I, once again, used a past recipe for the cupcake batter.  If you’d like to see step-by-step pictures of the batter-making process, see the original post (linked below):

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

makes approximately 1 1/2 dozen cupcakes or 4 dozen minis

• 1 c. cake flour
• 1 c. white sugar
• 1/2 c. baking cocoa
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/3 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. cold, brewed coffee
• 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• Andes mints (about 2 dozen for cupcakes and topping, if you wish)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake tins or spray with cooking oil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cocoa, and sugar.

Make a well in the center and add the eggs, coffee, buttermilk, vanilla, and oil.

Mix until well combined, but not over-mixed.  The batter will be thin.

Fill cupcake tins 2/3 full.  If making full sized cupcakes, push an Andes mint into the center.  If making minis, break the mint in half (at least) and insert into batter.

*UPDATE* – When I made mine, I pushed the pieces of Andes mint in so they were covered by the batter and sank down.  This resulted in some of the candies sticking to the bottom of the cupcake liner after they sank even more.  When you put the candies in, barely set them in the batter to prevent them from sinking TOO much!

Bake for 8-12 minutes for mini cupcakes, 15-20 minutes for regular sized cupcakes, checking often to monitor progress!

Take out of pan and cool on a wire rack.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 4 egg whites (about 8 tbsp.)
• 1 c. white sugar
• 1  1/2 c. butter (3 sticks), soft and room temperature
• 1 tsp. mint extract
• coloring as desired

Combine the egg whites and sugar in the mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set over a double boiler and simmer, whisking all the time, until it loosens and warms.  As soon as the sugar is dissolved and you cannot feel it against your fingers, remove the pan from the heat.  DO NOT overheat or else the egg whites will scramble.

Egg whites and sugar, just chillin…

Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the egg white/sugar on high until the bowl or pan you heated them in is cool and the mixture forms stiff peaks like a regular meringue.

Reaching meringue consistency.

Cut the butter into squares.  With your mixer on medium, add the butter square by square.  Make sure each square is mixed in before adding another.  Do not set the mixer to high…please keep it at medium.  Be patient!!!  Keep beating until all of the butter is absorbed and you have reached a more smooth consistency.

How your frosting will look until about half way through the butter.

This is where I started panicking.  With about 1/3 of my butter left, my frosting started to look curdled, like an over-whipped cream (been there, done that, it’s annoying).  I had learned from various sources that you can break the emulsion.  I had also read that it can look lumpy while adding the butter.  I plodded on, telling myself that everything was going to be OK.

Never fear…finish adding your butter and everything will work out.

Now is the labor intensive part.  Switch to a hand-held instrument – spatula or wooden spoon – and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes.  This will remove any air pockets and smooth out the frosting.

Using the spatula will smooth out the frosting as it looks in the above picture.

Once the consistency is smooth, add the mint extract.  Taste and add more if necessary.  Add your coloring to reach a mint green.  I used a tiny bit of Kelly Green from my Wilton gel colors.  You can use liquid food coloring if you like.

Pipe onto your cupcakes in desired pattern.  If you like, shave some Andes mints and add them to the top as extra decoration.  Enjoy :)

Pretty mint green!

Almond Cupcakes – makes 2 dozen (or 5 dozen minis)

1/2 c. butter, room temperature

1 1/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 c. flour (preferably cake flour)

1/3 c. ground almonds*

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

*To grind your almonds, simply put them in a food processor until mealy and you can’t see any large chunks of brown skin.

Here’s what the ground almonds should look like.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Prepare your tins with cooking spray or cupcake liners.  I’m using a mini cupcake pan today :)

Cream the butter and sugar together until light an fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, combining thoroughly after each addition, but don’t over mix.

Farm-fresh eggs made a very yellow base batter!

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt).  Likewise, measure out the milk and add the vanilla and almond extracts to the measuring cup.

Alternately add the dry and wet ingredients in small batches until all combined.  Again, don’t over mix…this can lend to dense cupcakes.  It’s OK to have a few lumps here or there; they’ll even out when baking.

Fill your prepared pans 2/3 full.

Bake for 12-15 minutes for mini cupcakes or 18-22 minutes for regular-sized cupcakes.  Either way, test with a toothpick for gooey insides before taking out of the oven.

Let cool on a wire rack.

While the cupcakes are cooling, rinse off your blackberries and let air dry :)

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. cocoa powder

2-4 c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. milk

Standard frosting procedure: combine shortening and butter until smooth and creamy.  Add the cocoa powder, then the powdered sugar slowly until a fluffy consistency and agreeable taste is reached.  Add the milk , beating in with the mixture.  Correct the taste and texture accordingly with more powdered sugar, if needed.

I tried a new piping method with a new tip!  I used a Wilton #104 to make a ruffled decoration.  Once you’ve filled your piping bag, place the wider end of the petal tip toward the outer edge of the cupcake.  Pipe the frosting on, make ruffles as you turn the cupcake.  Complete three different layers to come up with a nice, stacked ruffle!

Place a blackberry in the middle of the frosting to bring the whole thing together.

If you are using mini cupcakes, consider one ruffle layer with a black berry in the middle:

]]> https://cupcakevillains.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/almond-cupcakes-with-chocolate-buttercream-and-blackberries/feed/ 1 Mels 048 034 032 035 037 038 Triple Cupcake Picture 044 046 https://cupcakevillains.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/49er-faithful-black-forest-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting/ https://cupcakevillains.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/49er-faithful-black-forest-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting/#respond Sun, 03 Feb 2013 05:46:59 +0000 https://cupcakevillains.wordpress.com/?p=1617 It has finally happened – the San Francisco 49ers have prevailed and will be playing in the Super Bowl this Sunday!  My father has claimed that his children have always brought the 49ers luck.  A month after my brother was born, our boys won their first national championship.  Just 15 days after I was born, they won their second.  They have been undefeated since then in their five Super Bowl games.  I am just hoping with all hope that this Sunday they can make it six!

To celebrate, I have developed a deep, rich, and tangy cupcake to show my love for my team.  I am borrowing my all-time favorite chocolate cupcake recipe (developed for a Super Bowl party three years ago), filling it with tangy and boozey cherries, with a topping of red and gold pride in the form of a rich cream cheese frosting.  Start the cherry filling a few days ahead so the cherries can reach full re-hydration and flavor.

Dark Chocolate Cupcake

• 2 c. cake flour
• 2 c. white sugar
• 1 c. baking cocoa
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. cold, brewed coffee
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake tins or spray with cooking oil.  This recipe should make approximately 2 dozen cupcakes, or 5 mini cupcakes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cocoa, and sugar.

Make a well in the center and add the eggs, coffee, buttermilk, vanilla, and oil.

Mix until well combined, but not over-mixed.  The batter will be thin.

Fill cupcake tins 2/3 full.  These will rise quite a bit in the oven!  Bake for 8-12 minutes for mini cupcakes, 15-20 minutes for regular sized cupcakes, checking often to monitor progress!

Take out of pan and cool on a wire rack.

Cherry Filling

1 c. dried cherries
brandy (enough to cover the cherries)
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. lemon zest

In a large jar or Tupperware, combine the above ingredients.  Let them soak overnight, at least.

You may use the cherries as your filling, draining them from the sugar/brandy mixture, or you can put the cherries and the liquid in a sauce pan, thickening the sugar and alcohol into a syrup.

If you chose to reduce the syrup, be very careful.  I had an unintentional flambe moment with mine!

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone out of the center large enough to fit a few cherries.  Or you can use a handy-dandy cupcake corer, like I got for Christmas!

Add in the cherries.  If you want to, you can drizzle the cupcake center or top with the brandy/lemon zest liquid, or the syrup if you’ve reduced the liquids down.

Cream Cheese Frosting

This will be an extra-large batch, as I want to be sure there’s enough to dye it two different colors and not run out!

12 oz cream cheese
6 tbsp butter
6-8 c powdered sugar
4-6 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Cream together the cream cheese and butter.  Slowly add the powdered sugar in small batches, mixing as you go.  Alternate your additions of powdered sugar with the milk and vanilla.  Continue to add powdered sugar until your desired consistency is reached.  If you like a thinner frosting, don’t use all of the powdered sugar.  A thicker frosting will take more!

You can color your frosting however you like, or leave it plain.  I have divided mine into two bowls.  I used Wilton gel dye for all of my frosting coloring needs.  For the red, I used mostly red, but a tiny bit of burgundy to get the “not quite bright red” color of the 49ers.  The gold is a little more tricky.  I wish I could get some shine in it, but alas.  I wanted to go for a more antique-brassy gold, and came up with a combination of yellow, brown and violet.  Just a tiny bit of the late two.

If you are using two colors, set up at double colored pastry bag as described here.

Pipe your frosting onto the cupcakes and enjoy :)

And let me end with this…WHO’S GOT IT BETTER THAN US?!?

Pumpkin Spice Cupcake

(makes approximately 1 dozen cupcakes [2-3 dozen minis])

• 1 c. sugar
• 2/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. flour (preferably cake flour)
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground, dried ginger

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line your cupcake tins, or grease them with a bit of oil/butter/cooking spray. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture.

The most deliciously orange batter I’ve ever seen!

Fill cupcake pan (with liners) 3/4 of the way full.

Decrease your baking temp to 325 degrees.  Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes (regular cupcakes) or 10-12 minutes (mini cupcakes), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool on wire rack.

Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 tbsp. butter, room temperature
• 2-3 c. powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp. milk or cream
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• finely chopped pecans, to taste

Be sure to chop the pecans super fine!  Even try a food processor, as long as you don’t get them down to a powder.  I didn’t chop mine fine enough, and the frosting would not pipe through any of my frosting tips.  I improvised and cut a whole at the bottom of my disposable pastry bag that was just big enough.  However, that made the piping not too visually appealing.

Apparently not chopped fine enough. Live and learn.

Enough with the commentary…on to the directions!

Cream together the cream cheese and butter.  Then, slowly mix in the powdered sugar, alternating with small splashes of milk and the vanilla. When you reach the consistency that you want for the frosting, fold in chopped pecans.

Don’t forget to lick the beaters.

To assemble, place a pecan halves on top of each cupcake (I used one for the mini cupcakes, but you can put more on regular sized cupcakes).

Pipe the cream cheese frosting on top of the cupcakes, making sure the pecan halves do not slide off!  Garnish as you wish with some fresh grated nutmeg or a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Enjoy :)

P.S. – I organized my cupcake liners in a giant mason jar. Look how many pretty colors :)

Gingered Cupcakes

Just some of my wonderful ingredients.

(makes approx. 1 dozen cupcakes)

1/3 c. butter, room temperature

3/4 c. sugar

1 egg

2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1 c. milk

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1  tsp. baking powder

Cream the butter until soft.  Mix in the sugar, then the eggs, one at a time.  Add the ginger; be careful not to over mix!  Sift together the dry ingredients.  Alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients, ending with dry.

Spoon the batter into prepared tins, bake at 350 degrees for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cool on wire rack.

Root Beer Butter Cream Frosting

3/4 c. butter, room temperature

2-3 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. root beer topping/extract/reduction*

* You can use any of these three things.  The first two are available for purchase.  You can make a root beer reduction by placing about 1/2 c. of root beer in a shallow sauce pan over medium heat.  Let it simmer, stirring often, until it is reduced and is a syrup-like consistency.  Make extra if you want to drizzle more on top of your cupcakes.

Cream the butter until soft, then begin to add the powdered sugar.  Add about 1 1/2 cups worth, and then start to add in the liquids.  Continue to mix in powdered sugar until you’ve reached the taste and consistency that you want!

Pipe the frosting onto cooled cupcakes and drizzle with extra root beer topping or reduction.  Please don’t drizzle root beer extract on top of your finished cupcakes…it will not have a satisfactory effect :)

Enjoy!