April Fool's Day Cupcakes Are a Fun Surprise Snack

"Would you like a cupcake?"
"Of course!"

 

"Wait... what?"

"April Fools!"

Today's April Fool's Day cupcake is really a piece of toast cut in the shape of cupcake, smeared with chocolate almond butter and cream cheese, and topped with candied sunflower seeds.

The cupcake toast is healthy (when compared to the real thing) and is the perfect April Fool's Day after school snack.

Credit

This concept and all of the food styling was done by Brooke of Sucre Shop!  She's been sharing other cute snack idea on her Instagram feed.  Check them out!

Easter Egg Cupcake People

When reader Christine Mitchell made my Easter cupcakes baked in real egg shells, she filled the shells too high with batter.  The cupcakes overflowed out of the eggs instead of resting neatly inside the egg shell (as shown below).

Instead of tossing the eggs, she created a new Easter sensation - Easter egg cupcake people!

Easter Egg Cookies

Flat Easter egg cookies are fairly common and can be striking and adorable (the Easter egg cookies over at I Am Baker are a prime example).  But, not all of us have the artistic talent, time, or patience to create such intricate cookies.  To make my Easter egg cookies, you need only enough skill to form dough into a shape somewhat resembling an egg.  Trust me, you can do this.  What makes my Eater egg cookies cute is the colored foil they are wrapped in - reminiscent of the ever-so-popular chocolate Easter eggs.

Let's forgot about the cute factor for a minute and focus on the taste of these Easter egg cookies.  They are nutty (I used hazelnuts, but you can choose from any of your favorite nuts) and loaded with coffee flavor.  They taste a bit like biscotti dunked in coffee, but with the texture of Christmas snowball cookies or the similar Mexican wedding cookies.  In fact, I may repeat the Easter egg cookie recipe again as a ball come Christmas-time. 

Easter Egg Cookies Recipe

I based my Easter egg cookie recipe off of the nut ball recipe from The Passion Fruit.  My adapted recipe is below.

Yield: 18 Easter Egg Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee
• 2 cups finely chopped toasted hazelnuts (or any other chopped nuts)
• powdered sugar, to taste

Special Supplies:

• Colored foil candy wrappers in whatever colors you like (you can buy them at kitchen specialty shops or online)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. 
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy.
3. Mix in flour, salt, and coffee. 
4. Stir in hazelnuts. 
5. Shape dough into eggs.  I suggest having an egg on hand as a model.  You could also use an egg serving tray like the one in the photo to test the eggs for size (they will not rise in the oven). 
6. Freeze the cookie dough eggs for 20 minutes to help them hold their shape.
7. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet or Silpat for 12 minutes. 
8. Once cool to the touch, roll in powdered sugar.  If you lift them off of the cookie sheet too soon, they may crumble in your hands.
9. Wrap in colored foil.

Ginger Coconut Macaroons for Passover

Every year at our potluck Passover, my cousins are responsible for bringing the coconut macaroons.  The whole family (except me) raves about these particular macaroons - purchased from a neighborhood bakery.  Sure, the bakery macaroons are better than the ones from the can that I grew up eating, but I knew I could do better.  This year, I told my mom (our Passover host) that I'd like to take care of all of the Passover desserts - including the coconut macaroons.

Hummingbird Upside-Down Cupcakes

My hummingbird cupcakes with pineapple almond butter cream cheese frosting are among my  favorite cupcakes.  But, not everyone has almond flour, walnut oil, and golden syrup lying around (some of the key ingredients in that cupcake recipe).  This hummingbird upside-down cupcake recipe presents a simpler alternative with the same show-stopper flavor combination of pineapple, pecan, and banana. 

Hazelnut Coffee Cupcakes

Nutella is so in vogue that it's hard to think of doing anything with hazelnuts other than mixing them with chocolate.  It's easy to forget that Hazelnut (I prefer to call her Hazel) and Coffee are coffeehouse soul sisters.  They love their guy pal, Chocolate, but sometimes they need some bestie time.  I'm here to help.

I've created hazelnut coffee cupcakes with vanilla mascarpone frosting that closely mimic the aroma and flavor of a mug of hazelnut coffee.  As you eat, your "mmmm" may transition to a soft acoustic coffee shop soundtrack.  Just go with it!

Intensely Thai Cupcakes

There is nothing mild about these Thai-inspired cupcakes.  As soon as you are within grabbing length of these cupcakes, the unexpected aroma of fish sauce caramel buttercream hits you.  Once you place the scent, let it take you to your last Thai meal.  You'll recognize the smells from the tom kha soup you or your neighbor enjoyed.  A peel of the wrapper reinforces the setting.  The cake practically breathes coconut milk, lemon grass, and kaffir lime.  

Fish Sauce Caramels with Kaffir Lime and Lemongrass

 

Portland, Oregon is known for its foodie culture.  When Jonathan and I were there this summer for the International Food Blogger Conference, we had our pick of fabulous restaurants to choose from.  So, guess what we had for lunch?  Ice cream!  The tasting menu at Salt & Straw was irresistible!  Just look at their menu and you'll see what I mean.  My favorite of all of the flavors that I tried was a collaboration between Salt & Straw and Boke Bowl - a fish sauce caramel ice cream with lemongrass and kaffir lime.

Amazing 30 Second Chocolate Leaves

One of the best tricks that I learned during my day as a chocolatier at Kakao Chocolate was how to make these chocolate leaves in just thirty seconds.

Start by pouring a long blob of tempered chocolate onto parchment paper.

How to Temper Chocolate Like a Pro (You'll Be Surprised By How Easy It Is)

It doesn't matter if chocolate is tempered when using it in cake batter.  But, for chocolate decorations (like my 30 second chocolate leaves), ganache that shines, properly textured truffles, and gorgeous chocolate-dipped fruits and caramels, it's essential to know how to temper chocolate.  If you just melt chocolate any which way, it doesn't harden with the proper almost-reflective surface and the smooth crisp break of a chocolate that's been tempered correctly. The chocolate could end up rubbery and fugdey or simply lack luster.

I recently had an opportunity to learn how to temper chocolate from the pros at Kakao Chocolate.  I got to be a chocolatier for a day - this meant that, in addition to being trained by a professional chocolatier, I got to eat all of the chocolate that I wanted all day long - hello, sugar high!

This Can Happen When You Have a Toddler Who Loves Dumplings

My three year old, Myles, doesn't just request dumplings.  After reading "Yum Yum Dim Sum", he now requests them by name. 

Moonshine and Sweet Tea Cupcakes

What if, instead of moonshine, cupcakes were illegal?  Would you still bake them?  Would you race to deliver your cupcakes without getting caught.  "Oh no, officer, there's no need to check the trunk.  I was just headed to meet my husband and bring him some moonshine.  I would never get involved with something like cupcakes - heavens, no!"  Would NASCAR (a sport started due to moonshining)  be a largely female SUV-racing sport?  Thankfully, we'll never know.

NASCAR Cupcakes - Salt and Vinegar Pork Rind Cupcakes with a Beer Glaze

This NASCAR cupcake is for Nanette Biddle Taylor who posted the following on the Cupcake Project Facebook Page last week:

Might I suggest some type of NASCAR-themed cupcake in honor of the start of the racing season at Daytona in less than 10 days??? I'm having withdrawals and can't wait for Daytona.

After seeing Nanette's request, I polled the Cupcake Project Facebook Community to see what types of food you thought best represented NASCAR.  Beer was the clear winner!  I've been around that track before.  If you want a beer cupcake, check out my beer cheese cupcakes, Hefeweizen (wheat beer) cupcakes, or my cupcakes with a built-in cup for beer.  Another popular food on the list was hot dogs; if you want to make a hot dog cupcake for NASCAR, I've got a recipe for that as well.  So, I was forced to race toward another popular suggestion - pork rinds!

White Chocolate Amaretto Cupcakes

For my Valentine's Day contribution to Paula Deen's website, their editor suggested that I create a cupcake using white chocolate.  These white chocolate amaretto cupcakes did the trick!  The cupcakes contain both melted white chocolate and white chocolate chips for a double punch of white chocolate.  The amaretto adds a sultry almond flavor – enough to enjoy, but not strong enough to leave you with a lingering taste of alcohol.

Although you can make these white chocolate amaretto cupcakes using store-bought white chocolate, it would be extra fun to make them using homemade white chocolate (it only takes five minutes to make!). 

For the white chocolate amaretto cupcake recipe, head to Paula Deen's website!

Gumbo Mardi Gras Cupcakes Now Exist

I was alone in the kitchen when these gumbo Mardi Gras cupcakes came out of the oven.  Although I had loaded them with big chunks of smoked andouille sausage and prepared them using a roux (the traditional method for making gumbo), I wasn't sure what to expect.  Like you, I'd never tried a gumbo cupcake.  Would the cupcake taste vaguely spicy, or perhaps like a cupcake version of pigs in the blanket?

What I tasted as I popped a warm gumbo cupcake bite into my mouth blew my mind.  I tasted gumbo!  "These cupcakes actually taste like gumbo!"  I exclaimed aloud to no one but the masked ghosts of Mardi Gras past, present, and future who were giving me quizzical sidelong glances.

I served up these Mardi Gras gumbo cupcakes to several friends (trying to contain my excitement, lest they think me bonkers for proclaiming that the taste was so similar to the Cajun classic). To my relief and joy, they all agreed with me! One of my friends even went so far as to say that my cupcakes tasted like the gumbo made by one of the best chefs in town - huge happy dance time!

Are these gumbo cupcakes wacky? Oh, yeah!  Are they worth making for Mardi Gras?  You betcha!  Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Everything You Need to Know About Mardi Gras Gumbo Cupcakes

One Bowl Pine Nut Cupcakes with Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

I go crazy with elaborate projects sometimes (see my Homemade Lucky Charms for a prime example).  But, it's always nice to have a few one bowl recipes on hand to quickly whip together.  Despite the gourmet sound of a pine nut cupcake, these pine nut cupcakes fall into the dump and mix category of cupcakes.  Remember, easy doesn't mean any less tasty!

These pine nut cupcakes taste nutty and familiar, yet unexpected (pine nut is hardly a staple cupcake flavor). They have an occasional crunch from the whole pine nuts mixed into the batter and the tart, sweet finish of raspberry cream cheese frosting.  

If you don't want to splurge on pine nuts, you can make this recipe using any nuts and nut butter.

Sophisticated Yet Homey Pine Nut Raspberry Bars

Peanut butter and jelly is such an iconic American duo that before my three year old had even tried it, he was singing PB&J songs in his parent/child music class.  But really, people, must we stick with peanut butter?  Give other nuts a chance!  I suggest pine nuts.

Pining For Toasted Pine Nut Butter - Nut Allergy Safe

Pine nut butter on toast (or anything you would spread peanut butter on) is a simple special treat for someone in your life with (or without) nut allergies.  Pine nuts, as it turns out, are not nuts - they are seeds!  Therefore, pine nuts do not need to be avoided by people with nut allergies.  Hooray!  And, because pine nuts are so soft, they are incredibly easy to turn into nut butter - just whizz the toasted pine nuts and a touch of vegetable oil a few quick times in a food processor. 

Turn Your World Upside-Down with Dulce De Leche Flan

For me, love has always been like flan.  I'm a believer in love at first sight, but in practice love has always come slowly and smoothly - friendship transitioning to butterflies and then to that first kiss.  To appreciate flan, you need to take the time to melt it a little, get it out of its shell, and lastly to turn its world upside-down.  Only then will you be treated to its true beauty: a hidden caramel layer that now shines front and center, stealing your heart.

Dulce De Leche Frosting - How to Fix a Cupcake Mishap

After perfecting a cupcake recipe, don't top it with this dulce de leche buttercream frosting.  Your tasters will be so frosting-focused that they won't notice the cake you worked so hard on.  Save this sweet, salty, smooth dulce de leche buttercream frosting to top a cupcake gone bad - one that's too dry, ugly looking, or one where the batter overflowed in the oven.  With a simple swirl, your cupcake will be redeemed.  Isn't cupcake magic fun?

Dulce de Leche Buttercream Frosting Recipe