Posts tagged ‘cream cheese frosting’

Jan 8

Cupcakes And Calendars

Cover of our calendar

January is turning out to be a really busy month, work is busy and thats a good thing.This is also my anniversary month, 5th year blogging, honestly it kind of blows my mind. I have been really busy also with the work I am doing with a group on Instagram @Grumble Inc, we are a rapidly growing group of pet parents that do fun events on Instagram and raise money for animal rescue groups. The need is great and never seems to end. We work with other rescue and charitable groups holding online auctions to not just benefit rescue but to help out individuals who may not have the funds to pay for emergency or much needed veterinary care which includes surgery and other urgent issues. We recently put together an 18 month calendar with photo’s of our Instagram friends and all the proceeds go to @pugqueen who does amazing work rescuing pugs. Percy is featured on October 2017. The calendars are $15 plus shipping and we have sold about 150 so far.

Percy upper right corner

On the rescue front you remember the little puggle I spoke about, Luna. Well she is doing great and is in a foster home where she is getting much needed medical care and evaluation for her seizure disorder. The great news is that she has only had one seizure since she has been in foster care and is thriving and happy. We have someone waiting for her who is giving her a forever home as soon as she is ready for adoption.

Luna

I am president of our block association and every year I plan a holiday party, this year has been a disaster. We planned on having it in December at a members home but a few days before the event we had to cancel because she was sick. I rescheduled to January 7th, after the holidays but thats ok, we had to cancel because of bad weather. NYC got blasted with a major snow storm and frigid temperatures. Most of the day yesterday was blizzard like conditions with the wind blowing and snow coming down fast and furious. Now I am thinking we will have a welcome Spring party, plans are in the works. The weather forecast did not call for the heavy snow or blizzard like conditions so I made cupcakes to take with me to the party. My go to chocolate cake recipe from Hershey’s it never fails and always produces a moist, chocolately and delicious cupcake. My favorite way to serve them is with a cream cheese buttercream frosting. Simple and delicious.

cupcakes

The recipe for the cupcakes is so easy to make, the recipe also makes an excellent layer cake. I love that there is no creaming of butter and sugar, you put all the ingredients in one bowl and mix it all together. I have posted this recipe several times here but it’s so good I feel good about posting again. There is no butter in this cake only vegetable oil. You don’t have to use hershey’s cocoa but it’s best to use cocoa powder that is not Dutch Process for this cake, use natural cocoa powder. If you don’t understand the difference read this article on Epicurious about the different types.

Hershey’s Best Chocolate Cake

makes 24 cupcakes, 2 9 inch layers or 3 8 inch layers

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp espresso powder (optional)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup whole milk at room temperature

2 large eggs at room temperature lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350 degree’s. Line muffin pan with liners or butter and flour cake pans.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. In 4 cup measuring cup add the wet ingredients and whisk together. Add to the dry ingredients and mix with electric mixer for 2 minutes. In the meantime put water on to boil and add the 1 cup boiling water to the batter and mix with electric mixer for 1 minute or until combined.

The batter will be thin, thats ok it’s supposed to be that way. Pour into prepared pans and for cupcakes bake 20-25 minutes. Layer cakes 30-40 minutes depending on size of the pan. Cake is done when tester inserted in middle comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz softened (room temperature) unsalted butter

8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature

4-6 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

approximately 1/4 cup milk or half and half

Cream the butter and cream cheese until soft and fluffy. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time mixing between each addition. Add the vanill and milk. When adding the milk do it slowely, and stop when it’s spreading consistency you may not need 1/4 cup or you might need a little more. You judge how much you add so that you reach the desired consistency.

Jan 8

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Banana Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting And Salted Caramel

Banana Cupcake

I have a bunch of over ripe banana’s that need to be used ASAP, I have made loaf after loaf of banana bread and wanted something a little different so I decided to make cupcakes, banana cake is wonderful and something I haven’t made in a very long time. I saw this recipe for the cupcakes and caramel sauce on Martha Stewarts website and it sounded delicious. The homemade caramel sauce with banana cake and cream cheese icing sounds perfect.

I have to confess, I have never made caramel, real caramel before. For some reason I was intimidated by it, maybe it was the bubbling that occurs when you add the cream, or the fear of failure, who knows but I avoided making it until today. I have to admit this caramel sauce is wonderful, delicious and so easy to make, I didn’t even use my candy thermometer I simply went by the color of the caramel and it turned out perfectly. You can make the caramel sauce the day before the cupcakes so it is cooled sufficiently and thick enough to pipe onto the cupcakes. NOTE: I halved the recipe for caramel sauce.

Caramel

Caramel Sauce:

Makes 10 oz of sauce

1 cup granulated sugar

6 tbs unsalted butter cut into tbs size pieces

1/2 cup heavy cream

sea salt (I used Maldon flakes)

In medium size heavy bottom sauce pan add the sugar, turn the heat to medium/high and let the sugar start to melt, when you see that it’s melting start whisking the sugar, it will clump it’s ok keep whisking until it’s completely melted. Let it cook until it turns a deep amber color swirling the pot every now and then. Once it’s a deep amber color add the butter and whisk until sugar is incorporated. Remove from heat and add the heavy cream, whisk until combined and add a pinch or two of the sea salt. Let cool for 20 minutes and then pour into container, it will be thin but it thickens up beautifully.

Cupcakes:

Makes 24 regular size cupcakes or 12 jumbo

3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
4 very ripe large bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place liners in cupcake tins.

Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.

Reduce speed to low. Mix wet ingredients (bananas, buttermilk and vanilla) in a bowl. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each full.

Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes for jumbo cupcakes increase cooking time to 25-30 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese softened

8 oz unsalted butter softened

4-6 cups confectioners sugar

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cream butter and cream cheese in stand mixer using paddle attachment, add the confectioners sugar a cup at a time beating until smooth and spreadable consistency, add the vanilla and mix until combined. Frost cupcakes immediately.

Pipe icing onto cupcakes and drizzle with caramel sauce. Enjoy!