Who doesn’t love a good cupcake?
What you may not have thought of is trying ones that aren’t overly sweetened with frostings and artificial food colorings added to them. When at all possible, perhaps try new ways of adding fresh ingredients and unsuspecting combinations to put a spin on everyday foods. Fruits for instance can unleash new flavors and colors that otherwise would have been artificially added. Blackberries, Raspberries, Mango will help change the way you look at food and can unleash new and interesting choices that provide a perfect platform for creativity and will stretch you as a cook.
Sprinkles don’t have to be a conventional choice. Try using Pomegranate seeds or dried fruits minced up or colored sugars instead for a surprising new twist. For natural flavors add fruit purees and for unlimited color these amazing natural food dyes by Tru Color have remarkable hues of color that are perfectly suited to stretch your creativity and will undoubtably make your cupcakes stand out as an exceptional looking dessert.
Cupcakes
18 cupcakes
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted Butter (softened)
1 cup Sugar
3 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 cups, plus 2 Tablespoons Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
2/3 cup Milk
Instructions
Pre heat the oven to 350°
Cream the softened Butter with the Sugar in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until very smooth and creamy. Approximately 10 minutes.
Crack the Eggs into a separate bowl then add them one at a time to the creamed Butter until well incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and mix until smooth and well blended.
Add the Vanilla extract and continue to beat the ingredients until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl combined all of the dry ingredients together and set aside.
Measure the Milk and set this aside as well.
Turn the mixer speed on and slowly add half of the Flour mixture and then add half of the Milk making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Repeat this with the remaining Flour mixture and Milk until all of the ingredients are combined and well mixed in and you have a smooth batter.
Pour equal amounts of batter into lined cupcake tins to about 1/4 inch to the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20min or until slightly golden browned around the edges.
Cool on a wire rack until ready to decorate.
Notes
A classic must have, go-to-recipe that never fails and is also terrific baked as a cake. Use your imagination for decorating and frost with either Marshmallow Frosting, Butter Cream icing. Scrumptious!!!
Chocolate Cake
(2) 8 inch Cakes or 18 cupcakes
Ingredients
1 ½ cups, plus 1 Tablespoon Flour
1 cup Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
2 ¼ cups Sugar
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3/4 cup, plus 2 Tablespoons Buttermilk
7 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 cup Hot Water
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°
Combine all of the dry ingredients including the Sugar into a large bowl and stir by hand to blend well.
In a separate bowl, crack the Eggs and mix by hand with a whisk.
Add to the Eggs, the Vanilla extract, Buttermilk and Oil together and stir until well blended.
Add the hot Water slowly to the Egg mixture stirring continuously.
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and stir with a hand held whisk in one direction adding 1/2 the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring continuously.
Whisk in the remaining wet ingredients until there is smooth batter.
Pour into lined cupcake tins or cake pans and bake for 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Notes
Fool proof, one bowl, no mixer cake! An amazingly moist cake that is perfect even without icing.
Vanilla Frosting
2 1/2 cups
will frost 24 Cup Cakes or (1), 8 inch Cake
Ingredients
¾ cups plus, 2 Tablespoons Butter (softened)
3 ½ cups Confectioners Sugar
1 Tablespoons Milk
½ teaspoon natural Flavoring (Vanilla, Almond, Kirsch, Lemon or any other)
¼ teaspoon Lemon Juice
For a Fruit Frosting:
4 ounces Fruit Puree (Raspberry, Blackberry, Blueberry, Mango or any other flavor)
2 Tablespoons Confectioners Sugar
Puree the ingredients together and add to the creamed Butter.
Instructions
Place the softened Butter in a mixing bowl set with a whisk attachment. Beat the butter until smooth.
*If using a Fruit Puree, add it to the mixer now.
Add half of the Confectioners Sugar, to all of the Milk, Flavoring and Lemon Juice and whip well until very smooth and creamy, 8-10 minutes.
Add the remaining Confectioners Sugar and continue to beat at a high speed until creamy and light in texture. Approximately 5 minutes more.
Notes
Add extra Milk if the Frosting isn’t creamy enough.
A perfect base frosting that can become any color or flavor that you desire.
Marshmallow Frosting
2 1/2 cups
Ingredients
3 Egg Whites
2 ¼ cups Sugar
½ cups Water
1 ½ Tablespoons Golden Syrup (Agave or Honey could be substituted)
a pinch of Salt
1 ½ Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Set up your mixer with the whisk attachment and a clean, dry bowl.
Pour about 2 cups of Water into a saucepan so it reaches ½ way up the pan. Place over medium heat to bring just to a boil.
Put all of the ingredients into a large metal bowl and whisk by hand to just blend.
Place the bowl over the pot of simmering Water and hand whisk continuously until the Sugar dissolves and the mixture is very warm to the touch. Make sure to stir continuously so the eggs don’t “cook”.
Whisk by hand for approximately 2 minutes until it reaches 70-75°.
Transfer the warmed ingredients into the bowl on your mixer and beat fast until the mixture cools and forms stiff peaks of frosting.
Notes
You have to have this recipe!!! A Joy of Cooking essential frosting that will always make you smile and bring back memories of your childhood.