Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Even though I tend to use the same recipes over and over if I like them and they work, I can't help but want to try something new! I decided to go with Hershey's Chocolate Cake and Frosting recipes for the Chocolate cupcakes at the bake sale. They were delicious, but I do think I like my standard chocolate cake from Ina a bit better (though the recipes are so similar).

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake and Frosting

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hersheys Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water


Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).

Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups.

Fill cups 2/3 full with batter.

Bake 22 to 25 minutes.

Chocolate Frosting (I doubled this)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Butter, add in cocoa powder and mix together on low.

Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.

Add small amount additional milk, if needed.

Stir in vanilla.

About 2 cups frosting.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I was going back through my blogger and found a few drafts of posts that I forgot were still in here! I wanted to get this recipe up from cupcakes I made for the bakesale. They were red velvet with cream cheese frosting. I love cream cheese frosting, it's so creamy and delicious, and the red velvet is so moist and, well... velvety!

Red Velvet Cupcakes by Paula Deen

with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 packages of cream cheese, at room temp.

1 stick of butter at room temp.

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

3 lbs. of powdered sugar

Cream together cream cheese and butter. Add salt and vanilla. Add powdered sugar 1/2 c. at a time. If icing is too thick, add a splash of milk to thin, if it's too thin, add more powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.

Angie's Famous Strawberry Cupcakes!

Today is one of my co-worker's birthdays. I wanted to make something for her out of ingredients I had on hand. One of my other co-workers suggested strawberry cupcakes. Luckily, I had some strawberries that weren't very ripe, so baking with them didn't bother me!
I'd been meaning to try out this recipe from Katie because she raves about it! I didn't make the icing because I had some leftover buttercream in the freezer, but next time I'll for sure try hers out. These little cupcakes were a big hit!

Angie's Famous Strawberry Cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1 1/2 c. sugar (or a little less)
2 eggs
1/3 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c. chopped strawberries

1/4 c. strawberries
1 Tbsp. strawberry liquor
1/2 tsp lemon juice
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
1 3/4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 Tbsp vanilla

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 cupcake pans.
-Sift flour, salt, and baking soda in medium bowl.
-In bowl of mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
-Add eggs one at a time until combined.
-Add buttermilk, oil and vanilla until combined.
-Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.
-Fold in berries.
-Fill cupcake pans 3/4 way.
-Bake for 20 minutes.
-For frosting, put berries, liquor, and juice in saucepan.
-Bring to a boil over medium heat and then reduce to a simmer for 5 mins.
-Let cool then blend until smooth.
-In bowl of mixer mix cream cheese and butter until creamy.
-Add sugar, then vanilla.
-Add berry puree until smooth.
-Frost cupcakes when they are completely cooled.



While slicing the strawberries last night, I though to myself there's got to be an easier way to slice a ton of strawberries... then I though - egg slicer!!! It worked perfectly! The slices all came out even and equal! I sliced once, then rotated and sliced again and they were the perfect little chunks!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Honey Frosting

Since all of the food for the shower was bite sized appetizers, I decided to have mini cupcakes that the ladies could grab as they were mingling. Because it was a tea party, I thought honey frosting would be terriffic.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream

Honey Buttercream:

2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature

4 c. confectioner's sugar

1/2 c. pure organic honey

Pinch of salt

Milk to thin

Add butter to a stand mixer, beat for a minute with the honey. Add the salt, then powdered sugar 1/2 c. at a time, waiting until it's fully incorporated to add more. Periodically scrape down the sides. If icing is too thick, add milk to thin it, if it's too thin, add more powdered sugar. The honey is fairly strong, so less honey can be used.

Williams Sonoma Vanilla Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 whole egg plus 1 egg white, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

Preheat an oven to 350°F.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the sugar and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the egg and egg white one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk in 2 additions, beating until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat just until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not overbeat.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until the cupcakes are lightly golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cupcakes to the rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.