Lemon Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

I  decided to make this particular flavor of goodness because I wanted something different and interesting at the same time. These were really made for my mother for her birthday. She loves lemon, too. So what better reason to make these babies, right? They came out perfect, with the best consistency and texture: Light and fluffy and moist. They are not overwhelming, either. They are somewhat tart because of the zest and juice of the lemons that went into the batter. The frosting gives a fantastic punch of vanilla that complements the lemon flavor of the cake perfectly. So I guess without further adieu, here is the recipe:
Makes 12 cupcakes, with a little frosting remaining
(You will also need paper muffin liners)
For the batter:
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
zest of 3 lemons and juice of 2 1/2 [lemons]
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2/3 c. cold milk ( I used skim but you can use whatever you have)

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. When the eggs are thoroughly mixed with the butter and sugar, mix in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture, a little bit at a time. Mix on medium speed as well. When the dry ingredients are well incorporated, add the milk, lemon zest, and the lemon juice  to the mixing bowl and mix until well combined. Spoon the batter equally into each paper muffin liner and bake for 18-24 minutes. I baked these for 21 minutes, and they came out perfect. After 21 minutes, poke a small hole into one of the cakes with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done. Set the cakes aside to cool.

Now for the buttercream! You will need:
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. milk
2 T heavy cream
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, mix the butter and heavy cream on medium speed. The heavy cream will help create a whipped consistency in the frosting, since whipped cream made with heavy cream (whipping cream=heavy cream). Next, add in the milk, a little at a time. When it is well incorporated, add in the powdered sugar, a little bit at a time, until the desired thickness. Finally, add in the vanilla, and mix about 30 seconds longer to evenly distribute the vanilla extract in the frosting. When the cupcakes are cool, spoon the frosting into a ziploc bag and cut a small hole in the corner of the bag. Pipe the frosting onto each cupcake, starting at the outer edges and swirling inward. And finally (of course), eat and enjoy your creation!

Channeling The Golden Girls, Part II

So...this recipe is a variation on a previous recipe I have uploaded to this blog (Channeling the Golden Girls). For this one, I have put the zest and juice of two navel oranges in the batter, and the sauce is a raspberry puree rather than a strawberry one. The zest along with the juice of the citrus gives the cheesecakes a wonderful, bright, citrus-y  flavor. Here is the recipe:

Makes 12 servings
For the crust:
1 cup of graham cracker crumbs
1 T granulated white sugar
4-5 T butter, melted (unsalted of course)

For the filling:
2  8 oz. packages  full fat cream cheese, room temperature (This makes it much easier to mix)
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature 
zest and juice of two navel oranges


Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. For the crust, mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Press a heaping tablespoon (T) of crumbs onto the bottom  of each muffin cup. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.
For the filling, beat the cream cheese with either an electric mixer or a hand mixer on low speed until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar and the salt and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Next, add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla, the orange zest and juice, and the sour cream and beat until well incorporated. Now, remove the crusts from the refrigerator  and evenly divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups.
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until firm but a little wobbly in the center of each cup. When you remove them from the oven, place on a wire rack to cool. Then cover and refrigerate for a few hours or even overnight. 

Here's the recipe for the sauce. It's truly delicious. Easy to make, too!
1 - 20 ounce bag  of frozen unsweetened raspberries
1/4 - 1/3 cup  granulated white sugar, or to taste
lemon juice to taste (optional)
a little water in case it is hard to blend
Preparation time: 10 minutes
 Place the unsweetened berries in a bowl. Thaw if you buy them frozen. After thawing (if frozen at first), place them in either a food processor or a blender and process until pureed. Pour into a 2 cup measuring cup. This should measure to about 1 1/4 cups of puree. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste it, and add more if you want it sweeter. Now you can add the lemon juice if you so desire. This sauce can either be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for  a week, or it can be frozen.
Enjoy, my loves! Xoxo
-Caitlin

Orange Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

So the other night, I was trying to come up with several new flavors for cupcakes.  I thought of pairing orange with chocolate since the two go so well together. In my opinion, they should win the best food couple ever. Luckily, I just bought a big bag of oranges when I went grocery shopping. And I also have tons of cocoa powder in my pantry. The recipe for the cake portion is basically the same as the one for my previous entry, except instead of adding cinnamon and brown sugar to the batter, I added the zest of two oranges. The texture of these cupcakes is perfect--nice and light, fluffy and moist, with a very nice orange flavor. Buttercream is also a very easy thing to make. Once you have the basic, crucial ingredients (butter and powdered sugar), you can basically add any flavoring to it to make your favorite flavor of frosting. This recipe makes 12 cupcakes. With that being said, here is the recipe:

For the batter:
1/2 c. softened butter (1 stick)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
zest of 2 oranges
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2/3 c. cold milk
Preheat oven to 350. In a mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. When the eggs are thoroughly mixed with the butter and sugar, mix in the vanilla. In  a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture, a little bit at a time. Mix on medium speed as well. When the dry ingredients are well incorporated, add the milk and orange zest  to the mixing bowl and mix until well combined.  Spoon the batter equally into each paper muffin liner and bake for 18-24 minutes. I baked these for 21 minutes. After 21 minutes, poke a small hole into one of the cakes with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done. Set the cakes aside to cool.

Now for the buttercream! You will need:
2 T cocoa powder, unsweetened
1/4 c. hot milk
1/2 c. butter, softened ( 1 stick)
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Mix the cocoa powder and the hot milk in a mug and set aside to let it cool completely. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and cocoa/milk mixture, and beat at medium speed. Gradually add the powdered sugar and continue to mix at medium speed until smooth and fluffy. If your frosting seems to be on the thin side, add a little more powdered sugar to the mix. The cornstarch present in the powdered sugar acts as a thickener. When the frosting is at your desired consistency and the cupcakes are cool, spoon it into a ziploc bag and cut a small hole in the corner of the bag. Pipe the frosting onto each cupcake, then eat and enjoy your creation!

Exam Week Cupcakes (Cinnamon Cupcakes with Mocha Cappuccino Buttercream Frosting)

One thing I absolutely adore to bake and eat is a cupcake. I'm always inspired by the Food Network show "Cupcake Wars" because the bakers on there are always coming up with interesting, out-of-the-ordinary flavors. Tonight, I randomly thought about making cupcakes, and I wanted to make a unique flavor of cupcakes for me and my roommates. Since the upcoming two weeks are midterm time at school, I decided to incorporate cappuccino mix into them some way. Whenever I drink coffee, I always sprinkle cinnamon on top, so I decided to make the cake portion cinnamon flavored. Since there is cappuccino in the frosting, this recipe also comes in handy while studying to keep students awake and focused. I also sprinkled a little bit of cinnamon on top of the frosting so that people can see there is cinnamon in the cake. I know you'll love these little babies! Makes 12 cupcakes.
Here's the recipe:
For the cake portion:
1/2 c. softened butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2/3 c. cold milk
1 T (aka 3 tsp.) ground cinnamon
1/8 c. brown sugar
ziploc bag

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Next, stir in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add this to the butter mixture, and stir in the cold milk.
Line the muffin pans with paper muffin liners, and evenly distribute the batter into each one.
Bake for 18-24 minutes. (Mine only took 21 minutes.)
Set aside and cool.

For the Mocha Cappuccino Buttercream Frosting:
1/8 c. instant mocha cappuccino mix
1/4 c. milk
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 c. powdered sugar

Pour the milk into a small saucepan and set on the stove at high heat until the milk starts to boil. Add to a mug that is filled with the cappuccino mix and stir. Set mixture aside and let it cool completely. When it is cool, pour it into a mixing bowl and add the softened butter. Beat at medium speed until well combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, 1/2 c. at a time, until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
When the cupcakes are cool to the touch, fill a ziploc bag with the frosting, zip it up, and cut a small hole in a corner of the bag. This is an easy way to pipe icing onto a cupcake. Spiral inward with the frosting from edge of the top of the cupcake. When done, sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon onto each, if you wish, as a garnish.
Enjoy!