Category Archives: Cupcakes

Nectarines and Honey

Posted on by
6

if Cleopatra would call for Cupcakes, these would be my choice for her!

The last Cupcakes I made with the blackberry filling made me want to try Nectarines in a Cupcake. It works! No preparation, nothing, just cut it and place the pieces in the dough filled forms and you have a fresh fruity center.

The cupcake is a vanilla buttermilk cupcake adapted from here and the butter cream….. oh my goodness….the butter cream is flavored with honey and this is what makes it very unique and decadent in taste. Also very sweet, of course.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 2 whole eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk or soy milk (150ml) (room temperature)
  • 1 1/2 cups (180 g) flour
  • 1 cup (200 g) sugar ( I used a little less)
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) (115 g) unsalted butter or lactose free margarine, cut into cubes (room temperature)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 Celsius).

In a bowl, whisk together, the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, and buttermilk and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter cubes and mix with an electric mixer on low speed until you get little pea looking balls. Now add the wet ingredients. After that crank the speed up on medium and mix until the batter is fluffy.

Portion the batter in your prepared paper lined muffin forms and bake 20-25 minutes and a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer them to a a wire rack to cool.

The butter cream is again my Vanillla Butter Cream Recipe from here. I just added 3 tablespoons honey and a pinch of cinnamon. Decorate the butter cream with a piping bag.


…and don’t forget the golden plate for serving !

Vanilla Chai Cupcakes with Blackberry Filling…

Posted on by
10

and you think you are in spice-berry heaven, or in Marie Antoinette’s society!

You need a break? You need something that completely blows away your daily routine?
I sometimes feel like drinking a chai tea when I feel the need to space out and relax and treat my soul with something warm, spicy, sweet and silky…
I found a recipe for Vanilla Chai Cupcakes the other day online and what made me want to try that recipe was, that it describes how to make your own Chai Spice Mix. Wonderfull!!! I knew which ingredients were in there, but I never dared to mix it myself by guessing the right combination of them. And after trying these delicious cupcakes, I can only say it was the first and the right one.

I added a Blackberry filling just by sticking the hole raw fruit in the middle of the dough filled form before baking, and that also turned out really well. Since they weren’t too ripe, it gives the center of the cupcakes a nice berry, little sour fruity note, which is very refreshing.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup + 2 1/2 tablespoon (100 g) butter or lactose free margarine
  • 1 cup (200 g) sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ quantity chai spice mix (recipe follows)
  • 1 ¼ cups (150 g) plain flour, sifted
  • ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk or soymilk
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp white vinegar

Chai Spice Mix

  • 1 ½ tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Mix spices together in a small bowl.

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees Fahrenheit (160 Celsius).

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and beat in one egg at a time. Stir in half the quantity of chai spice mix. Fold in the flour and buttermilk alternately and stir until combined, don’t over mix. Mix together the bicarb soda and vinegar and mix into the batter.

Spoon into prepared cupcake cases, if you want just put the fruit of your choice (I think even apple pieces would work) in the center of each cupcake, and bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I used my Vanilla Butter Cream recipe , you can find here , and added the other half of the chai spice mix to it.

Pipe the butter cream on the cooled cupcakes and decorate by your choice.

This is real love….

Red Velvet Cupcakes or Cakes. Probably the best treat for your happy soul.

Posted on by
1

Sunday baking. Oh, I love it!

I make (red) velvet cakes or cupcakes when I feel good, I don’t need them to make me feel good. (Red) velvet cake is there to make you think, how good life is, because you can enjoy a velvety treat. Does that make any sense? Do I sound high? Maybe I still am… Velvet high.

I tried a couple times to make the red velvet cake red, but unfortunately the red food coloring I use does not do it’s job good enough, so they always turn brown. I also tried beet juice to color them and that turned into being my tasting secret. They were so yummy that I would never skip adding the juice anymore (just instead of the food coloring).

The recipe for the cupcakes is adapted from The Cake Mistress . I usually do a normal butter cream frosting and add some almond extract to it. And again I have to write that sentence. Nobody knows red velvet cake here in Germany. So a lot of people get all amazed by that new flavor they experience.

(Red) Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup (60 g) Butter or lactose free margarine, room temp
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) Sugar
  • 1 large Egg, lightly beaten
  • 10 g Cocoa Powder
  • 20 ml Red Food coloring, gel/paste, or red beet juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) Buttermilk or Soy Milk
  • 1 1/4 cup (150 g) Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon White wine Vinegar

Preheat the oven to 330 degrees Fahrenheit (170 Celsius) . Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper forms.
Place butter and sugar in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add the egg and beat until everything is well mixed.
In a small bowl, mix the food coloring, cocoa powder and vanilla extract until it makes a thick paste.
Add the paste or beet juice to the butter mixture and beat until the color is mixed through the batter.
On slow speed, slowly add half the buttermilk or soy milk until well mixed then add half the flour until well mixed. Repeat for the remaining milk and flour, beating until the mixture is smooth.
Add the salt, baking soda and vinegar, turning up the speed and beating for a couple more minutes.
Fill the paper forms about two-thirds full. Bake for 20-25 minutes (a tooth pick should come out clean).

Of course, you can also just fill the batter in a small cake form, like I did for the 4th of July!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting

Posted on by
15

Everything started with those Cupcakes, it’s been about 1 1/2 years ago when I had my first Cupcake ever, self made by me, because you can’t buy them here in town. I didn’t even know what the difference to a muffin is. Forgive me my beloved Cupcake! So I was just curious and started making them, and that made me baking and baking and never stop baking, trying new recipes constantly.

I have to admit I was lonely when I started baking. My husband was out of town during the weeks for his Job and my daughter would go to bed at 6.30 pm. I needed something to do during these long nights. It was one of the best things I ever started.

These chocolate Cupcakes are so moist and tender, they melt in your mouth. I like them the best with Vanilla Frosting. You can set some fresh fruits on top, like blueberries, or raspberries. Another good combination is Peanut butter filling, or frosting.

I made this batch for a really good old friend of mine for his Birthday. He munched down 5 of them this day. That made me very happy.

Recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

(makes about 15)

  • 1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened cacoa powder
  • 1 cup (240ml) hot boiling water
  • 1 1/2 cup (180g) flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup (115g) butter or lactose free margarine
  • 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
  • 1/4 cup (50g) brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract or Vanilla Bean

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 Celsius) and line a muffins pan with paper forms.

Pour the hot water over the cacoa powder stir well and set aside.
Mix the flour with the salt and the baking powder and set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs and Vanilla mix until combined. Add the flour and beat on medium speed by adding the cacoa. Mix until you can’t see white spots in the batter.

If this batter seems to you very liquid, don’t worry , that’s the way it should be.

Now you fill the forms about 3/4 full with the batter and set them in the oven for about 12 minutes. Never forget to test if they’re done by sticking a toothpick in the cupcake. The pick has to come out clean.

Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting

  • 1/2 cup (115g) lactose free margarine or unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 to 4 cups (300-400g) confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) milk, or soy milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or vanilla bean

With an electric mixer cream the butter and add the confectioner’s sugar, add milk and Vanilla and beat until light and fluffy for about 2 minutes. Use a piping bag with a big tip to decorate.