Sexy Little Bride Cupcakes.

Happy Bachelorette Party to my beautiful sister, Meg!

I thought I would post a little blog featuring the cupcakes I made for her party..mostly because I think the names I gave them were worth sharing ;)

Chai and Honey cupcakes for the honeymoon "sweet and spicy night"

She is getting married at Strawberry Fields Farm so this one was a little tribute to that!

Haha these ones are my favorites, I was putting the hershey's kisses on top and realized that if I put two it looked like boobies, hence the name "Sexy and Tempting Devil's Food cupcakes (w/ boobies!)"

The groom's mom also brought these little treats that I thought were so cute, lingerie cookies!


The big day is coming up quick, love you muff!

Can I getchya s'more cupcakes, ma'am?

There is nothing more American than toasting marshmallows over a campfire, squishing them between sweet honey graham crackers, and watching chocolate bars melt in the concoction. It screams of fall and camping and childhood memories to me. 


Soooo, when my nephew's first birthday party arrived and the theme was camping, I was on a search for the BEST  s'more cupcake recipe, and believe me, I've found it. They combine a rich chocolate cake, savory graham cracker crust, melted chocolate center, and light fluffy marshmallow frosting, perfection!

These babies are tedious to make, but (and I don't say this lightly) completely worth it. This might be the most delicious cupcake I've ever eaten. Cute too, right?

LET's GET STARTED!!

I've adapted them from foodbuzz.com

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
 1 teaspoon salt
 2 large eggs
 1 cup whole milk
 1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 20 squares)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (this is a time consuming job, a few bigger chunks won't hurt the recipe a bit) 

AND THE WORK BEGINS....

1. Preheat the oven to 350 

 2. Mix the 2 cups & 2 tablespoons sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer and mix ingredients together on low speed.

3. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Add boiling water and stir to combine; set aside. 

4. Place graham cracker crumbs, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl; stir until well combined.

*I used a potato masher to smash graham crackers. After that experience I would say a food processor would be a much better idea. They don't need to be perfect, either way.

5. Place 1 overflowing tablespoon graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Use the bottom of a small glass to pack crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner. The remaining graham cracker mixture is for the topping.

 6. Place a thin layer of chocolate  over the graham cracker crust...it should cover the crust. Transfer to oven and bake until the edges of the graham cracker mixture are golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and fill each cup three-quarters full with cake batter. Sprinkle each with remaining chocolate and graham cracker mixture. Return to oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until tops are firm and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let them cool for at least 10 minutes before removing.

MARSHMALLOW FROSTING,

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

 8 large egg whites
 2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

THE WORK...

1. Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes. 

2. Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Use immediately. 

*If the frosting is runny try adding powdered sugar and meringue powder

Then add a piece of hershey's chocolate and a wedge of graham to garnish, it's just like camping! Without showering in a river!

Party idea:

I had a lot of leftover frosting so I made it a dip for "mini do it yourself s'mores" on a platter and people were loving it!

These are a lot of work but so worth it for this little guy:

Happy Birthday Carter!

Love,

Aunty Mongo

Baby Shower Cupcakes

I'm going to be an aunty very soon! My older sister,  Aly, was due on Halloween, and while we were glad not to have a little goblin, it seems like he should've come by now! He is 6 days late and we are so anxious to hold him! His name is Carter Reef Padrnos, pictures coming soon of him hopefully!!

Anywho...I did the cupcakes for her shower and had a lot of fun with them. 

I handmade the toppers out of scrapbooking stickers and lollipop sticks, really affordable and easy method.

I used really simple recipes for vanilla, devils food, and strawberry cupcakes because I was baking for over 80 women and everyone likes the basics :-)

I'm starting to get the hang of frosting with tips, adding a bit of Meringue powder to the frosting really helped.

HURRY UP CARTER!! 

Easy end of summer treat.

Angel Food Cupcakes!

As summer winds down, these are the perfect treats for the last weeks of hot weather and calendars that becoming fuller and fuller.

The title almost explains everything...buy an angel food cake mix, follow directions to make the batter, and fill cupcake tins 3/4 of the way full (should make about 36).

I used an icing tip that made my frosting look like small swirls of whipped cream and then added sliced strawberries and blueberries. They were a hit at the bonfire I brought them to!

Welcome Autumn with Chai Honey Cupcakes.

Say heeelllooooooo to fall with these wonderfully spicy cupcakes.... this is my favorite recipe on the planet! They are perfect breakfast treats and also work with coffee on a chilly evening with colorful leaves blowing off trees in the background...maybe with the fireplace going as well!

ingredients:

3 chai-spice tea bags

1/2 cup of boiling water

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

 1/4 cup of honey

4tbsp butter, melted

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

directions:

preheat at 350

steep the tea bags in the boiling water for 5 min, discard bags, let cool

whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt

in a large bowl combine the honey, melted butter, buttermilk and egg

add the dry ingredients using an electric beater

add the cooled tea and beat until just combined

bake in muffin tins (makes about a dozen)

add a drop of honey to homemade vanilla frosting and swirl into small circles

Enjoy....feel free to double or triple the recipe :-) 

Champagne Pear cupcakes.

Is there really anything better than a glass of cool champagne in summertime?

(these cupcakes are not better than a glass of champagne but they go nicely with one)

ingredients.

1.5 cups of flour

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 stick of butta

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 ripe pears pureed

1/2 cup champagne

1 flute for drinking.

Preheat at 350

sift dry ingredients in one bowl.

in another beat butter and sugar together

add eggs one at a time

mix in dry mix alternating with champagne and vanilla

add pear mix last, making sure the batter is not drippy pancake goop.

16-18min to golden perfection

ice with vanilla frosting.

ta-da.

Summers here: Orange Zesty Cupcakes have arrived.

I came home last week to 3 huge baskets full of oranges and grapefruits. That means it is summer in my house. It is so nice to have fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning, and when you are baking orange cupcakes.

BTW-- Sorry for the poor quality photos, I took them with my phone.

cupcakes:

pre-heat oven at 350

mix ingredients of bowl 1:

2 cups of flour

2 1/2 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of salt

stir the ingredients of bowl 2:

3 tbsp veggie oil

4 tbsp fresh orange juice

3 tsp fine orange zest

In bowl 3:

beat 1.5 cups of sugar with 14 tbsp butter

beat in 2 eggs, 1 at a time.

beat in bowl 1 alternating with bowl 2

bake for 18-20 min (should be somewhere between the consistency of cake and pound cake)

orange glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

5 tbsp fresh orange juice

2 tsp orange zest

happy summer...

Marcio's Nutella Cupcakes.

NUTELLA, is a sinfully delicious hazelnut spread that brings back so many memories from studying abroad in Italy. {Also memories of long days at the gym back in America losing nutella weight} Today is Marcio's birthday so I am celebrating our Italy memories with these yummy treats.

INGREDIENTS:

10 tbsp butter, softened

3/4 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup Nutella

Beat butter and sugar together until creamy, add one egg at a time and beat, add vanilla and beat until smooth, add flour mixture in sections and beat until you have a thick almost dry mix (don't worry it is supposed to be like this)

Use an ice cream scoop to fill tins 3/4 the way full and plop about 1 tsp of nutella on each one.

Use a tooth pick to swirl the nutella around and bake at 325 degrees for 18min.

I used whipped betty crocker frosting and swirled nutella into it with a toothpick, it's yummy you should try it. :-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARCIO!

Strawberry filled cupcakes.

My mom's best friend from high school, Lynn, came over tonight for dinner and brought chocolate covered strawberries, nom. She is starting a new baking company (whatshernamesweets.com-- the website isn't up and running yet) and as she told us about it, I got really excited to bake! So I got out my new apron and made some chocolate covered strawberry inspired cupcakes :-)

1. 1/4 cups flour

1. 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar

6 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large egg, 1 large egg white

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup whole milk

pre-heat oven to 350

Whisk flour, BP, and salt

In another bowl beat sugar and butter until fluffy

add egg and egg white at same time, beat slowly

beat in vanilla

add the flour mix in 3 additions, alternating with the milk

fill cupcake tins 3/4 of the way

5 large strawberries

tbsp strawberry jam

Chop strawberries into small chunks and mix with the jam

put a tsp of the filling on each cupcake and the filling will sink as they cook

Bake 18-20min

Add buttercream frosting and garnish with chocolate covered strawberries.

(for chocolate alternative add 3/4 cup semi-sweet baking cocoa to the batter and 1/2 cup to the frosting)

They came out really sticky with this recipe so next time I think I'll extract the jam and add more flower to the batter-- the chocolate cupcakes seemed to turned out better due to the extra absorbency of the cocoa powder.

"Taste and see that the lord is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."

psalm 34:8