Funfetti Cupcakes

Did anyone else completely forget about leap day until, well, leap day? Story of my life.

Luckily, though, this week is spring break, so forgetting that February 29 was a thing this year didn't affect me in any huge way. So far break has been pretty laid back (except taxes, *sad face*), as I'm spending it with my crazy-but-awesome cousins. It's always fun to take a break from school and catch up with all of these special people that I missed out on while I've lived overseas, and now at college. They actually got a snow day today, which is pretty exciting--I haven't had one of those in years! So today there is extra time to spend together.

Usually when I visit, one of the girls bakes something with me. This time, Lydia picked to bake funfetti cupcakes. Funnily enough, funfetti perfectly describes her personality: filled with fun, colorful surprises, and always ready to put a smile on your face (case in point: she is shooting me with a fake machine gun as I type this).

Sadly, I don't get to bake cupcakes much anymore. Wait, scratch that, I don't get to bake much of anything anymore. Depressing, considering that baking is a large part of who I am. Want to know Maddie in a nutshell? Baking, and cats. Preferably together, please. Luckily this week I have gotten both, a sweet (haha) bonus to being with my family.

Funfetti cupcakes are perfect for birthday parties, but really, you don't need a special occasion to bake these cupcakes. They are fun, and that's all the reason you need! To be honest, I'm not really the biggest fan of "plain" flavors like vanilla, but I was pleasantly surprised when I bit into these sprinkle-loaded cupcakes and got a mouthful of cake that was sweet, moist, and lacking that telltale chemical-y flavor of box-mix funfetti cake. And as far as cupcakes go, these are pretty easy to make: a few basic ingredients + lotsa sprinkles + some time and love = funfetti cupcakes and happiness!

Make these cupcakes A.S.A.P. to brighten the gloomy end-of-winter days.

Funfetti Cupcakes
Makes: 16

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk*
1/2 cup sprinkles (colorful, preferably jimmies or nonpareils)

Frosting:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp. salt
5 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla
1-2 Tbs. heavy whipping cream*

Directions:

Cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line cupcake tins with 15-16 liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, put the melted butter, and mix in sugar with a hand or stand mixer for 30 seconds, until thick and combined.
4. To the butter mixture, add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
5. Alternately mix in the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour; do not overmix.
6. Stir in sprinkles.
7. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full (~1/4 batter per liner). Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before frosting. Store in an airtight container.

Frosting:
1. In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy.
2. Beat in salt and powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time.
3. Beat in vanilla and 1 tablespoon whipping cream. Add more whipping cream if needed to obtain desired consistency.
4. Frost cupcakes using a pastry bag. This recipe makes plenty of frosting to pile it in high swirls.

*You can replace buttermilk by combining 3/4 cup milk + 1 tsp. white vinegar and letting sit for 5 minutes.
*You can replace heavy whipping cream for milk, but the consistency will not be as creamy.

Recipe from: http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2014/02/perfect-funfetti-cupcakes/

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

Packed with flavor, you can't go wrong with these festive cupcakes!

I've been missing cupcakes a lot lately. Last year with the cupcake business, I had cupcakes coming out of my ears, but since starting college I haven't been able to make any. Cupcakes are a labor of love in time and ingredients! However, I do have all of my supplies with me, just in case.

Thus, my holiday baking list includes: church windows, buckeyes (coming soon!), and the delicious peppermint mocha cupcakes that I saw on Sally's Baking Addiction. I picked a morning, and whipped these cupcakes up. It actually took a really long time because I knew where nothing was in my mom's new kitchen... But a few hours and two sore feet later I had a nice row of fresh cupcakes with pretty swirls of pink and white frosting. Well, some swirls were pretty—it was my first time doing two-toned frosting.

The frosting was actually some of the best I have tasted. I don't know if it was the use of cream instead of milk, the type of butter I used (salted cream), or what, but it was SO good! I may have licked my frosting spatulas clean ;)

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Notes:

*Use instant coffee, not coffee granules.

*It is alright to use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Cake flour will make the cupcakes slightly softer.

*Buttermilk is essential. If you do not have real buttermilk, you can make a substitute:  mix 2 teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice with 1/2 cup milk. Let sit for 5 minutes to curdle.

*Instead of heavy cream, milk or half-and-half can be used, but the frosting will not be as creamy.
*Immediately before serving, sprinkle on crushed candy canes; if done too far in advance, they will melt.

*To learn how to make swirled frosting: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/how-to-make-swirled-frosting/

Recipe from: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/11/24/peppermint-mocha-cupcakes/

Texas Sheet Cake

The first time I bit into a chocolatey square of Texas sheet cake years ago, I knew that someday I would have to make it myself. It sat in the back of my mind until I finally discovered that the Pioneer Woman has a recipe for it...I was so delighted that I made it almost immediately! All of her recipes are delicious…and usually pretty unhealthy too, and this one is no exception. However, this cake's heavenly flavor makes all that extra butter and sugar worth it.

The mystery behind Texas sheet cake: its name. People keep asking me, “why Texas?”.

The answer: I don’t know. Even wikipedia couldn’t tell me. *shakes head in disappointment*

I did find out, however, that this cake was quite popular in the South in the 1950s (no wonder there’s so much butter and sugar!). It actually has quite a few different names, one of the most common being simply “chocolate sheet cake”. But I don’t think that name does this cake justice—it speaks plain old chocolate to me (not that that's bad), but this is not just any old chocolate cake dumped into a sheet pan. Texas sheet cake is rich, moist, and chocolatey.

Texas sheet cake has a few defining characteristics which help make it so amazing: the most obvious are the use of chocolate and a sheet pan—but we already knew that much. Less obvious is that it usually has nuts (especially pecans) in the frosting, and buttermilk (or sometimes sour cream) in the cake; these give it crunch as well as fluffy-moistness. The light cake and dense frosting combine in two luscious layers to create one giant pan of goodness. "Texas sheet cake" is basically just another way of saying "indulgence".

Texas sheet cake is not only delicious to eat, but it is easy to make and feeds a crowd; no one goes home disappointed! The fact that nobody knows the exact origins of the cake is forgotten at the first bite.

Texas Sheet Cake

Serves: 24-30

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

4 Tbs. (heaping) cocoa

2 sticks butter (1 cup / 8 oz.)

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

 Frosting:

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

1 3/4 stick butter (14 Tbs. or 7 oz)

4 Tbs. (heaping) cocoa

6 Tbs. milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

about 7 1/2 cups (or 1 pound minus 1/2 cup) powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 Fº. Grease a 18x13 jelly roll pan.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

3. In a small pot, melt butter. Add cocoa powder and stir.

4. Carefully pour boiling water into cocoa mixture and allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds.

5. Remove from heat and add to flour mixture; stir.

6. Mix buttermilk, beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla together in a large measuring cup.

7. Add buttermilk mixture to flour and cocoa mixture. Stir until combined.

8. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

9. While cake is baking, make the icing.

Icing:

1. Chop pecans finely.

2. Melt butter in a large saucepan.

3. Stir in cocoa, then turn off heat.

4. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar; mix and stir in the pecans.

5. Pour over warm cake, spreading evenly with a plastic spatula.

Recipe from: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_chocol/

Mochaccino Cupcakes

Now that we finally have some snow, a nice coffee and chocolate cupcake hits the spot.

Actually, these would be good anytime of the year, but that's besides the point!

You're probably asking yourself why you need more coffee and chocolate in your life right now, but that question answers itself. It's a coffee and chocolate cupcake! Yum! Just maybe you don't need this cupcake right before bed. Unless it's a mini one, because those are so small and cute you can eat them anytime of the day right? You could even argue eating them for breakfast...it is coffee, after all.

The cake has good, noticeable coffee and chocolate flavors, and the frosting tastes like coffee, but better because it's mixed with butter and powdered sugar! The chocolate pieces in the cake go a long way, making this cupcake extra good—so don't skip them!

Mochaccino Cupcakes

makes: 30 standard cupcakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup softened butter

3 eggs

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled

2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup dark, bittersweet, or semisweet chocolate pieces

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup combine milk and coffee. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until combined. Scrape side of bowl, beat for 2 minutes more. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.

4. Stir in chocolate pieces.

5. Bake at 350ºF for about 18 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched.

6. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups. Cool completely on wire racks.

7. Top with coffee buttercream. Use cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, chocolate shavings, sprinkles, or creme-filled rolled wafers (such as Pirouettes) to garnish.

Coffee Buttercream

makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

1/3 cup softened butter

4 cups powdered sugar

3 Tbs strong brewed coffee, cooled

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.

2. Gradually add 1 cup powdered sugar, beating well.

3. Beat in 3 tablespoons strong brewed coffee, cooled, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

4. Gradually beat in 3 cups additional powdered sugar.

5. If necessary, beat in additional coffee until buttercream reaches a spreading consistency.

Recipe from: "Cupcakes." Better Homes and Gardens 2011: 97. Print

Classic Madeleines

My dad first introduced me to Madeleines. It's one of those special foods that I really only make with him. We make them because, 1. they are French, and we have French blood, 2. my full name is Madeline (pronounced the same as Madeleine), and 3. because, of course, they are yummy and pretty.

Traditionally they are little shell-shaped, lemon flavored cakes to go with tea; they were created by the French (and therefore have a lot of butter). We've gone through quite a few Madeleine recipes over the years because we don't make Madeleines often enough that we remember our thoughts on previous recipes, or for that matter, what recipe we even used! We always make the traditional lemon Madeleines, but there are variations. This recipe is nice and light and fluffy, with a very light lemon flavor (they could use a little more lemon zest for more flavor). Madeleines are definitely best served fresh out of the oven. We've tried saving some left overs, but they never taste quite the same. Freezing we haven't tried, but is an idea that sometime I will test.

This time our Madeleines turned out perfect!

Madeleines

Makes 18-24 3-inch Madeleines

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. grated lemon rind, or 2 tsp. grated orange rind

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup flour

8 Tbs. butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus about 4 Tbs. softened butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Smear about 1/2 teaspoon softened butter over the inside of each form–don't leave any bare spots (this is easiest using your fingers).

2. Combine the eggs, sugar, and lemon or orange rind in a large mixing bowl, and stir them together.

3. Set in a pan of simmering water and stir until the egg mixture is very warm to your finger.

4. Remove from the heat and beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy, pale yellow, and tripled in volume, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt.

5. Dump the flour into a sifter or strainer, sprinkle half of it over the egg mixture, and fold it in. Pour in 8 tablespoons of butter and sprinkle on the remaining flour, and fold gently just until the batter is mixed.

6. Spoon a generous tablespoon of batter into each prepared mold (or fill each mold about 3/4); do not spread it evenly, it will level itself in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges of the cakes are golden and they lift easily from the molds.
7. Remove and transfer the Madeleines to a rack to cool. Serve within a few hours, or wrap them airtight and freeze. Serve plain, or sprinkle the ribbed side with powdered sugar.

Note: if you have only one pan, let the mold cool after each batch, wipe it out, grease with butter, then refill with batter and bake again.

Recipe adapted from: The Fannie Farmer Baking Book by Marion Cunningham, 1984