Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Yay!! Gluten Free=)

For the cupcakes:

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips)
• 6 large eggs, separated, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Ice cream, for serving (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Melt butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Stir to combine, then remove bowl from heat and let cool slightly. Whisk in egg yolks.
2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until peaks are stiff and glossy but not dry (do not overbeat). Whisk one quarter of the beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten; gently fold mixture into remaining whites.
3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until cupcakes are just set in centers, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes (their centers will sink). 
4. Cupcakes are best eaten the same day they are baked; keep at room temperature until ready to serve, topped with scoops of ice cream, if desired.

Banana Cucakes with Peantbutter Frosting

 

 

 For the Cupcakes:

1 ½ very ripe bananas, mashed

½ cup sour cream

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 (12 cup) muffin pans with paper liners.

Combine the mashed bananas and the sour cream in a small bowl; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in the vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the banana/sour cream mixture. Scoop the batter into the prepared liners.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool completely before frosting

 

For the Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup creamy peanut butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk

For frosting, beat the cream cheese, butter and peanut butter together in a large bowl. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Add milk and beat to desired consistency.

 

For the topping:

any peanuts of your choice

Root Beer Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 1/2 teaspoon root beer concentrate
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F  and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the root beer concentrate.
In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.

For the filling:

• 3 T Flour
• 1/2 C milk
• 1/2 C real butter
• 1/2 C sugar (that’s granulated sugar, not powdered sugar)
• 1 t vanilla extract

Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat.
Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Let it cook, while stirring, until you can start to see the bottom of the pan.
It’s okay if you have lumps, because we’re gonna strain those out right now. Place the mixture in a mesh strainer and stir with a rubber spatula to push it through.
You should end up with a nice, smooth mixture. It’s almost like pudding before it’s set.
Put this mixture in the fridge and let it cool completely, it’s fine if it stays in there long enough to get chilly, you just don’t want it warm at all. When it is chilled, you can move on to the following step.
It an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. You’ll want to use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, not the flat paddle. Then while beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat to combine and then scrape down the sides.
Beat on med-high for 7-8 minutes
.
For the root beer glaze:

• 2 T confectioners’ sugar
• 1/8 t root beer concentrate
• Milk to your likeness

Just mix all together and drizzle on your cupcakes

For the frosting:

.
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened

3-4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar, SIFTED

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

up to 5 tablespoons half n half or heavy cream

Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer, or until fluffy. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 3 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1 tablespoons at a time.

Lemon Lime Cupcakes

Mmmm, these cupcakes are perfect for summer! Both the frosting and cake are light and fluffy, which is nice compared to the strong, tangy flavor of the cupcake.


 For the cupcakes:
1 box Betty Crocker white cake mix
3 lemons

Mix batter as box directs. Finley grate the lemon peel until you get about 3 tablespoons. Fold in batter. If you want more of a lemony flavor, add more grated lemon peel!

 For the frosting:
8 Tbsp butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp lime juice (approx 2 fresh limes)
1 Tbsp margarita mix
1 tsp lime zest
5 cups powdered (confectioners’) sugar
 

In a large bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, lime juice, margarita mix, and lime zest. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and continue beating until smooth. If icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar, a couple tablespoons at a time.
Spread icing generously on each cooled cupcake* or use a pastry bag to frost. Sprinkle cane sugar around the edges of the cupcake for a “salt rimmed” look and garnish with lime wheels & wedges.
*Make sure to remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely before frosting.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

 These cupcakes are awesome because they are more than just plain ole vanilla, but they are still simple. Another bonus is that they are PERFECT with coffee!!


for the cupcakes:

1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1-1/2 c. cake flour (not self- rising), sifted

1 T. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/2 T. cinnamon

1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1-3/4 c. sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla

1-1/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350°. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.

Divide the batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Yield: about 28 regular size cupcakes

for the frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened

3-4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar, SIFTED

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

up to 5 tablespoons half n half or heavy cream

Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer, or until fluffy. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 3 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1 tablespoons at a time.

for the cinnamon-sugar dusting:

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 T. sugar

Mix together and sprinkle onto the frosting!

Mint Cupcake

When ever I am in the mood for baking cupcakes and don't know what flavor to make, I usually walk through the candy aisle in Target hoping to find some inspiration. This time I found Yorks, and man is this gooey creation delicious!!

For the Cake:

~ one box devil's food cake mix

~coffee

~Yorks

Mix the batter as box states, substituting the water for coffee. Fill the liner half full, put in the york, and then add a little bit more batter to cover the york. Bake at 350 for 18 minutes.


For the frosting:
~1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened

~3-4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar, SIFTED

~1/4 teaspoon table salt

~1 tablespoon vanilla extract

~up to 5 tablespoons half n half or heavy cream

Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer, or until fluffy. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 3 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1 tablespoons at a time.

Strawberry Cupcake

 These are my new all time favorite cupcakes, they are AMAZING!! I might like them so much because I accidently added 1/4 cup extra sugar, but they are delicious nonetheless.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2¼ cups sugar
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg white
1 cup milk
2½ cups finely chopped fresh strawberries

For the frosting:
2 Cups (4 sticks) of butter at room temperature
2 teaspoon of Vanilla extract
2/3 Cup blended strawberries
4 Cups Powdered Sugar

Directions

For the cupcakes:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt; whisk to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar and vanilla.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs and egg white one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions alternating with the milk, mixing each addition just until incorporated.  Gently fold in the chopped strawberries with a spatula.

Divide the batter between the paper liners, filling each about ¾-full.  Bake until light golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-28 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.  Allow to cool in the pans a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting:

Beat butter with hand mixer for 3 minutes until fluffy.
Add Vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.
Add Strawberry preserves and beat until incorporated.
Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time.  Mix until frosting is fluffy with medium peaks.