Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet is sort of a family tradition for me. I had never even heard of red velvet until I met my husband, and I have to be honest...the first time I ever had it I thought it was awful. I think, though, it was because I was expecting it to taste like a chocolate cake or vanilla cake, and it doesn't. It definitely has it's own flavor!

After my husband and I got married, and I knew it was his favorite cake, I tried several time to find a recipe that was 1) easy 2) moist (nothing is worse than a dry red velvet!) and 3) husband approved. My first attempt was a three-layer cake with buttercream frosting for Valentine's Day one year. While the cake was okay, it was a little dry and I didn't love the pairing with the buttercream.

My next attempt was also a cake, and still dry. I used (gasp - don't judge me) canned cream cheese frosting. Still, not amazing, and I learned that day that I was never going to use canned frosting again.

After all this, cupcakes became all the rage in Foodie land. So I found a few red velvet cupcake recipes and after several attempts at each, I combined elements of each that I liked and created what my family thinks is the perfect red velvet cupcake recipe!! It is so easy to make and very elegant for any occasion. We make it for Valentine's Day every year and Christmas too. You could also substitute the red food coloring for green and make green velvet cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day!

**If you don't have buttermilk you can make your own! Place 1 1/2 Tablespoons white vinegar in a measuring cup. Pour milk into cup until it reaches 1 1/2 cups total. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Ta-da! Buttermilk!!

 LOVE the ruby red color!

I frost mine with a large star tip

Red Velvet Cupcakes
by Girls in Aprons

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cocoa powder
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
3 T red food coloring
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake papers. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. (Sifting is important here because it helps the texture to be more fluffy). In a large bowl gently beat the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the went and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake papers, about 2/3 full. (I find it really easy and lots cleaner to pour the batter in a gallon-size baggie and snip of a corner. Then I can just squeeze the amount of batter in the cupcake liner without dripping all over the pan like I do when I fill with a spoon.) Bake in oven 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once halfway through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.

FROSTING:

1 cube unsalted butter, softened
1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 3/4 to 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar (I use a little more because I like my frosting stiffer)
1 tsp vanilla

Beat the butter and cream cheese together. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time and vanilla.

Orange cupcakes with raspberry cream cheese frosting

January was a special month for us. Obviously, it's the beginning of a new year, and we love that fresh start each year brings, and at least here in New Mexico it's finally starting to warm up just a bit!

 

However, the biggest reason we love January? It's our birthday! What better way to celebrate our birthday than sharing an amazing cupcake recipe with you! Moist cupcakes made with orange juice concentrate and orange zest and frosting made with cream cheese and raspberry jam. The combination is out of this world and they are so easy to make!

 

I'll be honest, I didn't make these for my birthday. My sister-in-law surprised me with a uber-rich chocolate torte from Whole Foods and that was my sugar intake for a few days, but once I was out of our sugar coma I figured I would make these.  

 

You will need to use your imagination on this picture. I initially used orange juice (thus the picture) and then made them again with orange concentrate, which is what our recipe calls for. Orange juice offers a light orange taste, but I prefer something more, um...orange-y.

 

 

Use a zester or small cheese grater to zest an orange.

 

Mix, mix, mix.

 

I use an ice cream scoop to measure out my cupcake batter so they are all the same size. And it's so easy to use!

 

Check out the zest, isn't it gorgeous!?

 

I use a large star tip and circle the frosting around the cupcake, allowing the sides to show...the orange cupcake stands out against the pink frosting.

 

Had to include this...my 4-year-old fruit-loving daughter tried to steal the raspberries as I was shooting!

 

Orange Cupcakes with Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

by Girls in Aprons

 

1 box white cake mix

4 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup orange juice concentrate

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp orange zest

Mix all ingredients together for 30 seconds on low, or until slightly combined. Increase speed to medium for 2 minutes, or until thick and completely combined. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake according to boxed cake mix directions.

 

For frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

1 lb powdered sugar

2/3 cup raspberry jam

Raspberries, for garnish

 

Mix cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and raspberry jam together until well blended. Using a large star tip, frost cooled cupcakes. Garnish with a raspberry.



Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Cupcakes

There's a rule in my house. No snack foods. No sweets. No chips, cake, chocolate. Nothing.

Obviously, this rule gets broken a lot, otherwise I'd have a really sad family (aka husband).

Honestly, I try to keep Doritoes and Cheetos out of my shopping cart because I know that my willpower at 10pm isn't that strong. At that time of night I'm always on the lookout for something to munch on, and I'd much rather go for the puffy cheesy Cheetos than the carrots sticks with hummus. I also prefer to make my own cookies, although I'll admit I got the Birthday Cake Oreos a few days ago because, well, they're "limited edition" and I didn't want to miss out!

However, as much as I love to bake, I certainly don't make cupcakes very often. They're more of a special occasion kind of thing. I think it's because a mix makes about 24 of them, and with only 5 people in the family and my children only eating the frosting off the top....well, I'd end up eating most of them. My friend was celebrating her birthday, and I'd been dreaming up a peanut butter chocolate cupcake that I was so excited to make for her. And even though our plans fell through, I made them anyway.

And....

Best cupcake I ever made! I'm a huge peanut butter and chocolate fan. Reese's peanut butter cups and I are best friends. But these cupcakes rock the house. Or the party.

You start with Carissa's doctored-up chocolate cupcake mix. You end with Celeste's chocolate buttercream frosting. In the middle, you add my delicious creamy peanut butter mix. The end result? Like Reese's peanut butter cups married a cupcake and had babies.

After making the cupcake batter and the peanut butter filling, you fill the cupcake liners about 1/4 full with the chocolate batter, then add a layer of peanut butter filling. If you dip your fingers in a little bit of water, you can maneuver the peanut butter filling around to cover the chocolate bottom. Finally, top the peanut butter with another layer of cupcake batter. Your liners should be about 3/4 full.

Pipe some chocolate frosting on top of the cooled cupcake and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Check that out. Beautiful middle. In fact, I would have been more generous with my peanut butter but my kids fell in love with the filling and kept sneaking bites. I need to hire new sous chefs! :)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Cupcakes

by Girls in Aprons

Cupcakes:

1 box chocolate cake mix

4 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 cup sour cream

1 small box instant chocolate pudding

 

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Filling:

4 oz (1/2 brick) cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

 

Mix all ingredients for cupcakes together for 30 seconds on low, or until slightly combined. Increase speed to medium for 2 minutes, or until thick and completely combined.

 

 

Cream all the ingredients for peanut butter filling on medium speed until well blended.

 

Line muffin pans with cupcake liners (the cuter the better!). Fill each liner up 1/4 with cupcake batter, about 2 Tbsp batter. Top the cupcake batter with the peanut butter filling. With a small bowl of water, get your fingers wet and gently press the filling down to spread around the cupcake liner. Add another 2 Tbsp or so with cupcake batter. You should have three layers in each liner - cupcake batter, peanut butter filling, and cupcake batter. Your cupcake liners should be about 3/4 full.

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

 

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening (I used Crisco butter-flavor)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I like Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder if I can find it)
4 cups powdered sugar (about 1 pound)
4 T milk
1 tsp vanilla

Start by creaming your butter and shortening together. Cream it to death. Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time (or you will have a huge white mess in your kitchen). Add cocoa a little at a time, scraping the edges often. Add milk and vanilla and mix until creamy. Using a piping bag fitted with a large tip (or a gallon-size Ziploc with a corner cut off), add your frosting to the bag and pipe onto your cupcake. Finish with a sprinkling of chopped peanuts.
.

Easy Doctored Up Cupcakes

Have you noticed a theme with me? I'm pretty sure most of the recipes I've posted lastely have been desserts. I even have a peanut butter cup cheesecake recipe coming up soon. It must be that pesky New Year's Resolution (that I've already miserably failed at). The minute I decide to get healthy or lose weight, all these yummy recipes start coming my way.

So... at church I am the Mia Maid advisor. For those of you who have no idea what that even means, I basically teach the 14 and 15 year old girls every Sunday, and I attend their activities on Tuesday nights. Last night was our New Beginnings night. We talked to the girls who will be turning 12 this year and therefore entering the youth program at church when they do. We also spoke to the girls who are already in the youth program and their parents, letting them know what fun things we have planned for the year.

I was in charge of the refreshment table. I wanted it to be classy and pretty, so I got in touch with my friend Mindy over at Creative Juice. If you don't remember, she sponsored a fun Thanksgiving printable giveaway a few months ago. Mindy and Crystal are amazing!  I told Mindy what our theme was and the feel I was going for. She made up some cupcake toppers and an 8x10 for me in like a day. And I looooooved them. They were classy and the colors were perfect. I got a ton of compliments on my refreshment table.

But onto yummy things. Whenever I am put in charge of cupcakes (and that happens quite a bit), I always use my go-to boxed cupcake recipe. It's taking a boxed mix and "doctoring" it up to be even better. The cupcakes are a little sweeter and super moist. Normally when you make a boxed mix, the batter is super runny, but with this recipe it's thick, making it so much easier to put into cupcake liners. So next time you are baking up some cupcakes, whip these babies up and you will never go back to regular cake mixes again.

See these cute cupcake toppers? Love!

Another great thing about these cupcakes is that they aren't crumbly. I hate dry, crumbly cupcakes! And these ones go really well with our buttercream frosting (or cream cheese frosting!)

Sorry for the iPhone pictures! Seriously, the last thing on my mind was my camera. But you can see how cute it all turned out! And I'm saving the 8x10 for my daughters' room!

Easy "Doctored Up" Cupcakes

by Girls in Aprons

1 box cake mix (any kind)

4 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 cup sour cream

1 small box instant pudding (**note- get the pudding to compliment the cake mix. Vanilla pudding with yellow, white or vanilla cake mix, or chocolate pudding with chocolate cake mix, You can try mixing it up for fun too!)

Mix all ingredients together for 30 seconds on low, or until slightly combined. Increase speed to medium for 2 minutes, or until thick and completely combined. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake according to boxed cake mix directions. (This recipe yields about 26 cupcakes)

Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

My five-year-old son, Jack, has red hair. And the personality to go with it. All of you moms with redheads out there know exactly what I'm talking about. At least I hope you do, because I blame a lot of his excess energy on his hair color. It's my go-to excuse when I get old ladies staring at me in the Target check-out line when Jack is running from one end of the store to the other practicing his ninja moves on helpless store displays. So when it's dinner time and I give him anything with hamburger in it and he won't eat it, but he'll devour a cheeseburger in no time flat, I just tell my husband "it's the hair color" and then make him eat it anyway.

I'm the same way with cake. Make a cake and give me a slice and I think "meh, it's okay" and eat a few bites, but give me a cupcake and I will eat all of it in like two bites. I know they are the same thing but there is just something about that little morsel of cupcake heaven that makes it so much better than cake. I know I'm not the only one out there like this, am I?

So my mother had her birthday party a couple weeks ago and I was in charge of the cake. She wanted the lemon cake from Olive Garden, so I obliged and made the copycat recipe (I'll post it later, I promise!) and it is really good! But then I realized we needed something else to feed everyone (12 adults, 2 teenage boys and 7 kids) so I threw some cupcakes in the oven. I didn't have any frosting (normally I don't love canned frosting anyway unless I'm in a pinch) or cream cheese to make my go-to cream cheese frosting, so I made up a batch of super easy buttercream. It was so easy and super yummy! The best part about it, I had all this in my pantry and refrigerator. If you don't have whipping cream, just use milk (not nonfat, but 2% would work).

Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

submitted by Carissa- from foodnetwork.com

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream

In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency. (At this point you could add gel food coloring if you want to be fancy).

Lemon Blossoms

My husband is a dentist. You wouldn't know this by looking at this blog, since I mostly post about (and prefer to make) sugary, delicious sweets. But he is one, and he makes sure I still take care of my teeth even if I like to eat candy (a lot) and cookies, cheesecakes, brownies.... now I'm hungry.

So my hubby went to dental school in Cleveland, Ohio at Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine. We loved it in Cleveland and made a lot of friends. These friends also loved to have lots of parties (pretty much any time a spouse had a birthday or there was a holiday of some sort or someone was pregnant). And I was known for bringing Lemon Blossoms. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that the guest list went something like this: We'll invite blah, blah, blah, oh, and Carissa so she can bring her lemon blossoms. Well, maybe not really, but I know they were thinking it. :)

Technically, this recipe was introduced to me by Celeste, who made it for a church potluck and saw these babies disappear in a matter of minutes. And she was introduced to them by none other than Paula Deen. I actually saw the show where Paula made them and even though I'd made them countless times, I still wanted to see her make them. It was so fun!

You will love the light lemon flavor of these little cakes. The glaze, once it sets, makes these taste almost like a donut hole, but so much better! I made these again recently for a potluck and my kids made sure they got some before they were gone. My 2-year-old literally popped all three of hers in her mouth at the same time and then cried when I told her they were all gone. Looks like I have another batch coming soon, this time just for the family!

Your lineup. All pretty basic.

You will also need mini muffin pans. I have two, and it makes the process so much faster, but it's up to you.

Your batter. You want it to be thick so don't be alarmed that it's not runny like usual boxed cake batter is.

I use two small spoons to get it into the pans. One for scooping, the other for sliding it off the spoon. And you really only use a small amount. These rise really well. I'm guessing about a teaspoon, maybe a little more. No more than halfway full. And notice how liberally I sprayed the Pam (it works best for me). You don't want these suckers to get stuck in the pan! 

All ready to go! Notice they are only half full.

When they are done, they will have risen to the top and are golden brown on the edges. If they are underdone, they will fall apart in the glaze, but you don't want to burn them either.

For your glaze, you want to sift your powdered sugar, then add your lemon zest. Use a microplane, like this, or if you don't have one, use the small side of your cheese grater. Just zest the yellow parts, the white parts are bitter.

After you've zested, roll the lemon on the counter to release the juices. I have a fancy juicer thing and it's been super handy, but you can juice your lemon any way you want. Please please please don't use bottled juice. Fresh is best!

Ahh.... yummy glaze. It doesn't look like a lot, but it is plenty for your cupcakes.

I start by dipping the tops into the glaze...

... and then spreading it around the entire cupcake. If you need more, just dip your fingers in and go for it. It's a messy job, but someone's gotta do it.

Let them dry completely. If you put them in a container still moist, they will stick together. I leave mine out overnight and then put them away in the morning (before the kids get up so they can't sneak any!). My batch usually makes about 80 little lemon blossoms.

Lemon Blossoms
submitted by Carissa, recipe by Paula Deen

Cupcakes:
18 1/2-ounce package yellow cake mix
3 1/2-ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze:
1 lb confectioners' sugar (about 4 cups)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray (Pam works best). Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way (a little more than a teaspoon). Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Turn out onto a tea towel.

To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a whisk until smooth.
With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour (mine actually sit overnight because 1 hour has never been long enough), before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

I think one of the greatest things about this time of year is the feeling of giving that seems to be everywhere. From the bell-ringers in front of the stores to toy drives at local businesses, I just want to give dang it! One of my favorite things to give other people is the gift of food. I'm not super crafty and I don't have a lot of time to donate (with four small kid I don't have time for anything lately!) but I can whip up something delicious while the baby is napping or when Ben 10 on TV is "babysitting" my boys.

These cupcakes are perfect for making and delivering to your neighbors, teachers, friends or family. You can find the cutest cupcake liners at your local grocery store or craft store (seriously, I could spend a month's worth of income on all the cute cupcake liners available today!) and put them on a pretty plate and ta-da! Instant gift that is sure to please anyone! They are simple to make and the flavors of pumpkin spice and caramel and cream cheese blend together awesomely (totally a word by the way). And don't forget to keep some for yourself!

FOR THE CUPCAKES

Here's what you need for the cupcakes. See the little baggie by the canned pumpkin? It's pumpkin spice from the bulk section of Winco. It's way cheaper to buy your spices this way. The bag of pumpkin spice cost me 21 cents.

Get one cup of pumpkin. I bought a large can so I can save the rest in a separate container for another recipe (like Kelli's pumpkin bread!). Did I also mention that when we bought our first house I was so excited to paint with color that our bedroom was this color orange? Needless to say, the walls literally glowed.

Mix cake mix, pumpkin, oil, eggs, milk, and spice together in a large bowl.

Mix with an electric mixer. By mixing it for a couple of minutes you allow air bubbles to form in the mix which makes your cupcakes light and fluffy.

These taste yummy even without frosting!

FOR THE FROSTING

For the frosting - I have a caramel packet from a pie company in Washington. You can use any caramel you have, like caramel ice cream topping.

First mix the softened cream cheese (microwave for about 10-15 seconds if it's not soft enough) and your stick of butter (NOT margarine!! please people!)

Mix in the powdered sugar a little at a time. If you dump the whole thing in you will end up with a dusty white powdery mess all over your kitchen. Then mix in your spice and caramel.

Isn't it pretty? Before you put it on your cupcakes you are required to take a spoonful and eat it. Required.

Doesn't it look yummy? I dusted mine with a little bit of cinnamon to make it nice and pretty.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Submitted by Celeste - Girls in Aprons

Cupcakes:

1 pkg. yellow cake mix (2-layer size)

1 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

4 eggs

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer for 2 minutes on medium speed. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 19-21 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:

1 cube butter (1/2 cup), softened

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1 lb (16 oz) powdered sugar (or 3 3/4 cups)

Splash of vanilla (about 1 tsp.)

1/4 caramel topping (I may have used 1/3 cup - just whatever tastes good to you)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 

Cinnamon (for optional garnishing)

With an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and butter. Mix well. Slowly add the powdered sugar, mixing between each addition. Add vanilla, caramel, and pie spice. Frost cupcakes and dust lightly with cinnamon. Refrigerate any leftovers (as if there are going to be leftovers!)