I’d never tried the swirl. It seems the perfect recipe to end up on Pinterest Fail. However, sometimes you’ve got to mix it up!
I stuffed a bag with chocolate icing on one side and peanut butter on the other. It worked out ok but wasn’t perfect. My main issue wasn’t in separating the flavors but that the chocolate and peanut butter icings were different consistencies. You can see in the photos how they didn’t behave the same, the peanut butter was not as smooth (probably not a frosting best suited to piping).
I later saw someone doing this with three bags (two bags of icing in a third bag with tip), and I will try that method next time! I’ll also make sure my frostings are more similar.
I was fulfilling a birthday cupcake flavor request of peanut butter and chocolate. The swirled icing wasn’t the only chocolate in my peanut butter, the cupcakes themselves were peanut butter with chocolate chips.
I’m known for cupcakes and rarely is anyone surprised when I bring cupcakes to an event. However, sometimes I can be a little crafty.
A friend organized a last minute birthday dinner, and I whipped up a quick half batch that fit in a smaller container than my normal carrier. I was able to conceal the cupcakes for an afternoon of birthday pampering and most of the meal. Ha! I was pleased that the birthday girl was surprised.
For these cupcakes, I used an apple cupcake recipe from Chow, adding some butterscotch extract and using coriander instead of the other spices. I topped them with butterscotch buttercream frosting.
I’d bought the butterscotch extract at Olive Nation on a whim and had been waiting for an excuse to use it. It paired well with the moist and not-too-sweet apple cake.
For my office holiday party, I baked peanut butter cupcakes by request. They tasted peanut-y, but I thought they were a little dry. (Others disagreed on the dryness, I suppose I’m a harsh judge.)
The chocolate frosting, which included a little instant coffee to punch up the flavor, was a definite hit. The recipe may appear on the blog at a later date, I need to try it more than once, first! I used the extra frosting on some vanilla minis I baked for those who don’t like peanut butter.
I made a last-minute decision to bake pumpkin cupcakes, too. They turned out to be the most popular at the party! I do like the pumpkin, myself, though I only tasted a peanut butter and a vanilla this round.
My husband’s company had a charity bake sale for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, and he made cupcakes!
Share Our Strength® is a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. They work with community groups, activists and food programs to surround children facing hunger with nutritious food.
I was proud that my husband wanted to bake cupcakes himself for the event. It was difficult for me to stand by while he took charge of the baking, but I did my best. I did formulate a recipe for him from his idea to mimic the taste of a nice hot cup of minty mocha.
The recipe is based on a basic chocolate but replaces some of the cocoa with coffee grounds. It was his idea to start there, as the chocolate cupcake recipe already uses a small amount of brewed coffee to enhance the flavor. He used fresh Birch Coffee beans, ground as fine as our electric grinder would grind them.
Scooping and Piping like a pro!
The whole batch left the house, but he bought a cupcake at the sale so that I could taste the results of his efforts. (I shared.) It did taste of chocolate and coffee with a sweet minty finish, much like a peppermint mocha. Great job! We make a good team, huh?
Make the Vanilla Buttercream with a teaspoon of peppermint extract for these.
Amélie Walker-Yung
Recipe: Mocha Cupcakes
Makes 2 dozen cupcakes
2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter (room temp) 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup brown sugar 3 large eggs (room temp) 3 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cup buttermilk (room temp) 3/4 cup sour cream (room temp) 3 tablespoons brewed coffee 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup cocoa powder 3 tablespoons coffee grounds (finely ground) 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar for five minutes. Then, add the eggs, one at a time, and add the vanilla extract.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, the cocoa, the baking soda and the salt, and the coffee grounds. In another bowl, mix the milk, the sour cream and the brewed coffee.
Add the two mixtures to the bowl with the butter, the sugar and the eggs. It is best to alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients. Mix well.
Put the batter into muffin tins lined with cupcake papers. Bake them for 20 minutes. (Rotate after 10 minutes, check at 18 minutes.) Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to cool completely on racks.
All my stands for cupcake display—even the Ferris Wheel—made it out for this event.
The always crowd-pleasing Carrot Cupcakes were the request for a friend’s baby shower, and I was happy to bake a double batch. I also helped with decorations for the party, though I was not the mastermind (that was another crafty friend)! The artist mom-to-be drew a baby owl to adorn the invitations and décor, and we used it as a theme throughout.
Pies ‘n’ Thighs catered everything but the cupcakes, including their tasty fried chicken and cornbread with honey butter (and lots more). Lucky bar patrons who came in after the party got the leftovers.
Congrats to the new parents (beautiful baby boy has now arrived)!
Owls overlook the favor table. (Unmatched socks! If you know the mom-to-be, you get it.)
I’m known for cupcakes and rarely is anyone surprised when I bring cupcakes to an event. However, sometimes I can be a little crafty.
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