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.

Hummingbird Cupcakes with Pineapple Almond Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

It seems that outside of the South (some people think of St. Louis as the South - but we're definitely Midwest), no one has heard of hummingbird cupcakes.  You are missing out!

My hummingbird cupcakes are everything that banana muffins wish they could be.  The hummingbird cupcakes have a strong banana flavor, but so much more complexity.  The addition of pineapple adds moisture and the sweetness of nature's candy.  The cupcakes have a nutty flavor (thanks to the pecans mixed throughout), but even if you happen to get a nut-free bite (unlikely), the nut flavor will still be there; I baked my hummingbird cupcakes using almond flour rather than the more typical all-purpose flour (bonus - the almond flour means these hummingbird cupcakes are gluten-free!).

Because banana is the most intense flavor in the cupcakes, I wanted to play up the pineapple in my cream cheese frosting.  When you add real pineapple (as opposed to pineapple flavor) to frosting, it tends to make the frosting too wet to pipe.  The natural tendency is to add more powdered sugar to compensate - making the frosting well above sugar levels I can tolerate.  For this frosting, I used almond butter as the thickener, which gave the frosting a pipeable texture (with enjoyable nutty undertones) without adding too much sweetness.  I'm in love.


What are Hummingbird Cupcakes?

Chocolate Coconut Rum Cupcakes and an Announcement

After Wedding 3.0, I did not plan to do another wedding.  In fact, Jonathan STRONGLY encouraged me not to.  Baking 300 cupcakes in a home kitchen is extreme - and even more of a task with a young child underfoot.  One person who definitely understands the challenges involved is this woman...

The Ultimate St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

Q. What makes these cupcakes the ultimate St. Patrick's Day cupcakes?

A. Lots of green and lots of booze!

They are green velvet cupcakes with Irish whiskey cream cheese frosting and a built-in chocolate cup filled with green beer.

Believe or not, prior to making these cupcakes, I had never made velvet cupcakes (red or otherwise). I don't get the appeal - especially given that most of the time the color comes from gobs of food coloring (with the rare exception of people who use beets for the red color). However, since Bride and Groom 3.0 requested red velvet as a possible wedding flavor, I decided to break down and try the elusive velvet cupcake (but, I had to be different and go for green).

How to Make the Ultimate St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

1. Make the Green Velvet Cupcakes

Because of my distaste for food coloring, I first tried to make my green velvet cupcakes with all-natural food colors. Sadly, after using two whole packages of all-natural yellow and blue coloring, the cupcakes still looked brown. The only way to make the cupcakes bright green was to break down and use Fakey McFake colors (at least St. Patrick's Day is only once a year).

Credits:
I got the recipe from Sarah of Daily Nibbles. Sarah tried three different red velvet recipes and decided that this one was the best.
Sarah got the recipe from The Way The Cookie Crumbles,
Who got it from Apple A Day,
Who adapted from Saveur,
Who got it from Cake Man Raven.

Yield: About 15 cupcakes

• 2 1/2 C cake flour
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 T cocoa powder
• 1 t salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 1 C buttermilk
• 2 T (1 oz.) green food coloring
  
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 t white distilled vinegar

1. Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa, and salt into a medium bowl.
2. Beat eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined.
   
3. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
4. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full with cupcake batter.
5. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until cupcake bounces back when touched.
   

2. Fill the Cupcakes with the Chocolate Liqueur Cups

Wait for the cupcakes to cool completely (you don't want to melt the chocolate). Then, using a small paring knife, cut a chunk out of the top of the cupcake and slide the chocolate liqueur cup in.

These chocolate liqueur cups were compliments of Astor Chocolate. Check back soon for a chance to win some!

3. Frost With Irish Whiskey Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 C powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 T Irish whiskey

1. Mix cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in powdered sugar one cup at a time.
3. Mix in whiskey.

4. Fill the Liqueur Cups With Green Beer

I recommend that you fill the liqueur cups with beer tableside. The easiest way to do this is to use a funnel or a turkey baster. Be careful not to overflow the beer onto the cupcake (although, if you do, your St. Patty's day revelers are not likely to notice or care).

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cheesecake Frosting

Pumpkin cupcakes are so overdone. Pumpkin cupcakes are everywhere and if it's not pumpkin cupcakes, it's pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, or pumpkin cookies. If it's Fall, you'd better like pumpkin!

The good news is that most people do love pumpkin. We love it so much that we end up using it as a term of endearment. I regularly call Myles "pumpkin". Jonathan points out that I used to call our poodle "pumpkin" as well. I'm sure if we had a pet pot bellied pig, he'd be "pumpkin", too.

(I couldn't resist another Myles photo.
He's sucking the pacifier because
he's too young to eat the pumpkin cupcakes.)

Bride and Groom 3.0 are no exception to the plethora of pumpkin people. They listed pumpkin as one of the flavors they might want for their wedding.

Why Pick This Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe Over Any Other One?

We know from pumpkin pie that pumpkin and graham go well together. These pumpkin cupcakes capitalize on that. They contain graham flour and graham cracker bits. The graham cracker bits soften during the baking process. Rather than adding a crunch, they add a richer, grahamy flavor to the cupcake. The graham flavor does, however, make these treats seem a bit more muffiny than cupcakey (if you don't like the earthy, graham flavor, you might consider trying my pumpkin cupcakes with rum and maple instead).

My favorite part about these pumpkin cupcakes was the pumpkin cheesecake frosting. Use it to top any Fall dessert and you won't go wrong.

Bride and Groom 3.0 Review

Bride 3.0 warned me that she wasn't a big fan of frosting. I thought that perhaps I'd win her over with a cream cheese-based frosting. But, it turns out that she doesn't like cream cheese frostings (back to the baking board). Groom 3.0 and their roomate, Davin, loved the frosting.

Although Bride 3.0 didn't like the frosting, she did let me know that she loves sprinkles. She calls them sparkles! How fun! Expect to see more sparkly cupcakes coming soon.

Both Bride and Groom 3.0 found the cupcakes to be a bit too muffiny/breakfasty to be a wedding choice. They also thought that the cupcakes could be somewhat more pumpkiny. This was in contrast to other tasters. One of my tasters, Christina, even said, "Wow... this is so pumpkiny!"

They rated this cupcake three out of five fireworks. They made up the firework system and I dig it!

The Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

The cupcake recipe contains graham crackers. You can use any store-bought graham crackers or make homemade pumpkin graham crackers.

Makes about 17 cupcakes

• 3/4 C graham flour or whole wheat flour
  
• 3/4 C all-purpose flour
  
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t ginger
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1/2 t allspice
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 3/4 C pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 1/2 C cream soda
• 1 T vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 2 C smashed graham crackers (pea-sized bits)
  

1. Whisk together flours, spices, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, pumpkin, and eggs. Beat until smooth.
3. Mix the oil, cream soda, and vanilla into the wet ingredients.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
5. Stir in the graham crackers.
   
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
   
7. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Frosting Recipe

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 C pumpkin puree
• 3 C powdered sugar, sifted

1. Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
2. Mix in pumpkin puree.
3. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar. You can add more sugar to make the frosting stiffer, but I think that makes it too sweet.

Top each cupcake with a pumpkin graham cracker.

Prickly Pear Cupcakes

Prickly pear cupcakes bring my week of prickly pear eating to a close. While I strongly preferred my prickly pear lemon bars to the prickly pear cupcakes, one friend said that I was doing something akin to comparing a sandwich to ravioli - they are too different to compare. Other friends couldn't weigh in on whether they liked the the prickly pear cupcakes better or worse than the the prickly pear lemon bars because I hoarded all of the lemon bars for myself! They did have some very positive things to say about the prickly pear cupcakes, though:

• "Heaven!"
• "I would definitely buy one if they were for sale somewhere."
• "The only thing that would make this better would be chocolate."

OK - those last two quotes were from the same person I talked about in the first paragraph - but they were good quotes. I had to use them.

The other quote that multiple people had, including myself, was that the prickly pear cupcakes were:

• "Generically fruity."

If I hadn't mentioned the fact that they contained prickly pear, people would not have been able to identify what the fruit flavor was.

The Prickly Pear Cupcake Recipe

The coolest thing about the prickly pear cupcake recipe was the bubblegum-pink batter. It was so fun! Too bad the cupcake didn't stay that color after baking. This is a Cupcake Project original recipe.

Makes about 14 cupcakes

• 2 C flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 3/4 C butter, room temperature
  
• 1 C + 3 T sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 C plain yogurt
• 1/4 t lemon extract
• 1 t vanilla extract
  
• 1/3 C prickly pear juice (You can easily make prickly pear juice with a prickly pear and a food processor or blender. Simply Recipes has a great tutorial on how to make prickly pear juice.)
• 1/4 C lemon juice

1. With a fork, 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, yogurt, and extracts until blended.
4. Combine prickly pear juice and lemon juice in a small bowl.
   
5. Alternately mix in the flour mixture and juice to the sugar/butter mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with flour.
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.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting with Prickly Pear Lemon Bars

You could top the prickly pear cupcakes with a basic lemon cream cheese frosting. That would be perfectly tasty. But, if you just happen to have some extra prickly pear lemon bars laying around, you can blend them and mix them into the frosting for added zing! That's what I did, and as you can see in the photo, the prickly pear lemon bars integrated into the frosting so well that no one even knew they were there.

• 1 8oz package of cream cheese, room temperature
  
• 1/4 C butter, room temperature
• 4 C powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 t lemon extract
• 1 1/2 t prickly pear juice (Optional. I only added this to give the frosting a mild pink color. It did not affect the taste at all. You could use food coloring or skip this entirely.)
  
• 1 C pulverized prickly pear lemon bars (Optional.)

1. Mix butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
2. Add in powdered sugar one cup at a time. You can add more or less to get your desired level of sweetness and stiffness.
3. Add lemon extract and, optionally, the prickly pear juice.
4. If you choose to do so, mix in the prickly pear lemon bars. It could also be fun to sprinkle them on top.

Other Cupcakes With Prickly Pear and Lemon

I want to give a quick shout out to Keesha - The Prissy Cook. Keesha is a fellow prickly pear lover and cupcake baker. Around this time last year, Keesha made lemon cupcakes with prickly pear frosting. She was able to find a prickly pear syrup that made her frosting a gorgeous pink color. Be sure to check out her prickly pear cupcake post for a different take on the prickly pear lemon cupcake and also to read about her amusing tale of transporting cupcakes by bike.

Oreo Frosting - Cream Cheese is the Key

Oreo frosting, in my mind, has to be made with cream cheese. As I mentioned when I made my Oreo cookies, I love Oreo cheesecake and I thought that I could, to some degree, replicate the feel of a good Oreo cheesecake in the frosting for my Oreo cupcake. I started with a basic cream cheese frosting and mixed in Oreos and a splash of vanilla extract.

I consider my Oreo frosting a success! It was perfect on the Oreo cupcakes, but it would also be great on any plain chocolate or vanilla cupcake. Even a box mix cupcake would be kicked up many notches if you topped it with homemade Oreo frosting.

Oreo Frosting Recipe

• 8 oz package of cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 C butter, room temperature
• 3-4 C powdered sugar (use more or less depending on how stiff you want the frosting to be)
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 3/4 C crushed Oreos (I crushed them in the food processor to be sure the pieces would be really tiny and wouldn't get stuck in my piping tips. If you are going to spread the frosting, it might be fun to use bigger chunks of Oreo. Also, I used my homemade Oreo cookies which aren't standard size - so I can't tell you exactly how many Oreos 3/4 of a cup is.)

1. Whip cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in powdered sugar one cup at a time.
3. Add vanilla extract.
4. Gently stir in crushed Oreos.
   

Sesame Honey Cupcakes

I wanted my sesame honey cupcakes to taste like sesame honey crunch candies. I know I was an unusual child, but sesame honey crunch candies were some of my favorite candies (I have always had a love for anything with honey). Perhaps, I wasn't as strange a child as my husband, though, who for some inexplicable reason called sesame honey crunch candies "chicken bones." Did anyone else do this?

Did the Sesame Honey Cupcakes Taste Like Sesame Honey Crunch Candy?

Yes, the sesame honey cupcakes tasted just like sesame honey crunch candies! Those (like me and Jonathan) who love sesame honey crunch candy loved these sesame honey cupcakes. Those who do not like the flavor of sesame and honey, like my mother in law, did not like these. Lastly, those who had never had anything with sesame and honey, like my friend who was in from Seattle, simply didn't know what to make of them.

You should know that like the candies, the cupcakes are not overly sweet and strike me as kind of mellow and cozy - a cupcake that you would have with some steamed milk rather than an espresso.

Groom 2.5 suggested that the cupcakes might go well with some kind of fruit filling. I agree, but I think that would in some way detract from their simple nature.

The Sesame Honey Cupcake Recipe

I got the recipe for the sesame honey cupcake from Curiously Ravenous. Her recipe was absolutely perfect for what I was looking for! I am reprinting it below with my notes.

Makes 12-15 cupcakes

• 2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 3 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/3 C unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 C honey
• 1 egg
• 2 T tahini (you can use my homemade tahini recipe or use store-bought)
• 1 C buttermilk
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 3 T white sesame seeds

1. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
2. In another bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and honey until pale and glossy, about 3 minutes.
3. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk and vanilla.
4. With the mixer running, add the egg to the butter-sugar mixture, until well-blended.
   
5. Continue beating in the tahini.
   
6. In 3 additions, alternately blend in the flour and buttermilk, ending with flour.
   
7. Mix in the sesame seeds.
8. Fill cupcake liners almost to the top. These cupcakes do not rise very much.
9. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top of the cakes are lightly golden.

The Sesame Honey Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Curiously Ravenous used a sesame honey buttercream frosting on her cupcakes. Since I'm not a buttercream fan, I opted for a Cupcake Project original cream cheese version. You might notice the absence of sugar in my recipe. Whenever I've added powdered sugar to a frosting recipe with honey it, the level of sweetness disgusts me!

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 C butter, room temperature
• 2 T tahini
• 1/2 C honey

1. Whip cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.
2. Slowly mix in tahini and honey.
3. Spread on the cupcakes. You don't need to make them look pretty because they are going to get covered in sesame seeds.

The Dunk and Drizzle

Once the cupcakes have been frosted, simply dunk them in a plate of toasted sesame seeds. If you need a tutorial on toasting sesame seeds, see my notes in the tahini post. I used all white sesame seeds, however, I think it would look really neat to use a combination of white and black sesame seeds.

Once the sesame seeds were all in place, I drizzled some honey over the top of the cupcakes. The photo above is really just another opportunity to show off Jonathan's new macro lens!

Related Recipes

If you would prefer to make the actual sesame honey crunch candy instead of a cupcake recipe inspired by it, you might want to check out Alanna's recent sesame candy recipe. I haven't personally tried it yet, but it sounds fantastic.

If you would prefer a cupcake recipe based on another favorite candy, you might want to check out my Ferrero Rocher cupcakes.

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.
   

Tomato Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Tomato cream cheese frosting is sweet. You might not even know that the tomato frosting has tomato in it until the aftertaste hits you - then, you'll know for sure. If you doubt that it could be good, I'll give you brief preview of my next post: this tomato frosting topped first prize winner cupcakes! Details on that cupcake and my first ever baking trophy are coming soon!!

The Tomato Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

• ¼ C butter, room temperature
• 8 oz package of cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 C powdered sugar
• 2 T tomato paste (I used extra-concentrated tomato paste to keep the frosting from getting too moist and runny)
• ½ t vanilla extract

1. Mix butter and cream cheese until smooth.
2. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Add more or less to make it as stiff as you like.
3. Mix in the tomato paste and vanilla extract.

Five Spice Powder Frosting Recipe

What are the Five Spices in Five Spice Powder?

My first question when considering a five spice frosting recipe was, "What are the five spices in five spice powder?"

The five spices in the Frontier Seasoning Blends five spice powder are:

• Cinnamon
• Fennel
• Cloves
• Star Anise
• White Pepper

However, much to my shock and awe, I learned that five spice powder actually has nothing to do with the number of spices!

If Five Spice Powder Isn't About Five Spices, What is it About?

According to the fabulous food blogger Chez Pim:

The "five" in Five Spice actually refers to the balance of five basic elements: earth, fire, water, air, and metal. The Five Spice powder was originally used in Chinese medicine to restore the balance of the five elements in the Chi or the life energy in our bodies. So, besides the five basic spices, Five Spice powder may contain other spices such as coriander seeds, cumin or anise seeds (instead of fennel seeds), black or green cardamom, and even nutmeg.

Also on Chez Pim, there is a recipe to make your own five spice powder and I must admit that I am now feeling like a bit of a slacker for not making my own.

Why Five Spice Frosting?

The five spice frosting was inspired by pork. Pork inspires all kinds of people to do all kinds of things. I've already been inspired by pork once before - remember the bacon cheddar frosting? This time, I didn't put any pork in the frosting. I just used the five spice powder, a prominent element of the rhubarb pulled pork that I made for Taste & Create.

How Did Five Spice Frosting Taste?

The five spice frosting was mellow and tasted like Fall. I suppose it wasn't the best choice for a summer cupcake, but sometimes it's nice to have Fall flavors in the Summer, too. It would go really well on most Fall cupcakes and especially well on rhubarb cupcakes.

Five Spice Frosting Recipe

Here is my five spice frosting recipe:

• 1/4 C (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 C powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 t five spice powder
• 1 t vanilla extract

1. Beat the butter and cream cheese until combined.
2. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until creamy.
3. Add the five spice powder and vanilla extract.

A Question for You

I like doing posts specifically about frosting. It's especially useful if I use the same frosting on more than one cupcake. However, frosting doesn't look that great when it isn't frosting something. There are only so many "frosting on the spatula" or "frosting in the beaters" photos I can see before getting bored with them. Anyone have any ideas?

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Strawberry cream cheese frosting is a perfect summer frosting. It's light and refreshing. I don't like my strawberries with too much added sugar so I use fresh strawberries rather than a strawberry syrup in the frosting. Groom 1.0 said that the strawberry cream cheese frosting tasted a bit like strawberry yogurt.

Why Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting?

The strawberry cream cheese frosting was planned because I knew I was going to have lots of strawberries. I was going strawberry picking. Not only was I going strawberry picking, but I was going at 8 AM on a Saturday! I was told that this year has been a bad year for the strawberries and we had to get up early or they would be all sold out.

My friend over at Life in Webster arrived to pick me up and greeted me with the bad news. She had called on the way over and found out that at 7:30 AM, the strawberry farm already had too many strawberry pickers and they would take no more. I had no idea strawberries were in such hot demand!

Luckily for us, there were fresh strawberries to be had at the farmer's market. I could still make my strawberry cream cheese frosting.

The Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Update 6/29/11: Be sure to read through the comments before making this recipe.  You'll see that some people LOVE it and others found it to be way too "soupy".  To help make the frosting less liquidy, drain off the excess liquid after mashing your strawberries and chill the frosting a bit before trying to pipe it.

• 1/4 C butter (room temperature)
• 1 8 oz package cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1/2 C strawberries, mashed up in a food processor
• 3 to 4 C powdered sugar

1. Cream butter and cream cheese.
2. Mix in the strawberries.
3. Add the powdered sugar to the taste and consistency you prefer.
4. Add to your favorite cupcakes! (I used it on my multigrain cupcakes with strawberries)

All American BBQ Cupcakes: Smoky Chocolate Cupcakes with Sweet Corn Cream Cheese Frosting

My cupcakes get jealous at BBQs - all of that BBQ smoke and sweet corn at meal time and none at dessert. That's why I created the All American BBQ cupcake. The cupcake is a chocolate cupcake with a secret ingredient - liquid smoke. The liquid smoke gives the chocolate a fantastic smoky smell and taste. The frosting is a sweet corn cream cheese frosting that has just enough corn to scream summer BBQ, but not too much to say, "Ewww, corn frosting!"

BBQ Cupcake Reactions

Bride and Groom 1.0 sampled this cupcake last night.

Groom 1.0 said that the smoky flavor reminded him of BBQ sauce and hamburgers and it worked well with the chocolate. That was my goal with the cupcake, as stated above, so I couldn't have been happier about this review. He also said that it was in his top 10 of all Cupcake Project cupcakes.

Bride 1.0 said that if they were having a second wedding and it were in the summer, they might have chosen this cupcake.

Neither of them could taste the corn in the frosting, but they did think that the sweetness of the frosting went well with the smokiness of the cake.

Groom 1.0 also said that the cake tasted like a chocolate pop tart. He says that's a good thing, but I don't believe him (hence the attempt to hide this comment).

The Smoky Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

I added liquid smoke to my favorite chocolate cupcake (Chockylit's chocolate cupcake) to make this recipe.

Makes 16 cupcakes

• 1/2 C (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 C sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 C flour
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Askinosie cocoa powder. See my post on Askinosie cocoa powder for more info.)
• 1/2 C milk
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 t hickory flavored liquid smoke

1. Beat butter until softened.
2. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined.
4. Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a small-sized bowl and whisk to combine.
5. Measure out the milk and vanilla and stir to combine.
6. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine.
7. Add about half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine.
8. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
9. Add liquid smoke.
10. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 1/2 full. These cupcake will not dome. If you fill them too high, they will just collapse.
11. Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

The Sweet Corn Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

• 1 15 oz can corn (If you are already working the grill and have some fresh corn, that would work. I used white corn so you don't see weird yellow pieces of corn jutting out of the frosting.)
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 C (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
• 3 C sifted powdered sugar

1. Cream the butter and cream cheese.
2. Drain any liquid out of the corn and food process it until it becomes a big corn mush (that's a technical term).
3. Add the corn to the butter and cream cheese and mix well.
4. Mix in the powdered sugar. You can add more or less sugar to get the taste and consistency you like.

The Leftover Frosting

Because I frosted these cupcakes lightly, I ended up with lots of extra frosting. If you are also a light froster, you may want to halve the recipe above. If you do have extra frosting, you can make cornbread out of it. This was Jonathan's idea all the way. He took my extra frosting, mixed in some corn meal and baked it in a cast iron skillet. It made a dry crumbly corn bread, but any corn bread is better than tossed out frosting. We think it might have been better if he had added an egg.

The Red, White, and Blue Sprinkles

I bought both the red wrappers and the red, white, and blue sprinkles at Confectionery House.

Cupcake Hero

The theme for Cupcake Hero this month is cocoa powder with bonus points for Askinosie cocoa powder. I thought about topping these cupcake with my Askinosie chocolate cream cheese frosting instead of the sweet corn cream cheese frosting to increase my odds of winning, but the corn just seemed so right. Besides, I'm sure the Cupcake Hero staff will be happy for a corn break after tasting all of that chocolate.

My Favorite Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe: The Cocoa Powder Makes a Difference

I don't like to play favorites with my recipes. I enjoy almost all of the cakes and frostings that I make. However, I will openly admit that my favorite frosting is chocolate cream cheese frosting.

The chocolate cream cheese frosting recipe is at the bottom of this post, but first I want to talk about the key ingredient - cocoa powder.

Beer Cheese Cupcakes with Bacon Cheddar Cream Cheese Frosting: The Ultimate Super Bowl Cupcake

Beer and cheese dip show up at every Super Bowl party. Beer cheese Super Bowl cupcakes are sure to be a new and unique (to say the least) addition to the same old thing. Oh, and let's not forget that these Super Bowl cupcakes are topped with bacon and cheddar cream cheese frosting. Can you say artery clogging?

Beer Cheese Super Bowl Cupcake Review

The house smelled amazing throughout the entire cupcake process. First, there were smells of beer and cheese. It basically smelled like beer cheese soup. Then, there were smells of bacon.

The taste was sweet and smoky with a hint of beer.

But, Don't Let Your Super Bowl Cupcake Baking Stop Here

Read on for the beer cheese Super Bowl Cupcake recipe, but be sure to also check out my buffalo chicken cupcakes and my chocolate cupcakes baked inside of egg shells that look like footballs.

Beer Cheese Super Bowl Cupcake Recipe

I came up with the recipe by modifying the recipe I used for chocolate stout cupcakes which was a modification of Big City, Little Kitchen's Guinness cupcakes.

Yield: About 18 cupcakes

• 1 cup beer (I used Bud Select. I'm not usually a Bud gal, but they do sponsor the Super Bowl, so I had to go there.)
• 1 stick, plus 1 tb, unsalted butter
• 1 cup grated cheddar (I'd go for the good stuff here. Get something nice and sharp, not the cheap stuff that comes shredded in a bag.)
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tb vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Heat beer and butter in a large saucepan on medium-high heat until butter is melted.
2. Add cheddar. 
3. Remove from heat, and whisk in the sugar.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla.
5. Mix the sour cream mixture into the beer mixture. 
6. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda.
7. Fold flour mixture into the batter. 
8. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 fill.
9. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean.

Bacon Cheddar Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

• 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup grated cheddar
• 1 cup bacon bits (I made my own by cooking some bacon in a glass pan in the microwave for 3 minutes between paper towels and food processing it.)

1. Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. 
2. Add grated cheddar.
3. Slowly mix in powdered sugar. 
4. Stir in bacon bits.

How to Make Football Cupcake Toppers

I learned how to make football cupcake toppers from a post on Team Sugar. It's simply a chocolate covered almond with white decorator gel on it. It's so easy and so cute!

Final Words on the Super Bowl

Since St. Louis isn't in the game, I've got to cheer for NY. Go NY GO! FYI - The only reason I know NY is even in the game is because my friend mentioned it in her Super Bowl party invitation.

If You Like the Concept of Bacon in Cupcakes

You may also want to consider:

• Vanilla Garlic's Maple Bacon Cupcakes with with Maple Frosting
• Cupcake Bakeshop's Sweet Corn, Maple, and Bacon Cupcakes
• Ooh you tasty little things' Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies with Maple Cinnamon Glaze

Hmm... did I miss the memo that all bacon desserts must have maple?


If You Like the Concept of Beer in Cupcakes

You may also want to consider:

• Chocolate Stout Cupcakes 
• Trappist Cupcakes
• Hefeweizen Cupcakes
• Big City, Little Kitchen's Guinness Cupcakes

Happy Super Bowl!

Valentine's Day Cupcakes for Your Sweetheart - Shirley Temple Cupcakes

These Valentine's Day cupcakes happened somewhat by accident.

When Kristen of Bakesweet contacted me about a recipe for cupcakes with grenadine, the first thing that came to mind was making a Shirley Temple cupcake. Since Valentine's Day is almost here and grenadine is red, this also makes for a perfect Valentine's Day cupcake!

This post has three main sections: About Shirley Temple, a Shirley Temple Drink Recipe, and a Shirley Temple Cupcake Recipe.

Pumpkin Chili with Abuelita Two Ways - Cupcake and Non-Cupcake: My First Cupcake Pairing

This month, I participated in a new blog event (well, new to me) called Taste & Create. In this event, food bloggers get partnered up. Participants pick a recipe from their partner's blog, make it, and blog about it.

I got paired with What's Cooking. What's Cooking is a blog by a man whose family owned a restaurant in Mexico for 40 years. He posts mostly - but not exclusively - Mexican recipes. He does not have any cupcakes on the blog to date.

As a cupcake only blog, what was I to do? Create my first cupcake pairing, of course.

I decided to select a recipe that appealed to me, make it, and then make a cupcake inspired by it. This would involve doing actual cooking, an activity that hasn't been done by me for 9 months or so.

There were many appealing recipes on What's Cooking, but I had to go with the Pumpkin Chili. It's chili season and the bride mentioned loving pumpkin. Also, the recipe contained an ingredient I had never used or, for that matter, even heard of. This always intrigues me. That ingredient was Abuelita.

What the Heck is Abuelita?

Abuelita is Mexican hot chocolate made by Nestle that is sold in a variety of formats. The chocolate is made of sugar, cocoa and artificial cinnamon flavoring. It is sickeningly sweet to eat straight up, but it has a really nice and subtle chocolate spice flavor. In addition to being good for hot chocolate, it works well in pumpkin chili and pumpkin chili cupcakes.

Those of you who are Spanish speakers (I am not) will know that abuelita means grandma. The grandma on the package is Sara García, a legendary Mexican actress of more than 140 films. Despite her fame, I wonder if this kind of marketing would work in the US. She's kind of scary and reminds me of Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire. Then again, Mrs. Butterworth sells well, as does the Quaker Oats man, so who knows.

Where Can I find Abuelita if I'm not in Mexico?

My first concern about the chili was whether or not I would be able to find Abuelita. Thankfully, St. Louis has a number of different stores that carry Mexican products. I picked mine up at Global Foods Market in Kirkwood. If you don't have a good Mexican grocer near you, you can purchase Abuelita online.

The Pumpkin Chili

The pumpkin chili was fantastic. The combination of flavors was perfect: spicy but not too spicy with just a touch of sweet. I followed the recipe as written on What's Cooking with just a few exceptions as noted in red below.

For this recipe you will need:
2 lbs ground beef (I used local grass-fed beef from Whole Foods. It was great! It was the first time I have made something with beef that had no grease at all. Even after putting the chili in the fridge overnight, there was no nasty orange fat on the top to remove. If you like grease, don't use this.)
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup tomato juice
½ Abuelita chocolate bar
3 cloves garlic
1 chopped onion
2 cups pinto beans
olive oil

Special chili mixture:
1 tbsp black pepper
½ tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp salt (I don't like salt. I only used 1 tsp. That was plenty for me.)
1 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp ground paprika
2 tbsp ground chipotle pepper

Preparation:
1. In a large pot cook onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat.
2. When translucent, add ground beef and special chili mixture and cook until beef turns brown. It is important that the ground beef is thoroughly cooked.
3. Add pumpkin puree, chocolate, crushed tomatoes and tomato juice.
(At this point, I dumped everything into the crock pot and left it there for 8 hours. I added the pinto beans about halfway through. This worked perfectly for me. If you don't have a crock pot, read on.)
Stir and reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about one and a half hours.
4. Add pinto beans and simmer for about 20 more minutes.
5. Let it cool a little bit before serving.

Garnished with avocado, sour cream and fresh cilantro. (I topped mine with a Mexican cheese mix.)

The Pumpkin Chili Cupcakes

For the cupcakes, I turned to the book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, which I finally broke down and purchased. There is a recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes that sounded great. I decided to use that as a base, but I added the chili flavors and used Abuelita instead of chocolate chips.

When I got to the step when I was about to add the chili spices, I almost backed down. The batter tasted so good, what if the chili ruined it? "Oh well, here goes nothing," I thought as I dumped it in. I did not regret the choice.

The cake was melt-in-your-mouth moist. It was ever so slightly spicy, mildly pumpkiny, mildly chocolaty, and extremely tasty.

For the frosting, I opted for a pumpkin cream cheese frosting. I added Abuelita to half of the frosting and did something I've been wanting to try for a very long time, a two color cupcake swirl. There are swirling instructions at the bottom of this post.

The Cupcake Review

Bride and Groom 2.0 came over last night to pick up their cupcake samples. They also took two extras for friends they were going to dinner with. Lest you think them rude, my husband and I were invited to join. I just wasn't feeling well and had them bring over movies to watch in exchange for the cupcake pickup.

One friend of ours who was at the dinner has never before given me a cupcake review. He emailed me a quality review this morning and he will therefore get more cupcakes.

"I tried a bite of just the cupcake without frosting. Sigh, the density was what every cupcake should have and the cake was moist throughout. Too often a cupcake is dried on the top and too moist on the bottom thus it crumbles in hand. The pumpkin cupcake was evenly baked, kudos, and the density was respectable. Run of the mill cupcakes are too airy and not very satisfying. I like a pastry to have resistance when I bite into it."

He continues to talk about how our other friend claimed to like the soda fountain cupcakes better. He explains that choice as follows, "Last night I learned he is one year and 363 days younger than myself. So, perhaps in about two years he'll favor the mature pumpkin over root beer."

Bride 2.0 also really liked the cupcakes. She called them "wedding contenders" and said she liked the mild kick and the cupcake to frosting ratio. Despite my pride at the neat looking swirl, this was WAY too much frosting for me. I was glad that others liked that quantity though.

As I had predicted, Groom 2.0 didn't like the spice factor. He's more of a basics guy.

The Cupcake Recipe
adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

2 C canned pumpkin

2/3 C vegetable oil

2 C sugar

1/4 C soy milk

1 t vanilla extract

2 1/2 C flour

1/4 t black pepper

1/4 t oregano

1/4 t cumin

1/4 t chili powder

1/4 t ground paprika

1/4 t ground chipotle pepper

1/4 t cinnamon

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 bar Abuelita

In a medium bowl, stir together pumpkin, oil, sugar, soy milk, and vanilla. Sift in the flour. In a separate bowl, combine all the spices. Add spice, baking soda, and baking powder. Do not over-mix. Melt 1/2 bar of Abuelita and stir in.

Bake for 20 min at 350 F.

Makes 20 cupcakes.

The Frosting Recipe

1 pkg of cream cheese
1/4 C butter
1/4 C pumpkin
1 t vanilla extract
4 C powdered sugar
1/2 bar of Abuelita

Mix cream cheese and butter well. Add pumpkin and vanilla extract. Add powdered sugar. Split frosting in half. Add melted Abuelita to 1/2 of the frosting. Note: If you plan to heavily frost the cupcakes, you may need to double this recipe.

How to Make a Two Color Cupcake Swirl
I got some help from Clever Cupcakes (who happens to have some of the best cupcake photos on flickr) to figure out how to do a two color color cupcake swirl. The way I did it was to use 3 different disposable pastry bags. I put couplers but no tips in two pastry bags. You could also just cut a small hole and not use a coupler. I thought the coupler provided some stability and an even flow. I partly filled one bag with the pumpkin frosting without chocolate and one bag with the pumpkin frosting with chocolate. Then, I placed those two bags side by side in a bag with a star tip and started piping. Voila! A two colored swirl.

Fiesta Cupcakes: Beware of Cupcake Breath

This past weekend, some good friends of mine got married (not the ones I'm making the wedding cupcakes for) in Dallas, Texas. I made these cupcakes in their honor. Some people do book dedications or radio shout-outs, I do cupcake dedications. In fact, if you would like a cupcake created in someone's honor, just let me know, and we might be able to work something out. The more incentive you give me ($$$), the higher it would go on my to-bake list. I'd design it, give you the recipe and write about the honoree on my blog. Any takers?

I asked the Texas Groom what were his bride's favorite flavors. He responded with:

"pizza, MEXICAN FOOD!, hamburgers with pickles and onions only.
She also likes red cream soda (big red specifically). and candy corn..."

Since Mexican was in caps and the wedding was in Texas, I decided that was the cupcake route I needed to go.

Question for my readers: Is anyone else a red cream soda fan? Is there actually something different about red cream soda? Does she just like the taste of food coloring?

The Fiesta Cupcake Recipe

I called my cupcakes "Fiesta Cupcakes" because the average person got a little bit nervous when I called them by their technical name of, "Chocolate Salsa Cupcakes with Hot Sauce Cream Cheese Frosting." Don't stop reading now! They were good. Really.

I got the idea for the recipe here. It was originally a recipe from a Marlboro cookbook, Morning Fires, Evening Lights. I think it's the first Marlboro product I have supported.

Here is my modified version:

The Cake

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 T cocoa powder
• 1 cup salsa (I used a medium spice Habanero salsa)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 bag of Tostitos Scoops

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   In large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and cocoa. Mix in the butter.
2. Add the salsa, beating 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Next beat in the eggs and water, beating another 3 minutes.
3. Line up Tostitos Scoops on a baking sheet.
4. Fill each scoop with 3/4 t of batter.
5. Bake for 10-15 (until toothpick comes out clean).

The Frosting

• 1/4 C butter
• 1 8oz package of cream cheese
• 3 C powdered sugar
• Hot Sauce to taste (add it in slowly and keep tasting until you get the level of spice you are comfortable with)

Cakes on a Plane (Part II)

Read here for Part I

When I approached the TSA security counter with my Fiesta Cupcakes, the agent seemed very interested. "Did he want to confiscate them?" My last cupcakes made it through, but I know there is inconsistency when you fly.

One of my travel companions, Margarita Injury Man, (I'm sure he loves that that's his blog nickname) is particularly outgoing and offered the agent a sample. The agent happily accepted. He enjoyed it and told us that they passed the TSA inspection and we should let him know if anyone else gave us a hard time. Sweet!

As the cupcakes got x-rayed, the x-ray inspector man screamed out "cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcakes!" He didn't try one, but they sure did seem to make him happy.

Note to Terrorists: Do not try to fly with cupcakes bombs, the TSA takes cupcake testing very seriously.

When we boarded our flight, the flight attendants immediately noticed my container of cupcakes. Once seated, one attendant sought me out for a taste. Even after I told her the flavor, she still gladly tried one, enjoyed it, and let me take this picture.

Flight Attendant Number Two, however, was less receptive to the flavor. Apparently salsa cupcakes were an offering that would only be made by the Devil. She made cross signs when she passed me and refused to try one or be photographed.

I also gave a cupcake to the man at the Alamo rental car booth. He also would not let me photograph him. He is not allowed to eat at his station and he didn't want to get fired. I think Alamo should make an exception for Fiesta Cupcakes! Let me know if anyone has any connections to make this happen.

When I arrived at the wedding hospitality suite, more cupcake sampling ensued.

I wouldn't call these cupcakes crowd favorites, but they got eaten and it was fun to watch everyone's bemused, "Ummm.. this is interesting" reaction.

I liked the fact that they were bite sized, although, that makes them dangerous. You can eat way too many of these things. I also enjoyed their surprising kick.

Important Tips

1. These cupcakes will give you cupcake breath. In this case, it's not a good thing.

2. If possible, serve them the day you make them. That way the chips will still be really crispy.

3. If you don't like the idea of salsa cupcakes, you could bake any cupcake in a chip to make for an interesting presentation at a Mexican-themed party.

Another Contest

I'm entering these cupcakes into the Royal Foodie Joust. This is a contest sponsored by the Leftover Queen where you must use 3 ingredients and make something tasty. This month's ingredients were chosen by last month's winner at Cilantro and Lime:

Chocolate (any kind but white)

Chilis/Chili Powder (any type)

Grains (like wheat, rice, oats, etc., in any form)

Wish me luck! Better yet, head to the Joust Forum at the end of the month and vote for me!

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.

Avocado Lime Cupcakes: It Isn't Easy Being Green

"Cupcakes just shouldn't be that color,"said my friend about my Avocado Lime Cupcakes knowing full well that any statement she made was liable to appear on this blog. She was willing to try them though. In fact, she ate a full three quarters of a cupcake. Yes, she and her boyfriend (of "I injured myself on a margarita cupcake fame") cut the cupcake into quarters because they were just that skeptical that they wouldn't like it.

While it may sound like I am mocking them, and that would be true, I actually have to give them props. Most people wouldn't even go so far as to taste this cupcake. They saw the green color and turned their noses. "Umm... I think I'll pass this time."

For some tasters, I turned it into a game. "Here's a cupcake. Guess the flavor." I actually had the most success with this group; people like a challenge. They couldn't guess that it was avocado lime, but they enjoyed the flavors. One woman insisted it was kiwi. Even after I told her it was avocado she still stood firm on her kiwi stance.

Growing up in NY, avocado was not a part of my diet. Like many Americans, I had tried guacamole, but never made the leap from that to think about the fruit that made the green blob on my plate. As I got more into sushi, avocado became the pretty splash of color in many of my favorite rolls, but again, it wasn't a flavor unto itself.

My largest avocado exposure was on my honeymoon in Ecuador. They know how to treat an avocado right. Every meal contained slices of fresh avocado. Even soup was always served with an avocado on top.

According to Wikipedia, "In Brazil and Vietnam, avocados are considered sweet fruits, so are frequently used for milk-shakes and occasionally added to ice cream and other desserts. In Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia, a dessert drink is made with sugar, milk, and pureed avocado." It's fascinating that other parts of the world think of avocados as a sweet dessert item. Why are we so limited in our avocado thinking?

My Seattle carrot cake loving friend actually made an avocado ice cream recently. He said it was quite good and his friends enjoyed it. Perhaps west coast eaters are more open to avocado adventures than Missouri folks. Unfortunately, I didn't get to taste the ice cream. He will get to taste my cupcakes though, since he'll be in MO this weekend. No fair.

Neurobiology experts say it is good for the brain to do things that are different from your daily routine. Since I wasn't sure if using Avocado differently really helped my brain, I decided to switch things up a little bit more by doing all my baking with one arm.


OK, I didn't do this as a neurobic exercise. I actually broke my elbow while on vacation in Colorado (for those that must know, I was riding a horse and the saddle fell off of it). That's me on the left. No, I can't see the break either, but apparently it is there. You can however, as a friend pointed out, see my underwire. Quite the strip tease, huh?

I probably wouldn't have bothered with one armed baking, but I really wanted to enter Quirky Cupcake's Cupcake Hero contest. The theme this month was lime and since I had planned my recipe already, I thought it would be a shame to not follow through. I was able to do the whole thing myself except for zesting. Can anyone think of a way to zest with only one arm? Anyway, not to sway the judging by playing the disability card, but baking with one arm certainly felt like a cupcake hero kind of thing to do.

And finally... it's time for the recipe. I made this recipe up myself based off of my apple and honey one. That recipe contained applesauce and I figured applesauce could easily be replaced by an avocado lime sauce. It worked! I also used two different frostings. The outer ring was an avocado frosting and the inner ring was a lime cream cheese frosting based on my favorite fool proof cream cheese frosting recipe. My favorite bites were the ones that had both frostings and the cake. It all went perfectly together.

Warning: It is a dense cupcake. Don't make it if you want light and fluffy. Also, don't make this if you are scared of green. If you want your friends to eat it, I'd recommend that you make this outside of the US or on the West coast.

The Avocado Lime Cupcake Recipe
makes 16 cupcakes

Cream:

• 2 sticks butter
• 1 C + 2 T sugar
• 2 C Flour
• 4 Eggs
  

Mash Up in Food Processor (you could probably easily do this by hand if you were able to use 2 hands):

• 2 avocados
• 1 t of strong lime juice (I used Volcano Lime Burst - I found it at Whole Foods. The link is for a 24 pack, I just bought one as I'm not a expecting to have to bunker in my house and survive on lime juice any time soon.)

Stir avocado mash and zest of 2 limes into the creamed mixture.
Fill cupcake wrappers. Bake at 350 for 30 min.

Avocado Frosting Recipe

• 1 avocado
• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup of butter

Mash the avocado and mix with the butter and powdered sugar.

Lime Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

• 1 8oz package of cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
• 4 C powdered sugar (I recomend that you sift it)
• 1 t lime extract (I couldn't fine lime extract at Whole Foods so I bought it here.)

Mix the cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar and lime extract.