Coconut, Lime, and Honey Cupcakes

Happy spring!  It’s been quite a long time.  I feel as if I’ve exhausted a lot of cupcake flavor possibilities, and it is a rare occasion when a new idea pops into my head.  These cupcakes were baked for Easter last Sunday.  Our family has a new addition, my baby nephew Cyrus, and he was a week old on Easter!  Because things were crazy and his mommy and daddy were taking it easy, we had an Easter lunch of sandwiches and salad. Delicious sandwiches and salad.

Due to the lighter lunch, I wanted a nice, not to heavy cupcake to have for dessert.  This was the result!

Read Full Post »

Key Lime Cupcakes

Last year I offered my baking services to the Sacramento Children’s Chorus and pledged to bake a dessert each month for the highest bidder in a silent auction.  I’ve actually loved fulfilling my commitment because the winner has requested some desserts that are not in my regular arsenal.  This month, he requested a key lime pie.  As I set out to baking said pie today, I looked around my kitchen.  I had lime juice, zest, and enough whipped cream topping to act as frosting!

And the Key Lime Cupcake was born.

I wanted this cupcake to be super light, so I decided on a white cake as the base.  This also work well since I only used egg yolks for the key lime pie.  Yay to me for being efficient with my ingredients!  The white cake, kicked up a notch with lime juice and zest, turned out fluffy and cloud-like.    Because of this, I’m really glad I decided to use a whipped cream topping.  Anything else, like a butter cream or cream cheese frosting, would be so heavy I swear these little cakes would collapse.

With the frosting, I’m trying something new: stabilized whipped cream.  I found instructions for it here and it claims that the addition of the gelatin adds a bit more body and prevents the melting of the whipped cream as the cakes sit and wait to be eaten.  Because I’ll be taking these to share with co-workers and fellow volunteers tomorrow, I think that this whipped cream was the perfect choice.

Read Full Post »

Happy Spring! Strawberry Cupcakes with Lemon Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Saddened by the cupcake not looking that pretty…but they tasted wonderful!

I’ve been dreaming about that Swiss meringue buttercream since I made the Andes Mint Cupcakes!  The texture was so silky and light, like a cloud.  I knew I had to do another cupcake with it, so I did.

In my CSA produce delivery box I received both strawberries and lemons this week.  So, that became the theme for today.  I usually use all of my CSA delivery to inspire my dinners, and I rarely use it in baking.  But this just made sense.  I mean, spring is starting, today was Easter Sunday, and a strawberry and lemon cupcake will be absolutely perfect.

Also, my parents recently purchased a stand mixer.  Having never even played with one before, and as I was making cupcakes at their house today, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try out a Swiss meringue buttercream the “easy” way.

Read Full Post »

Almond Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream and Blackberries

There’s not much of a back story to these cupcakes.  Blackberries were on sale at my local market, and I wanted to use them to top a cupcake.  I utilized an almond cupcake recipe I’ve used before, and tried out a new way to do buttercream (inspired by my foray into vegan baking) that uses shortening as well as butter.  I’m really pleased with it and I think I’ll be using that combo for all of my buttercreams from now on!  I did a simple 1-1 ratio, and it turned out well.  I will say that with just using cocoa powder, the frosting tasted very much like milk chocolate.  Next time, I’ll try using some melted bitter-sweet chocolate to give it more depth of flavor.  All in all, a very good cupcake!

Read Full Post »

49er Faithful – Black Forest Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

It has finally happened – the San Francisco 49ers have prevailed and will be playing in the Super Bowl this Sunday!  My father has claimed that his children have always brought the 49ers luck.  A month after my brother was born, our boys won their first national championship.  Just 15 days after I was born, they won their second.  They have been undefeated since then in their five Super Bowl games.  I am just hoping with all hope that this Sunday they can make it six!

To celebrate, I have developed a deep, rich, and tangy cupcake to show my love for my team.  I am borrowing my all-time favorite chocolate cupcake recipe (developed for a Super Bowl party three years ago), filling it with tangy and boozey cherries, with a topping of red and gold pride in the form of a rich cream cheese frosting.  Start the cherry filling a few days ahead so the cherries can reach full re-hydration and flavor.

Read Full Post »

Happy 4th of July! Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberries, Blueberries, and Buttercream Frosting

Patriotic Cupcake!

Hello, all!  Long time, no post.  It’s another holiday, which means cupcakes.  It is also my Danish family’s first time celebrating the 4th of July, so these are for them :)

My creativity went soaring with these, and I pretty much used tried and true recipes from Gibbs and I.  The cupcakes is Gibbs’s Brown Sugar Cupcake recipes (also seen in the Peanut Butter and Jelly cupcakes and perhaps a few others) and the frosting is a basic buttercream.  I did make them  festive with the stripes of strawberries and blueberries, both fortified with a little light rum :)

Read Full Post »

Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes

These cupcakes were made for a friend’s wedding shower.  I do have to admit that I’m still having problems with the density of my cupcakes when I put alcohol in them.  These were delicious and fresh, but were a little dense and muffin-like.  The lime really shone through, and you can taste the rum in the frosting.  If you prefer a stronger rum flavor, add more rum in the frosting, but be sure to counteract it with powdered sugar so your proportions don’t get off!

These are pretty and perfect for summer!

Read Full Post »

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

Simple, frosting-less cupcakes that taste like summer!

I first had a pineapple upside down cake when my Nana baked it for our family. It was delicious and amazing.  I miss you, Nana.  While this is not your recipe, I hope it does you proud.

Read Full Post »

This Year’s Easter Dessert – Mimosa Cupcakes!

Mimosa Cupcake

I made a cupcake similar to these for a friend’s birthday during the break from the blog.  But here they are now, ready for Easter!  I don’t know about anyone else,  but our family celebrates any holiday with some wine, beer, or any other drink.  So, mimosa cupcakes are great for our Easter dessert.

Read Full Post »

A Return to Cupcakes: The White Linen

White Linen Cupcake

A very simple and fresh drink, the white linen, has become a Sacramento staple of mine.  I first had a white linen at The Shady Lady Saloon, a jazz age bar in midtown with creative cocktails and delicious food.  Come to find out, the cocktail was invented by a Sacramento area bartender who has also worked at Ella Dining Room, a very swanky place that makes me wish I had more money.  I love Ella’s gin and tonic (they make their own tonic water), and I would really like to try their rendition of the white linen when it’s on their seasonal cocktail menu.

Anyway, the white linen reminds me of a gin and tonic with lemon and cucumber.  Fresh and clean, just like new linens. :)

Read Full Post »