Blueberry Cupcakes with marshmallow filling and blueberry cream cheese frosting

Even on a cupcake, the guy looks lofty...

 

Still regal...

My beloved boy Liam turned five this week. The child has known what he wanted the from the moment he emerged into the world. Still, he surprises me more often than not. He started school this year, and I was so excited to have the chance to send birthday treats in to his class (thank goodness his school isn't one that insists they come prepackaged from the store or be made gluten-free or using only quinoa products, or some such rule). I asked him to help me decide on the flavor. I threw out vanilla, or chocolate. "Well, maybe, " said Liam. "Well, what would you like?" I asked him. He thought for a moment. "Blueberry."

I got him to decide on blueberry cupcakes with marshmallow filling and blueberry frosting. I decided to puree the blueberries so that there weren't big lumps of fruit (not that he and I wouldn't love that, but his sister, who thinks she doesn't like blueberries, would never have touched them). Adding blueberry puree to cake batter can result in a gray cake, but I added enough to keep it fairly purple and with all the other bells and whistles I figured it would be okay. The edible glitter and Star Wars toppers were my own embellishments (and were met with much rejoicing).

His birthday party isn't until Saturday, and I asked him what kind of a cake he wanted for that. Yeah. Blueberry. Sigh.

Happy birthday, my Liam!

~ for cupcakes ~
 
1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes; room temperature
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup blueberry puree

Blueberries, raw

 

Blueberries, cooked

~ for blueberry puree ~
4 6-ounce containers fresh blueberries
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold water

Combine all ingredients for the puree into a medium saucepan and heat until mixture has thickened and blueberries are popping open. If desired, run through a food mill to remove skins and make a smoother sauce, or pop it in your blinder and give it a whizz. Use a stick blender if you have one. I just wanted a smooth product since I was going to be serving this to four-year-olds. Let cool.) This will make enough puree for the cupcakes and the frosting, as well as leftover for whatever you like. We spooned it over blueberry pancakes. An ice cream topping would also be a great use for this. Anyhow...

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 twelve-cup cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.

In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl before each addition. Beat the batter until ingredients are thoroughly combined, but do not overbeat. Fold in the blueberry puree.

This will be the color of your batter. Don't hold your breath, though...

Use an ice cream scoop to divide batter the evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 - 18 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

This is the color of the baked cake. You can always add food coloring for a more intense purple. I just chose not to.

~ 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).

~ Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting ~ 

8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 sticks (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup blueberry puree

In a the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add in the vanilla and blueberry puree; mix well.
 
With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar until thoroughly incorporated and smooth. You want a frosting that is stiff enough to pipe on. Pipe cupcakes with cream cheese frosting using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. And in this case. I liberally sprinkled the frosted cupcakes with edible purple glitter and topped them off with either a Stormtrooper or a Darth Vader head. This made exactly twenty-four cupcakes, so just enough. Whew!   

Close up on the filled, frosted cupcake

If the Imperial theme isn't playing in your head...I DON'T KNOW YOU!

Zucchini Cupcakes with Lemon-Ginger Mousse and Yogurt Buttercream

I am not a muffin! Actually, I am, in fact, a muffin. But I have cake flour in me so I'm poufy!

I've been thinking about these cupcakes for awhile now. I liked the
carrot cupcakes I made recently, but they were definitely autumnal (and I made them in July!). And now that it is October here, I present to you...a summery cupcake. Because that's just how I roll.

Except that it's a muffin. I mean, really. It looks way more like a cupcake than other muffin-y cupcakes I've made, and that has a lot to do with the cake flour, but the method is pure muffin. And that's okay. It means you don't have to haul the mixer out...for the cupcake part. It's going to get a lot of play afterwards, though, so keep it handy.

I have to say that this is probably one of my favorite cupcakes that I've made. The spice in the cake is subtle, and the zucchini keeps the cake super-moist. The lemon mousse filling is tart-tart-tart - and that's on purpose - with the heat at the back of your throat from the ginger. And the frosting has all the tanginess you love about cream cheese frosting while being a great deal lighter - and the lemon zest there just makes it. It's all about the perfect bite - the mild, moist cake with the sour, creamy mousse and the rich buttercream. That's what I like so much about it, I think.

That being said...I made these for a potluck. One thing you might want to consider when bringing zucchini cupcakes to a potluck is that if you don't have a sign indicating that "Hey! There's zucchini in here!" you're going to have people ripping your cupcakes apart and wondering about the green stuff on the inside (see image below). Plus, remember how I said it's a perfect bite? There's always going to be that one guy who decides to dissect his cupcake and eat the components individually ("Well, I said the mousse was tart!"). Still, pucker-face can wound the pride of the cupcake baker ("hey, buddy - I'm sitting right across from you!"). The gentleman in question did later tell me that the cupcake was very good ("Too little, too late, bucky!") so I ought to let my resentment about the whole thing go (except for the parenthetical comments, which are cracking me up over here).

The new rule being - know your audience. Or, try not to watch when they are ripping your babies into pieces and making faces in front of your very eyes. They are probably really good people. They just don't get it.

Anyhoodle - this will make about 24 excellent cupcakes. I hope you like them as much as I did.

~ For the cupcakes/fancy muffins/oh, whatevers ~

3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated zucchini (use a large box grater or the grating disk of your food processor)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two twelve-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners (or grease really well - but honestly, just get the cupcake liners. SO much easier).

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices - set aside. 

(Now, ask me if I do this. Nope. But really, you ought to.) In a separate bowl, combine together the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla - mix well, using a wire whisk if you have them or a fork if you do not. Using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture, being careful not to overmix. Fold in the grated zucchini.

Fill the lined muffin tins about 2/3 full with the cupcake batter. Bake for about 15 - 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool for about 5 minutes while still in the pans, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cupcakes are done! Now make your filling...

~ Lemon-Ginger Mousse Filling ~

2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
3 egg yolks
1/2 - 3/4 cup lemon juice (I used the whole amount for a super tart mousse. Read above.)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks and chill until needed.

Place the egg yolks in a glass or metal bowl. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat until the sugar is dissolved. Start whisking the egg yolks and slowly stream the hot sugar syrup into them. Place the bowl over pot of boiling water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Whisk the mixture constantly for about ten minutes, or until the egg yolk mixture thickens and lightens in color.

After it has thickened, remove the bowl from the heat, and transfer the mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes or until the bottom of the bowl feels cool to the touch.

Add in the lemon juice and the ginger to the egg mixture, and beat with the paddle attachment until well combined.

Fold a third of the whipped cream into the mixture to help lighten in, then fold next third, and then the last of it, using a lighter touch with each addition. Use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare the cupcakes for filling by cutting out a cone shaped piece from the top of each one. Slice away any extra cake (go ahead and eat these) from the widest part of the cone (this is your lid). Keep in mind that the size of the opening is the amount of filling you can fit into the cupcake, and cut accordingly. Spoon in a bit of the mousse into each cupcake and replace the lid on top. Keep in refrigerator until ready to frost.

Ok, this is a messy photo. YOU slice a lighter-than-air cupcake (MUFFIN!) filled with an airy mousse. Go ahead. Do it. I'll wait. Oh, okay. Now do it with a two-year-old clinging to your leg. HA!

~ Yogurt Buttercream with Lemon Zest ~

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup plain greek yogurt

Grated zest of two lemons

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 -5 cups powdered sugar

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Mix in the yogurt, lemon zest, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Add in the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, beating well after each addition. I tend to use a pastry bag to pipe on the buttercream, so I like my frosting to be fairly stiff, and probably I should have used even more powdered sugar in the recipe to attain that end. If you're just spreading it on with a knife, four cups ought to do it. Use your eyes and your own judgement - if it looks like it's going to slide right off the cupcakes, add more powdered sugar. It will firm up if chilled, but as it comes to room temperature it's going to soften again).

Once the frosting ingredients are well combined, frost the filled cupcakes. If you want to make yours look like the one in the picture, use a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Or just plop it on with a knife. It all tastes the same (although I do think you get more frosting with the pastry bag. Just sayin').

Keep these stored in the refrigerator, because of all the dairy involved, but do try to let them come to room temperature before serving.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Salted Maple Buttercream Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting

And the rising sun greeted the carrot-y cupcake, and saw that it was good.

I have been remiss. Do you know that it's been almost a year since I posted anything? Well, I haven't left anyone out who reads this blog; I haven't really baked anything for about that long, either. My apologies, and I feel like I've been bitten by the baking bug again so I'll be making up for lost time.

You know how life happens sometimes? Well, it happened. But I had a group of people I needed to thank and one of them requested carrot cake cupcakes so I thought about it awhile and then - voila! Well, maybe it wasn't that easy, but still... 

(Yes, I take requests. Reasonable ones. I mean, if you asked me to riff on a vodka-soaked gummy bear and turn that into a cupcake I'd have to turn you down. I don't like gummy bears. Seriously, though, kids, is that really what you're doing these days? (Hi, Dina!) That just sounds soggy. Maybe I'm getting old. I haven't turned my music down yet, but that's probably around the corner. Get off my lawn!)

These are quite good, and quite rich, and not at all summer-y. This is an autumn cupcake. That doesn't mean you can't eat it in our lovely Sacramento 100-degree weather, but you won't find it refreshing. I may revisit it this fall. So file it away or don't, as you wish. 

Something else different about these cupcakes was that I had a helper in the kitchen (thanks, Kasey!), and you know what? I recommend it. If you find the right helper, that is. I got through these without feeling like I couldn't bear to look at them again, and that's new for me. So there's that tip for you.

Oh! One more apology - there is no filling picture. Life happened (again) and I washed my phone with my laundry. Got a new phone, am still figuring it out, and have probably the most boring video ever of me trying to take a photo of the filling. You don't need to see that. So just imagine the crust on the bottom and the maple-colored creamy filling. It's gooooood. And, as I've mentioned, I don't even like maple.

So shall we start the process? Let's do this thing!

~ For the crust ~

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 cups of standard-sized muffin tins (I used a 12-count and a 6-count) with cupcake cups. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl until the mixture resembled wet sand, adding more graham cracker crumbs if needed. Divide evenly among the cups. Press down with your fingers until there is an even layer of the crumb mixture in each cup. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Meanwhile, make your cake batter.

~ For cupcakes ~

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. freshly-grated nutmeg
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrots (I used my food processor for this - so much easier)
2 tbsp. fresh-grated ginger
3/4 cup vegetable oil

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices; set aside for now. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs until the whites and yolks are fully mixed together Add in the carrots, ginger, and oil; mix that together and then add in the flour mixture. On the lowest speed stir in the flour until just combined and no flour can be seen. Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin tins. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until cupcake tops are no longer wet. Take out and cool in pans for 5 minutes; remove cupcakes from the tins and cool on wire racks until cooled completely.

Go ahead and take a nap now if you want. You can let the cupcakes cool and come back to this later. Sidenote: Is this not a fantastic picture? I wish I could sleep like that.

Okay, you ready? Let's get ready to fill these little monsters...

~ For the filling ~

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
1 - 2 tsp. milk, cream, or half and half
3 tsp. maple extract (I used imitation because I've never seen anything but, but surely there is real maple extract around somewhere. Maybe in Vermont?)
1 tsp. salt

Beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in half of the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until this is well combined. Add in 1 tsp. milk and mix that in, then add in the extract. Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar. Add in the salt and then add more to taste. Remember that it's a salted maple buttercream!

After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so that it forms a lid. Using a teaspoon, scoop in a bit of filling into the cupcake's cavity and then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

~ For the frosting ~

1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
4 - 5 cups powdered sugar

Cream cream cheese, butter, vanilla and salt with an electric mixer. Gradually add in powdered sugar until you have a frosting that is stiff enough to pipe and hold its shape (and you may need more than five cups - just keep adding until it looks right). Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, pipe frosting onto filled cupcakes. Finish with edible glitter if you like (I certainly did).

Make sure you keep these in the fridge, but take them out about 20 minutes or so before serving.

Makes 18 cupcakes

Turtle Cupcakes

This all started because of these amazing folks. Snooks Candies in Folsom, CA is one cool place. I'm all for candy stores and chocolate shops, but a place where the candies are created on site...just magical. And family-owned to boot - plus, the people at Snooks are truly lovely, although they don't know me from Adam. I happen to be friends with Snooks on Facebook, and while this probably means little to them, a couple of weeks ago they posted a photo of their pecan caramel turtles going through the milk chocolate enrobing process (and while we're on the subject, how marvelous is the idea of a chocolate enrober? Beats a paltry "chocolate fountain" any day).

I remember my introduction to the candies known as turtles - I was about twelve years old. We had a secret Santa game going at my Catholic school, and I freely admit I was probably the third-least-popular kid in the class (as for the other two, one was certifiably insane and the other didn't bathe) - so when I got a box of "turtles" I was suspicious, to say the least. In my defense, I knew the giver already and she'd bragged about going on vacation to Panama in the summer (she'd meant this place, which I'd never heard of), and I knew that couldn't be right. Turns out turtles are a wonderful chewy combination of toasted pecans and caramel, blanketed in chocolate (usually milk), and they are delightful. That may have been the only time I've ever eaten a turtle.

Still, this picture got me thinking...what if you turned that into a cupcake? I've done it with Heavenly Hash, Twix, Snickers, M&M's, and Almond Joy - so why not another candy? And this really did turn into more candy than cake. That's not to its detriment at all - this is one good cupcake. It's rich and heavy as all get out. And let me tell you it didn't turn out at all as I expected.

~ Says Julia Child, "“You should never apologize at the table. People will think, ‘Yes, it’s really not so good.’" ~

I'm not apologizing! This just isn't how I expected these cupcakes to turn out. I was leaping from crisis to crisis and changing the plan with every step! Plus, this took forever. I actually stretched the process over days, I was getting so frustrated. So believe me when I say that although this cupcake it totally worth it, you'd better commit yourself. To the cupcake, I mean.

~ Retailiates Ms. Child, ""The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a ‘What the hell?’ attitude." ~

Well, okay, then. What the hell? (Sorry, Mom! I'm not exactly swearing...I'm quoting!)

 
~ Chocolate Pecan Crust ~

• 2 cups pecan pieces (ground up in food processor)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl. Press about a tablespoon's worth of the crust mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner, pressing down to make an even layer. Bake at 350 for about ten minutes (be aware of the smell - if you smell toasted nuts, the crust is ready. If you smell burning nuts, you'd better start over). Set aside to cool while preparing the cupcake batter.

~ For Cupcakes ~

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plain yogurt

Melt the chocolates together; you can do this either in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30-second intervals. Set aside to cool a bit.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter with sugar until fluffy; beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in vanilla and melted chocolate.

In separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into butter mixture. Add in the yogurt and mix until combined, but don't overmix. Spoon into your prepared muffin cups, about 2/3 full.

Bake for about 15 to 17 minutes or until a tester inserted into the cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack; let cool.

~ Soft Caramel Filling ~

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 8 tablespoons water
•  1/2 cup heavy cream, hot
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved.
Stop stirring and let the syrup boil until it reaches a deep amber color (about 300 degrees, for you precise people). Remove the caramel from the heat, and carefully pour in the hot cream. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Return the pan to very low heat, and continue stirring until mixture is uniform in color, 1 minute. Remove the caramel from the heat, and stir in the butter. Let it cool for about five minutes, and stir in the vanilla and salt. Let it sit, undisturbed, until you can touch it (wait about 20 minutes before you try. I will not be held responsible for your fingers). Gently stir in the vanilla, and allow the caramel to cool until no longer hot to the touch, stirring gently three or four times.

Don't touch it!

Color change starting. You'll also start to smell cooking sugar. Don't touch it!

Okay, so I skipped some steps. I was making caramel, people! I'm not a photographer!

After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. Using teaspoon, scoop in a bit of the caramel filling into the cupcake's cavity and then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

(You can take a break now. You want to top the cupcakes with the pecans and the ganache as the last step, together. It's almost over. The hard stuff is definitely behind you.)

Actually, I don't even want to talk about these cupcakes right now. I want to talk about this guy.

h

"Conan the Barbarian" was our family movie when I was growing up. No lie. Otherwise, we watched PBS. I have seen this movie so many times...it's full of awesome images (green soup with heads and other body parts in it!), the music is so dramatic that it comes in second in my book ONLY to Star Wars (I wish I could host some awards ceremony and only play music from Conan and Star Wars...but no one would come), and it's chock full of quotes that really, you ought to throw into your conversation tomorrow morning at work.

Mongol General: This is good, but what is best in life?
Mongol : The open steppe, fleet horse, falcons at your wrist, and the wind in your hair.
Mongol General: Wrong! Conan! What is best in life?
Conan: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.

Conan: Crom, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember if we were good men or bad. Why we fought, or why we died. All that matters is that two stood against many. That's what's important! Valor pleases you, Crom... so grant me one request. Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, then to HELL with you!  

That's right, Crom. Stick it where the sun don't shine!

My Conan is not this Conan.

Not that the new movie is bad, because it isn't, especially when you don't look at it as a remake, but as its own entity. I'm not saying it's good, but I wasn't angry about it either. But, of course, the villain wasn't this guy...

You know you love this guy.

And Thulsa Doom, though he says many marvelous things, has my favorite quote in the whole movie: Contemplate this on the tree of woe. 

Too bad he gets his head lopped off.

Okay. I feel strengthened now, and can carry on. Let's move forward with the cupcakes.


~ Candied Pecans ~

• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 cups pecan halves
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix sugars and salt, making sure there are no lumps; set aside. Beat egg white and water in a medium bowl until frothy but not stiff; add in melted butter. Add pecans, and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle nuts with sugar mixture, and toss until evenly coated. Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (NOT foil). Bake for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven, and separate the nuts as they cool.

~ For ganache ~

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

On the stovetop, bring cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Off the heat, stir in chocolate and butter and mix well until fully incorporated and the ganache is shiny. Let cool for about 5 minutes before using, but you still want the ganache to be fairly warm and pourable.

~ Final assembly ~

On top of each filled cupcake, scatter some candied pecans. Using a large spoon, pour a bit of ganache over the top of the pecans until the top of the cupcake is mostly covered. This doesn't have to be perfect. Chocolate turtles aren't exactly pretty and these cupcakes aren't either; they don't have to be. Which is good, because I bet you're pretty tired of looking at the damned things.

(Yes, Mama, I swore there. I earned it.)

Keep these in the fridge, or they'll melt everywhere, but I promise, these really benefit from coming to room temperature before serving. And do remember to serve them with a napkin.

Are you contemplating??? ARE YOU????? Dooooooommmmmmmm!

Oatmeal cookie cupcakes with cinnamon-cream cheese filling and brown sugar frosting

First of all, I put it to you - did you know that you can make your own brown sugar?

No kidding! You can! And it's so easy - all you do is mix in a tablespoon of molasses for every cup of white sugar and stir it all in (I used my fingers, because I'm traditional that way...sort of sugary paleo, if you will), and there...brown sugar. You can make it as dark as you like depending on how much molasses you add in. Keep it in an airtight container and there..now you have no excuse not to bake because you don't have any brown sugar.

The original MO-lasses

Brown sugar! Homemade! Well, home...stirred...

So this isn't a summery cupcake. This is an "I am climbing the walls and have to bake something but need to use what I've got kind of cupcake." I keep receiving oatmeal. I don't know why. I don't really eat it. It's not that I dislike it, but I don't really eat breakfast anyway and most of the time I'm not willing to bother to make regular oatmeal, and I think that instant oatmeal is weird. If I'm going to have a hot grain for breakfast, it's going to be grits.

(I have those, too, but I hadn't really considered a grits cupcake until just this minute...anyway...)

So I have oatmeal, and I made brown sugar, and I have half a package of cream cheese left from the plum cupcakes, and, as you do, I think, "I can make oatmeal cookie cupcakes! With a cookie on the bottom! And a cream cheese (I don't have that much cream cheese)...filling! Right! And (ok the cream cheese is going in the filling and now I have a whole lot of brown sugar because I made four cups' worth)...brown sugar frosting! Brilliant!

And this is a cupcake, although it looks a bit like a muffin ("I am not a muffin!" declares the cupcake. I don't know why my cupcake sounds like Richard Nixon). It's not very sweet, which is a mercy, because holy mackerel, the frosting sure is! Do you like brown sugar fudge? If you do, this frosting is the ticket for you. For me, it's tooth-achingly sweet. I mean, it's good...I promise it's good. But I ate half a cupcake and I feel like a tightly-wound spring.

'Course, I'm not a sweets person. I'm a salty/cheesy person (as friends and family will attest). Once I stepped back from this cupcake for awhile, though, I had to admit that it's a good one. I like the crunchy bottom and the dense cake with the creamy filling, and yes, I do like the frosting. In moderation.

So get yourself an unsweetened beverage and pull up a chair, because I present...a very brown cupcake.

Brown on brown! Filled with brown! With a brown bottom!

~ Oatmeal Cookie Cupcakes ~

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners.

~ Oatmeal Cookie Crust ~

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup regular oats
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Combine melted butter, flour, oats,and brown sugar in a small bowl. Put about a tablespoon of the oatmeal mixture into each lined muffin tin. Press down with your fingers to make an even crust on the bottom of each one. Bake for about 10 minutes until starting to brown. Let cool before filling with cupcake batter.

Before baking

After baking

~ for cupcakes ~

• 2 cups regular oats
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of freshly-ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk

Combine oatmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a food processor and run until the oatmeal has pretty much ground up, but you can still see some texture (about 30 seconds or so).
Cream the butter and sugars in a stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, yogurt and milk and beat until fully incorporated.
Add in the oat/flour mixture and beat until all is just combined. This is going to be a thick, well-textured batter. Don't be scared.
Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean. Don't be concerned if the tops crack a little bit.
This will make between 21 and 24 cupcakes.

Sorta looks like oatmeal, doesn't it? The kind you'd get at a breakfast buffet...

~ Cinnamon - Cream Cheese Filling ~

• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 4 ounces (1/2 package) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• Milk, if needed for consistency

Cream together butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth. Add in salt, cinnamon, and vanilla and beat well. Add in powdered sugar and beat on low until well-combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add in milk if you want to thin out the mixture a bit - you want it to be thick, but not stiff (think of what you'd like to encounter in the middle of a cupcake).

After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. Using teaspoon, scoop in a bit of the cinnamon filling into the cupcake's cavity and then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

Cupcakes, stuffed.

 ~ Brown Sugar Frosting Recipe ~

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 -4 cups sifted powdered sugar

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add the brown sugar, and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low, and continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the milk and return to a boil, stirring. Remove the pan from the heat and cool to lukewarm.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the salt and vanilla into the butter-brown sugar mixture. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until the mixture is thick enough to pipe onto the cupcakes.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip, pipe a bit of frosting onto each cupcake. There is no need to smother the cake with frosting - this frosting is SWEET. In fact, if I were making it just for myself, I would probably just spread it on. The cupcakes wouldn't be so pretty though.

As usual, store the cupcakes in the refrigerator until ready to serve, and let them come to room temperature if possible before serving.

Liam and Deirdre say, "Que Bueno!"

"I am not a muffin!"

Plum cupcakes with almond crust and plum-cream cheese frosting

We have a plum tree in the back yard. Last year, it produced two plums. One of which fell to the ground unbeknownst to me and the other of which just sort of dangled until it dried up.

This year there are so many plums on the tree that one of the branches broke clean through under their weight, frightening Sebastian the cat (I was in the backyard when it happened).

I don't make a lot of fruity cupcakes, going more the chocolate-y route, but it's darn hot and the idea of making something rich and heavy isn't a pleasant one. Plus, I have about a million plums to go through. I have already made jam (and used it liberally in this recipe), but I thought that adding the plums to the cake would be mighty fine, too.

And it was! The cake is not too sweet, and the bits of plums add a bit of freshness to the cupcake - it may look like a muffin, but it's the lightest muffin I've ever tasted. Nah. It's a cake. Filled with jam. And then, cream cheese...mixed with more jam...

Oh, and I had to do the almond crust again! I love the flavor of almond with stone fruit, and this didn't disappoint. So here we have an edible memory of the summer of the thousand plums...the summer where I learned to make jam, and the children...to devour said memories and smear them all over the furniture.

Ain't life grand? It's certainly sticky on Hyatt Lane!

Almond Crust for cupcakes ~ 

• 1 1/2 cups ground almonds (ground in food processor)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-count muffin tins with baking liners; set aside.

Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl. Press about a tablespoon's worth of the almond mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner, pressing down to make an even layer. Bake at 350 for about ten minutes (be aware of the smell - if you smell toasted nuts, the crust is ready. If you smell burning nuts, you'd better start over). Set aside to cool while preparing the cupcakes batter.

Liam helped me make the crusts for the cupcakes

  ~ Plum Cupcakes (makes 24 cupcakes) ~

• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of fresh-ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup dark or light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
• 2 cups chopped plums (may leave skins on)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cardamom and set aside. Cream the butter and sugars together, beating until fluffy. Add in the eggs, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bow, and then the vanilla extract. Gently mix in the yogurt. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the plums.

Fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 full with the batter (these will rise, but not too much).

This is likely more than 3/4 full...

But see? Not too poufy...

~ Plum Jam for Filling ~
This was plum jam I made last week; the recipe is from the Ball Blue Cookbook for Damson Plum Jam. I'm not going to post it here, but you can certainly search for it, or just use plum jam that you already have.

After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. Using teaspoon, scoop in a bit of the plum jam into the cupcake's cavity and then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

~ Cream Cheese - Plum Frosting ~
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup plum jam
4 - 5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream together butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer; mix in the jam. Add in the salt. In 1-cup increments, mix in the powdered sugar and beat in at a low speed until frosting is of the desired consistency. Pipe onto each cupcake using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. If you measured it right, you should have enough for 24 cupcakes. If you didn't, as I didn't, you can leave the cupcakes nekkid or you can spread them with additional jam and claim they're for your lactose-intolerant friends. Because you're always thinking about the other guy.

(What?)

Think how much the other guy will appreciate this. You altruist, you!

 Store these in the refrigerator, but let them come to room temperature if you can before serving.

Liam says, "Yummy!"

Deirdre is pleased.

Still pleased.

Yep. This passed the test.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

If I were going to do these again, I probably would involve more strawberries, mounding them on top or something. However, since I plan to serve these at a birthday gathering to a lot of, frankly, messy people, I don't think that'd work too well. Then I thought about calling them "Sort of Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes" and then I thought, you know, why do I care anyway what these are called, or how close they are to strawberry shortcake proper?

These are light and delicate and they really don't care what their name is. I doubt you'll be in the company of this cupcake long enough to name it anyhow. You're just going to eat it. Which is as it should be.

What we have here is a crisp, light, shortbread crust, topped by a super-moist, buttery cake. The filling is a homemade strawberry jam, although you can totally cheat and buy that part. The frosting is an airy whipped cream made just a teeny bit more complex with cream cheese and then the whole shebang is topped with a ripe strawberry. Cool, summery, and perfect for a birthday.

Yassum, I like my Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes. And I'm not saying sorry, either.

'Course, I was also a HUGE fan of this doll that "blows strawberry kisses" (remember, Mama???), so admittedly, my taste is suspect.

Seriously. I loved this doll. 

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

~ Shortbread Crust ~
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chilled butter

Preheat oven to 350F.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar and salt. Pulse a few times to blend.
Cut butter into large chunks and add to food processor. Blend for about 1 minute, until dough has a very sandy appearance and starts to clump together.

Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners. Press about 2 tablespoons' worth of the shortbread mixture into each muffin cup, pressing down with your (clean!) fingers to form a solid layer.

Bake the shortbread-lined tins in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until the cookie is just starting to turn golden. Set aside to cool while making your cupcake batter.

~ For cupcakes ~

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2s teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well-combined and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the salt, baking soda, baking powder and vanilla and mix well. Add in half the buttermilk, half the flour, and then the rest of the milk and lastly the rest of the flour, beating after each addition until just combined (and scraping down the sides of the bowl).


Fill each shortbread-lined cupcake tin with the batter to about 3/4 full. Bake for 15 - 17 minutes or until an inserted tester comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes or so in the muffin tin, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before filling with the strawberry jam.


~ Strawberry Jam ~
(lifted from chocolate moosey - I had to make a double batch to fill twenty-four cupcakes, with a little leftover for toast. You can also use a good-quality strawberry jam and just skip this step, but why would I ever want to make things less complicated for myself? If you have a toddler hanging onto your legs as you make the jam, so much the better.)

Ingredients

• 2 cups strawberries, sliced
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions:

Place berries, sugar, and lemon juice into a somewhat-deep skillet. Heat and stir until it reaches a rolling boil. Keep stirring until it thickens, usually 10 minutes. (From Rachel: It will be ready when it slides off the spoon in a sheet rather than runny drops. Look it up on a site that is more jam-proficient than mine!) Just make sure you don’t overcook it, even if you have to test every minute or two. Turn off the heat. Let the jam cool completely before using it to fill the cupcakes.

After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. Using teaspoon, scoop in a bit of the strawberry jam into the cupcake's cavity and then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

~ Cream Cheese - Whipped Cream frosting ~

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Halved ripe strawberries, for garnish

Whip cream cheese and powdered sugar on medium speed until light, about 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup cream and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Add in vanilla, salt, and remaining cream and beat until peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes.

Using a large star tip, swoop on the frosting and top each cupcake with a strawberry half. Store in the refrigerator, and serve as soon as you can after frosting (the sugar and the cream cheese stabilizes the cream a bit, but you still don't want to keep them too long).

Really, do you think this needs anything else?