Thursday, September 30, 2010

What's Coming Up!!

I try to do a cupcake a week...but sometimes life gets in the way. Boo life! So this is what I have planned (in the next few days) and hope to get them up to you soon!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercreme
Dannen O'Donnells with Salted Caramel and crushed pretzels
Mayan Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Cocoa Buttercreme
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Next week will be Pumpkin Cheesecake 'Cupcakes'
Tinkerbell Cupcakes the following week (for my daughter's birthday party)
Amnesia SparkleCakes Cupcakes the week following
and something Halloweenish the last week of October.

If you have a request, let me know either by the blog or email Cupcakeables@ymail.com

You can look at my list on the first blog or come up with something all your own :D

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting



When it comes to a carrot cake recipe, I turn to one person. Mom. This cupcake is completely her recipe, and despite having to modify it just a bit, it came out wonderful and tasting just like mom's cake. Of course the base is carrot cake and the frosting, because it's not buttercreme, is real cream cheese. It was so yummy I just had to eat two. One to test the taste of the cake, the other to test the taste of the frosting. I think I need to test one more.........

Vanilla/Almond Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercreme



Oh...my....goodness! This was one of the most delicious cupcakes I have ever had. The recipe was picked up from www.gimmesomeoven.com. The cake base is a white cake with vanilla and almond flavoring. The salted caramel buttercreme is made from scratch caramel and then mixed with a basic buttercreme base. It was very yummy! I added the almond slices on the cupcake and the thing that really made it was the caramel drizzle! It added 100% to the cupcake. These are my new favorite cupcakes!

S'mores Cupcakes with Marshmallow Buttercreme


Photo by Diana Fye

I didn't expect these to be the big hit they were! I found lots of recipes for S'mores cupcakes but decided to try my own. As long as I had graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow, I couldn't go wrong. The base of this cupcake is indeed crushed graham crackers. I tried the graham cracker in different ways (on top of the buttercreme, on top of the cake) but I loved this version better. The cake is of course chocolate. An option is to add a melted chocolate middle. I didn't do that on this batch but it would have worked just fine. The buttercreme is a true marshmallow buttercreme. I was worried it wouldn't come out right but I was oh so wrong. It came out perfect and had a wonderful marshmallow taste. Furthermore, it wasn't really sticky so I could pipe it. To decorate the buttercreme I tried a few things and decided that dusting it with graham cracker and sticking a piece of chocolate in the buttercreme was best. Another option is to actually toast the marshmallow buttercreme. Will have to try that next time. I know it works and I know it tastes amazing!

Pistachio Cream Cupcakes with Pisatchio Buttercreme


Photo by Diana Fye


So most people don't like pistachio as I'm finding out. But I promise you you'll like these. While on a cruise for my tenth anniversary, we went on a tour of the ship. While in the kitchen, the corporate pastry chef for Princess had made several desserts just for us to try. One of them was a dark chocolate with pistachio cream inside. It was heavenly! And so his creation is the inspiration for this cupcake. Not to mention my father loves pistachio. The cake is chocolate and I really don't think this would do well with a vanilla cake. The pistachio itself is sweet and the chocolate cake isn't overly sweet. So I think they work well together. The pistachio cream buttercream is dusted with ground pistachios.

Photo by Diana Fye

As you can see in this photo I filled the cupcake with a pistachio cream that I made. My father said it didn't have enough pistachio flavor, I think it was just fine. I don't like one flavor to overpower the other, the object is for you to be able to taste the chocolate too. I could do with or without the filling. I really like how this one came out. It was my first real "let's see what we can make out of these flavors" cupcake.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercreme

Photo by Diana Fye


These are so good. The recipe in the cake is just awesome! It calls for coconut milk in the cake so it has a strong but not overpowering coconut taste. To make the buttercreme, I wasn't sure what to use to make it taste like coconut. There are some things for which extract should be a no no. Buttercreme is one. There are also certain flavors of extract that should never ever be used - but more on that later.

The buttercreme is a vanilla buttercreme but to get the coconut flavor I added about a cup of the coconut milk and it worked perfectly! I added about a 1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar to stiffen it up in order to pipe. Although here I didn't pipe it because I had made these in South Florida and
had forgotten my 2A tip.

The toasted coconut on the top was my sister's idea. It was good and gave it a little crunch, but I'm not opposed to using regular unsweetened coconut flakes. Which was my first choice.

If you love coconut, you'll absolutely love these. Everyone who has tried them has raved about them.




Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Cupcakes Cupcakes Cupcakes

I love cupcakes. Who doesn't? I'd rather bake cupcakes than a huge cake, or anything else for that matter. So I've started experimenting with recipes that I've seen, or have in my head. Below is a list of cupcakes I've come up with. Some I've made, some I haven't yet. There are several I have no photos of so I'll have to make them again (schucks). The ones with the comments were taste tested by a friend of mine, Kimberly, and her family and given a thumbs up or thumbs down. The list is pretty big. So far I've got maybe 10 that have made a final list and are available for people to choose when making an order. There will be more, I assure you.

Coffee Cupcakes - coffee flavored chocolate cake, coffee flavored buttercream, dark chocolate shavings, option Bailey's infused buttercream filling. (taste tested by Kimberly - thumbs up)

Oatmeal Raisin Cupcakes - oatmeal raisin cake, cinnamon maple buttercream, cinnamon sugar sprinkles. (taste tested by Kimberly - thumbs up.) These actually were really really good. I was pleased with the turnout on this recipe.

Key Lime Cupcakes - vanilla or coconut cake, real key lime filling, almond infused buttercream, almond slices (optional). (taste tested by Kimberly - thumbs up.) I was pleased as well with the turn out on this recipe. The flavors came together really well.

Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes - chocolate cake, cherry pie filling, pink cherry buttercream, chocolate shavings (taste tested by Kimberly - thumbs up).

Sugared Lemon Cupcakes - vanilla cake, lemon buttercream, lemon filling, lemon sugar sprinkles. (taste tested by Kimberly - thumbs down). I know why she gave it a thumbs down and I've corrected the recipe. Sometimes you should never use extract in a recipe. Lemon is one of them that comes across tasting medicine like. Next time will use real lemon.

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes - chocolate cake, melted chocolate mint center, vanilla buttercream with crushed peppermint. (test tasted by Kimberly - thumbs up). I saw a version of this buttercream on Cake Boss and decided to try it. It's really yummy!

The Kimberly Cupcake - coffee flavored chocolate cake, melted chocolate mint center, chocolate buttercream (taste tested by Kimberly - thumbs up of course. It was made for her and named after her!)

The following are recipes I have but have yet to make:

"The King" Cupcakes - Banana Cake, Peanut Butter Buttercream

Fluffanutter Cupcake - Banana Cake, Peanut Butter Buttercream, Marshmallow filling

The Cremesicle Cupcake - Orange cake, Vanilla Buttercream, Orange sprinkles

Swirls and Sprinkles Signature Cupcake - chocolate cake, almond cream cheese filling, vanilla almond buttercream in hot pink and turquoise swirl with chocolate jimmies.

Strawberry Amnesia SparkleCake Cupcakes - strawberry cake with real strawberries, marshmallow buttercream, pink/gold/and white edible glitter. (this is only the 2nd cupcake I've made in honor of someone I know).

Carrot Cupcakes - carrot cake (my mother's recipe) with cream cheese frosting.

Harvey Wallbanger Cupcakes - Orange cake laced with Vodka, hazelnut liquor infused buttercream, orange sugar sprinkles, topped with a chocolate covered hazelnut (yes I do have a few alcohol related cupcakes...us adults have to have fun too right?)

Snickers Cupcakes - vanilla cake, Snickers stuffed middle, chocolate buttercream, peanuts on top

Oreos Cupcakes - chocolate cake, cookies and cream center, cookies and cream buttercream, crushed Oreo sprinkles.

Kit Kat Cupcakes - vanilla cake, Kit Kat stuffed middle, chocolate buttercream, crushed Kit Kats on top.

Bailey's Lovers Cupcakes - vanilla cake laced with Bailey's, Bailey's infused buttercream. (optional Bailey's cream filling).

Black Tie Cupcakes - chocolate and white marbled cake, chocolate and vanilla buttercream, chocolate and vanilla sprinkles

Banana Split Cupcakes - banana cake, strawberry filling, chocolate fudge buttercream, cherry and nuts to top (nuts optional).

Banana Split Lick Cupcakes (adult version) - banana cake laced with banana liquor, chocolate buttercream icing infused with chocolate liquor, strawberry filling infused with strawberry schnapps.

Almond Dream Cupcakes - almond cake soaked in Amaretto (optional alcohol), almond cream filling, almond paste infused mascarpone buttercream, almond slices to garnish

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes - vanilla cake split and layered with strawberry filling, vanilla whipped buttercream (the adult version has the strawberries in the middle mixed with an orange vanilla liquor).

Caramel Cupcakes - caramel cake, melted caramel center, caramel buttercream

Chai Tea Cupcakes - Chai tea cake, honey ginger buttercream

Pumpkin Cupcakes - pumpkin cake, cinnamon cream cheese frosting

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes - pumpkin cheesecake with graham/pecan crust, cinnamon buttercream

Cannoli Cupcakes - vanilla cake with cannoli filling and vanilla mascarpone buttercream

Mayan Chocolate Cupcakes with Cocoa Cinnamon Buttercream

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

Spiced Apple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Caramel Drizzle

Raspberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream

Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Marshmallow/Maple Buttercream

Banana Caramel Pecan Cupcakes

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Black Forest Cupcakes

Pina Colada Cupcakes (see the post about the Coconut Cupcakes)

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Gooey Butter Cupcakes (adapted from a recipe of Paula Deen's)

Dannen O'Donnell - chocolate cake filled with salted caramel, salted caramel buttercream, rolled in crushed pretzels (this cupcake is named after a character in a book Kimberly is writing).

Honey Hazelnut - vanilla bean cake, honey hazelnut mascarpone filling, sweet honey cream cheese frosting, honey glaze and chopped hazelnuts

Cranberry Orange Clove Cupcake - vanilla clove cake, filled with orange curd, orange buttercream and white chocolate frosted cranberries.


Some of these idea I haven't complete worked the recipe out for. If you have an idea for a cupcake, let me know :) Give me your thoughts and comments as we go along. I have no problem with criticism. It helps me to fix what's wrong, or enhance what's good :)