Root beer Float Cupcakes

Ever since I discovered root beer extract I have been dying to make these cupcakes. Root beer is reminiscent of summer to me.  I love root beer but I don’t drink it often because of the added calories. Last week at the lake I enjoyed several thirst-quenching bottles. For lunch we would hop in the boat and drive across the lake to a little restaurant/shop called Miller’s Landing. I indulged myself with Oreo milkshakes, chicken strips, French fries and root beer; not all at once of course.

Brownie Stuffed Funfetti Cupcakes with Chocolate Funfetti Frosting

Sometimes when I make cupcakes, I feel the urge to try and combine as many flavors as possible just to see how things turn out. Last weekend, during my baking extravaganza, I had a batch of leftover brownies and no one to eat them. In an attempt to avoid eating them all myself, I decided I wanted to put them inside a cupcake. Yes, a brownie stuff cupcake.

For the cupcake, I used my favorite funfetti recipe from yourcupofcake.com. For the frosting, I wanted to see if I could make a chocolate funfetti frosting. I mean, who wouldn’t want to combine the best two cupcake flavors ever, right?!

Brownie Stuffing

3 C Crumbled brownies

1/2 C Chocolate frosting

• Bake a boxed mix of brownies according the package instructions. Cool completely.
• When ready, use your hands to crumble brownies into pieces and measure out 3 cups into a separate bowl.
• Combine with ½ cup of chocolate frosting. Use your hands to mix everything together into one large ball, ensuring the frosting is well mixed.
• Roll 24 balls of the brownie mixture, about 1 tbsp in size.
• Set 1 brownie ball in each cupcake liner.

Funfetti Cupcakes
Recipe from yourcupofcake.com Vanilla Cupcakes

Follow ingredients from Vanilla cupcake and add 1/4 C Sprinkles

• Preheat oven to 350° F
• Combine egg whites, oil, buttermilk, sour cream and vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk gently.
• Slowly mix in cake mix until well combined.
• Add sprinkles and gently fold into batter.
• Fill lined cupcake pan 2/3 full, tap the pan a couple times to evenly coat the brownie. Bake for 12 minutes, check with a toothpick and bake another 2-3 minutes until tops are golden or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
• Let cupcakes cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Having a brownie stuffed inside the cupcake was pretty dang amazing, but what impressed me the most about these cupcakes was the frosting. I whipped the heck out of this frosting and used heavy cream instead of milk to make it super light and fluffy. There’s actually cake mix in the frosting and cocoa powder to create a chocolate funfetti frosting.

Chocolate Funfetti Frosting

1 C Unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 oz Cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 C Cocoa powder

1 C Vanilla cake mix

4 tsp Pure vanilla extract

3 C Confectionary sugar

2 tbsp Heavy cream (no substitutions)

• Allow butter and cream cheese to come to room temperature.
• Use a fine sifter to sift the cocoa powder, eliminating any clumps.
• Once softened, combine butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
• Slowly add cocoa powder and continue to beat on medium speed until smooth. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract. I like to add the vanilla extract after the cocoa powder to help keep the mixture smooth.
• Add 1 cup vanilla cake mix and continue to beat on medium speed; add the other 2 tsp vanilla extract.
• Continue to slowly add confectionary sugar followed by the heavy cream. Beat for several minutes with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed. Switch to the whisk attachment and beat for another 3-5 minutes until frosting is light and fluffy.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the airiness of the frosting after beating it for so long! I feel as though the longer I whip the frosting, the better it becomes. I choose not to put sprinkles into the frosting because I liked the look of the sprinkles on top.

 

This post is linked up on the Back for Seconds blog.

Gluten-Free S’mores Cupcakes

Part of the fun of being a food blogger is trying recipes from my peers. I love experimenting in the kitchen. I have also been inclined to try various baking mixes to see how my favorites compare. On a recent shopping trip to Wholefoods, I found a Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake mix from King Arthur Flour. I must say, that I am in love with this cake mix, it is the fudgiest cake I have ever had. You can purchase their cake mixes online. I used it to make cupcakes instead of a layer cake as shown on the box.

Once my cupcakes cooled, I took a heaping spoon of chocolate and smeared it over the top of each one. Obviously you need an excess amount of chocolate for anything s’mores related. Instead of graham cracker, I used Annie’s Gluten-Free Bunnie crackers, they are most compared to Teddy Grahams. I used a food processor to grind them up into smaller pieces.

I have never made marshmallow frosting before (gasp!). So I spent some time looking at ingredients from different recipes to see what I wanted to try. I was never a huge fan of marshmallow fluff when I was a child, so I was looking for something different.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes

The cupcakes your man makes

 I called this series, Baking with Boys. From the beginning of our relationship, I knew my boyfriend liked chocolate cake, but he always talked about the chocolate cream cheese cupcakes (black bottom cupcakes) his mother used to make.

The first birthday we shared together, I was super stressed about making the best black bottom cake I could, because he didn’t have the recipe. I guess I did okay since I am still around. Finally after several months he found the recipe from his mom. I was expecting something really fancy and complicated. Turns out they’re super easy to make. He has been requesting that I make them ever since. I guess he got sick of waiting.

 While I was busy shooting my Cadbury Cookie Brittle, he insisted on making black bottom cupcakes at 9 o’clock at night. He wanted to do it all himself, to which I of course said go right ahead, just clean up afterwards! I love watching him bake, because it makes me laugh every time.

He uses as few dishes as possible. This results in him melting butter in the glass measuring cup and using the same cup to measure ALL of his dry ingredients plus oil, milk and whatever else is required. I am going to tell the rest of this story in photos taken on my iphone. Read on, I promise it’s worth it.  Also, I should tell you that he edits my posts, and may or may not agree with my recount of the story.

He’s pretty serious about his measuring. As you should be.

This is the face of concentration. He has two rules. His first rule is that he “doesn’t do eggs”, which means I have to be called in to crack the eggs.

Mocha Irish Cream Cupcake for Two

I fell in love with small portioned desserts after I made Champagne Cupcakes for Two on New Years Eve. The thought of enjoying cupcakes without having to make a huge batch (and then feel guilty about eating them all) was just awesome! I have been testing and consuming desserts in small batches ever since. I recently purchased the cookbook, Small Batch Baking by Debby Maugans Nakos. I made the mocha cupcakes, filled them with Bailey’s Irish Cream infused ganache and topped it off with Chocolate Bailey’s Irish Cream whipped cream!

This cookbook has the perfect mocha cupcake. It reminds me of my favorite chocolate cupcake. The espresso taste is prevalent but not overwhelming. The sour cream in the recipe helps maintain a moist, light center. Besides, who doesn’t love a boozy cupcake?

This recipe is from Small Batch Baking by Debby Maugans Nakos. If you like to bake for just a few, I highly recommend checking out this book. It is full of mini cakes, pie, cookies and tons of other desserts!