Week Nine: Valentine's Cupcakes

Welcome to Week Nine with yogurt, honey, and cinnamon cupcakes!

These cupcakes were found in Cupcake Love.

These cupcakes were really good, they do have a strange but appealing flavor to them that I can't quite describe.

For these cupcakes, you could actually use any cupcake/frosting recipe you would like. I mainly did these cupcakes just because Valentine's day is coming up, like next week, and just did it for the decoration.

Some Tips:

This recipe actually used metric units. For those of you who do not have a scale that measures in grams or ounces, here's a link that can do the conversions for you: Conversion Site.

For liquid ingredients, there is usually a side of liquid measuring cups that has liters on it. You can use this for any liquid measurements needed.

Yields: 16/17 cupcakes

Cake Ingredients:

150g/5 1/2 oz unsalted butter, softened
135g/4 3/4 oz plain yogurt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
100mL/3 1/2 fl oz clear honey (regular honey)
2 eggs
40g/1 1/2 oz sugar (granulated)
195g/7 oz self-rising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line cupcake pan.
2. In large bowl, beat butter, yogurt, cinnamon, and honey together on medium speed. Beat until thoroughly combined. It will look a little weird at first, just keep mixing.
3. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thick and creamy. Then combine it with the yogurt-butter mixture.
4. Sift (you should do this as it combines everything together, just...finer) flour, baking powder into mixture and gently stir in until combined.
5. Pour batter into lined cups, about 1/2 to 2/3 each. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely (about an hour).
6. (Optional) Brush the tops of cooled cupcake with honey syrup. Soak cupcake if you so wish.

Optional Syrup:

75mL/2 1/2 fl oz water
1 tsp honey
65g/2 3/4 oz sugar

Directions:

1. Pour water, sugar, and honey into saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
2. Let cool.

Frosting Ingredients:

100g/ 3 1/2 oz softened butter
200g/ 7 oz confectioner's suagr
1 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Whip butter and sugar in a bowl on slow speed until everything is incorporated, then whip on medium speed until thoroughly combined.
2. Add water and vanilla extract and beat well until it become light and fluffy.
3. Frost cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

Decorations:

Pink glitter sprinkles
Mini candy hearts

Directions:

Sprinkle pink glitter and place candy hearts however you please and enjoy!

Thanks for baking with me!

-Laura

Week Eight: Praline Mini Bundt Cakes

Welcome to Week Eight with delicious Praline Mini Bundt Cakes!

These mini cakes were also found in the Big Book of Cupcakes.

I absolutely love these mini Bundt cakes. This is probably my favorite dessert now. They were perfectly baked through and the glaze was wonderful along with all the toffee bits and pecans.

Some Tips:

If you do not have mini Bundt cake pans, you could use large muffin or cupcake pans. It doesn't matter really.

When you glaze your mini cakes, place a large piece of waxed paper or parchment paper under a wire rack to catch all the drippings.

Ingredients:

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup softened butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup milk
+1/2 cup chopped pecans
+1/2 cup toffee bits

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F and line cupcake or muffin pans. If using Bundt pan, spray with cooking spray.
2. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In large bowl, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add in sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time. Beat two minutes longer. Scrape bowl occasionally.
3. Add in eggs one at a time. Mix well before adding another. Mix in vanilla.
4. Alternatively mix in flour mixture and milk on low speed. Scrape bowl and add in chopped pecans and toffee bits.
5. Fill pans (about 1/2 cup per mini cake) and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Glaze and enjoy!

Glaze:

1/4 cup of butter (do not use margarine)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup toffee bits

Directions:

In a 1-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add in brown sugar and corn syrup once butter is melted and stir occasionally until it comes to a rolling boil. A rolling boil is when bubbles form around the edges of the pan and they pop and the mix kind of rolls into the center. You shouldn't have to wait long for this, once I added the corn syrup it was already happening.
Immediately after the mix comes to a rolling boil, pour into a mixing bowl, preferably something that can't melt, and beat in the powdered sugar. Beat in vanilla.
Let your mini cakes cool for ten minutes and then pour the glaze over the mini cakes. You should have enough to do two coats of glaze. After you finish adding the glaze tot he cakes, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of toffee bits over your mini cakes.
Enjoy!

Thanks for baking with me!

-Laura

Week Seven: Mimosa Cupcakes

Welcome to Week Seven with Mimosa Cupcakes!

This cupcake recipe was also found in the Big Book of Cupcakes.

These cupcakes were really good. I used them for New Year's and they were perfect. They do have Champagne in them, so please be careful. You could get quite drunk eating too many of these.

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
1 2/3 cups sugar
5 egg whites
2 1/2 teaspoons
3/4 cup Champagne
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cupcake pan.
2. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. In a large bowl, beat shortening on medium speed for 30 seconds. Slowly add in sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl occasionally.
3. Add in egg whites, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
4. On low speed, alternatively add in flour mixture (1/3 at a time), Champagne (1/2 at a time), and orange juice (1/2 at a time). Mix thoroughly after each addition before adding the next. Scrape down the bowl occasionally. Mix in grated orange peel.
5. Fill liners about 2/3 full and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and enjoy!

Frosting:

6 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
3 tablespoons Champagne
2 to 3 table spoons orange juice

Directions:

1. Beat butter and then add in sugar.
2. Mix in orange peel and 3 tablespoons Champagne and 2 tablespoons orange juice.
3. You can add in some more orange juice until you get the consistency you like.
4. Frost and enjoy!

You can sprinkle the top with any gold sugar sprinkles or regular sprinkles and enjoy!

Thanks for baking with me!

-Laura