Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

Because what's more Christmassy than chocolate and peppermint? Nothing, obviously. There is no other significance to the holiday. None.

Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

14 tbsp (1 3/4 sticks) of butter

1 cup + 2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla paste

1 tbsp peppermint extract

4 eggs, separated

3/4 cup milk

1 bag miniature chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

Beat butter until fluffy, then add 1 cup sugar and the vanilla and peppermint. Mix well. Add the egg yolks one at a time.

Alternate in the flour mixture and the milk until just combined.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Remember that the bowl should be metal or plastic and no yolk may touch the whites or they will not beat properly. Slowly add in the 2/3 cup sugar in a stream and beat until stiff peaks form. The mixture will look like boiled frosting or meringue.

Gently fold the egg whites into the batter until smooth and pale. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Fill cupcake tins about 3/4 full. The cupcakes don't rise that much, surprisingly, so you'll want to adjust the amount of batter depending on how big you want them to be. I had to make another half batch after this one because I needed a certain number of cupcakes for an event, and the second batch I filled the tins much fuller. You can see the results in the split-decorated cupcakes, which were puffy enough to be cut in half and filled.

Bake for 10 minutes, turn, bake 12 minutes.

Let cool.

Makes 32 without the extra half batch.

Frosting:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter

4-5 cups xxx sugar

3-4 tbsp heavy cream

1 tbsp peppermint extract

About 8 candy canes, crushed into a small pieces

Beat butter until soft and fluffy. Add xxx sugar and cream and beat until everything is well-combined and the cream has started to whip, making the icing extremely fluffy. Add in the peppermint.

Frost cupcakes generously, then roll the frosted part in the crushed candy canes. I did half my cupcakes this way, then ran out of candy canes, so if you want to use that approach get a few more candy canes. 

The other half I decorated with a junior mint candy and green & red sprinkles.

Recipe adapted from We Are Not Martha.

Death by Chocolate Cupcakes

Death by Chocolate Cupcakes

I'm not really a fan of chocolate cake -- it's usually too rich for me -- but these cupcakes were light enough, and the icing was delicious enough, that I actually really enjoyed them. The trick with the icing is definitely to beat it until the cream starts to whip; it's much fluffier and lighter that way.

Cupcakes:

1/2 cup strong brewed coffee

1/2 cup hot water

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Stir the cocoa powder into the water until dissolved. Add the coffee, and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder, and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and mix until combined, then add vanilla. Alternate in the flour and coffee mixture, stirring unit all the ingredients are just incorporated.

Fill cupcake tins about 3/4 full. I used a larger size of cupcake wrapper, but if you are using normal sized cupcake tins you will get more and bake for less time: 10 minutes, turn, 10 minutes. Let cool.

Makes 12 large cupcakes, or 18 normal sized.

Chocolate Ganache:

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate (like Ghirardelli), broken in pieces/chopped

Scant 1/2 cup heavy cream

Bring the cream to a boil slowly. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Wait a few minutes, then stir until the chocolate is fully dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Let cool slightly.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

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

2-3 cups xxx sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2-3 tbsp heavy cream

Dash of vanilla

Beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes. Add the sugar and cream and whip until the frosting is very fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat a few more minutes.

Decorating:

Spoon a generous amount of ganache onto the top of each cupcake. Let it solidify.

Using a wide tip piping bag, pipe little blobs around the outside rim of a cupcake.

Use a small spoon to sort of press each dot gently towards the center, creating a small petal shape.

Pipe a second ring of blobs closer to the center ...

 ... and gently draw them towards the center as well.

The center may pile up with icing, and you will need to scoop it out carefully.

There will be a little hole in the middle afterward. Fill it with a small blob of ganache.

Congratulations! You have made super easy, super pretty chocolate chrysanthemums on your cupcakes!

Repeat with each.

Recipe adapted from Bakingdom.com

Coconut Advent Wreath Cupcakes

Coconut Advent Wreath Cupcakes

I was going to make these with anise, but discovered at the last moment that I didn't have any, so I switched back to coconut, my old friend. The cupcakes are delicious, moist and kind of buttery, despite not having a huge amount of butter in them.

Some of the folks who read this blog know that I would like to be a priest, so celebrating Advent via cupcakes is right on trend! The traditional Episcopalian Advent wreath needs three blue or purple candles and one pink. Optionally there can also be a white candle in the middle of the wreath. For Advent One, which is today, you would light one of the purple candles.

Almond Cupcakes:

3/4 cup cake flour

3/4 cup regular flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small cubes

2 eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla paste

2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Sift together both flours, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Add in butter cubes and blend on medium speed until the batter forms crumbs (this may take a while). Make sure there are no big chunks of butter left.

Add eggs, one at a time.

Add the vanilla and almond extract to your heavy cream, then pour slowly into the batter. Mix well.

Fill cupcake tins about 2/3 full. Mine overflowed slightly, but it's easy to trim the cupcakes using a small serrated knife to even things out.

The recipe recommends baking for "17-20" minutes. Mine took closer to 35 minutes altogether. So: Bake for 15 minutes, turn tin, bake for 20 minutes.

Let cool.

Makes 12.

Frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2 cups xxx sugar

2-3 tbsp heavy cream

2 tsp coconut extract

Whip butter for about six minutes, until fluffy. Add cream and sugar and extract and whip until all the ingredients are combined and the frosting is very light and fluffy.

Frost cupcakes generously.

To decorate:

1 cup shredded coconut

Food dye

Purple and pink candles

To dye coconut, you just put it in a bowl, add 2-3 drops of food coloring, and then mix with your hands until it reaches the color you want. If you use a lot of color, you may have to let it dry for a little bit.

I used long taper candles and cut them down to the size I wanted:

Pat the coconut on the cupcakes in a circle, leaving a clear center. 

Place the candles around the center.

Light the first candle to get really in the spirit of things!

Recipe adapted from Sweetapolita.

Gingerbread Cocoa Cupcakes with Gingerbread Frosting

Gingerbread Cocoa Cupcakes with Gingerbread Frosting

These cupcakes are SO GOOD. MAKE THEM. Oh my goodness. One of the most delicious things I have ever tasted.

Cupcakes:

1 cup strong brewed hot coffee

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tbsp molasses

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Stir the cocoa powder into the coffee until it dissolves. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, spices, baking soda, and baking powder.

In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in the molasses, then add the eggs, one at a time. My eggs were too cold, so the mixture didn't really combine properly until I added the flour mixture to thicken it; if this happens to you, don't worry. Add the flour and coffee mixtures and stir until all the ingredients are just incorporated. It will be a very liquid batter.

Fill cupcake tins with 1/4 cup batter each.

Bake 9 minutes, turn, bake 9 minutes. Let cool.

Makes 18.

Frosting:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter

3 cups xxx sugar

6 tbsp heavy cream (you may need a little more, give or take)

1 tbsp vanilla paste

1 cup crushed gingerbread cookies

Whip the butter in a standing mixture for about 6 minutes on medium speed. It will get very light-colored and creamy-looking.

Add sugar and cream and mix until combined. Add vanilla. Whip again on medium for about 8 minutes. The frosting will get body as the cream starts to whip, so you will know when it's ready; it will be very light and creamy.

Add the crushed cookies (a food processor is your friend: I did the crushing by hand and it takes FOREVER) and mix in well.

Use a piping bag with a wide tip to make spirals of frosting on top of each cupcake.

Garnish with stick cinnamon.

I had several beheaded gingerbread men left over afterwards, so I garnished a few of my cupcakes with them. I just really enjoyed the way they looked sneakily peeking over the top of the frosting. I just couldn't resist.

Recipe adapted from Bakingdom.com

Chocolate-Filled Almond Cupcakes

Chocolate-Filled Cupcakes

I didn't have any cocoa powder (WHAT) so I swapped Nutella in as filling for these cupcakes. I actually think that was a mistake, as they were WAY too sweet. I'm going to give the original recipe's chocolate filling, but I'm not sure whether even a bittersweet ganache might have been better.

Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg + 1 egg white

4 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1 tbsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs. Beat until fully mixed in. Stir in yogurt. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just mixed. Stir in extract.

Fill cupcake tins about 3/4 full. Bake 10 minutes, turn, bake 10 minutes.

Let cool.

Makes 12.

Filling:

1 tsp hot water

3 1/2 oz (about half a 7 oz jar) marshmallow fluff

1/4 cup shortening

3 tbsp xxx sugar

2 tbsp cocoa

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix all the ingredients together and beat until smooth.

Core a hole in the center of each cupcake and fill with a spoonful of the filling. 

Cap cupcakes with reserved cores.

Frosting:

1/2 stick butter

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

2-3 cups xxx sugar

Cream as needed for consistency

Beat butter until soft, then add xxx sugar and cream and beat until you get a soft, pipeable texture. Add vanilla bean paste. The paste has those little black speck-seeds in it, and gives you frosting that great French vanilla look.

Pipe a spiral on top of each cupcake.

Decorate as desired.

Adapted from Evil Shenanigans

Creepcakes

Creepcakes

Happy Halloween! These cupcakes are just two easy chocolate and vanilla recipes; it's the decorating that really matters. My mom and I did the decorations, and we really had a lot of fun with it -- it was so cool to see the different directions we went with the idea and how her monsters looked different from mine.

Vanilla Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cup cake flour

3/4 cup regular flour

3/8 tsp baking soda

1 1/8 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) + 1 tbsp butter

1 1/8 cup sugar

3 small eggs + 2 egg yolks

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.

Sift together flours, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, then yolks, one at a time. Add flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating until combined. Beat in vanilla.

Divide batter between 12 regular size cupcakes and 12 minis. Bake the large cupcakes for 10 minutes, then turn the tin and bake another 10 minutes. Let cool.

Chocolate Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup warm water

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, soda, and baking powder. While mixing, add eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and water until all combined.

Divide batter between 12 regular cupcakes and 12 minis. My mini pan holds 24 cupcakes, so I waited until I had it completely filled with chocolate and vanilla batter before baking. It, like the regular size chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, goes 10 minutes, turn, 10 minutes.

Let cool.

Fluffy Buttercream Frosting:

2 sticka butter

1 tbsp vanilla

4-5 cups xxx sugar

cream as needed

Beat the butter until soft, then add xxx sugar and vanilla (i don't usually measure my xxx sugar, which is why I always kind of have to estimate the amount -- I just throw it in until I judge I have enough). Add in cream, in very small increments, until you reach a spreadable texture. Add food color to tint icing as desired.

Decorating:

Ice cupcakes generously, then decorate as grotesquely as possible with various candies! We used Mike and Ike candies, gummy worms, gummy fruit slices, Nerds, Laffy Taffy, Sweet-Tarts, and decorating candies that I already had on hand -- something we didn't have, but probably could have benefitted from, was Twizzlers or some other kind of licorice rope.

Have fun! and have a happy & safe Halloween.

Cupcakes and frosting adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes.