Cupcakes!

On June 30, 2009, my sister got married and we did cupcakes for her reception. It was a hit. My mom went completely overboard and made something like 45 dozen cupcakes (at least 30 different kinds of cupcakes).

I didn't go quite that crazy. I only did 6 kinds of cupcakes for a grand total of 12 dozen.

How did we make so many cupcakes without them spoiling, you ask? Most baked goods are extremely freezer friendly. We baked the cupcakes, labeled them, and froze them in plastic containers. Then, we defrosted them and topped them with the appropriate frostings/toppings the night before.
I meant to post the recipes on June 30th this year...but the date got away from me!
I would like to share 5 of the 6 cupcake recipes that I made (the sixth was a snickerdoodle cupcake that was quite tasty, but nowhere near the same tasty ballpark as the other five cupcakes).

Beware though, unless you have a lot of people to share these with, you are going to eat way more than you should. We had plenty of cupcakes to feed everyone at the wedding...and to spare. We were having cupcakes for Sunday desserts for weeks afterward!

The winning cupcakes were German Chocolate Cupcakes, Red Velvet Cupcakes, Key Lime Pie Cupcakes, White on White Cupcakes, and Chocolate Cupcakes with Penuche Frosting.



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German Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2 inch size)

1 bar (4 ounces) German's sweet chocolate (I used a bar of Dove chocolate)

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain German chocolate cake mix

1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

Coconut Pecan Frosting (recipe below)

Directions:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

To grate the chocolate, break the bar into pieces and drop them, one at a time, through the feed tube of a food processor while it is running (I simply chopped them up or you could use a blender). Or, carefully rub the chocolate bar with a hand-held coarse cheese grater, such as a Microplane (I tried that, and it took forever, hence the chopping). Set the grated chocolate aside.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, eggs, and the grated chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scrapin down the sides again, if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.

Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 19-22 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of a knife and allow them to finish cooling on a wire rack for 15 minutes before frosting.

Prepare the Coconut Pecan Frosting (recipe below).

Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and spread it out with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. The cupcakes are ready to serve.

Note: Store these cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, unwrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver; for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Coconut Pecan Frosting

Ingredients:

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

4 large egg yolks, slightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 package (7 ounces, 2 1/3 cups) sweetened flaked coconut

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

Place the evaporated milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened and golden brown in color, 10-12 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the coconut and pecans. Cool the frosting to room temperature before spreading, 20 minutes.

Notes: I didn't get to personally try these because they got gobbled up at the reception, but I overheard someone say that they were the best German chocolate cupcakes they had ever had.

Source: From the book entitled Cupcakes! From the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn, 2005

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients:

24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2 inch size)

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain Germain chocolate cake mix

1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring

3 large eggs

1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)

Directions:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, food coloring, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again, if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.

Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18-20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

Meanwhile, prepare the White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below).

Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely (I piped mine on with a frosting bag and a large frosting tip). Place these cupcakes, uncovered or in a cake server, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. The cupcakes are ready to serve.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped (or white chocolate chips)

4 ounces (half an 8 ounce package) reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla or peppermint extract

2-2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions:

Place the white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until it is smooth. Set the chocolate aside to cool.

Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the melted white chocolate and blend on low speed until just combined, 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar and blend on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds more. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 1 minute more, adding up to 1/2 cup more sugar if needed to make a spreadable consistency.

Notes: For the frosting, make it the consistency that you would like. If it is too stiff, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk (or more, if needed). If it is too runny, add more powdered sugar (as much as you feel is needed to make it the right consistency). Also, I opted to use vanilla instead of peppermint flavoring for these cupcakes and they were fantastic.

Source: From the book entitled Cupcakes! From the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn, 2005

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

1 large lime, scrubbed (for 1 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice)

4 large eggs

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix

1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix

1 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon coconut flavoring

Filling:

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup Key Lime Juice

Marshmallow Frosting (recipe below)

Directions:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcacke cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

Prepare the cupcake batter. With a citrus zester or fine grater, zest the lime and reserve 1 teaspoon. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice over a strainer into a small bowl; you should have 2 tabspoons. Set aside. Separate 3 of the eggs, place the whites in a large clean mixing bowl and the yolks in another mixing bowl.

Add the remaining egg, cake mix, pudding mix, water, oil, coconut flavoring and lime zest and juice to the yolks. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well blended. Spoon or scoop 1/4 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it two thirds of the way full. Place the pans in the oven.

Bake the cupcakes until they are lightly golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18-22 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Increase the oven heat to 450 degrees.

Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before filling.

Meanwhile, prepare filling; Place the sweetened condensed milk and Key lime juice in a small bowl and stir to combine. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a medium tip. Press the tip 1/4 inch into the top center of each cooked cupcake and squeeze the bag to release about 1 tablespoon filling into the cupcake. Scrape off any excess filling with a rubber spatula. Place the cooled cupcakes nearly side by side on a baking sheet.

Prepare the frosting. The original recipe called for meringue, but I stink at making meringue, so I improvised a marshmallow frosting. The recipe is below. If you're good at meringue follow these instructions. Prepare the meringue: Add the cream of tartar to the reserved egg whites and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until frothy, 45 seconds. Add the coconut flavoring and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Continue beating on high, adding 1 tablespoon sugar at a time, until the whites form stiff peaks (if you pull the beaters from the meringue, the meringue should extend from the beaters in straight stiff peaks). Spoon 2 tablespoons meringue onto the top of each cupcake and swirl to spread it just to the edges with a short metal spatula or spoon. Place the pan in the oven. Bake until the meringue is light nutty brown in color, 5-6 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of a knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingers. Serve at once, or allow the cupcakes to cool 10 minutes, then serve.

Note: Store these cupcakes in a cake saver at room temperature for up to 3 days (or longer if you use the marshmallow frosting. If you use the marshmallow frosting, they can be frozen as well).

Marshmallow Frosting

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1 jar (7 oz) Jet Puffed Marshmallow Creme

1 tsp. vanilla

1 pkg. (16 oz) powdered sugar

1-2 Tbsp. milk, divided

See note below (to make the frosting with a Key Lime Pie taste)

Directions:

Place butter, marshmallow creme and vanilla in a small bowl; beat on medium speed until well-blended. Gradually add sugar, beating after each addition until well blended.

Blend in 1 Tbsp. of the milk. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. if necessary for desired spreading consistency.

This recipe makes enough to fill and frost a 2 layer cake.

Notes: I had leftover cupcake filling (the sweetened condensed milk and Key lime juice mixture), so I added it to the frosting and added more powdered sugar to make sure it was the right consistency. It added just the perfect Key Lime Pie kick to the cupcakes. I wouldn't skip that step because it made the frosting sooooo yummy.

Source: From the book entitled Cupcakes! From the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn, 2005

White on White Cupcakes

Ingredients:

24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2 inch size)

1 cup (6 ounces) white chocolate chips

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain white cake mix

1 cup whole milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

3 large egg whites

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Buttercream Frosting (recipe below)

White chocolate curls

Directions:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

Place the white chocolate chips in a medium-size glass mixing bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 50 seconds to 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir with a small rubber spatula until it is smooth. Set it aside to cool slightly.

Place the cake mix, milk, oil, egg, egg whites, vanilla, and melted white chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. Spoon or scoop 1/4 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it two thirds of the way full. (You will get between 22-24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.

Bake the cupcakes until they are lightly golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 17-20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

Meanwhile, prepare the Buttercream Frosting (recipe below).

Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread it out with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. Garnish with a white chocolate curl. The cupcakes are ready to serve.

Note: Store these cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

White Chocolate Curls:

It's easy to make white chocolate curls if you have a 6-8 ounce bar of white chocolate and a sharp vegetable peeler. Place the white chocolate on a counter at room temperature for 1 hour to soften slightly and let it sit flat side up (the side that has no impressed designs or the name of the chocolate on it). Drag the vegetable peeler across the top of the chocolate bar (I find it easier to pull toward me). The softer the chocolate and the longer you drag the peeler, the bigger the curl. If you work with cool chocolate, you will make white chocolate shavings, which look beautiful mounded up in the center of this cupcake. Curls or shavings--it's a win-win situation.

Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

3-4 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (if you want to make different flavors of buttercream, you can substitute 1 teaspoon almond extract or 1-2 teaspoons coconut flavoring)

Directions:

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons of the milk and the vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more. Add up to 1 tablespoon more milk if the frosting seems too stiff.

Notes: I didn't do the white chocolate curls since I didn't have time. Also, I like a LOT of frosting on my cupcakes and I felt like this recipe didn't make enough frosting for my tastes. I would definitely double the frosting recipe for these cupcakes. Just look at the picture and you will see that there wasn't enough frosting for these. I tried to get creative with having less frosting than desired, but I don't think my efforts were very successful!

Source: From the book entitled Cupcakes! From the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn, 2005

Chocolate Cupcakes with Penuche Filling

A layer of penuche creates frosted chocolate cupcakes reminiscent of a delicious mini layered cake.

Prep time: 40 minutes

Start to Finish: 2 hr. 10 min.

Makes 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist chocolate fudge cake mix

1 1/3 cups water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling and Garnish:

1 cup butter or margarine

2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

4 cups powdered sugar

1 oz grated semisweet baking chocolate, if desired

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees for shiny metal pans (or 325 degrees for dark or nonstick pans). Spray bottoms only of 24 regular-size muffin cups with baking spray with flour.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, eggs, and vanilla with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

Bake 18-24 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in 2 quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; reduce heat to low. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling; remove from heat. Pour mixture into medium bowl; refrigerate 30 minutes or more until almost completely cool and the consistency of thick caramel ice cream topping.

Beat powdered sugar into cooled brown sugar mixture on low speed until smooth. If frosting becomes too stiff, stir in more milk (a tablespoon at a time).

Using serrated knife, cut each cupcake horizontally, being careful not to break either half. Place heaping tablespoon of filling onto each cupcake base. Replace rounded cupcake tops. Pipe or spoon remaining frosting onto cupcake tops. Garnish with grated chocolate, if desired. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Notes: I didn't cut the cupcakes in half. I just put all of the frosting on top. I figured it would just be an unnecessary and messy step. If the brown sugar mixture isn't set up enough before you beat in the powdered sugar, you will end up with more of a glaze...unless you add a whole lot more powdered sugar than the recipe calls for to stiffen it up.

Source: Betty Crocker website.