Ninja Cupcakes!

Not my recipe, but I like the ninja style!

Black Forest Cupcakes

One of my co-workers is getting married! Today is his last day in the office before he heads back to India for the wedding. I wanted to make him something special and when I asked him about his favorite cake he said that he likes Black Forest Cake. So I found this recipe for Black Forest Stuffed Cupcakes.

I was no too excited to make these because I'm not big on the whole chocolate / cherry / cream combo. Luckily this recipe is super easy so it didn't take much time. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. My co-workers raved about them and I thought it was really neat that the cupcakes were stuffed with yummy filling. And what can be easier that simply topping cupcakes with cool whip instead of making frosting!

Black Forest Stuffed Cupcakes
makes 24 cupcakes

1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 egg
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 can (20 oz.) cherry pie filling, divided
1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Prepare cake batter as directed on package; set aside. Mix cream cheese, egg and sugar until well blended.

REMOVE 3/4 cup of the pie filling for garnish; set aside. Spoon 2 Tbsp. of the cake batter into each of 24 paper-lined medium muffin cups. Top each with 1 Tbsp. each of the cream cheese mixture and remaining pie filling. Cover evenly with remaining cake batter.

BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 5 min.; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Top cupcakes with whipped topping and remaining pie filling just before serving.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I've made this version of Red Velvet Cupcakes from Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor a few times and I always marvel at it's simplicity. Using the cake mix, pudding mix and sour cream seems so random! And adding the semi-sweet chocolate chips is a hidden surprise. Anyways, it was "Red Shirt Day" today at work (something made up for the hell of it) and I decided to make cupcakes to make it more festive.

These are CRAZY sweet! I like the touch of homemade frosting but personally I am not a big fan of mint. If you feel the same way, you can just omit the peppermint extract and you'll get a more traditional topping for red velvet cake.

Red Velvet Cupcakes 24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2-inch size) 1 package (18.25 ounce) 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 1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring 3 large eggs 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Place 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.

2. 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.

3. Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 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.

4. Meanhwile, prepare the White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting.


White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting
6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped (i used white chocolate chips so I didn't have to bother chopping chocolate)
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 peppermint extract
2 to 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1. Place the white chocoalte 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 chocoalte aside to cool.

2. 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 peppermint extract 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.

Chocolate-Mayonnaise Cupcakes with Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting

Tonight I had a sweet tooth so I decided to make these amazing Chocolate-Mayonnaise Cupcakes with Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting. I found the recipe in Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey and it is the first thing I have made from this book.

These are real cupcakes made from scratch. Consequently, they are not quick to make. The "mayonnaise" in these cupcakes might put some people off because it might seem unappealing. But it makes the cupcakes creamier in a way so don't be afraid to try it. It took even longer to make the frosting than the actual cupcakes themselves! But they are incredibly tasty. The frosting is both light and rich at the same time which is interesting. I made the frosting recipe as written but I only used about 1/3rd of it so I suggest halving it - why waste all the butter!

The photo in the cookbook that accompanies the recipe shows the frosting pipped on top of the cupcakes so that they look fancier. I just spread the frosting on and it still tastes as good to me!

Chocolate-Mayonnaise Cupcakes with Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting Makes 24 standard cupcakes 2 cups bleached all-purpose flour 3/4 cup natural cocoa powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 2 cups sugar 2 large eggs 1 cup mayonnaise (not low-fat) 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1 1/3 cups boiling water

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the sugar and eggs and beat with an electric mixer set at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the mayonnaise and vanilla just until combined. Reduce the speed to medium and beat in half of the flour mixture just until combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add half of the boiling water and beat at very low speed just until the batter is smooth, 5 to 10 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat just until combined, 5 to 10 seconds longer. Beat in the remaining water. The batter will be somewhat thin.

Divide the batter among the prepared cupcake cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely. When the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them with the Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting and serve.

Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting 6 large eggs 1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. salt 1 1/2 pounds (6 sticks) cold unsalted butter 2 Tbsp. bourbon

Combine the eggs and brown sugar in a the metal bowl of a standing mixer. (Alternatively, use a metal mixing bowl and a handheld electric mixer, but be prepared for a workout.)

Fill a large saute pan or frying pan with water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Place the mixing bowl in the simmering water and whisk the eggs and sugar constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is thick and fluffy and very hot, 3 to 4 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature; it should be anywhere between 120 and 140 degrees.

Remove the bowl from the simmering water and, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium-high speed until they are tripled in volume and form soft peaks and the bottom of the bowl is completely cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and salt.

While the eggs are mixing, unwrap the individual sticks of butter and rewrap them loosely in plastic wrap. pound the butter 5 or 6 times with a rolling pin, or until the butter is soft and malleable but still cool.

With the mixer speed still on medium-high, add the butter, approximately 2 tablespoons at a time, to the egg mixture, beating in each addition until it is incorporated. When all the butter has been incorporated, slowly dribble in the bourbon. Don't start to panic if the buttercream seems to liquidly or looks curdled as you beat in the butter. It will magically emulsify into a smooth, creamy frosting by the time the last little bit of butter is mixed in. Have faith; it's worth it. Frosting is ready with the buttercream is smooth and glossy.

#90: Malt Ball Cupcakes

When I first read Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2007 I was intrigued by #90 Malt Ball Cake. I LOVE Whoppers so I thought the concept of a cake that tastes like Whoppers sounded awesome. I searched online quite a bit for a recipe with no luck. But finally, with their March 2007 issue, Food & Wine published the recipe from Brooklyn’s Baked. The recipe is for a three-layer cake. I don't have three cake pans and I'd rather eat cupcakes than cake so I decided to modify the recipe. I made the full cake batter recipe and didn't even use half of it with the 24 cupcakes I made. I decided that I would not need all of the frosting so I halved the recipe. But it ended up that I still had a ton left over. I think I only used a third of it.

I was able to find most of the ingredients for this recipe in my local grocery store. The bittersweet chocolate called for is for over 70% cocoa but I purchased the Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chips which are over 60%. I also could not find "cake" flour. So three cups total of all-purpose flour. I am not sure how the cake is supposed to end up, but I seemed a little dense to me. I brought them all into work and everyone raved about them. But I thought the fresh nutmeg added a strong flavor that was a bit unpleasant to me. But I'm glad I made these because they ended up being interesting. And I realized that I am NOT much of a baker!

You can find the recipe online at the Food & Wine website.

The Cupcake Challenge

24 cupcakes are just too much for one gal to eat. Well, 24 of the same type of cupcakes anyways. So my co-workers got really lucky today when I brought in a whole bunch of Cappuccino Chip Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream.

When Cupcake Bakeshop by Chockylit and Vanilla Garlic issued a challenge to create a cupcake, I was trying to come up with some unique tastes. I was inspired by the Wattleseed Ice Cream I tried recently from Vosges Haute-Chocolate. I ordered some aboriginal wattleseed and went in search of a recipe I could use as a base and then modify with the wattleseed. It was a great opportunity to crack open Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor which I purchased from a school charity a few months ago. Anne Byrn, the author and self titled Cake Mix Doctor, specializes in using cake mixes as a base and making amazing cupcakes. Her secret is to add other ingredients such as pudding, yogurt, spices, fruits and nuts to give them a twist. It didn't work out for me though, I ran into problems though when I tried to customize it myself and use the wattleseed. I tried several things but realized that I should have bought the wattleseed extract instead of the grounds.

After messing around for an hour or two with no success, I was still determined to get some edible cupcakes! So I made the recipe I was going to customize just as it was originally written, straight out of the book. And they turned out great! I got a bunch of compliments on them and I learned a whole lot. I'm not much of a baker and this book offered lots of good tips on the art of cupcakes.


Cappuccino Chip Cupcakes
24 paper lines for cupcake pans (2 1/2-inch size)
1/3 cup water
4 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips,
Mocha Buttercream Frosting
1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips or cracked roasted cocoa beans for garnish

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

Place the water and instant coffee in a small glass liquid measuring cup and microwave on high power for 40 seconds. Remove and stir until the coffee is dissolved. Set it aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and coffee in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low 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 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. Place the pans in the oven.

Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger. 18 to 20 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottom of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wine rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

Meanwhile, prepare the Mocha Buttercream Frosting (see below).

Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread it out with a short metal spatula or the back of the spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. Garnish with the remaining 1/3 cup chocolate chips or roasted cracked cocoa beans. The cupcakes are ready to serve.


Mocha Buttercream Frosting
1/4 cup milk
1 heaping teaspoon instant coffee granules
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 ounces (1/2 bar) German's sweet chocolate, grated
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 Tablespoon water, if needed

Place the milk and instant coffee in a small glass liquid measuring cup. Plan in the microwave oven on high power until the milk is hot enough to dissolve the instant coffee, 30 to 40 seconds. Remove and stir until the coffee is dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Place the butter in the large mixing bowl and add the coffee and grated chocolate. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture has softened, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the confectioners' sugar. 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. Blend in up to 1 tablespoon water if the frosting seems too stiff.

Use to frost the cupcakes of your choice.