Ho Hum...More Cupcakes!

One of my favorite cupcakes is Hummingbirds. In case you don’t know what these are, hummingbird cupcakes are comprised of mashed bananas and pineapples, pecans or walnuts, and topped with lots of cream cheese frosting. The original Hummingbird Cake recipe supposedly originated from Southern Living magazine, circa 1978, by a Mrs. L.H. Wiggins (according to http://www.foodtimeline.org/). Why this dessert is called a “hummingbird” is still a mystery however as no explanation has been given on its name. In fact, food historians have discovered that this cake has also been known as Cake That Doesn’t Last, Never Ending Cake, and Granny’s Best Cake. If it were up to me though, I’d call these cupcakes Simply Scrumptious. Because they just are.

Hummingbird Cupcakes (from Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans)

Ingredients:

1 and 1/4 cups unbleached AP flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 banana)

1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple in its own juice, drained

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

Directions:

(Position a rack in the middle of the oven, preheat oven to 350 degrees F; line 12 muffin tin cups with paper cupcake liners)
1. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium size bowl and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat the egg and yolk and the sugar until thickened and lightened to a cream color, about two minutes (use an electric mixer on medium speed). Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during the mixing.

3. On low speed, mix in the oil and vanilla until blended. Mix in the sour cream until no white streaks remain. Mix in the flour mixture until it is incorporated and the batter is smooth.

4. Add the cinnamon, mashed banana, pineapple, and pecans to the cupcake batter, and mix just to blend them together.

5. Fill each cupcake liner with about 1/3 cup of batter. Bake until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Then, place the cupcakes on the wire rack to cool completely before frosting with the cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe:

(makes 3 cups)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly blend (about 1 minute). On medium speed, beat the mixture for another 1 minute.

Cupcakes For Two?

Yes, I know there's only one cupcake photographed but trust me, I did make enough cupcakes for 2-4 people today. I just didn't take a group shot of them. You see, I finally made something from a cookbook I was given some time last year called Small-Batch Baking by Debby Maugans Nakos. It's perfect for those of us who may have a craving for say, vanilla cupcakes with coconut cream cheese frosting, but don't want to deal with baking a dozen of 'em and having to eat more than one, goodness forbid! This basic vanilla cupcake recipe yielded 4 cupcakes and not only were they a cinch to whip up but they were also just right for me as I'm running awfully low on both sugar and flour these days! Anyways, I added some cream cheese frosting and topped the cupcakes off with some unsweetened, organic coconut flakes that I found at Whole Foods the other day. Be as creative as you'd like, or as non-creative because these actually tasted quite delicious plain too. Happy baking!

Vanilla Cupcakes With Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting (adapted from Small-Batch Baking):

ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temp)

1/2 cup AP flour, sifted.

1/4 cup buttermilk (at room temp)

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Yolk of 1 large egg (at room temp)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (make sure you have placed a rack in the middle of the oven beforehand). Line a muffin pan with 4 paper liners.

2. Combine the buttermilk and baking soda in a small bowl and stir to mix. Whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla.

3. In a medium-size bowl, place the flour, sugar and salt and whisk to blend well. Add the butter and half of the buttermilk mixture. Using a hand-held mixer on low speed, beat until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is lightened and has slightly increased in volume (about 45 secs). Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pour in the remaining buttermilk mixture and beat on medium speed until well blended (about 20 secs). Scrape down the side of the bowl again if necessary.

4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing batter evenly. Bake about 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcake comes out clean. (The tops will just begin to brown).

5. Remove the muffin pan from the oven and place on wire rack for 10min; remove the cupcakes from the pan and place them on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Using an electric mixer, mix 6 ounces cream cheese with 1/2 cup butter butter (both should be at room temp), until smooth. While still mixing, gradually add 3 cups of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until well combined. Once the mixture is a smooth consistency and the cupcakes have cooled you can frost the cupcakes. Addition of coconut flakes is optional of course...you can also top it off with chocolate shaving, nuts, or anything else you'd like.

I Am Thankful For...

all of you who have visited my humble food blog and have left me such supportive and sweet comments. Today I'm fortunate enough to be spending the Thanksgiving holiday with the people I love and I hope you will do the same.
Enjoy your day!
P.S. : If you have some free time this weekend (and you're not too stuffed), give this delicious gingerbread cupcake recipe a try. It's from Peabody's website and it totally "tastes like fall!" (a direct quote from my boyfriend after he took a bite). I topped the pumpkin cream cheese frosting with some crystallized ginger. Enjoy! (Click here for the recipe).

Surely, You Zest!

Yes, I certainly did zest this evening when I made two versions of an orange cupcake recipe I stumbled across on the Food Network site. This is seriously a very easy recipe...no tricks here! Admittedly, it involves using a boxed chocolate cake mix, lots of citrus (orange, in this case), and a creamy, sugar glaze as well as a chocolate ganache frosting, if you'd like. I sprinkled some orange zest on top of the cupcakes mainly because I thought it looked kind of pretty.

(For the recipe, click here. Just a couple comments: Since I didn't have any limoncello on hand, I used lemon juice instead and instead of the candied orange peel, I used the zest of 1 orange as a substitute. If you'd like to make the chocolate ganache simply melt about 4 oz bittersweet chocolate with 4 oz butter, stirring over low/medium heat; allow to cool slightly before drizzling over the cooled cupcakes).

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

A Pumpkin Treat

I’m a sucker when it comes to pumpkin desserts so when Anna from Cookie Madness posted this recipe for marbled pumpkin cream cheese cupcakes, I was sold! Doesn’t the name of these just make your mouth water? The way they turned out reminded me of a pumpkin version of black bottom cupcakes. The cupcake was moist and not too sweet, and the combination of the cream cheese and the pumpkin flavor was pretty darn good. I added one-half teaspoon of pumpkin spice in place of the allspice and nutmeg that the recipe called for.
I personally think they make the perfect quick breakfast to go with a big mug of coffee (or hot cocoa).

Vanilla Cupcakes Take Over The World!

Just a quick post today because I'm going to visit my friend to bring her these Golden Vanilla Cupcakes. Once again, the recipe comes from the cupcake cookbook, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World, which has been one of my favorite go-to books for cupcake recipes lately. These cupcakes were light and airy and reminded me a lot of spongecake. The frosting I used was buttercream which added a bit of richness and lusciousness to the already yummy cupcake. It also gave me a chance to use my new pastry bag and practice making fancy schmancy swirls. What do you think?

Golden Vanilla Cupcakes (yields 12 cupcakes)
ingredients
1 cup soy milk ( I used non-fat, no sugar added soy milk)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 and 1/4 cups AP flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (increase salt to 1/2 teaspoon if you're using oil instead of margarine)
1/3 cup canola oil (I used oil)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. Whisk the soy mik and vinegar in a measuring cup, set aside a few minutes to get good and curdled.
3. Beat together the the soy mik mixture, oil, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts in a large bowl. Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until no large lumps remain.
4. Fill cupcake liners two-third full and bake for 20-22 minutes until done.
5. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.
Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting
ingredients
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine (I used Earth Balance)
3 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain soy milk
directions
Beat the shortening and margarind together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla and soy milk, beat for another 5-7 minutes until fluffy.

Make A Wish

Tomorrow I will be turning a milestone age, and to celebrate the occasion, I baked some red velvet cupcakes. I decided on red velvet because the name itself conjures up images of pure decadence, don't you think? And I believe that decadence is something a girl ought to indulge in every once in awhile, especially on her birthday. Well, these cupcakes were not only decadent, they were also quite fun to make. The best part, aside from eating them, was adding the red food coloring and watching the batter turn a bright shade of crimson right before my eyes.

Red Velvet Cupcakes (makes 16 standard size cupcakes):

recipe adapted from Sylvia’s Family Soul Food Cookbook, by Sylvia Woods and Family

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 and 1/4 cup buttermilk

2 ounces red food coloring

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Frosting:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened ( I used neufchatel cheese)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened

1 pound box powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

For the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and grease a 12 cup cupcake pan. In a medium bowl or on a piece of waxed paper, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in eggs one at a time. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk. Beat in food coloring and vinegar, then add vanilla. Fill cupcake pan with the batter until about 2/3 cup full. Bake for about 15-18 minutes (start watching cupcakes carefully at about 15 minutes), or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack.

For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese and butter. Beat in powdered sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Once cupcakes have completely cooled, frost them, and eat!

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World

No, this isn’t the title for the latest sci-fi flick, but rather the name of a sweet little cookbook that I’ve been excited about lately. As the name says, it’s all about vegan cupcakes. Seventy-five of them, to be exact. I’ve already attempted 3, and I’m happily baking and eating my way through the remaining 72 recipes! The vegan chocolate cupcakes from a previous post were such a chocolaty hit that I was compelled to bake some more from this book. And bake, I did. Last weekend I tried out the Mucho Margarita Cupcake (pictured on the left), and the Lychee Cupcake (pictured on the right).
The margarita cupcake was deliciously moist and light without being overly sweet. I particularly liked the tanginess that came from the lime juice and zest. I didn’t detect the tequila in the cupcake or in the frosting however, so if that’s something you think you’d miss, then try adding a bit more to the recipe. Since I didn’t have any green food coloring on hand, I added a half-teaspoon of lime jello powder into the frosting which worked out perfectly. And one more thing, I know that Margarita drinks don’t usually include a maraschino cherry in the concoction, but doesn't it look cute with a bright red cherry on top?

Mucho Margarita Cupcakes (makes 12 cupcakes):

ingredients for cupcake-

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1 and 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest

1 cup soy or rice milk (I used soy)

1/4 cup canola oil

2 tablespoons tequila

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 and 1/3 cups AP flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

directions-

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners

2. In a large bowl, beat together lime juice, zest, soy milk, canola oil, tequila, vanilla and sugar. 3. Sift in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until batter is smooth. Fill liners 3/4 of the way full and bake 20-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted through the center of one comes out clean.

4. Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting (allowing the cupcakes to set for 1-2 hours helps the flavors develop fully).

ingredients for icing-

1/4 cup margarine, softened

1 tablespoon soy milk or rice milk

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon tequila

tiniest drop of green food coloring (this is optional and I used green jello powder)

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (I didn't sift)

directions-

1. Blend margarine with a fork until soft and fluffy. Stir in soy milk, lime juice, tequila and food coloring if using (the effect is just to give the icing a very pale green tint).

2. Sift in 2 cups powdered sugar and blend until creamy and smooth (best to use an electric mixer set on low). If still too liquidy then add a little more powdered sugar until a somewhat thick and spreadable consistency is achieved. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To Assemble Cupcakes-

Spread the icing on the (cooled) cupcakes, spreading all the way to the edges

Put 1 maraschino cherry on top

My next cupcake, with lychee and coconut milk, sounded exotic and rich, and I couldn’t wait to see how this would turn out. Well, I was slightly disappointed. The texture, consistency, and appearance of the end product was more like a muffin rather than a cupcake. The cupcake was heavy and I couldn't really detect the flavor of the coconut milk or the unique taste of lychee. My boyfriend probably expressed it most accurately when he said he was "confused" by the taste. Not a terrible taste, mind you, but maybe more on the bland side. There is definitely a subtle sweetness to the cupcake, and I particularly liked the chunks of lychee strewn throughout but I felt like something was missing. Maybe some shredded coconut thrown into the batter would have given it a little more zing, and I probably would have left out the ground flaxseed since this likely contributed to the heaviness of the cupcake.

Lychee Cupcakes (makes 12 cupcakes)

ingredients-

2 cups unbleached, AP flour

1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/3 cups granulated sugar

5 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup coconut milk

1 can (4 ounces) lychee fruit, drained and chopped, syrup reserved

1/4 cup lychee syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

directions-

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

3. In a separate medium bowl, beat ground flaxseeds and 6 tablespoons water with a fork until gelatinous. Add oil, coconut milk, chopped lychees, and lychee syrup to the flaxseeds and mix to combine.

4. Add wet mixture to the dry ingredients, mix to combine. Fill cupcake liners full.

5. Bake 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Coconut glaze (optional)-

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1/4 cup coconut milk

directions for glaze-

Mix powdered sugar and coconut milk until smooth. Drizzle over completely cooled cupcakes.

Angelic Cupcakes

I’m trying to lighten up. No, I’m not talking about my demeanor, but rather, my food habits, or more specifically, my dessert habits. I’ve been on the hunt for “healthier” alternatives to satisfy my sweet tooth craving, and for some reason, cupcakes once again seem to fit the bill. Earlier this month I made some vegan chocolate cupcakes that made me (temporarily) forget about the leftover fudge I had sitting on my kitchen counter, and this time around, well how about some luscious lemon angel food cupcakes?
This recipe is from a beautifully photographed cookbook simply titled, “Cupcakes!” The book was given to me last summer as a birthday present but I have to admit, I haven’t baked one cupcake from it until now. I also must admit that I was so excited about making these cupcakes I didn’t even notice that I was completely out of one very important, key ingredient. Sugar. So there I was, with mixing bowls cleaned and dried, eggs at room temperature, the flour measured, the cream of tartar out of the spice rack. Yet no sugar to be found. So, what’s a girl to do? More specifically, what’s a girl who’s still wearing her PJ”s and not wanting to make a quick run to the grocery store to do? Why use Sucanat of course! Sucanat is a dried form of cane sugar and thought to be “healthier” than traditional granulated sugar. Think of sugar in a purer form. In any case, this was all I had on hand and since I had success baking with Sucanat before, I thought it was worth a try.
And how was my experience without using the regular white sugar in these cupcakes? As far as taste goes, I didn’t miss a thing. The tangy, lemony sweetness was definitely evident and the cupcakes themselves were light and fluffy without being too delicate. Since Sucanat is naturally brown in color the appearance of the end product took on a slightly golden brown hue. More importantly though, it tasted just how angel food cake ought to taste. Delicious!
Lemon Angel Cupcakes Recipe (courtesy of Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans):
cupcakes
1/2 cup cake flour
3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons sugar (or, try the same amount of Sucanat)
3/4 cup egg whites (about 5 large)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Sift the flour and 2 tablespoons of sugar into a small bowl and set aside. (if using Sucanat, do not sift--the larger granules make this very difficult and the cupcake turned out just fine).
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until the whites are foamy and the cream of tartar dissolves.
Beat on high speed until the egg whits look shiny and smooth and the beaters form lines in the mixture. The whites should cling to the beaters if you stop the mixer and lift up the beaters.
Slowly beat in the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, then beat for 1 minutes. Mix in the lemon zest, vanilla, and almond extract. Beating on low speed, sprinkle 1/4 cup of the flour mixture over the egg white mixture, beating after each addition to incorporate it. Continue until all the flour mixture has been mixed.

Spoon about 1/2 cup of the batter into 9 unlined muffin cups. Since the batter is so stiff, it's okay if the batter goes above the tops of the cups because it will not spill over the sides. Do not smooth the tops-leave the batter as fluffy mounds. Bake for about 35minutes until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. The cupcakes will rise quite a bit.
Once the cupcakes are done baking, allow them to cool while still in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Loosen the edges of the cupcakes with a small knife and carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan, setting them up on the cooling rack.

glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
In a small bowl, stir the powdered sugar and melted butter with enough lemon juice, beginning with 2 tablespoons, to make a smooth, pourable glaze.
Use a small spoon to drizzle the glaze over the top of each cupcake.
You can also sift powdered sugar on the tops of the cupcakes (like I did).

The cupcakes can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

May Day Cupcakes

I have been craving something chocolaty and sweet lately. Actually, this is not at all unusual for me. The problem is, this craving is never good for my waist line, especially as it's already May and bathing suit season is just around the corner!
Well, thank goodness for this recipe I came across, called Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes. Now I'm not at all a vegan but when I read the ingredients for these babies, I thought it had everything I was looking for in a cupcake, and hey, if it satisfies my craving AND is on the healthier side, then more power to it! I gave it a go and wouldn't you know it? They were luscious, light, chocolaty, and didn't even taste "healthy". I substituted Sucanat sugar in place of the regular granulated sugar and mixed in some crushed Nilla wafers to give it some additional texture and crunch. Bye, bye chocolate craving (at least for today).

Vegan Chocolate Cupcake (adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz):

Ingredients
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup Sucanat (or can use granulated sugar)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

10 crushed Nilla wafer cookies (optional)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are OK). Stir in the Nilla cookie crumbs if using.
Pour into liners, filling three-quarters of the way. I used mini cupcake liners which took about 10 minutes to bake. For regular size cupcakes, approximate baking time is 15 minutes. Baking time may vary however so bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.