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

Mother’s Day Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes by Dee Stewart

My recipe is a modification of Paula Deen’s Key Lime Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting.  I ditched the frosting for my own key lime cream cheese frosting and graham cracker crust lining the cupcake liner and on top of the cake before iced. My modifications are in blue. Also note I’m on a low sodium diet so if salt is your thing, add it. So here goes…

From Paula Deen:

Cake Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 heaping teaspoon grated key lime zest
• 1 1/2 tablespoons key lime juice (bottled or freshly squeezed)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (Swan Cake Flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (I substituted 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt)
• 1/4 olive oil
• 3 limes

Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients (Not Paula Deen/Basic)

• 12 graham crackers, finely ground (1 1/2 cups)
• 5 tablespoons, unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar

Dee’s Key Lime Butter Cream Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 1 (8 ounce) package Philadelphia reduced fat cream cheese

• 2 tablespoons lime juice

• 1 tablespoon lime zest (from the limes we used in batter)

• 4 -5 cups powdered sugar Dixie Crystal

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, key lime zest and juice and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 5 parts total, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold the coconut into the cupcake batter.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners and fill each liner with 1/2 of the pie crust then fill almost to the top with batter. Use an ice cream scoop to load the batter into the muffin pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops begin to brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer cupcakes to a baking rack to cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling you can make the frosting. 

Frosting Directions (Dee’s):

• Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy with hand mixer

• Add in lime juice and zest.

• Mix in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time.

Before you add the frosting add the rest of the graham cracker crust to the muffin tops then pipe the frosting on top.  I use the Wilton icing piper kit.  You can slice the remaining two lines and wedge them on top of the key lime icing.

For those of you boozy cupcakes I’ll share that recipe later. There’s a trick to getting them drunk.

Dee

Mother’s Day Brunch: Crab & Asparagus Cupcake

This Crab & Asparagus Cupcake recipe came from Cupcake Project. I made them last week and we enjoyed them all week. I thought it would be great, if you’re hosting a Mother’s Day Brunch at your home.

The Recipe is on Paula Deen’s site here.

I’m thinking of doing a Cupcake Fest for Mother’s Day. My own Keylime Pie Cupcakes, these cupcakes, and something with sugar flowers, or pearls….what would you add?

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

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!

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

Courtesy of Duncan Hines

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Ingredients:

• 12 Duncan Hines® Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in orange paper liners
• 24 mini Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in white paper liners
• 2 pieces green licorice twists (e.g. Twizzlers rainbow twists)
• 1 can (16 ounces) plus 1 cup Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Classic Vanilla Frosting
• Orange food coloring
• 1 cup orange decorating sugar
• Green licorice laces (e.g. Kellogg's Fruit Streamers, Watermelon Madness)

Baking Instructions:

1. Cut the licorice twists into 3/4 inch pieces to make the pumpkin stems. Tint the vanilla frosting orange with the food coloring. Tint 1/2 cup of the orange frosting a darker shade of orange with more food coloring. Spoon the darker orange frosting into a ziplock bag; set aside.
2. Place orange decorating sugar into a shallow bowl. Spread the orange frosting on top of the cupcakes mounding slightly in the center. Starting on the edge, roll the cupcake tops in the sugar to cover completely.
3. Use a wooden skewer to mark the ridges in the tops of the cupcakes. Starting in the center or slightly off center, lightly press the skewer over the cupcake tops to create 5 to 6 indentations. Snip a very small corner (1/16 inch) from the bag with the darker orange frosting and pipe lines of frosting in the indentations on top of the cupcakes. Insert the cut green twists for the stems and add the green laces, trimmed into shorter pieces, to make the tendrils.

Skeleton Cupcakes & Michael Jackson’s Gloves found in Atlanta

This has been a busy week, but believe me I haven’t forgotten about Halloween cupcakes, Below is a recipe for these Skeleton Cupcakes from Woman’s Day. If you don’t have time I spotlighted two Atlanta cupcakeries that have great Halloween cupcakes you can order and pickup. If you spot any great cupcakes or would like to share your own drop the link here.

• 1 box (18.25 oz) devil's food cake mix
• 1 1/2 cups lowfat buttermilk
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 16 oz each) dark chocolate frosting
• Decoration: black gel or paste food color, 24 marshmallows, 24 (4-in. ) thin breadsticks (grissini) or lollipop sticks, a clean artist's brush, 24 grape fruit leather snacks (like FruitaBu), black decorating sugar, red nonpareil candies

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. You'll need 24 regular-size muffin cups lined with paper, foil or Halloween-themed liners.

Beat cake mix, buttermilk, eggs and oil in large bowl with mixer on medium speed 2 minutes or until just blended. Divide batter between muffin cups (1/4 cup batter per cup).

Bake 24 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes before removing cupcakes to rack to cool completely.

Tint chocolate frosting black with food color; frost cupcakes.

To decorate: Slightly flatten marshmallows with palm of your hand. Insert a broken length of breadstick or lollipop stick into each marshmallow. Place some black frosting in a microwave-safe custard cup and microwave about 5 seconds, until thin and runny. Paint skeleton faces onto marshmallows with a fine paintbrush.

Using the photo as a guide, cut fruit leather into bat wings with scissors; press in decorating sugar to coat. Roll fruit leather scraps into small balls, then shape into bat heads with ears; coat heads in sugar. Attach 2 nonpareil candies for eyes with a dab of frosting.

To assemble: Using photo as guide, stand bat wings upright in frosting on top of cupcakes. Insert a skeleton head behind wings into middle of cupcake. Attach a bat head in middle of wings with frosting.

Plan Ahead: You can bake cupcakes 2 weeks ahead and freeze. Frost and decorate up to 1 day ahead, cover and keep at room temperature.

Read more: http://www.kitchendaily.com/recipe/skeleton-cupcakes-82822#ixzz13bYaqCWx

Halloween Cupcakes from Lenox Cupcakes

Simply Sweet & More’s Michael Jackson glove cupcakes

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.

Karen Tack s Corn on the Cob Cupcake

Karen Tack of Alan Richardson and Karen Tack's "Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make" was on The Today Show today.She uses styorofoam and toothpicks to build her cupcake structures. Here is the sweet corn cupcake recipe.

Makes 8 ears of corn: 24 cupcakes

Our corniest project ever! The ears are bursting with fresh summer flavor. But surprise: Those kernels are jelly beans, the butter pats are fruit chews, and the salt and pepper is black and white sugar.

INGREDIENTS

• 24 vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners

• 1 can (16 ounces) vanilla frosting

• Yellow food coloring

• About 3 1/2 cups small jelly beans (Jelly Bellys) in assorted yellow, cream, and white colors

• 4 pieces yellow fruit chews (Laffy Taffys, Starbursts)

• 1 tablespoon each black and white decorating sugars (available at baking supply stores)

• 8 sets of corn holders (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Tint the vanilla frosting pale yellow with the food coloring.

2. Working with 3 cupcakes at a time, spread yellow frosting on top of each. Arrange about 5 rows of jelly beans, close together, on each cupcake. Place the 3 cupcakes side by side on a corn dish or a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, frosting, and jelly beans.

3. Cut the fruit chews into eight 1-inch squares, and soften the edges slightly by hand so that they look melted. Place 1 square on top of each group of 3 cupcakes. Sprinkle with the sugars. Insert 1 corn holder, if using, in each of the end cupcakes.

More cupcakes recipes to follow.

Mother's Day CupCake Recipe Wanted

I want to have a Mother's Day Brunch. I caught between a pear champagne cupcake, but my Mama refuses to eat anything with alcohol in it. :) Help!

Summer Cupcake Challenge

Ok. I am putting a challenge out to myself to produce some summer sweet cupcakes for my daughter Selah and her friends and my girlscout troop. This cupcake diva has been taking a vacaketion since school closed and scouting is on break'til fall. But there are so many cute cupcakes coming out for the summer and my daughter has so many friends with summer birthdays I can't help, but turn on my hot oven. Any nobake cupcake recipes out there? Its 100 degress in Atlanta today.

Check out this summer cc recipe from Cococonut and Lime. I am too hot to cook from scratch so I will deviate a little from this BettyCrocker keylime cupcakes here. Use Martha Stewart's vanilla cupcake batter with some buttermilk and keylime juice instead of the BC box kind and my quick keylime cream icing. It'll be richer, but isn't that a southern thing.

Quick Key Lime Icing

This recipe makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup of soft butter
3 or more teaspoons of Half & Half
Zest of 1 Key Lime
1 Tablespoon of Key Lime juice

Preparation:
Combine the confectioners’ sugar and the softened butter. Blend well.

Adding 1 teaspoon at a time, beat in 3 or more teaspoons of cream or Half & Half.

Add, Key lime zest and juice and fold into the icing.