Chocolate Velvet Cupcakes and Ultimate Vanilla Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

I am going to first say that I can't believe I'm blogging again. It's not like I haven't been baking, I bake at least twice a month. No, not as often as my once or twice a week I was up to during the Summer, but hey, at that point I was unemployed and pretty much doing nothing, which was fantastic :). Ugh, jobs and adult responsibilities have kept me from doing what I love!  I currently have 4 recipe posts that are still drafts. And a ton of more pictures of just cookies, cupcakes, and muffins. It's sad because, at this point, I barely remember making them! I'm determined to actually post this. Why? Because these cupcakes are extremely delicious and I have to start making more time for doing the things I love. This might actually be the best vanilla cupcake recipe I've ever tried. (It better be, since it's advertised as such), and this chocolate cupcake, ah so yummy. Well, here is my latest baking extravaganza :) (I was literally in my kitchen for 5 hours, I would call that an extravaganza)


The name of this post alone is a mouth full. I made one frosting and used it on two different, fairly simple batters. 

So the first cupcake I made was the Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake from The Cupcake Project. I've been looking at this recipe for quite some time, and I just had to make it one day. The majority of vanilla cupcakes I've tried have not been that good. Sometimes they'll come out a little more like corn bread. Gross. Unless of course you want to make corn bread, but that clearly was never my intention. Anyway, I tried the batter (because that's probably one of my favorite parts of baking) and yea, it was easily the best vanilla batter I've ever had. Ever. I could probably eat it by the spoonful if I was allowed. It uses a full vanilla bean! My first time baking with those, and let me tell you, one vanilla bean can cost between $4 and $6! My advice is to go to Home Goods and pick them up there. Overall, delicious cupcake, Go try it.

Cutting the vanilla bean :)

The second cupcake was a variation on this Chocolate Velvet Cupcake recipe. It was a much larger batch, so I made about 2/3 of it. I played around with some of the ingredients and it was a greattttt success. Not something I can always say about my first-time experiments. They are definitely worth a try if you're looking for a light, chocolate cupcake as opposed to a heavy, devil's food cake, type of chocolate cake.


Chocolate Velvet Cupcakes
About 24
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
6 oz. good chocolate
3/4 stick (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup hot water


Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare your muffin tin.
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate until melted. Mix the chocolate every 30 seconds for about  1 1/2 minutes.
In the base of a stand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar. Add the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time just until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate and beat just until combined.
Slowly mix in the flour mixture. Alternate this with the sour cream until combined. Lastly, in the hot water, fully dissolve the cocoa powder. Once dissolved, pour into the batter and mix until smooth.
Fill each muffin tin about 2/3 full. Place in the oven for 16-18 minutes. After removing the tin from the oven, remove each cupcake to cool on a wire rack.


Browned Butter Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 5 cups
1/2 cup butter
2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
32 oz. package powdered sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract


Cook butter in a small saucepan on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until butter begins to turn golden brown. Remove from heat. Pour butter into a heat-safe bowl, cover, and place in the refrigerator for an hour, when the butter starts to solidify. 
Beat butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, about one cup at a time. Stir in cinnamon and vanilla. 


These combinations of flavors worked out so well together I was extremelyy happy. 

I used a large star tip to pipe the frosting on to each one. Mmm yummy vanilla.

 I think I'm actually obsessed with how light and fluffy these cupcakes were. These recipes may actually turn into my go-to recipes. I definitely have some other variations I'll make on the chocolate, but the vanilla, being straight from The Cupcake Project, I wouldn't change a thing. 


I also made a massive cupcake to decorate with a "25" made from chocolate as well as a ton of candles. Works well for a mini birthday cake!

Enjoy :)

Baileys Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

I think it's literally impossible to come up with a cupcake idea that hasn't already been tried.. (Actually, I think I have one, but I still have some more testing to do). I was thinking of winter related goodies and thought of hot chocolate. I've done so much peppermint, I didn't want to do it again. What else goes with hot chocolate besides marshmallows? Oh yea, Baileys. Turning lactose intolerant is such a tease. I used to be able to eat anything dairy! Now I must be careful. Luckily a little Baileys is doable :)

What do I need for baileys hot chocolate cupcakes? A deliciously rich chocolate cupcake. Check. Marshmallow frosting. Check, and even some toasted marshmallow on that one. Baileys chocolate ganache. Super delicious check.

I worked from a recipe from A Cozy Kitchen. I used her recipe for the chocolate cupcakes, except for my coffee, I brewed a Chocolate blend! I've officially fallen in love with buying coffees from Home Goods since they have awesome flavors and it's actually just about the same price as buying Folgers. Crazy, I know.

Next step is the Marshmallow frosting. Using a seven-minute frosting keeps it light and fluffy, although I may opt for a true marshmallow frosting next time by using some fluff. I used a different recipe since I knew I like to save the extras for cupcake pops. You can either use her recipe, use this one, or halve it! Having a stand mixer is a HUGE help with this one.

Marshmallow Frosting
4 large egg whites
1 3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes or until a candy thermometer reads 240 degrees F. Meanwhile, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a bowl until foamy. While beating the egg whites, slowly pour the sugar mixture into the egg whites for about 7 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla then continue beating until it reaches the desired consistency. About 2 more minutes or so.

Bailey's Chocolate Ganache
9 oz. good semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Bailey's Irish Cream

Place heavy cream and Bailey's in a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Chop up the chocolate and place in a large, heatproof bowl. Just before the cream reaches a boil, remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Whisk together until all the chocolate is melted.

Unless you're planning to serve these immediately, place the ganache in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes until it's cool.

Assembly:
There are several options for this. You can use a Brulee torch to toast the marshmallow frosting, place the cupcakes in the oven under the boiler, or if you're like me and have a super weird oven that doesn't broil, place them in the toaster oven! (Or you can just be perfectly happy with non-toasted marshmallow frosting)
When all of the layers are cooled, pipe the frosting onto each cupcake.

Place under the broiler for about 2 minutes while WATCHING THEM CAREFULLY. Do NOT leave the cupcakes unattended. Remove and repeat until all cupcakes are nice and browned.

Once the frosting is cooled, take a spoonful of the ganache and drizzle it on top. They can get a little messy, but I wasn't complaining.

Don't have too many, or you'll get a little buzz. Just kidding, eat a whole bunch. Maybe even eat the ganache by the spoonful.

Enjoy :)

Blueberry Blue Velvet Cupcakes

Yesterday, my brother came home to Long Island for the weekend. Unfortunately his plans changed due to the hurricane closing in on us, and home he went. Anyway, since he and his ever fabulous girlfriend Lindsay bought me the new love in my life, I wanted to repay them by using it to bake them something. As if they didn't see that one coming... After updating my blog and going through some old posts I decided I need to stay away from Peanut Butter for a little while. It takes over half the recipes on my blog right now. 

Anyway, I asked my brother what he wanted, and he told me he likes chocolate pops - fail. He asked Lindsay and go figure, she was stock piled with saved recipes. It was up to me to choose one of the delicious ideas. I saw a blue velvet cake with blueberries, but it wasn't a traditional blue velvet since there was no baking soda and vinegar. Then there was another recipe for a blue velvet cake without the blueberries. Yup,  I obviously combined the two. I made the mistake of going out in the pre-hurricane craziness and it took me 2 hours to get to the store to pick up eggs and blueberries, and to get gas. Two gas stations were sold out of gas... That's the moment I started to get nervous. 


In an attempt to ignore the downpour currently happening and the fire department going off constantly (4 times and it's not even noon yet), I'm writing about this delicious recipe! Adapted from Paula Deen's Recipe for Blue Velvet Cake.


Blueberry Blue Velvet Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 egg
1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 Tbsp blue food coloring
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 Tbsp vinegar
1 cup blueberries


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. In a small bowl mix together the food coloring and cocoa powder. Stir into butter mixture. Sift the flour and salt together to ensure there are no clumps. Add the flour to the butter mixture while slowly incorporating the buttermilk. Mix in the vanilla. 
In another small dish mix together the baking soda and vinegar. Look you can see the bubbles!

Add this as well as the blueberries and simply mix to combined. 

Use large scoops and fill at least 2/3 full. This should make 12 cupcakes perfectly. Batter can easily be doubled. Cook for 20-25 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8-oz. package Neufchatel Cream Cheese
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup superfine sugar*
1/2 tsp vanilla


Cream together cream cheese and butter. I like to use the lighter cream cheese because then the frosting isn't as sweet or thick. Of course, if that's what you're going for, then by all means you can substitute regular cream cheese. Once the mixture is light and fluffy, add in the vanilla. Sift the sugars into the cream cheese mixture 1/2 cup at a time until everything is fully incorporated. Either use immediately or place in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before use.

If making ahead of time, beat the frosting again after removing from the refrigerator to produce a consistency good for piping. Extras can be placed in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. 


*If you don't have superfine sugar you can either substitute all for confectioner's sugar or place granulated sugar in a food processor or magic bullet. This will also do the trick!

Stay safe in this soon-to-be outrageous weather and as always..
Enjoy :)

Vanilla Cupcakes with The Best Vanilla Frosting

On to the third dessert... I was seriously on a role at this point. 
Since I bought these super cute cupcake liners back in June, I figure I had to use them again! I originally bought them for a friends graduation party and I had some leftovers, perfect for my party of course.

Mom also approved.
Anyway, I figured I'd go with a vanilla cupcake since I already had peanut butter cookies and chocolate cake pops. I'm still in search of the ultimate vanilla cupcake recipe, but this one is pretty delicious. It has a coarse texture, but tons of vanilla flavor (which might be due to the whole tablespoon of vanilla). Anyway, here's the recipe!

Vanilla Cupcakes
1 cup flour
1 cup + 2 Tbsp cake flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp 2% milk
2 Tbsp half and half or cream
(can be substituted for 3/4 cup whole milk, etc.)
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 large eggs


Set oven at 350 degrees. Combine flours, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Cream together shortening and sugar. Add in eggs and vanilla and beat well. Incorporate half of the flour mixture and beat with a mixer until uniform. Pour in the milk, followed by the rest of the flour mixture and mix by hand. You don't want to over-beat this batter or you'll get a super dense cupcake, more like cornbread. Fill each cupcake liner over halfway full. This batter makes 18 cupcakes almost perfectly. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until knife/toothpick comes out clean.
Immediately remove from tins and let cool completely before frosting.

You might find this frosting a little weird, but I swear it is absolutely delicious. I'm excited to experiment with this recipe since it uses flour and isn't super sweet with just butter and confectioner's sugar.. those types of frosting are generally just too sweet for me, and trust me, I have a big sweet tooth. I hope you enjoy this frosting as much as I did...


The Best Vanilla Frosting (Yes, saying "The Best" is necessary)
5 Tbsp flour (yes, flour)
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter


In a saucepan, whisk together the flour and milk until combined. Place the saucepan over medium heat and continue to whisk until the mixture thickens. Stop when the mixture becomes like a rue; About 5 minutes until the consistency looks smooth

Cool the mixture completely. Once cool, add the vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.
Into a separate bowl, pour the sugar and add butter. Using a mixer or stand mixer, beat until it is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Once the flour/milk mixture is completely cooled, it can be added to the butter and sugar mixture. Beat well on medium-high speed until the mixture looks like whipped cream. You want to be careful not to over-beat also. Spread with a knife or use a piping bag!

Clearly I went with the piping bag and some cute red sprinkles to emphasize my Maryland colors...

Enjoy :)

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Welp, I'm officially back in New York until further notice. During my journey back home I was trying to think of the flavor combination I wanted to use next in a cupcake, since I actually haven't made cupcakes in a while... crazy. Clearly I had nothing better to do on my 4 hour drive.
I have used peanut butter and chocolate a ridiculous amount of times so it's definitely time for something new. I literally brought all of my baking stuff from school back home with me in 2 rather large pull out storage containers and was trying to think of all the goodies I have inside that I could use. Peppermint Extract... used for the ridiculously delicious (and easy) mint chocolate chip cookies in my Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies. This is indeed the ingredient I was going to use. Picked up some cool mint creme Oreo's and Andes mint chocolates.. figured they couldn't hurt :)


If you don't like Oreo's, chocolate, or mint, I don't recommend these, but I do recommend getting some help.. seriously, Oreo's Chocolate and Mint.. girl scout thin mints anyone?! I'm going to stop salivating and telling you how amazing these are and just get on with the recipe.. 

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 30 cupcakes
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped up
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
4 large eggs
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tsp mint extract (Don't skimp on this ingredient! )
1 cup light sour cream
20 (2/3 of a package) Cool Mint Creme Oreo's
Pack of Andes or other Mint Chocolate


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake tin with liners.
Using a double boiler (or for those less fancy, like me, you can place a metal or other heat-proof bowl - like pyrex - on top of a saucepan with simmer water.. as seen below) add butter in chunks, cocoa powder, and semi-sweet chocolate. As the butter and chocolate melt, whisk together all of the ingredients until smooth. Remove from heat and let stand until it's cool to the touch. 

In a small bowl sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. In a large bowl (you will use this bowl to combine all the ingredients) beat the eggs. Once beaten, add the sugar, mint extract, and salt. Beat well until combined. Slowly add the cooled chocolate mixture until all ingredients are incorporated. 
Add in half of the sifted flour, followed by the sour cream, and topped off with the rest of the flour mixture.


Place the Oreo's in a large plastic bag. Use a rolling pin or back of spoon to crush them. You still want some larger pieces, so don't crush them to a fine powder like you may for other applications. As another option you can place them on a cutting board and use a large knife to give them a rough chop. 

Pour Oreo's into the mixed batter and fold them in until evenly distributed. 

Take heaping tablespoons into each of the liners and place in oven to bake for 16-18 minutes. After 10 minutes or so, rotate the pan to ensure even baking. 

Seriously they look so pretty I stopped for a second to question whether or not to put frosting on... but that literally only lasted a second. The smell in my house was seriously delicious and as the last batch was coming out my mouth was watering. 


I used Martha Stewart's Dark Chocolate Frosting that I used previously since it was just so delicious. Either go with half and use it sparingly, or prepare to freeze a bunch of extra. I also bought one 4.67oz package of Andes mint chocolates. Unwrap these guys and place them on a cutting board and then in the fridge for a few minutes. Let me tell you, it's a pretty tedious job to unwrap all 28 of them without eating them. Chop up the chocolate and mix half into the half-batch of frosting. 

Use a butter knife or off-set spatula to frost each cupcake. Go back and sprinkle with the extra Andes Mints! 
I've been taking more pictures while baking. Besides the fact that it's pretty enjoyable, I know my favorite part about reading other blogs are the pictures. Hence, more pictures in my posts. The cutest thing happened as I was finishing up the cupcakes... my dad walked into the kitchen, looks at me and goes "who are these for?" I told him they were for my friends and he comes up behind me, gives me and nice big hug and says "I'm so glad I'm you're friend".. well Dad, I guess that means you'd like a cupcake, sure I guess you can have one. 

Enjoy! :)

FlufferNutter Cupcakes

I found heaven in a cupcake. Okay, so I may not be the first to throw together a FlufferNutter cupcake, but they are certainly not as popular as say, red velvet or s'mores. Also, I did my research on peanut butter cupcakes and added some variations to the recipes to come up with pure deliciousness. I have my fabulous boyfriend to thank for this experimentation. He made himself a PB & Fluff sandwich and well, immediate inspiration. 

After concocting my own cupcake, I went online to check out the ideas that other bloggers had and most of them are quite different. The key to this is a delicious peanut butter cupcake recipe... and I definitely had one.


Peanut Butter Cupcakes
(makes 12-16 cupcakes)

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter (smooth works too, I just enjoy the extra texture)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 pinch salt
• Marshmallow fluff (Small teaspoon for each cupcake)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-cup cupcake pan. Beat brown sugar, shortening, and peanut butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg then stir in vanilla. 

Combine flour, cream of tarter, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl. Stir into the batter alternating with the milk in two batches. 

Scoop one tablespoon into the bottom of each liner. Follow each tablespoon of batter by a small teaspoon of marshmallow fluff right in the center (don't let it touch the ends of the cupcake liners. Place one more tablespoon of batter over the fluff. Cups should be about 2/3 full. The fluff melts and gets absorbed into the batter to add back the moisture. I removed some milk from the recipe for this purpose. Bake the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes. 

Marshmallow Frosting

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

2 large egg whites

1 tsp pure vanilla

1/4 tsp cream of tarter

pinch of salt

Combine sugar and water in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly for 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Beat egg white, vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar syrup; beat until stiff peaks form and mixture is glossy in texture, about 7 minutes more.

I experimented with other things, such as purely mixing the marshmallow fluff into the batter itself, but due to the nature of fluff (super sticky, super sweet, and tends to expand in heat... I mean who hasn't put a marshmallow in the microwave just to watch it balloon up and then put it on a graham cracker with some hershey's chocolate :) ) Anyway, it tasted delicious, but it was nearly impossible to remove from the wrapper in one piece... therefore these cupcakes got combined with some of the extra frosting, mixed up real well and turned into cupcake balls. I swear the invention of cupcake balls has saved failed recipes everywhere. 

I used a plastic bag and cut off the tip in order to swirl on the frosting, then i topped it with some chopped peanuts. Aren't they pretty? Pretty delicious too....

Enjoy :)

4th of July Cupcakes!

This past weekend I went home with Andrew to go to the beach and see some of his family for the 4th of July holiday. This was the perfect excuse to bake. Since none of his family has ever tasted any of my baking, I relied on my never-fail Devil's Food Cake recipe. Since it was a summertime treat (and I wanted a red, white, and blue topping) I used a light cream cheese whipped cream frosting. It's fluffy and light for the summer but delicious as well. Overall it was a huge hit. The Devil's Food Cake recipe can be found in a previous post, but here's the frosting recipe!

Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8oz. package of reduced-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream


Combine the cream cheese, sugar, and extract in a large mixing bowl and mix on medium until the mixture is smooth. While the mixture is still whipping, slowly add the heavy cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowls frequently until the frosting can hold stiff peaks. 


Refrigeration is not necessary, but recommended to store. These are best topped right before serving and will stay fresh at room temperature. I topped these bad boys with fresh blueberries and strawberries and so therefore I refrigerated all of the leftovers, surprisingly it was even more delicious since the cupcake was also cold with the topping. It's all about personal preference.

Enjoy :)

"Maryland" Cupcakes!

Graduation was last month and a friend of mine was having a graduation party this past weekend (Technically now last weekend, I'm a little behind with my posts). Naturally, I decided to bake for the occasion. They were pretty basic with my favorite Devil's Food Cake cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart and a Cream Cheese frosting. 

The Devil's Food Cake recipe was used in a Cupcake Bite post earlier, but the batter was halved, so here are the directions again

Martha Stuart's Devil's Food Cake:
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp coarse salt
1 1/2 cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan. Whisk together hot water and cocoa until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until the mixture is cooled, approx. 4-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream. Beat until just combined. Fill liners 3/4 full. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese

14 tbsps (1 and 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter

3 cups confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

On medium-high speed, beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Add vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Frosting can be spread on using a butter knife or piped using a storage bag (with the tip cut off) or a piping bag!

These cupcakes are decorated with sprinkles and red melting chocolates. The "M" was drawn free hand and filled in with additional chocolate! 

As a special treat, for a "super" special guy I know, I decorated the additional cupcakes with the infamous superman symbol since he's in love with superman. I colored the extra frosting with blue and yellow gel food coloring (separately of course) and used the red melting chocolates to make the shape. It's a little rough since it was free-hand, but overall I was pretty proud, and he definitely appreciate the effort :)

Happy baking :)

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

 There's actually nothing more delicious than the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. This I am sure. The batter is filled with crushed peanut butter M&Ms for an even more special treat, and the frosting is topped with Hershey's Milk Chocolate shavings. 

I had some extra butter milk so I decided to find a good recipe online. This one got some great reviews, and the batter was delish.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup water
9 oz. Peanut butter M&Ms

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk and water mixture, beating well after each addition. 

Place peanut butter M&M's in a plastic bag and use the back of a spoon or back of a frying pan to break them. If you prefer, you can make a rough chop with a big knife, but this takes longer! Feel free to add more or less based on preference. Stir just until combined. Spoon heaping tablespoons into prepared baking cups (2/3 full) and bake 15-20 minutes.

The peanut butter frosting was taken right from Martha Stewart of course. I like this frosting because the whipped cream really makes it nice and light as compared to some of the other cream cheese peanut butter frostings.

Finally I took a knife to a block of Hershey's Milk Chocolate to make some pretty shavings. These are also great topped with a half of a Reece's Pieces (or mini!).   

Enjoy!

Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes

Happy Easter! And yes, I do realize this post is going up a week late. Forgive me!
All I could think about while doing homework til 2am on both Thursday and Friday night was, "What am I going to bake for Easter?!" The colors of Easter alone are enough motivation to bake something. Then I remembered, I wasn't going home, so who was I going to bake for?! Then I remembered about my Engineering Sorority meeting. Perfect! I get to bake for 70+ girls. 
I settled on a yellow buttermilk cupcake with milk chocolate frosting, decorated as little nests!
While I was making the cupcakes, I tasted the batter... it was pure heaven. When I took the cupcakes out of the oven, it took about 30 seconds for me to grab one, unwrap it, and eat it. I'm in love with this batter. I mixed some Springtime themed sprinkles in with the batter for some fun. 

Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes

• 3 cups cake flour, (not self-rising)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 5 large whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks, room temperature
• 2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium. Add whole eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add yolks, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each. Beat in vanilla

For standard cupcakes, bake for about 20 minutes, rotating once

For mini cupcakes, bake for about 7 minutes, rotating once


The frosting is Martha Stewart's Dark Chocolate Frosting. It's delicious

Yummy precious cupcakes. I also had my cookie/frosting gun fail on me while I was frosting the cupcakes so they aren't quite as neat as I had hoped. Either way, still delicious

Enjoy!