Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

I found this recipe on Pinterest in.. November? December? Around the holidays, at any rate.  Joe drooled when I told him about it, so I promised him I'd make them.  Gingerbread is probably one of his favorite holiday flavors.  Then, like any good future wife, I promptly forgot all about it.  Until a couple of weeks ago, that is, when I saw this recipe in my cabinet and said, "Oh yeah! Gingerbread cupcakes!" and decided to make them.

 

The recipe as it was provided needed some help, but what I've provided below is my adaptation.  The batter gives you enough for about 18 regular sized cupcakes.  This was one of those pins that just provides the recipe and doesn't link back to the original source, so unfortunately, I don't have the slightest idea where these came from.

Even with the changes I had to make, these came out AMAZING.  As in, I can't wait to make them again incredible.  Like, thinking about trying them in my square muffin tin, wondering how many mini cupcakes this would make and if it would bake well in an actual bread pan sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

Drool.

Enough already - just go get in the kitchen and make these!

 

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

For the cupcakes*:
1 1/2 c. flour
2 Tbsp ground ginger
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground gloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 c. butter, softened to room temperature
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
3 Tbsp molasses
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
4 oz. butter, softened to room temperature
4 c. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-2 Tbsp milk or heavy cream, as needed

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners (or spray well with non-stick spray).
Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, vanilla and molasses and mix until smooth.  Stir in flour and spices.

Spoon batter evenly into cupcake liners.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

While cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting.

Cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth.  Stir in the cinnamon.  Add in the sugar, one cup at a time, mixing thoroughly until combined.  Add milk 1 Tbsp at a time, as needed, until desired consistency is reached. Beat 3-5 minutes until frosting is fluffy.  Spread or pipe onto cupcakes.

*note: you'll notice that there is no leavening agent in this recipe.  That is correct.  DO NOT add any baking soda, baking powder, etc.

Bridal Shower Cupcakes

No recipe for this one today, folks.  Just a nice little story and a few photos.

My friend Sarah is getting married in March.  On Pi day, in fact (that's 3/14/15 if you're wondering).  Sarah and I haven't been friends for super long - maybe about a year, give or take.  Actually, we met on our wedding planning website, Offbeat Bride (shameless plug).  I was on the local forums and she seemed cool, so we became Facebook friends so we wouldn't spam everyone else with our conversations.  And then we took a workout class and we got to be real life friends.

Funny how life works sometimes, isn't it?

She had mentioned her upcoming bridal shower a few times, but I didn't ask if there was anything I could do to help because I didn't want to be the asshole that assumed they were invited when they really aren't.

Then one day I got an email from one of her bridesmaids, asking me if I could make cupcakes for the party.  Alas, there was one little hitch - Sarah has asked that they look like a wedding dress.  I said I absolutely could do it, no sweat.  Then, I started Googling.

Thankfully, it was actually pretty easy.  I just had to make my cupcakes like normal and then arrange them into the shape of a wedding dress.  No problem, right?  HAHAHAHA.  Getting the shape right was about a million times harder than I had anticipated.  It got to the point where I was texting OTHER friends photos and asking if it looked the way it was supposed to.  One of my suuuuuper helpful friends even went so far as to say "sure... if they were white!" Thanks for that helpful advice, my dear (yeah, I'm looking at you).

Sarah's colors are blue and silver, but I knew I wanted to leave the frosting white.  I ended up getting a silver colored posterboard and a strand of blue adhesive gem thingies at the craft store.  The gems were on some flexible backing, so it was easy to shape them around the cupcakes to make it look like a sash.  I don't generally bake for complete strangers, so I was a little nervous but totally excited - this was my first real shot at making Elfie's Edibles an actual thing!  I definitely shouldn't have been, since everyone told me that they looked and tasted great.  For as quickly as they got gobbled up, I'm sure these were real compliments.

This was super fun and a little time consuming, but totally worth it.  Congratulations, Sarah (and Shawn)!

Chocolate Cola Cupcakes

I don't even know how I stumbled on an idea like this, but in a nutshell, it's chocolate cake and chocolate frosting made with Coca Cola.

Now, if you know anything about me, you know that those are two of my favorite things.  I had never heard of it before so I started researching, and Google tells me that this kind of cola cake is pretty much a southern thing.  Of course, it doesn't tell me and I have no idea.  Maybe it has something to do with southerners needing to figure out a way to make their cakes still taste delicious in spite of the humidity?

I'm not sure, and frankly, it doesn't even matter.  Wherever you're living, you need to make these right now because you're going to LOVE them.  These cupcakes are moist and fluffy!  The hint of cinnamon adds a little depth to the chocolate, and the frosting?  HAVE MERCY.  There's a container of it in the refrigerator and it's taking all of my self control not to go at it with a spoon.

I wasn't really sure how much soda I needed for this, so I ended up buying a 6 pack of cans because I'll drink it anyway (soda is one of my very few vices, lol).  Turns out, I only needed one regular sized can (not those little miniature ones).  I would've found that information helpful from the start, so I'm passing it along to you so you can plan accordingly :)  My Coke was room temperature when I used it, but I don't think it really makes too much of a difference.  You can certainly use the bottle if that's you have/prefer, but I would suggest making sure it's a brand new one and not one that's been around for a few days, since the carbonation seems like it's an important part of this recipe.

You can tell this is one of my favorite recipes because I don't have a lot to say about it (too busy eating cupcakes).  If you make these, please let me know what you think!  My brother may have eaten 6 in a row :P

I was pretty generous with my frosting, but you'll most likely end up with some left over.  If you're like me, that means you quickly stash it in the fridge and try to forget about it before you attack it with a spoon.  When your willpower inevitably cracks and weakens, as mine did, you'll want to let the frosting warm up a little bit before you attack it with a spoon.  The soda makes it a little sweet to eat straight, so I ended up scooping mine with pretzels.  Sweet, salty AND crunchy?  Chocolatey heaven!

Chocolate Cola Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
2 c. granulated sugar
2 c. flour
1 c. (2 sticks) butter
3 Tbsp  coca powder
1 c. Coca Cola
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla



For the frosting:
2 sticks butter, room temperature
3 c. powdered sugar
6 Tbsp cocoa powder
6 Tbsp Coca Cola
1 tsp. vanilla

Method:
Line cupcake tins with cupcake papers and preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium sized saucepan, combine butter and Coca Cola and bring to a boil.

In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar.  Slowly and carefully add in the Coke mixture and stir to combine.  Mix in buttermilk, baking soda and cinnamon.  Add cocoa powder and mix well.  Stir in vanilla and add eggs, one at a time.  Whip ingredients until well blended.  Batter will be loose.


Fill cupcake papers about 2/3 full.  Bake for 20 minutes, until tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Yields about 24 cupcakes.

While cupcakes are cooling, combine butter and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth.

Slowly add in the sugar and cocoa, adding the soda as needed when the frosting gets too thick.  Continue adding soda until desired consistency is reached.

Beat 3-5 minutes until frosting is fluffy.

Boo! Chocolate Cupcakes

Boo!

We had a potluck lunch today at work and since I volunteered to bring dessert (shocking, right?), I wanted to make something that everyone would enjoy but that was also Halloween-y.  Last year, I made dirt pudding, but this year, I wanted to really make something special.

My cake decorating skills are still pretty limited, but I figured I could easily pipe some lines of frosting on a cupcake to look like a mummy.  M&Ms for eyes add the perfect touch.

I went into this cupcake making adventure completely blind.  While I've had good results from the recipes in my KitchenAid book, I haven't tried them all.  The frosting recipe was something I found online awhile ago and then tucked away for a time when I could figure out what to put with it.  I thought chocolate cake and marshmallow frosting would taste something like a whoopie pie.  Since I was making them last night while waiting for game 7 of the World Series to start (spoiler alert: my Red Sox won!), it seemed apropos and timely.

I've used the white cake recipe in the KitchenAid book before and it make about a dozen cupcakes, so I doubled this one, thinking I'd get about 24.  Obviously something crazy happened, because I got 36 regular sized cupcakes and 10 mini ones.  Ah well.. at least I had enough frosting!

As far as the frosting goes, I'm learning that patience is key.  When it says "whip butter until smooth and creamy", that means whip the butter until it's smooth like... well, like buttah!  Seriously, you want the butter to be super smooth and creamy.  And then you really want to thoroughly mix in the marshmallow fluff, until the contents of your bowl are white.  This was the fluffiest frosting I've ever made and it was the perfect piping consistency.  It made me wish I was better at decorating so I could have tried something better or more intricate than just crisscrossing lines.  I think as long as I'm patient with my regular buttercream frostings, I'll be able to get consistently fluffy results every time.

We live in an apartment building and there aren't many kids that live here, so we don't get any trick or treaters.  Instead, we're hanging in our PJs, eating mummy cupcakes and watching the Bengals-Dolphins game (hey, the Bengals are Halloween colors!).  How are you celebrating Halloween?

Chocolate Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

Chocolate cake:
2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. shortening
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted*
*I substituted 3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder + 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil for each ounce of melted chocolate

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake papers or spray with non-stick spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine dry ingredients.  Add shortening, milk and vanilla.  Turn mixer on low and beat until combined - batter will be a little lumpy. Add eggs and chocolate; mix until combined.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on medium-high speed for about 1 minute, or until batter turns from a dark chocolate to a milk chocolate color.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full.  (I got 16 regular sized cupcakes from the recipe above).  Bake for 18 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in the pans for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Marshmallow Frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks butter), room temperature
1 7.5 oz. jar marshmallow fluff
2 c. confectioner's sugar
2-4 Tbsp milk

Using a mixer, cream butter until smooth and creamy.  Add in marshmallow fluff and beat until fully incorporated.  Slowly add in the sugar, making sure each additional is fully combined before adding more.  Add in the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.  Beat until frosting is soft and fluffy, adding more milk or sugar to reach desired consistency.

To make the mummy cupcakes, put the frosting into a zip top bag and snip off the end.  Pipe crisscrossing lines across the cupcake.  Use m&ms for eyes, "m" side down.

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes

I feel silly posting these cupcakes on a baking blog - especially MY baking blog - because these aren't even baked.  They're microwaved.

I know.  I was skeptical, too.  But they seemed so easy that I figured there was no possible way these could go wrong.  That, or they would be terrible and inedible, but then I figured I could just blame that on the microwave, too.  On a somewhat serious note, I wanted to try this because it's pretty similar to the way Hungry Girl and others suggest you make a single serving of something - cake, cupcake, brownie, etc - but without having an open and partially eaten package of mix in the cabinet.

The other thing I like about these is that if you don't tell anybody how you made them or that they only have 4 ingredients, NOBODY WILL KNOW!  They're still as moist and fluffy and delicious as if you had just baked them that morning.  Only you didn't bake them.  You microwaved them.  For a whole minute.

Actually, I also like these because they're gluten free.  And low calorie.  I don't have the exact calorie counts, but there's hardly anything in them so it can't be that high.  Technically speaking, I guess these would also be kosher for Passover (I know, I know - too soon!), but it would depend on whether or not you believed that using baking soda to make these babies rise violates the "spirit" of chametz, but that's not something I'm going to get into today.

They don't take a long time to make, so it's pretty easy to make a whole bunch of them for a party (which I did) in not a very long time at all - especially if you're low on ingredients.  Speaking of which, these are ingredients that most of us probably always have in our cabinets and pantries, so it's nice to know that yes, you can quickly take care of that cupcake craving without having to make 24 tempting treats or without having to open an entire box of mix only to use a couple of tablespoon's worth.  I topped mine with some leftover cherry frosting I had in the fridge (also gluten free), but you can also eat them naked or top with your favorite desert.  I'm thinking ice cream would be delicious.

Okay, that's enough of my rambling on about these babies.  Go make them.  When you're done, I want to know: what's your favorite few-ingredient recipe?

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes
To print this recipe, click here

Ingredients
1 egg
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda

In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients.

Lightly spray two coffee mugs with non-stick spray.  Evenly divide the batter between them. (about 2 Tbsp each)

Microwave both mugs for 1 minute.  Cupcake is finished when the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (I have a 1000 watt microwave and only needed 1 minute).

Run a knife around the outside of the cupcakes.  Tip the mugs over and let cool completely.  Top with your favorite frosting or eat them naked.  Enjoy!

Birthday Cupcakes

I am really excited about this post today.  I've been wanting to talk about it for awhile, but I was feeling superstitious and didn't want to jinx it.  "It" finally happened - successfully! - so now I want to tell you guys all about it.

Remember how I made rainbow birthday cake for a coworker a few months ago?  Well, my coworker, Stephanie, brought the rest of the cake home with her for kids.  Her oldest daughter, Samantha, LOVED it (okay, the other two kids loved it also, but they don't have anything to do with this story) and asked me to make rainbow cake for her birthday.  And then I found out that they were expecting ~100 people, so I decided that rainbow sheet cake(s) was/were out of the question and opted for rainbow cupcakes instead.  Of course, I had to make a test batch to see if they would satisfy my customer.

They were a success, but Sam's only real request was that they be actual rainbow colors and NO PINK!  I also wanted to do something different with the frosting.  I liked the chocolate/vanilla (dyed teal) swirl (reminded me of soft serve ice cream), but it started to look a little mucky towards the end.

After brainstorming with Joe, we decided I would take it up a notch.

(Yes, there is one missing!)

Rainbow cupcakes with solid colored frosting, set up to look like a rainbow.

Yeah.

Wanna see what they looked like on the inside?

Samantha asked for bright, rainbow colors, and I delivered.  I only stayed at the party for an hour or so, but the cupcakes were definitely a hit.  A bunch of Sam's friends sought me out to tell me how delicious they were, and I think I saw every small kid with at least one while I was there.  The coup de grace, though, was when one of Stephanie's friends told me that this was the first entire cupcake her 6 year old daughter had ever eaten.  She was telling me that her daughter will usually only eat a couple of bites before abandoning it, but this one she ate the whole entire thing in one sitting.  I realize that cupcakes are not actually that large, but holy crap!  I didn't even know what to say or how to react.  Inside, I was (am) doing backflips.

Overall, this was a ton of work and time, but totally worth it.  The cupcakes came out GREAT and it was a really awesome thing.  Hopefully, it's also a step in the right direction.

Happy birthday, Samantha!

Funky Monkey Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting

First, a note about the title of this post: I've decided to call these "Funky Monkey" cupcakes because saying "chocolate chip banana bread cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting" is a mouthful.  And right now, my mouth is too busy eating cupcakes.  Or maybe they're really muffins.  Either way, they're delicious.

Now that I'm finally feeling better (note: whatever this stomach bug thing is that's going around is AWFUL), I've been a beast in the kitchen.  This past week, I made three things.  Well, *I* actually made two things, and Joe helped (!) with the other.  Posts on those will be coming shortly, I promise!

For Passover a few weeks ago, I bought a bunch of fruits and vegetables.  I went to the farm stand and got a great deal on bananas - 59 cents a pound!  Unfortunately, the smallest bunch they had was 3 pounds, so I ended up getting a lot of bananas.  Which also means that a lot of bananas went bad.  I couldn't make banana bread just yet, so I peeled them and stuck them in the freezer to use later.  This ended up being a great idea, since being sick prevented me from using them when I wanted.

The bananas take a little while to defrost, but the wait is totally worth it.  They were a little mushier than normal, non-frozen overripe bananas, but for this recipe, it really didn't make a difference.  When you thaw them out, they're going to end up sitting in some liquid.  I tasted it and it tasted like banana water, so I decided to leave it in and not drain it off.  Ultimately, the choice is yours.

My recipe calls for 3 bananas and I had 5, so I did the recipe that follows x 1.5.  I ended up getting 24 perfectly shaped cupcakes.  I've never made cupcakes or muffins with the original recipe, but I would imagine that you'll get at least 12-18 cupcakes without adding to the recipe.

The cinnamon frosting was pretty much a shot in the dark, as while I was waiting for the bananas to defrost I decided that it sounded like a delicious combination.  Turns out - I was right!  The honey adds a really nice, complimentary balance to the cinnamon, so the frosting is just the right amount of sweet and spice.

The recipe itself is from an old family friend who was always doing wonderful things in the kitchen, both when her kids had friends over and just because - these kids always had the best snacks at recess! The instructions for mixing the ingredients are a little strange, but don't let it prevent you from trying this recipe.  The results are totally worth it: whether you make these into cupcakes (or muffins) like I did, a cake or a loaf of bread, you will end up with a fluffy and moist banana bread that tastes incredible.

Joe is not the biggest fan of banana bread, but he really liked the cupcakes AND the frosting! I sent him to work with a few (naked and frosted) and everyone has been gushing about them.  Also, while I was trying to take pictures of these for you, Slayer decided she needed to get in on the action and see what all the fuss is about.  I don't even know how I was able to actually capture this picture, but it's definitely one of my favorites!

Slayer approves!

What's the best picture you've ever taken?

Funky Monkey Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting
To print this recipe, click here

Ingredients
3-4 ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. oil
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 c. chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mash bananas and mix with sugar
Add baking soda and salt, mix well
Stir in 1 cup flour and mix until combined
Add eggs and oil
And 1/2 cup flour, stir
Fold in chocolate chips

For bread: bake at 325°F for approximately 1 hour, until top is slightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean
For cupcakes: bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, until tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
2 sticks butter, room temperature
3 cups confectioner's sugar
3 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp milk
1 heaping tsp. cinnamon

Cream butter until smooth and fluffy.  Add honey and 1 cup of sugar, beating until combined.
Mix in remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time.  If frosting is too thick, add milk and mix thoroughly. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add cinnamon and beat until combined.
Frosts approx. 36 cupcakes

Death By Chocolate Cupcakes

I have a confession to make.

I am a chocoholic.

Not too surpringly, I have to have some chocolate every day.  Not a lot, but at least a piece or two.  I try to keep emergency chocolate it in my car and my desk at work (admit it, we've all done it!), but it usually doesn't last long enough to constitute "emergency".  I'm not biased against any chocolate: white, milk, dark, the damn cocoa beans themselves - just give it to me!

Since my brother, Josh, and I are really close, it should come as no surprise to anybody that he is also a chocoholic.  For his birthday a couple of years ago, I made him these amazing cupcakes.

Recipes and pictures ahead! (FYI: I put the cupcakes and frosting as separate printables in case you only want one or the other!)

Cannoli Cupcakes

I meant to post this yesterday, but I've been working on my resume and stuff (preparing for a worst-case scenario at work) and time got away from me. I actually wasn't planning on these being my next post, but when I posted the photo on my Facebook, everyone started going bananas, so I figured I should share it with the world :) Cannoli shells are typically pretty light, but I always thought that was kind of silly. At least at the bakeries around here, those little shells are STUFFED and don't really hold up to the heaviness of the cream.

I wanted something that had the same flavors but with a little more oomph to it. These cupcakes are fairly dense, so if you're looking for a really good, fluffy yellow cake recipe, this probably isn't it. I do have a few that I'm looking at, so if I ever DO find a good yellow recipe (and I'm convinced it's out there, damnit!), I'll definitely share it. I've been comparing my recipe to some other that claim to be fluffy like the box mixes and I think I just need to cut back on the eggs and add a little more moisture. I'm planning on trying that out soon, so I'll report back as soon as I have some results.

In keeping with the cannoli theme, you'll notice that I did also try to fill the cupcakes. To do this, I just cut out little cones from each cupcake once they were cooled completely. Well, I say cones, but they really came out more square-shaped since that was a little easier for me to manage. The only thing I didn't account for was the mini chocolate chips getting stuck in the hole of my ziploc bag that I was using for piping the cream. Next time, I'll just need to cut off a bigger end piece than what I did before and I think it will be okay. If you have a piping bag, make sure you use a tip big enough for the chocolate chips to fit through, but truthfully, it will probably still get clogged. The best thing to do might be to use a small knife or something and try to fill the cupcakes that way.

I also found that I had more cannoli cream than I had cupcakes.  So, I'd say you should either a) be more generous with the cream, or b) eat it with a spoon (thanks mom!). 

Without any further ado.. cannoli cupcakes!