Holy Baking, Batman...They're Junior Mint Valentine Cupcakes!

These are Double Chocolate Junior Mint cupcakes with pink mint frosting...ready to be eaten on Valentine's Day 2011!

Don't you love love songs...especially on Valentine's Day...one of my favs is by Celine Dion...Because You Loved Me...

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cause you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

Happy Valentine's Day, Batman!

CQ and Layla

Holy Baking, Batman...They're Junior Mint Valentine Cupcakes!

These are Double Chocolate Junior Mint cupcakes with pink mint frosting...ready to be eaten on Valentine's Day 2011!

Don't you love love songs...especially on Valentine's Day...one of my favs is by Celine Dion...Because You Loved Me...

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cause you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

Happy Valentine's Day, Batman!

CQ and Layla

Cupcake Convert- Georgetown Cupcakes

This is the line of Georegtown Cupcake devotees.

Okay, call me slow, but while cupcakes and cupcake sites have been popping up on the web and in cities like chickweed in my lawn, the whole trend was a bit lost on me. Sure, I like cupcakes and I see the advantage of the automatic portion control inherent in the cupcake, and the opportunity to try 3 or 4 different types of cakes without having to invest in making (or eating)  several whole cakes. I tried to get on the bandwagon when my daughter moved to Shirlington, only a stone's throw from Cakelove, but the magic of the cupcake just eluded me.

I think I dreamed of this place as a child!

But that was before Georgetown Cupcakes.  About a month ago, my son who lives in DC and daughter who was visiting made the trek to Georgetown Cupcakes. Now even if you haven't travelled to DC, you may have seen Georgetown Cupcakes on the TLC program, DC Cupcakes now entering its second season, though I have to admit I had not heard of it until my daughter came with a box in a bag.



I didn't appreciate just how popular Georgetown Cupcakes is until I saw the pictures my daughter took of their time waiting. But when I saw what was inside that box, I know I would've waited too.

 With flavors like Salted Caramel and Chocolate Coconut and Mocha, and Lava Fudge, and Key Lime, and,,,,, okay, you get the picture, I am not sure how they picked, but the cupcakes I had (Salted Carmel and Chocolate Coconut) made me a Georgetown Cupcake convert.  They were delicious, moist, with complexity and richness of flavor beyond their diminutive size.

Well, I know that you are all excited for me that I have finally jumped on the cupcake bandwagon, but it gets better- you can order your own dozen cupcakes either directly from GC or through TLC which airs the DC Cupcake Show.  So if you are looking for something amazing and delicious, and worth every calorie, order your own and experience these bits of heaven for yourself!

The Absolutely Best Chocolate Reese's Cup Peanut Butter Cupcakes You'll Ever Eat!!

Notice the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup on the bottom!

The BEST!

Okay, Kids...here is the recipe:

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 package Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix

2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1-1/3 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 package REESE�S Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcakes cups with paper liners sprayed with PAM. Place one Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures on the bottom of each paper liner.

Then, place the cake mix, cocoa powder, peanut butter, water, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend for 30 seconds on low, then increase speed to medium for 1 minute and 30 seconds. 

Spoon 1/3 cup of batter on top of each miniature peanut butter cup. 

Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger. Check them after 15 minutes. They may take 17 minutes, depending on your oven temperature.

Frosting Ingredients:

1 stick of butter (room temp)

1/2 cup shortening

4 cups confectioners sugar (sifted)

1 tsp vanilla

8 tbsp milk (may need a little more or less)

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup peanut butter (creamy)

Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix with a hand mixer. Then, decorate your cupcakes!

The Absolutely Best Chocolate Reese's Cup Peanut Butter Cupcakes You'll Ever Eat!!

Notice the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup on the bottom!

The BEST!

Okay, Kids...here is the recipe:

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 package Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix

2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1-1/3 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 package REESE�S Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcakes cups with paper liners sprayed with PAM. Place one Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures on the bottom of each paper liner.

Then, place the cake mix, cocoa powder, peanut butter, water, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend for 30 seconds on low, then increase speed to medium for 1 minute and 30 seconds. 

Spoon 1/3 cup of batter on top of each miniature peanut butter cup. 

Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger. Check them after 15 minutes. They may take 17 minutes, depending on your oven temperature.

Frosting Ingredients:

1 stick of butter (room temp)

1/2 cup shortening

4 cups confectioners sugar (sifted)

1 tsp vanilla

8 tbsp milk (may need a little more or less)

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup peanut butter (creamy)

Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix with a hand mixer. Then, decorate your cupcakes!

Recipe: Baking: P�t� So / P�t� Chaud

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a good weekend. Remember when I posted about the P�t� So (also goes by the name P�t� Chaud) from JJ's French Pastry in Honolulu?

We ate a lot of those during my last trip home. Breakfast, lunch, snack...I ate two a day over the course of my ten-day stay, and soon realized that my daily P�t� So expenditure bordered on ridiculous.

Why not learn to make my own right?

P�t� So is essentially puff pastry filled with ground pork. The pork is mixed with celery, vermicelli noodles, onions, salt and pepper. It's a forgiving recipe, just don't leave out the nuoc nam, which is an essential component! I made a big batch because we had family over for Grandpa's birthday dinner, and dad thought it would be fun to serve them hot out of the oven as pupus. We replaced pork with chicken because Grandpa's doctor suggested that he lay off pork for health reasons ;)


P�t� So / P�t� Chaud
1 package puff pastry sheets, defrosted (I used Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets - but it's worth making your own puff pastry if you have time)
1 pound ground pork (or chicken, but I prefer pork)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup vermicelli noodles (soak in warm water until softened, then cut into 1-inch long pieces)
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon nuoc nam
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a big bowl, mix together the ground pork, celery, chopped vermicelli noodles, onions, nuoc nam, salt and pepper.

2. Roll out the puff pastry sheet to a rectangle, about 16" x 12". Cut in half to make two 16" x 6" rectangles. Put a quarter of the ground pork mixture on one of the rectangles, spreading across the bottom half of the 16" side. Lift the unfilled side, fold over and close. Use fork tines to press along the edges, making sure it's securely sealed.

3. Do the same for the other puff pastry sheets, making for a total of four P�t� So "logs." (If you use the Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets, note that the package comes with two sheets, which makes for a total of four rectangles).

4. Make deep cuts along the log, 1" apart. This will make it easier for you to cut and serve once done baking. Brush with a beaten egg wash, and slide in the oven.

5. Bake for 25 minutes at 400F, until it has a deep golden brown shade. Cut and serve while hot!

Notes:
- Leftovers keep well, just pop in the toaster oven for a few minutes to warm up.
- This makes a killer late night snack with beer.
- Inside of a log, you can do individual rectangles (like they do at JJ's French Pastry). You'll want to cut the pork mixture down by half because you won't have as much puff pastry "space" to work with if you're making individual rectangles.

Enjoy!

How About Some Easy Thanksgiving Cupcakes!

These are butternut squash cupcakes with sage frosting! They are very moist and taste awesome!

They are made using a Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice Premium Cake Mix!

Here is the recipe that makes 24 cupcakes:

Ingredients:

For cake:

--1 Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice Premium Cake Mix
--1 large butternut squash

For frosting:

--1 bunch of sage

--3 tablespoons of water

--3 tablespoons of granulated sugar

--12 ounces of cream cheese (room temperature)

--1/2 cup butter (room temperature)

--1 cup of eggnog (or milk, if you prefer)

3-4 cups of powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin tins with paper baking cups, and set aside. Peel, quarter and remove seeds from butternut squash. Place in a large sauce pan covered with water and bring to a boil until squash is tender. Put the pieces in a food processor or blender, then set aside for a while.


Make cake mix as directed on package. When cooled, fold the butternut squash into the cake mix. Fill the cupcake papers three-quarters full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center of them comes out clean, about 12-15 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.


Frosting directions:

Chop up the sage so that it's in very fine pieces. Heat the sugar and water in a small sauce pan under medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add the sage to the sugar water mixture and heat  over low-medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Set aside to let cool.

Beat butter and cream cheese until creamy...about 2 minutes.

Stir the sage syrup into the butter and cream cheese mixture. Add the eggnog or milk to the mixture.

Finally, add the powered sugar a little at a time to the mixture until you have the mixture you want.

Now, frost your cupcakes...you will receive very happy praises from your Thanksgiving guests!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!

CQ and Layla

How About Some Easy Thanksgiving Cupcakes!

These are butternut squash cupcakes with sage frosting! They are very moist and taste awesome!

They are made using a Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice Premium Cake Mix!

Here is the recipe that makes 24 cupcakes:

Ingredients:

For cake:

--1 Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice Premium Cake Mix
--1 large butternut squash

For frosting:

--1 bunch of sage

--3 tablespoons of water

--3 tablespoons of granulated sugar

--12 ounces of cream cheese (room temperature)

--1/2 cup butter (room temperature)

--1 cup of eggnog (or milk, if you prefer)

3-4 cups of powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin tins with paper baking cups, and set aside. Peel, quarter and remove seeds from butternut squash. Place in a large sauce pan covered with water and bring to a boil until squash is tender. Put the pieces in a food processor or blender, then set aside for a while.


Make cake mix as directed on package. When cooled, fold the butternut squash into the cake mix. Fill the cupcake papers three-quarters full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center of them comes out clean, about 12-15 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.


Frosting directions:

Chop up the sage so that it's in very fine pieces. Heat the sugar and water in a small sauce pan under medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add the sage to the sugar water mixture and heat  over low-medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Set aside to let cool.

Beat butter and cream cheese until creamy...about 2 minutes.

Stir the sage syrup into the butter and cream cheese mixture. Add the eggnog or milk to the mixture.

Finally, add the powered sugar a little at a time to the mixture until you have the mixture you want.

Now, frost your cupcakes...you will receive very happy praises from your Thanksgiving guests!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!

CQ and Layla

An Experiment: Magic Cookie Bar Cupcakes!

When  was in Marlboro, New York recently I had the awesomest Magic Cookie Bars made by Meghan Gaffney...I fell in love!

 So, I asked Meghan to send me the recipe...which she did!

 I made the bars as cupcakes...I divided the entire recipe ingredients into twelve parts and made them into cupcakes! When I took them out of the oven, it seemed as if they hadn't baked all the way through.

I was ready to throw them away, but let them sit overnight. The next morning, they had set up and had hardened over night! I was so surprised...and happy. Took them to work where they were devoured and everyone said they were the BEST!

Here's the recipe:

Melt 1 stick of butter with 1-1/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs; press mixture into cupcake tins lined with cupcake papers (sprayed with PAM) to form a crust. (Divide by weight into the 12 cupcake liners.)


Pour one ounce of condensed milk (from 12 ounce can) over crumbs in the cupcake liner.


Sprinkle 12oz bag of mini chocolates chips (1 ounce in each cupcake liner) on top of  the condensed milk.


Lastly, cover each "cupcake" with 1-1/3 cups of coconut flakes (divided by 12). 


Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.


Have a great week...working on Thanksgiving cupcakes next!!!


CQ

An Experiment: Magic Cookie Bar Cupcakes!

When  was in Marlboro, New York recently I had the awesomest Magic Cookie Bars made by Meghan Gaffney...I fell in love!

 So, I asked Meghan to send me the recipe...which she did!

 I made the bars as cupcakes...I divided the entire recipe ingredients into twelve parts and made them into cupcakes! When I took them out of the oven, it seemed as if they hadn't baked all the way through.

I was ready to throw them away, but let them sit overnight. The next morning, they had set up and had hardened over night! I was so surprised...and happy. Took them to work where they were devoured and everyone said they were the BEST!

Here's the recipe:

Melt 1 stick of butter with 1-1/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs; press mixture into cupcake tins lined with cupcake papers (sprayed with PAM) to form a crust. (Divide by weight into the 12 cupcake liners.)


Pour one ounce of condensed milk (from 12 ounce can) over crumbs in the cupcake liner.


Sprinkle 12oz bag of mini chocolates chips (1 ounce in each cupcake liner) on top of  the condensed milk.


Lastly, cover each "cupcake" with 1-1/3 cups of coconut flakes (divided by 12). 


Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.


Have a great week...working on Thanksgiving cupcakes next!!!


CQ

"Don't Make Me Release the Flying Monkeys" Halloween Cupcakes with Orange Frosting...and a little blood...

Roxanne: These are for you!

What can I say...I love Halloween and really look forward to these nutty set-ups I create...all meant in fun!

The cupcakes themselves are relatively unimportant in this case...it's all about the decorating...however, the folks I work with at UMD thought they tasted great...should I say the obvious? They were DEVIL'S FOOD cupcakes!

Enjoy the photos...let yourself go a little crazy this Halloween...take a walk on the wildside!

Eat, drink and be scary!

CQ and Layla

"Don't Make Me Release the Flying Monkeys" Halloween Cupcakes with Orange Frosting...and a little blood...

Roxanne: These are for you!

What can I say...I love Halloween and really look forward to these nutty set-ups I create...all meant in fun!

The cupcakes themselves are relatively unimportant in this case...it's all about the decorating...however, the folks I work with at UMD thought they tasted great...should I say the obvious? They were DEVIL'S FOOD cupcakes!

Enjoy the photos...let yourself go a little crazy this Halloween...take a walk on the wildside!

Eat, drink and be scary!

CQ and Layla