Showing posts with label Cupcakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cupcakes. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Roasted Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting


It seems these cupcakes have created quite a buzz, so here is the recipe!  I'd like to say I came up with it, but I have to give credit where credit is due.  You can thank Martha Stewart!  Now I expect everyone to make them and give me some feedback (and pics!).  Enjoy and happy cupcaking!

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas, plus 2 more for garnish
2 cups cake flour, sifted
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
¾ cup sugar
3 large eggs, separated
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place three of the bananas on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes (the peels will darken). Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Reduce the oven temp to 350.

Line your standard muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder and the salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer set to medium-high speed, cream together the butter and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy. Add in the egg yolks, one at a time and beat until each is fully incorporated. Add in the cooled roasted bananas and beat to combine. Add in the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of the sour cream. Add in the vanilla and beat to combine.

In another bowl, use an electric mixer set on high speed to whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter to lighten. Fold in the remaining whites in two batches.

Divide the batter evenly among the liners (about ¼ cup each). Bake for about 10 minutes, rotate pan, bake an additional 10 minutes or until done. Cool on wire rack. You will more than likely have enough batter to make four more cupcakes.

Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 T honey
1/4 t ground cinnamon

Directions:

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat all ingredients until fluffy and smooth. Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes and garnish with banana slices or banana chips.
 
Makes 16 cupcakes
 
Here is a couple of different ideas for presentation:
 

Strawberry Surprise!


On the outside unassuming cupcake, but on the inside WOW! These cupcakes are called Strawberry-Lime Stuffed Cupcakes and come from the Food Network Kitchens. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about eating lime flavored icing (just because I'm not a citrus fan), so I think I'd prefer another flavor. Maybe a strawberry whip cream icing (or even plain) and rename them Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes! These would be awesome to serve during the Spring or even around the 4th of July. Just add a cute little American Flag pick and voila!

Oh, just look at my beautiful garden!

I just loved Winnie the Pooh when I was a child, and when I ran across these cupcakes on the Disney Family website I thought they were just adorable! These miniature carrot topped cupcakes were inspired by Rabbit, who was forever working hard to protect his garden from uninvited guest. I would have never guessed the carrots were made out of orange Starbursts and green Twizzlers! Can you just imagine the look on a childs face when they see these? I know I would have loved them!


You'll need: 

Orange Starburst candies (one for each carrot)
Kitchen skewer or toothpick
Kitchen scissors
Green Twizzlers
Batch of chocolate cupcakes
White frosting
Cinnamon sugar

1. With clean hands, knead each Starburst candy and roll it into a mini carrot shape. If the candy is too stiff, you can microwave it for 4 or 5 seconds. But don't overdo it -- the candy will melt if it's overheated.

2. Use the skewer or toothpick to make a hole about 1/4-inch deep in the top of each carrot.







3. Cut 1 1/2-inch lengths from a Twizzler and then snip them in half vertically. Turn each half into a leafy top by cutting fringe in one end.

  





4. Insert the carrot tops into the holes in the carrots. If they don't fit, try trimming the bases a bit to taper them. Or use the skewer tip to gently push them in place.







5. When all the carrots are made (you'll want 2 or 3 per cupcake), frost the cupcakes and sprinkle the centers with cinnamon sugar to resemble a patch of sandy soil.

6. "Plant" the carrots in the cupcakes, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the orange candy showing.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Nobunny knows Easter better than Cadbury..and the Irish!


I saw these cupcakes and was like OMG!  I remember when I was a kid...I couldn't wait for Easter so I could get my hands on Cadbury Creme Eggs.  Who would have ever even thought to translate those into a cupcake?  The Irish of course!  Afterall, Cadbury is product of the UK.  These delectable little masterpieces were created by a Life is Sweet bakery in Belfast.  They're described as being "intensely chocolately Devil's Food Cake with a lightly flavoured vanilla Cadbury Creme Egg buttercream, topped with a cracked chocolate egg shell".  I think I've died and gone to Heaven!

~PS~
Just for grins and giggles, here is my favorite Cadbury commercial!  Bawk meow bawk meow!
Cadbury Bunny Tryouts

Coconut Cupcakes

I guess you could say this is technically my second adventure in cupcaking, but since it's been several years since I've made any and this is my first blog posting, we'll just say it's my first! I was actually looking for something fun to make for Easter, but when I ran across Ina Garten's (The Barefoot Contessa) recipe for Coconut Cupcakes, I just couldn't wait that long to make them!  Although the ingredient list is extensive (13!) and they were not easy to make by any means, they were well worth the effort.  My husband even claimed they were the best thing I've ever baked and that I could put Camicakes out of business!  WOW!  I wouldn't go that far, but they are damn good! They turned out just perfect.  The cream cheese frosting and the hint of almond took these cupcakes to the next level.  They sort of reminded me of a macaroon.  I think you could even tweak the recipe a little and add some pineapple and voila.. you have a Pina Colada cupcake!  I may have to try that one of these days.  These turned out so good, I'm already planning my next adventure.  Let's just say you might go bananas for them!