Daring Baker's: Caramel Cupcakes w/ Brown Butter Caramel Frosting

Well, I am late, I kept telling myself on Friday to post my first daring bakers challenge. Darn it! Despite my tardiness this recipe was a great one to start off with because it involves three of my favorite ingredients: fresh vanilla beans, browned butter and caramel! If you want to get involved with the daring bakers, click on the daring bakers link on the right hand side of the page. Okay, bake these lil cakes if you are a lover of a not too sweet cake, pretty damn good frosting and chewy yet silky vanilla bean caramels. I promise it will not disappoint, but you need to let me know if you want the recipe! ;)

Iron Cupcake Earth Challenge. . .VOTE NOW!

The fourth round of IronCupcake:Earth, CRANBERRY. This month's challenge was CRANBERRY and the entries are fantastic! Go to No One Puts Cupcake in a Corner, http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com/ to read through the submissions and then post your vote in the poll to the right on that blog. Voting closes at 12 noon, central, on Friday, December 5th.

vote. . .vote. . .vote. . .vote. . .for ME!

Thanksgiving Day Pastries

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving! This is my favorite holiday and I anticipate this day all year long. I only made two desserts this year, plus all the side dishes. I opted to make everyone's favorite and most requested, apple crumb pie and a pear and cranberry gallette. I had wanted to make it as a pie, but I have never made a gallette and thought it would be easy and I was right on with my assumption! Still gorgeous and delectably enticing!

Pear and Cranberry Gallette:

Ingredients:

• 4 Pears (anjou, barlett, or bosc)
• 1/4 Cup dried unsweetened Cranberries (not craisins)
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1/8 Cup Cranberry Jam (I used Red Currant due to availability) melted
• 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
• One 9" Pie Crust (Homemade or Store Bought)
  

Directions:

1. Peel, core and thinly slice pears. In a mixing bowl, combine first five ingredients until well combined.



2. Place a silpat onto a baking sheet and layout pie dough. Layer or pile pear mixture in the center of dough, leaving enough room to pull crust over.



3. Gather first section of dough and fold, keep doing this until all dough is folded. Brush crust with egg wash and sprinkle glazed dough with course sugar.



4. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden.
   

Apple Crumb Pie:

Apple Filling Ingredients:

• 6 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 Gala Apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar (this is what makes mine more caramel like, usually you only put
• granulated sugar)
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon flour
• 1/2 Craisins or fresh cranberries (optional)
  

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together and pack filling into pie crust.

For Crumb Topping:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chopped Pecans (optional)

1. In food processor or using pastry blender combine all ingredients until it consists of a crumbly mixture. Place pie on a foil lined baking sheet. Top apples with crumb topping.
2. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes
   

Grandma's Oriole Chocolate Cake, Take II

I know I have blogged about these babies before but I seriously love, love, love them! Not only are they the best chocolate cake, but as I have written before they bring back so many sweet memories of my late Grandmother. I made them this time for Jim and his co-workers for their potluck luncheon last week. Even though I did not indulge in one, I still had a smidgen of frosting and tears filled my eyes and I was instantly five-years-old. I am thankful for this recipe and the woman who introduced it to me. For the recipe visit the original post: Here

Mini oriole chocolate bites. Perfectly chocolaty, perfectly sized!

Iron Cupcake Challenge: Sweet Potato Kŭp’kāks with Cranberry White Chocolate Frosting

Well, here it is! My first complete attempt for November's Iron Cupcake Challenge: Cranberry. I am really excited about this recipe because I think it is the best tasting cupcake I have ever made. . .I am not joking people! The cake is immensely tender and offers great flavor, and the frosting, oh my goodness! I cannot even begin to tell you how much I licked off the paddle, or off the bowl. The flavor combinations of sweet potato, white chocolate and cranberry truly make this months challenge something to be thankful for. If your asking yourself what exactly Iron Cupcake is click on the link to the right to check out the crazy cupcake world I am so rapped up in. Basically, cupcake lovin' bakers all partake in monthly challenges based on one key ingredient. At the end of the month all the bakers submit their entry and then the voting begins. This is where you all come in to play. Once the voting has opened you can visit Iron Cupcake and vote. . .FOR ME! The cupcaker with the most votes wins. Pretty easy! If you like what you see tell a friend or two or three. But, until the voting begins here is my recipe so you can see what I am talking about! Amazingly Cupakable!

Did I mention this month's prizes?

The Iron Cupcake: Cranberry prizes this month are from Etsy artists Lollipop Workshop, Cookie Sunshine, Lots of Sprinkles and Cakespy. Corporate prizes are from Fiesta Products, Hello, Cupcake, Jesse Steele, Cupcake Courier, and Taste of Home. For this month only we have an added bonus from Sweet Cuppin Cakes Bakery and Cupcakery Supply.
Iron Cupcake: Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers.



Recipe: Sweet Potato Kŭp’kāks with Cranberry-White Chocolate Frosting
(Cake Recipe from: Karen Harris, Castle Rock, Colorado, Southern Living, OCTOBER 2006: ADAPTED)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 sweet potatoes, mashed (roughly 1 1/3 cup)
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional)

Cranberry-White Chocolate Frosting

• 8 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup whole cranberry sauce (fresh or canned)
• 3/4 cup craisins, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition.

2. Combine flour and baking soda. Gradually add half of flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended, and stopping to scrape bottom and down sides of bowl. Add remaining half of flour mixture, and beat until blended. Add vanilla and next five ingredients, beating at medium speed until smooth. Spoon batter into 20 muffin cups, filling two-thirds full.

3. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes.

4. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Stir until smooth. Let cool until room temperature.

5. Cream butter until smooth. Add in cranberry sauce and craisins until well combined. Mix in one cup of powdered sugar at a time until well combined and to obtain your desired consistency. Add in melted chocolate. Refrigerate for 1o minutes.

6. In a pastry bag fitted with your desired tip (I used ateco 827), pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Dust with chocolate shavings and fresh cranberries.

7. Enjoy!

"It's Time for a Change" Cupcakes

Today for many Americans has been a long awaited day. Waking up early to head to polling places, beating lines and hoping that we don't have a repeat of voting years of the past. For me, this is my third presidential election and I have to admit the most emotional. I felt torn when making a decision, but I have to say that I just want to see this country in a better place. Our greatest gift as Americans is our right to vote. My family and I have been butting heads on this years election and I usually bow out of any political conversation. However, I am proud of my vote and extremely proud to vote as a free American. These cupcakes are just a representation of how proud I am of my vote and the younger generation that finally got out there in masses to show their support. Rock the Vote!



Patriotic Cake:

• One Box White Cake Mix
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 4 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Oil
• Red and Blue Food Coloring

1. Combine cake mix, buttermilk, eggs and oil. Separate equal amounts of batter into two bowls. Color red and blue.
2. Layer Half red, half blue. Bake at 325 degrees for 18 minutes.

Easy as Pie Frosting:

• 1 1/4 Stick Unsalted Butter
• 1/2 Stick Shortening
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons Milk
• 3 cups Powdered Sugar

1. Cream shortening and butter until pale and fluffy.
2. Add in powdered sugar, alternating with milk. Add in vanilla.
3. Pipe cupcakes with desired tip. (1m)

I had originally made chocolate words saying "Vote or Die", "McCain" and "Obama". Obama was the only one that didn't fall a part in my rushed design.

Disclaimer: The coloring came out a little lighter than I wanted. We joked saying that they were Miami Dolphins Cupcakes in support of their victorious win over the much hated Denver Broncos. he he.

Flavor Combinations

As some of you know there is an amazing cupcake challenge out in our cupcake obsessed world called Iron Cupcake. I have had two recipes laid out for the past two months and got too busy to complete them. I am brainstorming again with plenty of time and I thought that for those of you who read this and care about my obsession you could help me chose my flavor combo or help me. Here are some of my ideas:

Cranberry Apple Cupcakes with Maple Pecan Frosting
Apple Crumb Cupcakes with Cranberry Frosting
Pumkin Spice Cake with White Chocolate Cranberry Frosting
Cranberry Pecan cupcakes with Patron Citronage infused frosting

I love cranberries and my favorite dessert is my apple cranberry streusel pie. I am trying to go into the same direction. But also enjoy the thought of using marscapone and fresh orange.

All suggestions welcome!

Black Devils Food with Cream Cheese Frosting and Bats Galore

I know this is a little late, but as usual I have been extremely busy with work and life in general. I wouldn't classify these as the best cupcakes but I still think that they were really cute. I used my Grandmother's recipe for Black Velvet Cake and a simple cream cheese frosting topped with yellow, purple and white sanding sugars for the moon/sky and chocolate bats drawn freehand. They tasted good, but I love cream cheese. Anywho, just something to show that I am still baking I just got in a Minuit rut. More to come with the holidays fast approaching. . .

Black Velvet Recipe:

• 2 cups sifted Cake Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 cup Buttermilk

Directions:

1. Combine Flour, Baking Soda and Salt and set aside.
2. Cream together shortening, vanilla and sugar. Add in eggs and cream until mixture is light and fluffy.
3. Add in melted chocolate.
4. Add dry ingredients and buttermilk. Alternating until well combined.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• One Package Cream Cheese at Room Temperature
• 3/4 stick of butter
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 3 cups Powdered Sugar

1. Cream butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. Add in Vanilla.
2. Mix in one cup of sugar at a time until well combined.
3. Frost to your liking.