Red Velvet Cupcakes w/ Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting


This was actually the recipe for Red Waldorf Cake out of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Anyway....I had never had Red Velevet cake before. Everybody hyped it up so much that I decided it had to be on my list. Well, really it is just chocolate cake with red food coloring. I'm not sure why mine turned out VERY dark....2 oz of red food coloring!!!! All in all it was good. Probably not as good as people make it sound, but hey......who doesn't like chocolate cake?!!!

The Recipe:

2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 ounces red food coloring (1/4 cup)

2-1/4 cups sifted cake flour or 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vinegar
Directions:

1. Allow eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and flour two 9x1-1/2-inch round cake pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Set pan(s) aside. In a small bowl stir together cocoa powder and food coloring; set aside. In another small bowl stir together flour and salt; set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla to shortening; beat until well combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on medium speed after each addition until combined. Beat in cocoa mixture. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, beating on low to medium speed after each addition just until combined. Stir together baking soda and vinegar. Add to batter, mixing until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan(s).
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, about 30 minutes for 13x9x2-inch pan, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake layers in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cake layers from pans; cool thoroughly on wire racks. Or, place the 13x9x2-inch cake in pan on a wire rack; cool thoroughly. Frost with Creamy Frosting. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Makes 12 servings.

Frosting Recipe:

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting-
 
1  8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 t vanilla
5 cups powder sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
 
Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla till fluffy. Beat in cocoa. Beat in powder sugar.
 

What I did:::

1. On the cake I used apple cider vinegar instead of white. I was watching Cupcake Wars once and oneof the groups said that they used it. So I figured if they were good enough to get to Cupcake Wars it was worth trying!!!
2. For the frosting....I used about 1 t of milk as well becaue it was way thick.
3. I also used Almond exctract instead of vanilla. I did get some compliments on the frosting so I guess that was a good trade!

Candy Bars

My sister told me about this recipe. They were so easy to make and soooooo good! Very fast for when you're in a rush!

The Recipe From About. Com- Busy Cooks:

•1/2 cup butter, melted
•1 pkg. two layer chocolate cake mix

•1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

•1 cup white chocolate chips

•2 cups chopped pecans OR coconut

•1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

•14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter and cake mix in large bowl. Mix with fork until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over bottom of 15x10" jelly roll pan and press to form crust. Sprinkle with semisweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips and pecans or coconut.

In microwave on medium power, melt milk chocolate chips for 1-2 minutes or until melted. Stir sweetened condensed milk into the melted chips. Spread milk mixture evenly over nuts in jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely and cut into bars. 48 bars

What I did:

1. Instead of using white chocolate chips....because I didn't have any!.....I used Butterscotch! I love the change! I love Butterscotch!
2. I didn't use any pecans or cocunut. Just chocolate chips!
3. The chocolate/milk mixture didn't spread over it very well, so when you pour it on, just pour it around well and then when it cooks it spreads out.
4. These are great for a big group!

Meyer Lemon Cupcakes

VERY DELECTABLE!! These were so light and lemony and delicious! I'm making some cupcakes for a Relief Society thing at the end of this month, so I'm doing some experimenting!! After I get all my trials posted, I want ya'll to vote so I can see what you guys think would be best!!!
I found this recipe on The Sisters' Cafe blog:

Meyer Lemon Cupcakes


Submitted by Erin ~ The Sisters Cafe

Recipe from cupcakeblog.com

Makes ~28 regular cupcakes


1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup meyer lemon juice

zest of one meyer lemon
Preheat oven to 375°. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, beat to combine. Scoop into cupcake papers about half full. Place cupcakes in the oven and turn the oven down to 350°. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.


To assemble cupcakes: Fill cupcakes by cutting out a cone from each cupcake. Flip the cone and cut off the excess. Set the top aside. Fill each cavity with the tart cranberry filling. Replace each top. Frost with the meyer lemon cream cheese frosting. (I put the frosting in a piping bag with a star tip.)
Tart Cranberry Filling

Half of a 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries

½ cup water

¼ cup sugar
Rinse and pick through cranberries. Add to a medium pan with water and sugar. Bring to a boil stirring to dissolve sugar. Let the mixture boil for ten minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight

Meyer Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

1 sticks (½ cup) butter, room temperature

¾ of a 8-oz package of Philly cream cheese

1 ½ - 2 cups sifted powdered sugar

½ tablespoon meyer lemon juice

zest of one fourth of a meyer lemon
Beat butter at medium speed until creamy. Add cream cheese and beat until combined. Sift 1 ½ cups of the powdered sugar into the butter and cream cheese. Add the lemon juice and zest. Beat until combined. Add more sugar until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like. I used 2 cups.

What I Did:

1. The main thing that I did different....which is a huge difference.... was that instead of doing the tart cranberry filling, I used the Raspberry filling stuff from the raspberry cream pie that is also on this blog. I just didn't see cranberries and lemon going together but it is probably delicious too!
2. I'm not sure what meyer lemons are, so I just used some regular lemons and I think it turned out the way it was supposed to!

Brownie Dipped Oreos

I first heard of this idea from my sister, but then I found a few food blogs with them. They were good, a little crunchy.....I was excpecting chewy soft brownie and one site even said that the oreo got soft, but I didn't think so. The yellow frosting was just a powdered sugar glaze......good with or without. All in all I think I would rather just eat a straight up oreo! But so fun to make and cute with " Holiday" oreos!

What I did:

1. Just make a box brownie mix.
2. Grease a muffin tin VERY well.
3. Dip the oreos in the brownie mix and put in mffin tin.
4. Bake on 350* for about 15 or so min. I would start looking at them aroumd 10 min.
5. The center may look like it's not quite done (mine did anyway) but it really probably is. The oreo in the center makes it look that way.

Raspberry Cream Pie

This was SoOOOOO DELICIOUS! A sit down with the whole pan recipe!!! Definantly a must try. I found it on the blog LifeShould Be Delicious.
Raspberry Layer:

2 packages (10 oz each) frozen raspberries, thawed
2 Tbls. sugar
2 Tbls. cornstarch

Drain raspberries reserving juice in a 1 cup measuring cup (sometimes I really have to smash the berries in a mesh strainer to get liquid out of them). Add enough water to measure 1 cup. Set raspberries aside. In a small saucepan combine cornstarch, sugar and raspberry juice mixture until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat, cool for 10 minutes and gently stir in raspberries. *Can be frozen and used later*

Cream Layer:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 C. cold water
1 package of instant vanilla pudding (big or small)
1 8 oz. tub of cool whip

Whisk together sweetened condensed milk and cold water until mixed, then whisk pudding for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft set, fold in cool whip.

Using your favorite pie crust recipe bake crust then let cool (or you can cheat like I did and buy a Pillsbury ready to bake pie crust. It was by the biscuits in the refrigerated section). Fill with half of raspberry mixture then add half the cream mixture on top of it. Let sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours or overnight to let set. Before serving top with fresh whip cream or more cool whip (I prefer fresh whip cream).

This is enough for 2 pies.


** If the raspberry layer seems like too much work you can just smash some of the thawed raspberries, add some sugar to sweeten them and put in crust. It just won't have the pie filling/jelly like consistency. It would be more of a fresh fruit consistency, but still yummy!


This is what I did:

• Instead of a reagular pie crust I used a graham cracker one. Definantly a must do!! It made it perfect!
• When getting the raspberry juice out, I only got a 1/4 cup of it and it was still great.
• I didn't put the whipped cream on top. I can stand on its own!
• I would definantly go through the work of doing the raspberry layer the way the recipe says.
• The raspberry layer will be fairly thin in the bottom, but don't worry....it's just the right amount.
• If you think you won't want two pies you are wrong!

Raspberry Truffle Brownies

These brownies were SOOOO rich! REALLY good, but not something you sit down with the pan! I found the recipe on The Girl Who Ate Everything.
What I did:
~ First of all I used a Dark Chocolate Brownie mix. I LOVE dark Chocolate!
~ Then I bought Dove Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Swirl Chocolates, cut them up and put them in the brownie mix.
~ For the truffle part I got just plane Dove dark chocolate in a bag instead of the chocolate chips.
~ Then for the drizzle on top I used the Raspberry swirl chocolates again.

All in all VERY GOOD, but not something I would eat everyday....(Thank heavens). It reminded me of fancy resturaunt desserts!

Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes.....

As you can tell, I'm a little obsessed with cupcakes right now! They are just perfect for eating, for sharing, for decorating......I just LOVE them! These cupcakes were inspired from a recipe that I saw on Three Sisters Cafe blog....CHerry Chocolate Cake. I dreamed them up and had to make them right away! And the outcome was SOOOOO WORTH IT!

What I did:
First I followed this recipe that I got off the Three Sisters Cafe~
1 box of devil's food cake mix
1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling ( I had canned my own last summer and used it...I love that I canned pie filling!)
1 tsp almond extract
2 eggs
Then: I put them in muffin tins. I baked them on 350* for about 16~17 minutes. I checked them after 15 minutes.
NOW for the Topping::::
I fisrt made a Ganache to put directly on the cupcake. This is the recipe:
1 Cup Whippping Cream
8 oz. of Chocolate (I used the Baker's Brand Semi-Sweet, but you could use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, unsweetened.....what ever yer feeling like)Coarsely chop up.

Bring the cream just to a boil in a sauce pan. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Just let it sit there for 5 minutes, then stir it all together. Let it cool for 15 minutes, then frost the cupcakes.

This is what it looked like with just the ganache.

Then.....if they could get better.....You whip up some cream and pi[e it on each one. They really needed some kind of pretty topping like a marchino cherry dipped in the ganache and set on top.....oooooooh I like that! I may have to try them again with that!
The whip cream recipe I use is:
1 Cup whip cream
2 T sugar
1/2 t vanilla ( I actually tried use almond extract and LOVED it! I love the smell of almond extract!)

This may sound like alot of work but really so easy and SO worth all of the work! THey were just as good if not better the second day!