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.

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!

Cappuccino Eggnog Angel Food Cupcakes

These cappuccino eggnog angel food cupcakes have changed everything. Angel food cake is no longer relegated to the summer, topped with fresh, seasonal fruit.  These heavenly light cappuccino eggnog angel food cupcakes, topped with a dollop of snowy white whipped cream, smell like a bag of coffee beans kissed under the mistletoe by a jug of eggnog.  Their taste follows through on the scent's promise - each bite like a drink of the season's flavors. 

Cappuccino Eggnog Angel Food Cupcake Recipe 

Coffee and Doughnut Cupcakes Three Ways

Coffee and doughnut cupcakes are my attempt to wrap the complete experience of a lazy Sunday morning spent lounging in stained sweats, noshing on coffee and doughnuts, into a cupcake.

Oddly, I'm not the first person to make coffee and doughnut cupcakes (there are quite a few of us crazy cupcake innovators out there).  I've identified three methods of preparing coffee and doughnut cupcakes.  Most coffee and doughnut cupcakes (like the ones created by my all-time favorite cupcake blogger, Chockylit, the ones from my pals at C and C Cakery, and the totally adorable ones from Always with Butter) go for method 1. Method 1: Bake coffee cupcakes and top them with doughnuts.  Method 1 makes for an irresistible presentation and affords you the ability to dip the doughnut in the frosting.  However, I shot for a tad bit more integration between the doughnut and the coffee when I created method 2.

How to Use Your Favorite Coffee Beans to Flavor Your Baked Goods

Most recipes for coffee-flavored cakes and cupcakes call for instant coffee, espresso powder, or (more recently) Starbucks Via.  None of these are acceptable options for coffee aficionados.  If you fall into this category, you likely have a stash of whole roasted coffee beans that you grind to create your perfect cup of joe.  Those same beans can flavor your cakes and cupcakes and a offer huge coffee punch.  After baking cupcakes using my method, I was still awake on a caffeine high at 2am.

If you read the recipe for my Irish coffee brownie cupcakes, you already know how to use coffee beans to flavor your cupcakes.  In case you missed it, I wanted to call out the method in a separate post.  Use this technique in any recipe that calls for milk.

Irish Coffee Brownie Cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day

Irish coffee cupcakes are coffee-flavored cupcakes spiked with whiskey and topped with chocolate whiskey cream cheese frosting.  Irish coffee brownie cupcakes are the same thing, but with a surprise inside...

...a hidden brownie center!

I probably don't need to tell you how sensational these Irish coffee brownie cupcakes are, or how you need to make these cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day, or how these are a coffee-lover's dream.  Just go get the recipe on PaulaDeen.com* and get baking!

*For those of you who don't know, I regularly develop cupcake recipes for Paula Deen's website.  These St. Patrick's Day cupcakes are my March recipe.

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Tiramisu cupcakes, because they are served cold, are a refreshing way to beat the end of summer heat.  Making tiramisu cupcakes is not an original idea; many cupcake bloggers have made cupcake versions of tiramisu.  The common way of making tiramisu cupcakes is to start with a basic yellow or white cupcake recipe, flavor it with some rum and coffee, and top it with mascarpone, whipped cream, and cocoa powder.  While I would never turn down tiramisu cupcakes made that way, they miss out on what is to me the key feature of tiramisu - the topping to cake ratio.

Tiramisu has very little cake (ladyfingers) and LOTS of mascarpone and whipped cream topping.  Tiramisu's ladyfingers are like circus ringmasters: they keep everything together, but no one goes home talking about them.  The rum, coffee, mascarpone, whipped cream, and chocolate are the clowns, elephants, contortionists, unicycle rider, and man flying out of a cannon.  You simply won't forget them.  Because my tiramisu cupcakes start with just a small amount of "cupcake" (ladyfingers baked into cupcake wrappers), there is a TON of room for the "big top".

Witness:

Ready to make tiramisu cupcakes?

Mocha Fudge Pops for TLC

Only the true Cupcake Project stalker may have noticed the new TLC Cake Crew Badge on the lower right side of my blog.  A while back, I was asked to be part of a small group of bloggers chosen by TLC - The TLC Cake Crew.  I was highly honored to be asked - check out the list of Cake Crew bloggers (many of whom I stalked even before joining the crew).  This month, TLC sent each Cake Crew member a Flip video camera and asked us to share a favorite summer dessert with TLC.com.  I say this somewhat nonchalantly, but you have to imagine me jumping up and down with excitement.  I'd wanted a Flip for quite some time and had almost purchased one.  Plus, my video was going to be on TLC (I know, it's the dot com and not the TV channel, but it's a step).  Woot!

After MUCH deliberation, I decided to make mocha fudge pops for my TLC video. Unlike standard popsicles, these mocha fudge pops are actually frozen cupcakes on a stick.  Not all cake works frozen.  I considered making cheesecake (if you haven't tried frozen cheesecake, you should), but I settled on a flourless chocolate cake with a splash of Kahlua that essentially tastes like frozen fudge (a true fudgsicle).

Below, you'll find the video that I made for TLC.  TLC will be choosing their favorite Cake Crew video based on creativity, appearance, and online feedback.  So, if you like the mocha fudge pops, please leave comments on this post. Thanks! The winner of TLC's contest will get a 15 minute interview with the Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro.  If I win, I'd share the love by soliciting questions from you!

I've included the mocha fudge pop recipe beneath the video.

Mudslide Cupcakes with Baileys Irish Cream Whipped Cream

The expression "Don't judge a book by its cover" should never apply to cupcakes. While these mudslide cupcakes are tasty, their cover (a sweet Baileys Irish Cream whipped cream) is the exceptional part. In fact, several tasters said that they would have been happy to eat a big bowl of the whipped cream sans cupcake.

You'll see in the video at the bottom of this post (if you are the video watching type) that Bride and Groom 3.0 found the mudslide cupcakes to be a bit dry. I say that if you have the cupcakes with a big bite of the Baileys whipped cream and perhaps a sip of coffee with some more of the whipped cream on top, you've got yourself a moist and memorable morning treat.

Baileys Irish Cream Whipped Cream Recipe

The Baileys Irish Cream whipped cream frosting is such an important part of this cupcake that I am putting the frosting recipe first!

• 2 C heavy whipping cream
• 2/3 C sugar
• 2 T homemade Baileys Irish Cream (yes, store-bought would work just fine)

1. Whip heavy whipping cream until it looks like whipped cream.
2. Mix in sugar and Baileys Irish Cream until just combined.

Note: You may find yourself wanting to double the recipe if you like gobs of frosting. I'd suggest stocking up on some extra heavy whipping cream.

Mudslide Cupcake Recipe

Makes 12 cupcakes

• 2/3 C sugar
• 2 C flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 3 T ground coffee (your favorite kind)
  
• 3/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 C melted vanilla ice cream (you could also make this with coffee or mocha ice cream)
  
• 1/4 C homemade Kahlua (store-bought would work just fine)
• 1/4 C homemade Baileys Irish Cream (store-bought would work just fine)
• A little bit of chocolate for shaving on top (optional)
  
• 12 chocolate-covered espresso beans (optional)
  

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and coffee in a bowl.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl for 1 minute until light and fluffy.
3. Beat eggs, ice cream, Kahlua, and Baileys into the butter/sugar mixture until blended.
4. Fold in flour mixture.
   
5. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
   
6. Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean.
7. Top with Baileys Irish Cream whipped cream (see above), shaved chocolate, and a chocolate covered espresso bean.
   

Bride and Groom 3.0 Mudslide Cupcake Video Review

This video not only contains the mudslide cupcake review but also some marital advice involving bodily functions. I think it may be the first time the f-word has been used on this site (the one that rhymes with heart - did you think I meant the one that rhymes with luck?).


Happy 2010!

I want to take a moment at the end of this long post to wish all of my readers a Happy 2010! Did you make resolutions? I'm not big on resolutions, but I've made one that requires no effort on my part:
If I win Birdie's Resolution Contest, I will get a cute new blog design in 2010. Wish me luck! If you'd like, you can enter, too, on Gisele Jaquenod and Birdie.

Footnote: Thanks again to Sugar Cat Studio for the sensational cupcake wrappers!

Frozen Mudslide Drink - The Adult Milkshake

What's a girl to do with homemade Kahlua and homemade Baileys Irish Cream? Mudslides, of course! For my friend who, after reading the Baileys post, emailed, "That's not a cupcake. I feel so betrayed," don't worry: a mudslide cupcake is coming soon!

Frozen Mudslide Drink Recipe

Jonathan and I just happened to have a bartender friend visiting town when we wanted to make the frozen mudslides. This is how he made them, and I wouldn't change a thing!

Makes 4 frozen mudslides

• 4 oz vodka
• 4 oz Kahlua
• 4 oz Bailey's Irish Cream
• 2 pints (32 oz) vanilla ice cream
• Chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)
• Whipped cream for garnish (optional and not shown in the above photo)
• Chocolate syrup for garnish (optional and not shown in the above photo)

1. Blend all ingredients.
2. Garnish with some combination of chocolate shavings, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup (or anything else you want to throw on there).
3. Drink immediately.
   

Homemade Baileys Irish Cream - You'll Never Buy it Again

My homemade Baileys Irish Cream led to far more questions and comments from my friends than my cupcakes ever do. "What's in Baileys Irish Cream?" "Where can I get the recipe for Baileys?" "OMG! This Baileys is sooo good! Will you be posting the Baileys recipe?" Sometimes I think that I should forget cupcakes altogether and just post recipes for things that people didn't realize they could make at home. Some of my most popular posts right now are homemade Kahlua,  homemade grenadine (my most popular post of all time), how to make clotted cream, and homemade tahini. But, how could I ever give up on my petite frosted friends?

Homemade Baileys Irish Cream Recipe

Here is the homemade Baileys Irish Cream recipe for all of my friends, both on and offline. It's easy enough that you should have time to whip up a batch to take to your New Year's Eve parties! I found the recipe on a discussion forum on Chowhound. The entire discussion is worth a read. It contains lots of information about the drink. I am repriting it below with my notes.

• 1 cup light cream (I used heavy whipping cream, which made it even richer)
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 1 2/3 cup Irish whiskey (I used Jameson's)
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee
• 2 tablespoons Hershey's chocolate syrup (I used Torani)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (I skipped this entirely)

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and set on high speed for 30 seconds.
2. Bottle in a tightly sealed container and refrigerate. Shake before using.
3. Will keep for up to 2 months.

Video Demo

 For a video demonstration of this recipe, check out my Baileys Irish Cream Holiday Hangout.

Homemade Kahlua Using Your Favorite Coffee

Making homemade Kahlua gives you the flexibility to choose which coffee you would like in your coffee liqueur. Better yet, making homemade Kahlua is easy! You may even have the homemade Kahlua ingredients sitting around your house: coffee, vodka, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract. I can guarantee that you will impress your peeps when you show up to your New Year's Eve party with a bottle of homemade Kahlua rather than a six-pack of Bud Light. The only thing that might be more impressive would be a bottle of homemade Baileys Irish Cream.

Homemade Kahlua Recipe

A Google search for Kahlua recipes will reveal that there are several different ways to make homemade Kahlua. Many of the recipes call for instant coffee. I rejected those because I wanted to be able to use good quality freshly ground coffee. Others call for letting the recipe steep for several weeks; I rejected those because I don't have the patience. I ended up using a variation of a recipe that I found on a forum about Orchids. What do orchid growers know about Kahlua? Apparently, a lot. The end result of this Kahlua recipe is blissful. It has a sweet yet strong coffee flavor and it goes down super smooth.

Makes about 1.5 liters

• 6 cups brewed coffee (Use your favorite kind! I used Goshen coffee since I know that Bride and Groom 3.0 and many of my coffee connoisseur friends love it.)
• 1 pound light brown sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 liter of vodka (If you have access to a pure grain alcohol like Everclear, you may want to use that. I simply used SVEDKA Vodka and it worked just fine.)

1. While the coffee is still hot, mix in the brown sugar.
2. Let cool.
3. Mix in vanilla and vodka.
4. Serve over ice, in mixed drinks like a frozen mudslide, or use to make a cupcake (post coming soon).
   

Garlic Cupcakes to Keep You Safe From Vampires This Halloween

On a dark night, just a few days until Halloween, an innocent, unsuspecting cupcake baker sat down to eat her latest creation.

Little did she know that a vampire lurked in the shadows.

The vampire was particularly interested in the cupcake baker, for her blood was extra sweet from eating lots of cupcakes.

The vampire drew closer. The cupcake baker noticed and panicked (but just for a moment).

Suddenly, things went black and white.

But, the cupcake baker had nothing to fear. The cupcake that she was eating was a garlic cupcake and everyone knows that garlic wards off vampires (unless they are Twilight vampires like Edward that you wouldn't want to ward off).

Yes, that's a chocolate covered garlic clove that you see on there.

The vampire dramatically fell to her doom.

Should you want to protect yourself from vampires this Halloween (which I highly recommend), the garlic cupcake recipe is below. While the cupcakes are deathly for the undead, humans are surprisingly fond of them. Several mortals claimed that the combination of flavors (chocolate, coffee, and garlic) actually worked quite well together. "We liked the garlic cupcakes and were surprised to find that a little hint of garlic actually does work with chocolate!" said taster Hao.

The garlic in the cake isn't all that strong, but it does leave you with garlic breath. The garlic in the frosting, however, is quite intense. Jonathan said that the frosting would be great on pasta. I'll post a video review from Bride and Groom 3.0 later in the week (I'm not expecting them to choose this one for their wedding, but you never know).

Garlic Cupcake Recipe

Yield: 18-20 cupcakes

• 2 C flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 3/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 C sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 C sour cream
• 4 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 2/3 C brewed coffee
• 8 cloves roasted garlic (see my post on how to roast garlic, but skip the part about covering it in chocolate)
  

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl for 1 minute, until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs and sour cream.
4. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave.
5. Mix the chocolate into the wet ingredients.
6. Alternately fold in the flour mixture and coffee into the batter.
7. Mash garlic cloves and mix into batter.
   
8. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
   
9. Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean.

Garlic Coffee Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 C powdered sugar, sifted
  
• 2 t garlic powder
• 1 t ground coffee

1. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
2. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar.
3. Mix in the garlic powder and ground coffee until integrated.
   

Credits

Special thanks go out to makeup artist Jennifer from Looks by JLW for doing the makeup for this shoot. Our vampire would not have been nearly as spooky without it. Jennifer did an awesome job and, more importantly, she was willing to try the garlic cupcake and even liked it.

Thanks also go out to our vampire, my friend Christina, and, of course, my awesome in-house photographer!

Teeccino - A Coffee Alternative

Teeccino, like Nutorious, is a company I discovered at the Fancy Food Show. From the words of the Teeccino website, "Now you can enjoy a steaming cup of deliciously rich, deep roasted, fresh brewed flavor that delivers all the satisfaction without the caffeine and acidity of coffee!"

Is Teeccino a Good Coffee Alternative?

Teeccino is made up of a combination of ingredients that, with the exception of chicory, don't sound like they would taste like coffee: carob, dates, figs, almonds, and chicory. However, like coffee, it is roasted and you brew it in your coffee machine. The end result tasted shockingly like coffee!

I'm not a coffee connoisseur - and in fact, I had to drag our coffee maker out of the basement in order to test out the Teeccino. So, I decided to give one of my samples (the Mayan flavor) to my mother-in-law (who knows her coffee). She said that it tasted just like decaf coffee but she wished it had a bit more of a coffee smell - the scent is one of her favorite parts of the coffee experience.

She served some of her sample to my Aunt-in-law (is that real term?). Aunt Jo really enjoyed it and would even consider drinking it more regularly since coffee sometimes doesn't agree with her.

If you are trying to kick the coffee habit on your own or are motivated by your doctor's orders, Teeccino may be the way for you to go. If you can't find any near you, you can buy Teeccino online.

For any who were unsure where this post was leading, a Teeccino-inspired cupcake is on its way!

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?

Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes: Eggnog Latte Needed a Friend

When I baked my eggnog latte cupcakes, the Bride wrote and said she liked them, but she wanted to try a gingerbread latte cupcake. Having never had a gingerbread latte, I was a bit skeptical of the combination (I know, what was I thinking?). One of the very first comments on the blog post was from Hillary of Chew On That who suggested the very same thing the Bride had. I guess I had to make them.

I had made gingerbread cupcakes once before, that had passed level one through four evaluation, so I knew right away that I was going to function within that established framework. How would I handle being faced with the new challenge of the latte part? I decided on a multi-tiered approach.

Can you tell I'm on the job market now? I've jumped into corporate mode. Ugh, I'd better save those good lines for my interview tomorrow.

I wanted both the cake and the frosting to have a gingerbread and a latte component. To give the cake a latte flavor, I injected it with a coffee flavored simple syrup after it was done baking. It did give it a subtle coffee flavor, but I think it was a bit unnecessary.

For the frostings, I made both a gingerbread and a latte frosting and I swirled them together.

I liked this cupcake even more than the eggnog latte cupcake and have to admit that Hillary and the Bride had a great idea! This was the very last cupcake that I made before sitting down with the Bride and Groom to choose their 3 wedding flavors. I will be posting the chosen cupcakes soon.

The Cake (Makes 12 cupcakes. I doubled it.)

from allrecipes

• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup hot milk

1. Cream butter with the white sugar. 
2. Add the molasses and the egg and egg yolk.
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt.
4. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot milk. 
5. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in the hot milk mixture.
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full..
7. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes or until slightly springy to the touch.

The Simple Syrup

• 2/3 cup sugar
  
• 2/3 cup water
  
• 1 t coffee extract

Bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add 1 t coffee extract and let cool.

The Frostings

• 1 cup chilled whipping cream
• 8 oz mascarpone
• 2 teaspoon coffee extract
• 1/8 cup coffee grinds
• 2 to 3 cups confectioner's sugar (depending upon how thick you prefer frosting)
• 1 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoons allspice
• 1 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1 teaspoons cinnamon, ground
• 1 teaspoons ginger, ground

Whip up whipping cream in mixer until soft peaks begin to form. Fold in mascarpone.

Split mixture in half. Do a better job than I at splitting it in half. For some reason my "half" ended up being 3/4 and 1/4 which ended up making the frosting not as evenly mixed as I would have hoped.

In the first half, mix in 1/8 cup coffee grinds. Then while mixing over low speed, slowly add about 1.5 cups of the confectioner's sugar 1/2 cup at a time, being careful not to over-whip frosting.

In a separate bowl, mix the remaining spices. Add 2 teaspoons of the spice mix to the second half of the frosting. Then while mixing over low speed, slowly add the remaining confectioner's sugar 1/2 cup at a time, being careful not to over whip frosting.


The Sprinkles
I purchased the gingerbread sprinkles here.

The Assembly
When the cake cools, poke holes in it and pour a few teaspoons of the coffee syrup into each cupcake. Put some of each frosting into a pastry bag and pipe onto the cupcake.

An Easier Option
This cupcake would be just as good if you just made the cake and latte frosting and didn't bother with the gingerbread half of the frosting or the simple syrup. You could also just make the gingerbread portion of the frosting. You can't go wrong!

Christmas Cupcakes - Holiday Cupcakes for the Starbucks Addict

Christmas Cupcakes Important Public Service Announcement

Christmas cupcakes look oh so cute with candy canes, but I have an important Christmas cupcake warning for you. Candy canes melt in the cold. Take a candy cane, stick it in a Christmas cupcake, and place in the fridge. It turns into a dripping candy cane icicle looking thing.

If you like the icicle effect, by all means stick them in the fridge. Otherwise, place your candy canes in the Christmas cupcakes right before serving.

Many of my tasters pointed out that I shouldn't have used candy canes at all given my "no mint on cupcakes" policy. I saw the candy cane as more of an accessory though, not a cupcake flavor. It was something that would not affect my ability to taste the cupcake and determine if it was good or not.

Unfortunately, when they melted on the icing, I was foiled by the evil mint. The mint flavor (that I equate to the taste of toothpaste) infiltrated my delicious frosting!

Regularly Scheduled Programming

The Bride and Groom wanted me to try creating an eggnog cupcake for them. Like all good Jewish people, I gladly accepted the opportunity to create a new Christmas classic (according to interfaith family, over 1/2 of the top Christmas songs were were composed, co-written or performed by verifiably Jewish artists).

If you love coffee, you will love these cupcakes. It's a bold statement I know, but market research on my friends proved that 100% of coffee lovers loved these (well, at least the frosting).

My mother-in-law, who has tasted almost every cupcake I have made and is also a true coffee fan, said this was the very best frosting I have ever made. My good friend over at Everybody Loves Cheese (and coffee) said she could have eaten the icing with a spoon.

What about the eggnog? The eggnog flavor was definitely there, although it was somewhat mild. It went really well with the latte. Thanks, Starbucks, for the idea.

My only complaint about these cupcakes is that they could have been a bit more moist. These are definitely cupcakes that you will need to have with a glass of milk or, of course, eggnog!

The Eggnog Cake

The cake is a recipe with I modified from here.

• 4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups eggnog
• 1/4 cup dark rum

Preheat oven to 350°F. and line twenty-four 1/2-cup muffin cups with paper liners.
Into a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy and beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and with mixer on low speed beat in eggnog and rum until just combined. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating until just combined after each addition.

The Latte Frosting

I got the base recipe for the frosting from the winning recipe of the cupcake hero clove contest.

I loved the texture of this frosting so much that I had to use it again. I just modified the ingredients slightly to create my latte frosting.

• 1 cup chilled whipping cream
  
• 8 oz mascarpone
  
• 2 teaspoon coffee extract
• 1/4 cup ground coffee
  
• 2 to 3 cups confectioner's sugar (depending upon how thick you prefer frosting)

Whip up whipping cream in mixer until soft peaks begin to form. Fold in mascarpone, coffee extract, and coffee grinds. Then while mixing over low speed, slowly add the confectioner's sugar one cup at a time, being careful not to over whip frosting.

The Snowflake Sprinkles

I got those adorable snowflake sprinkles at Shop Bakers Nook. I don't see them there any more, but these are pretty similar, just blue and white.

Coffee Cupcakes: The Magic of Meringue

As I progress in this cupcake project, I find myself becoming obsessed with cupcakes. I look at more pictures of cupcakes than I care to admit and I've actually begun to see cupcakes where they don't even exist.

A popular cupcake type these days is the ice cream cone cupcake. For those that don't look at cupcakes all day long, here's a nice sampling, compliments of Flickr.

I was out on a hot night at the Muny and a child next to me had an ice cream cone (you know, the normal kind with stuff on it that is cold and melts) and the first thought that came to my mind was, "What a pretty looking cupcake." I may need an intervention.

Anyway, the bride-to-be put in a request for coffee cupcakes. I don't typically take requests, but I happen to really like coffee-flavored foods. Coffee itself I tend to find a bit too bitter, but coffee candy, ice cream, shakes, etc. are great. I decided to give coffee cupcakes a go.

I wanted the cupcake to look frothy at the top, like an espresso. Scanning my mental album of cupcake photos, it seemed that meringue looked the most like froth. Regardless of that, meringue cupcakes always look beautiful. This was a great excuse to try my hand at it.

The Cake
For the cake I opted for Chockylit's Vietnamese Coffee Cupcakes.

She promised a strong coffee flavor and we already had Vietnamese coffee in the house. The cupcakes turned out to be really tasty. However, they tasted like great coffee cake (i.e. a cake that you eat with coffee, not one that has coffee in it). The coffee flavor in the cake was really mild. It was good enough though, that I will try it again and endeavor to enhance the coffee. My initial thought for next time would be to add a teaspoon or two of coffee extract to the batter. The second option requires outside help.

An engaged couple came over to taste the cupcakes. These are not the bride and groom I am making the cupcakes for. This bride-to-be is from Seattle and her man is from right here in the Midwest. While the Seattle gal is of course a coffee connoisseur, turns out the Midwestern man is just as much if not more into his coffee. He recommended grinding some coffee in his special grinder until it forms a powder. Note that our grinder did not cut it for this. His definition of powder was more like dust. He felt that his grinds would give a much stronger coffee flavor to the cupcake. I may let him produce this magical coffee dust for me for the next making.

The Meringue
For the meringue I also used a modified version Chockylit's recipe but from a different cupcake.

• 1 cup egg whites (from approximately 7-8 eggs)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 t coffee extract
  

1. Combine the ingredients into the mixing bowl of your stand mixer and set over a bain marie (water bath).
2. Whisk by hand for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved or preferably until the mixture reaches 110 degrees fahrenheit
3. Beat on medium speed for 10 minutes
4. Beat on high speed until stiff glossy peaks form, about 5 to 10 minutes more.
5. Dollup a heaping tablespoon of meringue on top of a cooled cupcake.
6. Using your finger, poke the frosting to make a nice shape and some interesting peaks.
7. Using a blow torch, brown the meringue.

Making meringue is a slow process, but it is so much fun. There is one point in the recipe where you beat the eggs and sugar for 10 minutes. I actually just left them alone in the Kitchen Aid and went upstairs (I most likely went to my computer and looked at cupcake pictures). When I returned downstairs, the eggs and sugar had turned into a big poofy white substance. To me, this is just like being able to create a cloud. It brings me back to when I was a kid and I used to watch shrinky dinks turn from big sheets of plastic like paper to tiny glass like figurines.

As if the wonder of eggs turning to a complete different substance isn't enough, you then get to put that substance onto each cupcake, design a Cinderella castle of peaks on every one, and paint them with fire. How cool is that!

I bought a culinary torch just for the occasion. I've never used one before and was a bit concerned about burning myself with it. Turns out it is really easy to use and relatively safe assuming you pay close attention to where you aim.

I caught a cupcake wrapper on fire, but that easily blew out. Other than that, the only thing I lit up was the meringue - just as planned. As for my husband, that's a different story. He lit leaves and paper towels and sticks. I think he'll like this new toy just as much as me.

Now that I've covered how fun it was to make the meringue I should point out that even though I'd seen countless photos of meringue, I couldn't quite picture how it would taste. Turns out it tastes just like marshmallow. I don't like marshmallow :(. I will only occasionally eat marshmallows if I'm camping and I roast them so much that all marshmallow flavor is gone and I'm left with simply burnt sugar.

Good news is that most people love marshmallow and most people LOVED this meringue. The bride (the one that counts) just took one look at these cupcakes and her eyes lit up. As she started eating she made "mmmmm" sound effects. I think this is the most enthusiasm for a cupcake I've seen from her yet.

So despite my rule of not baking things I don't like, I will make meringue frosting again so others can enjoy it and I can have the fun art project of making it.

One change I would make is to add a bit more coffee extract. The meringue did not have much of a coffee flavor. Another idea would be to dust the top with espresso powder. I just dusted the top with cinnamon.

Overall, these cupcakes were winners in both appearance and taste. Thanks, Chockylit, for the recipes!