The Cupcake Craze recipes

Had an amazing time Sunday afternoon at Faraday's Kitchen Store, Lakeway, that hosted my Cupcake Craze demo.   We were up to our elbows in cupcakes, fillings, frostings, and fun!   Both children and adults used their imagination to create incredible flavor combinations resulting in their very own signature cupcake!

A huge thank you to Faraday's Kitchen Store for allowing me to take over their store and kitchen.   

Here are the recipes...

  

Vanilla Bean Cake/Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2 C sugar
• 3 1/4 all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 3/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 C milk
• 3/4 C buttermilk
• 2 t vanilla bean paste
• 4 large eggs

Directions:   Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with your choice of papers.   In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.   Add the butter and beat at low speed until mixed.   Combine the milk and buttermilk and add, mixing at low speed then increasing to medium speed.   Add vanilla bean paste then eggs, at low speed, one at a time, mixing well.   Fill cupcake liners 1/2 full and bake for 22 minutes or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.   Cool completely!

Lemon Cake/Cupcakes

Use the vanilla bean recipe from above, but add 1 T lemon extract AND 2 T fresh lemon juice!

Dark Chocolate Cake/Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 8 T unsalted butter
• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 C cocoa
• 3/4 C all purpose flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 C sugar
• 1 t vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 C buttermilk

Directions:   Preheat over to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with your choice of papers.   In a small saucepan, melt butter, chocolate and cocoa powder over medium low heat, whisking until smooth.   Set aside to cool.   In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.   In a large bowl, whisk eggs.  Add sugar and vanilla, mixing well.   Add cooled chocolate mixture and stir well.   Add 1/3 dry mixture, then a bit of the buttermilk, and continue until all incorporated, mixing well.   Fill cupcake liners 1/2 full and bake for 18 - 24 minutes or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.   Cool completely!

 

Red Velvet Cake/Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 C all purpose flour
• 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1 C butter, room temperature
• 2 C sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 C buttermilk
• 1/2 C milk
• 1 oz red food coloring
• 2 t vanilla bean paste

Directions:   Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with your choice of papers.   In a medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.   Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.   Beat in eggs one at a time, then mix in buttermilk, milk, food coloring and vanilla.   Add flour mixture on low speed until just blended.   Fill cupcake lines 1/2 full and bake for 20 - 24 minutes or when a toothpick is inserted comes out clean.   Cool completely!

Crusting Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Ingredients:

• 1 bag confectioners sugar
• 1/2 C Crisco
• 1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 t vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 - 3/4 C milk

Directions:   Cream shortening, butter and vanilla bean paste together until light and fluffy.   Add confectioners sugar, one cup at a time, alternating with the milk.   For thick frosting, use less milk, for thinner frosting, use all 3/4 C.  

Crusting Lemon Buttercream

Add 1 T lemon extract, 1 T fresh lemon juice and yellow food coloring instead of vanilla bean paste.

Chocolate Crusting Buttercream

Ingredients:

• 1 bag confectioners sugar
• 1/2 C Crisco
• 1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 t vanilla bean paste
• 3/4 - 1 C milk

Directions:   Cream shortening, butter and vanilla bean paste together until light and fluffy.   Add cocoa powder then confectioners sugar, alternating with the milk.   Beat until thoroughly mixed.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 C confectioners sugar
• 1 t vanilla bean paste

Directions:   In a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy.   Add the vanilla bean paste.  Gradually add the confectioners sugar and mix well.

Flavored Cream Filling:

To create the cream filling, whisk heavy whipping cream on high until soft peaks appear.   Add 1/4 C confectioners sugar and the extract YOU WANT to compliment your cupcake/frosting flavors.   I used maple extract, vanilla bean paste, raspberry extract and cinnamon.   Fill a pastry bag with a plain tip and either just plunge it into the center of the cupcake and squeeze, or cut a divet from the center of the cupcake and fill... then frost and enjoy!