Category: Cakes + Cupcakes

Triple Vanilla Cupcakes

triplevanillacupcakesMy grandma Zella made filled cupcakes years before they became trendy. Perhaps she was a baker ahead of her time – or perhaps she saw a recipe in Woman’s Day magazine and thought, like their food editors, that two desserts combined into one was just a great idea. Usually, her cupcakes used Duncan Hines cake mix and packaged pudding mix; not from scratch, but very tasty nonetheless. I remember a particularly tasty yellow cupcake that was filled with lemon pudding, then dusted with powdered sugar. Simple, yet delicious.

Last week’s Boston Cream Cupcakes left me with a back-up batch of pastry cream that used a slightly different recipe, so today I tossed together these triple vanilla cupcakes – a vanilla cupcake with vanilla pastry cream, topped with vanilla buttercream frosting. If you’re a vanilla fan, you’ll love these cupcakes.

Pastry Cream II

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Place a heatproof bowl and fine mesh sieve next to your stove.

In a medium saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until warmed and wisps of steam appear; do not allow to simmer or boil.

In a 4-cup glass measuring cup, combine sugar, flour, and salt. Add egg yolks and mix well; mixture will form a thick paste, and it can be crumbly or smooth – the most important thing is for your ingredients to be well-mixed.

Slowly pour heavy cream into egg mixture, whisking constantly, then return the mixture to the pan and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes; mixture will look foamy at first, then will become thick and glossy. Once the mixture becomes thick and glossy, remove it from the heat and whisk in vanilla extract.

Pour the pastry cream through the sieve; you’ll need to stir and press firmly to get it to pass through. Press plastic wrap on the surface and allow to set up overnight.

Old-Fashioned Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons cake flour
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; my batch made 20 cupcakes.

Combine milk and vanilla extract; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine cake flour, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, then reduce mixer speed to low and add butter a few cubes at a time. Continue to beat for about 2 minutes, until the mixture looks like coarse sand.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each. With the mixer running on low, slowly pour in the vanilla milk mixture.

Return to medium speed and continue to beat for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl well.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of batter into prepared cupcake pans, filling about 1/2 to 2/3 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from pans immediately and cool completely on a wire rack.

Very Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients

  • 12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and salt on medium speed for about 2 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until fully incorporated, about 3-4 minutes. Add vanilla extract and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy.

To assemble the cupcakes:

In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip pastry cream for 2-3 minutes to lighten.

Using a small knife, cut into the center of each cupcake at a 45-degree angle, about 1/8 inch from the edge, all the way around. Remove the core and cut away all but the top 1/4 inch, leaving a small disc of cake. Reserve the scraps for a trifle or other treat.

Fill the inside with pastry cream and top with the disc of cake.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of frosting onto each cupcake and spread with an offset spatula.

Store in the refrigerator; bring to room temperature before serving.

 

Boston Cream Cupcakes

bostoncreamcupcakesBoston cream pie is no longer my nemesis. Okay, technically, these are cupcakes, but that still counts, right?

I’ve tried several recipes before without success; if the cake turned out well, the filling would curdle; if the filling turned out well, the ganache would be too thick. My awesome friend and fellow baker Carla recommended combining different aspects from different recipes, and I suspect that might be how the Brown Eyed Baker arrived at this successful recipe.

My process involved making the pastry cream the night before, followed by the cupcakes and ganache the next day. I recommend making your ganache just after you get your first batch of cupcakes in the oven, so it’ll be cool and thickened by the time you’re ready to assemble your cupcakes. I also altered the process slightly by whipping the pastry cream in my mixer before I filled the cupcakes. You’ll have some leftover cupcake scraps and some leftover ganache, and if you buy the quart container of heavy cream like I did, you’ll also have some heavy cream left over that can be turned into whipped cream for a fun trifle.

Pastry Cream

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups heavy cream
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 2 pieces
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

In a medium saucepan, heat heavy cream over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally.

In a large, 4-cup glass measuring cup, mix egg yolks, sugar, and salt until well-combined. Add cornstarch and mix very well, until mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 15 seconds.

When the cream reaches a full simmer, slowly whisk it into the egg mixture, then return the mixture to the pan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 1-2 minutes until thick and glossy.

Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla until butter is completely melted; your mixture may look like it’s starting to separate a bit, but it will be fine.

Transfer to a bowl and press plastic wrap on the top, covering completely. Refrigerate until set; I let mine sit overnight.

Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoons salt
  • 12 tablespoons butter, softened but still cool, cut into 12 slices
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; my batch made 18 cupcakes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix for about 30 seconds. With the mixer running on low, add butter 1 pat at a time, until the mixture looks like coarse sand.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl very well. Add milk and vanilla extract, then increase the mixer speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl about halfway through, until batter is light and no lumps remain.

Fill cupcake wells between 1/2 and 3/4 full and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Immediately remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack before filling and glazing.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, corn syrup, chocolate, and vanilla over medium heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches room temperature; mixture will thicken and become glossy.

To assemble the cupcakes:

Place your pastry cream in a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed for 2-3 minutes to lighten slightly.

Using a small knife, cut into the center of each cupcake at a 45-degree angle, about 1/8 inch from the edge, all the way around. Remove the core and cut away all but the top 1/4 inch, leaving a small disc of cake. Reserve the scraps for a trifle or other treat.

Fill the inside with pastry cream and top with the disc of cake.

Spoon chocolate ganache over cupcake tops and spread with a small offset spatula; it is very rich, so you don’t need much.

Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature before serving.

 

Cherry Cola Cake

cherry cola cakeBakers and artists have a lot in common. We share creativity, a dedication to our craft, and the desire to share the results of our talent and a set of carefully honed skills with others. While one artist might use paint, another might choose clay. Bakers are like this, specializing in bread, or pastries, or cookies.

When people ask me what I bake, I usually tell them that I bake classic comfort treats – the kind of cookies and cupcakes and pies their favorite aunt used to make, or that you’d find at a bake sale. Treats like oatmeal cookies and chocolate cupcakes and banana bread and apple pie. Nothing fancy, more focused on flavor than on decoration.

Cherry cola cake seems like a classic comfort treat to me; I imagine it being served as church picnics and family reunions and at the homes of aunts to welcome visitors on Sunday afternoons.  The cherry cola flavor is rather faint, and the end result is more of a super-moist chocolate cake than what I was expecting…but it’s still definitely delicious.

Ingredients

Cherry Cola Cake

  • 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup butter, cut into cubes
  • 1 cup cherry cola
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Marshmallow Creme Frosting

  • 12 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
  • Red liquid food coloring, if desired

Note: this frosts the tops of each layer only; if you want to frost the sides as well, double the ingredients. 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottom of each with a circle of parchment paper, and grease the parchment.

Place 3/4 cup miniature marshmallows in the bottom of each cake pan; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking soda; set aside.

In a large glass measuring cup, combine buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla; whisk together, then set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cherry cola, and cocoa powder. Stir occasionally until mixture boils.

Remove cherry cola mixture from heat and pour into flour mixture. Stir just to combine, then whisk in buttermilk mixture until batter is completely smooth.

Pour into prepared pans, dividing evenly. Marshmallows will float to the top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove to wire racks, peel off paper, and cool completely.

For the frosting, beat butter and powdered sugar until completely combined. Add marshmallow creme and beat until well-combined. Add food coloring for a pink tint if desired.

Place one layer of cake on a cake plate and top with 1 cup frosting. Place second layer on top and use the remaining frosting to frost the top only.

Store at room temperature.

 

Sunflower Cupcakes

sunflower cupcakesSummer is in full swing, and our neighborhood blooms with all manner of beautiful plants. Around the corner from our house, one neighbor’s landscaping includes enormous sunflowers, easily more than six feet tall, among other stunning plants that I wish we had in our yard.

Sunflowers come in many shapes and sizes, and there are probably as many recipes for sunflower cupcakes as well. You’ll find plenty of options on Pinterest, using Oreo cookies as the centers, or chocolate sprinkles; I saw one recipe that used chocolate-covered espresso beans, which seems both cool and kind of pricey. I decided to go with an all-frosting flower to get some piping practice.

Buttercream frosting works very well for these, but you could use cream cheese frosting if you like. I chose a chocolate cupcake and basic vanilla buttercream, for pretty (and tasty) results.

Ingredients

Preparation

Bake cupcakes and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Prepare vanilla almond buttercream; place 1 cup frosting in a small bowl and tint using brown gel food coloring. Tint the remaining frosting yellow; I used Wilton golden yellow.

Fit a piping bag with a small star tip; I used the Wilton 16 tip. Pipe stars in a circle in the center of each cupcake.

Fit another piping bag with a leaf tip; I used the Wilton 352 tip. Holding the bag so that the points of the tip are vertical to the cupcake rather than flat against it, pipe petals around the outside of the flower center, covering the cupcake completely.

If you like, you can make one outer row and one inner row of petals for more texture; I did this on a few cupcakes, but in the interest of time (and heat – it’s almost 90 in Pittsburgh today) I piped one single row on all of the others.

You’ll have plenty of frosting left over, so you can be generous with your piping. I had about 1/4 cup of brown and at least 1/2 cup of yellow, which I’ll reserve for another use.

 

Buttermilk Chocolate Cupcakes

IMG_4941Happy World Chocolate Day! Let’s celebrate with some buttermilk chocolate cupcakes and cocoa frosting. If you want to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side, that would be a great idea too.

Can you imagine a world without chocolate? I can, but I certainly don’t want to. This delicious creation is a culinary wonder, pairing easily with a range of flavors both sweet and savory. When you think about it, I bet you have at least one favorite treat that involves chocolate in some way, even if it’s a basic chocolate chip cookie or a tender chocolate cake.

These cupcakes remind me a bit of devil’s food, and the original recipe came from Taste of Home, one of my new favorite sites. I cut that recipe in half to make a dozen and chose to pair them with my favorite cocoa frosting, which uses simple ingredients you’re likely to have in your pantry. You could definitely go with the one in the original recipe, or use a vanilla frosting instead – but given that it’s World Chocolate Day, we’re going to go all-out chocolate.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup water

For the frosting

  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • rainbow sprinkles, if desired

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-well cupcake tin with paper liners.

In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a glass measuring cup, combine buttermilk and water; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until well-combined, then add vanilla extract and beat until well-combined, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times.

Add flour mixture and buttermilk/water mixture alternatively in two batches, beating well after each.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough into prepared cupcake wells, filling about 2/3 full.

Bake for 18-2o minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in the pan for a few minutes (the original recipe suggests 10 minutes, but I cooled mine for about half that time), then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting: in a small bowl, combine melted butter and cocoa powder, whisking until smooth. Place mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Add 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk and beat until very well-combined, scraping the sides of the bowl well a few times. Add remaining powdered sugar and 1 more tablespoon milk and beat for about 1 minute; add vanilla and beat 1 minute more, then add final tablespoon of milk and beat for 2 minutes, until lighter in color and fluffy.

Fit a piping bag with a large star tip; pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Top with sprinkles if desired; store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Watermelon Cupcakes

watermeloncupcakesI possess fairly highly evolved baking skills, whipping up tangy lemon curds, creating airy cupcakes, producing flaky pie crusts, and turning out tender cookies without batting an eye. But decorating? Let’s just say it’s not exactly my strong suit.

These watermelon cupcakes are fairly simple to bake, requiring only a basic white cupcake recipe, some red food coloring, and miniature chocolate chips. Frosting and decorating them, however, is another matter entirely. While piping on red, green, and white frosting and dotting each cupcake with miniature chocolate chips might seem simple, it’s definitely easier said than done…at least for me, anyway. Perfect circles are hard to come by, and those cute miniature chips that look like watermelon seeds can be a bit unruly.

I began with blobs of red frosting in the middle, then outlined those with green and finished off with the white of the rind, but if I ever make these again, I think i’ll go green, white, red instead. I might also use different frosting tips; I used all plain, round tips of varying sizes this time, but I might suggest a star tip for the green part of the rind, then plain round for the white and a large plain tip for the red.

However you frost them, I hope you enjoy them!

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

  • 1 recipe white cake
  • Red gel food coloring
  • 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting & decoration

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two cupcake tins with paper liners; this recipe yields 18 cupcakes.

In a small bowl, combine flour and baking powder; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar, shortening, and salt until fluffy.

Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined.

Add flour mixture and milk in alternating batches, starting and ending with the flour and beating until just combined.

Mix in red food coloring to your desired shade, then stir in chocolate chips.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, drop batter into prepared cupcake tins.

Bake for 18-2o minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and immediately remove cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Prepare the frosting and divide into three portions; reserve a small portion for the white, a slightly larger portion for the green, and the largest portion for the red. Tint to your desired shades.

Fit piping bags with your desired tips; I used two large, plain, round tips for the red and green and a smaller plain, round tip for the white. Pipe frosting on to create the flesh and rind of the watermelon, then top with miniature chocolate chips for seeds.

Rainbow Cake

rainbowI bake for many reasons. To create, and to experiment. To comfort, and to cheer. To celebrate, for sure; birthdays and holidays and important rites of passage.

Today, I celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision to make same-sex marriage a nationwide right. I celebrate dear friends, whose commitment inspire me. I celebrate equality, while also recognizing that we still have a long way to go in our country, to guarantee not only legal rights but tolerance and acceptance in the hearts and minds of all citizens.

This is, perhaps, my favorite cake I’ve ever baked. It takes quite some time and requires a great deal of patience, but like all good things, it is well worth it.

Ingredients

Rainbow Cake (also known as Marriage Equality Cake or Pride Cake)

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet gel food coloring

Vanilla Almond Buttercream

  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
  • dash of salt
  • 5 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon almond extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two 6-inch round cake pans with baking spray; line each with a parchment circle and spray the parchment. Note: if you’re fortunate enough to have 6 pans, you don’t have to worry about doing this in three stages, like I did. If you only have 2 pans, you’ll need to follow the instructions below on baking, cleaning your pans, and re-lining them for each batch.

In a large bowl, combine flour and baking powder; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar, shortening, and salt until fluffy.

Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined.

Add flour mixture and milk in alternating batches, starting and ending with the flour and beating until just combined.

Set out 6 bowls; using your dry measuring cups, scoop 3/4 cup of batter into each bowl to divide batter evenly. Tint each portion a different rainbow color.

Pour red batter into one pan and orange into another; bake for 10-11 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and immediately flip cakes onto a cooling rack. Wash pans and repeat the spraying, lining, filling, and baking process with your yellow and green layers, then again for your blue and violet layers.

Cool cakes completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, place butter in a mixing bowl and beat with the paddle attachment for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, add the salt, and beat for another minute.

Add powdered sugar all at once, then cover your mixer with a towel and beat on low speed until powdered sugar is completely incorporated into the butter. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add vanilla and almond extracts; beat for another 2-3 minutes, until very fluffy.

If desired, reserve a small portion of the frosting to tint red; I piped a heart on the top of my cake, but you could cover it with sprinkles or leave it plain or frost it in whatever way you like.

To assemble, level out your layers if necessary; I trimmed mine just slightly to even them out. Begin with the violet layer; place it on your cake plate and cover the top with a thin layer of the buttercream. Repeat with the blue, green, yellow, orange, and red layers; frost the top, then the sides.

Store at room temperature.

Below are a few photos of the process; be ready to use lots of bowls and do several rounds of dishes!

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Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

raspberrylemonadeccA few days ago Mike brought home a raspberry lemonade for me and I thought, hmm…this would make a great cupcake. Raspberry and lemon are a great flavor pair, and as always I wonder who first decided to put them together, and why some flavors goes so well together, but would be disastrous with others. For example, raspberry goes well with both lemon and chocolate…but you’d never put lemon and chocolate together, would you? Blegh.

In any case, this cupcake is a delicious, sweet creation with just the right amount of tartness. You can use basic ingredients that you’re likely to have in your pantry and fridge, except maybe for the lemon extract. Trust me, lemon extract is absolutely worth it; you cannot achieve the same level of lemon-ness with juice and zest alone. As followers of this blog know very well, I’m a huge fan of lemons; and yes, that’s a vintage lemonade sign on the wall of my kitchen that you see in this photo. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Lemonade Cupcakes

  • 1 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon lemon extract
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons milk (about 7 ounces)

Raspberry Lemon Buttercream

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375. Line cupcake tins with paper liners; this recipe makes 15 cupcakes.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon extract until light and fluffy.

Add egg and lemon zest and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times.

Add flour mixture and milk alternatively, beginning and ending with the flour, beating until combined. Scrap the sides and bottom of your mixing bowl well to make sure everything is fully incorporated.

Using a cookie scoop, fill cupcake tins about half-full.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and immediately remove from cupcake tins; cool completely on the wire rack before frosting.

To make the frosting, place butter and 2 tablespoons raspberry jam in a mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes, then on high speed for another two minutes, until mixture is fluffy.

Add 1 cup powdered sugar, mixing on low, then medium speed, until combined. Add remaining powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add additional tablespoon raspberry jam and lemon juice, beating on medium speed until well combined.

Frost cupcakes using a small offset spatula; store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Crazy Vanilla Cupcakes with Cocoa Frosting

crazyvanillacupcakes

Can you bake a cupcake without breaking eggs? Of course you can. People in the Great Depression did it all the time.

An egg shortage in the U.S. has commercial bakers scrambling (I couldn’t resist) for solutions in the wake of a massive outbreak of avian flu. I read about this earlier today, and it made me think of crazy cake, a Depression-era recipe that required absolutely no dairy because of rationing.

I’ve made crazy chocolate cupcakes before, and found a recipe for a vanilla version at Sweet Little Bluebird. Because I didn’t know how the cupcakes would turn out flavor-wise, I chose to pair them with a rich cocoa frosting in case they needed a bit of a flavor boost. I’m glad I did so; the cupcake flavor leaves a bit to be desired for me, but I didn’t want to stray too far from the original recipe since this was my first crack (yes, another egg pun!) at it. Next time, I’ll add more vanilla and hope that it doesn’t affect the stability of the batter.

Crazy Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup water

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup cupcake tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; make three wells for wet ingredients.

Add vinegar to the first well, vanilla to the second well, and vegetable oil to the third well. Add water and mix until smooth.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop batter into prepared cupcake wells.

Bake for 18-2o minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and remove cupcakes from pan immediately, cooling completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Cocoa Frosting (adapted from my previous recipe to yield a fluffier texture)

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation

In a small bowl, combine melted butter and cocoa powder, whisking until smooth. Place mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Add 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk and beat until very well-combined, scraping the sides of the bowl well a few times. Add remaining powdered sugar and 1 more tablespoon milk and beat for about 1 minute; add vanilla and beat 1 minute more, then add final tablespoon of milk and beat for 2 minutes, until lighter in color and fluffy.

Fit a piping bag with a large star tip; pipe frosting onto cupcakes.

 

Butter Pecan Cake (& Cupcakes)

butterpecancakeMy mom, Genny, is not really a flowers-on-Mother’s-Day kind of mom. She’s more likely to plant a garden of flowers than to keep them in a vase on her table…and then mow the lawn, mulch the flower bed, and trim the hedges, all before noon. Her energy at the age of 68 far exceeds that of my energy at the age of 37. She is a force of nature, indeed.

Although Genny isn’t a big consumer of sweets, I suspect she’ll have at least a slice of this butter pecan cake, which I’ve made for her to celebrate Mother’s Day. This recipe strikes me as very Southern, or like something you’d find in the pages of Country Woman magazine – which is fitting because Genny grew up in what used to be a fairly rural part of Maryland and is now a much more populous community for commuters to Baltimore and DC.

This recipe makes quite a quantity, turning out one 8-inch round cake and 24 cupcakes. You could certainly make this as a three-layer cake, or as a two-layer cake with a dozen cupcakes, or just three dozen cupcakes. Whatever you decide, I’m sure your results will be tasty. Happy Mother’s Day!

Ingredients

For the butter pecans (make these first – you need them for both your cake and frosting)

  • 2 cups chopped pecans
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter

For the cake (or cupcakes)

  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups butter pecans

For the frosting

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • pinch of salt
  • 3 – 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup butter pecans, chopped to a finer consistency than what you’re using in the batter

Preparation

For the butter pecans:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, extending the foil over all four sides.

Place pecans and butter onto the baking sheet; bake for about 8-9 minutes, stirring frequently, until pecans are toasted and fragrant. Be careful not to burn them – pecans can burn easily after several minutes in the oven.

Remove pecans from the baking sheet and place on a platter to cool completely before using.

For the cake or cupcakes:

If you’re making a cake or cakes: grease and flour your baking pans or spray with baking spray. I lined the bottom of my baking pan with a circle of parchment as well.

If you’re making cupcakes: line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine flour and baking powder; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

Add flour mixture and milk alternatively in three batches, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in butter pecans.

Pour batter into prepared pans, or, for cupcakes, fill cupcake wells about 2/3 full.

Bake cakes for 25-30 minutes or cupcakes for 18-20 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool cake or cupcakes completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for about 1 minute.

Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and beat on low speed until the sugar is completely incorporated into the butter. I cover my mixer with a towel to prevent a sugar storm.

Add vanilla and beat until combined; check your consistency and if it is too thin, add another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Stir in butter pecans.

Frost cakes and cupcakes using an offset spatula. I used a 1-inch cookie scoop and dropped scoops of frosting onto each cupcake first, then used all of the leftover frosting on the cake. You wouldn’t want to try to pipe this frosting because of the pecan pieces, but the old-fashioned look of hand-frosted treats suits this recipe very well.