Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on October 31, 2008 by kitchenbelle

 Frosted and decorated two ways: Pumpkins/jack-o-lanterns (above) and plainly piped (below). 

Happy Halloween!

 

 Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped (or just use morsels)
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs whites at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

In a bowl, place butter and chocolate.  Pour water over them and let stand until melted.  Stir to combine.

Add sugar and vanilla and stir again to combine.

Add the sour cream.  Use an electric mixer to beat until fully combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet.  Mix until smooth.

In another metal bowl, use a whisk to whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  (Note, it is very important that you use a metal non-reactive bowl.  Adding a pinch of cream of tartar or a teaspoon of vinegar will help thicken your egg whites.  This takes some time and your arm might ache a bit!  You’ll know you’re done when you pull the whisk from the whites and a little peak forms and remains upright.)

Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

Fill the cupcake papers 3/4 full.  (I like to use an ice cream scooper to do this.)

Bake for 20-27 minutes, depending on your oven.

Let cakes cool completely in pan.

Recipe adapted from Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella, available for purchase here.

Honey Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 2   8oz. packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Beat all ingredients until light and fluffy.  Hold in the fridge until stiff enough to pipe.

Recipe adapted from RedBook.

Filed under: chocolate, cupcakes, Dessert, Fall | 4 Comments »

Bittersweet Molten Chocolate Cupcakes

Posted on October 11, 2008 by kitchenbelle

It happens sometimes.  OK–I’ll be honest.  It happens a lot.  It doesn’t matter what time it is, how tired I am, whether we have to be somewhere or I have all the time in the world.  Sometimes I get an urge to bake–an urge that won’t be ignored.  I have to succumb!  I don’t have a choice!  And that is why tonight, at an odd and late hour, I made these molten cupcakes.

The recipe doesn’t indicate an approximate time for how long they should be baked.  It simply says “Bake at 350 degrees until the sides of the cupcakes look firm and the centers are still soft.”  I think I missed this by about 3 minutes.  I put them in for 11 minutes.  I should have taken them out but I thought they could use a little bit longer so I added an additional 2 minutes.  (13 minutes total.)  Next time I would keep a closer eye and take them out after about 10 minutes (total).  I think that is the best way to ensure a nice drippy middle.

I think these are a perfect dinner party dessert.  Serve warm out of the oven, individually plated with some ice cream and fresh berries.  And maybe a sprig of mint. Yum!  That is what I will do next time.  But because there were no dinner party guests, there was no ice cream, no fresh berries, no mint, no frosting.  Nope.  Just me and my husband. We ate these tasty simple little cakes as you see them in the photo above–naked!  (The cakes!!!)

Bittersweet Molten Chocolate Cupcakes:

  • 1 and 1/4 sticks butter
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons flour, sifted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Carefully melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan.  (Use a double boiler if you wish, or just be very careful not to burn the chocolate.)  Cool for five minutes.

In a large bowl beat the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and creamy. (About five minutes.)

Fold the egg mixture into the chocolate until fully incorporated.  Fold in the sifted flour.

Fill the cupcake liners two-thirds full.  Bake until the sides of the cupcakes look firm but their centers are still soft.  (About 10 minutes.  Keep an eye on them!)

Remove from the oven.  Cool for a few minutes then gently remove the liners.  Serve warm with ice cream (or whipped cream) and fresh berries.

Adapted from recipe found in Crazy about Cupcakes by Krystina Castella available for purchase here.

Filed under: chocolate, cupcakes, Dessert | 1 Comment »

Brownie Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on September 23, 2008 by kitchenbelle

I was asked to make pink frosted cupcakes for a shower and when I came across this brownie cupcake recipe I KNEW they would be just perfect for a group of gals!  Who doesn’t love chewy brownie goodness?!  And paired with cream cheese, I found these little treats 100% delectable!

Brownie Cupcakes:

  • 2/3 cup (4 oz.) unsweetened chocolate
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 and 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 F. Insert cupcake liners into pan.  In a saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter together until smooth.  Transfer to a larger bowl.  (This is important–if you mix your ingredients in the saucepan, the mini chips will melt!)  Add the sugar, flour, and vanilla and mix to combine.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat for about one minute after each.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Fill cup cake liners 3/4 full with batter and bake for about 20-25 minutes.  Cool completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting.  (See recipe below.)

Look at the chewy brownie goodness!

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • One 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

 Using an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Slowly sift the confectioners’ sugar into the bowl.  Continue beating until all lumps are gone.  Add the vanilla (and a few drops of food coloring, if you’d like–I added red to make pink frosting!) and mix until fully incorporated.  If mixture becomes too drippy, sift in additional confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until you reach a spreadable texture.

 

Recipe adapted from Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella available for purchase here.

Filed under: chocolate, cream cheese, cupcakes, Dessert, frosting | 4 Comments »

Caramel Apple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on September 21, 2008 by kitchenbelle

I love autumn! 

I love how the weight of the thick summer air lifts to reveal the cool crisp dark breeze of fall.  The sun sets earlier, beckoning me to my kitchen and dinner table where the foods of the season can be savored.  Pumpkins, squash, and gourds paired with nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.  Warm red wines nudge the cool white bottles off the shopping list.  Walking home after work I’m reminded of those first few weeks of school as a kid.  The excitement.  The newness of a new grade, new class, new teacher.  I wish I could bottle the hours between 3:00pm and 6:00pm and call on them during the humidity of summer and the frigidness of winter.  Fall is so short, such a small transitional season, I feel it my responsibility to take full advantage.  

And so I present my official first step into fall cooking/baking!

These cupcakes were somewhat “muffiny” in texture.  The pieces of apple were plump and juicy–a nice surprise!  I could have chopped the apples smaller, but I liked the nice chunks in each bite.  These cupcakes almost reminded me of coffee cake, they pair nicely with a warm cup of tea, and the frosting is a delicious treat!   Overall, I found these very enjoyable–a great way to kick off the season!

Caramel Apple Cupcakes:

  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 medium granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Insert liners into cupcake pans.  In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar with the oil, cinnamon, and vanilla using an electric mixer.  Once combined, add the eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition.

In a separate bowl sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt).  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture.  Beat until blended and then stir in the apple pieces until they are evenly distributed through the batter.

Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way.  Bake for about 22-25 minutes.  Cool on cooling rack and frost with maple cream cheese frosting (recipe below).

 

Look at the beautiful chunks of apple!

Recipe notes: The original recipe does not specify how many cupcakes to expect the recipe to yield–my batter turned out about 18 “normal” sized cupcakes. 

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • One 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup

Using an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Slowly sift the confectioners’ sugar into the bowl.  Continue beating until all lumps are gone.  Add the vanilla and maple syrup and mix until fully incorporated.  If mixture becomes too drippy, sift in addtional confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until you reach a spreadable texture.

 

Recipes adapted from “Crazy About Cupcakes” by Krystina Castella available for purchase here.

Filed under: apple, cream cheese, cupcakes, Dessert, Fall, frosting | 8 Comments »

Welcome Home, Little Guy

Posted on August 17, 2008 by kitchenbelle

 

There is a brand spanking new precious cuddly cub in our family and I am unable to articulate a sentence that would accurately express my excitement and joy!  I wanted to make a special treat in honor of his coming home from the hospital.  Teddy Bear cupcakes seemed appropriate! 

I did some digging to find a trustworthy chocolate cupcake recipe and that is when I discovered that Joanne Chang, owner of the locally well-known and acclaimed Flour Bakery in Boston, had posted the recipe for her bakery’s chocolate cupcakes.  I decided to give it a try and I am so glad I did!  These cupcakes are so chocolatey and delicious and I am so thankful to Joanne for sharing! Not only are they wonderful, but the recipe is suspiciously easy.  

Flour Bakery Chocolate Cupcakes:

  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop chocolate and place it in a bowl with the cocoa powder. Mix butter, water and sugar in a pan over medium high heat. Whisk until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Pour hot buttervmixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until chocolate melted and ingredients are combined.  Whisk the egg, milk, and vanilla extract together then whisk into the chocolate mixture until combined.  Sift the dry ingredients together.  Pour the dry ingredients onto the wet ingredients. Whisk  until the dry ingredients are totally mixed into the chocolate mixture.  Let stand about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, line muffin tin with liners and then pour the batter (or use an ice cream scoop) into the muffin cups, dividing batter evenly among the 12 cups.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 26-29 minutes. Cool in tin on rack for 15 minutes. 

 

Remove cupcakes from pan and place on rack until completely cool.  Frost with chocolate frosting (as I did) or frosting of your choice.

(Teddy Bears, pre-ears!)

I used white frosting and colored sprinkles for the eyes, black frosting for the nose and mouth, and chocolate melt candies for the ears. 

(I apologize for the fact that several of the bear’s pupils are so constricted that the bears appear to be under the influence of opiates!  These cupcakes were supposed to be kid-friendly!) 

The design of the Teddy Bear cupcakes was inspired by the cupcakes found here on Wilton’s cupcakefun.com.

Cupcake recipe courtesy of Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery.  Original recipe can be found here.

Filed under: chocolate, cupcakes, Dessert | 9 Comments »

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