Cupcakes During the Craziness

We are living in a crazy world right now. Earthquakes, a pandemic, and crazy quarantined weeks turning to months. No one really knows when things will level out. To give me something to do and to give others something to look forward to, I've been making and giving away cupcakes every once in awhile. Here are a few I've given away lately.

Coconut with coconut cream centers

Chocolate with Snickers and caramel frosting

Mint with Oreo cookies

Red velvet with cream cheese frosting. 

When I make cupcakes I post it on Facebook. The first however many people who respond get the number of cupcakes they ask for until the number I've made all get claimed. It's so fun to read some of the comments they post when they claim their cupcakes. They have to come get them from my porch and when they get here we visit for a few minutes from opposite sides of the glass door. I think the next cupcakes I make will be either Cookie Monster cupcakes, or if my new sprinkle supply gets here in the next day or two, I'll make a lollypop cupcake topped with awesome beautiful sprinkles! I'm going to need to rearrange my sprinkle cupboard to make room for the new arrivals! 

Lemon Strawberry Coconut Cupcake

This post has been sitting in my draft folder for over a year. That's ridiculous. The other thing that is ridiculous is that I haven't blogged for over a year. What's the problem? I guess now that I'm retired, life has become either so busy or so boring that I don't have time to blog or I have nothing to blog about. Either way, there's a total lack of blogging going on. Here's the post that's been in the draft folder forever. 

Agnes wanted to make cupcakes a couple weeks ago. I wasn't too excited about it since I had made cupcakes for two separate events in the last 48 hours prior to that, but I didn't want to tell her no so we made more cupcakes. We had some leftover frosting from the other events' cupcakes and we used that as a jumping off point to decide what kind of cupcakes to make. After a couple of failed suggestions because I didn't have specific ingredients (limes or coconut milk) Agnes came up with lemon strawberry coconut cupcakes. We gave a plate of them away and got rave reviews, which was comforting because I was concerned with the amount of different flavors we were using. I should have taken a better picture, but again, I didn't know if they were going to work, so I only took the one picture.

Lemon Strawberry Coconut Cupcakes

I adapted Lizzy Early's lemon blackberry cupcake recipe found here.

Cupcakes

1 box white cake mix

1/3 C. oil or melted butter

3 eggs

zest of 2 lemons

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup freeze dried strawberries

Glaze
zest of half a lemon
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 2/3 cup powdered sugar

Frosting
1/2 cup butter
4 oz cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp coconut extract
1 cup heavy cream
Toasted coconut, sliced strawberries and sanding sugar for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F. For the cupcakes, put all the ingredients except the strawberries in a mixing bowl and blend together for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and beat for about 2 minutes. Stir in the strawberries. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 17-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into baked cupcake comes out clean.
Allow cupcakes to cool. Meanwhile, stir glaze ingredients together. When cupcakes are cool to the touch, spread about 1 teaspoon of glaze over the top of the cupcake.

Frosting
Beat butter and cream cheese together in a mixing bowl for 3 minutes. Mix in coconut extract. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time and whip until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whip cream until it holds stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese frosting until blended well. Frost cupcakes and top with toasted coconut. Dip strawberry slice in the lemon glaze and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Add another dollop of frosting and top with glazed strawberry.

Piña Colada Cupcake

I had a missionary reunion a couple weeks ago. It was so great to see some of the people I worked with from April 2012 to 2014. I was assigned to bring salad, but that was boring so I brought cupcakes, of course (I'm a rebel). It was a good thing I did because so many people asked when they saw me if I brought cupcakes! The next morning I needed more cupcakes for a Relief Society event I was teaching, and after Laura tasted a cupcake I took to the reunion, she made suggestions on how I could make the cupcake taste better. I followed her suggestions and this was the result.

I realized that particular pineapple slice looked a little weary, so we bought a whole new one. 

Cute, but then my friend scouted out some umbrellas for me which made them super cute! 

Here are my cupcakes at the reunion. I didn't get a picture of the new and improved version after Laura made her suggestions, but they would have looked the same anyway. They just tasted better.

Piña Colada Cupcakes
Cupcakes
1 box white cake mix
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl, add the melted butter and pineapple with juice. Stir to cool the butter before adding the eggs. When butter is cooled enough, add the eggs, vanilla extract, and sour cream and stir to combine. Add the cake mix and mix until incorporated. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 17-20 minutes or until toothpick tests clean.
Frosting
1/2 cup butter
4 oz cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp coconut extract
Toasted coconut, maraschino cherries and pineapple slices for garnishing
Beat butter and cream cheese together in a mixing bowl for 3 minutes. Mix in coconut extract. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time and whip until light and fluffy.
Frost cupcakes, sprinkle with toasted coconut and top with a maraschino cherry. Insert a toothpick into the pineapple slice and stick it into the edge of the cupcake. Top with a festive umbrella, if you have some on hand!

June's Cupcakes, Light Versus Dark

I made cupcakes for Relief Society's June meeting. No surprise there. The hardest part is always deciding what flavor to make. I know some people don't like chocolate, so I when I know I'm making something chocolate, I try to offer a second choice. I was told they were both really good, and I have one person who has been waiting for me to post the recipes, so here they are. 

It gave me another reason to use my new ladder display that we (Bud, Laura and I) made last month. I'm loving that thing!

Forgive the off-balance display of the cupcakes. One container of chocolate cupcakes tipped over and were no longer presentable, so we were a little lopsided on how the remainder were arranged on the stand. None of the cupcake recipes are original, so I will just link you to where I found them. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes, by Lizzy Mae Early (Your Cup of Cake), found here. The only thing I did differently was to drizzle some leftover peanut butter ganache over the top of the cupcake and used a regular chocolate frosting instead of the peanut butter frosting. 

Chocolate Frosting (this may or may not have been the frosting I used. Sorry if it is not!)

1 lb. powdered sugar (that's about 4 cups or so)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Beat the butter and cocoa powder in a standing mixer until mixed well. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time until you've added it all. Slowly add in the cream and beat for about five minutes until it is smooth. 

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes, again by Lizzy Mae Early, found here. 

After I made the cupcakes (I only put in the zest of one lemon instead of two, but I did use 1/4 cup lemon juice as directed), I cored out the center of the cupcakes and added a dollop of lemon curd from Leigh Anne Wilkes (Your Homebased Mom), found here. I replaced the top of the cored-out cupcake and frosted it with OBB's strawberry cream, found here, then added half of a strawberry to the top. 

That's pretty much it! If you tried one, I hope you liked it. If you didn't try one, you should have come to the Relief Society extra meeting! 

A Double Birthday Celebration

On Friday, June 3, my mom turned 85. We were supposed to have a party for my step father in May when he turned 95, but it was postponed because my mom had a 24 hour bug. Laura and I made a few desserts for the party. I baked everything and she did almost all the decorating. Her skills far and away outshine mine. 

Walt and Mom were given leis by my mom's sister, and my niece, Amy, had the very same idea, so my mom is wearing two leis! 

Here's the dessert table-

Mom was happy with how everything turned out. Here are a few close-up pictures of what we made. 

The cupcakes were supposed to be stuck into a styrofoam ball which had been glued to a clay flowerpot, but it was so warm that the cupcakes wouldn't hold onto the toothpicks, so because I didn't have enough time (traffic was miserable and it took twice as much time to drive there as it normally does) to go to plan B, which was to add frosting to the ball as a glue, I gave up on that idea and just set the cupcakes on the little table stands. 

The flowerpots are holding Rice Krispies treats. The flowers were supposed to be on a stick and standing up in the silicone pot, but I didn't put enough treats inside the pots for a base, so they wouldn't stand up. After the party, I had to fish through the trash can to find two of my little pots that had been thrown away. Yikes!

Here's the premier for the ladder stand that I made with some assistance from Bud and Laura. It had been so long since I used my scroll saw that I forgot a few key elements, but eventually we got it all to work. I'm happy with how it turned out. I bought the little stands as separate pieces from The Wood Connection, then stained and glued them together. I forgot to bring the doilies I bought to put under the large cookies. I always forget something! 

The sunflower ganache balls were a little too delicate and I had trouble keeping the petals in tact when I tried to peel away the liner. 

The sugar cookies were the hit of the party. Laura's diligence in making the flowers which went on top of the cookies had everyone in awe.

These puff pastry shells were filled with whipped cream and topped with a raspberry-chocolate chip flower. We had a different plan for these guys too, but went with a time saving option instead.

Laura made and arranged the flowers for the six layer orange-flavored cake. At the base of the cake are mini lemon tarts with homemade lemon curd. We never cut the cake. Cheryl took it home. 

The cupcakes are filled with strawberry cream. I didn't try one on the night of the party, but the couple bites of scraps I tasted earlier in the day were yummy. 

So there you have it. My mom provided the appetizers on a separate table. I think the guests who came all had an enjoyable time. I know these kids had a good time! 

Cupcake Recipe found here at McGreevycakes.com. This is a great recipe to use when you need to doctor a mix. We used half of the recipe, using one cake mix. 

Strawberry Cream Filling for the cupcakes found here. Bonus on this one is you get the recipe for cream puffs as well as ganache. Thanks OBB girls!

Swig Sugar Cookies copycat recipe found here at the Idea Room. Please try to overlook her misspelling of tartar (as in cream of). The cookies are fabulous. 

Lemon Curd found here at Your Homebased Mom.

Ultimate Bakery-style Rice Krispies Treats found here on Brown Eyed Baker who adapted it from Cookies and Cups, but this is a double recipe which makes a ton. I've done the math for you in case you want to make a single batch. 

Ultimate Bakery-style Rice Krispies Treats- slightly adapted (half recipe)

5 T. unsalted butter (71 grams)

16 oz. bag of miniature marshmallows (453 grams), divided

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

6 cups (158 grams) Rice Krispies cereal

Line a 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper; set aside. In a large pan, melt the butter, then add 8 cups (340 grams) of marshmallows. Over low heat, stir until the marshmallows are melted, then remove from heat. Add the salt and vanilla extract. Stir in the Rice Krispies cereal and stir until they are well coated. Add the remaining marshmallows and stir briefly. Don't over-mix though. Pour mixture into prepared pan and press down lightly (don't compact it). When treats are cool, cut into bars. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 to 3 days. 

Happy birthday to Mom and Walt. I hope you had a fun party! 

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Coconut Cupcakes

I've recently been given the responsibility of being the coordinator for my ward's Relief Society extra meetings. For January we talked about happiness, how to make and keep goals, and household budgets. We made a "happiness jar" where the sisters can write down one happy thing that happened each day and at the end of the month or year (depending on the size of their jar) they can review their happy moments. For a treat afterwards, I made coconut cupcakes that looked like snowmen, and some chocolate cupcakes with mini marshmallows and sprinkles. I've had so many comments on the coconut cupcakes (one sister said it was the best cupcake she had ever eaten, and another sister confessed she ate three cupcakes- one chocolate, and two coconut. She told the others that the coconut cupcake had a filling that was to die for.) I knew I needed to post the coconut cupcake so I would remember which recipe I used for easy retrieval in the future. You can find the original recipe here, but I have adapted their recipe a little and changed the frosting completely, because their frosting was way too sweet.

I forgot to take pictures at the meeting. My niece, Kyanna, happened to snap a couple, but you can see it was after a coconut cupcake had been taken. 

Coconut Cupcakes (recipe adapted)

Cupcakes

1 box white cake mix

4 egg whites

1/2 cup oil (I used coconut oil)

1 cup canned coconut milk

2 tsp coconut extract (I used 1 tsp coconut emulsion)

Filling

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp coconut extract (I used 2 drops of coconut oil)

1 T sweetened shredded coconut

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 oz cream cheese, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

2 T heavy whipping cream

1/2 tsp coconut extract

1/4 tsp almond extract
2 T coconut milk (if necessary)

Topping

Sweetened shredded coconut
Regular and mini chocolate chips (optional)
Chocolate sprinkles (optional)
Orange noses (optional. Mine were from Orson Gygi, or you can try orange Starbursts shaped to look like a nose, or jelly beans)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl, beat together the egg whites, oil, coconut milk and extract. Add cake mix and beat until mixed well. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full of batter. Bake for 16 minutes, or until top of cake springs back lightly when touched. Cool cupcakes.
For the filling, place the powdered sugar, cream and extract in a mixing bowl and beat it for about two minutes. Stir in coconut. Core out the center of the cupcakes, reserving the cake you just removed. Use a spoon or piping bag to add the filling to the center of the cake, then plug the hole back up with the cake that was removed earlier. You may have to remove a portion of the cake, and just put the very top part of the cake back into the hole. 

For the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese for several minutes, then slowly add the powdered sugar. Add the cream and beat for about 2 minutes longer. Add the extracts and check for consistency of the frosting. If it is too thick, add a little of the coconut milk to thin it. Frost the cupcakes and then turn them upside-down into a bowl of shredded coconut to cover the frosting. 

I decorated my cupcakes with a snowman face. Thanks, Michele, for the mini chocolate chips! Can you believe I was "out" of something? I had inadvertently used up the last of my mini chocolate chips earlier that same day. 

Depending on how you place the eyebrows, your snowman will look happy or cross, 

confused or goofy. 

Buckeye Cupcakes

The peanut butter obsession continues over here. I was told that this was "one of the best cupcakes I've ever had." She continued to say, "The Buckeyes were so very yummy! Perfect peanut butter frosting." So if you're looking for chocolate and peanut butter yumminess, try this out. Thanks for the glowing review, Michele!

Buckeye Cupcakes

For the buckeyes:

1/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cups smooth peanut butter (I used Skippy)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Chocolate candy melts or other chocolate for dipping

Using a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer at low speed, stir the meted butter and peanut butter together until blended. Stir in the vanilla extract, then slowly add the powdered sugar. Beat until smooth. Roll peanut butter mixture into small balls, then freeze the balls for at least 20 minutes. I made mine ahead of time, putting the frozen balls into a Ziplock bag. Remove the balls from the freezer. Poke a toothpick into the ball and dip into melted chocolate so that the chocolate comes up to the top of the ball but doesn't cover it completely. Use a second toothpick to free the ball from the first toothpick. Use the back of a spoon (or your finger) to smooth over the hole left by the toothpick. Place buckeye on parchment paper until chocolate solidifies. Work quickly so the peanut butter balls don't get to soft. If necessary, return un-dipped balls to the freezer until firm again.  

For the cupcakes:

1 (15.25-oz) box devil's food cake mix (or other chocolate cake mix)

1 (3.4-oz) box chocolate instant pudding

3/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup buttermilk or 1/2 cup regular milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. You'll need about 24 cupcake liners in a cupcake pan (or pans). In mixing bowl, blend together the sour cream,  vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Add cake mix and pudding, blending just until combined. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until cupcakes test clean with a toothpick. 

Cool cupcakes for 2 minutes in the pan, then remove warm cupcakes to a container that can be covered, such as a couple of 13x9-inch pans. Cover pans with plastic wrap. Doing this helps lock in the moistness of the cake. Keep cupcakes "under wraps" until they are completely cool. 

For the peanut butter frosting:

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream (or more, depending on desired consistency)

Beat together the peanut butter and butter, then add in vanilla extract and salt. Slowly add the powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Add the heavy cream (you can use milk if you want, but start with a little less than 1/4 cup and see what your consistency is before adding the entire amount). Beat until light and fluffy. 

For the ganache: (recipe is adapted from My Baking Addiction)

4 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped finely

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 T honey

2 T light corn syrup

2 T vanilla (yes, that is tablespoons)

Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan just until bubbles begin to form around the side of the pan, but do not boil. Place chopped chocolate in a bowl. Pour the hot cream over chopped chocolate and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Stir the cream and chocolate together until it is combined. Add remaining ingredients. Let the ganache set up for about 15 minutes and then transfer to a Ziplock baggie. 

To assemble: 

Frost the cupcakes a few at a time (because if the frosting sits too long, you can't get the chopped peanuts to stick). I used a Wilton 2D tip. Snip off a tiny corner of the bag of ganache and drizzle the cupcake, then sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Top cupcake with a buckeye, pressing down very gently. Continue until all cupcakes are decorated, or you can take a break from the assembly process and test-taste your creation. 

You'll probably have a few buckeyes left over. That's a bonus! I think I could eat those all day long!

Mississippi Mud Brownies

It's not unusual for me to crave peanut butter with my chocolate. I was thinking about making Tim Riggins Brownies from Our Best Bites, but it wasn't exactly what I was wanting (the brownie, that is. You'd be crazy to not be in the mood for Tim Riggins at all times!). Somehow I found a different recipe which was exactly what I wanted, but because I was feeling lazy that day, I simplified it and the results were fast, easy and delicious.

I had read somewhere that baking in condiment cups was a great idea because you don't need cupcake pans since the cup is sturdy enough to stand on it's own. While that is true, using cupcake pans is not a problem for me; I have several! I found the cup to be a little too sturdy, and it was difficult to get the brownie out of its wrapper. I won't be doing that again.
These are smaller than a normal cupcake, and the brownie to peanut butter cup ratio was off just a little, in my opinion. The next time I make these (which will be soon), I will make them in a normal cupcake size.

Mississippi Mud Brownies
1 box of your favorite brownie mix, plus ingredients listed on box to make brownies (I used Pillsbury)
Miniature Reese's Peanut Butter cups (or bells if they're available), unwrapped
Regular size marshmallows, cut in half (use a clean pair of scissors instead of a knife)
Chocolate frosting
Reese's Baking Bits and sprinkles (optional, but not really)

Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Fill cupcake liner 1/2 to 2/3 full.

Place a Reese's cup into the batter. If you can find the bells, put the bell into the batter upside-down. Bake for 18 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately top with a marshmallow half.

I had those flat marshmallows but didn't have regular ones, so you've gotta go with what you've got! Place back in the oven for 2 minutes or until marshmallows barely start to puff up. Remove from oven and allow to cool a few minutes in the pan and then remove from pan and cool completely.

When cool, frost with your favorite chocolate frosting.

Decorate, if desired. Go ahead, break out your stash of yumminess! 

If you need a favorite chocolate frosting recipe, try this one.

Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used low-fat)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar
milk (or heavy cream) if needed

Beat butter and cream cheese together for about three minutes, scraping down the bowl if necessary. Add cocoa powder, vanilla extract and slowly add 3 cups of powdered sugar. Check the consistency and sweetness, adding more powdered sugar if necessary. If it is too thick at any point, add a tablespoon of milk or heavy cream. 

Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes

Last month two friends of mine had a birthday on the same day. One got cupcakes...

and the other got a cake. 

They both had the same frosting but were different cakes. Today I'm blogging about the cupcakes. The cupcake is adapted from Lizzy Early over at Your Cup of Cake. 

Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes

1 box white cake mix, sifted

3 eggs

1/3 cup oil

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp almond emulsion (or extract if you don't have emulsion)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 small jar (10 oz) maraschino cherries, drained and chopped (reserve the cherry juice for the frosting)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with wrappers. Mix together the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and emulsion, then add the sifted cake mix and beat for a minute. Fill liners 3/4 full of batter and bake for 17-22 minutes or until a toothpick tests clean. 

Cherry Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp almond emulsion (or extract)

1 tsp grenadine syrup

1 T maraschino cherry juice

5 cups powdered sugar

Beat butter and cream cheese together for 3-5 minutes. Add almond emulsion, grenadine syrup and cherry juice. Stir to combine. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Beat on medium-low speed for 10 minutes. Frost cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles and a stemmed cherry if desired. 

I'm going to make these again but next time I will make them chocolate cherry cupcakes by filling them with a chocolate ganache in the center of the cupcake after they are baked. Then I will top them with chocolate curls and a chocolate dipped cherry. Can't wait to see how those turn out! 

*Update-I couldn't wait. I made these today and added chocolate ganache to the center of the cupcake, but didn't have time to add the chocolate curls so I just used some very slim Jimmies and topped it with the chocolate cherry. Lovely! 

Samoas Cupcakes

I was asked to make a few dozen cupcakes for a church function last week. I made two kinds, both with a Girl Scout cookie theme- Thin Mints and Samoas, having recently purchased a box of each.

Here are the Samoas cupcakes. You can see the cupcakes sunk just slightly, but I figured it was just more room for frosting. It's all about learning to not sweat the small stuff. 

On display at the Relief Society birthday party

My friend, Michele, made the other stack of cupcakes. She made lemon-raspberry and the yummiest carrot cake cupcakes ever. I'll share that carrot cake recipe with you soon. 

Chocolate Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

1 box chocolate cake mix

4 oz (or whatever size they've cut it down to these days) instant chocolate pudding

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup water

4 eggs

1 1/2 tsp coconut emulsion (or extract)

1 cup sour cream

12 oz chocolate chips

Mix the oil, water, eggs, coconut emulsion and sour cream together until blended. Add the cake mix and pudding and beat on low speed for 30 seconds and then at medium speed for two minutes. Stir in the chocolate chips. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Don't fill more than that or you will have spillage when they are in the oven. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick tests clean. Remove from oven, let cool in pan for five minutes and then transfer to a covered container to lock in the moisture until cupcakes are completely cool. While your oven is still on, add 1 cup of coconut to a cookie sheet and spread it out. Toast it in the oven, stirring every 3-4 minutes until nicely brown, which will take about 10 minutes. 

Frosting- (slightly adapted from this recipe)

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)-if you use salted butter, omit added salt in the next step

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup whole milk (I used 1/3 cup 2% milk and added heavy whipping cream to make 1/2 cup)

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, salt (if using) and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for two minutes and then add the milk. Bring mixture back to a boil, still stirring constantly. When it comes back to a boil, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Allow the sugar mixture to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally (you can speed up the process by putting it in the refrigerator, but the best way to do it is to make the frosting to this point before you bake the cupcakes, then it will be ready when the cupcakes are cool enough to frost). When the mixture is cooled, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add powdered sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. You may have to add a little more powdered sugar to get it to the consistency you desire. 

Drizzle-

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Frost cupcakes and then sprinkle them with the toasted coconut. Put the chocolate chips into a baggie and melt in the microwave for one minute, pausing at the 30-second mark to squish the bag a little bit. Snip off the tiniest corner of the baggie and drizzle the melted chocolate over the coconut. These are deceptively more delicious than you might think. Laura tasted one and she exclaimed that they need to go on my everyday list for when I "open my bakery." Another friend, who took one home from the church event, told me she ate it the next day and was disappointed she hadn't taken home more than one! In other words, she wanted "Samoa." 

Diet Cupcakes- Almost!

My last post was about superifically-calorified cupcakes. These, on the other hand are practically calorie-free. Okay, so not quite but they are "slimmed down." 

A friend of mine was having some challenges with her three-year-old son's escapades, so I figured she needed a treat. I had just cleaned out the refrigerator and knew I had some strawberries, and I had some chocolate frosting that I'd made a couple days earlier. Why not put them together? By the way, you know it's time to clean the fridge when you have absolutely no idea what is inside a particular container and/or your plasticware drawer (I'd say Tupperware, but it's actually all Rubbermaid or Snapware) is empty!  

Another friend of mine was celebrating a birthday, so she got a plate too. 

Another friend has a two-year-old boy who is my best pal, so they got a plate too. The first friend wasn't home (she was the reason I turned the oven on in the first place!) so I picked a different friend and it seemed to brighten her evening a lot. I'll try the first friend again tomorrow. My idea came from here, but I've changed the recipe a lot. Still, let's give credit where credit is due. My eighth-grade history teacher, Mr. Beglinger always said, "Fair is fair." So thanks to Lizzy Early over at Your Cup of Cake for the recipe idea. Anyway, let's get to how I slimmed these down. 

Neapolitan "Diet" Cupcakes

3 eggs 

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup strawberry greek yogurt (I use Dannon Light and Fit, 2X protein, 0% fat- so that's 80 calories and 12 grams of protein!)

1/2 cup strawberry jam (I used my homemade freezer variety) 

1/4 cup milk (I used 1%)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 box chocolate or devil's food cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Swiss Chocolate)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix together all the ingredients except the cake mix until the mixture is blended. Add the cake mix and beat at low speed until it's moistened, then beat on medium speed for two minutes.
I use a medium-sized cookie scoop to put the batter into the cupcake liners. It makes the process a breeze. Bake cupcakes for 17-21 minutes (mine were just right at 19 minutes) or until toothpick tests clean.
Cool in pans for about one minute and then remove the cupcakes to either a cooling rack or a couple of 9x13 pans and cover them with plastic wrap while you make your frosting.
I used the chocolate frosting from this post and then I made some vanilla frosting too.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (or if using milk, start with only 2 T and add a little more milk if necessary, until you reach your desired consistency)
Fresh strawberries for garnish
Beat butter and cream cheese for three minutes. Add vanilla extract and then the powdered sugar. Beat until creamy and there are no sugar lumps remaining. Add cream or milk and whip until it's smooth, about three minutes.
I have a nifty bag that you can fill with two different frostings and then place that bag into another bag with a tip and then you can just pipe away and get the two-toned effect. If you don't have a nifty bag but you do have regular bags, put one flavor in a bag and the other flavor in another bag and then put those two bags into a third bag that has a tip on it and you're all set. Pipe away and top with a fresh strawberry half.
Now go take them to a few of your favorite friends, or treat yourself. Way less guilt on these if you do eat them all because of the applesauce and greek yogurt!
The app, My Fitness Pal, counts these at 98 calories (without the frosting!). They'd be even less if I left out the strawberry jam (86 calories).

Cupcake Deliveries

I've come across a cupcake recipe that is simply divine. That is, if you're not on a diet. Otherwise, avoid these at all costs. The recipe comes from the book, Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor. I frosted the first batch with strawberry frosting and the second batch with chocolate frosting, topping both with a fresh raspberry and some heart-shaped sprinkles. In two different sizes. Because...I have a sprinkle addiction. It's Orson Gygi's fault.

Let's start with the cupcake itself.

Best Birthday Cupcakes (slightly adapted from Cupcakes From the Cake Mix Doctor, page 138)

8 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup water

4 large eggs

1 T vanilla extract

1 box (16.5oz) Duncan Hines Butter Golden cake mix

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare cupcake pans by placing cupcake liners in 24-30 cups (I've made this recipe several times and always get 28-30 cupcakes from it, not the 22-24 listed in the book).

Place softened cream cheese in mixing bowl (if your cream cheese isn't soft, place it on a microwaveable dish and heat on full power for 20 seconds). Beat cream cheese for one minute, then add the sugar and beat for another minute. Add oil, water, eggs, and extract and beat until combined. Add cake mix and beat at low speed for 30 seconds and at medium speed for 2 minutes. 

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full of batter and bake for 18-24 minutes or until lightly browned and toothpick tests clean.

Remove from pan and immediately place cupcakes into a 9x13 pan and cover with plastic wrap until cupcakes are completely cool.

Now let's talk about the frosting. It can be tricky to get a good tasting fruit-flavored frosting. I adapted the strawberry buttercream recipe from Lizzy Early's website, Your Cup of Cake.

Strawberry Buttercream

1 cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons strawberry flavored gelatin (Jell-O powder)

1/4 cup strawberry jam (I used my homemade freezer jam)

4-6 cups powdered sugar
Add the strawberry Jell-O to the strawberry jam and heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir until the Jell-O powder is no longer gritty. Allow jam mixture to cool completely.
Place butter in mixing bowl and beat for two minutes. Add vanilla extract and cooled jam mixture, beating briefly. Add four cups of powdered sugar and beat at the lowest speed possible unless you want a cloud of powdered sugar swirling around your head (I don't know, maybe that's a good thing?). After the sugar begins to incorporate, increase speed to medium. Continue to add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency and flavor. Once you've arrived, continue beating the frosting for at least five more minutes to make it fluffy and fabulous. 

Chocolate Frosting
1 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 T vanilla extract
3/4 cup cocoa powder
4-6 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (approximate)
Place the butter and cream cheese into mixing bowl. Beat for three minutes. Add vanilla extract and beat until blended. Add cocoa powder and beat on low speed, then add two cups of powdered sugar and mix slowly until it starts to come together. Add two more cups of powdered sugar and when it is mixed in, increase speed to medium-high. Add the whipping cream as needed if the frosting is too thick. When the frosting is mixed well, taste it and see if you need to add more sugar or not. When you are satisfied with the chocolate to sugar ratio (my preference is about 5 cups of sugar), continue beating the frosting on medium-high speed for about 15 minutes. Yes, 15 minutes. You want to whip in a lot of air into this frosting which will give it a light and airy deliciousness that is incomparable to canned frosting.

I realize this just looks like a blob of brown mess. It is, in fact, fantastic chocolate frosting. It's the extra beating time that turns it from good to great. Now go deliver your cupcakes to all your friends (or just one or two of your friends) so they don't stay in your house, because they are dangerous.