Strawberry Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day!  I am definitely one of those people who takes their holidays seriously, and Valentine's day is no exception.  Seriously, it is a day to celebrate all of the people you love, wear pink and red, and eat ungodly amounts of chocolate (and cupcakes).  Because, well, it couldn't be Valentine's Day in the Cupcake Suite without cupcakes.

Last year I lived in a building with no kitchen- all we had to work with was a microwave.  So last year on Valentine's day I made chocolate covered strawberries with my friends.  This year I decided to stick with the same theme, but take it up a couple notches.  So I made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate covered strawberries on top and strawberry cupcakes with a swiss meringue buttercream.  Everything was divine- the fact that nearly all thirty cupcakes were consumed this evening stands as proof.

For the strawberry cupcakes I adapted the Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcake recipe.  They came out beautifully- light and fluffy with a hint of strawberry.  Perfectly pink for Valentine's!

Strawberry Cupcakes

Makes 12-15 cupcakes

1 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, minced

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

2 large egg whites, room temperature

red food coloring

Place the minced strawberries in a small saucepan and reduce over low heat, stirring often, until the consistency of jam.  Set aside to cool.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs, beating on low until combined.  Add the flour in two batches, alternating with the milk, making sure to mix completely after each addition.  Stir in the strawberry mix.

Fill 12-15 cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.  Bake at 350 for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

For the frosting, I followed Sweetapolita's Swiss Meringue Buttercream guide.  I divided the recipe she gives by four, and it made enough for my fifteen cupcakes and a little extra.  This frosting is pure airy, buttery goodness.  Seriously, you need to make it.

I also went with my classic Black Magic Chocolate Cupcakes.  They are a staple here in the cupcake suite.  It's hard to go wrong with chocolate, and this is hands down the best chocolate cupcake I've had.  They are also ridiculously easy.

Black Magic Chocolate Cupcakes

(Makes 18-24 cupcakes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 3/4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup strong coffee

1 cup buttermilk

Stir together flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with a whisk.

Stir in the vanilla, eggs, oil, coffee, and buttermilk until blended and then beat with an electric mixer on medium for 2 minutes. Batter will be soupy. Pour into cupcake cups.

Bake 20-24 minutes at 350 degrees- or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the frosting (and the chocolate for the strawberries) I used a super simple chocolate ganache.  All you really need to do is microwave some chocolate chips with a splash of heavy cream.  Make sure to mix it well to let the chocolate completely melt.  Then you can spoon in onto the cupcakes and dip the strawberries.

And voila!  You have a lovely Valentine's Day dessert!

Love,

Margaret

Sunday Brunch

Waffles and bacon make Sunday morning a bit extra special.  My favorite waffle/pancake mix has to be the Golden Malted from Williams Sonoma.  It makes the best belgian waffles (and circus animal shaped waffles) I have had.

Bon Appétit,
Margaret

Banana Bread Breakfast

This semester, Monday nights are often one of the easiest of the week: no meetings, no rehearsals, and no homework due the next morning.   So for the past two weeks, Monday nights have been baking nights.  This week it was banana bread.

I used this recipe from Food Network- it was easy and quite delicious.  The hardest part is waiting for it to cool enough to slice it when it smells so good!  Leftover banan bread also makes a wonderful breakfast.  I spread a bit of maple butter on my slice, which made it even better.

Happy Baking,
Margaret

Black and White

Sometimes school gets busy- very busy.  Sometimes I don't bake for an entire week, or longer.  This afternoon I decided that it had been way too long without cupcake or cookies in the suite, and I needed to do something about it.  So I made these instead of finishing my problem set this afternoon.  I'd say it was the right decision.

Happy Baking,
Margaret

Back to Cupcakes

These are by no means the first cupcakes that I have made since I have moved back to school.  These are just the first ones that lasted long enough for me to photograph them.  Cupcakes don't last long in the cupcake suite.

I made my classic chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting the day after moving back, but those were gone before I got my camera unpacked.

I wanted to try something a bit different so I went for Martha Stewart's maple walnut cupcakes.  They were decent, not anything spectacular though.  The cake was a bit dense and not very fluffy.  That being said, my suite still ate them up.  No complaints on their end!

Happy Baking,
Margaret

Baking with Friends

When I see my friends from home during breaks one of our most important tasks is to bake new cupcakes.  Two of my dear friends and I absolutely can't stay out of the kitchen when we are together.  They are a big part of the reason why my cupcake obsession exists.  We always end up making more than one type of cupcake, so this time we went for lemon and chocolate toffee!

Light Lemon Cupcakes

Adapted From Gourmet

Makes about 2 dozen

1 cup canola oil

2 cups white flour

1/2 cup cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350° and line cupcake pans.

Whisk together flours, salt, and baking powder.  Stir together milk, canola oil, vanilla, and zest in another bowl.  Beat together sugar and eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer until just combined.  Reduce speed to low and add flour and milk mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Bake in muffin pans for 16-20 minutes.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted From Gourmet

Makes enough to frost 1 dozen cupcakes

2 cups confectioners sugar

8 ounces cream cheese

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy.  Add sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and beat until well combined.  Refrigerate frosting for at least 30 minutes before frosting.

The recipe for the chocolate toffee came from Lighter and Local.  The cupcakes were quite good!  The frosting recipe calls for a ton of butter, but don't be afraid to add it all!  I didn't add it all and my frosting was a bit too thick and hard to pipe.

Happy Baking!
Margaret

Another Year of Cupcakes

Happy New Year!  2012 should be a wonderful year filled with lots of friends, family, and cupcakes.  To celebrate the end of 2011,  I made a couple different cupcakes to serve at my family's New Year's Eve dinner party.  Since it seemed so festive and appropriate, I chose the champagne cupcakes and decided to pair them with some lavender glazed brownies.  It was the perfect way to watch the ball drop and welcome in the new year- with a cupcake in hand!

Lavender-Iced Brownie Cupcakes

From Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Makes 24

3/4 cup plus 2 tbs flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

12/ tsp salt

1/2 cup plus 2 1/2 tbs butter, softened

3 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Melt butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until smooth.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

With an electric mixer on medium, beat chocolate and sugar until combined.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Reduce speed to low.  Add flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Bake brownies for about 17 minutes.

Lavender Icing

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

1/3 cup milk

3 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 teaspoon lavender extract

Bring milk just to a boil in a saucepan.  Remove from heat and stir in lavender.  Whisk in confectioners sugar until smooth.  Use immediately.

 Champagne Cupcakes

From Crazy About Cupcakes

Makes 18

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 3/4 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup champagne

6 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.  In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Blend the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately with the champagne.

In a large clean bowl beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form.  Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter until blended, then fold the remaining whites.

Bake for 16-20 minutes.

Champagne Buttercream

From Crazy About Cupcakes

3/4 cup vegetable shortening

12 tbs butter

3 tbs champagne

4 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Beat shortening and butter until light.  Add confectioners sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating until thoroughly combined.  Add champagne once half of the sugar has been added.

Happy 2012!
Margaret