Cupcakes | Eat Your Heart Out

Coconut Mango Cupcakes {Cupcake Couture Blog Party}

May 21, 2013 by Stephie 32 Comments

I know I promised you a savory recipe last week.

I accidentally lied.

I say “accidentally” because I really did intend to give you my great-grandmother’s pimento cheese recipe at the end of last week. But has anyone else noticed that life has the fun habit of not going quite according to plan most of the time? So you’ll have to wait for pimento cheese (it’s coming, I promise you) and take cupcakes for now.

Today I am joining 20 other awesome bloggers to bring you these cupcakes as part of the Cupcake Couture Blog Party. Dreamed up by Carrie from Bella Cupcake Couture and Betsy from Java Cupcake and Cupcakes Take the Cake, the idea behind the blog party is to show all of our readers not only how easy it is to make gorgeous cupcakes, but how simple and affordable it can be to create a lovely cupcake display for any party or event.

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Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: Baked goods, Cake, coconut, cupcakes, Dessert, Holidays

Sweet Potato Cupcakes

October 2, 2012 by Stephie 21 Comments

Sometimes I feel like a salad.

More often I feel like a carb. Pick a carb, any carb.

And it is with that in mind that I apologize for the abundance of sweet carb-filled recipes that may show up here in the next couple of weeks.

I mean, I’m sorry…but I’m not really that sorry. Trust me, I’ve got some great recipes to share with you. Starting with this one.

Sweet potato cupcakes…topped with a lovely brown sugar frosting…and garnished with glazed pecans. Do I even need to say more??

I didn’t think so. After all, it’s rude to talk with your mouth full.

Frosting recipe from Cupcake Project.

Sweet Potato Cupcakes

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup cooked, pureed sweet potato
½ cup buttermilk

For the brown sugar frosting:

½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup milk
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

For the glazed pecans:

¼ cup granulated sugar
1 cup pecan halves
1 heavy pinch cinnamon

Instructions

To make the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
On a piece of parchment paper (or in a medium bowl), sift together the flours, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and ginger. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugars until pale yellow and no clumps of brown sugar remain. Whisk in the coconut oil, vanilla, pureed sweet potato and buttermilk until thoroughly combined.
Slowly add in the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Spoon batter into a lined baking tin and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting:

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium to medium-high heat. Add in the brown sugar; bring to a steady boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and allow to boil for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir in the milk and return to a steady boil, still stirring. You should now have a lovely caramel sauce.
Remove from heat and (carefully) pour into a medium bowl. Allow to cool.
Once the mixture is lukewarm, beat in the powdered sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and your desired consistency, adding a bit more powdered sugar to thicken or a bit of hot water to thin.
Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes and quickly garnish with glazed pecans.
Store frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To make the glazed pecans:

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Combine all ingredients in a medium skillet and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
After several minutes, the sugar will start to get sticky, and with a bit more time will start to melt. Keep stirring to coat the pecans.
When all of the sugar has melted and is a lovely amber color, Pour the pecans onto the prepared sheet pan. Use two forks to separate the pecans. Allow to cool. Use to garnish cupcakes. Store leftover pecans in an airtight container.

Notes

For a less coconut-y taste, substitute melted butter for half or all of the coconut oil in the cupcakes. Additionally, it is really important that your sweet potato be pureed and not just mashed in order to achieve a good cupcake texture, so give it a whirl in the food processor.

Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: Baked goods, cupcakes, Dessert, Fall, sweet potatoes

Gluten-Free Chai Spice Cupcakes

August 1, 2012 by Stephie 3 Comments

I know that “Chai Spice Cupcakes” probably seem like more of an autumnal recipe than something to post at the beginning of August. And you’re probably right. But this summer’s horrendous heat wave has made me long for even just slightly cooler days, so maybe posting this recipe is my way of trying to make autumn come a little early.

Think it will work?

Yeah, me neither. Oh well.

Regardless, these little cupcakes are downright awesome. My momma made them as little snacking treats the week of my best friend’s wedding, and not a single person could stop eating them. Even Amy’s 2-year-old nephew kept asking for more! So maybe you will want to do what we did and make them into mini-cupcakes instead of full-sized ones…it will keep them around longer (and you can technically eat more than one without a guilt trip!).

Now, maybe you will make them and decide to call them muffins – the coconut flour lends them a texture slightly more akin to a traditional muffin than a light, fluffy cupcake – but I personally will stick with cupcakes. It makes them feel more like an indulgent treat than an everyday snack.

I decided to forgo a traditional frosting on these cupcakes and instead went with a simple glaze – I wanted something that would complement the spices in the cupcake but wouldn’t overpower them with sweetness. Although, in retrospect, I wish I had used the frosting from these cookies – just use vegan margarine instead of butter to keep them dairy free.

Make these yummy little cupcakes. You (and your family) will be so glad you did.

Gluten-Free Chai Spice Cupcakes

Yield: 24 mini cupcakes, or 12 regular cupcakes

From The Urban Poser

Ingredients

½ cup coconut flour, sifted
1½ teaspoons ground cardamom
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
5 eggs
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices and baking soda. Set aside.
Using a mixer, combine the eggs, oil, honey and vanilla until well combined and slightly foamy.
On low speed, mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until smooth and batter resembles pancake batter (this is as thick as the batter will get). Pour into prepared tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Notes

These would be really good with some chopped pecans added in. You should definitely do that.

Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: Allergy friendly, Baked goods, cupcakes, dairy-free, Dessert, Gluten-free

Jam-Filled Buttermilk Cupcakes with Strawberry-Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

July 5, 2012 by Stephie 22 Comments

Can I ask y’all a real life question?

What’s the cure for heartbreak following a breakup?

I feel like the wise answer would include things like eating lots of vegetables, drinking plenty of water, and going to the gym a lot. And learning what to do with the bag of lentils sitting in my pantry. Lentils are good for you, right?

But I’m kind of hoping the actual answer includes wine and eating lots of cupcakes.

Maybe a lot of lemony buttermilk cupcakes, filled with strawberry jam and topped with strawberry-vanilla buttercream frosting.

In the belief that positivity breeds positivity, I’m going to ask you, my loving readers, to comment below and tell me:

- Something funny. Maybe it’s a funny/awkward story (that happened to you or a nameless “friend”). Maybe it’s a bad joke.

- Your favorite thing to do with lentils. (Seriously, what do I do with these things?)

Jam-Filled Buttermilk Cupcakes with Strawberry-Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Cupcakes adapted from Food Network. Buttercream frosting adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

1¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
¾ cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup buttermilk
1 cup strawberry jam

For the frosting

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
1½ tablespoons strawberry jam

Instructions

Make the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.
On a piece of parchment paper, sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, yolks, and sugar together until pale yellow. Add the butter, vanilla, lemon zest, juice and buttermilk to the mixture; beat until well incorporated.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the batter, mixing until smooth. Divide batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups and bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Remove cupcakes and allow to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before filling and frosting.
To fill cupcakes: Using a small paring knife, insert the tip of the knife into the cupcake at about a 45 degree angle halfway between the center and outer edge of the cupcake. With the knife at this angle, cut a circle into the top of the cupcake – you should have just cut a small cone out of the center of the cupcake. Cut the bottom of the cone off and discard it, leaving a small “lid”. Repeat on all cupcakes.
Spoon a very small amount of jam (between ½ to 1 teaspoon) into the cavity in each cupcake. Put the “lid” back on the cupcake. Frost cupcakes as usual.

Make the frosting:

With an electric mixer, beat butter in a medium bowl until creamy. Add in 2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until well incorporated. Add the milk, vanilla, and strawberry jam and mix until well-combined. Add in the last cup of powdered sugar, a small amount at a time, until the frosting reaching your desired spreading or piping consistency. Spread or pipe onto cupcakes. Will last, in a covered container in the refrigerator, for up to 10 days.

Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: Baked goods, cupcakes, Dessert

Deep Dark Mocha Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream Frosting

March 22, 2012 by Stephie 6 Comments

You know what is just plain good for the soul?

Going to the zoo.

It’s the perfect opportunity to make friends with a polar bear!

I really wanted to know what his name is. They should have had a sign telling me that.

Also good for the soul?

Flying a kite.

It was my first time flying a kite. Well, I think I might have flown one with my parents when I was like two or three, but I don’t really remember it so it doesn’t technically count.

I accidentally got said kite stuck in a tree. I was super upset about this, so Boyfriend insisted on climbing the tree to rescue it (the kite is a turtle, in case you were wondering, which somehow made its potential demise in the tree that much more upsetting to me).

Kite was rescued. Boyfriend received a round of applause from some random onlookers in the park. Turtle made it home safe and sound and in one piece, as did Boyfriend. I was immensely relieved about all of these things.

You know what ELSE is good for the soul?

Baking cupcakes.

Sometimes when I need to sift through messy real-life situations, I do so while sifting through baking situations. It’s therapeutic. It reminds you that things can seem crazy messy and disjointed, but at some point they will come together and make sense again.

See? Somehow things are already starting to look better.

I got these cutesie flower-shaped cupcake liners at Target. Raise your hand if you love Target! Me, too. (My bank account isn’t such a fan, though.)

I also need to buy a less-ugly muffin tin. Sorry about that…some things just fall to the bottom of the priority list without even realizing it.

These mocha cupcakes with coffee buttercream frosting are a Joy the Baker recipe and are super simple to whip together. It seemed appropriate that I should post these today since she is rolling through Chicago this Saturday on her book tour. I won’t even mention how crazy (or, as Joy would say, BONKERS) excited I am about this.

If you make these and feed them to your coworkers, they’re going to think you’re pretty much the coolest person on the planet. I should know…because that’s exactly what I did.

(People love cupcakes!)

Deep Dark Mocha Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream Frosting

Yield: 12 cupcakes

From Joy the Baker

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup double-dutch cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla

For the Coffee Buttercream Frosting:

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons hot water
1 teaspoon instant espresso

Instructions

Make the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until mixed (over-mixing will create a tough cupcake!).
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely. Frost with coffee buttercream frosting.

Make the frosting:

In a large bowl, beat together butter and one third of the sugar until thick and incorporated. In a small bowl, combine vanilla, hot water and espresso until the espresso powder is dissolved. Add the rest of the sugar and the espresso mixture to the butter mixture. Beat on medium speed until smooth and slightly fluffy. Spread on cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles!