Recipe Tuesday :: Minty Chocolate Cupcakes

Mom's birthday was back in February and I always like to give her a choice of flavor for her birthday cupcakes.  She loves chocolate, so that's always the base, but the coordinating flavors change.  This year it was chocolate and mint.

I searched the Pinterest boards and found a few different Chocolate Mint cupcakes.  There were ones that were themed around Thin Mint cookies or Junior Mints or Andes Mints or even Chocolate Chip Mint ice cream.  But I really didn't like any of the recipes.  There seemed to be too much or too little mint, the cake was just a box cake hack or the frosting was all buttercream.  So I took it into my own hands to make an actual recipe.  I started with my basic chocolate cake and added a touch of mint extract.  Mom isn't a fan of peppermint and you can get just mint extract, which is more subtle and spearmint like.

The secret ingredient to chocolate cake...Espresso Powder.

Espresso Powder + Hot Water = Strong Black Coffee

Then I used that cherry frosting recipe from the last post, which is a cream cheese frosting base and then added mint flavor and green food coloring.  Ta da!  Mint cream cheese frosting that is delicious and flavorful.  The finishing touch, mini chocolate chips.  Yum!

Minty Chocolate Cupcakes

For the Cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup strong black coffee, cooled to room temperature
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp mint extract

1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line pan with cupcake liners.
2)  In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together dry ingredients:  flour, cocoa, sugars, baking soda,
     baking powder and salt.
3)  Add the eggs and start the mixer.  Add in the buttermilk, coffee, oil, vanilla and mint and beat for
     2 minutes or until well blended, scraping down bowl.  Batter will be thin.
4)  Pour batter into cupcake liners to 3/4 full.
5)  Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6)  Let cupcakes cool in pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.


For the Frosting:
8 oz (1 brick) REGULAR cream cheese, brought to room temperature
1 1/2 stick butter, brought to room temperature
3 to 5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp mint extract (or to taste)
green food coloring

1)  In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and cream cheese for about 2 minutes until creamy.
2)  Add mint extract and mix well.
3)  Gradually add in confectioner's sugar, mixing well and scraping sides of bowl between each
     addition.
4)  Beat on high for 2 to 5 minutes until frosting is creamy and stiff enough to stand up.
5)  Fill piping bag and swirl frosting on top of cupcakes.  Top with mini chocolate chips.

Recipe Tuesday :: Cupcake Mania for a Baby Shower

A friend at work recently was throwing a baby shower for Melissa, another of our co-workers, and asked me for my best cupcake recipes.  She didn't imply that is was for the shower, so I sent her over a couple of good ones and then I thought...wait, I bet I know what this is for.  So then I sent her a note that said, "If you want I can make cupcakes for the shower..." and her yes was quicker than a NewYork minute.

When I make cupcakes for someone's birthday I always ask them what their favorite flavor is.  It gives me a chance to make a new recipe and sometimes I find some real gems that way.  Melissa asked for Funfetti with cherry frosting, which was a boxed cake and canned frosting that I would bring in on the occasional Friday at work for Funfetti Friday, because cake makes everything better.  She also said that she liked lemon flavored cupcakes, so I knew that my Lemon Curd Cupcakes would be on the menu.  I know that there are two kinds of people, those who like flavors like cherry and lemon in cake and those that don't.  I figured I'd throw in some chocolate cupcakes with Nutella frosting for the purists.

I couldn't make two fantastic cupcakes and then bring a boxed cupcakes along with them no matter how good they were.  So I jumped on Pinterest and found some cake-box-hacks that make a boxed cake mix taste like homemade.  I also saw some pins on how to make your own, but since I was going to make all three of these in one night I figured I needed a break on something.  That didn't mean I was going to go canned for the frosting however and decided to make a cherry cream cheese frosting.

That's right I pulled a 5 hour cupcake baking marathon that proved to me there's no way I'm leaving my day job to do this full time.  I worked a full day and then came home and baked and frosted from 4:30 until 9:30.  I only have one mixing bowl for my Kitchen Aid mixer so I had to make a cake, wash the bowl, make another cake, wash the bowl, make the last cake, wash the bowl, make the first frosting, wash the bowl, make the second frosting, wash the bowl, make the last frosting and throw the bowl in the sink because I was not washing it one more time.  I did get to use my awesome new scoop for dishing out batter which was nice.  It was just an eye on the prize kind of adventure with the prize being my warm bed at the end of it all.  I did learn some things though.  I think that homemade cupcakes are better than even that cake-box-hack.  I felt that the frosting shown and the cake was meh.  So unless there are some serious additions that go into the recipe (as the Lemon Curd Cupcakes do) it just not really worth it and it doesn't save that much time.

I also learned that lower fat cream cheese is not ideal for making frosting with unless the butter/cream cheese ratio is upped.  On the lemon cream cheese frosting I used two bricks of cream cheese to one stick of butter.  No matter how much powdered sugar I added or beating I did would make that frosting stand up.  It was like soft serve ice cream.  Boo.  So when I went to make up my cherry cream cheese frosting I only used one brick cream cheese to one stick of butter.  It made a big difference.  So now if you've read down this far, I shall reward you with that wonderful recipe!


Carrie's Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting

1 brick of cream cheese
1 stick of butter
2 tsp cherry extract
4-5 drops red food coloring (or as much to get the color you want)
3-5 cups powdered sugar

Bring cream cheese and butter to room temperature.  Blend until creamy in a mixer.  Add cherry extract and mix well.  Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until you reach your desired thickness.  Near the end of add all the sugar, add the food coloring.  If it's too dark it will lighten up as you add more sugar.  Frost your cupcakes and enjoy!

I even bought a cupcake stand to display them all since I thought just setting out 60+ cupcakes was kind of a let down and they needed more of a send off than that.  But I forgot to bring my camera to the shower and so you'll have to put up with an iPhone shot instead.

But seriously.  Get out there and make some cherry frosting!

Recipe Tuesday :: Taco Stuffed Peppers

A Tasty video come to life!  I am standing up and admitting that I am a Tasty video addict.  Every time one shows up on my Facebook newsfeed I will stop and watch the whole thing.  Now most of the time I think, "Yeah, that's got to have a bajillion calories in it" and move on.  But this week I saw Taco Stuffed Peppers.  I watched it in awe.  Then I watched it again.  Wait, one more time.  Then I got a piece of paper and watched, wrote, paused, wrote, rewound and wrote until I had the recipe down.  This. Was. Happening.

I've always thought the idea of stuffed peppers sounded good, but every time I made them I didn't like the taste.  Most of those used Italian spices and sausage and other things, but when I saw the Mexican flavors in this I knew it would be amazing.

In the video they used 1 whole pound of beef!  There's no way that all the insides they made fit into only 3 peppers.  I pared that down and omitted the corn just because I'm not a fan of whole corn in my Mexican food.  I also like more tomatoes and less spice, so I added some chopped tomato to it also.  Here is my Taco Stuffed Peppers for two...


Taco Stuffed Peppers for Two

2 bell peppers
6 oz lean ground beef
taco seasoning to taste
1/4 cup onion
1/2 can black beans
1 cup cooked brown rice (I used one Minute Rice Ready to Serve cup)
1/3 cup salsa
1 roma tomato, chopped
1/2 cup 2% Mexican blend cheese
Toppings:  fresh cilantro, sour cream and guacamole

Core peppers and place standing in a glass dish.  Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a skillet brown ground beef and add taco seasoning.  I usually add a touch of water and cook down until the sauce is thick.  Add the onion, black beans, rice, salsa and tomato and cook until warmed through.  Add the cheese right at the end and mix in until melted.  Throw in some cilantro here if you'd like or use it just as a topping.

Take the baked peppers and fill them with the skillet fixings.  Top with more cheese and bake 15 more minutes at 350.

Top with cilantro, sour cream and guacamole.  Serve with tortilla chips on the side.

Magic in a microwaveable cup I tell you...

The skillet fixings are so good that you could probably just make that and put it in a tortilla or top nachos with it.  We had a little left over and they are waiting for a quick dinner for me sometime this week.  Mom also thought that after coring the peppers we could cut them in half and do baked half-shell peppers so that you can just pile up the skillet fixings on top.  Whatever way you want to make them, just do it!  They! Are! Awwwwwwesome!!!

Recipe Tuesday :: Autumn Apple Cheesecake

So I was pretty sure that I had already done a post about making this cheesecake before.  I mean, I make it every Autumn and it's a favorite at work, requested even.  But I searched all the way back to 2012 and didn't see a single post about it!  How could that be!?  I mean look at all this deliciousness...

I know, right!?  Well, here is the post you've all been waiting for.  If those pumpkin bars didn't get you two weeks ago, then maybe apple is the fall flavor you're craving.  My recipe came from a Philadelphia Cream Cheese cookbook I picked up at Costco on a whim one year.  I've tweaked it, of course (when don't I tweak a recipe?), and so I'll give you the link to one that looks just like the original and also type up my tweaky one below.  I also looked on Amazon to see if you could still get it and there were "new" ones for $1.50.  Seriously, only $1.50 for the most amazing cream cheese cookbook ever.

But really.  You need to make this cheesecake.  For the sake of fall!

Autumn Apple Cheesecake
(tweaked by me)

Crust - 
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter. melted

Filling - 
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Topping - 
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of ground allspice
pinch of ground cloves
4 cups THINLY sliced peeled apples
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Crust Instructions:
Mix together graham cracker crumbs, pecans, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter.  Press into bottom of 9 inch springform pan.  Bake at 325F for 10 minutes.  Let cool.

Filling Instructions:
Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with a hand mixer on medium speed until blended.  Add eggs one at a time, mix on low speed until just blended.  Pour over crust.

Topping Instructions:
Mix together sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves in a small bowl.  Pour over apples and toss well to coat.  Spoon apples over cream cheese mixture and sprinkle with pecans.

Bake at 325F for 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes, until center is almost set.  Run a knife around the outside of the cake to loosen and allow to cool before removing rim.  (I usually wait until after I take it out of the fridge to do this.)  Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

My biggest tip for making this perfect is to get one of the most amazing gadgets ever, the Apple Mate by Norpro.  It peels, cores and slices the apples into the perfect pieces for cooking on this cheesecake or in a pie.  We've used ours when we have bumper crops of apple from our fruit trees and want to freeze them in ready-to-go bags of apple pie fillings.  Small apples seem to work best and they can't be too soft, but it really works.

And now a fabulous food photo to end on that'll make your tummy grumble... ;)

Recipe Tuesday :: Church Pumpkin Bars

I recently saw an advertisement for Starbucks that said "Fall starts with three letters, PSL."  Many of us understand that the taste of pumpkin equals fall.  (PSL stands for Pumpkin Spice Latte, if you hadn't figured that out.)  With the trees starting to change and the evenings getting chilly enough to turn on the pellet stove, a pumpkin recipe was in the cards.  Enter my family's favorite fall treat, Church Pumpkin Bars.

The recipe was given to us by our church to make for a CCD Family Night back when I was a kid and though it's gone through a bit of modification (the original asked for 1 cup of oil!) it's been a favorite ever since.  This year I topped it with my favorite Cream Cheese Frosting from all the cupcake making and I'm sure that will become a tradition as well.


Church Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups pumpkin (fresh cooked or 15oz canned pumpkin)
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt

1.)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.)  In a stand mixer add eggs, sugar and oil and mix until well blended.
3.)  Add pumpkin and blend well, then add in vanilla and mix.
4.)  In a separate bowl place the dry ingredients (flour through salt) and whisk until well blended.
      While mixer is going add the dry ingredients to the wet.
5.)  Grease and flour an 11 X 17 cake pan.  (You can spray it with non-stick spray instead.)
6.)  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7.)  Let the cake cool before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz (1 brick) cream cheese
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 to 2 Tbsp heavy cream (or milk)
1 tsp vanilla
2 to 5 cups confectioners sugar
(pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet)

1.)  Bring cream cheese and butter to room temperature.
2.)  In a stand mixer add cream cheese and butter and blend until smooth.
3.)  Add 2 cups sugar and 1 Tbsp cream and blend until smooth (about 1 minute).
4.)  Add vanilla and 1 Tbsp cream (if needed) and blend for 1 full minute on high.
5.)  Add sugar one cup at a time and blend for 1 minute after each addition until frosting reaches the
      consistency you want.  My frosting is always sort of a soft-serve ice cream consistency.  Add in
      the pinch of salt at the end if you think it's too sweet.
6.)  Pour the frosting over the cake and smooth out, the frosting will harden just a bit on the top as it
      sits though it stays deliciously soft underneath.  You can also add chopped walnuts to the top if
      you'd like.

Doesn't that look like a plate of autumn decadence?

Recipe Tuesday :: Peach Cupcake Fail

Peach cupcakes are the epitome of summer time.  I can envision what the flavor would be; light, sweet, fresh and peachy.  Sadly my peach cupcakes were...bland.  They tasted like Cake with Frosting on top.  Not one flavor distinguished them as peach.  This was one time where Pinterest images had you believing one thing while you cooked up flavorless cupcakes instead.  I mean look at this picture of peach perfection!

Peach Cupcakes with Peach Cream Cheese Frosting

Not true I tell you.  I admit to some blending and tweaking of the recipes I used, but I don't think it's what failed them.  I think the secret ingredient to fix these cupcakes is peach extract.  Nice and concentrated it would put that pop of peach right into those cupcakes.  So if you want to have a go at either of the following recipes my suggestion is to get some extract to make them taste as good as they look.

The main recipe I used was  Peach Cupcakes with Peach Cream Cheese Frosting by Week of Menus.
She wanted you to pulverize freeze dried peaches and peach puree to the batter to get that peach flavor and then add more dried peaches to the frosting.  I did buy some freeze dried peaches, but when I opened them I thought they smelled kinda nasty.  Dried fruits don't always smell like the fresh ones they come from, so I gave them a taste but they didn't taste very peachy.  With two counts against them I omitted the dried peaches.  Using an additional recipe with a different frosting I tweaked the main one.  Peach Cupcakes with Peach Buttercream by Caithlin Cooks used a whole cup of pureed fresh peach.  I upped the peach puree in the main recipe and then also swapped out the 1 cup of butter for 1/2 cup oil and 1/4 cup peach nectar.  I was hoping the peach nectar would add more peachy flavor.  I also lowered the buttermilk to 1/2 cup to keep all the "wet" ingredients to the same amount before tweaking.  My poorest tweak was probably the addition of 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  I just felt there was going to be NO flavor if I didn't add just a little bit of spice.  This ended up making the cupcakes just taste like spice cake.

I topped them with the cream cheese frosting, swapping peach puree for the pulverized dried peaches.  Peach puree doesn't have much flavor to it unfortunately.  Maybe some addition of sugar would have made it tastier?  One will never know (unless you feel like experimenting).  It just ended up being peach colored cream cheese frosting.  The color I am VERY proud of however!  I used liquid food coloring, like you get at the grocery store, in a ratio of 3 drops yellow to 1 drop red.  I kept adding color in this ratio (probably 3 rounds worth) to get that deep permeating lovely peach color.

I hate failures but I admit them fully so that this blog doesn't end up looking like I only do things well and in a perfect world.  I also take any failure as a challenge to improve, so maybe next summer, armed with peach extract, I shall try again!