Coconut Cream-Filled Chocolate-Coffee Cupcakes

Today I will be featuring recipes from Parent’s Magazine.

First, We have these adorable Playful Puppy Cupcakes ! Click the link for step by step instructions, from baking to decorating.

Pupcakes

Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes: 22 standard-size cupcakes
Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: at 350 degrees F. for 18 minutes

Decorating tips & ideas here !
Recipe here !

Jackie Newgent, RD whips up Mini Vanilla-Almond Peach Cupcakes with Fresh Peach Frosting and shares other delicious summer recipes.

To see the Mini Vanilla-Almond Peach Cupcakes with Fresh Peach Frosting recipe that is being used in the demo please visit here.

recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World
by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

to see more recipes on our site, visit our recipes category.

This recipe was sent to us from Marta of Sugar Crush Cupcakes in Miami Florida. This recipe made my mouth drool from the start and I loved the story behind it. Thanks Marta!

Marta Ebra has a baking business that she runs from my home.  She lives in Miami, Florida. Here is what she said:

“My inspiration for this entry comes from some of the tropical flavors and colors that can be found all over the city.  I hope you can taste and see a little slice of our “Magic City” with these cupcakes.  I chose to make a lime cupcake with a mango buttercream.  The mango I used actually came from my grandfather’s tree, so needless to say it’s something very familiar to me as well as very abundant and popular in Miami.  I have included a picture of me and my family (hubby and kids) with my grandfather on his 95th birthday from this past April.  He is so very special to us and is truly a brilliant example of our Cuban heritage.  I hope you enjoy my entry (wish I could send you some to taste)!”

Recipe:
 
For the cake:
A basic vanilla cupcake recipe or boxed vanilla cake
1 large lime
 
For the Frosting:
2 sticks softened butter
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
6+ cups powdered sugar
1 ripe mango
1 lime
 
 
 
Prepare the cupcakes as directed for your basic vanilla cupcake recipe.  Add the zest and juice of a whole lime (if avaliable Key Limes can be used here) to the prepared batter and fold in until it is incorporated.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool. 
 
While the cupcakes are cooling peel and dice one whole mango (about 1 cup).  Place the mango in a saucepan and add the juice of 1 lime.  On medium heat cook this down until the mango has become soft (stiring with a whisk helps this allong), about 7-10 minutes.  When the mango peices have all broken down in the pot, transfer to a food processer and blend until smooth.  Set aside and allow to cool.
 
In a large bowl beat the softened butter until smooth.  Add two cups of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.  Then add two more cups and beat until smooth.  Then add the milk and vanilla and two more cups of powdered sugar.  Once that is blended and smooth, add the cooled mango puree and blend.  Add more powdered sugar to reach the desired consistency.  Place frosting in a piping bag with a tip and frost the cooled cupcakes.  Decorate with a slice of lime.

While perusing Blake Makes, I stumbled upon the Neapolitan cupcakes he made. They look delish!

So to celebrate the upcoming warm weather and ice-cream fests, I made Neapolitan Cupcakes! These cupcakes are a combination of two different flavored cake batters, and another flavored frosting in the flavors of Neapolitan ice-cream – vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.

I made my cupcakes with vanilla cake batter and chocolate cake batter, and a strawberry flavored frosting. You can make them with any combination you prefer – chocolate and strawberry cake batter with vanilla frosting, or strawberry and vanilla cake batter with chocolate frosting…

To make the cupcakes, you can basically use any vanilla or chocolate cake recipes you like. I used the Vanilla Cupcake recipe from the Magnolia Bakery for the vanilla batter, and my favorite vegan chocolate cake recipe for the chocolate batter.

Read the rest of the entry!

Giant Hostess Cupcake originally uploaded by Baking Bites.

YUM!

This wonderfully whimsical cupcake recipe is courtesy of Karen Tack and can be found in her dessert cookbook “Hello, Cupcake!”

Ingredients

Directions

1. Color the frosting pale yellow with food coloring.
2. Working with 3 cupcakes at a time, frost cupcakes with yellow frosting. Arrange 5 rows of jelly beans, close together, on each cupcake. Place the 3 cupcakes side by side on a corn dish or serving platter to resemble an ear of corn. Repeat process with remaining cupcakes, frosting, and jelly beans.
3. Cut the fruit chews into eight 1-inch squares. Soften the edges slightly by hand so that they look like melted butter. Place 1 square on top of each ear of corn. Sprinkle with sugars. Insert a corn holder in the end of each ear of corn, if using. Serve.

Absolutely gorgeous! These beauties come from Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. Go check out the recipe here. I think these have to go on the must-bake list. I am in love with them. I mean it. Love.

Picture & Recipe via Gena @ Big City, Little Kitchen.

Cake

1 cup Guinness
1 stick, plus 1 tb, unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
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
Glaze*

8 oz cream cheese
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350; butter a muffin tin.

Combine the Guinness and the butter, chopped into 1-inch chunks, in a large sauce pan, and heat to melt the butter. Remove from heat, and whisk in the cocoa and sugar. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla, then add to the beer mixture. Sift together the flour and baking soda, and fold into the batter. Pour into muffin molds and bake for 25 minutes, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes, remove from muffin tin, and cool completely on a rack.

Using a mixer, whip cream cheese until smooth, sift in sugar, and beat. Add milk, and beat until smooth. Spread glaze over cooled cupcakes.

*To create a thinner glaze, use a tablespoon or two more milk; for a topping more akin to icing, use less milk, and perhaps more sugar. In either case, add a little sugar or milk at a time, mix, and check for desired consistency.

Monday is my son Teno’s 2nd birthday, so we’re having a very Blue’s Clues party for him today. I marathon baked and decorated last night for that and then tonight my friend Jessica (the one who got the baking pin up on the first episode of LA Ink) is coming over to help me bake hundreds of mini cupcakes for the Jessie Steele booth for this week end’s Kitchen & Housewares Show.

I will be scoping out any cupcake-related housewares I see and sharing them with you all, of course. So I wanted to share this picture of Teno waiting for some lemon cupcakes to cool and also let you know that the Spring line of Jessie Steele aprons are now available, including the beautiful cupcake apron that I am the very proud owner of.

Searching for the perfect cupcake has never been yummier than stumbling across Bakerella’s blog. It is just one scrumptious picture after another. Even better, she’ll walk you thru recipes and how-to’s for the cutest things cupcake. She also has many other yummy recipes, plus another blog called Lovely Little Cakes.

Michelle of Clever Cupcakes created a kids cupcake with grape Kool-Aid buttercream. It never occurred to me to use Kool-Aid in buttercream before. My eyes have now been opened to the endless possibilities of this new found discovery. The cake is Vanilla Confetti made with rainbow non-pareils. The picture is adorable as well.
Vanilla Confetti Cupcakes (yields 24)

3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp
1/4 cup rainbow-non pareils (round sprinkles)

Mix dry ingredients. Add butter and let mixer run until butter is broken down into pieces no larger than a pea. Meanwhile add approximately 1/4 cup of the milk. Once butter is combined add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla to remaining milk and add mixture slowly will the mixer is still running. Scrap down the sides, add sprinkles to batter, and mix until batter is smooth. Bake at 350 until toothpick comes out clean (between 18-22 minutes).

Grape Kool Aid Buttercream

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
4 single serving grape kool aid packets
1/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup trans fat free crisco

Place powdered sugar and kool aid in bowl of mixer and pour boiling water over top. Mix at high speed using whip attachment until mixture is cooled to room temperature. Add butter and crisco then whip at high speed for 10 minutes. Add optional blue food colouring.

limoncello cupcake, originally uploaded by vonsachsen.

This lovely cupcake, plus other delightful recipes can be found at tea for one (add to your google reader, this one is a keeper!)

Found on Flickr.

The lovely Gigi, of gigi cakes put together one of my all time favorite combinations, chocolate and raspberry. I have loved raspberries since I was a kid. They have long been one of my favorite fruits. And the chocolate, who doesn’t love chocolate? Gigi’s Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry-Chocolate Meringue look and sound down right awesome. Her take on the cupcakes cracked me up, too.

“The cupcakes were so scrumptious and smelled heavenly. They smelled so good that I was thinking this should be a car air freshener. You know, one of those of little trees you hang from the rear view mirror. If you find yourself in the mood for delicious cupcakes and in need of an air freshener for your car, then look no further. (Tee-hee)”

If these cupcakes sound up your alley, please visit gigi cakes for the recipe.

Did anyone catch Sprinkles on Martha Stewart Yesterday? If not, you can watch the video here.

Here is the recipe for Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcakes,

Ingredients

Makes 1 dozen

• 2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature
• Sprinkles’ Strawberry Frosting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.
2. Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.
5. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.
6. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

So I was sitting at work on Monday morning trying to ease myself into the day by reading Women’s Day Magazine. Well, reading might be stretching it. To be completely honest I was perusing the pictures. None the less, my browsing totally paid off with a couple three sweet Valentine’s Day recipes that I just cannot deny are P-E-R-F-E-C-T!

The first of these marvelous morsels is the Cupid Cupcake, and yes it is just as adorable as it sounds, take a look! Now if that guy is not cute I don’t know what is. The recipe for this delectable dude can be found here. The Cupid Cupcake is sure to be a thrill among any and all who believe that, “Love is like Oxygen. Love is a many splendid thing-love lifts us up where we belong! All you need is love,” according to Christian (Ewan McGregor’s character in Moulin Rouge).

The next recipe makes me wonder, would a rose by any other name smell just as sweet? I, like Juliet, believe yes! Furthermore, these Rose Petal Cupcakes are super-sweet with their pastel pink frosting and sugared petal adornment. They offer an air of sophistication, but don’t be skittish, they are easy as one two three with Women’s Day’s recipe. Don’t take my word for it, head on over the the site and find out for yourself!

The final recipe that caught my eye combines a surprise treat with the classy red velvet recipe. Don’t be tricked by their simplistic title, the Red Velvet Cupcakes are an example of complex flavor structure at its best. These beautiful little cakes are comprised of a red velvet batter, which is host to a surprise hug (of the Hershey’s variety), and are topped off with a delectable cream cheese frosting. Makes my mouth water just typing it up! You can garnish the top with any heart-decor to make the stunning statement, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye,” by Antoine de

Saint-Exupery.

Here is wishing you good luck with whatever sweet endeavor you set forth to accomplish this Valentine’s season. More importantly, here is wishing you love, in all it’s many shapes, sizes, and forms, I hope your day is magical!

Most Sincerely,
Maggie Ann.

(All photo’s courtesy of Women’s Day Magazine. Photos 1 & 2 are cited to Charles Schiller and photo 3 to Anastassios Mentis.)

Mary of Shazam in the Kitchen created something I have been waiting for, a Red Wine Cupcake. Seriously, does it get better than wine and cupcakes together? They are uber cute too!

Mary had this to say about her brilliant cupcake:

I based this cupcake on my favorite flavor of ice cream. Well sorbet really. Ciao Bella’s Blackberry Cabernet sorbet. Super yummy. I found a recipe, that I seriously tweaked for a German Rotweinkuchen (red wine cake). I also had on hand a 4 pack, ok 2 left from a 4 pack of Funky Llama cabernet little bottles. I happened to run across some beautiful (and cheap) blackberries at Trader Joes when my friend S was in town. It was like these beautiful little cupcakes were meant to be. The cupcakes really turned out delicious. Plus by the second day, the red wine flavor came through better.

For the recipe, please check out Shazam in the Kitchen.

This is about the most worthwhile thing I’ve done this week – make 28 mini chocolate cupcakes for my colleagues at work! They went down very well (especially as there were so many that pretty much everyone could have 2!)

The picture isn’t great I know but if you want to try these delicious little treats out, the recipe is over here at my blog! Happy baking!

April with Abby Sweets has posted the most amazing cupcake recipe EVER. 

 Double Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes.

Chocolate Espresso Ganache:
(a.k.a. Gale’s Famous Truffles from Butter, Sugar, Flour and Eggs)
1 1/2 Cups creme fraiche or sour cream (I use sour cream)
2 Tbsp finely ground espresso
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Combine the sour cream and espresso in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. As soon as it boils, turn off the heat.

Meanwhile, put the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Strain the hot sour cream mixture into the bowl. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Cover and let rest in a cool place overnight. Do not refrigerate. The mixture will become firm but not hard.
(If you want to roll into balls, I put the mixture in the refrigerator overnight.)

White Chocolate Cupcakes:
6 oz. white chocolate, chopped
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 Cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
6 eggs
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Place white chocolate and butter in mixing bowl over saucepan with simmering water. Stir until melted and combined. Remove from heat and add the sugar, mix well. The butter will separate and come to the top. This is ok. Let cool for 10 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat with electric mixer for 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. The mixture will thicken and will combine together. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into the mixture, mix on medium speed until blended.

Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 10 more minutes. Rotate pan and bake for 7 minutes longer.

Chocolate Buttercream:
2 Sticks butter, at room temp
1 tsp vanilla
8 Tbsp. cocoa
2 lb. bag of powdered sugar
milk

Mix the butter and cocoa together with a mixer, add vanilla. While mixing, gradually add the powdered sugar and add milk to get the consistency that you want.

To assemble the cupcake:
Cut out a cone in the top/middle of the cupcake. Fill the hole with ganache and top with the piece of cupcake that you cut out. Pipe or spread on the buttercream.

Hop on over to her blog for other amazing recipes!

You’re not the only one! So is industrial designer and Art Center College of Design in Pasadena professor Krystina Castella. It all started with a tiki-themed potluck according to Krystina, on crazyaboutcupcakes.com, she was assigned the job of “baking something” and she chose cupcakes. Why? Because, “Cupcakes are friendly! Cupcakes are stylish! Cupcakes are nostalgic! Finally, cupcakes are portable!” And quite right she is! Cupcakes are a perfect little, little dessert. Especially Krystina’s tiki cupcakes, which ended up being a big hit at the party. After such success Krystina decided to accompany many other celebrations with cupcakes. A block party? An art opening? A ninth-birthday? A Halloween party? How about an Academy Award party? The answer, cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcakes! Now thats my kind of girl!

According to Krystina, “I see cupcakes as art. I consider all three parts -the cake, the icing and the decorations- all work together to make a good cupcake experience.” Over the next five years she developed thousands of recipe and decorating techniques. Lucky for us 300 have made it into her book titled, of course, Crazy About Cupcakes.

Crazy About Cupcakes is available to order through Amazon and Barnes & Nobel (visit this link for the sweet treat of peaking inside the book). This book has it all, “whether they’re chocolaty, spicy, crunchy, fruity, or creamy, these exquisitely decorated treats look as astounding as they taste—perfect little temptations designed to make adults nostalgic and children happy.” Also, if you order from Amazon you can get not only Crazy About Cupcakes but also, Super-Duper Cupcakes: Kids’ Creations from the Cupcake Caboose for only $22.16!

What some more? Well, you are in luck! Krystina’s website is a plethora of cupcake how-to goodness. It “offers inspirational recipes and decorating techniques for cupcake lovers who enjoy the process of baking and decorating as much as sharing and eating their artistic creations. It features tips, techniques and skills needed to design cupcakes that are uniquely your own. ” Currently showcased on the website are such yummies as tiered cupcakes, candy cupcakes, tiki cupcakes, and a sweet selection. Krystina also outlines decorating techniques basket weave and chocolate leaves. Furthermore, you can deepen you knowledge of cupcakes by looking into the link labeled Cupcake Basics and add some amazing new recipes to your collection perusing the Recipes link (both links under tab Learning & Recipes).

With its intricate weaving of art and cupcakery the whimsical Crazy About Cupcakes website is sure to enchant you for hours, make you mouth water, and leave you with heaps of sweet inspiration!

(All images are from www.crazyaboutcupcakes.com)

This is just what you need to write down all of your fabulous cupcake recipes…

Cupcake recipe cards from my*zoetrope, $6.00/20 pack.

Hmmm, and speaking of recipes, head on over to the quirky cupcake for some yummy ones.

My husband and I are Starbucks junkies. We love the ‘bucks. And he is a Frapp Man, although, he doesnt like me to advertise that fact. Imagine our delight when we came across Luki of Sinfully Sweet’s Frappucino Cupcakes. Hell yeah! These cupcakes are not for the faint of heart. They are very busy and by the looks of it, sweet as can be.

Luki says, “This challenge was a labor of love. I did not get it right the first time… or the 2nd for that fact. But, I came through and it is in my mind PERFECT! Like its predecessor the Frappucino, this cupcake is best when served cold.

I have been itching to take up knitting and this adorable pattern I just ran across may just put me over the edge! The author at Blah, Blah, Blahhhg developed this seamless cupcake pattern, here is a bit of what she has to say:

A cupcake! Seamless! How can you resist? It can also be converted from a plush toy to a paperweight, with the addition of a round stone in the stuffing.

Just think of the possibilities, so many different ‘flavors’ of yarn, a cupcake paper weight, add some jingle bells inside for a cupcake rattle, the list is endless with a creative mind!