This recipe book is called "101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 Minutes" - how perfect is that? I love pretty and tasty things and I love saving time. This book is brilliant! Take a cake mix and turn it into cupcake heaven!
So this past week, we had the missionaries overfor dinner and I made two different cupcakes. Patrick wanted to have a cupcake decorating contest, it being close to Halloween and all, and I wanted tasty cupcakes.
Here are the recipes, and my personal notes to go with them. :) Enjoy!!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcake (these are like Reese's Heaven, really. And I realize I've used that word a lot in this post.)
1 box chocolate cake mix (I used Devil's food)
3 eggs
1 c milk
1 bag chocolate PB cups (Reese's - yes, the big ones. Yum! Get the jumbo bag.)
- Mix together cake mix, eggs, and milk. Pour 2 T batter into paper liners and place a Reese's cup on top. Fill paper liners 3/4 way full. (I used Pampered Chef scoops and used the medium scoop, which is the perfect size!)
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire ra
ck. When completely cooled, frost.
- Frost with PB frosting or chocolate buttercream.
It took the full 15-18 minutes or so. I had one batch that I cooked for that time and they sunk, but they were SUPER moist. Another batch I let cook too long, they were still good, but kind of dry - though they were tasty after they sat in the fridge for a day. The first 6 I made were HEAVENLY moist, so somewhere around 20 minutes, I'm guessing. Or whatever your oven does because maybe it's my possessed gas oven. :) And it made 18 cupcakes, but they're BIG full cupcakes because you have to use a good amount to cover the Reese's. Next time, I'll double the batch and let them sink a little and I think they'll be just plain perfect - besides, who complains when there's a little extra frosting on top to cover up a sunken center? (Not Miss B!)
Peanut Butter Frosting
1 c peanut butter (smooth or chunky - I used smooth)
1/2 c butter, room temperature
2 c powdered sugar
3-4 T milk or cream (I used cream because I have some)
1 tsp vanilla extract
- Combine PB and butter in a large bowl, mixing together until light and fluffy. Stop mixer before adding sugar.
- Add sugar, 3 T milk or cream, and vanilla. Start slow and mix together, gradually increasing the
speed. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add more milk or cream (1-2 T) if frosting is too thick.
I made this batch and was immediately taken back to my childhood. Every Christmas, or some Christmases, we'd make these peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. They are basically a stiff version of this frosting, dipped in chocolate and frozen. I could sit in front of the tv and eat this frosting from the bowl. Yummmmmmmmmm.
Rob and Elder Siegfried enjoying their cupcakes. Elder Siegfried won the decorating competition! Look at the detail! (it's about baptism :p)
Harvest Pumpkin (Pumpkin Spice) Cupcakes
1 box spice cake mix
1 c pumpkin puree (I put the rest in the fridge to use later this week)
1 tsp vanilla xtract
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1 c chocolate chips (I used milk choco)
1 c butterscotch chips
Mix together all ingredients. Pour batter into paper liners and fill 3/4 full.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until cakes are light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely on wire rack.
Frost with cream cheese frosting (or you can use chocolate ganache, chocolate buttercream, or vanilla buttercream).
Made about 2 - 2 1/2 doz regular sized cupcakes. You know, not spilling over the top, but not too small either. These cupcakes were seriously Heaven-sent. Really, I know you're going crazy with my lack of vocabulary, but I wanted to eat them all after I tasted just one. In fact, I think they tasted better without the cream cheese frosting. Next time I'm going to try the chocolate ganache frosting. The chocolate and butterscotch chips add an extra tasty and rich element to these cupcakes, so make sure every cupcake has some! I used my Pampered Chef scoop again. It is seriously a brilliant purchase - the scoop - in case you're wondering. So fast, so easy, so clean! I hate messy cupcake trays and uneven cupcakes in the same pan. Hello, even baking!
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 c butter, softened
3-3/4 c powdered sugar (I think I read this wrong when I made them and only used a couple cups, haha, still tastes good)
1 tsp vanilla extract
- Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and light.
- Stop mixer and add sugar and vanilla.
- Start mixer on low and gradually increase the speed until frosting is fluffy.
- Frost and refrigerate.
I actually doubled this recipe since I had 2 1/2 doz cupcakes. Good idea. Well, I like a good amount of frosting on my cupcakes, no skimping there! I did have extra frosting, but it's a great dip for graham crackers!
I refrigerated both of these cupcakes since their frosting is more prone to perishing and let me tell you, the Reese's cupcake is SOOOOO good cold! In fact, I'm going to go get the last one from the fridge right now. Enjoy!
Elder Harward and Rob showing off their cupcakes.
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