Traditional Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

My brother requested that I make cupcakes for his Bible class, but I was out of butter. As I was flipping through my cookbook, I came across this recipe! The cupcakes turned out really well. The only problem was that I made too much batter and filled the cups to the brim. This made the cupcakes HUGE. They were stuck together on the pan.  Although they weren't very pretty, they tasted really good. I ended up adding chopped walnuts to the batter to give it more diversity. The cake was very moist and had a nice crumb. The icing was tangy and complemented the cake well. I highly recommend this recipe to anyone who likes carrot cake.

Plain Jane Cupcakes

I actually adapted these cupcakes from a recipe from book called Cupcake Heaven by Susannah Blake. I made these cupcakes for my friend Laura, who doesn't like anything but vanilla. It was quite a challenge to keep my self from embellishing the recipe with spices and things! These cupcakes were the first plain cupcakes I have ever made, and they turned out really well! They were dense and moist. The batter was very thick, but the recipe only made 9 cupcakes. I sprinkled them with powdered sugar, and it was just enough. The cupcakes were basic enough that you could probably add dried fruit like cranberries, or even flavors. The cupcakes were perfect on their own though (and with homemade vanilla ice cream)!
I highly recommend this recipe for anything!

here is the recipe:

1 stick butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter and sugar in mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Combine flour and baking powder and sift into the mixture. fold in, and stir in vanilla. Spoon the batter into the baking cups. Bake for 17 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. enjoy!!

 

bibliography:

Blake, Susannah. "Victoria Cupcakes." Cupcake Heaven. 2008. Print.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Earl Grey Frosting

When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it! I thought it was going to be gross, because I would never even think of putting chocolate and earl grey tea together. They turned out very, very good, if a little on the chewy side. I had to modify the recipe because I didn't want to make so many cupcakes. I ended up cutting the recipe in half, and making them mini. Half of the recipe made about 19 cupcakes. If I make them again I will make them full size because they were so good!  The cake had a caramel taste to it, and only a hint of chocolate, even though I used almost a whole bar of Hershey's Milk Chocolate. The icing was delicious!! It was light and fluffy, and the tea added to it gave it a delicate flavor. They were scrumptious! I highly recommend this recipe, as it was a crowd pleaser. Be forewarned though. You may have to cook them for longer than the recipe says. I cooked them for 18 minutes, and they were chewy like a brownie. Bon Appetite!

~Paige~

here is the url to the recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_449433_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html

Hello, Sugar Maniacs!

The craze for cupcakes is sweeping the nation, so I am joining the fun! I love cupcakes, and I want to share that love with you! I hope you enjoy the reviews, pictures and recipes that will be posted. Also, techniques and gadgets will be shared. Enjoy!

~ Paige