Crazy about CUPCAKES! Class

The last class we taught was all about CUPCAKES! Cupcakes are so cute and yummy and very trendy right now, and we wanted to take the guess work out of them. So we have had a fabulous few months of trying many cupcake recipes and have found our favorites! From trying way too many cupcakes at cupcake shoppes, we came to the conclusion that most cupcakes were made from a yummy chocolate or yellow cupcake and just the frosting and toppings make them different. Now, being the bit of food snobs that we are, we were in search for the cake part of the cupcake that wasn't too airy, wasn't too spongy, and had a rich taste, and dense consistency. Many hours looking at the two hundred million cupcake blogs and recipes out there and many hours in the kitchen, and many calories consumed and, drum roll please...we found them! The yummiest chocolate and yellow cupcakes! You can't go wrong with these two recipes, we promise they will please any cupcake connoisseur. We have shared them below as well as our favorite frosting and filling recipe (light and not too sweet, no one wants to eat playdough frosting on their cupcake, ooooh!) Look also for some fun and simple ideas, using these two cupcake recipes, and just adding variations. For the class, we made Devil's Food Cupcakes filled with "Perfect frosting and filling" recipe, topped with Chocolate Ganache for a absolutely rich and fabulous homemade Hostess cupcake! We also made Buttery Yellow Cupcakes and filled them with raspberry fruit filling, topped them with the Perfect frosting and put a fresh raspberry on top...can you picture it? Yum. We had so much fun and the cupcakes were so delicious-o! Try these recipes, Go CRAZY about Cupcakes, and be creative, you won't be disappointed!


Buttery Yellow Cupcakes
2 ¾ cups cake flour*
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
16 TB (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 ¾ cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature**
1 TB vanilla extract
1 ½ cups buttermilk, near room temp***
*can substitute for each 1 cup cake flour, 7/8 cup all-purpose flour and 2 Tablespoons cornstarch.
**can bring eggs to room temp by putting in bowl with hot tap water for about 10 mins.
***can substitute for each 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, mix and let sit for about 10 mins.
Heat oven to 350. Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 mins. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing after each and beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and beat in 1/3 flour mix, ½ buttermilk, and repeat process alternating and ending in mixing in the remaining flour mixture. Fill cupcake pans with cupcake liners and fill with batter 2/3 full. Bake 17-20 mins. Or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached. Do not let brown or they are overdone! Remove from oven and let sit for 5 mins. before removing from pans to cooling racks. Let cool completely, about 1 hour, before frosting or filling. Makes 26-30 cupcakes.

For a fun variation, reduce the vanilla to 2 tsp and add 3-4 TB fresh lemon juice and 3-4 TB lemon zest for lemon cupcakes, or try fresh orange juice and orange zest for orange cupcakes! They will be heavier, so fill the cupcake liners about ¾ full.


Devil's Food Cupcakes
1 C Flour
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
4 T unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 C luke warm water
1/4 C buttermilk
Position rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with liners. I like the foil ones because they're pretty and play on the whole ding-dong angle. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the water and buttermilk, beating on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat on medium high speed just until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not over beat. Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups- use a cookie scoop for even filling. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Anywhere from 15-20 minutes. Mine usually only take about 15- don't over bake! Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes and then remove them and let them cool.


Chocolate Ganache
3/4 C Cream
2 T real butter, melted
8 oz semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chopped
chocolate in a bowl. Pour melted butter over it. Place cream in microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 2 minutes- it needs to be at a simmer. Immediately pour over chocolate and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for about 3 minutes and then stir until smooth. Let it cool until it's a good spreading consistency and then spread on top of filled cupcakes.


Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling
This recipe makes enough frosting to frost 12-16 cupcakes, double for 24-30 cupcakes.
3 TB flour
½ cup milk
½ cup real butter (MUST be good quality butter!)
½ cup sugar (granulated, not powdered sugar)
1 tsp vanilla extract (or other flavor if you wish)
In a small saucepan, whist together the flour and milk. Heat on medium heat whisking continuously until it starts to thicken. Stir and cook until you barely start to see streaks of the bottom of the pan (it should still be mostly liquid though) and quickly get off the heat still stirring. Put a mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the mixture into the strainer and stir with a rubber spatula to push it through, cleaning off the bottom of the strainer when you're finished. You should end up with a nice, smooth mixture. Put mixture in fridge and let it cool completely. In an electric mixer, beat the butter and the sugar a couple of minutes until fluffy. Use the whisk attachment on an electric stand mixer. Then while beating, pour in the cooled milk mixture, then the vanilla. Beat to combine and then scrape down bowl. It will look goopy and lumpy at this point! Just wait...beat on medium high for 7-8 minutes, longer if needed. After 7-8 mins. it will have transformed into a gorgeous and fluffy, light and silky frosting or filling! Frost with a frosting bag and a large tip (like Wilton 1M star tip). Or use a long (Wilton Bismarck) tip, or cut out the center of cupcake to fill a cupcake.

Helpful notes:
*Use real butter that is a good quality, cheap brands do weird things!
*If after 7-8 min. it's not fluffy, keep going and increase your mixing speed.
*Store at room temperature, it may separate in the fridge, can store overnight in a well sealed container.
*Can add other extracts instead of vanilla for a yummy alternative.
*Adding food coloring is okay.
*Try using ¼ c white and ¼ c brown sugar for a warm caramel flavor frosting.
*Do not try other additions such as cream cheese or sour cream or fruit purees, it doesn't work!


Another chocolate frosting hint: The chocolate frosting recipe found on the back of Hershey’s Cocoa is delicious. Always yummy and reliable.


Chocolate “Whopper” Frosting
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk
2/3 cup Ovaltine
1 cup heavy cream
Combine Ovaltine and milk in a small bowl and set aside to let dissolve. Cream butter, add cocoa and salt. Slowly add powdered sugar, alternating with cream, and Ovaltine mixture. Mix really well until light and fluffy (cream will whip). Frosts approx. 24 cupcakes. Chill in fridge until ready to serve to keep them fresh and light. Use to frost chocolate cupcakes with a large tip and frosting bag and put chocolate sprinkles and a whopper on the top for a fabulous chocolatey heaven! Jill even requested these for her birthday treat, and she is chocolate queen, so that tells you how good these are!!!


Cupcake Fun!
You can use the chocolate or yellow cupcake as a base for so many fun variations! Try some of these or make up your own...be crazy and creative!

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes: Use chocolate cupcake, fill with perfect frosting and filling, top with ganache.
Homemade Twinkies: Use yellow cupcake, fill with perfect frosting and filling, adding a little frosting to the top, and can add a piece of fresh fruit.
Toasted Coconut: Use yellow cupcake, add coconut extract to the perfect frosting and dip in toasted coconut.
Cheesecake: Use yellow cupcake, fill with Smuckers Simply Fruit, use a cream cheese frosting and top with finely crushed graham cracker crumbs.
Peppermint: Use chocolate or yellow cupcake, perfect frosting with peppermint extract, color frosting pink and put chopped pieces of candy cane on top.
Orange: Use yellow cupcake adding orange juice and zest, frost with chocolate frosting, adding a chocolate covered orange stick candy to top.
Lemon: Use yellow cupcake adding lemon juice or zest, perfect frosting with lemon extract, top with lemon zest.
Strawberry Shortcake: Use yellow cupcake, strawberry frosting and add a chocolate dipped strawberry to top. Or serve cupcake unwrapped on a plate and slice top ½ off, add whipped cream and fresh sliced strawberries, replace top ½ and add more cream and berries on top.


Cupcake gift ideas!
We loved the cute little boxes that you get when you go to a cupcake store and purchase one cupcake. They are little Chinese food take out containers. We found the cutest ones at Zurchers party store and the have at whole bunch of cute colors there. Wrap a ribbon or two around and you are set for a fun party favor or gift for a friend. They also sell little window boxes at party stores too that make your fabulous cupcakes look even more professional!


Decorating with Cupcakes!
For the class, Jill brought some fun and easy ideas for a cupcake dessert table or centerpiece. Use a framed mirror and martini glasses (we don't drink alcohol, so we got ours at a dollar store!) or use wide goblets if you have them. Turn some goblets upside and leave some right side up and put cupcakes in the glasses or on the stem of the glasses turned upside down. Decorate around the glasses with ribbon or flowers or candy or whatever! (Yes, we are kicking ourselves for not taking pictures at the class, AGAIN! We promise to do better!)
Jill also brought a cute smaller size cake plate and you can put that in the center of a larger platter and put cupcakes on the platter as well as the cake plate for a fun centerpiece or dessert table.