Mocha cupcakes with Baileys buttercream

Today is my birthday! And last night many many people came over to celebrate it with me! I know it seems a little sad/desperate to make my own birthday cake(s) but I enjoy baking for people so much that I needed to use it as an excuse. For Christmas, my aunt bought me a Martha Stewart cupcakes recipe book, and it's quickly becoming a new favourite reference. There are so many delicious recipes I have to try! To kick things off, I made mocha cupcakes. Then I thought the perfect addition to mocha would have to be baileys.... so I made baileys buttercream. Huge success. Here's the recipe:


Mocha cupcakes
Ingredients


2 1/4 cups cake flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream, room temp
3/4 cup fresh brewed espresso (I just used very strong coffee)
1 tbsp instant espresso powder (I didn't use this, not sure where to find it)




Method
1. Preheat oven to 325. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour and cocoa. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter until smooth and light. Add the brown sugar and eggs; beat until fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add the vanilla, baking soda, and salt; beat to combine thoroughly. 


2. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of sour cream, and beating until just combined after each. Mix together brewed espresso and espresso powder; add to batter, and beat until smooth.


3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three quarters full. Bake, orating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centres comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 22 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.

Baileys Buttercream
Ingredients


5 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks), room temp, cut into cubes
6 tbsp Baileys
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar




1. In a medium metal bowl add the egg whites and whisk with a pinch of salt to break up. Add the sugar to the egg whites and whisk till incorporated. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water. Continue to whisk until the sugar has melted into the egg whites. When you rub it between your fingers it should feel smooth not gritty.

2. Once it is smooth transfer to the bowl of an mixer and whisk on med high for 7-10 minutes until has almost tripled in volume and the bowl is cool to the touch. It should resemble marshmallow fluff in texture and have very stiff peaks.


3.  Add the butter gradually while continuously mixing on medium speed. It will look like it curdles after this (kinda like scrambled eggs) but continue to mix it and it will smooth out. Add the Baileys and vanilla, then gradually add the powdered sugar. Mix until just combined.


4. Spoon the frosting into piping bags and decorate your adorable cupcakes! (I used a 1M tip)

Gingerbread cupcakes

These cupcakes are so good! instead of making the standard gingerbread cookie, i made... gingerbread cupcakes! complete with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. As long as you have all of the ingredients lying around (some rarer than others....i.e. molasses, cloves, etc), these cupcakes are really easy to make and taste super good. I made 24 with this recipe but some of them are pretty small, so I'd go for maybe about 15 big ones next time instead. but make them... you won't regret it. also, i'd like to add that the cinnamon cream cheese frosting is possibly the best icing i've ever... EVER had. here's the recipe: (I believe it's originally Martha Stewart, but i slightly altered it)

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 22 3-inch gingerbread men (or in my case, snowflakes- these i didn't make myself, they are Pillsbury) 

For Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened (1 brick)
• 3 cups powdered sugar (I used 4)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with baking cup liners.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour and spices; set aside.
3. In the bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light, about 3 minutes. Beat in the molasses until incorporated. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Add flour and mix on low speed until just combined.
4. Fill the cupcake papers three-quarters full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center of them comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cupcakes cool on a wire rack 10 minutes.
5. To make the cinnamon cream frosting: Combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Add cinnamon and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
6. Place frosting into a large decorators decorating bag fitted with the 1M tip and approximately 1/4″ above cupcake top at a 90° angle to cupcake surface,  pipe a spiral of icing, beginning at the outer edge and working inward. Top with a cookie (snowflake/man) 

carrot cake!

Last night we had an early christmas celebration with the family, so I decided to make some carrot cake cupcakes from scratch (with cream cheese icing)! The recipe was great and they turned out perfect! However, if you like your carrot cake to be a bit spicier you could add some nutmeg or allspice, as this recipe only called for cinnamon. Voila!

Here's the link to the recipe.

Pretty in pink

happy friday! today i made the cupcakes for the baby shower tomorrow, as well as some extras for some of my favourite people... (you know who you are)

so these cupcakes are french vanilla with vanilla buttercream frosting.

this time i added more milk to the icing and the roses i attempted came out SO well! so i made a bunch of cupcakes with buttercream icing roses on top... and they look gorgeous. check it.

traditional girly pink this time!

ready to go

my roses! beautiful and delicious. (and the lovely tara trying one)

and of course, my fav girls 

Monday blues cupcakes

hey guys! so this is my first post...obviously that's cupcake worthy.

i have been asked to make cupcakes for someone's baby shower next weekend and since i hadn't tried putting much effort into decorating cupcakes in the past, i decided i should start. this week i went and bought some tools:

• wilton featherlight piping bag
• wilton piping tips

i knew the basics of how to pipe icing, but had never tried. and even trickier was the idea of having to make a frosting with the right consistency to hold up when piped. 

....but, i am happy to report, that it all worked out amazingly! can't imagine the calorie count of these....

sad to report the cupcakes themselves were made from a box.... this experiment was really all about the icing.

 the finished product

my first attempt at an icing rose.

my second, and much better attempt.