"Dirt" Vanilla Cupcakes, Bumble Bee Cake Pops & Potted Sunflower Cupcakes..a Labor Day Extravaganza!

Time is rushing on without me lately and I am quite a bit late in posting my Labor Day baking extravaganza! I'll let the pictures do the talking for the most part and fill in bits with recipes or links.

Vanilla Cupcake (courtesy of Me:modified)

93.75 grams self-rising flour
78 grams all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
225 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Milk

1. Combine self-rising flour and all-purpose flour in small bowl. Set aside. I prefer to whisk the flours together to ensure they are evenly mixed.
2. In another bowl, beat butter (room temperature, not melted) then add sugar and cream together for about 1 minute on medium speed.
3. Add vegetable oil and beat for another 2 minutes.
4. Add eggs (room temperature) 1 at a time and continue mixing until each is well incorporated.
5. Combine vanilla extract and milk (room temperature).
6. Alternate adding flour and milk, beginning and ending with flour. Do not over beat!
7. Spoon batter into cupcake liners, 3/4 full.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 minutes.
9. Cool 15 minutes in pan then remove to cool completely

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk, if necessary

Clay Pots filled with Vanilla Cupcake batter.. In theory, this was an awesome idea but in reality, this did not work out so well. They looked great though! The clay pot sucked out too much moisture leaving the outside overcooked and the inside undercooked. Next time I will definitely baked the cupcakes then place them into the pots.

I wanted to create "dirt" for my cake pop Bumble Bees to fly around so I crumbled up Oreo cookies. I very lightly frosted the cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting then dipped the frosted cupcakes into the Oreo crumbs.

To create a bit of dimension and unevenness to my "dirt" top, I added more frosting and re-dipped the cupcakes into the Oreo cookie crumbs.

I cut out the cutest cupcake holders for "grass' with the Cricut. I used the Lite Cupcake Wrapper cartridge with two different colors of green. This was a bit time intensive but the end results were worth it!

This is crumbled up cake I used for the cake pops. Crumble up your cake, add frosting (most people recommend using cream cheese frosting but its not my cup of tea) and mix. Absolutely love this idea! I borrowed it from Bakerella's website a year or two ago for cake balls and everyone seems to love them.

I stuck my sticks in a bit too early! Every time I dipped them into the warm chocolate, the balls would twist and slide off! Bakerella recommends dipping the stick in chocolate and then sticking it into the cake ball.

I got the idea for Bumble Bees from Bakerella's Blog! I substituted Almond Slivers for the white chocolate wafers. I only quickly glanced at the directions for these darling bees so mine are not nearly as good as Bakerella's!

I added little M&M ladybugs to add a little color and dimension to the landscaping! I also piped a couple of cupcakes with sunflowers.

I absolutely loved this project! Sure it was cake overload all on one cupcake but it was so cute! During our Labor Day festivities, people would take off the cake pop and eat it off the stick and then others would eat the cupcake. The sunflowers in the clay pots looked perfect but they were absolutely terrible and rock hard inside. So much for baking in a clay pot! Next time I will bake the cupcake then spoon pieces of cake into the clay pots.

Vanilla Cupcake Recipe Courtesy of Me!

My very own cupcake recipe is finally beginning to take shape. I have been working with the Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Cupcake recipe, tweaking different its and bits until I have a recipe I am in love with. My requirements: super moist, dense cake, not too sweet and must taste delicious. While many people may prefer a light, fluffy cupcake, I prefer mine fairly dense and sponge-y to complement the rich frostings I like to use.

Here's my recipe thus far!

Vanilla Cupcake (courtesy of Me)

93.75 grams self-rising flour
78 grams all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
225 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Milk

1. Combine self-rising flour and all-purpose flour in small bowl. Set aside. I prefer to whisk the flours together to ensure they are evenly mixed.
2. In another bowl, beat butter (room temperature, not melted) then add sugar and cream together for about 1 minute on medium speed.
3. Add vegetable oil and beat for another 2 minutes.
4. Add eggs (room temperature) 1 at a time and continue mixing until each is well incorporated.
5. Combine vanilla extract and milk (room temperature).
6. Alternate adding flour and milk, beginning and ending with flour. Do not over beat!
7. Spoon batter into cupcake liners, 3/4 full.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 minutes.
9. Cool 15 minutes in pan then remove to cool completely.

This cupcake recipe is still in its infant stages but I enjoy it.

A Turkish Spin: Pistachio Cream Filled Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

The weekend went by in a cooking blur or at least Saturday did. We started off our day with a run to the Farmer's Market in Troy and rounded it out with an entire afternoon and evening of peeling, chopping, sifting, baking, and cooking. Yes, we were preparing a Turkish Dinner... what other dinner requires so much time and preparation? Thank goodness the eating of a typical Turkish Dinner can last for hours!

Our Turkish Menu:
Tomato Soup
Salad
Lentil Balls
Karniyarik (Stuffed Eggplant with Ground Beef
Pilav (Turkish Rice)
Pistachio Cupcakes

I could not have asked for a better dinner (unless I was in Turkey) or better company. You will never truly understand food, its tastes, textures and smells until you have literally put your hands into the thick of it and that is what Turkish food is all about..it is basically a love affair with food. Getting your hands messy and taking the time to fill each with love.

Tomato Soup with Fried Mint Sauce

Lentil Balls

My favorite! Karniyarik

During all this hard work and preparation, I focused on the cupcakes! I wanted to create a cupcake with a nod towards Turkish food using a fairly basic recipe so if all fails, I could still enjoy a plain Vanilla Cupcake.

All Pistachio based recipes are my own concoction so please if you enjoy them, pass it around but give credit where credit is due. I researched online but was unable to find any recipes for pistachio filling whether it be for Cupcakes, Macoroons, Pies, etc. Enjoy!

Pistachios are used in all things good in Turkey! Baklava, Turkish Delight, Marzipan, etc.

Pistachio Cream Filled Cupcakes with Pistachio Buttercream Frosting

Pistachio Cream (Courtesy of Me)

You will need:
4 tablespoons Whipping Cream
3/4 ounce of shelled pistachios
1/4 cup butter
1/2 pound confectioners sugar
Extra Whipping Cream
Extra shelled pistachios

This is the fun part! To begin you must prepare unsalted pistachios by shelling them, then de-skining them.
1. Shell the pistachios then soak in boiling water for 15 minutes to loosen the skins. While tedious as this may seem, it is necessary to fully appreciate the pistachios.
2. In saucepan, add your 4 tablespoons Whipping Cream and shelled pistachios, bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes until Whipping Cream has reduced (continuously stir to keep from burning)
3. Transfer pistachio mixture to a blender and let cool for a few minutes. Puree. Do not worry if you have still have its and bits of visible pistachios pieces.
4. In a mixing bowl, beat your room temperature butter to a creamy consistency then slowly add your sifted powdered sugar.
5. Add your pureed pistachio mix to frosting and continue to beat with mixer until well blended.

At this point, you should have a Pistachio Buttercream Frosting.

6. Add more whipping cream until you reach the desired consistency for your filling cream. I added 3 tablespoons of Whipping Cream. Add additional chopped pistachios (not pistachio mixture) if you want a stronger pistachio taste and a little crunch.

Yields enough filling for 24 cupcakes at 2 teaspoons each.








Side Note: The difference between the Pistachio Filling and Pistachio Frosting is the consistency and taste. I wanted to top my cupcakes with a Vanilla Buttercream Frosting but the flavor was too sweet so I decided to add a light pistachio flavoring with the slight sweetness of Almond Extract.


Pistachio Buttercream Frosting (courtesy of Me)

You will need:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 pound confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
1 ounce Pistachios

1. Blend butter and sifted confectioner's sugar then add 1/2 teaspoon of Almond Extract.
2. In your blender, puree your pistachios until you have fine pieces of Pistachio.
3. Add pistachio pieces to buttercream frosting.

Yields enough frosting for 12 cupcakes.

Vanilla Cupcake Recipe (courtesy of Magnolia Bakery)
Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
* 2 cups sugar
* 4 large eggs, at room temperature
* 1 cup milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I did equal parts Almond Extract and Vanilla Extract to equal 1 teaspoon)


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 (1/2 cup-12 capacity) muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

To Assemble:

Take a small knife and cut out a conical shape from cupcakes. Remove. Fill hole with Pistachio Cream Filling. Cut tops of the piece your removed from the cupcakes off and replace on top of the cupcake (this is to prevent your frosting from caving in in case your filling seeps into the cupcake and creates a void) Frost with Pistachio Buttercream Filling and top with pistachio pieces and Voila!

If at first you don't succeed, throw it all away!

Tips:

• Dust chocolate chips, blueberries, chopped strawberries, etc. with flour to prevent sinking in batter.
• Separate your eggs when cold but allow the egg whites to reach room temperature before beating to achieve more volume and stiff, firm peaks.

I have these great aspirations for cupcakes so good you cannot eat just one which may defeat the purpose of these individually portioned treats but isn't it nice to have goals? It all started Friday when I thought to myself, "Wouldn't white chocolate filled vanilla cupcakes topped with strawberry buttercream frosting be delicious, like a flavor packed White Chocolate Covered Strawberry?" These were my exact thoughts,.. too bad my cupcakes nor the frosting were receiving my well thought out ESP signals. Instead they took on a mind of their own. The perfect little Vanilla Cupcake basically spit out my idea of a white creamy chocolate-y middle and sunk my chocolate every time I tried, tried again even after I dusted them with flour to keep the chocolate suspended within the batter. I tried placing two melting chocolate disks pushed down in the middle of the batter, placing a grouping of white chocolate chips in the middle of the batter and finally sprinkling as many white chocolate chips as the cup would hold on top of the batter in high hopes that even if the chocolate did sink, there were so many chips, they would be scattered throughout the cupcake. Finally, success! I cut open a fresh still warm from the oven cupcake and my white chocolate chips came oozing out of the bottom middle... 5 minutes later...poof! The chocolate hardened into a crunchy state. Not exactly my idea of white chocolate tastiness but I digress.

On to my fabulous buttercream.. or it was until I added 1 cup of chopped strawberries turning my once stout buttercream to a creamy mess. At first I thought I added too many strawberries, which I did, 1 cup to 1 lb of confectioner's sugar is not an even match but even after adding another pound and counting, my perfect buttercream was destroyed. The only saving grace is it was definitely tasty when paired with my Vanilla Cupcakes (with the crunchy white chocolate floating around the bottom) but in the end it all met its doom in my trash can. I could not handle constantly cleaning up drips from the counter top with every bite I took.

Monday I took another stab at Strawberry Buttercream frosting, white chocolate cupcakes and a new recipe for White Chocolate frosting. My thinking being, if I cannot succeed at Strawberry Buttercream this time, I have a fall back because I know I cannot mess up icing with an egg white base.

Wow, have the mighty fallen! Strawberry Buttercream Frosting... FAIL! Still a creamy mess! White Chocolate frosting ...FAIL! Everything was going great until I added the butter and white chocolate then it became a lumpy creamy mess! White Chocolate cupcakes...FAIL! This time I added 10 ounces melted white chocolate chips to the recipe trying to replicate the addition of white chocolate chips from another recipe I read online but using my Vanilla Cupcake recipe. This actually was not too disasturous. Because I had leftover yolks from the White Chocolate frosting debacle, I thought I would replace two out of the 4 eggs in my Vanilla Cupcake recipe with egg yolks to try to obtain the denser texture everyone seemed to love in the yogurt version of the Vanilla Cupcakes. I added a couple tablespoons of water to offset the liquid. The taste of the cupcake was Vanilla Cupcakes. I added a couple tablespoons of water to offset the liquid. The taste of the cupcake was quite delicious, however, it seems there was not enough "binding" in the batter to hold the cupcakes together so while very moist and great texture, the cake, out of the cupcake wrapper fell to pieces.




I look forward to the day when I will get it through my thick skull to make only one change at a time to a recipe. Maybe if I had left the recipe and eggs alone and simply added the chocolate, I would be sitting here today raving about my great cupcake skills! Maybe if I had only adjusted the eggs and not added any chocolate, I would also be raving about my great cupcake skills. Instead, I am defeated and overly sugared up with a trash can full of cupcakes and frosting.


On a more positive note, I have purchased Shirley Corriher's book Bakewise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking and will soon be learning everything I can about why I use baking powder in some recipes and baking soda in others, why my cupcakes sink and how to make them more moist. Crossing my fingers, it will be a good investment.






Strawberry Buttercream Frosting from Southern Living


Yield: Makes 2 1/2 cups
Ingredients

* 1 cup butter, softened
* 2 (16-ounce) packages powdered sugar, sifted
* 1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries

Preparation

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer 20 seconds or until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and chopped strawberries, beating at low speed until creamy. (Add more sugar if frosting is too thin, or add strawberries if too thick.)

White Chocolate Buttercream Icing from eHow
Step 1
First you need to make sure you have White Chocolate that has "Cocoa Butter" as one of the first two ingredients on the package.

Step 2
Take the chocolate and place it into a bowl and place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Be careful not to let any water get into the chocolate or it will bind up. You may also place the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and microwave for 10 seconds at a time. Removing it after each 10 seconds and stir.

Step 3
Take the egg whites and beat till soft peaks form. Now start to gradually add the sugar a little at a time. When all the sugar has been incorporated beat on high till stiff peaks form.

Step 4
Add the butter a little at a time.

Step 5
Now add the melted white chocolate while beating slowly and then beat till smooth. You're done.

This will make about 6 Cups of Icing.