Snickers Cupcakes

I'm shocked that it took me so long to post this cupcake recipe. Two or three years ago when I was trying out new cupcake recipes from scratch like crazy, these were one of the most decadent and delicious recipes I tried. I snapped a few horrible pictures of them with the worst camera and lighting imaginable. I never got around to making them again, probably because just the memory of them caused me to gain two pounds! But, I always thought about how delicious they were and how if I had the occasion I'd get back to re-trying them. Luckily last week, I had that opportunity. I made them exactly as before, without changing a thing. The chocolate cupcake base is one that I've used multiple times in multiple recipes, and is always my go-to chocolate cupcake. The centers are filled with homemade caramel dredged Snickers pieces, and the top is frosted with a caramel buttercream, more Snickers, and more homemade caramel. These are to die for decadent, and they will not disappoint anyone!

Snickers Cupcakes
Yield: 20 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
For the chocolate cupcakes: 
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup hot water
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
16 tbl (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temp
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup sour cream, at room temp

For the caramel filling:
8 tbl salted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 regular sized Snickers, cut into pieces

For the caramel buttercream:
16 tbl (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temp
1 lb powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup caramel sauce (recipe above)
1/3 cup heavy cream, at room temp

DIRECTIONS
First, make the chocolate cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line standard cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and the sugar over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally to combine, until the butter is melted. Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-low speed, 4-5 minutes, until the mixture is cooled. Mix in the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed and beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla and then the cocoa mixture and beat until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, beating just until combined.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 of the way full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the caramel filling: Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar begins to foam a bit. It will look and smell like it’s on the verge of burning, and it will turn a caramel color. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the heavy cream. Stir until the sauce is smooth (you may need to return it to the heat to smooth it out), then mix in the vanilla. Let cool.

Reserve enough Snickers pieces to garnish the cupcakes. Mix the remaining amount with 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce. This will be the filling. Set aside while you make the buttercream.

To make the caramel buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time on low speed, and beat until incorporated. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and caramel sauce and beat to combine. Slowly stream in the heavy cream and beat until light and fluffy.

To assemble: cut a small cone out of the center of each cupcake and reserve for another use (i.e. cake pops). Fill each hole with the caramel-snickers filling. Use a pastry bag to pipe a mound of caramel buttercream onto each cupcake. Top with reserved Snickers pieces. Put the leftover caramel sauce is a small zip-loc bag and snip the tip. Drizzle each cupcake with caramel sauce.

SOURCE
recipes from Annie's Eats who got them from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes, Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz, and My Baking Addiction.

P.S. Look at how different this picture is! This is from 2 years ago. 

Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes

If you really love cupcakes and like to browse sites (maybe, like mine?) for cupcake recipes you might have seen these before. I've made them, along with tons of other bloggers. They're originally from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes which is a great book for all sorts of cupcake ideas, if you ever get short on inspiration. The first time I made them they came out so pretty and so delicious. There was literally NOTHING lacking. I don't know why it took me so long to get around to making them again. They're perfect for spring/summer cookouts because of their bright flavor and the fact that the frosting contains no butter and so won't get gooey or melt in the sun's heat. Even though I've already posted them I felt like they deserved an updated post/picture. I know I'm not going to want to wait too much longer to make these again, diet or no diet!

Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes
Yield: 24 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
For the lemon buttermilk cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cake flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temp
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
zest of 3 lemons
juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

For the lemon curd:
8 egg yolks (save the whites for the frosting)
1 cup sugar
zest of 3 lemons (about 3 tbsp)
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces

For the 7-minute meringue frosting:
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp sugar
2/3 cup water
2 tbsp light corn syrup
6 large egg whites

DIRECTIONS
First, make the lemon buttermilk cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 24 standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together the flour and baking powder.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the zest and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk and lemon juice, and beating until just combined after each.

Divide the batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Meanwhile, make the lemon curd: Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue stirring the mixture until it comes to a boil and thickens (at least 160 degrees on a candy thermometer). A good way to test is to see if it coats the back of a wooden spoon, if it does then it's ready.

Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, one piece at a time, until all of it is melted in. Strain the mixture, press plastic wrap over the top to cover, and refrigerate until well chilled.

To make the 7-minute meringue frosting: Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar with the water and corn syrup in a small saucepan; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230 degrees.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, beating to combine.

As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230 degrees, remove from heat. With mixer on medium-low speed, pour syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to medium-high; whisk until mixture is completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 7 minutes.

To assemble: Top each cooled cupcake with a tablespoon of chilled lemon curd. Place the meringue frosting in a large piping bag and use to top cupcakes. Use a kitchen torch to brown tops, if desired. Serve immediately.

SOURCE
slightly adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes.

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

I knew that these cupcakes were going to be a smash the second I baked them up and frosted them. The bacon craze still seems like it's going strong, and I definitely like the idea of bacon in all baked goods. When I got a request for a cupcake containing bacon, I was thrilled to try out the idea. I couldn't find anything on the internet that was exactly what I was looking for, so I combined a few elements of other bacon cupcakes to make these. I chose a buttermilk cake with a hint of maple syrup for the base of the cupcake. I don't like using maple extract and I didn't want too much maple syrup in the cupcake, so it was a challenge to get the right ratio of maple syrup to sugar, but in the end I think I found the perfect formula.

The frosting is where things got a little tricky. I wanted a bacon buttercream with a hint of maple that didn't contain bacon chunks. That was where I had to get creative since I didn't see anything on the internet like that. I finally decided to cook up and crumble a few slices of bacon, and then steep that into milk to create a bacon milk (you can infuse flavors like vanilla bean into milk, so why not bacon?). I turned that into a sweet buttercream with a hint of maple syrup.

The groom (these cupcakes were for a Memorial Day post-wedding celebration) really loved chocolate covered bacon, but I opted in the end to make a candied bacon garnish to do something a little different. I found that having that little extra bite on top made all the difference in these. It's always little touches like that that can make food feel extra special. Don't leave it out! Seriously, altogether a stellar cupcake I would make again in a second!

Maple Bacon Cupcakes
Yield: 36 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
For the maple buttermilk cupcakes: 
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp (2 1/4 sticks) salted butter, at room temp
1 cup packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks

3/4 cup grade B maple syrup

2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups buttermilk

For the bacon buttercream:
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) salted butter, at room temp

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 1/2 cups bacon-infused milk (see note at bottom), divided
5 tbsp all-purpose flour

For the candied bacon garnish:
12 slices thick-cut bacon
1 cup light brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

Begin by making the maple buttermilk cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy, about 8 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium. Add whole eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add yolks, and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the maple syrup and vanilla and beat until the mixture is combined and homogeneous. 

Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the bacon buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, about 8 minutes. Add the maple syrup and beat to combine. Set aside. 

Add 1/2 cup bacon-milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk to combine. The mixture should turn into a thick paste. Stream in another 1/2 cup of the bacon-milk and whisk to combine. The mixture should begin to thicken almost immediately. Slowly whisk in the remaining bacon-milk and cook until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, another couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. If there are any lumps at this point you can strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. 

Pour the cooled bacon-milk mixture into the stand mixer and beat on low speed to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and crank the mixture to medium-high. Let whip away until light and fluffy, about 8 minutes.

To make the candied bacon garnish: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lay a rack over a rimmed baking sheet covered in foil and lay out the bacon slices side by side. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the brown sugar over the bacon slices and press it in. Bake the bacon until the brown sugar melts and bubbles, about 10 minutes.

Remove the bacon and let cool for 5 minutes. Flip the bacon slices over and sprinkle/press in the remaining sugar. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the sugar is bubbling. Let cool completely.

To assemble: Frost each cooled cupcake with bacon buttercream and garnish with a piece of cooled candied bacon. Enjoy!

Note: To make bacon-infused milk, cook off 6 slices of thick-cut bacon in a pan over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove the bacon and crumble/cut into small pieces. Add the bacon crumbles to a saucepan with 1 3/4 cups milk over medium heat. Cook just until the mixture comes to a simmer. Remove from the heat and let steep, covered, for 30 minutes. Strain out the bacon, discard, and refrigerate the bacon-milk until you're ready to use it.

SOURCE
cupcake recipe heavily adapted from Martha Stewart, buttercream recipe is a Sarah Cupcake original, candied bacon recipe inspired from Gourmet

German Chocolate Cake

I made this cake for my 24th birthday last week. I don't think anyone in my family was surprised that I made my own birthday cake since it's pretty obvious how much I enjoy baking things. I chose this german chocolate cake recipe from Baked Explorations since I've had about half the recipes from the book dogeared for some time now. The chocolate cake layers came out absolutely perfect, almost like they came from a box mix (and I love the texture of box mix cake), only better. The sweet, sticky, caramely frosting was full of pecans and coconut, how can you go wrong with that? My only gripe was with how soupy the frosting ended up. The recipe instructed to bring the frosting to a boil and remove it from the heat, but my gut told me to boil it until it thickened. I should've listened to my instincts on that one! The overall cake also lacked a little moisture for me, so next time I would definitely add a milk chocolate frosting. Overall, though, I really can't complain about my first german chocolate cake!

German Chocolate Cake
Yield: one 9-inch triple-layer cake

INGREDIENTS
For the chocolate cake layers:
2 1/4 cups cake flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup hot brewed coffee
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) salted butter, at room temp
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 ounces dark chocolate, melted and cooled

For the icing:
1 1/3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, cut into 1" pieces
1 cup evaporated milk
3 egg yolks
1 1/3 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS
To make the chocolate cake layers: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 3 8" round cake pans: butter the bottom and sides, line the bottoms with parchment paper, butter the parchment, and dust the inside with flour, tapping out any excess. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside. In a 2-cup measuring cup combine the coffee and buttermilk, stirring to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and add the sugar. Beat on low speed until combined, then crank the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for another 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low speed begin adding the eggs one at a time, beating until each is completely incorporated before adding the next, and scraping down the sides of the bowl in between additions. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.

With the mixer off, add in 1/3 of the flour mixture. Turn the mixer to low speed and beat until the flour is just barely incorporated. Turn the mixer off, add 1/2 of the coffee mixture, and beat on low speed until barely incorporated. Continue this process, adding in another 1/3 of the flour mixture, remaining half of the coffee mixture, and finally the last 1/3 of flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl and make sure everything is combined, do not overmix.

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the melted chocolate with a rubber spatula until combined. Divide the mixture evenly between the 3 caked pans and give each pan a rap on the counter to settle and even out the batter. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pans set on a rack for 20 minutes before removing from the pans, peeling off the parchment, and cooling for another 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the icing: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spread half of the coconut on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown. Watch the coconut carefully, it doesn't take a long time to toast.

Add the sugar, butter, evaporated milk, and egg yolks to a medium pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture begins to thicken considerably remove it from the heat and stir in the coconut and pecans. Set over an ice bath and stir until cooled completely.

To assemble the cake: Layer 1/3 of the icing in between each layer of cake. Pipe chocolate frosting around the edges if desired, but it definitely doesn't need it.

SOURCE
Baked Explorations

90-Second Nutella Chocolate Cake

One of the hardest part about counting calories is that it's really hard to get in a satisfying sweet tooth fix without completely getting off track. If I'm making a chocolate cake I'm usually consuming 200-500 calories in batter or frosting alone - all those little licks and tastes really add up! Then there's the fact that in my house there's just not enough people to eat an entire chocolate dessert in one sitting, so the leftovers tend to call me late at night. I wonder when I've only got about 1200 calories a day to use how I can possibly fit in a piece of cake or brownie without going over my calorie count for the day.

Luckily I was so desperately hungry the other day that when I came across a full jar of unopened Nutella in my cabinet I started looking for quick and healthy alternatives to a large dessert. I'm so happy I scored with this amazing recipe! It cooks up in the microwave in no time and makes just enough for 1 large or 2 average sized servings. Best of all it's totally gooey and satisfying! Next time you need a sweet tooth fix look no further.

90-Second Nutella Chocolate Cake  
Yield: 1 large or 2 small servings (140 calories per serving)

INGREDIENTS
1 tbl nutella
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tbl all-purpose flour
1 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbl packed light brown sugar
1 tbl milk
pinch salt

DIRECTIONS
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Divide the mixture evenly between two half cup ramekins or add the entire mixture to a large coffee mug. Microwave on 70% power for 90 seconds, checking the cake/s after each 30 seconds for doneness.

SOURCE
adapted from Back to her Roots.