orange Frosting
1 cup butter, room temperature
6-8 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/4 cup orange juice (preferably fresh)

Marshmallow Fluff
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2/3 cup water
5 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla  To make the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Peel oranges (removing any seeds and as much of the white pith as possible) and puree in a blender or food processor.  Measure out 1/2 cup of the liquidy pulp. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine orange pulp, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, orange extract, sugar, and vegetable oil.

With the mixer on low, gradually add in the flour mixture, beating until just incorporated.

Fill your liners 2/3 full and bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before filling, frosting, or garnishing as desired.

To make the orange frosting:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium-high speed until creamy. Add half of the sifted sugar, the vanilla, the orange extract, and the orange juice. Beat until combined. Gradually add the remaining sugar until the frosting reaches your desired consistency. I used a hand mixer for this frosting because I made the marshmallow fluff in my stand mixer.I added some orange food coloring just for fun :-)

To make the marshmallow fluff:
Heat 1 1/2 cups sugar, the corn syrup, and 2/3 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Wash down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reaches 235 degrees.
Watch the thermometer!  I burnt my first attempt :-(
Meanwhile, put egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Reduce speed to medium-low.   Add the hot syrup in a slow, steady stream down sides of bowl. Raise speed to medium-high; beat until stiff peaks begin to form. With the mixer still running, gradually add the vanilla and continue beating until the fluff is smooth and cool, about 7 minutes.
Frost. You can either fill the cupcake with one frosting and top with the other, or use both frosting in a swirl pattern. I tried piping both together. It was my first time using that method, so it didn't turn out perfect, but I think it's a cool effect. Dulcedo has a great how-to for piping two colors of frosting at once.

Frosted Banana Bread Cupcakes

I had a couple of bananas that were getting a little too ripe and I really wanted to try banana bread cupcakes. These are great all by themselves (in which case they would be more like a muffin, and a wonderful breakfast food) or frosted (to become a delightful little dessert). This is my other "kid-approved" recipe. Our little friend that stopped by this morning ate 3. I think he liked them :-) Cupcakes (makes 12 regular size and 12 mini) Recipe from Eat, Live, Run 2 1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 extra-ripe bananas, mashed with a fork until smooth
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk

Frosting Recipe from The Pioneer Woman
5 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Butter
1 cup Granulated Sugar (not Powdered Sugar!)
Since the icing has 2 steps, start it first.  In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If you’re in a hurry, place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.)

Now to the cupcakes... preheat your oven to 350 and line a cupcake pan.
Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy and then add the eggs, one at time, beating after each addition.
In a small bowl, combine the mashed banana with the vanilla and buttermilk and stir well until combined.
In a larger bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon).
Add the wet and dry ingredients alternately to the creamed butter, mixing well after each addition. This works best if you have a Kitchen Aid and keep it running on low the whole time.
Fill muffin tins about 3/4th of the way full and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden.

While the cupcakes are in the oven, go back to the icing and cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla to the cooled milk/flour mixture.   Then add the cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.
NOTE:  The milk/flour/vanilla mixture MUST be cooled before you add it to the butter and sugar mixture.  Pioneer Woman did a wonderful step-by-step post about the icing, click here to see.

Frost. Enjoy!  **This frosting is a new favorite! I think it's kind of a mix between buttercream frosting and sweetened whipped cream. It's light and not overly sweet. It was the perfect match for these cupcakes!

Double the Snickerdoodle

Today I felt like some classic snickerdoodle cookies, but I also really wanted to make more cupcakes. Oh the decisions in life :-)

I ended up finding a recipe online for snickerdoodle cupcakes from Bakerella. She had the great idea of topping each cupcake with a snickerdoodle cookie. I used her recipes for the cupcakes and cookies, but a different recipe for the vanilla cinnamon frosting.

Cupcake Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk, room temperature

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line regular and miniature cupcake trays with paper liners.
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.
• In a mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium for about 2 minutes.
• Add eggs, one at a time and mix until combined.
• Add vanilla and mix until combined.
• Add flour mixture to creamed butter and sugar in three additions. Alternate with milk in two additions.
• Fill baking cups about 3/4 full.
• Bake for about 15-20 minutes.
• Remove cupcakes from trays and let cool.

Vanilla Cinnamon Frosting

1 stick butter
3 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
3-4 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Beat butter until fluffy for frosting. Add all other ingredients.


Cookie Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper. (I used one 14 X 20 and was able to get all 20 cookies on one sheet. Place about 3 inches apart and they won’t bake into each other.)
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a mixer, cream butter, shortening, and sugar on medium for about 2 minutes.
• Add egg and mix until combined.
• Add the flour mixture and beat until combined.
• In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon.
• Use a small 1 1/4 inch ice-cream scoop to form balls. Release in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and roll until covered. When coated, you can shape them in a nice round ball and place on the baking sheet. (reserve any leftover cinnamon sugar to top the cupcakes)
• Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies begin to crack. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.

Assembly

To decorate, pipe on frosting, place one cookie on top and then pipe another dollop of frosting on top. Sprinkle with leftover cinnamon and sugar from the snickerdoodle cookie recipe.
Store in an airtight container.

Cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, oh my!

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

First off, you should know lemon is one of my most favorite flavors... even more than chocolate...gasp! For my birthday this year my mom made my favorite cake: sunshine cake with lemon filling. I really wanted to make that lemon filling and put it in a cupcake. I was brainstorming different flavor combos (should I do plain lemon, blueberry lemon, strawberry lemon, lemonade, oh the choices...).

Jirik drinking pink lemonade at the park

I decided to combine my favorite flavor with my favorite season: SUMMER. I love summer. Warm weather, less work (perks of being a teacher), and lots of fun times with my husband. I miss it. So tonight I made a summertime-inspired treat, even though we are in the dead of winter. Pink lemonade cupcakes. . . oh yes! My husband and I also tend to have some good laughs over pink lemonade because I used to tell him about the park in my town that had pink lemonade fountains instead of water fountains. He used to think I was living in some kind of imaginary dream world until he came to visit me one summer and experienced all the awesomeness for himself. Anyways... back to the cupcakes...

For my cupcakes I made a pink lemonade batter, lemon filling, and pink lemonade whipped topping.

PINK LEMONADE CUPCAKES

I used a recipe I found here. This makes 12 cupcakes. It has a pink lemonade flavor, but it wasn't as strong as I would have liked it. Next time I think I'll add more pink lemonade concentrate.

Ingredients:

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

Pinch salt

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. vegetable oil

2 egg whites (set the yolks aside, you will need them later for the lemon filling)

1/3 c. thawed frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate

1/4 c. buttermilk

2 or more drops red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin pan with liners.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg whites and lemonade concentrate. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of buttermilk, beating until just smooth. Add just enough food coloring to turn the batter a light shade of pink.

Scoop batter into liners (fill about three-fourths full). Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.

LEMON FILLING

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 beaten egg yolks
1 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. butter

In a small saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water. Stir in egg yolks, lemon peel, and juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly. Cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in butter until melted. Cover surface with clear plastic wrap; cool.

PINK LEMONADE WHIPPED TOPPING

I kinda just made this one up as I went along. I used my stand mixer to combine 2 cups heavy whipping cream, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, a drop of lemon extract, and pink lemonade concentrate to taste (I kept adding more because I really like it tart, but I probably overdid it a tad, haha). I also added a few drops of pink food coloring to make it look pretty :-)

ASSEMBLY

Once the cupcakes are cooled, cut a little hole into the middle of each one and scoop out some cupcake. Spoon lemon filling into hole. Pipe whipped topping onto top. Garnish with a lemon slice, if desired.

And there you go, a little bite of summer in each cupcake :-)