Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes & Pic How To

INGREDIENTS

• 2 teaspoons grated lime peel
• 2 tablespoons fresh line juice
• 2 tablespoons bacardi limon rum
• 1 box strawberry supreme cake mix
• 3 large eggs
• 6 fresh strawberries with caps, quartered (optional)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
  
  Parrot Bay Strawberry Daiquiri for bathing the cupcakes ad including in the icing
  

after cupcakes cool inject then with rum

ICING

• ½ cup frozen whole strawberries, thawed
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
• pinch of coarse salt
• 1/2 cup Parrot Bay Strawberry Daiquiri
• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• red food coloring

What We’ve Been Working On

Elegant Memorial Day Cupcake

This weekend I’m still undecided on what kind of cupcake to make for Memorial Day. I’m leaning toward a vanilla cupcake with blue butter cream icing and a strawberry wedge. While I decide I wanted to share some beautiful cupcakes you can try for Memorial Day.

Above are Flag Cupcakes courtesy of BakedBree.com.

My daughter wants a BlueBerry Cupcake so bad. This one from Steph  Chows looks right up her alley.  Here’s the recipe.

 

Betty’s Cozy Corner used a Paula Deen cake mix to make these beauties. The recipe is here.

Share your Memorial Day Cupcake ideas here. I may change my mind.

Paula Deen’s Crab & Asparagus QUiche Breakfast Cupcake

I wasn’t going to make another thing this weekend until I stumbled upon these beauties from Paula Deen’s website. So…. Here’s the link to the recipe. I’ll be at Publix in the morning.

Chick Magnet & 2 Bite Butterflies for Easter Cupcakes

Happy Easter! We’ve been making Easter Baskets and baking up an Atlanta Storm. These cupcakes come from the same vanilla cupcake batter. The chick magnet cupcake is a standard size cc with a dollop of my keylime cream cheese icing with a yellow peep on top of the dollop. My younger sister isn’t a fan of icing, but loves cake. She was our muse for the Chick Magnet Cupcake

These 2 Bite Butterflies recipe was given to us by my friend Cathy. We decided to make 2 bites, because Easter is one of those holidays where you can lose a tooth, if you’re not careful. Our butterflies are made from yogurt covered pretzels (Krogers have then on sale for $1.99 a box) and pastel almond M & Ms. Same Key Lime Icing. We had to refrigerate these puppies. The size is a hit. My mom ate them with two bites. pretzel and M &M included. Really.

If you want to do these with your kids. I prefer homemade batter with Swan Cake Flower,  Clabber Girl, etc, but for sake of time sift Pillsbury Butter Cake Mix (Kroger has it for $1 this week). Sift very well. Very well. Follow directions, but mix  liquids first then add in dry mix one cup at a time. Add some Wesson Canola oil or olive oil to your batter  ala Paula Deen. Cupcake will melt in your mouth.

Enjoy!

Girlee and Mom

What we Been Up to at Cupcake South

We’ve been prepping for spring cupcake madness and cake pops. yep. we’ll begin featuring them in time for St. Patrick’s Day.

Above Selah is piping our Strawberry Cheesecake Buttercream Icing on her Vanilla Cupcakes. 

This past weekend I created a strawberry and red velvet birthday cupcake fantasy for a special bride to be.  Hope to see you around Atlanta or somewhere in the South. Tomorrow morning I will be in Macon.

More New Year’s Eve CUpcakes

I found some cutelicious cupcakes I had to feature. So if you’re out shopping for New Year’s Eve goodies, here is some inspiration.

Cupcakes Take the Cake’s Ball Drop Cupcakes

Hoosier Homemade New Year’s Cocktail Cupcakes

 

Low Fat Strawberry Champagne New Year’s Cupcakes

Courtesy of DC Cupcakes and Oprah.com

Servings: Serves 12

Ingredients

Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes (36 mini cupcakes, 3 per champagne flute)

• 1/2 cup fresh strawberries , diced
• 1/2 Tbsp. good Champagne (sweet rose Champagne suggested)
• 2 1/2 cups flour , sifted
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder , sifted
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 Tbsp. (4 ounces) unsalted butter
• 4 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cup zero-calorie sweetener (e.g., Splenda)
• 2 large eggs , at room temperature
• 2 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract plus seeds from 1 vanilla bean
• 1 1/4 cups skim milk , at room temperature

Champagne Buttercream Frosting

• 16 Tbsp. (8 ounces) unsalted butter
• 4 cups confectioner's sugar , sifted
• 1 tsp. skim milk
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup good Champagne (sweet rose Champagne suggested)

Strawberry Layer

• 24 fresh strawberries
• 1 cup good Champagne (sweet rose Champagne suggested)

Chocolate Ganache

• 2 cups high-quality dark chocolate

Directions

For Serving:
12 glass Champagne flutes
12 long spoons
12 indoor-safe sparkler candles
Step 1: Baking the Mini Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 mini cupcake pans with 36 mini baking cups or grease pans with butter if not using baking cups.
Dice up 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries and soak in 1/2 cup of Champagne. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
Place the unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Add the sugar; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.
Mix in applesauce slowly.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.
Combine the vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds and milk in a large liquid measuring cup.
Reduce the speed to low. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then gradually add one-third of the milk mixture, beating until well incorporated. Add another one-third of the flour mixture, followed by one-third of the milk mixture. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining milk mixture, and beat just until combined.
Gently fold in the diced Champagne-soaked strawberries, just until incorporated.
Scoop batter into baking cups and bake for 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. If using paper baking cups, peel off all the paper baking cups from the cupcakes at this time.
Step 2: Making the Champagne Buttercream Frosting

Place the unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Add the confectioner's sugar; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.
Add the vanilla extract, milk, salt and Champagne, and beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Place frosting in a disposable piping bag with a large round tip.
Step 3: Preparing the Strawberries

Slice 24 strawberries lengthwise and soak in 1 cup of Champagne for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 4: Melting the Chocolate Ganache
Break the dark chocolate into small pieces. Fill a medium saucepan with an inch or 2 of water and place over medium-low heat. Place the dark chocolate pieces in a medium glass bowl over the saucepan and melt slowly. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove the bowl of melted chocolate from the saucepan. Pour the melted chocolate into a plastic squeeze bottle. (If a squeeze bottle is not available, you can drizzle with a spoon.)
Step 5: Assembling Layers in Champagne Flutes
Line up 12 glass Champagne flutes. Insert 1 mini strawberry Champagne cupcake in the bottom of each glass. Next, pipe a swirl of Champagne buttercream frosting on top of each cupcake. Add several slices of Champagne-soaked strawberries and a drizzle of chocolate. Repeat layers. Finally, place a third mini strawberry Champagne cupcake at the top of each glass, pipe with a final "Georgetown Cupcake signature swirl" of Champagne buttercream frosting, and top with a final drizzle of melted chocolate.
Step 6: Serving

Insert 1 indoor-safe sparkler candle in the top of each glass. Light the candles at midnight, serve with spoons, and enjoy!

Christmas Cupcakes Galore

This year we made red velvet cupcakes for Christmas and topped them with Gingerbread Women and Houses. Would love for me to share your cupcakes on my facebook page. www.facebook.com/dee.stewart.  In the meantime here are some of my favorite Christmas cupcake pics I’ve seen online.

Brandied Mincemeat Cupcakes From Kuidaore

Hello Cupcake's Maple Brown Pecan

Chocolate Indulgence Santas by Viva La Cupcake

 

 

Love Bakery

 

Southern Vogue who has all the Christmas cupcakes in the world by the looks of this  great pic of her Cupcake Exchange Party.

Twilight Cupcakes

Halloween’s  coming and we got cupcakes on the brain.  And a good book, of course. So when I saw these  photo of vampire bite cupcakes from Homemaker’s Habit,  I got tickled. Twilight is one of my favorite books. My BFF Natasha and I read the whole series and had the nerve to sit through a triple feature with teeny boppers screaming at the top of their lungs. I'll make these for girlee and re-read Breaking Dawn.









Here’s the recipe:
Red Velvet "Vampire Bite" Cupcakes
makes 22 regular size cupcakes

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 oz. red food coloring (one full bottle)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl that can be used with a hand mixer), beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go.
Next, with the mixer on low speed, add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beating until well combined, and continuing to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. The mixture will fizz when combined so be sure to use a bowl large enough to contain it. Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Fill cupcake cups with cake batter until they are a little under 3/4 full -- an ice cream scoop measures the perfect size.
Place cupcakes in the oven and bake for approximately 20, rotating pans halfway through. To check doneness, insert a toothpick in the center of a cupcake in the middle of the tin. If it comes out clean, the cupcakes are ready. Remove from oven and let cool in the muffin tins for a few minutes, then move to wire rack to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting (below) and, if desired, decorate with vampire bite marks.
Cream Cheese Frosting
frosts apx. 2 dozen cupcakes
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 8oz. package cream cheese (or lite cream cheese), softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons whipping cream (more or less as needed to acheive the consistency you desire)
Using a stand or hand mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add in vanilla. With the mixture on low speed, gradually add in powdered sugar, a little at a time until smooth and fluffy. Add in whipping cream and whip on high until frosting is smooth and creamy. Spoon frosting into a pastry bag (I just use a 1 qt Ziploc bag with the tip sliced off) and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Decorate as desired and enjoy.
Also visit Homemaker’s Habitat. It is a fun blog.

Cocktail Cupcake

When my editor offered my three book deal  for A Good Excuse to Be Bad this spring the first thing that came to my main was I had to throw a Cocktail Cupcake Party. Little did I know at the time that a Cocktail Cupcake Company existed right here in Atlanta.  Now I’m not a drinker, but I they’re cute. Hopefully, they could make me some mocktail cupcakes. (hint)

So here’s the scoop:

Website: http://www.cocktailcupcakes.net/

Menu items that peak my interest:

Patron
Lime cake laced with Patron Tequila, Topped with Patron & Lime Buttercream Frosting.

Cosmopolitan
Cranberry Cosmopolitan cake laced with Vodka, topped with Cosmopolitan Buttercream frosting.

Chocolate Martini
Chocolate cake laced with Chocolate Liquer, topped with Chocolate Vodka frosting.

Caramel Appletini
Cinnamon Apple cake laced with Apple Vodka, topped with Apple Vodka frosting.

Party planning underway. I’ll let you know what happens with the book party.

The Great Cupcake Smackdown

The Great Cupcake Smackdown was Deliciouso!!!!

The Winners in a Nut Cup Shell:

Peoples' Choice:

 

Red Velvet & Judges' Choice Freestyle (Marie Antoinette) winner: Little Cake Bakery.

 

 

 

 

Peoples' Choice Freestyle (Better Than Sex) & Judges' Choice Red Velvet winner: Pink Cupcake Dreams.

I will blog in more detail about each participant this week. It was such big fun. My girlee can’t stop talking about it.

O Magazine has Cupcake Decorating Tips in this Issue

Bake Sale Pies. These are cute. The recipe is below. Click here to get more from O Mag or pick a copy. I will tomorrow.

Ingredients:

Bake-Sale Pie Cupcakes

• 24 vanilla cupcakes , baked in silver foil liners
• 2 cans (16 ounces each) vanilla frosting
• Yellow food coloring
• 1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup each red and blue candy (M&M's, Jelly Belly)

Directions:
Tint the vanilla frosting with 3 or 4 drops of the yellow food coloring and the cocoa powder to make a light brown for the piecrust. Spread some of the frosting on top of a cupcake, leaving 1/4 inch of the cupcake edge exposed. For the filling, arrange about 25 like-colored candies close together on top of the cupcake. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes and like-colored candies.
Spoon the remaining light brown frosting into a ziplock bag, press out the excess air and seal. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bag. For the lattice crust, pipe 4 or 5 lines across the top of a cupcake, about 1/2 inch apart. Pipe 4 or 5 more lines, on the diagonal. Pipe a beaded edge around the top of the cupcake. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes and frosting.
Arrange the cupcakes on a wire rack and make several bake-sale tags to put with the cupcakes.
© 2010 What's New, Cupcake? by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson.

Just ordered the cookbook. Woot! So cute.

Gingerbread Cupcake Fun Fest

Girlee and I had fun today assembling our Gingerbread Granny Cupcake.

Recipe

• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick of unsalted butter)
• 1/4 cup of hot water
• 1/2 cup of packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup of grated ginger
• if you like moist cupcake add 2 tbs apple sauce to mixture
  

Prep

• preheat oven at 350 degrees
• combine wets, but be careful of eggs don't want them cooking in the hot water
• combine dry
• add dry to wet mixture in parts
• add final mixture to muffin cups
• bake for 18-20 minutes

 Cool then Decorate like you want

Frosting Choices

• Lemon Cream Cheese is great
• Cream Cheese
• Chocolate
• Molasses Cream Cheese
• Mango Buttercream
  

We added Rudolph to top ours off .

Then Selah and I cut loose on these decorations!!

Turkey Meatloaf Cupcakes w/ Mashed Potato Frosting

Ok. It's fall. It's meat and potatoes time and boy have I found a cupcake that my daughter loves!!. It's the Meatloaf Cupcake. Try it. Although my pic doesn't like as pretty as Fine Furious Life it was cute enough for an eight-year-old to devour. lol

Cooking Time: 45 minutes. Servings: 18 medium size cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground turkey
	1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
	1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
	3 tablespoons ketchup
	1 egg
	1/2 teaspoon celery salt
	1/4 teaspoon pepper

mashed potato icing - two red potatoes(skinned, boiled, mashed) or box of mashed potato flakes

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 muffin tin cups with foil bake cups.

2. In a large bowl, mix together all of the meat loaf ingredients until well combined. Divide the mixture evenly among the lined cups (the liners should be about three quarters full).

3. Place the filled muffin tins on cookie sheets and bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Make mashed potatoes. Take a plastic storage bag and snip a corner to use for piping the potato unto the cooled meatloaf cake.

12 cupcakes.