The Everything Fall Cupcake - Pumpkin, Apple, Maple, Spiced Rum, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, and Cranberry

Fall brings reds, oranges, yellows, and purples; there's no one color to represent Autumn.  Likewise, this year I thought that a single (or even two or three) Fall flavor(s) in a cupcake would not do.  I decided to combine some past single-flavor Fall cupcake favorites into one Everything Fall Cupcake recipe.  What you see above are (take a deep breath) pumpkin, spiced rum, and maple cupcakes topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting and dried cranberries - with brown sugar frosting-topped apple cobbler cupcakes baked inside. 

I created the Everything Fall Cupcake for a very special event that you are all attending whether you knew it or not...

Apple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls - This Month's Cupcake Project Recipe for Paula Deen

 

As my regular readers know, I create monthly cupcake recipes for PaulaDeen.com.  This month, I was asked to develop something with apples or pecans.  I opted to use both! I made these apple pecan cinnamon roll cupcakes with a glaze that actually contains apple cider! 

Whether or not you make the cinnamon rolls, I'd highly recommend trying out the simple apple cider glaze. The apple cider glaze would be outstanding on my gingersnap cookies.

You'll find both the apple pecan cinnamon roll cupcake recipe and the apple cider glaze recipe on Paula Deen.

Cuddrireddra - The Cookie Recipe Worth A Four Year Wait

Orange, red wine, and cinnamon come together in cuddrireddra, an Italian deep fried cookie that resembles a biscotti in texture.  Don't let the frying scare you off.  Everyone was surprised to hear that the cuddrireddra were deep fried - unlike donuts or funnel cake, they are not at all greasy.  The cuddrireddra have a respectable crunch without being rock hard and the flavor is unique but comforting at the same time - like the smell of home cooked food that sometimes fills the hallways of apartment buildings.  One taster couldn't help but remark over and over again that cuddrireddra are much better than chocolate chip cookies.  It's no surprise that she felt that way; cuddrireddra are the cookies that were worth tracking down for four years.

Peach Cobbler Cupcakes

Cobblers seem so Fall to me; brown sugar, cinnamon, and big chunks of fruit make me want to snuggle under a blanket with a loved one.  But, peach cobbler is so much better in the summer when it can be made with fresh fuzzy peaches (I happen to adore the fuzz) rather than the uniform slimy ones from a can.

Biscoff Cookies - From Scratch Recipe

"Biscoff cookies, peanuts, pretzels?" asks the friendly flight attendant. "Biscoff cookies, please," I reply - as if there were any question.

Southwest Airlines is my favorite U.S. airline; so much so that I dressed as a 60's Southwest flight attendant one year for Halloween.

Before there was baby Myles, there was my poodle, Scruffles.

But, Delta offers Biscoff cookies, and in doing so, they won a piece of my heart.

Biscoff cookies are a simple cinnamon/sugar biscuit-type cookie with an ingredient list that doesn't contain any funky chemicals or high fructose corn syrup! 

When browsing one of my favorite food blogs, Coconut and Lime, I discovered that Biscoff cookies are actually branded  Belgian biscuits called speculoos.  Biscoff stands for "biscuit" plus "coffee" (it's served with coffee - it's not not coffee flavored).  I decided that I had to make some myself.

I used a speculoos recipe that I found on Matzoh and Rice.  Most tasters thought that the flavor was spot on for a Biscoff cookie, but the texture was slightly off - there wasn't as much crumb.  It was close enough for me. I would eat them on a plane.  I would eat them in the rain.  I would eat them in a house.  I would eat them with a mouse.  I would eat them here or there.  Say!  I would eat them anywhere!

But, How Did You Brand The Homemade Biscoff Cookies With Cupcake Project?

Granola Upside Down Cupcakes

"Splish splash, I was taking a bath," sang granola as it flopped around in some milk - content with his lot only until he saw something else going on in the kitchen. 

"Wheeeeee!" screamed the pineapple while it hung in midair during an upside down flip.


"Yaahoooo!" cried the inverted plum, holding on tightly to a cinnamon cake as it swung around.

Granola looked up at me, pleading, "Can I go upside down, too?"  "Of course, my friend!" 

Monkey Bread Cupcakes with Banana and Chocolate

Monkey bread is balls of yeasty bread dipped in butter, cinnamon, and sugar. There isn't much that could make a monkey bread recipe better except the one thing that monkeys are known to love - bananas! And - if I were going to put bananas into a monkey bread recipe, why not throw in some chocolate, too?!

Since I haven't posted in a month, I wanted to come back with a recipe that was worth the wait. This monkey bread recipe is definitely it! Serve these monkey bread cupcakes with brunch (or on their own as brunch), as dessert, as a snack, or any time that you want to see someone's face light up.

Now, about that not posting for a month. I've haven't just been monkeying around. On August 17th, I gave birth to our little monkey.

Meet Myles:

Jonathan and I tried to pose Myles with a cupcake, but he wasn't quite up for it yet. The best we could do was pose him in his monkey onesie. Myles likes to hang out in my Moby wrap while I'm working in the kitchen. He mostly sleeps, but some day he'll be my cupcake helper (even if it's just eating them).

Special Thanks to Scharffen Berger

For the chocolate portion of this monkey bread recipe, I used Scharffen Berger baking chunks. Scharffen Berger offered to send me some chocolate to try. I expected to get some of their chocolate bars (which I have tried before and have found to be fantastic to bake with or simply to eat). To my surprise, in addition to the bars, they sent along some baking chunks. I had never seen this product before, but I was really excited about it. They are a great alternative to chocolate chips. Not only are they of higher quality than most chocolate chips that you will encounter, but sometimes a chunk is just more fun than a chip. Thanks, Scharffen Berger, for the sample!

Monkey Bread Cupcake Recipe

I came up with my monkey bread cupcake recipe by modifying the King Arthur Flour monkey bread recipe. I changed it from a cake to cupcakes, dipped the batter in butter instead of water (more calories, but more yum), and added the banana and chocolate. Also, I gave my cupcakes a cinnamon glaze. Here is the modified recipe:

Makes 12 cupcakes

• 1/2 C lukewarm water
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 t salt
• 1 T sugar
• 2 T instant yeast or rapid rise yeast
  
• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 1 T cinnamon
• 1 ripe banana, cut into small slices
• chocolate chips or baking chunks to taste (about 2 oz)
• 2 T unsalted butter, melted
  

1. Place water, vegetable oil, egg, salt, sugar, and yeast in a medium bowl and mix well.
2. Add 1 cup of the flour, stirring to blend.
3. Add the second cup of flour, stirring to make a cohesive dough.
4. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes; this gives the flour a chance to absorb the liquid, making it easier to knead.
5. Knead the dough — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until it's soft and smooth.
6. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or large measuring cup, cover it, and let the dough rise for 30 to 60 minutes or until it's doubled in size.
7. Gently deflate the dough.
8. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
9. Place cupcake liners into a cupcake tin and lightly grease them with butter or cooking spray.
   
10. Pull off a small piece of dough. How small? You should get 24 pieces out of the batter so that you can have two pieces in each cupcake. However, unless you are having a dinner party for exactly 12 people, it doesn't really matter and you can make the pieces whatever size you would like.
11. Stretch the piece out, put a banana slice and several chocolate chips or baking chunks inside, and then roll it into a ball.
    

12. Dip the ball in the melted butter.

13. Dip the ball in the cinnamon and sugar.

14. Put the ball into the cupcake liner. You should be able to fit two balls into each cupcake liner.
15. Cover the cupcake tin and let the bread rise for 30 to 60 minutes, until it's visibly puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350 F.
16. Uncover the cupcake tin and bake the monkey bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it's golden brown and feels set.
17. While the monkey bread is baking, prepare the glaze.
    

Cinnamon Glaze Recipe

• 1/2 C powdered sugar
• 1 T milk
• 1/4 t cinnamon

1. Mix all of the ingredients together.
2. Drizzle over the hot cupcakes.
3. The cupcakes are best served warm. If you can't eat them immediately, reheat them in microwave for about 15 seconds before serving.
   

Cupcake Hero Banana

Cupcake Hero was one of the first blog events that I ever entered. After a long hiatus, it is back, and it's now hosted my one of my fav cupcake bloggers, I Heart Cuppycakes. This month's theme is banana, and these monkey bread cupcakes with banana and chocolate are my entry! I'm looking forward to seeing all of the other entries, but I hope that I'm top banana.

Honey Cupcakes Baked in Ham

As far as I know, this is the first cupcake recipe baked in ham ever developed.  I baked a honey cake inside of a piece of ham to recreate a flavor of honeyed ham. With so many cupcakes out there now featuring bacon (see my beer cupcakes with bacon cheddar frosting, French Toast bacon cupcakes from The Busty Baker, and Cakespy's ode to bacon cupcakes as evidence), I figured, "Why not salute a different part of the pig?"!



What surprised people the most about the cupcakes in ham was that the ham flavor was not strong - some even said they couldn't taste it. The ham acts as an edible, environmentally friendly (depending on where your ham comes from) cupcake liner. If anything, it adds a salty flavor to each bite, which gives a zen sweet and salty effect.

Maple Cinnamon Peach Ice Cream Cupcakes

There is a lot going on with these cupcakes, so let's start with a description. These are maple cinnamon cupcakes with baked peaches. The cupcakes were then cut in half to create a cupcake sandwich with homemade maple ice cream in the middle. The top half was frosted with peach whipped cream and then sprinkled with maple sugar.

Every messy forkful of this cupcake was so mmm mmm good that it had me questioning whether it was my drool I saw on the plate or whether it was some melty ice cream. These cupcakes were stellar, and if I could enter my own Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup, they would surely be my entry!

What Did My Friends Think?

I served these cupcakes to a bunch of friends and here were some of the comments:

• "These are my favorite cupcakes yet! My second favorite were the plum cupcakes."
• "These are the best maple flavored anything I have ever had!" This, of course, prompted the question as to what her favorite was before this. The answer: "McGriddles at McDonalds." All I can say is at least I wasn't beaten out by Mickey D's - I would not have been happy.
• "Love the maple flavor in the ice cream. It goes really well with the dense cupcake."

Maple Cinnamon Peach Cupcake Recipe

The maple cinnamon peach cupcake recipe is a Cupcake Project original. It's yummy even without the ice cream, as shown above.

Makes about 16 cupcakes

• 2 C flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 2 t cinnamon
• 3/4 C butter, room temperature
  
• 1 1/3 C maple sugar
  
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 C whole milk
• 3 T maple syrup (the real stuff)
  
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 t maple extract
  
• 15 oz peaches, chopped finely

1. With a fork, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl.
2. Beat butter and maple sugar in a large bowl for 1 minute until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs, milk, maple syrup, and extracts until blended.
4. Mix in flour mixture.
5. Fold in peaches.
   
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
   
7. Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean.

Cupcake Assembly

To assemble your ice cream cupcakes:

1. Cut the cooled cupcake in half. (You can probably cut the cupcake in a straighter line than I. I tended to go kinda crooked.)
2. Frost the top half with peach whipped cream. (I found it easier to frost after cutting, rather than trying to cut the frosted cupcake.)
3. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
4. When you are ready to serve, stick a small scoop of maple ice cream between the two halves of the cupcake and sprinkle some maple sugar all over!
   

Reminders

1. You have until the end of May to create your own ice cream cupcake and enter the Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup.
   
2. You also have until the end of May to vote for my black bottom cupcakes with goat cheese in the Ile de France recipe contest - while this task doesn't help you in anyway, I would be most grateful! Thanks!

Do the Hokey Pokey Cupcakes - The Cupcake Love Connection Continues

Groom 2.5 undresses the Do the Hokey Pokey Cupcake

"Lovely" "Delightful" "Minkolicious" "Oh wow!" "I want to marry Minko"

All of the above were quotes said by Groom 2.5 after tasting Minko's Do The Hokey Pokey cupcake, except one. Which quote was not said by Groom 2.5 and who said it will be revealed at the end of this post, along with the next step in the Cupcake Love Connection.

But first, more about this amazing cupcake!

What is a Do the Hokey Pokey Cupcake?

Let's start with a flashback to the Cupcake Love Connection questionnaire. Groom 2.5 said that his ideal woman would be "sweet, delicious and complex ... with a hint of nuts."

Minko met his needs - and then some! What a lady! This was one of the most complex cupcakes that I have ever made, but it wasn't just complex for the sake of being complex. Each element added something that led to a perfect mix of flavors.

This cupcake consisted of:

• A white cupcake made with caramel and orange zest.
• Hokey pokey candy folded into the cupcake.
• Cinnamon mascarpone frosting with a bit of orange zest. When asked what kind of cupcake he liked best, Groom 2.5 answered, "There is no one answer, but chocolate and cinnamon are always popular, as is a hint of orange." Minko totally hit the cinnamon with hint of orange in this frosting - not to mention the orange in the cake. I'm glad she didn't go for the chocolate too. You can't give a guy everything he likes on the first date.
• Coffee syrup drizzled on top. Minko did not know that Groom 2.5 is a coffee lover. She got very lucky there. Much of love is luck, isn't it?
  
• Pistachios sprinkled above the coffee syrup (the hint of nuts). Minko gave me the choice of using macadamia nuts or pistachios on the cupcakes. I opted for the pistachios. Upon seeing them on the cupcakes, Groom 2.5 called them the Kyrptonite of this cupcake. You might say I cheated by picking a nut I knew he would love, but it wasn't like she gave me 10 choices. What good is Cupid if she doesn't do a good job aiming the arrow?
  

Groom 2.5 said nothing about enjoying caramel or hokey pokey. I love that Minko added those elements in, too. You should never lose yourself completely in a relationship. It should be a good meld of two people.

The Recipes

This section is going to be long. I won't hold it against you if you skip to the bottom for the answer to who said what and the future of the Cupcake Love Connection. All recipes are compliments of master baker and Cupcake Love Connection participant Minko! As always, I added my own baking notes.

Hokey Pokey Recipe

Before you get started, you will need to make or buy (if you can find it near you) some hokey pokey. See my hokey pokey recipe post for more on how to make it yourself.

Coffee Syrup Recipe


The coffee syrup is used at the end of the recipe to drizzle on the cupcake. It makes much more that you need, but you'll surely enjoy licking the extra syrup right off the spoon like Groom 2.5 did.

• 1 C white sugar
• ¼ C water
• 1 C heavy whipping cream
  
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 t ground Vietnamese Coffee (If you don't have any, any strong coffee will do.)
  

1. In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine sugar, cinnamon stick and water; bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is a deep, caramel color and has the consistency of a thin syrup (about 10-15 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and stir in the cream; return saucepan to high heat and boil the mixture until it is the consistency of a thick syrup (about 2 minutes).
4. Stir in the coffee; cool syrup.
5. Strain the coffee syrup through a fine strainer into a heatproof jug. (I completely skipped this step. I didn't have a fine enough strainer and it tasted amazing without straining.)
   
6. The syrup should be refrigerated until ready to use (allow it to reach room temperature before drizzling over the cupcakes).

Caramel Recipe

The caramel that you will be making here is used in the cupcake recipe. I expected the caramel to be more of a candy consistency, but it was more of a syrup. This recipe also made more than was needed. I've been using the extra syrup to sweeten drinks. It's perfect for that!

• 1/2 C plus 1/4 C water
• 1-1/2 C sugar
• ½ t salt

1. Leave 1/2 cup water near the stove as you will need it at Step 4.
2. Heat sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar starts to dissolve, 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Constantly swirl the saucepan while the mixture continues to cook. When the mixture starts to turn amber (in 10 to 12 minutes), remove from the heat.
4. Very carefully add 1/2 cup water in 3 additions to saucepan.
5. Add salt and stir with a metal spoon until caramel is dissolved, about a minute, returning to heat if needed.
6. Pour into 2-cup glass measuring cup. You might need to add more water, if needed, to equal 1 1/3 cups of caramel.
7. Let stand until cooled to room temperature.

Do the Hokey Pokey Cupcake Recipe

Here's where it all comes together. Once you've got all of the pieces and parts prepared, the actual cupcake making is quite simple.

makes about 20 cupcakes

• 2 C flour
  
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
  
• 3/4 C unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 C sugar
• finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2/3 C caramel mixture from above
  
• 1 cup crushed hokey pokey

1. A few hours before you are ready to bake, combine the orange zest and the sugar in bowl. This will let the orange flavor infuse into the sugar.
2. With a fork, whisk flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl.
3. Beat butter, grated orange zest and sugar in a large bowl for 1 minute, until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in eggs and sour cream until blended.
5. Alternately fold in flour mixture and 2/3 cup of the cooled caramel mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with flour.
6. Fold the crushed hokey pokey into the batter. Depending on how much you crush the hokey pokey, your cupcakes will look more or less spotted when they are done baking. I used pretty big pieces, which was more sloppy looking but quite tasty (see the photo below). If you want a smoother look, chop your hokey pokey very finely.
   
7. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
   
8. Bake at 350 F for 21 to 23 minutes or until toothpick comes out of cupcake clean.
9. Cool cupcakes in cupcake tins for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes directly onto cooling rack and allow cupcakes to cool completely.

The Cinnamon Mascarpone Frosting


The cinnamon mascarpone frosting was a winner! You can bet that I'll be making this again. I may even have to do a separate post devoted to it at some point since it's buried down in this one and I want to give it the glory it deserves. Minko's recipe used 6 oz of mascarpone cheese. I adjusted it to use 8 oz since that was what my package held and I didn't want to bother measuring. You may want to double the frosting amount if you are going to use large swirls. I didn't quite have enough frosting for all of the cupcakes. Perhaps Minko likes some of them naked?

• 1/4 C (half a stick) butter, softened
• 8 oz mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t finely grated orange zest
• 2 2/3 C sifted powdered sugar

1. Using electric mixer, beat butter, grated orange zest, mascarpone, and cinnamon in a large bowl, about 1 minute.
2. Add powdered sugar; beat until smooth.
3. Pipe onto cupcakes.
4. Drizzle with coffee syrup.
5. Top with choppped nuts.
   

Who Said What

"Lovely" "Delightful" "Minkolicious" "Oh wow!" "I want to marry Minko"

All of the quotes above were said by Groom 2.5 except "I want to marry Minko". "I want to marry Minko" was said by Bride 1.0. She adored these cupcakes. Groom 1.0 said he had never seen her eat a cupcake so quickly.

It's probably good that Groom 2.5 isn't ready to marry Minko just yet - especially since he seems to think that I am playing some kind of joke on him and that Minko is actually an old man.

Let's take a moment to examine exactly what they do know about each other.

What Minko Knows About Groom 2.5

Minko now knows that Groom 2.5 loves her cupcakes. She has also now seen his hands. I'm not sure if she's ever been to a wedding where the poem about hands has been read, but if not, I'll share:

These are the hands, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.
These are the hands you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too, feels his child stir within your womb.
These are the hands that look so large and clumsy, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time.
These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled completely with his overwhelming love and desire for you.

OK, maybe I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

What Groom 2.5 Knows About Minko

He knows that she bakes great cupcakes. He also knows lots of assorted facts about her if he has checked out her blog. However, since he hasn't seen her hands, I'm going to share one fact about her that she told me.

Groom 2.5 said in his Cupcake Love Connection questionnaire that he is "drawn to very smart, neurotic, Caucasian women." Minko wrote me and said, "Hmmm... He said he likes Caucasians ... I am Caucasian minus the Cauc." I don't think this will be a problem for Groom 2.5, but we shall see.

What's Next?

Photo from I Love Cuppacakes

In the same email where Minko told me that she's Asian, she said, "I never back down from a challenge." Let's see if that's true!

Groom 2.5 is planning a trip with some friends to Hawaii in January (the 6th - 13th). Hawaii is sorta in between the continental U.S. and Australia. Groom 2.5 would like to invite her and her friends to join on this trip. If Minko says no, he'll of course understand and alternate arrangements would need to be made. But, how cool would it be if she said yes?! Basically, that would mean that Jonathan and I would need to go as well - the meeting would need to be documented. We would also be on the lookout for any Hawaii bloggers out there to join in the festivities!

Again, I'm getting ahead of myself. :)

Minko, are you up for a trip to Hawaii?

Apple Cinnamon Ravioli

Related Posts:

• How to Make Ravioli
  
• Toasted Ravioli
  
• Toasted Ravioli Cupcakes
  

Apple cinnamon ravioli would be a great dessert. You could pan fry them and serve them with ice cream or boil them like regular ravioli and serve them with a drizzle of honey and some fresh whipped cream, or (of course) you could deep fry them and put them on toasted ravioli cupcakes!

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Ravioli

Make the ravioli noodles however you like to do it (read my post on how to make ravioli if you don't know how). Then, use the filling recipe below:

• 4 small apples (1 lb 4 oz), chopped finely
  
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/4 C honey
• 1 t lemon rind
• 1 t cinnamon
  

1. Mix everything together and try not to eat it all before it makes its way into the ravioli.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

I used this cinnamon cream cheese frosting recipe on toasted ravioli cupcakes and Back to School cupcakes. It would also go great on oatmeal raisin cupcakes or snickerdoodle cupcakes.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon (add more to taste)
  
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar (add more or less to make it a stiffness that you like)

Directions:

1. Mix cream cheese and butter well.
2. Add vanilla and cinnamon.
3. Add powdered sugar.
   

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes: Cupcakes with a Surprise Inside

Snickerdoodle cupcakes were on my to-bake list as soon as I found out that the snickerdoodle was Bride 2.0's favorite cookie. I'm by no means the first person to make a snickerdoodle cupcake. Among many others:

• Culinary Concoctions by Peabody made snickerdoodle cupcakes (well, really muffins) that I've been told by Sara at Cupcake Muffin are absolutely amazing. They look really simple to make and seem to be very close to the cookie.
• I Heart Cuppycakes made snickerdoodle cupcakes twice - once with a cake mix and once without. They are vanilla cinnamon cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

While those snickerdoodle cupcakes sounded great, I opted to do things my own way.

My snickerdoodle cupcakes are burnt sugar cupcakes with a snickerdoodle cookie baked into them, topped with a cinnamon penuche frosting and another snickerdoodle cookie.

Snickerdoodle Cupcake Reviews

The very first taster - The first taster of the snickerdoodle cupcake was a friend of mine with whom I was playing a game of spades. As soon as she started eating the cupcake, she lost all ability to concentrate on the game. I took this as a good sign, but I really didn't need to guess for long about her opinion of the cupcake. She "oohed and ahhed" for quite a few minutes about not only the flavor, but how amazing it was that there was a cookie baked in the middle. She was this cupcake's number one fan!

The other spades players - The other spades players also loved the snickerdoodle cupcakes. It was speculated that Bride 2.0 would pick them.

Bride and Groom 2.0 - Bride and Groom 2.0 thought that the snickerdoodle cupcakes were too dry. They both said that the cupcakes tasted exactly like the cookie, but felt that the cookie didn't really work in cake form. They did, however, both love the cinnamon penuche frosting.

Me - I thought they were delicious. However, I was a bit frustrated that the cookie blended into the cake so much. Despite my first taster's comments about the cookie being such a nice treat in the cupcake, I could hardly tell where the cookie ended and the cake started. If I looked, I could see where the cookie was - which was neat - but it tasted just like the cake. Like Bride and Groom 2.0, I adored the frosting!

The Snickerdoodle Cupcake Recipe

I made the snickerdoodle cupcake recipe by slightly modifying How Stuff Works' caramelized sugar cake. I have reprinted it with my modifications below.

Makes 24 cupcakes

• 1 1/2 C granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2 C boiling water
• 2 eggs, separated
• 2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 C (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 C milk

1. Heat 1/2 C sugar in heavy 8-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is melted and golden brown.
2. Reduce heat to low.
3. Gradually add boiling water into sugar mixture; continue cooking until sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. You need to stir really quickly here to keep the sugar from glomming up.
4. Beat egg whites in medium bowl at medium speed with electric mixer until soft peaks form.
5. Gradually add 1/2 C granulated sugar, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside.
6. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; set aside.
7. Beat butter and remaining 1/2 C sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy.
8. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla extract.
9. Gradually add sugar syrup, mixing until well blended.
10. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.
11. Fold in egg white mixture.
12. Fill cupcake liners halfway full.
13. You could pop these into the oven at 375 F for 20 minutes right now, but if you want the cookie baked into them, read on.

The Snickerdoodle Cookie Baked in the Middle of the Snickerdoodle Cupcake

To bake a snickerdoodle cookie into the cupcake, make a tablespoon-sized ball of a your favorite snickerdoodle cookie dough recipe and roll it in a cinnamon / sugar mixture. Then, press the ball into the half full cupcake liners.

Bake at 375 F for 25 minutes or until the top bounces back when touched lightly. As you can see above, they look kind of ugly before they are frosted. However, it's also sort of fun to see the cookie popping out. I almost didn't want to frost them.

The Cinnamon Penuche Frosting

I fell in love with penuche frosting when I made my quinoa cupcakes. I used the same recipe that I used on those cupcakes, only I added cinnamon to make it more snickerdoodly.

I got the original penuche frosting recipe from Southern Food on About.com.

• 1/2 C butter
• 1 C brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 C milk
• 1 T ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 C sifted confectioners' sugar

1. In a saucepan, melt 1/2 C butter.
2. Add the brown sugar.
3. Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium low and continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add the milk and cinnamon and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
5. Cool to lukewarm.
6. Gradually add sifted confectioners' sugar. (I would highly recommend sifting this confectioners' sugar. It's such a pain to sift, but it ensures that the frosting will be extra smooth.)
7. Beat until thick enough to spread. If too thick, add a little hot water.

The Snickerdoodle Cookie on the Top

I topped my snickerdoodle cupcakes with a snickerdoodle cookie from Wholly Wholesome bakery. I could have topped them with my own cookies, but I had lots of extra Wholly Wholesome cookies and they did look pretty cute!

Gluten-Free Quinoa Cupcakes: Quinoa for Breakfast Part 2

 

These gluten-free quinoa cupcakes were inspired by A Southern Grace's apple cinnamon quinoa breakfast which I wrote about in part one of quinoa for breakfast. However, I am dedicating the gluten-free cupcakes to Cathy (a gluten-free friend of mine) whose husband wrote me this email back in September:

"Okay, so I just read the blog posting about the lonely 'cupcake' from your recent trip and it made me wonder if you've given any further thought to creating a gluten-free cupcake?

You could put your creative mind to a real cupcake challenge and take your game to the next level (mixing flours in addition to mixing ingredients)! This could be your chance to shine as a gluten-free superstar, while bringing hope to the despaired. I urge you to rise up and throw off the shackles of society; tell wheat that you don't have to use it...tell it that other options exist...show the world you are not the slave to boring flower any more! Wheat-free or die (or at least sick)! Join us in the revolution... Long live tapioca!!"

What a man! Can't you just picture him as a superhero fighting glutens? You'd think he was the gluten-free one and not his wife. Admittedly, it took me 6 months to respond with gluten-free cupcakes, but these were worth the wait! They were light and fluffy and had a surprise apple cinnamon center. The quinoa gave them a nutty flavor which went perfectly with the apples.

I topped the cupcakes with a penuche frosting. I was turned onto this frosting by an anonymous commenter who insisted that I google penuche and try it. It's basically a brown sugar frosting that tastes like caramel. It's basically delicious! I will be using this frosting recipe again and again. Not only did it taste great, but it was smooth and easy to spread.

Groom 2.0 Called This Cupcake a Wedding Contender

Groom 2.0 actually called this cupcake a wedding contender. I was shocked. There was no chocolate involved. I expected this to be a cupcake that Bride 2.0 would like. However, Bride 2.0 didn't like it. She liked the frosting and the apple part, but didn't like the taste of quinoa and thought the cake on its own was too dry.

My mother-in-law said: "Liked everything about it...taste, texture, quinoa, etc. Would never have guessed the ingredients."

A friend, who is becoming such a regular taster that my loaner Tupperware practically has his name on it, reported: "One of the best combinations of flavors, I enjoyed this very autumn cupcake. The gluten-free dough was a little dry, but I enjoyed the texture. Overall moistness is a critical component to a stellar cupcake from me, and this could have been a little moister."

His co-taster disagreed with his point about the texture. "Overall moisture was satisfactory because of the surprise center."

If I made these gluten-free cupcakes again, I would try mixing the apple filling throughout rather than only putting it in the middle of the cupcake. It would ruin the surprise factor, but I think it might address any issues with moistness.

If you are gluten-free or gluten-full and are looking for a tasty and different cupcake to try, I would definitely feel comfortable recommending this one.

Gluten-Free Quinoa Cupcake Recipe

I got the recipe for these cupcakes by adapting a recipe at Lucullian Delights to cupcake format. I am reprinting the recipe below with my modifications. One modification of note is that her recipe has coconut in it. That's on the banned foods list for Bride and Groom 2.0 so I left it out.

• 2 1/2-3 cups diced apples (about 2 medium sized apples)
• 1/4 cup sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 4 large eggs
• 9 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/3 cup cooked quinoa (You cook quinoa in the same way that you would cook rice. Read part one of quinoa for breakfast if you need more detailed cooking directions. I started with 1 C of uncooked quinoa and ended up with enough for this recipe plus plenty left over to have for breakfast or any other meal. I used Red Inca quinoa, hence the dark spots in the cake.)
• 1 3/4 cups rice flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  

1. Simmer the apple cubes with the water, sugar, cinnamon, and rum until the apple is cooked and almost all the liquid is evaporated. Try very hard not to eat it all before putting it in the cupcakes. There will be some left over. I ate it with the leftover penuche frosting. You could just make the apples and frosting and forget the cupcakes entirely and be quite happy.
2. Whisk the egg and sugar and add the melted butter. Stir well.
3. Add the quinoa, mix well, and then add the flour and baking powder. Stir well.
4. Fill 12 cupcake liners about 1/3 full with batter.
5. Add a layer of apples.
6. Top with another layer of batter so that they are all about 3/4 full.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the tops bounce back when you touch them.

Alternative: Mix the apples in with the batter instead of doing layers. I have not tried this, but I think it might be even better than the layered method.


Penuche Frosting Recipe
I got the penuche frosting recipe from Southern Food on About.Com.

• 1/2 C butter
• 1 C brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 C milk
• 2 C sifted confectioners' sugar (I only used about a cup)
  

1. In a saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter.
2. Add the brown sugar.
3. Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium low and continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
5. Cool to lukewarm. Gradually add sifted confectioners' sugar. (I would highly recommend sifting this confectioners' sugar. It's such a pain to sift, but it ensures that the frosting will be extra smooth.)
6. Beat until thick enough to spread. If too thick, add a little hot water.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Cupcake Ideas?

I am entering this cupcake into the blog event Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free. If you are looking for more ideas for gluten-free cupcakes, check out the round-up here. Remember, any cake recipe can easily be converted to a cupcake. Your cupcakes may take less time to bake than the cake recipe. Typically they take 20 minutes at 350 degrees. I recommend making a test cupcake first to see how much it rises and how long it takes to bake before you bake the entire batch.

Quinoa for Breakfast: Part 1

 

I've loved quinoa since I first encountered the little colorful curly-Q's. It's so much more interesting as a base for a dish than the old standby, white rice. However, until recently, I hadn't considered the merits of quinoa over oatmeal. This post is part one of the story of quinoa for breakfast.

Quin-whaa?

The Wikipedia article on quinoa states, "Quinoa (pronounced /ˈkinwɑ/ KEEN-wah or /ˈkinoʊə/ KEE-no-uh, Spanish quinua, quínoa, or quinoa) is a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium) grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal as it is not a grass. Its leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth, but the commercial availability of quinoa greens is currently limited."

A) Do I really want to eat goosefoot? FYI: The other species of goosefoot include Kañiwa, Fat Hen, Good King Henry, and Epazote. Why don't we see these on the market? I love the idea of vegetarians eating their stir fry over Fat Hen.

B) If people are growing quinoa, there must be leaves. How do I get to try them?

Quinoa Varieties

According the insert in my box of quinoa, quinoa comes in over 1,800 varieties. The one I used was Inca Red quinoa. Since I was going to be putting apples in the quinoa, I thought that red would work nicely. The photo to the left is of rainbow quinoa. I found it in a UK seed catalog. It actually grows in multiple colors. Move over, Lucky Charms!

Why Quinoa for Breakfast?

It's Taste & Create time again. This time, I was paired with A Southern Grace. She made my sweet potato casserole cupcakes (here's her version) sound so good that I want to make them again right now! She used homegrown sweet potatoes from her grandpa's garden. Yum!

The recipe that immediately caught my eye on her site was cinnamon apple quinoa. I like cinnamon apple anything and I know that Bride and Groom 2.0 are looking for fall flavor combinations. I concluded that cinnamon apple quinoa would make for a great cupcake flavor.

Cinnamon Apple Quinoa Breakfast Cereal

If you are a hot cereal person and are looking for something different for breakfast, definitely give quinoa a go! The recipe for the cinnamon apple quinoa on A Southern Grace was a great start to a great breakfast. However, like your bowl of oatmeal, everyone is going to have their preparation preferences. I'd recommend using this as a starting point.

Here is the recipe from A Southern Grace with the changes I made. Because there are just two of us here, I adjusted the recipe to make two big bowls.

• 1 C uncooked quinoa
• 2 C water
• .5 t salt
• 2 C apples (I used double the amount of apples that she used. You could also use any other fruit that you like. I tossed in a handful of raisins.)
• 1 t cinnamon

1. Rinse quinoa under cold water until the run-off is clear. (This step may not be necessary for you. My quinoa came pre-rinsed so this was not needed.
2. Bring the water to a boil with the salt.
3. Add quinoa. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Fluff the quinoa and let sit covered for another 10 minutes.
5. Peel and chop apples. Cook them however you like. I went the lazy route and stuck them in the microwave for 2 minutes.
6. Add apples and cinnamon to the quinoa.
7. Add whatever other flavors you typically like in your oatmeal. My husband and I had one bowl with maple syrup and one with honey.

In Part 2: Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Cupcakes

Mardi Gras King Cake Cupcakes: Fit for a King and Queen

 

King Cakes are cakes typically baked throughout the Mardi Gras season (beginning on Jan. 6, Epiphany, and ending on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday) to celebrate the three kings. It is one of the few desserts that I know of that people base an entire party around. The tradition is that one person brings the king cake to the Mardi Gras king cake party. A plastic baby (representing baby Jesus) is buried somewhere in the cake and whoever gets the piece with the baby has to host the next year's Mardi Gras king cake party.

I'm not Christian and I'm not from New Orleans, so why did I bake a Mardi Gras king cake cupcakes?

1. Iron Barley was having a Mardi Gras King Cake Bake-Off. I won a prize in their last competition for my tomato cupcakes. I had to give it a shot.

2. King Cakes basically taste like cinnamon rolls. Groom 2.0 loves cinnamon rolls. He has in the past talked about going to the airport just because there was a Cinnabon there. Neither of us is sure if he actually did this or just talked about it.

3. In Jewish weddings (as Bride and Groom 2.0's wedding will be), the bride and groom are supposed to be treated as king and queen for a day. The traditional chair lifting is to emphasize the couples regal status. Therefore, a king/queen cake could be fitting. Maybe I could hide a fake flower bouquet in one and the person who finds it either gets married next or chooses the next bachelor/bachelorette to wed.

The king cake cupcakes were the first cupcakes I have made that used yeast. They were definitely more a bread consistency that a cake consistency. In fact, I used my bread machine to make them.

The cupcakes were amazingly good fresh out of the oven and three days later my house still smells sweet and cinnamony.

The Mardi Gras king cake cupcakes were so tasty on their own that they didn't really need frosting.  However, cupcakes must have frosting and I thought that would be the best way to work in the Mardi Gras

king cake colors:

Purple represents justice,

green represents faith,

and gold represents power.

Another option might have been to just use colored sugar.

If I made these again and called them cinnamon rolls instead of king cakes, I would definitely work some of the praline filling into the frosting. The filling was the best part! Because I didn't think that it would color well, I opted for a basic cinnamon frosting.

I used purple ball sprinkles to look like Mardi Gras beads and of course, I hid the baby in one of the cupcakes.

The Opinions of Important People

1. Groom 2.0 liked them a lot. He didn't like the purple sprinkles because he thought they added unnecessary crunch. He also considered them to be a bit brunchy for a cupcake, but it turns out they are considering a brunch wedding so that might not be so bad.

2. Bride 2.0 is sick and has no taste buds.

3. The Iron Barley judges voted my cupcakes 3rd place! When they were announcing the winners, I was standing next to the owner of Kreative Kakes. She was so sweet. She seemed certain I was going to place. She asked me "Do you have a bakery?" I replied matter o'factly, "No, I have a blog." My prize: A Mardi Gras crown, some fancy beads, Mardi Gras party cups, and a Mardi Gras CD by Bob Case. You can see some of the other contest entries in the picture to the left. Not surprisingly, mine were the only cupcakes.

The Mardi Gras King Cake Cupcake Recipe

I slightly modified the recipe from allrecipes to use a bread machine and to be cupcakes. If you don't have a bread machine, you can follow the steps from the original recipe.

Yield: 24 cupcakes


Pastry Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup melted butter

1. Put all pastry ingredients into the bread machine per your machine's instructions. Typically you put in all the wet ingredients, then all dry ingredients, and put the yeast in last. Run the bread machine on the dough cycle. 
2. Remove from the bread machine, cover and allow to rise for two hours or until doubled in size.
3. To make the filling: combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, chopped pecans, 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup raisins. Pour 1/2 cup melted butter over the cinnamon mixture and mix until crumbly.
4. Rip off pieces of dough and make long strips out of them (about 2.5 inches wide). I didn't find the dough to be easy to roll so I basically just pressed it into the thin strips. 
5. Spread the filling down the center of the strip. 
6. Fold the top and the bottom of the strip around the filling to form a log. 
7. Stretch the log out to make it as thin as as you can without it breaking. 
8. Start on one end of the log and roll it until it fits snugly in a cupcake liner. Break it off, put it in the liner and continue rolling sections of the log.
9. Bake at 350 F for 20 min.

The Cinnamon Mascarpone Frosting Recipe

• 1 cup chilled whipping cream
• 8 oz mascarpone
• 1/2 T cinnamon
• 2 to 3 cups confectioner's sugar (depending upon how thick you prefer frosting)

1. Whip whipping cream in mixer until soft peaks begin to form.
2. Fold in mascarpone. 
3. Mix in cinnamon.
4. Slowly add about the confectioner's sugar, being careful not to over-whip frosting.

The Very Important Tip

I found the plastic baby in the baby section of a local party store. The store employee who helped me find it was very excited to share all of her Mardi Gras knowledge with me. I was most thankful for this particular tip:

"Do not put the baby in the cake when you bake it. It will melt. Hide it in afterwards."

Easy Banana Cupcakes with Vanilla Cinnamon Granola Cream Cheese Frosting: Another Recipe From Grandma

These banana cupcakes are quick, easy and delicious. Better yet, the banana cupcakes came from Grandma's recipe book. I love making new twists on family favorites.

The Banana Cupcake Background
My Grandma did not at first understand my husband's love for bananas. On our premier trip to Florida (home of all Jewish grandparents, at least those originally from New York), my grandparents took my husband (boyfriend at the time) and me out for a typically early Floridian dinner. We returned to the condo and my husband headed to the kitchen for a banana. Had he reached for a piece of golden glow cake or a scoop of ice cream, the world order might have been maintained. However, "Who eats a banana after dinner?" Surely my husband must be a strange bird with some kind of eating problem.

Grandma sent Grandpa out to the store the next day to buy more bananas. My husband was sure to eat them out of house and home at least in terms of bananas.

During future visits, my grandparents learned to prepare in advance, keeping plenty of bananas on hand to avoid any big scares (like an empty banana bowl).

I even heard Grandma mention to my husband that eating bananas must be what keeps him so slim. "Everyone should eat more bananas." I guess she's come to terms with his second love, 94011 (the PLU code for organic bananas). Phew.

As even further evidence of Grandma's lack of concern about over-consumption of bananas, she sent me her favorite banana cake recipe and encouraged me to give it a go. I think she also liked the idea of the fame of being mentioned in my blog. Who wouldn't, really?

The nice thing about all of Grandma's recipes is that they are easy. I needed an easy recipe this week. Last week, I logged 62 hours at work. I also had a brunch to go to on Sunday and banana sounded like a good breakfast cupcake flavor.

Grandma's banana cupcakes didn't have an icing, so that part was left up to me. I opted for a cream cheese icing with vanilla extract, cinnamon, and granola. Vanilla, cinnamon, and granola is a flavor combination that I have a adored ever since high school when I discovered it at Angora's, a frozen yogurt shop in Boston.

These were some of the easiest and best cupcakes I have made. I loved them! Unfortunately, I only got to eat two because I didn't have room to take any on the plane with me for this week's work trip. I guess I'll have to see if I can find some good cupcakes here in Idaho Falls. Any tips?

The Banana Cupcake Recipe (Makes 18)

• 1 STICK BUTTER
• 1 CUP SUGAR
• 2 EGGS
• 1/2 CUP SOUR CREAM
• 1 TSPN BAKING SODA
• 2 CUPS SIFTED ALL PURPOSE FLOUR (I didn't even both sifting and it was still light and fluffy)
• 1 TSPN VANILLA
• 2 BANANAS

CREAM BUTTER AND SUGAR
ADD EGGS
ADD SOUR CREAM,FLOUR, AND BAKING SODA
ADD VANILLA, ADD MASHED BANANAS
BAKE FOR 20 MINUTES AT 350

The Vanilla Cinnamon Granola Frosting Recipe

1 8oz package of cream cheese (Room temperature)
1/4 cup butter (Room temperature)
4 C powdered sugar (You can add slightly more or less to get the consistency and flavor you like.)
2 t vanilla
2 T cinnamon
2 C ground granola (I didn't want huge pieces, but I still wanted a detectable texture. I used an organic maple granola I found at Whole Foods. If you wanted to take more time, you could try to make your own, as shown here.)

Mix the cream cheese and the butter until they are fully integrated. Mix in the vanilla and cinnamon. Add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time. Make sure it is fully mixed in, but do not over-mix. Fold in the granola.

Shameless Product Plug For Which I'm Not Getting Any Kickback

I can't talk about bananas without mentioning the banana guard. The banana guard is a product that protects your banana from transit damage. It looks suspiciously like a sex toy, but that is not its job. Pick one up as a stocking stuffer. Your bananas will thank you.