5 sorts of Cupcakes

 
I must have an obsession with baking, after this week, I am surprised that there is yet another baked good sitting in my oven scenting up my house and cookies cooling on the counters. I seriously swore off sugar...but that went for about 24 hours or less and I was back at it again. The good thing, I suppose is that with all this baking, I do not crave sugar.
Last week, a friend of mine asked me to bake cupcakes for a tea party in celebration of her 30th birthday. Naturally I was delighted to be asked and naturally I was delighted to find new, lovely recipes for this party. I searched online for cupcakes, went to Martha Stewart's website and had fun planning the whole baking fiasco. I chose to do 4 different types at first, but in the end made 5. The first cupcake was creation of my own...well partly. About a year ago, I offered to make a wedding cake for a couple I know. Their choice of taste was carrot cake. I decided that before they dive in unknowingly to hiring me, I would make some testers for them and if they liked then I would make them. I wanted the job of course, but more then anything I seriously wanted to WOW them with carrot cake. Carrot cake is pretty standard and I wasn't sure how to make it more appealing. But then I had an idea of putting in some lingon berries to contrast the sweetness of the cake and it was a winner!  Cupcake #1 Carrot with Lingon. The next one, I had a faint memory of doing before or at least having eaten it before, but I thought it would be fun for this party with it's chocolatey and mint goodness this cupcake is scrumptious!. It was also my only pure chocolate one. Cupcake #2 After Eight
The rest were all newbies and surprisingly mostly successful. I found two of them on Martha Stewart. Cupcake # 3 Spiced Citrus, this one I tweaked the recipe a little bit. The cake part was great, but I didn't quite master the frosting to my liking. My husband thought they were great, but there something I wasn't thrilled about. Cupcake # 4 Chocolate with candied Hazelnuts, this cupcake was fun to make and totally filled the house with the smell of chocolate for the entire day and night I had them out. My husband and I were so sick of that smell, it's a wonder I would even try chocolate again. Amazing how quick your senses and brain can forget things. The only problem with this cupcake was the candied hazelnuts. I was able to get 8 done before the pan of caramelized sugar completely hardened. On the website it says that if this happens, put it on the stove and heat up again...we (hubby and I) tried and severely failed. The goo totally hardened and burned. So we decided to have a go at it again, but then the next batch just crystalized from the beginning. Since the party was only an hour and a half from starting, I was not going to stress in making the other 20 or so candied and just simply placed them on the cupcakes. Boring? Yes! But they still tasted great and I proudly placed the candy topped ones in the center to draw attention to them. =) The last cupcake was the one I spontaneously chose, since I had an abundance of ingredients left over. Cupcake #5 Chocolate Chip. This cupcake was really sweet in taste and honestly I am not sure I would make them again. I think they were liked, but I wasn't  that impressed, but you have a go at them and you might enjoy! At the end of these 4-5 days of baking, I was totally exhausted. Baking is not my full time job, it's a hobby I like to explore with. I am glad these turned out to be a success and that I am still sane!

Until my next post try something creative and new!
Barefoot and Baking in the Kitchen

I chose not to take a million shots of eggs in sugar, things beaten and mixed and took only of the cupcakes either just before baking or after they were completed. Recipes are below.

Fun cupcake holders I used

 Lovely lingon berries in the carrot cake mixture

Cupcake #1 Carrot Lingon
 These would be a perfect Christmas cupcake with
their red contrast to the white. So pretty!

I think these are dainty and feminine. I love it! 

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2tsp. baking soda
1tsp. salt
3tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups margarine softened
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrots
1tsp. nutmeg
1tsp. vanilla
1/2tsp. cloves
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2-3/4 cup lingon berries

Directions
Mix sugar, flour, salt, soda, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Stir in butter, add eggs one at a time, then add sour cream. Add vanilla, mix well, then add carrots. You can add nuts if you want.
Bake 350F or 200C for 30 minutes

Cream Cheese Frosting
400g cream cheese
3tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar

 Cupcake #2 After Eight (mint chocolate)

Yummy mint chocolate pieces will eventually melt into
the cake.

 Nice and fresh out of the oven. See how the pieces
of chocolate neatly melted in. It's like a little surprise
awaits the one eating.

Makes you want to sit with a nice latte and just savor
every bite!

 Ingredients
2 eggs
2 dl sugar
1 dl margarine
2 dl sour cream
4-5dl flour
2tsp. baking powder
2tsp. vanilla
4tblp. cocoa
1 After Eight piece per cupcake

Directions
Mix eggs and sugar, add margarine and sour cream. Mix flour, baking powder, vanilla and cocoa in separate bowl. Add the other mixture. Put in cupcake forms, place one mint piece in the middle and slightly push down. Bake at 350F or 200C 15-20 minutes

Cupcake #3 Spiced Citrus
These are the only shot I got of this one.
I was surprised I didn't have any with the
frosting, but apparently I was really
busy and distracted that day. The
frosting is white and I sprinkled some
cloves on top to make it more
glamorous. 

Ingredients

• For the cupcakes:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole milk

• For the glaze:

  • 1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
  • Food coloring (optional)
  • 4 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1-2 tsp. cloves in the mix and sprinkle on top

Directions

1. Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Lightly butter 48 mini-muffin cups. In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions milk and beating well after each addition.
3. Transfer batter by heaping tablespoonfuls to cups. Bake until golden brown at edges and a toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out clean, 15 minutes, rotating pans once. Let cakes cool in pans, 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
4. Make glaze: In a bowl, whisk together juice and confectioners' sugar until smooth; add 1 to 2 drops food coloring if desired. Spoon over cooled cakes.

Cupcake #4 Chocolate with candied
Hazelnuts

















Freshly iced and will harden just a
little overnight

 The day after they looked a bit like flowers

Oh they are so lovely! Really you should try these. 

 I just had to show another one.

 And here they are in grand display
with the candied hazelnuts on top!

Cupcakes

• Yield Makes 16

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole unblanched almonds, toasted
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 4 large egg whites

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. In a food processor, pulse together almonds and hazelnuts until finely ground (do not overprocess, or the nuts will turn into a paste). Into a mixing bowl, sift together both flours, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the ground nuts.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating well after each.
3. In another mixing bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. In two additions, gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
5. Using an offset spatula, spread frosting over each cupcake. Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature and top with caramel-dipped hazelnuts just before serving.

 Dark Chocolate frosting

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon boiling water
• 2 1/4 cups (4 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 pounds best-quality semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Directions

1. Combine cocoa and the boiling water, stirring until cocoa has dissolved. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add melted and cooled chocolate, beating until combined and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture.

Candied Hazelnuts

Ingredients

• 24 hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
• 3 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup water

Directions

1. Gently insert pointed end of a long wooden skewer into the side of each hazelnut. Place a cutting board along the edge of a countertop; place newspaper on the floor, directly under cutting board.
2. Prepare an ice-water bath. Heat sugar and the water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and syrup is clear. Stop stirring; cook until syrup comes to a boil, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Continue to boil, gently swirling occasionally, until medium amber. Plunge pan into ice bath to stop the cooking; let stand until thickened, about 10 minutes. (To test: Dip a skewer in caramel and lift a few inches; if a thick drip slowly forms and holds a string, the caramel is ready.)
3. Dip a skewered hazelnut into caramel, letting excess drip back into pan. When dripping syrup becomes a thin string, secure opposite end of skewer under cutting board. Repeat with remaining hazelnuts. (If caramel hardens before all hazelnuts have been dipped, rewarm it over low heat.) Let stand until caramel string has hardened, about 5 minutes; break each string to desired length. Carefully remove skewers. Candied hazelnuts should be used the same day; store, uncovered, at room temperature until ready to serve cupcakes.

Cupcake #5 Chocolate Chip
I don't have a picture of because I was
baking them just a little before the party
and I was way to busy to think about
anything else. But here is the recipe of
you want to try!

CUPCAKE:

1 c. + 2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
6 tbsp. sugar
6 tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375°F.In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt, set aside. In large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract; beat until creamy. Beat in egg. Blend in flour mixture. Spoon mixture into paper-lined muffin cups, using 1 rounded tablespoon batter for each.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
Increase oven temperature to 425°F and spoon 1 tablespoon of topping over each cupcake. Return to oven. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.

TOPPING:

1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/8 tsp. salt
6 oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In small bowl, combine brown sugar, egg and salt; beat at high speed until thick (about 5 minutes). Stir in chocolate chips, nuts and vanilla extract.Makes 16 cupcakes.

 Here are all five sorts spread out nicely at my friend's
party.












 I made little signs so people would see what types they
were. Also you can see the Spiced Citrus there on the left

You can barely see the chocolate chips up in the wooden
shaped dish.