Mango Buttercream Frosting

Adapted from Culinary Chronicles

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
1/3 cup mango puree
3 teaspoons mango extract
3 cups icing sugar

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the butter until light and fluffy. Add the mango puree and extract. Whip until combined.

Slowly add the icing sugar until combined. Whip until desired consistency is reached. If icing is too thick, add milk one tablespoon at a time.

♥  Amy

Overnight Cinnamon Buns

These cinnamon buns are amazing. Letting the dough rest overnight produces the softest, fluffiest buns.

Adapted from Alton Brown, makes 12 large buns

Ingredients

4 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoon butter, softened
4 cups flour, plus additional for dusting
1 package yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 8 ounce package cream cheese
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups icing sugar

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter and buttermilk.

Add approximately 2 cups of the flour, along with the yeast and salt. Stir until moistened and combined. Remove the paddle attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes.

Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary. The dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for approximately 30 seconds.

Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough. Cover and let rise until double in volume, approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Once the dough has risen, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated.

Butter a 9"x13" baking dish.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle. Roll into a roughly18"x12" rectangle. Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving 1/2" border along the top edge. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4" border along the top edge. Gently press into the dough.

Beginning with the long edge, roll the dough into a tight log. Using a serrated knife, slice the log into 1 1/2" rolls. Arrange the rolls cut side down in the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning...

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in a cold oven. Fill a shallow pan with boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy, approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. When the oven is heated, bake the rolls until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

In the meantime, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth.

Spread over the rolls and serve immediately. These rolls are best while still warm.

♥  Amy

Sugar Cookie Bars

Adapted from Authentic Suburban Gourmet, makes 24 large squares

Ingredients

1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
½ cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons milk
Food coloring, if desired
Sprinkles, if desired

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a large rimmed baking sheet. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.

In a separate bowl sift together flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add to the butter mixture and mix just until combined. Gently and evenly spread out batter on to the prepared sheet.

Bake at 375 F for 10 to 15 minutes, until light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To prepare the frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Mix in vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until combined. Then add the milk and mix until smooth. The frosting should have a spreadable consistency. Add a few drops of color, if desired. 

Spread frosting over cooled cookies. Decorate with sprinkles and then cut into bars.

♥  Amy

Alana's Coconut Cupcakes

My friend Alana recently got married and asked me to make cupcakes for her wedding. When I asked her what flavours she wanted her response was coconut!

So I scoured the internet for the perfect coconut cupcake recipe only to realize I already had the perfect recipe. With some slight modification my Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake became the ultimate coconut cupcake.

These cupcakes are definetly coconutty. 

Makes 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup coconut Greek yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon coconut extract
2/3 cup coconut milk, thick layer from the top of the can

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup coconut milk, thick layer from the top of the can
2 teaspoons coconut extract

Coconut flakes, to garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare two cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and seeds from the vanilla bean. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the vanilla sugar mixture and mix until well combined. Add the butter and mix on medium speed until the very fine crumb texture, about three minutes. Add the eggs, sour cream, oil and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until just combined. Slowly add the milk and mix on low speed until just combined.  

Fill prepared cupcake liners just over half full. Bake for 14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Remove from the cupcake pan and allow to cool completely before frosting.

♥  Amy

Reese's Peanut Butter Cupcakes

As I mentioned in my Triple Peanut Butter Monster Cookies recipe, Dave loves Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. So when I saw this recipe on Bakerella, I knew I had to make it for his birthday.

These are probably the richest cupcakes I have ever made. They are sinfully good.

I used the recipe to make 12 large cupcakes. It would probably make 18 to 24 regular sized cupcakes. I made half of the frosting from Bakerella's recipe and it was perfect for 12 cupcakes. If you were making more cupcakes or were making a cake you would want to double the quantities for the frosting below.

 

Adapted from Bakerella, makes 12 large cupcakes 

Ingredients

1 box Devil’s Food cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 bags (210 g each) Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup peanut butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cake mix, eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil on low for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Scrape down sides as needed. Fold in one bag of the peanut butter cups.

Pour the batter into the prepared paper liners. Make sure each cupcake gets at least one peanut butter cup.

Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes completely.

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream just to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate melts. Add the peanut butter and whisk until smooth.

Allow the frosting to cool and set for a couple minutes. Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting over the tops of the cupcakes. Roughly chop the remaining peanut butter cups. Gently press the chopped peanut butter cup pieces all over the top of the cupcakes. Place in refrigerator for about an hour to set before serving.



♥  Amy

Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

I made this carrot cake for Dave to take into work on Easter weekend - according to his coworkers, it was one of the best treats I have ever sent into the hospital. A pretty tall compliment!

The original recipe notes 25 minutes, my cake took over 60 minutes. It may work better to split the batter in to two cake pans and create a two layer cake with additional frosting in between. In that case, double the frosting recipe.

Adapted from Sophistimom, makes 1 large cake

Ingredients

1 cup coconut flakes
1 15 ounce can crushed pineapple, including juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 pound carrots, peeled and shredded
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 teaspoon orange extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice

8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 cup heavy cream, cold

Orange zest, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large cake pan (12″ round springform pan) with parchment paper. Lightly butter the parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the coconut, pineapple, zest, carrots, sugar, eggs, extract, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Mix just until combined.

Pour into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Let cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes, then use a knife to loosen the cake all around the edges. 

In the mean time, beat the heavy cream to nearly stiff peaks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Remove to a separate bowl and set aside. In the stand mixer bowl, next beat the cheese, sugar and extract until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Fold in the whipped cream and briefly beat to combine. Do not over mix.

When cake has completely cooled, frost using a knife or piping bag with your favourite tip. Garnish with orange zest.

♥  Amy

Whipped (Lemon) Frosting

Usually when I bake, everything is from scratch. However, one night when a miscalculation of butter, left me with out the ingredients for buttercream frosting, I was left searching the back of the pantry for anything, anything, that could be turned into frosting. I managed to find one package of Dream Whip and one package of lemon pudding, two ingredients I would never use and could not even remember why I had them in the first place...

Anyways, the end result was one of the lightest, fluffiest, perfectly lemony frostings I have ever made. It got rave reviews.

Compared to the agony that usually surrounds trying to get lemon juice to incorporate into buttercream, I think I might actually resort to this when I need a citrus frosting again in the future.

You could make this with any flavour of instant pudding. I added lemon extract to make my frosting extra lemony but you could also add any extract flavour. The combinations are endless.

Adapted from Kraft, makes 3 to 4 cups

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup milk, cold
1 package instant pudding, any flavour
1 envelope whipped dessert topping
1 teaspoon extract, any flavour, optional


Directions

Place the milk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the pudding powder, whipped dessert powder and extract. Beat slowly until combined.

Increase the speed to high. Whisk until soft peaks form, about 6 minutes.

Use on your favourite cake or cupcakes.

♥  Amy

Recipe Rewind: Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

The perfect green treat for St Patrick's Day!

Adapted from Annie's Eats, makes 3 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ cup hot water
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1¼ teaspoon coarse salt
1½ cups butter
2¼ cups sugar
4 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
2 to 3 teaspoons mint extract

5 large egg whites
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 to 4 teaspoons mint extract

Directions

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and the sugar. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium-low speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is cooled. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla and cocoa mixture, beating until incorporated. Reduce to low speed. Add in half of the dry ingredients, then the sour cream, then the remaining dry ingredients, beating just until combined.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling them about ¾ full.  Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.

To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Add the cream to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand for about 1 minute. Gently stir the chocolate and cream together with a whisk. 

When the ganache has become smooth, whisk in the butter one piece at a time until incorporated.  Whisk in the mint extract.  Place the ganache in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken.

To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160 F. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes.

Reduce the speed to medium and gradually add the butter, about 2 tablespoons at a time, until combined.  If the frosting "curdles", continue to beat on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes and the icing will come together. Stir in the mint extract and tint with food colour if desired.
To assemble the cupcakes, cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake with a small paring knife.

Place a spoonful of ganache into the hole and smooth the top.

Place the frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and frost the cupcakes. Garnish with chocolate shavings or gold sprinkles.

♥  Amy

Meringue Buttercream Frosting

When looking to frost the funfetti cupcakes I made for Tanya's birthday, I was looknig for a lighter frosting that would not overpower the vanilla cake so I tried Martha Stewart's meringue buttercream recipe. I liked this recipe because it is faster than my flour-based buttercream recipe but still doesn't require massive amounts of icing sugar.

The recipe makes a huge batch of frosting! I only required about half to frost four dozen mini cupcakes.

Adapted from Martha Stewart, makes about 5 cups

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar
6 egg whites
1 pound butter, cubed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Food colouring, optional

Directions

In a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, whisk together the sugar and egg whites until the sugar is dissovled. Continue to whisk gently until the temperature reaches 140 F, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes.

Reduce the speed to medium and slowly add the butter one cube at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat until the mixtures is smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a piping bag for frosting.

The frosting can be refridgerated for up to one week or frozen for up to a month. Bring to room temperature before forsting.

♥  Amy

Funfetti Cake

It took me a couple tries to find a funfetti recipe I actually liked... after several mediocre attempts I resort to a tried and true recipe - Ultimate Vanilla Cake. Thankfully just in time to make cupcakes for Tanya's birthday!

I frosted the cupcakes with Meringue Buttercream Frosting and lots more sprinkles!

Makes two dozen

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1teaspoon almond extract
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup sprinkles

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare two cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the sugar and mix until well combined. Add the butter and mix on medium speed until the very fine crumb texture, about three minutes. Add the eggs, sour cream, oil and extracts. Beat on medium speed until just combined. Slowly add the milk and mix on low speed until just combined. 

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Add the sprinkles and gently fold into the batter. Fill prepared cupcake liners just over half full. Work quickly, trying not to stir the batter to prevent the colour from the sprinkles from bleeding.


Bake for 14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

♥  Amy

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

For this years Valentine's Day treat I was inspired to try something other than cupcakes. Pinterest was full of inspiration but ultimately I gravitated to the cheerful, colourful Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with cream cheese filling. It took me awhile to settle on the perfect recipe but I found it - the cookies are a dense, chocolatey cake style cookie - exactly what I was hoping for!

To make heart shaped cookies, trace hearts onto your parchment paper - I used the template below. Place the parchment paper ink side down on your baking sheets. Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a 1A round tip. Pipe the batter in a v-shape within the heart template on the parchment paper.

Adapted from Beurrista, makes 18 2" cookie sandwiches

Ingredients

2½ cups flour
3 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
¼ cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ to 1 tablespoon red gel food colouring

2 cups icing sugar
½ cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, combine the canola oil and buttermilk.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat to combine.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the red food colouring and mix on low speed until incorporated.

Add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk mixture. Beat just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for a few more seconds.

Use a ice cream scoop or piping bag to form cookies on the baking sheet spaced about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the cookies comes out clean. Allow the cookies to cool completely.

To make the filing, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter until it is smooth. Add the cream cheese and beat until fluffy.

Add the sugar and vanilla. Beat on high speed until smooth and fluffy. If the mixture is too stiff, add a tablespoon of milk or cream and continue beating.

Transfer the filling to a piping bag with a large round tip. Pipe the filling onto the bottom side of half of the cookies. Place a second cookie on top being careful not to squeeze out the filling.

Keep in the refrigerator until serving.

♥  Amy

Recipe Rewind: Red Hot Cupcakes

Who doesn't love red hot candies?

Adapted from Cupcake Blog, makes two dozen cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

2 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup butter, softened
3 cups icing sugar
3/4 cup red hot candies
4 tablespoons milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter until softened. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well.

Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Measure out the milk and vanilla into a small bowl and stir to combine.

Add a third of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat to combine. Add half of the milk mixture and beat to combine. Continue alternating between the dry ingredients and milk mixture until fully incorporated.

Scoop the batter into the cupcake papers, fill to about 2/3 full.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F and bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

In the meantime, make the frosting by beating the butter in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment at medium-high speed until creamy. Slowly add the sugar. Pulse the red hot candies in a blender until powdered and then add to the icing. Add the vanilla and milk and continue beating until light and fluffy. Frost cool cupcakes.


♥  Amy

Chai Cupcakes

For anyone who loves chai, cinnamon, pumpkin spice... these cupcakes are heavenly!

I was seriously skeptical when I noticed that the cake recipe was vegan but I must admit it is actually one of the tastier cakes I have ever made. I did replace the soy milk with whole milk since we do not consume soy products but I am guessing the end product would be similarly yummy!

Adapted from The Culinary Enthusiast and Love and Olive Oil, makes 36 mini cupcakes or 12 regular

Ingredients

1 cup soy milk or whole milk
4 black tea bags
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan or microwave until almost boiling. Remove from heat and add the tea bags. Allow to steep for 10 minutes before removing the teabags.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Pour in the milk mixture, as well as the oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix until combined and any large lumps have disappeared.

Fill cupcake liners to 2/3 full and bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until just starting to turn golden. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the butter cream, using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the butter until it is creamy. Mix in the vanilla and spices. Beat in the powdered sugar half a cup at a time. Whip until fluffy. If the butter cream is too thick add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk until the desired consistency is reached.

Using a closed star tip, pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Garnish with extra cinnamon if desired.

♥  Amy

Blackberry Swirl Cupcakes

As promised... the recipe for the beautiful Blackberry Swirl Cupcakes I made for a friend to serve at a purple themed dinner.

Makes 36 cupcakes

Ingredients

36 Devil's Food cupcakes - recipe here

1 batch cream cheese frosting - recipe here

1 jar blackberry jam

Purple food colouring, optional

Blackberries for garnish

Directions

Prepare the Devil's Food cupcakes as per the recipe and allow to cool completely.

Prepare the cream cheese frosting as per the recipe but add a small amount of purple food colouring at the same time as the vanilla extract.

Using a small knife, cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake. Fill the hole with blackberry jam - make sure it is relatively level with the top of the cupcake - do not under or over fill.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, smear a spoonful of blackberry jam on the side of the bag, tyring to keep it confined to a tight line. Fill the pastry bag with the prepared frosting, trying not to disturb the jam too much. Frost the cupcakes in a swirl pattern - the jam will come out in random streaks in the frosting.

Garnish with blackberries if desired.

♥  Amy