cupcake challenge ::: week 18 ~ london olympics

last week the london 2012 olympic games started. hurray!

we have been enjoying watching the amazing athletes compete along with the special events that have been broadcasted.  the opening ceremony was spectacular.  we were all slightly disappointed that the doctor and tardis didn't make an appearance.  apparently we were not alone...

we are not amused.

but we got over our disappointment quickly with the lighting of the beautiful olympic cauldron.

there are more pictures of the lighting of the cauldron here that y'all should check out.

now onto this week's cupcake challenge ...london olympics.  i found this cupcake decorating set a while back.

i made a box mix devils food cake and my chocolate butter cream frosting.

chocolate butter cream frosting
1 cup butter at room temperature
4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder

cream butter, vanilla, salt, cocoa powder.  slowly mix in by alternating powdered sugar and milk.  you may not use all the milk or powdered sugar depending on the texture you would like.

cupcake challenge ::: week 17 ~ s'more cookies

last week my boys went to scout camp and had an amazing time.  they got to swim, fish, climb rocks, go repelling, and put their wilderness survival skills to the test by spending 24 hours with only a knife, rope, and water. one thing they didn't get to do was eat s'mores.  i thought i'd make them s'more like cupcakes.

i made up some cookie dough from this cookie recipe and filled the cupcake liners about 2/3 full and baked for 20 minutes. 

then placed a marshmallow on top and baked for about 4 minutes until it got a little golden and toasty.

then took the cupcakes out and topped with a kiss. 

cupcake challenge ::: week 16 ~ no bake cupcake

i had a request from an extra special and amazing  little birthday girl for some cheesecake cupcakes today. 

i took the easy road on these cupcakes and went for the no bake kind using the jell-o brand.  i make a few adjustments to the recipe on the box. 

i like using 1/2 a cup of butter.  using 5 tablespoons leaves the crust kinda dry, hard to work with and it crumbles a little too much. so a little more is worth it.  i also use half and half instead of instead of milk for extra creaminess.

foil lined liners work best for these cupcakes.

these liners are perfect for my girlie. her favourite color is black.

now, i'll let y'all in on a little family tradition for my birthday girl.  her daddy doesn't want her growing up. he doesn't want any of our littles growing up but she is the baby and has to stay little.  for a few years now she has been 5 or 4 years old.  this year she turned 5 next year she will be turning 4.  it will probably be this way till she is 30.

she was such a happy little girlie to open the card from her daddy and see the great big 5 on it. it's great their little tease can go on even with the miles between them!

cupcake challenge ::: week 15 ~ a little nutty

what's y'all's favourite kinda nutty butter?  around here it is nutella.  i haven't had a kid come over who doesn't like it.  well there was this one.... but that was because he wouldn't try it.  eventually he did and now it is his favourite.

this week's challenge is a little nutty... make cupcakes with your favourite nutty butter. 

nutella cupcakes
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 cup nutella + a little more to frost if y'all want
1/4 cup milk

preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 350*F

place paper liners in the muffin tins. this makes up 18 to 24 depending on how full y'all fill the liners. i filled them 2/3 full and got 18.  i should have filled them a little less than 2/3 full, they kinda overflowed a bit.

mix flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy and add eggs on at a time mixing well after each egg.  mix in the nutella. then alternately mix in the flour mixture and milk.

bake for 22 - 25 minutes.  cool before frosting.

the first pan i baked came out a little dark around the edges so i turned the toaster oven down to 325*F for the next 2 and they came out perfect.

these cupcakes bake up flat.

now if any of y'all aren't a little nutty and are just a plain nut go ahead and make cupcakes with nuts.

my brother jcub told me the other day he just didn't want to turn the oven on to bake cupcakes because of the crazy heat. i told him i understand and haven't used my oven to bake cupcakes since march.  my little secret.... i'm using my toaster oven.  using the toaster oven takes a little longer to get the job done seeing as i can only bake 6 cupcakes at a time.  but it keeps some of the heat out of the kitchen. 

cupcake challenge ::: week 14 ~ 4th of july

i bet y'all saw this one coming seeing as how the 4th of july is next wednesday.  we are making plans and getting ready to celebrate independence day; including parade floats, costumes, delicious food, and yummy treats.  there are even a couple practical jokes i'm hearing bits and pieces of in hushed voices.

i used swiss chocolate boxed cake mix, vanilla butter cream frosting, red and blue sprinkles and sparkly gel tubes. 

i had a house full of teenagers helping me with cupcakes this afternoon and they came up with interesting cupcakes of their own.  



they found some red and blue frosting in the freezer and the spray dye from the flag day cupcakes.  add those to the toppings that i got out and they got to decorating.  it was so much fun seeing their creative sides come out and play.

cupcake challenge ::: week 13 ~ summertime

when i was a little my mom would make us ice cream cone cupcakes for a fun treat.  and fun is what summer is supposed to be about.  y'all will need a box of 24 ice cream cones with flat bottoms, your favorite cupcake batter, frosting and toppings.

i mixed up a box cake mix according to the package. 

then using an ice cream scoop placed a scoop of batter in each ice cream cone. y'all could use a spoon but an ice cream scoop is so much more fun!

i used a mini-muffin tin to hold the cones and my toaster oven to bake them.  i heated the oven up to 350*f then turned it down to 325*f and baked the cupcakes for about 24 minutes.

this is what they look like when baked.

i mixed up a batch of vanilla butter cream frosting and frosted the cupcakes using the wilton #12 decorating tip. then drizzled on magic shell and topped with sprinkles.

cupcake challenge ::: week 13

last night was the summer solstice and we are already in full summer mode here; pool, park, beach, free bowling ( here is where we go if you are local), dollar movies, sleepovers, museums, camp outs, summer classes, video game tournaments, gardening, summer reading..... the list goes on.

with all that is going on i kinda dropped the ball on this weeks cupcake challenge, sorry!  i am baking my cupcakes as i type.  i promise sometime today between visiting friends, swimming, an order of the arrow meeting and bbq and bowling (my Littles think we can squeeze it in....i'm not so sure) i will get my cupcakes frosted and posted.  humm... looking at our to do list.... in the morning...maybe. i'm still going to try for today.

i'll let all y'all know the theme not to mess y'all's schedule (JCub) up too much.  week 13 ~ summertime

i hope all y'all enjoy the first full day of summer, stay cool, and drink LOTS of water. it's going to be HOT (95 already here)

cupcake challenge ::: week 12 ~ father's day

sunday is father's day.  i made up some cupcakes in honor of my father and my hubby who both like chocolate. 

my dad has always liked this chocolate cake called crazy cake. it was a popular cake made during the great depression, dust bowl and ww2 because it needs no eggs, milk, or butter.  this is the first cake i remember making on my own when i was a child. 

crazy cake
3 cup flour
2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup veggie oil
2 tablespoon distilled vinegar
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cup cold water

sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into a 9 x 13 inch ungreased cake pan. make three wells. fill one with oil, one with vinegar, and one with vanilla and water and stir with fork.  don't over mix this cake. it can have some lumps in it.

bake at 350 *F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

crazy cupcakes
to make crazy cupcakes i mixed up the cake and scooped batter into cupcake liners filling them 3/4 full and baked for about 22 minutes.

frost with your favorite icing. 

my dad likes whipped topping on his crazy cake......

my hubby likes chocolate frosting...

dutch chocolate butter cream frosting

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1 lb powdered sugar

1/2 cup dutch chocolate powder

2 teaspoons vanilla

about 3 tablespoons buttermilk

cream butter, half of the powdered sugar, and chocolate powder till light and fluffy.  add vanilla, 1 tablespoons milk and a third of the powdered sugar. alternate milk and sugar. 

cupcake challenge ::: week 11 ~ flag day

sunday starts national flag week and the 14th is flag day.  to start off the celebration a little early we made flag themed cupcakes.

i used a french vanilla boxed cupcake mix and added red, white, and blue sprinkles.

vanilla butter cream frosting

1 cup butter at room temperature

2 lb powdered sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla

about 6 tablespoons milk

red and blue food dye

cream butter and half of the powdered sugar till light and fluffy.  add vanilla, 2 tablespoons milk and a third of the powdered sugar. alternate milk and sugar.  be careful with the milk if y'all are adding food dye.  it needs to be a little thicker at this point.  separate the frosting into 3 bowls and add red to one bowl and blue to another. 

it is better to make the frosting ahead of time and let it sit for a bit.  the red looks pink at first and will darken up sitting a couple hours in the fridge.  remember to take it out, let it come to almost room temperature, and mix it up again before frosting the cupcakes.

we tried a a dye spray on a few cupcakes to see how it would work.  my girlies said it looks better in the picture then on the real cupcakes. then my oldest said 'maybe the picture is air brushed' hahaha an airbrushed spray dye picture..... teen humor :)

i love how we ended up with a few faces and union jacks in the batch.

cupcake challenge ::: week 10 ~ blueberries

it's blueberry picking time and we are using blueberries in lots of yummy treats.  if y'all are local, head on over to college run farms and pick some blueberries to make these yummy cupcakes.  you might be able to hunt down the last of the strawberries while you are there.  if y'all aren't local check out your local farms, farmers market, or grocery and get a hold of some blueberries because they are in season.

blueberries and cream cupcakes
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup light cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mushed blueberries (extra blueberries to put on top)

preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tins with cupcake papers.

mix flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

with an electric mixer;  cream butter, vanilla, and sugar till fluffy.  add eggs mixing well after each egg.  alternate dry and wet ingredients adding them to the sugar, butter, vanilla, and egg mix.

gently fold in 3/4 cup of mashed blueberries.

fill cupcake papers 3/4 full and bake for about 25 minutes.

blueberry whipped cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mashed blueberries

with an electric mixer; beat the cream, sugar, vanilla, and blueberries until it is stiff.

frost cupcakes and top with blueberries.

cupcake challenge ::: week 9 ~ soda pop

this might sound odd, but it does work.  this week's cupcake recipe has 2 ingredients that come right off the pantry shelf.

chocolate root beer float cupcakes

boxed chocolate cake mix

12 oz root beer

combine the cake mix and soda.  don't add the oil, eggs, or water, just the 12 oz soda.  fill the cupcake liners and bake according to the box instructions.

i whipped 1 cup of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of vanilla sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to make whipped cream and scooped a spoon full on top.

when i first heard of this recipe i wondered if it would really work so i had to try and see.  when they baked up i wondered if they would taste good and they do.  i think it's great that this cupcake recipe can be made with items kept in food storage and no need for oil, fresh eggs, or milk.  well, the cupcake part at least; not the freshly made whipped cream.

JCub, i'm going to bake a batch of cupcakes later using these:

....and i'll be thinking of you.

cupcake challenge ::: week 9

i was watching 'the secret life of bees' and when the scene with lilly and may sitting outside talking about kissing boys came up i got my inspiration for this weeks cupcake challenge.   i bet y'all already have an idea what it will be if you know the flick.

here's the quote i'm talking about....
may: when i was 15, i made a 7up cake for this boy. after that, he kissed me all the time.

now i'm not saying this is going to get y'all kissed....and i'm not saying this is limited to 7up.  this weeks challenge is going to be soda pop.  stop on by in a couple days and we can swap recipes.

cupcake challenge ::: week 8 ~ mario's world

when i told my littles that this week's theme is mario's world they wanted to decorate the cupcakes. 

i used the golden cupcakes recipe from week 5 ~ earth day. 

frosting
1 cup butter at room temperature
4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
red food dye
green food dye
black gel frosting

mix together butter, powdered  sugar, cream, vanilla, and salt.  separate the frosting into 4 bowls.  add red food dye to one bowl and green to another.  add the cocoa powder to the third bowl and mix it in.  the fourth bowl is the white frosting.  have fun decorating.

my littles made some gumbas, 1 ups, get bigs, and boos. 

cupcake challenge ::: week 8

i'm trying out posting from my phone because we have been out of town visiting friends since the weekend and are having lots of fun.  so much fun that i didn't given much thought to this weeks cupcake challenge until my brother sent me a text a few minutes ago asking me about it.  oops!  thank you for the reminder JCub!

a few minutes before i got his text my littles were playing a mario's world game and i said i want to make some cute mario characters.  i've always thought the little critters are cute and fun.  when i had said that i was thinking of crocheting or knitting some amigurumi but.... this weeks challenge will be mario's word.

come back in a couple days.  we'll be back home and i'll bake some cupcakes and we can swap recipes.

cupcake challenge ::: week 7 ~ mother's day

lavender relieves burns, stings, bites, headaches, allergies, and insomnia. it can stave off infection and clean wounds.  when i smell lavender it relaxes and comforts me. i turn to lavender for many of the things i would turn to my mom for when i was a child. and when i smell the sweet floral aroma of lavender i think of my mom.

lavender lemon cupcakes
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lavender buds
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

preheat oven to 350*F and line muffin tins with paper liners.

cream butter, sugar, and lavender buds on medium speed till fluffy.  add eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, hone and half-and-half and mix 2 minutes.  sift flour, baking powder and salt then mix into the wet ingredients.  fill the liners 3/4 full and bake for approximately 22 minutes.

lavender and lemon butter cream frosting
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
dash of salt
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3-4 cups powdered sugar
purple food dye
lavender essential oil

cream butter, cream cheese, honey, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and 3 cups powdered sugar.  mix in the heavy whipping cream.  add more powdered sugar to get the consistency desired.  scoop about 1/8 - 1/4 of the frosting to a separate glass or metal bowl and add dye and 1 drop of lavender essential oil.

i use organic lavender buds and essential oil.

plastic will hold the smell/flavour of the essential oil even after it is washed so use a metal or glass bowl.

one drop of essential oil is all that is needed so be careful not to add more. i will put a drop of lavender oil in the bowl before adding the frosting in case i get more then one by accident.  if i get too much i'll add a little water to the bowl, swirl it around, and then dump it out.  there will still be lavender in the bowl.  don't dry the bowl just add the frosting and dye. a little more powdered sugar might be needed to get the proper consistency.

you may want to rinse the bowl even with one drop of lavender; it can be strong. 

if any of y'all made cupcakes and want to swap recipes leave a link in the comments so i can come over and check it out.

cupcake challenge ::: week 7

My brother JCub asked me the other night if I could let him know the theme for the cupcake challenge before I post my cupcakes. He would like to have time to think about what he would like to do before he sees my cupcakes.  I thought I'd let all y'all in on it too in case anyone else is having the same thought.  So seeing as there is a special day coming up on Sunday the theme for week 7 is:

I'm going to start thinking of something yummy to bake up inspired by Mother's Day and all y'all do the same.  Need a little help? Does Mother's Day have y'all thinking of flowers, chocolate, or something sparkly?  Go on and make your Mom's favorite cupcake, a cupcake to give her on Mother's Day, or make your favorite cupcake if you're the Mama.  Check back in a couple days and we'll swap recipes.

cupcake challenge ::: week 6 ~ malted milk

My oldest was reminiscing the other day about practical jokes he has pulled off and got onto one that he treasures.  It was the first one he pulled off that involved someone besides his younger brother and sisters. This inspired the cupcake them for this week.  But before the recipe I'm going to share his joke with all y'all.

The sister missionaries came over one afternoon for a little visit and I had made cupcakes that morning for us to have as a treat.  The sisters had shared a message with us and we were all enjoying the cupcakes.  One of the sisters asked what was in the cupcakes.  When I had told her one of the ingredients was crushed up Whoppers she asked, "How do you crush them up?"  My oldest popped up with a grin and said, "With my teeth." 

Both of the sisters turned green and stopped eating.  I had to quickly pull out the little device we used to crush the Whoppers and show them before they lost their cupcakes. 

Meanwhile my son is rolling with laughter and quite proud of the reaction he got from his little joke.  And still after several years he still rolls with laughter when he thinks about it.  To this day whenever we have the missionaries over he will ask if we can make these cupcakes.

chocolate malted milk shake cupcakes
3/4 cup malted milk candies, crushed
3/4 cup chocolate malted milk powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup half-and-half or light cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with 24 paper liners.  Mix together the chocolate malted milk powder, flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is mixed in, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla and mix it in.

Keep mixing and add the flour mix and half-and-half a little at a time alternating between the two.  Fold in the crushed malted milk candies.

Fill the liners about 3/4 full and bake for about 20 minutes till done. This makes about 24 cupcakes.

The cupcakes do bake up a little 'flat.'

chocolate malted milk frosting
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup chocolate malted milk powder
2 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
whipped cream (use the recipe from this post but omit the chocolate)
chocolate malted milk candies

Mix the butter, chocolate malted milk powder, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy.  Gradually add the half-and-half and vanilla until the frosting is the right consistency.

Frost the cupcake, top with a dollop of whipped cream, and chocolate malted milk candy.  I cut a bendy straw down to size and stuck it into the cupcake.

Now if any of y'all want to make malted milk cupcakes this week please drop a link in the comments so I can see what you have made.