Peanut Butter Cupcakes

WOW! I mean... WOW were these good!! I am a peanut butter freak! I am always pretty cautious about peanut butter in baking goods because sometimes it is too sweet or can't taste enough of it.

This is one of three varieties I've made (the other 2 to follow). This is a chocolate cake, with a peanut butter ganache filling, peanut butter buttercream, chocolate ganache and crushed peanuts. The peanuts are wonderful on this! The chocolate ganache I could do with or without. I think if someone didn't want peanuts, I could substitute with the ganache. But the nuts are wonderful on this! Did I already say that?


peanut butter ganache filling

The other two varieties are peanut butter cake, with the peanut butter buttercream and either a creamy or crunchy peanut butter filling. I'll post those as soon as I can!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie in a Cupcake

I didn't get the chance to really pretty this cupcake up as I was more interested in the middle of the cupcake. People are amazed when I cut the thing in half. YES! That is a REAL mini pumpkin pie! I can't remember where I got this recipe. I had made these back in October but they were gone before I could get a proper picture.

This is a simple vanilla bean cake with a brown sugar cinnamon buttercream and of course, the pumpkin pie complete with crust baked inside.

They really are delicious!! However, time consuming as you have to make the crust, the pumpkin pie filling, then the cupcakes, then the buttercream.

I've had requests for other varieties - cherry cheesecake, apple pie & cherry pie. So must get working on these soon!

coming up:

Peanut Butter Cupcakes - 3 varieties
Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Mint Mint Cupcakes
Sparkle Cupcake
Mardi Gras King Cake Cupcakes

UPDATE!: found the website with the recipe :)

FoodBeast

Ocala Cupcake Tasting Party

I think I made....hmmm....360 some mini cupcakes. 14 varieties with 8 of my most popular flavors: S'mores, Oreo, Key Lime, Raspberry White Chocolate, Mocha Frappucino, Dannen O'Donnells (Caramel Pretzel), Vanilla Almond and Coconut. This is my second tasting party. I had one in South Florida where I made roughly 265 mini cupcakes. The other 6 flavors were - Boston Cream, Cherry Chocolate, Almond Cinnamon (Vegan and Non Dairy), Pumpkin Pie in a Cupcake, Roasted Banana and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. My next tasting party will be back in South Florida paired up with a Mary Kay party in March of 2011.

I'm glad everyone had fun! Though I baked for over 9 hours, I had fun too!!



Would you like a tasting party?

$75 gets you 8 flavors - 24 minis each. My list of flavors is endless, really. You can either chose the Baker's Special which will include the 8 above or the My Choice which will include 8 of your choosing (which yes, can include some of the flavors from the Baker's Special). This is roughly 192 cupcakes.

Considering that I charge $18 per 2 doz - this is a good deal (reg price would be $144). For $5 extra, you can create your own flavor to try for one tray - (pick 7 flavors the 8th will be your flavor). Please use common sense when making your own flavor. I have the right to refuse a flavor I find unappetizing or plain old disgusting.

I'm working on "Specials" for hosts / hostesses.

I've been asked to make cupcakes for a lot of people lately.

$18 a tray of minis - each tray is 24 cupcakes - one flavor per dozen (so 2 doz minis can be two flavors if you wanted). Minimum order is 2 doz or one tray.

$15 per dozen standards - one flavor per dozen. Minimum order is 1 doz.

$.10 cents per decoration (fondant, chocolate extras - anything that I don't already put on the cupcakes) per mini.

$.25 per decoration (fondant, chocolate extras - anything that I don't already put on the cupcakes) for standards.

I am working on shipping. Right now it will be east coast only. I have found a few methods but I want to find the one that works best for me. When I'm ready, I will let you know. There will be shipping charges. If you want an idea of what it will cost for a single order, go to the USPS or UPS site and check the cost of a 6lb package (box) from 34432 to your zip code. Obviously more orders = heavier box.

Any questions? Let me know.

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

Ok two things I like, chocolate and cherries. My first attempt at these didn't do so well. The cherry filling dried out. This time I added cherry pie filling so the cherries would stay moist.

This is a chocolate cake with a chocolate buttercream - cherry with cherry pie filing syrup and a cherry dark chocolate drizzle. The inside is filled with cherry pie like filling. It's really good but i don't think it's chocolate enough! LOL! I might have to add chocolate to the filling too! Like a ganache or something!

I had a photo of the inside but it didn't come out right. Sorry. You'll have to trust me it had luscious goodness on the inside.

Again this is a mini. It was made for a Cupcake Tasting Party I had in Ocala.

Coming up:
Peanut Butter Cupcakes - 3 varieties
Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Mint Mint Cupcakes
Sparkle Cupcakes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Found this little recipe through a blog called Cupcakes Take The Cake and Tracey's Culinary Adventures. OMG! What a wonderful invention these are!!

The cupcake is a chocolate chip cake with brown sugar buttercream. Inside is a piece of raw "egg free" cookie dough!!



These are so good and right up the chocolate chip cookie lovers alley. You can find the recipe on Tracey's page. Although I made these as minis I can't wait to try them as standard cupcakes!! I wonder what other cookies we can put in a cupcake?

Tres Leches Cupcakes

Three Milks Cupcakes

I am a huge fan of tres leches cake or milk cake. But I wasn't sure how well it would work as a cupcake. I have two mottoes - I can make anything a cupcake and I like to try unique things.

I used a tres leches cake recipe I found and just converted it. These cupcakes are BEST served right away and cold. I LOVE the sweetened condensed milk in the buttercream it came out so nice and that was a shot in the dark. Adding the evaporated and whole milk would have made the butterceam liquidy. And we just can't have that.

I added cinnamon as a sprinkle and you know what? It looks like pepper doesn't it. It's actually a sugar cinnamon mix so will have to work on something else for the topping. Could mix the cinnamon with the evaporated and whole milk and add as a drizzle....heeeeyyy....light bulb just went off!

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

So while browsing blogs and websites, I keep seeing people talk about Orange Creamsicle cupcakes, how good they are and how favored a flavor it is. So I thought I might as well try one.

Although I'm really into the unique flavors, the "what can I do with this" flavors, going back to something simple is good therapy I think!

I made a basic vanilla base and then split the batter. One half of the batter I tinted orange and added a little bit of orange extract but mostly I added orange juice. The extract isn't that bad but I think some of these fruit flavored extracts give off an artificial flavor. Sometimes a medicinal taste too. Of course I could have used orange flavored jello and that would have worked too.

Then I teaspooned the batter on top of each other into the cups (1 tspn white, 1 tspn orange, 1 tspn white etc) to get a swirled like effect.

The little teardrop shaped bubble hole was purely by accident.

The buttercream is a vanilla bean and orange twist.

It was rather yummy! And I can see why it would be a favorite!
Now I have this desire to make other Twisted Cupcakes! oooooo! O.o that might be something too, twisted cupcakes!

Better get to work! Have a great day!

Love Potion # 9 Cupcakes

Not as in the song but as in the recipe. Yes, there is a love potion # 9 recipe. Google it :)

I wanted to get more creative with decoration but with a sick kiddo at home I didn't have the time. But these little heart sprinklettes are cute!!

Anywho, the cupcake is a vanilla based cupcake with the following love potion ingredients - strawberry, apple, clove and basil. I added cinnamon for another taste. I did not add ginseng as I don't have any and was going to add rose water but that stuff is really strong. Next time I might consider sugared rose petals. That should work!

I was afraid after looking at the ingredients that it might taste awful, as you probably did too. However, it is actually good! You just have to be careful about HOW you incorporate the ingredients. You can definitely taste the clove and strawberry which is nice together.

The buttercream is a vanilla bean buttercream.

You're suppose to make the love potion and give it to the person you want to fall in love with you. I don't think my cupcakes can do that for you but, maybe you'll fall in love with them? :)

Blackberry Vanilla Cupcake with Lemon Buttercream

This one was made for a friend of mine when I stated
"watch out or I'll name a cupcake after you!"

I'm still waiting for him to approve the name I gave it! So for now we'll just call it what it is.

This is a vanilla cake made with real blackberries. I chopped some of them up as well as put in whole berries. The buttercream....well I wasn't happy with it. In my quest to find a really good lemon buttercream I'm just not finding what I want. So...time to experiment a little.

Adding fresh lemon to buttercream is not working. And it's probably a citrus versus dairy thing. I wanted a light lemon flavor without it being sour or falling a part. So I took out a pack of lemon jello. Guess what? It works! It gives the buttercream a light lemon flavor AND it turns it a pale yellow. I may start doing this with other buttercreams that I want to turn color and add flavor too. Sometimes the food color liquid and paste makes it taste funny.

This is the first in 5 "Spring" cupcakes I want to make. One will have an apricot mousse! I can't wait to try that one! I'm planning a lavender one and a cherry one too! oooo maybe a cherry pie in a cupcake cupcake!!

Anywho, I will be recreating these as minis soon and shipping them Darren :)

Next Up: Girl Scout Cookies inspired cupcake "Tagalongs"