My First Wedding

I was debating whether or not to put this on my blog since the cupcakes are not made from scratch. However after much deliberation I decided that I would. Back in August of 2009 a good friend of mine got married and I offered to do the wedding cupcakes for her and her husband as their wedding gift. Per request of the bride (she did not want me to spend too much money) I did not make the 200 chocolate and yellow cupcakes from scratch. Between myself, a few friends, and one of my friend's Mom, we had enough box mix to make the cupcakes and six inch cake topper. The frosting used on the cupcakes and the cake, however, was made from scratch using Wilton's buttercream recipe.

To make the cake stand we got basic cake pillars and divider plates and used tacky glue to attach everything together ensuring it would hold. To add a little color we used fake purple and white flower sprigs around the bottom of the cake stand than used the left over buds around the base of the cake topper.

You'll also notice that there are ribbons around the cupcakes, this is very time consuming and takes A LOT of ribbon. You cannot simply tie ribbon around the cupcakes, it just slips down. In order to attach the ribbon you have to make stiff decorating frosting to attach the ribbon to the cupcake paper than (this works best with two people) hold the ribbon tight and roll the cupcake so the ribbon wraps around. Once you have achieved the look you want attach the last end of the ribbon with more stiff frosting.

In the end everyone loved the cupcakes and no one could tell they weren't made from scratch and most importantly the bride and groom loved them!

M&M "Cookie" Cupcakes

Once a month we have a meeting at my work and I like to make baked goods for the meetings. I had not made cupcakes in the past couple of weeks so I decided it was time for cupcakes. When trying to find cupcakes that would inspire me, I thought why not make the chocolate chip "cookie" cupcakes, but this time with a spin. Instead of using the chocolate chips I used M&Ms.

M&M "Cookie" Cupcakes
Makes 18 - 20

To make cupcake follow the Chocolate chip "Cookie" Cupcake recipe and substitute M&Ms for the chocolate chips.

Fold M&Ms into the batter

bake cupcakes for 20 - 22 minutes

Allow cupcakes to completely cool before frosting.


Wilton's Buttercream Icing

1/2 cup sold vegetable shorting
1/2 cup butter
4 cups confectioners sugar
8 Tablespoons milk or water (milk works best for flavors)
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Cream shorting and butter
2. Add sugar, vanilla, and milk
3. blend on medium speed until thoroughly blended be careful not over mix
4. top cupcakes with M&Ms

Notes: The M&Ms sunk to the bottom of the cupcakes. Next time I will try M&M minis.

Peachy Cupcakes

This past Friday was my Mom's birthday and of course I had to make birthday cupcakes (it is expected). For her previous birthday I made Strawberries and Cream cupcakes so this year I decided to use some peaches that I had in my freezer. The peaches were ones that I had got from a friend that I had peeled and froze myself. When I was looking for a good peach cupcakes recipe I found this really tasty one on How To Eat A Cupcake's Blog. What I really liked about this recipe was the nutmeg it just makes the cupcakes taste that much better.

Peach Cupcakes
Makes 18-22

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) all purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1-1/4 cups (300 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 eggs
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
2 tsp (10 mL) grated orange zest
3/4 cup (175 mL) milk
2 peaches or nectarines, pitted and thinly sliced and cut into thirds (About 1 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C)

1. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.

2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter until well combined.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until light and fluffly.

4. Add vanilla and orange zest, beating well. Alternately beat in flour mixture and milk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of milk, beating until smooth.

5. Fold in peaches or nectarines.

Scoop batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated over for 23-28 minutes or until golden brown and tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. The cupcakes will sink slightly

Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.

For frosting I originally wanted to do mascarpone frosting. However my funds were limited and mascarpone was a little to expensive. So I did cream cheese frosting. I used half of Paula Deen's cream cheese frosting recipe. I personally did not like the cream cheese frosting with the cupcakes very much. It was a little heavy in contrast with the lightness of the peach cupcake. I defiantly think these ones need the lighter frosting that the mascarpone makes.

I was very happy with how these cupcakes turn out. They were peachy with a hint of nutmeg and my Mom loved them, which was the important part.

Paula Deen's Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

As most people have probably realized by now I love Paula Deen's cream cheese frosting. While I also really like her red velvet cupcakes. So the third cupcakes I made for the bake sale were Paula Deen's red velvet cupcakes. I thought they would be a great addition because of the red and white coloring.

Red Velvet cupcake recipe:
makes 24 cupcakes

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

1. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.

2. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer.

3. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled.

5. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Matcha Cupcakes with Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting

The second cupcakes I made for JSA's Bake sale were matcha cupcakes with matcha cream cheese frosting. I used Teavana's matcha to make both the cupcakes and the frosting. Teavana sells premium quality matcha that makes excellent tea, cupcakes, and frosting! The cupcake recipe I used is from Top Gourmet Cupcake's blog.

Matcha Cupcake recipe:
Makes 24 cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tbsp matcha

1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, matcha, and salt in a bowl. Add to mixer bowl. Add the milk and vanilla. Mix to combine.

5. Fill into cupcake tins 3/4 full.

6. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Matcha Frosting

12 ounces or 1-1/2 packages of Philly cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon matcha green tea powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl or onto parchment
2. Beat butter and cheese at medium speed until creamy
3. Add 1/2 of the sugar now, the green tea powder, and the vanilla. Beat until combined.
4. Gradually add remaining sugar until desired consistency is reached.

Chocolate Chip "Cookie" Cupcake

Recently I participated in the Japanese Student Association club's bake sale to raise money for those effected by the earthquake and tsunami. The first bake sale JSA hosted did so well that they sold out of baked goods in the first hour. So when I was asked to bake cupcakes for their second bake sale I wanted to do as many cupcakes as I could and a variety of them. The first cupcake I made was what I call a Chocolate Chip "Cookie" Cupcake. I found this recipe while browsing through justJENN recipes cupcakes. I love her cupcake and cupcake designs. They are fun and very tasty! What really excited me about this cupcakes was that it actually looks like a cookie in her picture:

(picture from justJENN recipes)

The look of the cupcakes are awesome, but the taste is even better!

Chocolate Chip "Cookie" cupcake recipe:
Makes between 12-17 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup cinnamon chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prep a cupcake pan with liners.

1. In a medium bowl whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Once combined, add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.

3. Alternate the flour mixture with the milk until combined. This will look like cookie batter!

4. Fold in chocolate chips and cinnamon chips. (I was on a limited budget so I just used chocolate chips since I had plenty of those. Still tasted amazing!)

It really looks like cookie batter!

5. Fill your liners about 3/4 of the way full

6. Bake for 18-20 minutes until toothpick test says they’re done! Let cool on a wire rack.

Sadly mine did not turn out like Jenn's. :( I realized why though. In my excitement to make these I over looked that I was supposed to use whole milk not 2%. However the cupcakes still tasted exactly like chocolate chip cookie! It was amazing taking the first bite!

I frosted them with cream cheese frosting (Paula Deen's of course) and chocolate sprinkles.

Dark Knight Chocolate Cupcakes (AKA Batman Cupcakes)

This past Easter weeked my Mother's Church hosted their annual Wildly Unique Dessert Auction (WUDA). WUDA helps to raise money to send childrean from both the church and the community, who would normally not be able to afford the cost, to summer camp for a week. Every year WUDA has a theme, this years theme was Super Hero. I spent weeks trying to chose a super hero cupcake to make, in the end I went with Batman, because, well, Batman is awesome! So I made Dark Knight Chocolate cupcakes.

The chocolate cupcake recipe I used makes a nice light very flavorful cupcake.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes (justJENN)

1/2 cup melted chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1-1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon Valrhona cocoa powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prep cupcake pans with liners.

1. In a medium bowl whisk together the salt, baking powder, flour and cocoa powder. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the melted chocolate, butter and sugar. Add the eggs and the vanilla.

3. Alternate the flour mixture and the buttermilk until combined.

4. In a small bowl mix together the baking soda and the vinegar, pour into the batter and mix until thoroughly incorporated. This will give the cake a nice soft crumb.

5. Fill your liners halfway to 2/3 full and bake for 15-17 minutes depending on your oven.

6. Let cool on a wire rack.

These cupcakes will not have the nice arch that most do. However for the purpose of these cupcakes a flatter surface works much better.

Decorating batman cupcakes

Cream cheese frosting by Paula Deen

I absolutely love Paula Deen's cream cheese frosting. Personally I think her's is the best recipe for cream cheese frosting, I have yet to get any complaints.

Separate some of the frosting into two bowls. Using coloring gel color one yellow and the other black.

Using a icing spatula spread the yellow frosting onto the cupcakes.

Next use a toothpick to trace the lines of the batman symbol into the cupcakes.

Using a 1, 2, or 3 icing tip trace the lines with the black frosting and fill in the symbol.

I was very pleased with how mine turned out. I'm not very good at drawing so I was happy with these. I also won the award for best themed dessert at the auction!