Daily Cupcake Recipe

Recipe for Wednesday, August 17th, 2011:
Black Pearl Cupcakes - Chocolate Wasabi and Ginger cupcakes with Ginger Frosting

Recipe via Love & Olive Oil

Prep time: unknown
Bake time: 20 minutes

Serves: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients [Chocolate Wasabi and Ginger Cupcakes]:

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1-2 tablespoons wasabi powder (to taste)

Ingredients [Ginger Frosting]:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
• 2-3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy creamer or heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
• Black sesame seeds, for topping

(A conversion table can be found here.)

Directions:

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

Whisk together the coconut milk, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract until incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, and wasabi.

Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in coconut milk mixture. Stir until just smooth (do not overmix). Take a quick taste of the batter, and add more wasabi if you feel it is needed.

Pour into liners, filling each with 3 tablespoons of batter (cups should be no more than 2/3 full). Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Make frosting: Cream butter until smooth and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and beat until combined. Mix in vanilla, ginger, and cream. Continue adding sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition (depending on the temperature of your butter, you may need more or less sugar/cream to achieve the proper consistency). Continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.

Spread or pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

Recipe for Sunday, August 14th, 2011:
Mudslide Cupcakes

Recipe via Endless Simmer

Prep time: unknown
Bake time: 20 minutes

Serves: 18-24 cupcakes

Ingredients [Bailey’s Irish Cream]:

• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cup of Jameson Irish Whiskey
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee
• 2 tablespoon of semi-sweet chocolate, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Ingredients [Buttercream Frosting]:

• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into 16 pieces
• 3 tablespoon Bailey’s
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted
• 3 tablespoons Kahlua

Ingredients [Chocolate Cupcakes]:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

(A conversion table can be found here.)

Directions [Cupcakes]:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.

Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Directions [Frosting]:

Make Bailey’s cream: Place all ingredients in a blender and set on high speed for 30 seconds. Keep refrigerated in a sealed container. Shake before use. Will keep for 2 months.

Combine egg whites and sugar in a large heat proof bowl. Set the bowl over (not on) simmering water in a sauce pan and heat, whisking constantly until sugar has dissolved. The mixture is ready when with it is very warm to the touch, about 2 minutes and approximately 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

Remove from mixture from heat and transfer to a stand mixer bowl and beat on high until egg white mixture is fluffy, led to room temperature and holds stiff peaks, about 6 minutes.

Turn the speed to medium low, add salt and the butter a few pieces at a time, beating well after each addition. Turn the speed to high and beat until mixture is creamy, about 3-5 minutes more. Evenly split buttercream into two separate bowls.

To make the Baileys buttercream add 3 tablespoons of Baileys into one bowl and beat until combined.

To make the Chocolate Kahlua Frosting in the other bowl, add 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and 4 oz of melted semi-sweet chocolate and 3 tablespoons of Kahlua and beat until combined.

Directions [Assembly]:

Place each frosting in separate pastry bags and cut a small opening at the bottom. Use a third bag fitted with your preferred tip and then place both filled pastry bags inside. Make sure that the bottoms of both bags are pointed in the tip. Frost cupcakes as desired.

Optional: Sprinkle with crushed cupcake crumb and drizzle with chocolate sauce to finish.

Recipe for Thursday, August 11th, 2011:
Carrot Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe via Evil Shenanigans

Prep time: unknown
Bake time: 30 minutes

Serves: 24 cucpakes

Ingredients [Carrot Coconut Cupcakes]:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup shredded coconut

Ingredients [Cream Cheese Frosting]:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 – 8 oz bar of cream cheese, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

(A conversion table can be found here.)

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350F and line your cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a large bowl combine the sugar, eggs, oil, applesauce, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Blend until smooth and well incorporated. In a smaller bowl sift the dry ingredients, then pour the dry onto the wet and whisk until the dry ingredients just moisten. Add the shredded carrots and coconut and fold gently, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Fill the cupcake liners 1/3 of the way full.  Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until the center of the cupcake springs back when lightly pressed. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for three minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.

Make frosting: Blend the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well mixed, about five minutes.  Add the vanilla and blend to combine. Add the powdered sugar and blend on low until the powdered sugar is moist, then blend on high for thirty seconds to remove any lumps.

Frost cooled cupcakes.