Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Fall is here. I know it.

It showed up in the middle of the night last night...in theory. In practice it's 96 degrees outside right now, the tree in the front yard has no intention of letting go of its leaves anytime soon, and Liam is in a sleeveless outfit.

But Autumn has arrived! It should be in the seventies by the weekend, and I have high hopes that the nineties will be behind us for another year. We're redheads in this family. We don't do sunshine well.

I finally caved in to this cupcake, although really it probably could have waited...for November, probably, knowing Northern California. Maybe it's like washing your car on a sunny day - it rains. Make a wintry cupcake, and bring on the sweaters! Or at least the sleeves, for heaven's sake.

What we have here is a surprising flavor combination, to the uninitiated. Mexican chocolate is spiced with cinnamon and chili, and heated with a bit of cayenne. Don't turn your nose up! Done well, the spices are present, but you don't go running for the milk; rather, you do, but that's because a glass of milk is mighty nice with a cupcake.

The cake itself is sweet, and mild with milk chocolate, but with a hint of spice and a bit of heat in the aftertaste. It is very moist, and dense. The filling is a cinnamony marshmallow, sweet and spicy. And the frosting...ah, it looks like a rich chocolate frosting, but you bite into it and instead it's fluffy whipped cream, light and full of cocoa and with a warm finish. It's the wintery-comfort of a mug of hot chocolate with cinnamon and spice, but in a cupcake. So bring on the cold milk!

Couple of notes, because I can't help myself. This recipe was adapted from a bundt pan recipe - it makes a LOT of cupcakes. So halve it in your own best interest (unless you know a lot of people and are willing to share).

As far as the frosting goes: I love the whipped cream because sometimes buttercream is a little too-too, but unless you're going to serve it immediately, you need to stabilize it, which I did with gelatin here. If you don't want to be bothered, just leave the gelatin out and pipe on the frosting at the last minute. And even if you do, make sure you store the cupcakes in the refrigerator.

~Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes~

• 3 cups cake flour
• 6 ounces milk chocolate, melted
•  1 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 14-ounce can condensed milk
• 5 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 
• 1 tablespoon New Mexico chili powder
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners (this made 24 regular-sized cupcakes and 6 jumbo ones - so likely 3 dozen regular. Feel free to halve the recipe and make 18!)
Melt together butter and chocolate (I just use the microwave in 30-second increments, but use the stove or a Bunsen burner or whatever you like). Set aside to cool slightly.
Combine flour, chocolate mixture, and all the other ingredients besides the spices in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed to mix well, scraping the sides and bottom to make sure all is combined. Batter will be thin.
Bake at 350 for 15 - 17 minutes or until the cake springs back and a tester inserted comes out clean (jumbo cupcakes take about 25 - 30 minutes).
Cool for a couple of minutes in the muffin tins and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

~Cinnamon-Marshmallow Filling~ 

• 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add in sugar and beat on low speed to combine. Add in salt and marshmallow cream, vanilla, and cinnamon; beat to combine and add heavy cream if needed (you want a thick, fluffy filling that is going to pipe easily and not be too firm at room temperature).

Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut out a cone-shaped portion out of the top of each cake. Slice off the excess cake from the cone (leaving the flat cap) and reserve the top. Fill the resulting hole with about a tablespoon of the marshmallow filling (or however much you need). Replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, and then put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill and set the filling (once cool, it will become very thick and hold the caps in place).

~Cocoa-Chili Whipped Cream Frosting~

• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon New Mexico chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a large saucepan bring about 1 inch water to boiling over high heat. Meanwhile, in a 1-cup heatproof glass measuring cup combine the cold water and gelatin. Let stand for 2 minutes. Place measuring cup in the saucepan of boiling water. Cook and stir about 1 minute or until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove measuring cup from water; set aside. Cool for 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and cocoa. Add about 1/4 of the whipping cream and whisk together to blend (you are getting the lumps out of the cocoa powder and making it easier to all mix together). Add in the chili powder and cayenne - check to make sure the heat level is present but not overpowering. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat in the rest of the cream, and then gradually drizzle in the gelatin mixture into the cream mixture. Continue beating the cream mixture until stiff peaks form.

Use a pastry bag with a large star tip to pipe on the frosting, and garnish with grated bittersweet chocolate, if desired.

Caramel Cupcakes

If you were to ask me, out of the blue, what I was thinking of at any given time, chances are it would not be about cupcakes. Sometimes I think about dips.

We don't actually entertain all that often - having an almost-three-year-old and an eight-month-old makes having grown-ups over a bit difficult, and we're still working on the house to make it company-worthy, inside and out. We will be all set for Halloween, on a positive note. Lots of dead stuff already in the backyard.

But I do think about cupcakes fairly often; usually, what flavor combination to try next. What you may be surprised to learn about me is I don't actually eat sweets very often. I am much more a bread-and-cheese, savory/salty type of girl. But I do love to bake them - and sometimes, I get in a rut.

Chocolate ruts are easy to fall into, and you don't really get a lot of help out of them, either. I still have a Mexican hot chocolate cupcake dancing in my head, and a chocolate-mint one that I can't seem to shake either. However, when in doubt, I turn to others for help, and help I get (once I can pry them out of this chocolate pit we all seem to have jumped into).

Caramel was a request. I like caramel - certainly I don't dislike caramel, but it's something I tend to appreciate if it's there, not a flavor I seek out. I never think, "Golly, what I need right now is a chewy mouthful of caramel." And yet, a dear friend of a dear friend sent over a call, and I turned the idea around and looked at it from a few sides, and you know what? It's a darn good concept.

It's September, people! Time to turn to thoughts of spices and warmer flavors and golden brown and amber (she says, biting her thumb at the 90-degree temperatures forecast all week in Northern California). Let's go with it!

And so here we have a caramel cupcake...but not just that (although you see I'm going for efficiency in my blog title, anyway). This is a moist, not-too-sweet brown sugar cupcake with a chewy little nugget of caramel on the inside, but the real fun is the frosting. It's a Swiss meringue buttercream (which is a new one for me, and I love it), flavored with caramel, and then caramel is drizzled over the top of the whole thing.

Swiss buttercream takes a little more time than your standard powdered sugar buttercream, but it is so worth it. It almost plays like a whipped cream, being light and airy but creamy too, and if you're put off by the "meringue" - don't be. This is nothing like that pie topping you are probably thinking of.

Yes, I made my own caramel. You need to for the recipe, you see. But it isn't hard. And if I can do it, with my attention span, so can you. Two rules of thumb: pay attention and don't touch. If you can manage that you'll be fine. I took pictures so you could get an idea. And if you have a problem with the quality of the photos, please remember that I am making caramel while holding a camera and keeping children away from the stove with a couple of chairs and my own bare feet. So don't judge.

And hey, if you have a cupcake request, request away! I'm game.

The Recipe:

~Brown Sugar Cupcakes~

• 1 1/2 cups  flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (or sour milk - just add 1/2 tbsp. of lemon juice or vinegar to the 1/2 cup of milk and let stand for 5 minutes or so)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin tins with papers. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add vanilla, and continue to mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beat until combined after each.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about halfway full. Bake for about 15 - 18 minutes. When done, let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 2 minutes, then remove them from the pan and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

~Chewy Caramel Filling~

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter (just divide it into three tablespoons)
• (generous)1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Melt the sugar over medium high heat in a good-sized, heavy-bottomed pot. Whisk the sugar as it melts and cook until it becomes an amber color. Use your nose! If it smells like it's burning, it has. Start over and lower the heat. Keep your fingers out of this! Add the butter and stir it in until melted. Keep your fingers out of this! Pour in the heavy cream (stand back because the mixture will foam) and whisk until you get a smooth sauce. You may have some lumps; do not panic. Just keep stirring until they have melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before filling the cupcakes.

Cook the sugar and wait for something to happen.

Something's happening!

Add the butter. Don't panic. Also, don't touch.

Just about there.

The caramel on the left was the first attempt. Burnt.

Cut a small round piece out of the tops of each cooled cupcake and pour in 1 teaspoon of caramel. Replace the cake piece and set cupcakes aside.

~Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream~ 
(borrowed from How to Eat A Cupcake)


~Caramel Drizzle~

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

~Swiss Buttercream~

• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces, room temperature

For the frosting:
In a heavy-bottomed, high-sided saucepan, cook the sugar over medium heat until it begins to melt around the edges, about 5 minutes. Stirring with a clean wooden spoon, continue to cook until the sugar is melted and has turned golden amber, about 3 minutes longer.

Carefully pour the cream down the side of the pan in a slow, steady stream (it will bubble and spatter), stirring constantly until completely smooth. Don't be alarmed if your sugar forms a huge lumpy pancake. Just stir, gently (you don't want this to splash on you, either), until it's all melted in. Stir in the salt. Pour the caramel into a small ceramic bowl and let cool completely before using. (The caramel can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week; bring to room temperature before using.)

In a large, clean heatproof bowl, combine the egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over (but not touching) barely simmering water in a saucepan and heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch (about 160°F on an instant-read thermometer), 3- 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Transfer to a stand mixer or, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg white mixture until it is fluffy, cooled to room temperature, and holds stiff peaks (the mixture should not look dry), about 6 minutes.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the salt and the butter, a few pieces at a time, beating well after each addition. If the frosting appears to separate or is very liquid after all the butter is added, continue to beat on high speed until it is smooth and creamy, 3-5 minutes more. Add 1/2 cup of the caramel drizzle and beat until combined (or almost combined for a swirling effect).

Chill the cupcakes in the refrigerator and then drizzle more caramel sauce over the tops. Store in the refrigerator.

A river of caramel cascading down a Swiss buttercream mountain...

Cinnamon Cupcakes with Brown Sugar-Pecan filling

Mmmmm...cinnamon!

In one of my previous posts (it was for the lemon cupcakes ), I talked about how the first version of my idea was a total failure - one thing after another went wrong - and I finally just tossed the darn things out. There is, of course, always a time to raise the white flag (y'all know I'm from Alabama, right? And I'm French? Hush your mouth!). But there are other times when things don't go as planned and instead of having a foot-stamping fit, it's an opportunity (hee! Now I sound like a middle manager). In other words, never admit to mistakes (in cooking!). So these are the I-Meant-to-do-that cupcakes, and boy, did they turn out well!

I had to take the car to the mechanic (for the third time in as many weeks) and was just about in a state over it. I needed some comfort. So first, I got in a workout (preventative measures, you see) and then I went about whipping up some comfort. Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate, obviously, but the smell of cinnamon, like the smell of fresh bread, just makes me feel better. Back in college, I used to burn ground cinnamon in metal cups instead of the ubiquitous college incense - I read about it in a book from the 60's...maybe the Alice's Restaurant Cookbook (and even if not you should check that book out) and everyone always loved how our dorm smelled. Anyway, a cinnamon cupcake appealed to me.

Now, I've seen recipes where you essentially make cinnamon rolls and plop them in muffin tins to sort of resemble a cupcake, but that's not what I wanted. I wanted a cupcake, with a gooey filling. I went for a light and moist vanilla cake (with a bit of cinnamon added), and thought that if the cake were light enough, I could make a cinnamon sugar filling (like you'd use in a cinnamon roll), sprinkle it on top, and it would sink into the cupcake. I even read other recipes where that worked!

Yeah, not for me. The filling spread out over the top of the cupcake like a spicy skullcap. But that didn't have to be a bad thing. That meant I could still do a filling (I like putting a creamy filling in cupcakes, and I was a bit dubious about the cinnamon-sugar route to begin with).

I knew I wanted a cream cheese frosting, so I didn't want anything to similar for the middle of the cupcake, and I had liked a brown sugar frosting I used for a chocolate chip cookie cupcake (of which I didn't take any photos so I will have to recreate...darn), so I went about looking for a brown sugar buttercream. I wanted to take the lazy way out so I found one that didn't require the separation of eggs or cooking to a certain temperature and whipped it together...but it didn't look very frosting-ish. It looked a lot more like caramel.

I moved on. What fluffy buttercream? Faugh!

I knew I wanted to incorporate pecans somehow, so I toasted some off on the stove and then ground them up in my mini food processor (I didn't want big chunks of nuts) and folded them into the not-at-all-fluffy brown sugar stuff. Voila! A buttery, brown sugar, toasted pecan-y filling, and had I not just told you, you'd never have been any the wiser.

So I filled the cupcakes with the usual cut-a-cone-out-fill-up-the-cavity-replace-the-cap method, then piped on the cream cheese frosting. I dusted the tops with cinnamon and a bit of the ground pecans so my tasters would know what they were getting into.

You know what? These were great. Really great. They had everything you love in a cinnamon roll (but with more frosting) in a dessert form. The filling was sweet, buttery, and gooey, and the cap of cinnamon and sugar was a nice, not-too-sweet foil to the creaminess of the frosting. It was a lovely balance of flavors and textures and when I make these again, I won't do anything differently.

I totally meant to do that.

~For Cupcakes~
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 egg white
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon Mixture:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter, softened
Mix with a fork until it makes a paste, and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a standard muffin tin with cupcake liners (or grease the tin well). (This made 21 cupcakes for me, so be prepared to make about that many. If not, of course, it is not real hardship to take a cupcake liner out of a muffin pan and put it back in the cupboard, is it?)

In an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy. While that's beating combine together the dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, beat together the eggs, egg white, milk, and vanilla.

Once the butter and sugar mixture is light and fluffy add a third of the flour mixture. Mix on low speed. Add half the wet ingredient mixture to the batter. Alternate until all of the ingredients are just incorporated.



~Brown Sugar-Toasted Pecan Filling~

1 cup tightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 1-ounce pieces
1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely ground in a food processor (about 2 tablespoons reserved for garnish, if desired)


Heat the brown sugar, cream, and 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently while bringing the mixture to a boil. Allow the mixture to continue boiling while stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Transfer the hot mixture to a metal bowl and allow to stand at room temperature for 1 hour before proceeding. Place the cooled mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on low for 30 seconds. Then beat on medium for 2 minutes, while adding the remaining 3 pieces of butter, one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to high and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Mix in the pecan pieces and stir to combine.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut out a cone-shaped portion out of the top of each cake. Slice off the excess cake from the cone (leaving the flat cap) and reserve the top. Fill the resulting hole with about a tablespoon of the filling (or however much you need). Replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, and then put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill and set the filling (once cool, it will become very thick and hold the caps in place). 

~Cream Cheese Frosting~
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (one stick), room temperature
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 - 2 tablespoons milk (only if needed)

In an electric mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese until well-blended. Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time (add in the salt, vanilla, and lemon juice after half the powdered sugar has been added). If a thinner frosting is desired, add a bit of milk; add more sugar if you want it thicker. Frost the cupcakes using a pastry bag and large star tip. If you like, garnish with a dusting of cinnamon and a sprinkling of the reserved ground pecans.

Heavenly Hash Cupcakes

This was the last cupcake I made during my visit to my mom's house. I wasn't going to make any more after the malt shop and the key lime cupcakes, but then my niece Lily looked at me with those big, long-lashed brown eyes and said, "What kind of cupcakes are you making tomorrow, Auntie Rachel?" (This is the same voice she uses when she asks, "So, when are we going to Kohls?")

So I thought about the place we're all from (the primordial ooze! Nope, Mobile, Alabama. Hmm...that still works), and among the many delicacies there (Dew Drop hot dogs! Concecuh sausage! Pollman's Bake Shop!), there is a beautiful place called the Visitation Monastery. There, a group of talented nuns make a candy called "Heavenly Hash" of milk chocolate, local pecans, and homemade marshmallows. As far as I know, you can only get the candy at the gift shop or online, but everyone I knew growing up was thrilled to see the white box and would indulge in some unholy gloating - "I got the big box! No, I'm not sharing!"

Since I had an audience that would appreciate such (we're all Southerners at heart, more or less), I thought of turning the candy into a cupcake. It's really a more angelic Rocky Road, but I wanted the cupcake itself to be smooth and the top to be heavenly. I went back to my favorite chocolate cupcake and marshmallow filling, which I've reprinted here, and the topping could not be easier. It's really just a milk chocolate ganache with toasted pecan bits and marshmallows folded in. It is sticky and sweet and gooey and straight-from childhood. In fact, this particular cupcake was very appropriate to the end of summer, Labor Day, end-of-visit celebration, and, in fact, was a piece of cake.

Heh. Sorry.

Note: If you're one of those people who turn up their nose at milk chocolate, don't let me stop you. Go ahead and make it your way with bittersweet. Just remember that you'll need to answer to the nuns. You don't think you know better than the sisters of the Visitation Monastery, do you?



~Chocolate Cupcakes~
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1 tablespoon espresso powder
3/4 cup hot coffee
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin or line with baking liners (if you have extra batter, fill up more muffin tins. Easy.)
Combine chocolate, cocoa, espresso powder in a medium mixing bowl and pour hot coffee over. Let sit until chocolate is melted. Stir to combine; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. To chocolate mixture add vinegar, oil, eggs, and vanilla; mix well with fork to combine. Pour over flour mixture and stir well.

Pour the batter into the lined muffin tin (filling about 3/4 full) - the batter will be thin. Bake at 350 for 15 - 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes in pan and then cool completely on a wire rack.

~Marshmallow Filling~ 
1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add in sugar and beat on low speed to combine. Add in salt and marshmallow cream, and vanilla; beat to combine and add heavy cream if needed (you want a thick, fluffy filling that is going to pipe easily and not be too firm at room temperature).

Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut out a cone-shaped portion out of the top of each cake. Slice off the excess cake from the cone (leaving the flat cap) and reserve the top. Fill the resulting hole with about a tablespoon of the marshmallow filling (or however much you need). Replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, and then put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill and set the filling (once cool, it will become very thick and hold the caps in place).

It's an alien!

Really, she has a lovely personality...

~Heavenly Hash Topping~
One bag (around 11 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped (you want some big pieces)

In a saucepan, heat the cream just to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Stir the mixture together until the chocolate is melted and you have a smooth, shiny, liquid. Now, chill the chocolate mixture until it is thickened (probably about two hours - you want to be able to spread it but still work with it easily). Fold in the marshmallows and nuts.

Using a spatula, spread the heavenly hash mixture over the tops of the cupcakes. Just try to be as neat as you can - these cupcakes are not going to win any beauty contests, but they don't care anyway. Return the cupcakes to the refrigerator, and if you can, chill them overnight to let the frosting fully set up before serving.

Key Lime Cupcakes with lime curd filling and lime-cream cheese frosting

Two cupcakes in two days! I know! See what being at my mother's house for a week is doing to me? To be fair, the family has been reading all about the cupcakes I make (and other things! I make other things too! Just wait and see!) for awhile now, and I wanted to send my Papa back to Alabama with memories of what his middle child can bake (plus, watching him enjoy my cooking has been a real treat - I've been copying him for so long). We go back home day after tomorrow, so my niece Lily has requested one more cupcake, and after the malt shop ones and then these I don't even know where to go. White with white frosting? Heh. I could take the minimalist approach. Anyway, while I'm stewing over that, try these on for size...

I love Key Lime Pie, and I think I've mentioned before that my sister is the Key Lime Pie Queen, so since we're visiting I thought this would be another appropriate cupcake to present. The combination (and contrast) of flavors and textures is very pleasing here. You have the crisp graham cracker bottom crust, then the soft, mild heartiness of the graham cake, with the tart, smoothly creamy lime filling, and the very creamy, tangy but sweet frosting (much thicker than the filling), flecked with the green of the lime zest (as an aside, I love the green flecks! Just like I love vanilla bean specks! Moving on...).

This was not a complicated cupcake to make, though there are a few steps, but if you're familiar with the process you'll breeze right on through. And the result...well, I wanted these to compliment the tamales my sister was serving (I was waffling between these and Mexican Hot Chocolate ones, so you know what's coming soon), but these seemed lighter, and fresher, and Labor Day Weekend-ier...and they were just delightful. I will be making them again, and soon.

If you're reading these blogs chronologically, and are wondering which of the two (malt shop vs. key lime) was the favorite...well...all right, we'll call it a draw. No one could pick one over the other, and that's okay. You don't have to like one better than the other. You can like them equally for different reasons. As I was earnestly trying to explain to someone when I was 18, I like chocolate and I like cheese, but I don't necessarily like one better than the other.

One last thing, on the key lime juice and zest. Skipping the zest is not an option, if you want the best results (and the green flecks!). But I am not going to hover behind you and give you the fish eye if you opt out of buying the bag of tiny, heavily seeded little limes and instead buy that handy bottle and a couple of much bigger Persian limes, instead. I don't want you to resent me and my innocent, happy little end-of-summer recipe, after all. Do what works for you and enjoy.

This makes about 18 cupcakes.

~ Graham Cupcakes ~
For graham bottom:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter, salted
1/4 cup sugar
For cupcakes:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole milk
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 standard-sized muffin cups with baking liners (or grease well).

In a small bowl, combine the 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1/4 cup sugar, mixing until crumbly. Press a small amount into the bottom of each muffin cup, dividing the total evenly, and press down with your fingers to form a smooth(ish) bottom layer. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes and let cool before filling with cupcake batter.

Crispy graham cracker bottoms - please don't skip this step!

Cupcakes now:
Beat the butter for about 30 seconds until well creamed. Add the sugars and mix with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in vanilla and mix again.
Combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda and powder, and salt into a small bowl. Add in about half of the dry mixture into the butter mixture and stir until combined. Add in the milk and mix well. Finish with the rest of the flour mixture and mix just until combined. 
 Scoop the batter into the muffin cups (the ones you already have the graham cracker crust baked into, remember?) and bake at 350 for about 15 - 18 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the muffin tins for 2 minutes or so, then remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

~ Creamy Key Lime Filling ~
5 egg yolks, beaten
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice
1 teaspoon key lime zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy cream, beaten into firm peaks

In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks until light in color. Add in the lime juice, zest, condensed milk, and salt and and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Fold in the whipped cream.

Note: If you are concerned about the raw egg yolks in the curd, make your own or use a store-bought lime curd. This will not hurt my feelings at all, and I would rather you feel better about it.

~ Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting ~
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons key lime juice
1 tablespoon key lime zest
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy and fully combined. Beat in the powdered sugar, lime juice and lime zest, and salt, and beat until mixed together and the consistency you want. Pipe onto cupcakes using a large star tip or just swoop on with a spatula. Store filled, frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator.

Mmmm...tastes like summertime!

Double chocolate malt cupcakes with creamy vanilla malt filling and tart cherry buttercream

This recipe, specifically, is for my sister.

I have been accused, in the past, of having a mild case of hero-worship as far as my sister goes. Maybe so. She is very small, and very tough, and very beautiful, and very funny, and she will scare the bejeebers out of you if you push her too far and she could probably beat you up and go out for a milkshake afterwards. She'd do it, too, Definitely the milkshake, anyhow. Malted.

She loves malted milkshakes. Well, we all do in my family - our grandmother (on our mother's side) used to make us chocolate malted milkshakes with an old fashioned stick blender during the summer at my grandparents' lake house (this was after a morning of swimming/fishing/skiing but before the grown ups' daily nap time, during which period we kids had to sit in the cabin for a couple of hours because we couldn't/didn't want to go to the dock alone, and so had to amuse ourselves by playing Life/Chinese Checkers/ or by listening to records - yes, I said records -  until finally parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents finally decided to get up and join us). I think the milkshakes were a bribe or perhaps a statement of, "For heaven's sake we have been entertaining you monsters since about 5 am and started the day with fresh-squeezed orange juice and pancakes and do-any-of-you-even-know-how-many-pounds of bacon? Have a milkshake and take your own nap!"

We never did take naps, of course, although these days I understand that habit much more.

My sister also loves cherry pie...tart cherry pie, and if you have only tasted the very sweet cherry pie offered at your standard diner, while it's good, that is not at all what I am talking about. Our mom makes a beautiful not-st-all-sticky sweet cherry pie with the lattice top that is lightly flavored with almond and to me, to us, that is cherry pie. She makes it special just for my sister (although she'll make it at other times if we beg). 

Plus she likes cupcakes! So here is a combination of the three - with the chocolate malt on the bottom, and the creamy malted filling, and the tart cherry buttercream (which may now be one of my favorite frostings of all time)...and this is just for my sister, Deirdre (the first, since I named my baby girl, who was eight months old two days ago, Deirdre too).

One note on the frosting: it is hard to find tart cherry filling, at least for me. I checked run-of-the-mill grocery stores, Trader Joe's, and even World Market. No luck! What I ended up doing was taking regular cherry preserves and cooking them down with the juice of three lemons, and a little almond extract, over low heat for about half an hour. I let it cook and viola! Tart cherry preserves. If you don't want to bother with that, be very careful with the sugar, because the frosting could really be too sweet with regular preserves.

This made about 20 cupcakes.

•  1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 cup malted milk powder
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup miniature chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 regular 12-cup cupcake tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and malted milk powder. Add the oil and eggs; whisk to blend. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and beat until smooth. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until well combined. Stir in the miniature chocolate chips.
Divide the batter among the prepared cupcake tins, filling about 2/3. Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 17 minutes, or until an inserted tester comes out clean.
When the cupcakes have finished baking, let sit in the pans for 2 minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to wire racks to cool for 10 minutes more.

Malt marshmallow filling

• 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
•  1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1 cup malted milk powder
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 - 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add in the malted milk powder and mix until fully incorporated. Add in sugar and beat on low speed to combine. Add in salt and marshmallow cream, and vanilla; beat to combine and add heavy cream if needed (you want a thick, fluffy filling that is going to spoon easily but not be too firm at room temperature).
Set aside.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut out a cone-shaped portion out of the top of each cake. Slice off the excess cake from the cone (leaving the flat cap) and reserve the top. Fill the resulting hole with about a tablespoon of the marshmallow filling (or however much you need). Replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, and then put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill and set the filling (once cool, it will become very thick and hold the caps in place).

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup tart cherry preserves (see note above)

While the cupcakes bake, prepare the buttercream

Pipe on the frosting using a pastry bag and a large decorating tip or just swirl it on with a spatula. Garnish with a malted milk ball so people know what they are getting into.

Edited to add: My sister didn't know I was writing this about her, but she loved the cupcake and helped with the photos (I didn't add that she's a great photographer, too). Yay, sisters! Go and hug your sister today, and give her a cupcake, too.