The Best Cup Cakes

Cariad

Junior Member
I don't think you should be allowed to post such photos of cup cakes if I can't sample them.... :) they look delish..
 
Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting :banana:

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Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas), plus 1 whole banana, for garnish (optional)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Honey-Cinnamon Frosting (see below)

Directions
  1. Step 1
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  2. Step 2
    Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.
  3. Step 3
    Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Spread tops with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting. Just before serving, peel and slice banana into rounds, and place one on each cupcake, if desired.
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Honey- Cinnamon Frosting

Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
  1. Step 1
    In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat confectioners' sugar, unsalted butter, honey, and ground cinnamon until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes.
These look simple but probably delicious ^^ Thanks for sharing ^^
 

sister herb

Official TTI Chef
Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes

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Ooops! Who took the first bite?

makes 12 cupcakes

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup assorted brightly colored sprinkles + more for top of frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/175 C. Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Add the milk. Once mixed, add remaining dry ingredients. Fold in assorted sprinkles. Pour into cupcake tins and fill 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Let cool, then frost.

Vanilla Buttercream

2 sticks of butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of milk, if needed

Cream butter in the bowl of an electric mixture until completely smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low speed, add in powdered sugar slowly. Gradually increase mixer speed and add vanilla, then beat for 2-3 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of the bowl. If frosting is too thick, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached If it’s too thin, add sugar gradually until it thickens. Frost cupcakes and top with sprinkles.












Source: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/06/homemade-funfetti-cupcakes/
 

sister herb

Official TTI Chef
Chocolate Lover’s Cupcakes

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makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/8 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons sour cream
2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 175 C.

In a bowl, whisk egg and sugar until smooth and no lumps remain. Add milk, cream and vanilla, and mix until combined. Stir in sour cream. Sift dry ingredients together and add to wet mixture. Mix until batter is smooth. Add in melted butter and stir until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips. Line a muffin tin with liners and using a 1/4 cup measure, add batter to each cup. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting


3 8-ounce blocks of cold cream cheese
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 1/2 ounces milk chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoons vanilla extract

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and add cocoa powder, increasing the speed to mix. Add in melted chocolate. If the frosting it a bit too thick, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. If it is too thin, add additional sugar gradually. Frost cupcakes once cooled. Top with chocolate sprinkles, shaved chocolate, chocolate bars, etc.

Note: as you can see I used a TON of frosting on my cupcakes. I had about 1/2 cup of frosting left over, so if you plan to use less frosting (i.e. you are going to spread it on with a spatula or use a tiny blob), then cut this recipe in half.

Source: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/02/chocolate-lovers-cupcakes/
 

sister herb

Official TTI Chef
Neapolitan Cupcakes

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Ingredients:

(for the cupcakes)

*makes 12

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk

For Chocolate Cupcakes: Reduce flour to 1 1/4 cups, and add 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.

(for the frosting - Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream)

4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter(2 sticks)
1/3 cup strawberry jam

Directions:

(for the cupcakes)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/175 C. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan, or use paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla, and mix until combined.
4. On low speed, beat in half the flour mixture, followed by milk; end with remaining flour mixture. Mix just until incorporated (do not overmix).
5. Fill muffin cups with 3 tablespoons of each batter, side by side.. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

(for the frosting - Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream)

1. Put egg whites and sugar into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees F/70 C).
2. Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 minutes.
3. Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low, add butter two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 minutes.
4. Reduce speed to low; add strawberry jam and continue beating 2 minutes to eliminate air bubbles.

Source: http://food-porn.livejournal.com/5064412.html
 

sister herb

Official TTI Chef
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Honey Pecan Frosting

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Cupcake batter
1.5 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup dark molasses
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Honey Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered (confectioner’s, not just finely granulated) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/2 cup pecans
1/8 cup honey
1/4 cup cream



Begin by sifting the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda into a bowl, and then mix salt into that. Set this aside.

In a second bowl, mix the buttermilk and molasses. Set this aside.



Cream the butter and add in the sugar, mixing until the sugar has dissolved into the butter. Then, add in the eggs one at a time, mixing until fully integrated before moving on to the next one, and then finally, mix in the vanilla.

At this point, you want to bring it all together. Add a third of the dry mix into the butter bowl and mix just until fully incorporated. Then add a third of the buttermilk bowl, mixing until incorporated. Repeat until done, mixing only as much as is required.

So with the batter ready, pour it into paper linings in a muffin pan. I got about 18 cupcakes from this, so plan accordingly.

Transfer to a 325 F (165 C) oven for 20-25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.



Once the cupcakes are done, give them 5 minutes before you get them out of the pan and then give them an hour before you try to frost them.



During all of this, you should get started on the frosting. Begin by covering the pecans in honey and toasting them in a 350 F (175 C) oven for 10 minutes.



Then, grind the nuts (and the honey) finely in a food processor until somewhat paste-like in consistency.



And then, warm up the cream in a saucepan, cut the heat, and steep the pecan mixture in it (covered) for an hour. Don’t bother straining this mixture when time is up–its too thick.



Finally, bring all the frosting together. The cream cheese and butter need to warm up to room temperature for an hour or two. Then, beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer, creaming it for about one minute. Add the butter to this and cream this into the creamed cream cheese for an additional minute or two. Finally, add the salt, vanilla extract, and pecan cream, mixing briefly to incorporate, and last of all, the sugar. Mix this until entirely incorporated into the frosting.

I’d recommend you chill the frosting in a pastry bag for 30 minutes or so to firm it up a little bit before you try to decorate your cupcakes (or it won’t stay very nicely formed). Divide the frosting evenly among them and then enjoy!

Source: http://mikes-table.themulligans.org/2009/06/13/dark-chocolate-cupcakes-with-honey-pecan-frosting/
 
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