The Best & Easiest Chocolate Frosting

Yield: will frost 1-9 inch round layer cake or 24 cupcakes

Recipe by Lauren's Latest

Ingredients:

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3-4 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. Whip butter and cocoa together until smooth in large bowl. Stir in vanilla and powdered sugar. Slowly stream in milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Scrape sides and whip again until light, fluffy and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Frosts 1-9 or 8 inch round layered cake or 24 cupcakes.

Fresh Out of the Oven

Just made these cute and extremely delicious brownie cupcakes for my Business class. We have an exam tomorrow and there's no better way to celebrate the last day of class than with bite size brownie cupcakes. Check out the recipe here.

Must See!

Check out this blog for awesome gluten and allergen free recipes. The gluten free bread is delicious. It's a must see blog!

Mochaccino Cupcakes

Yield: 30 cupcakes

Recipe by Better Homes and Gardens

 

Ingredients                   

3.4 cup butter                             

3 eggs                  

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup dark, bittersweet, or semisweet chocolate pieces

1 recipe Coffee Buttercream

30 creme-filled rolled wafer cookies, such as Pirouettes

Unsweetened cocoa powder or ground cinnamon (optional)

 

Directions

1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Grease and flour thirty 2-1/2-inch muffin cups (or line with paper bake cups). In a medium bowl stir together flour, the 1 cup cocoa powder, the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup combine milk and coffee. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until combined. Scrape sides of bowl; beat for 2 minutes more. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Stir in chocolate pieces.

 

3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups.

 

4. Bake about 18 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin pans. Cool completely on wire racks.

 

  

5. Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, pipe Coffee Buttercream onto cupcakes. Insert wafers. If desired, dust with additional unsweetened cocoa powder. Makes 30 (2-1/2-inch) cupcakes.

Coffee Buttercream

Yield: about 2 cups

             Recipe by Better Homes and Gardens               

 

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons strong brewed coffee, cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Strong brewed coffee, cooled (optional)

Directions

 

1. Allow butter to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup of the powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in the 3 tablespoons brewed coffee and the vanilla. Gradually beat in the remaining powdered sugar. If necessary, beat in additional brewed coffee until buttercream reaches spreading consistency.

Pink Meringue Cupcakes with Raspberry Curd

Yield: 1 dozen

Recipe by Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil cooking spray, for baking cups
• 6 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• Gel-paste food coloring in Tulip Red sugarcraft.com
• 2 cups creme fraiche
• 1 container (6 ounces) raspberries, halved if large
• Raspberry Curd

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line every other cup of 2 nonstick 12-cup muffin tins with baking cups; coat with cooking spray. Whisk egg whites, vinegar, vanilla, and salt with a mixer on medium-high speed until frothy. Add 1 3/4 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, making sure the sugar dissolves. Beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. Mix in 6 drops food coloring.
2. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a plain coupler (no tip), and pipe into prepared baking cups, about 2 inches above rims, finishing with a peak in the centers. Bake, rotating halfway through, 3 to 3 hours and 20 minutes. (Cupcakes should be completely dry on the outside but still soft in the middle. A toothpick inserted horizontally at base of top should have moist but cooked crumbs attached.) Transfer cupcakes in baking cups to wire racks; let cool completely.
3. Beat creme fraiche and remaining cup sugar in a clean mixer bowl on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Carefully slice off tops of cupcakes using a serrated knife. (Run the knife just above the liner and slowly work your way to the center.) Top each cupcake with 2 tablespoons raspberry curd, a few raspberries, and 2 tablespoons creme fraiche mixture. Replace tops, and serve immediately.

Raspberry Curd

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Recipe by Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 1 container (6 ounces) raspberries
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Whisk all ingredients in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until slightly thick, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Strain; refrigerate until cold and thick.