Boston Creme Cupcakes

We watched the Red Carpet and Oscar's at a close friends house this Sunday and since I always bring the dessert and she has been asking for these cupcakes for a couple of months I decided to make these VERY easy and delicious cupcakes.  I have been making these for years - the inspiration is a making an easy to transport version of the classic.  I have made them a couple of different ways, using both store bought cake mix and homemade yellow cake.  I have used both traditional vanilla pudding as well as branched out with a white chocolate pudding and cheesecake pudding filling.  All of them have been really tasty and I don't really have a favorite way.  I decided to make this version the traditional yellow cake with vanilla pudding and chocolate ganache.   I used a cake mix because I didn't want to make a lot of them, and instant vanilla pudding with some vanilla beans thrown in to increase the vanilla flavor.  The result was very well received and these are a delicious treat that I highly recommend!

I forgot to take a picture of the inside!!!  Trust me they are filled with vanilla bean pudding!!

Boston Creme Cupcakes


12 prepared yellow cupcakes - either cake mix or homemade
2 cups vanilla pudding - either homemade or from the mix
1 cup chocolate ganache

Fill a pastry bag with a cupcake filling tip (Wilton tip 230) with prepared pudding.  Insert cupcake tip into cooled cupcake - fill cupcake, careful not to overfill.  You will start to see the cupcake expand - if you overfill it's okay but you will need to clean off the top of the cupcake.  Alternatively you can use an apple corer to take the center out of the cupcake, fill with pudding and replace top.

Once all cupcakes are filled, prepare chocolate ganache.  I used 1/2 cup heated cream, do not allow it to boil poured over 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips.   Allow this to sit 1 - 2 minutes and then stir until chocolate is melted.  With an off-set spatula spread ganache on each cupcake, smoothing to create a shiny smooth surface.   Place cupcakes in refrigerator for 1 hour to allow the ganache to cool and set.

These cupcakes stay good in the fridge for a couple of days before they start to get a little soggy inside.

ENJOY!

Shared on Cupcake Tuesday and Sweets for a Saturday! 

Happy Valentine's Day - Faux Hostess Cupcakes

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day!  I decided to make something special for my hubby and these fit the bill!  I had to work today and wanted to have something easy to pull together, and using my new favorite cake mix - Trader Joe's these came together really quickly.  

Once the cupcakes were cooled I used a melon baller to scoop out a section on the middle of the cupcake.  I used the marshmallow filling in a pastry bag to fill the middle of the cupcake and then replaced the cupcake top.  I topped with the chocolate ganache and then piped a design on the top.  While it was a little more involved then a simple cupcake but well worth the effort!  DELISH!

Marshmallow Filling

Recipe from Annie's Eats

6 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup marshmallow fluff

1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

Beat together until well combined.  I used this to fill the cupcakes as well as the classic hostess swirl on top.

Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup chocolate chips

Heat cream until warm but not boiling.  Pour over chocolate chips and let sit for 1 minute.  Stir until smooth and all chocolate is melted.

ENJOY!

This was shared on Cupcake Tuesday and Sweets for a Saturday!

Brownie Bottom Coffee Ice Cream Cupcakes

I can't believe it's the end of summer!  This weekend was the perfect opportunity to make these ice cream cupcakes, and they were absolutely fabulous!  All of these ingredients were store bought and so simple to make but everybody was really impressed!


I always use Ghirardelli Brownie mix, in my opinion they make really chocolaty chewy brownies that I personally love.  I used just a teaspoon of batter for these mini cupcakes and topped them with some Haagen-Dazs Coffee ice cream and a topping of chocolate ganache.  The mixture was absolutely divine!  I hope that you go home and make a batch for those that are special in your life!


Brownie Bottom Coffee Ice Cream Cupcakes
Recipe from Joy the Baker


Brownie Batter of your choice
Ice Cream of your choice
Chocolate Ganache - recipe below


Line mini cupcake pan with foil cupcake papers.  Prepare brownie batter as directed by the box and drop one teaspoon of batter into each cupcake paper.  Bake 5 - 6 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely on wire rack.     


Transfer cupcakes to a tupperware container.  Add one scoop of ice cream to each brownie - I used a mini ice cream scoop.  Place all cupcakes in the freezer while you make and cool the ganache.   Once ganache has cooled add a dollop to the top of each cupcake, working quickly.  Once all are topped with the ganache place immediately back in the freezer until you are ready to serve.   Soften about 3 - 5 minutes before serving. 


Chocolate Ganache
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream


Heat up cream to a simmer.  Once hot pour over chocolate chips, let sit 2 minutes and then stir until smooth.  Let cool.


ENJOY!

Cupcake Challenge Round-up

This is the last post in the Cupcake Challenge over at Hooiser Homemade!  This month has flown by!  You would think that this had turned me away from making more cupcakes but I'm actually whipping up a batch as I type away!   This challenge has been a lot of fun!

First week (Taste of Summer) - Blueberry Hill Cupcakes
Second Week (Summertime Activity) - Baseball themed Cupcakes
Third Week (Cake Mix) - Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Fourth Week - Devil's Food Marshmallow Flowers

Hope you enjoyed this month as much as I did, now I'm craving some fall flavored pumpkin.... maybe next week!

Cupcake Tuesday - Devil's Food Cake Flowers

It has been a really busy week and while I did a lot of cooking and baking I didn't have any time to post anything!   I did have my first venture into large batch baking and made 150 cupcakes as a favor for my really good friend this weekend.  That was an interesting experience and not as bad as I thought it would be - the key was organization!  


These are the last cupcake in the Cupcake Challenge over at Hooiser's Homemade and I have been wanting to make these flower cupcakes for a while!  They were really easy and fun to make!  All you need are some marshmallows (I used minis) and colored sprinkles!  


These cupcakes are the Hershey's chocolate cake with a cream cheese frosting - yum!  The resulting cake is deliciously moist and chocolaty which is a great contrast to the tangy cream cheese frosting.   Once the cupcake is frosted with an off set spatula,  cut each marshmallow in half.  Dip the sticky cut side of the marshmallow in colored sprinkles of your choice.  Arrange the marshmallows on the cupcake in a flower design, the frosting will act as glue for the marshmallows.   


Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake
Recipe from Hershey's

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S 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

Heat oven to 350°F. 

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). Pour batter into paper lined cupcake pans. 

Bake 8 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

It's Tuesday!  Time for another Cupcake Challenge over at Hooiser Homemade!   This week the challenge was to take boxed cake mix and turn it into something special.  I've been seeing a recipes for peanut butter chocolate cupcakes for the last couple of months and have been wanting to make a version of my own.    I decided to try our the boxed chocolate mix in the same style as my favorite vanilla cake mix recipe.    This recipe calls for sour cream and pudding mix which gives the cupcakes a really rich texture and they don't feel like cake mix at all.   In addition I added these wonderful mini peanut butter cups from Trader Joe's that we always have around the house.  Topped with come peanut butter frosting these mini cupcakes were a very rich and delicious treat.   I was glad that I made these in mini form because they were so rich and I would make these again because they were so tasty!   Be careful because this recipe does make a TON of mini cupcakes!

Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

1 box chocolate cake mix

4 eggs

1 package instant chocolate pudding mix

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sour cream

1 package of Trader Joe's mini peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix all ingredients together.  Mix until well combined on low speed.  Beat on medium speed for 1 - 2 minutes.  Stir in peanut butter cups until well incorporated, reserving a handful for cupcake garnish.    Scoop into paper lined mini cupcake cups and bake 12 - 15 minutes until toothpick entered in the center comes out clean.  Cool completely on wire rack before topping with peanut butter buttercream.

Peanut Butter Frosting

recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth. Frost your cupcakes and garnish with a mini peanut butter cup.  

ENJOY!

Cupcake Challenge - Small Batch Chocolate Cupcake

So this is second week of the Cupcake Challenge over at Hoosier Homemade!  This week the challenge is all about summertime activities.  I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to make until my sister invited us to an Angels game!  We haven't gone to a lot of games this year but when we do it is always with family and friends and we have a wonderful time.  It's hardly ever about the game for us - while my husband is a true Angels fan, I could really care less!  For me it's all about the cold beer, peanuts and wonderful conversation!  :)

Since neither of us need or want a ton of cupcakes hanging out I decided to try this new small batch chocolate cupcake recipe that made only four cupcakes which was perfect!  The chocolate cake was deliciously moist and full of chocolate flavor!  The frosting on the other hand did not work out for me and I won't even try to post it.... you can't win them all. :)

I also tried out making these fondant pieces, I am currently taking my final Wilton class - Fondant and Gum Paste and thought it would be fun to try a few things out.   They definitely aren't perfect but we had some fun making them.  

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes

Recipe from The Cookie Shop

1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons buttermilk

1 egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons melted butter, cooled

2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Line 4 cups of muffin tins with cupcake liners.

In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and sugar.  In a separate bowl mix the yolk, oil, buttermilk, vanilla and butter.  Add wet ingredients into dry and mix until incorporated. Evenly distribute between cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.

ENJOY!

Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

My Aunt made these a couple of weeks ago and my mom was raving about them, so I decided to whip up a batch and I am so glad that I did!  The recipe is super easy and the result was fantastic!  The office claimed that they were the best cupcakes that I had ever made!  The cupcake is your favorite chocolate cake recipe with a surprise center of cheesecakey goodness!  Whip up a batch and enjoy!

Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

Cheesecake filling

8 oz room temperature cream cheese

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

8 oz. mini chocolate chips

Beat together cream cheese, egg and sugar until well incorporated.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Fill cupcake cups half way with your favorite chocolate cake mix.  Add a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture to the cupcakes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes.  Cool completely on a rack and once fully cooled topped with your favorite frosting, I used a combination of creamcheese frosting and chocolate.

Enjoy!