Team spirit cupcakes

Well, when I made these I didn't know for sure that the Giants would win Super Bowl XLVI... although Bella had her paws crossed!  However, in light of yesterday's result, perhaps I should call them Giants Victory Cupcakes instead?

The great thing about this recipe is that you can use any colors to salute your team of choice.  Although football season is over, March Madness is just around the corner.  These would be the perfect dessert to enjoy while watching the tournament.

It's super easy to achieve this effect.  You just layer the batter in the pans before baking, like so...

(My layering was a bit messy, but I think that just added to the charm. Or so I told myself, anyway.)  Then they turn out like this...

Once they're frosted, your friends will be in for a surprise when they bite into this vanilla cupcake.

Team Spirit Cupcakes
adapted from YumSugar

For the cupcakes:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups self-rising flour
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
Food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake pans with paper liners.
2. Chop the butter into small cubes.
3. Whisk eggs in small bowl.
4. Combine milk and vanilla in small bowl or measuring cup.
5. Mix flours and sugar on low speed for 2 minutes.
6. With mixer on low speed, add butter in small amounts until fully incorporated.
7. Add half of the milk/vanilla mixture.  Mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
8. Add eggs and remaining milk/vanilla mixture.  Continue mixing for 1-2 minutes until batter is smooth.
9. Divide batter into two bowls.
10. Color each half of the batter.  (I used 24 drops each of red and blue.)
11. Drop one spoonful of the first color into each cupcake liner, then drop one spoonful of the alternate color batter on top of that.  Alternate until cupcake liners are approximately 2/3 full
12. Bake for 23 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.   

For the frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups confectioner's sugar
2-3 tbsp. milk

Cream butter in mixer.  Add vanilla, then add sugar one cup at a time.  Add milk as needed for desired consistency.  Beat on medium speed for 2-4 minutes until light and fluffy.

I sprinkled edible glitter on top of the cupcakes as well.  Makes 24 cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Christmas candy cane cupcakes

I love the holidays.  After all, more parties means more reasons to bake.  For example, this past weekend I baked some candy cane cupcakes to take to a party. They were pretty darn tasty, if I do say so myself.  Want to make your own?  Well, luckily for you, that's the whole point of this blogging thing.  Read on for details...

For the cupcake itself, I kept it simple.  I used my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe (it may be familiar to you).  However, in keeping with the candy cane theme, I decided to take my inspiration from Bake It In a Cake and stuck a Candy Cane Kiss inside before baking.

All you need to do is fill the cupcake liner with batter, plop a Kiss in there, and then cover the Kiss with batter.

You want the liner to be about two-thirds to three-quarters full when you're done. Much more than that, and they'll be a little too big.  I'd also recommend that you put most of the batter in the cup before you add the Kiss - it has a tendency to sink towards the bottom.

While those were baking and cooling, I whipped up the icing.  I decided to make two types to add some variety.

First, I made a peppermint buttercream, topped off with crushed candy canes.  (I attempted to do two colors and swirl it... as you can see, the results were... not that great.)

Then, I made a cheater's chocolate candy cane frosting.  Instead of making buttercream from scratch, I doctored a can of prepared dark chocolate frosting.  (I ran out of powdered sugar, so I had to improvise.  Forgive me!)

I decorated these in three different ways - with crushed candy canes, with a Candy Cane Kiss, and with red and green M&Ms.  I think it made for a pretty fun assortment.

Here's a shot of the finished product...

Finally, the recipes - each makes enough to frost approximately 12 cupcakes:

Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 lb. powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. peppermint extract
24 drops red food coloring (optional)

Combine butter, powdered sugar, milk and extracts in mixer.  Once combined, increase speed and whip on medium speed until creamy.  For two colors of frosting, divide in half.  Set aside one half, and stir food coloring into remaining half


Cheater's Chocolate Candy Cane Frosting

1 container prepared dark chocolate frosting
1 tsp. peppermint extract
Crushed candy canes

Beat frosting in mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add peppermint extract and candy canes.  Mix at low speed until full incorporated.


Enjoy!

Kick the Can Cranberry Sauce

Brace yourself... today's recipe is not a dessert.  (I know!)  However, it may change your life - I kid you not.

What am I sharing with you today?  The answer is simple - cranberry sauce.  You might be wondering what's so special about cranberry sauce.  After all, isn't that just the can-shaped item that gets plopped onto a plate every Thanksgiving?  Au contraire... homemade cranberry sauce puts that stuff to shame. 

Consider me a cranberry evangelist (ecrangelist?) - I'm here to spread the word.  Kick the can this year - you won't regret it.  This recipe is so simple, yet so delicious.  You only need three ingredients - cranberries, orange juice, and sugar.

These three simmer for a while, and magic happens.  (Sometimes an overflowing stockpot happens too... it's okay. Embrace it.)  Here's the recipe:

Kick the Can Cranberry Sauce

4 cups cranberries
1 cup orange juice
2 cups sugar

Bring cranberries and orange juice to a boil in a large stockpot.  Add sugar and return to a boil.  Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the cranberries have popped.  (I recommend lowering the heat - simmer on low if possible.  You'll need to check the sauce periodically - it will occasionally overflow if you don't.  I wouldn't recommend leaving it completely unattended, although you can easily do other things in the kitchen while it's simmering away.)

Remove pan from heat.  Allow sauce to cool slightly.  While it's still warm, pour sauce into containers.  (When it cools to room temperature, it will look kind of like cranberry jam... and it will be delicious.)  Refrigerate until ready to use.  (You can freeze it too, if you want to save some for the future.)

Makes approximately 3 cups.

I told you it was easy.  It's also a snap to adjust quantities - to make more or less, just remember a 4:1:2 ratio of cranberries to OJ to sugar.  (I just made a slightly larger batch using 6 cups cranberries, 1 1/2 cups orange juice and 3 cups sugar.)

So, have I convinced you to kick the can and embrace the cran?  (I can't even believe how cheesy I just sounded.)

Happy Thanksgiving!  Perhaps you'll see this cranberry sauce again in a future dessert post...

Pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese

For this month's Improv Cooking Challenge (hosted by Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker), the secret ingredients were pumpkin and cream cheese (another winning combo).  While trying to decide what to make, I stumbled upon this cute idea from Duncan Hines.  Cupcakes that looked like pumpkins seemed like the way to go.

Inspired, I set out to create a pumpkin cupcake with cream cheese icing that would look something like a pumpkin.  My version is a little more rustic, but I like it.

Candy corn bark

Today, I have a quick and easy treat to share with you...

All you need is a microwave, a sheet pan, and 5 ingredients.  Ready?

Candy Corn Bark
Adapted slightly from The Recipe Girl

Crushed oreos
Crushed pretzel sticks
Candy corn
White bark coating or white candy melts (approx. 16 oz.)
Chocolate sprinkles

1. Line rimmed baking sheet with wax paper.  
2. Spread oreos, pretzel sticks & candy corn in single layer.  (You can play with the amounts to fill the pan as needed - leave a little room at the edges.)  
3. Melt white bark coating and pour over the cookies, candy & pretzels.  Garnish top with additional candy corn and chocolate sprinkles.  
4. Put pan in freezer to set.  Once hardened, break into pieces and serve.

Cinnamon Caramel Apple Trifle

Today, I'm excited to take part in my first Improv Cooking Challenge from Lady Behind the Curtain!  (It's kind of like Iron Chef meets Chopped meets blogging.) This month, the challenge ingredients are apple and caramel - can't go wrong with that combo.

I thought about doing a cupcake, but I recently hosted a dinner party and decided to go with something a little different.  I had a trifle dish that I'd never used, and I wanted a dessert I could make in advance and not have to worry about.  Thus, I decided on a caramel apple trifle.  (Recipe appears at the bottom of this post.)

Are you ready for some football?

Somehow, I've managed to make it through week 5 of the NFL season with a 4-1 record in my fantasy football league.  I'm pretty proud of my team (the Rush Puppies), especially considering how poorly the season started last year.

Although I'm not really a fantasy football wizard, I like to think that I am a wizard when it comes to throwing a good party.  (I'm so modest, right?) 

So, if you're having friends over to watch a game, you might want to try out these cake pops.  (I made them for the Super Bowl last year, and I hope to make them again soon.)

I took my inspiration from Bakerella and made some cake pops in the shape of footballs.  You can find the basic instructions for making cake pops here.   

For these, I used chocolate cake mixed with chocolate icing.  Then I shaped them into little footballs and chilled them in the freezer.  I melted some chocolate chips and shortening together to dip them in and drew the laces on with white icing.  (Tip: the smaller ones held up a bit better, as the weight of the footballs made a few too heavy to stay on the stick.) 

They were adorable, and tasty too!

Do you make any fun football-themed desserts?