Chocolate Cupcakes with Oreo Cookie Frosting.

It’s a free weekend so that means I”m baking.  The recipe that I chose was for delicious deep chocolate cupcakes with fluffy Oreo cookie frosting.

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dutch Processed to get a dark chocolatey flavor)
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

To make the Oreo Cookie Frosting you’ll need:

14 oz jar of marshmallow fluff

1 cup shortening (non butter flavor)
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 – 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
4 tsp VERY HOT water (this helps to make the fluff easier to spread)
pinch to ¼ tsp salt
15-20 Oreo cookies crushed into small and medium pieces

Combine marshmallow fluff, shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl and mix well with an electric mixer on high until fluffy.

In a separate bowl, combine the salt with the hot water and stir until dissolved.  Add to the fluff mixture. Mix on high for 30 seconds or until combined. Fold in cookie pieces.

The one thing I would do differently would be to grind the Oreo’s finer in my Ninja so the frosting would squeeze out of my favorite pastry tips without getting clogged from large pieces of cookie.

Flower Basket Cupcakes

These beautiful flower baskets were made entirely from buttercream.  I baked the cupcakes in a large muffin tin and used piping techniques which can be found on Wilton’s web site at http://www.wilton.com

I used the basket weave technqiue on the side, did a white shell border around along the top of the basket.  Then the fun part, placing the flowers along the top.  With green icing I added some leaves.

Mardi Gras Mini King Cake

King Cake is a Mardi Gras tradition layered with religion and history.

Recipe courtesy of Louisiana native David Guas of Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery in Arlington, Virginia

To make 12 of these cupcake size cakes you will need

• 1/2 cup warm whole milk (110°)
• 2 (1/4-ounce) packages dry yeast
• 1/3 cup sugar, divided $
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted $
• 3 egg yolks $
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest $
• 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided $
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour $
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt $
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten $
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons hot water
• Purple, green, and yellow sugar sprinkles

Combine milk, yeast, and 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl. Stir well, and set in a warm place for about 10 minutes. In another bowl, combine butter and next 3 ingredients; stir in 2 teaspoons lemon juice.

Combine flours, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and kosher salt in a large mixing bowl. Add milk mixture and butter mixture, and beat, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons flour if dough is too sticky, until dough is smooth and forms a shaggy mass. (It should remain soft.)

Place dough in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down, and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a 12- x 8-inch rectangle. Combine remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 4 teaspoons sugar, and sprinkle evenly over dough. Roll dough into a log, and cut into 12 equal pieces.

Places pieces into paper baking cups in a muffin pan; let rest 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°. Brush cupcake tops with beaten egg, and bake 20 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool on wire rack. Combine powdered sugar, water, and remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a small bowl. Drizzle over cooled cupcakes, and top with sprinkles.

I posted about gumpaste masks here.

They were edible until I glued feathers onto them with tacky glue. To keep them steady in the cakes, I found these picks at the dollar store,

and glued the to the side of each mask.

2 Tier Flower Cupcakes

It’s hard to believe that there is a coating of snow on the ground.  Hard to believe because we’ve had a mild winter with practically no snow.  That’s why it’s a perfect day to practice some buttercream flower techniques.  Spring is right around the corner when real flowers will be in bloom.

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes (that taste better than they look)

While they may not be the fanciest looking cupcakes on the baking blogs, they are certainly the best tasting.  These chocolate cupcakes have a surprise inside –  ganache.  To tell you the truth, I just didn’t feel like pulling out the decorating bag so I opted to glop on the icing with a spatula.  But many of those $3 fancy looking cupcakes don’t always taste that phenomenal anyway. 

If you’re a professional cupcake maker at one of those fancy bakeries in town, I mean no offense.  I was surprised to learn from a few bakers and employees at some of those trendy cupcake spots in New York City that they use boxed cake mix, doctored boxed cake mix, or the online Betty Crocker cupcake recipe that is available for all of us to use.  They add a teaspoon of a flavoring extract, fruit, or some fancy filling.  To top it off they color the frosting with a pretty color, throw on some nut or chocolate topping and serve in a fancy wrapper.  There you have a $3 work of art cupcake that cost less than a dollar to make.  Because we eat with our eyes, we’ll spend the money on this masterpiece.  But does it actually taste great? 

If you want to eat a $3 cupcake that costs less than a dollar to make, but still is worth $3 than look below at how I doctored up my cupcake.

Start with your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe which you can find online or buy a boxed cake mix in the store.  I like Martha Stewart’s recipe here http://www.marthastewart.com/355559/devils-food-cupcakes 

To make the ganache you will need 8 ounces of baking chocolate (you can use semi-sweet or bittersweet) cut into small pieces and 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream.   Heat the cream over medium heat.  Bring just to a boil.  Immediately pour the cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a minute or two.  Whisk until smooth.  Put into the refrigerator until cool for about 30 minutes.     

Prior to baking the cupcakes place a teaspoon of chilled ganache on top of the batter. 

 

Follow the baking directions on the recipe or box.  Coffee brings out the chocolate flavor so I frosted the above cupcakes with a coffee flavored Italian Buttercream Frosting.