Category Archives: Cupcakes, Cakes & Pies

Engagement Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes

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Memories are a funny thing. Some fade away instantly, falling into the corners of the mind as soon as the moment is gone. Others come back as fragmented pieces, allowing you to recall an event or a time, but leaving the details behind. And then there are the memories that stick with you. Perfectly preserved, as clear as the moment they happened. Like everyone else, I have my share of all three of these types of memories. But it is those few perfectly clear ones that seem to have had the most impact. One of my clearest memories occurred three yeas ago. It was a small moment between my Grandparents, my cousins and I, but it’s one I recall nearly every day. My grandparents were more in love than any pair I’ve ever known. They have the type of love story that you read about in books, the type of story that everyone hopes to have. And I remember, as clear as the moment it occurred, a speech my Grandma gave to her five grandchildren about the bond they shared. It was Christmas of 2009 when my Grandma shared her hopes for us. She looked adoringly at her husband, like she always did and said “This is what I want for all of you. For you to find someone that you love this deeply, and have this much fun with. I hope each of you finds your best friend to share your life with. Because when you find this… it is when your life really begins.” Her small speech struck me. Because although I never really considered myself a romantic, the words she spoke resonated with me, because I knew that is what I hoped for too. And then, much to my chagrin, a friend came to mind. Someone I had just met a few months earlier, but was quickly becoming quite smitten with. His name was Eric and even after a few months of knowing him it was clear that he was one of the kindest people I had ever met. I had never really felt quite as comfortable or at ease than when I was with my new friend Eric. And it wasn’t long after that night with my grandparents that it became clear that he was that best friend that my Grandma had described. People always say that when you meet your match you just know. Before Eric, I wasn’t quite sure if I believed that. I thought those amazing love stories were just for a lucky few, and for some reason I wasn’t quite sure if I would find that type of love. But after mere weeks of knowing this kind, generous man, I just knew that in Eric, I’d found my home. And after three wonderful years together, Eric asked me to be his wife. On the Friday before Christmas, he took me to Campus Martius in downtown Detroit, and proposed in front of the biggest, most beautiful Christmas tree around.

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We were standing in front of the tree, and Eric told me to look up at the lights. When I looked back at him, he was down on one knee with a ring in his hand. I was shocked and elated and immediately said “Yes!” He then surprised me yet again, by having both of our families meet us downtown to share such a special night with us. It was truly a night I will never forget.

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And since every New Year’s Eve we often celebrate the new year with  bottle of champagne, I thought Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes would be the perfect dessert to celebrate this new step in our lives. The cupcakes have a subtle champagne flavor and are the perfect dessert when topped with a touch of cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!

Ingredients: Makes 36 mini cupcakes, recipe from The Cupcake Diaries

  • 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced
  • 1/2 cup champagne
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons softened butter
  • 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • seeds from 1 vanilla bean
  • 1 1/4 cup milk

For the cream cheese frosting:

  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a mini cupcake pan with 36 cupcake liners
  2. In a small bowl, soak diced strawberries in champagne and set aside
  3. In a medium bowl, sift dry ingredients together (flour through salt) and set aside
  4. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until soft and creamy
  5. Add eggs, one at a time to butter mixture
  6. Combine vanilla, vanilla bean seeds and milk in a large liquid measuring cup, set aside
  7. Add one third of flour mixture into butter mixture and beat until well incorporated. Follow by adding one third of the milk mixture. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk mixture into batter until all is well incorporated
  8. Drain the strawberries of excess champagne and pat lightly with a paper towel
  9. Gently fold strawberries into cake batter until well mixed.
  10. Scoop batter into cupcake pan and bake for 10 minutes
  11. To make frosting, beat cream cheese and butter together until well incorporated
  12. Slowly add powdered sugar to butter mixture until all is well incorporated
  13. Stir in vanilla
  14. Use a pastry bag to pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes

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Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

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We’re only two weeks into December and it has already been a flurry of holiday related activities. I’ve indulged in a few hot chocolates and packaged up dozens of Christmas cookies to give away as gifts. I saw the Christmas Tree Lighting in Downtown Detroit and drove through Dearborn’s Holiday Light Show on Hines Drive. I spent an evening at  ”Christmas with the Rat Pack” with my boyfriend, Eric and had a fantastic time. I then watched a holiday special hosted by my other boyfriend Michael Buble and also had a fantastic time.  I realized that I strongly resemble Buddy the Elf come December 1st. Anything Christmas related makes me ridiculously pumped. Seasonal items somehow always find their way into my grocery cart no matter how many times I convince myself that the green & red packaging does not, in fact, make it taste like Christmas. But do you want to know what does taste like Christmas? Peppermint and chocolate. Anyone who has tried the deliciously decadent Starbucks Peppermint Mocha know that this dynamic combination makes for one festive treat. So I decided to translate the delicious peppermint & chocolate combo into a cupcake. I used my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe and simply added a bit of peppermint extract. And a topping of fluffy cream cheese frosting accents these cupcakes perfectly. They would be a great dessert at your next holiday party or could even be given as a gift. Enjoy!
Ingredients: Makes 12 cupcakes
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup of half & half
  • 1/4 cup of canola oil
  • 1 1/2  teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1/2 cup boiling water

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 6 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 3 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
Preparation:
  1. In a large bowl sift together dry ingredients (flour through salt)
  2. Add egg, milk, canola oil & vanilla into dry ingredients and beat with an electric mixer until well incorporated
  3. Stir in boiling water (batter will be very runny)
  4. Pour batter into 12 cupcake liners and bake at 350 for 22 minutes
  5. For the frosting, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract together until just combined
  6. Beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time
  7. Use a piping bag to frost cooled cupcakes and top with peppermint candy, if desired

Gingerbread Cupcakes

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For me, the day after Thanksgiving is the true beginning of the Christmas season. Suddenly my music selections consist solely of the yuletide variety, Holiday movies are all I really have a taste for and my kitchen is full of the flavors of the season. And though it isn’t quite December yet, I felt a holiday Gingerbread Cupcake would be a great recipe to share. This spicy and sweet cake is covered in a decadent cream cheese frosting making for one delicious dessert. The recipe is from the Cupcake Diaries, a cookbook and memoir written by the bakers behind Georgetown Cupcakes. The soft texture of this cake and the subtly spiciness is proof that these sisters really know what they’re doing when it comes to cupcakes. So even if you aren’t quite filled with the holiday spirit just yet, I would suggest you give this recipe a try. Because the sweet smell of gingerbread wafting through your kitchen is sure to bring on the spirit of the season in no time.

Ingredients: From Georgetown Cupcakes; Makes 24 cupcakes

  • 2 3/4 cup flour
  • 3 tablespoons ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 10 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1 cup hot water

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 5 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups powdered sugar

Preparation:

  1. In a medium sized  bowl, sift together dry ingredients (flour through salt) set aside
  2. In a large bowl, cream butter and dark brown sugar together until light and fluffy
  3. Add eggs into butter mixture, one at a time, beating after each addition
  4. Beat molasses into butter mixture until just combined
  5. Alternate adding dry ingredients and hot water into butter mixture until all ingredients are well incorporated
  6. Scoop batter into cupcake liners and bake at 350 for 20 minutes
  7. For the batter, beat softened cream cheese and butter together until creamy
  8. Beat in vanilla
  9. Beat in powdered sugar one cup at a time until well incorporated
  10. Use a piping bag to pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes

Sweet Potato Cupcakes

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One more day until the most food filled holiday of the year! I hope you are all busy in your kitchens baking and cooking your way to a Thanksgiving feast. I’ll be whipping up a classic sweet potato casserole later tonight, but I thought I would actually share another recipe that centers around this quintessential autumn ingredient. On Tuesday we had a Thanksgiving potluck at work and I decided to bring along a batch of these Sweet Potato Cupcakes.  I found this recipe over at TheBakingPan and decided to top them with a classic cream cheese frosting.  And I’m happy to report that this recipe was quite a hit. My coworkers were big fans of these cupcakes, which is great, because I’m a big fan of all of them. Finding a job that I love is another thing I’m very thankful for this year. My first year out of college was a bit of a bumpy road and for a while I started to think I would never find a good fit. But somehow, I stumbled upon a job that I actually love going to every day. It’s challenging and interesting and fun every single day. Not everyone can say that about the place the spend 40+ hours every week, so I am incredibly thankful that I found such a great place to work. And they let me bring cupcakes in whenever I want. Major plus. Happy Thanksgiving!

Ingredients: Makes 12 cupcakes

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes (about one large sweet potato, cooked, peeled and mashed

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 3 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation:

  1. In a medium sized bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour through nutmeg)
  2. In a large bowl, place butter and sugars and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy
  3. Beat in eggs, one at a time
  4. Stir in vanilla
  5. Alternate adding dry ingredients and mashed sweet potatoes into butter mixture until well incorporated
  6. Scoop batter into 12 cupcake liners and bake at 350 for 20 minutes
  7. For the frosting, beat cream cheese & butter together until well combined
  8. Slowly beat powdered sugar into cream cheese mixture until just combined
  9. Stir in vanilla and pipe onto cooled cupcakes

Coconut Cupcakes with Whipped Coconut Milk Frosting

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When my mom was pregnant with me, she was pretty convinced I was going to be a boy. They even had a name picked out and ready for me. But to my mom’s excitement, she had a little girl to share a love of fashion, makeup and other girly things. Or so she thought. Although I’m far from a tomboy…shopping and makeup have always been very low on my priority list. In fact, shopping for clothes is something I dread. I would prefer to hold on to clothes until they are so tattered and faded that my mother has to secretly throw them out without me knowing. I’m not a fan of this hobby of hers, but I realize it is at times quite necessary. And it came as no surprise that when I was on the brink of entering the working world, I had little interest in putting together a good “work wardrobe.” If it were up to me, I would probably be wearing the same black pants to work that I wore to my 8th grade choir concert. So thank goodness I have a mom that has had the patience to inform me again and again of the importance of owning some classic wardrobe items. Little black dress. Tailored pants with blouses that actually match. And shoes in the classic neutral colors. And though I do agree that owning these classic items of clothing is important for life in the working world, I’m still far more interested in a different set of “classics.” Classic cupcake flavors. Not too long ago, I discovered my essential chocolate cupcake recipe. And soon after I discovered my vanilla cupcake and lemon cake standbys. But one that I hadn’t yet found was a perfect recipe for coconut cake. Until now. Because at last, my classic coconut has arrived. This coconut cake recipe has the perfectly light and airy texture with a subtly sweet coconut flavor. And oh my goodness the frosting. It took mass amounts of willpower to resist the urge to eat the majority of this frosting with a spoon. It is incredibly creamy and light, and isn’t too sweet. You can definitely mix and match these classic flavors with your favorite cake or frosting recipes. Because as my mother taught me, the beauty of the classics is the ability to mix and match.

Ingredients: Makes 20 cupcakes, (Cake Recipe from Georgetown Cupcakes)

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  •  1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
Coconut Frosting:
  • 1/3 cup full fat coconut milk (thickened)
  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation:

  1. In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder & salt together, set aside
  2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together
  3. Beat eggs into butter mixture, one at a time
  4. Stir vanilla extract into milk
  5. Alternate adding milk and dry ingredients into butter mixture until all is well combined
  6. Fold in coconut into batter
  7. Divide batter into 20 cupcake liners and bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes
  8. For the frosting, start by taking one 15 oz can of ful fat coconut milk (I used Thai Kitchen brand) and chill in the fridge for at least 5 hours. This will thicken the milk to the consistency of whipped cream, if it hasn’t yet reached that state after 5 hours, cool in the fridge for a bit longer
  9. Next place 1/3 cup of the thickened coconut milk, and the butter in a large bowl and beat on high until light and fluffy
  10. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until well incorporated and frosting is light and fluffy

Bumpy Cake Cupcakes

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People always say that a girl’s relationship with her dad will shape her in a special way. Because dads are the first person a little girl turns to with that first scraped knee and dads are the model by which girls will judge all the other men in her life. And if she’s lucky, few people will ever quite measure up to a girl’s dad. And I’m happy to say I’m one of those lucky few. You can’t get much better than my dad. So in honor of Father’s Day I’m going to share a few of my favorite lessons that I’ve learned from my “Pa”

  1. Family comes first. I don’t think I realized until I started working myself, just how hard my dad has always worked. He worked long hours and went on quite a few business trips when I was growing up, yet I never remember him not being around. In grade school, he was at every single soccer game. In fact, he was even at every soccer practice, seeing as he was my soccer coach for 10 years straight. And in high school, he attended every choir concert, cheering the loudest after every one of my solos. Even after the one that I panicked on stage, forgot all the words, and cried the entire car ride home. But he was there afterwards to make me laugh, and remind me that it was perfectly alright to mess up now and then. Because even though he had two businesses to run and friends to play golf with, he was there for us through everything.
  2. Finding and losing friends is a natural part of life. I remember dreading moving away to college. I couldn’t imagine leaving my friends behind and I lamented to my dad about the horrible possibility of losing touch with people. And rather than telling me that it would never happen, he told me the truth. It probably would. I was crushed. But he also told me, that the true friendships I’d made thus far would continue into the future, and that college would probably provide me with a few more best friends. At the time, I thought it was impossible, the friends I’d made in high school were the only friends I’d ever need. But of course, my dad was right. Some of those friendships faded away, the true friendships lasted, and I met even more lifelong friends in college. And thank goodness for that..because where would I be without Leona and Eric?
  3. Jimmy Buffet music is a way of life, Broadway music is more than just jazz hands and sparkles, and artists who actually write their own lyrics can teach you a lot more than pop singers who lip synch. My dad loves all genres of music, and he made sure I was well versed in them as well. It was pretty much a requirement that we know the majority of Jimmy Buffet’s albums growing up and that we understood the idea of “island time.” And when I was 12, my dad took me to see Les Miserables, showing me that Broadway musicals could be beautiful works of art, and not just a bunch of people dancing around in feather boas. And as I grew older he introduced me to Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro and I discovered the wonderful world of singer song writers who seem to paint pictures about life with their words. And soon “Both Sides Now” was on repeat rather than some of those ridiculous 90s pop songs. Thanks, Pa.
  4. If it is nearly impossible to embarrass your children, you’ve probably done a pretty good job with the whole parenting thing. Whether he was dancing in the grocery store aisles or singing while walking down the street, he just never really managed to embarrass us. Lord knows he tried, but even in the peak of my angsty teenager stage, my dad was never a source of embarrassment…he was just funny. He taught us how to make fun of ourselves and that it was actually pretty enjoyable to look stupid. So when most fifteen year olds would hide behind the cheese display when their father cracked out the dance moves in Kroger..I always just joined in. Life is just more fun that way.
  5. Enjoy every day and never stop having fun. From the moment he wakes up in the morning to the seconds before he falls asleep, my dad is as peppy and as cheery as can be. Of course we have mocked him throughout the years for his constantly chipper demeanor, but its an attitude towards life that I strive to adopt as well. Everyone who knows him, knows he likes to have fun. He always led the “night before Halloween” tradition of ding-dong-ditching our neighbors, and he has transformed people watching into a sport. My dad is a guy who has always been surrounded by good friends and is one of those people where good times just follow. And honestly, if my 60th birthday party is as rockin as his was, I think I’ll consider my life a life well lived.

And these bumpy cake cupcakes is a nod to my dad’s ever-chipper temperament. He recently had some oral surgery which has temporarily wiped some food groups from his diet. But rather than complain about the absence of some of his favorite dishes…he merely replaced those hard to eat foods with Bumpy Cake. He started picking up a Sander’s Bumpy Cake once a week and eating it piece by piece. So because of this new “When in doubt, eat cake” theory that he has put in place, I thought I would make him a batch inspired by his new favorite food group. So go ahead and make these for your dad, because if you are as lucky as I am, he has probably taught you quite a bit over the years. Happy Father’s Day Pa!

Ingredients: Makes 24 cupcakes (from Foodbuzz.com)

For the “Bumps”

  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 cup powdered sugar
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Ganache

  • 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons + 4 teaspoons water
  • 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation:

  1. Prepare cupcakes according to package instructions, let cool completely
  2. For the butter cream “bumps” place butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until light & fluffy
  3. Slowly beat vanilla & heavy cream into butter mixture until well incorporated
  4. Place buttercream in a piping bag and pipe two thick stripes on top of each cupcake, place cupcakes in freezer and freeze for at least 30 minutes
  1. For the ganache, place first 4 ingredients (cocoa through corn syrup) in a saucepan over medium high heat and stir until mixture is hot
  2. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar
  3. After cupcakes have frozen, dip them into ganache and set on a cooling rack for chocolate to set completely