Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

So today is my mom's birthday. (and by today, I mean yesterday, but we are celebrating it today.)
Long story short, I got put in charge of dessert (surprise, surprise... :) ) Since its been fall for a while now, I figured its time to start breaking out the pumpkin baked goods, Casual Cupcake style. :)

The finished (and delicious) product!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Bake Time: 16 - 19 min / batch
Oven Temp: 350°
Total Time: 1.5 Hours

Ingredients

• 1 Betty Crocker Yellow Cake Mix
• 1 Can of pumpkin. (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
• 1.5 t Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 4 Eggs
• 1/2 c water
• 1/3 c oil
• 1 c Candied Pecans
• 2 cans Betty Crocker Cream Cheese Frosting
• Liners & Pastry bag (if desired)

Preheat the oven to 350°. Mix the eggs, water, oil and pumpkin until well blended. Add pumpkin pie spice & cake mix. Blend until well combined. Mix in pecans. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

While your cupcakes are baking (and your house is smelling F-A-L-L-TASTIC, ) scoop your frosting into a bowl. Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice in, and combine. I don't have an exact measurement, just do it until it looks (and tastes) good!

Once the cupcakes are baked & cooled, frost them and sample one right away! (I recommend a glass of milk....) Enjoy!

Sorry I have been a very undilligent blogger... Somehow full time school, full time job, and a weekend job are eating up my time. I will be better. :)

A Despicable Birthday :)

Hello friends, family, and strangers who have managed to stumble upon my little blog. Today's post is going to be a bit lengthy... but the finished product will be 100000% worth it!
My friend's son's birthday party is tomorrow, and I lucked into making cupcakes for the celebration. After some discussion with the birthday boy, it was decided that I was making Minion cupcakes with buttercream frosting and marbled cake.
Now, if for some reason you've been living under a rock for the past 3 years and have never heard of Minions or the movie Despicable Me (or the sequel), then here's what they look like.
Aren't they adorable?

Anyway, I knew I had my work cut out for me, so I went to the research library of crafty, creative & DIY people.... Pinterest.

So I found a photo, that was lacking instructions. But after some thinking, I made a plan.













Here's how you make a birthday absolutely despicable. :)


Minion Cupcakes


Prep Time: 1 hour
Bake Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: ~2 hours
Oven Temp: 350°

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

• 1 box Betty Crocker Chocolate Cake Mix
• 1 box Betty Crocker Yellow Cake Mix
• Eggs
• Oil
• Water
• Blue Cupcake Liners

Minion Bodies:

• 1 box twinkies (to make 20 cupcakes)
• 1 package Wilton candy eyes
• 1 tube Wilton black sparkle gel
• 1 package chocolate twizzlers

Frosting

• 1 box Wilton Buttercream Frosting Mix (because I'm horrible at making frosting)
• Milk
• Butter
• Wilton Royal Blue Frosting Dye

Making the Minion Bodies

Ok. So I made the Minion bodies the night before, but that's not necessarily required.
To make the bodies, unwrap the twinkies and cut them in half. Using your black sparkle gel, 'glue' the candy eyes to the twinkies. I found that if you put a little extra, then it surrounded the eyes to look like goggles. After you get the eyes on, add the straps of the goggles down the sides of the twinkies. Use the sparkle gel to make some mouths on the mini minions.
To make the hair, cut the chocolate twizzlers into small pieces to make strands of hair. Using a toothpick, poke holes in the top of the twinkie where you want the hair to go. (I put 3 strands per minion.)
Once you have that all done, keep them in the fridge until it is time to assemble the cupcakes.

Cupcakes

Follow the directions on the box for making the cupcakes. If you are making marble cupcakes like me, then just alternate the different batters into the cupcake cups and swirl them around with a toothpick to make the marble effect. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before decorating.

Frosting

If you are using the Wilton buttercream mix, follow the directions on the box. Use the royal blue frosting dye one toothpick drop at a time to get a deep blue color in the frosting. Keep chilled until ready to use.

Assembling the Minions

First off, if the tops of your cupcakes aren't mostly flat on top, then cut off the tops just enough for a
twinkie to sit comfortably on top of the cupcake.
Take a twinkie and set it (cut side down) on the top of the cupcake. Using a pastry bag, pipe frosting around the twinkie to attach it to the cupcake. There's not really an exact science to it, just make sure the twinkie is secured, and the overall product looks good.

That's it!
I know it is a little work, but admit, these little guys are cute. :)

Since I used 2 boxes of cake mix, I had some batter left over.
Instead of letting it go to waste, I decided to make a mini cake to take over with the cupcakes.
I made a minion out of paper, and backed it with tin foil so that it wouldn't get ruined by the frosting.

Then I used the rest of my blue buttercream, and black sparkle gel to decorate the cake.

Here's the finished product!

Thanks for hanging in with me for this long post!
Until next time...

A Double Batch Because I've Been Gone So Long. :)

Hello Strangers...

Sorry I fell of the face of the planet for way too many months.
I didn't even bake this summer... at all... I was dying to bake. But I couldnt find the time.
But then I got the perfect opportunity.
A Bridal Shower.

Now if you know me, you know that I love weddings. So baking for something related to a wedding is pretty much the best thing ever.

The bridal shower was a wine tasting, so I needed to make unique, but simple flavors.

The first cupcake I made was a vanilla cupcake with raspberry filling and cream cheese frosting.


Raspberry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep Time: 15 min



Bake time 15 min
Total Time 1 hr

Ingredients:

• Betty Crocker Vanilla Cake Mix
• Raspberry Pie Filling
• Eggs
• Water
• Oil
• Cupcake Liners
• Cinnamon & Sugar
• Betty Crocker Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat oven. Prepare cake mix as instructed. Fill cupcake liners 1/3 full. Place a small scoop of raspberry pie filling in each cup. Cover the filling with batter until a little over 2/3 full.

Bake until golden brown on top. When they are done, let cool completely. Using pastry bag, frost the cupcakes. Before serving, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

Prep Time: 10 min

Bake Time: 15 min

Total Time 45 min

Ingredients

• Betty Crocker Devil's Food Cake Mix
• Eggs
• Water
• Oil
• Cupcake Liners
• Duncan Hines Frosting Creations base frosting
• Duncan Hines Frosting Creations Caramel flavoring
• Sea Salt

Preheat oven. Prepare and bake cake mix as instructed on box. Cool completely before frosting.

Prepare the frosting by combining base frosting & flavoring. Add 2 tsp sea salt and stir well.

Using pastry bag, frost the cupcakes. Before serving, sprinkle cupcakes with sea salt.

I decided since it was my first 'commissioned' job, I would make myself some snazzy labels to make myself look like a 'professional'. There's definately a benefit to being a graphic designer. :)

Here's the masterpiece. 

Sorry it has been so long. I promise I will be more diligent. :) I also have a fun job coming up. ( But I'm keeping it a secret.)

Contest Time!!!

Ok!

So I need some inspiration, and I know that it will be hard to get without some sort of excitement, or bribery. So I'm adding a little of both.

I found some toasted coconut marshmallows (that are phenomenal) and I want to use them in a cupcake sometime in the near future.
What I want to know is what kind of cupcake/ frosting, etc would go with it, and how I would use the marshmallows.

So here's what you do.

1. Come up with a rocking idea for a cupcake, or even just some flavor inspirations.
2. Email your fabulous ideas to me at: kathrine.shindigs@gmail.com
3. After I've read through all the ideas, I will pick a winner!

What you could win:

I'm going to make a cupcake baking kit, complete with:

•  Fun & easy recipes (from my blog and more)
• Cute Cupcake Liners
• Disposable Pastry Bags
• A 7 piece Cupcake Decorating Kit.
• Possibly more! :)

The contest will run until July 16, 2013.

If you are the winner, I will email you, send you your prize, and bake your (very prestigious) award winning recipe! It will also be featured on my blog, and I will give complete credit to you! :)

Also, you can enter more than once, but remember, quality over quantity! Just because you submit 15 ideas, doesn't mean you're going to win. :)

Any questions or concerns, just email me at the address above!

Kinda Like Key Lime Pie.... Kinda Not...

Hello friends, family & strangers!

Before I get into my marvelous cupcake of the week, I want to make an announcement.

I'm going to have a contest.... with prizes...
Calm down... its not that exciting. :)
Anyway. I'll be posting about it soon. Just be keeping your eyes out!!!

Back to the main story....

This week's cupcake has been waiting to be made for 2 weeks now...
All the ingredients waited patiently for me to get my act together and do some baking.

Pardon the Spongebob reference... It was too perfect.

Anyway. 2 weeks flew by, and I finally had a reason to bake besides procrastinating *audience gasps*
I needed wanted to bring cupcakes to a movie night my friend was having. Voila. I had an excuse.

So here it is, My 'kinda like key lime pie, kinda not' cupcake.
But since thats an obnoxious mouthful, we will go with this:

The finished product! :)

Key Lime & Coconut Cupcakes 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Oven Temp: 350º

Cupcake Ingredients

• Betty Crocker French Vanilla Cake Mix
• 3 Eggs
• 1 C. Water
• 1/3 C. Oil
• 1/2 C Shredded Coconut
• Cupcake Liners

Frosting / Garnish Ingredients

• 1 can Pillsbury Key Lime Frosting
• Shredded Coconut for Garnish
• Pastry Bag, if desired

Preheat oven to 350º. In a bowl, Combine eggs, water & oil. In another bowl, combine dry cake mix and coconut. Dump cake & coconut mixture in with the wet ingredients and stir until well combined.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

Now the frosting process is EXTREMELY complicated.

Take the frosting and put in pastry bag with desired tip, etc. (I used a Wilton #21)

Frost cupcake, garnish with coconut, and you're done!

Note: You could also use those cute little drink umbrellas for a decoration, but I don't believe in non-edible decoration. But you can use whatever you'd like. :)

An Experiment..... Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Filling

Hey there!

Long time no see! (actually more like 3 minutes) But who's counting?

I decided  was craving sweets, am a poor college student and only had brownie mix in the cupboard. to try and make cupcakes out of brownie mix and ingredients I had around the apartment.

But I can't just make brownie cupcakes. I had to push the envelope a bit and make a filling.

Here's how I did it!

Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Filling

Prep Time: 15 - 20 minutes
Bake Time: 15 - 17 minutes
Oven Temp: 350

Ingredients

• 1 Betty Crocker Brownie Mix (the one that is made for a 9x13 pan)
• 1 C Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter
• 3/4 C Marshmallow Fluff
• Eggs
• Oil
• Water

Preheat the oven. While the oven is heating up, mix the marshmallow fluff and the peanut butter together in a bowl. Set aside. Make brownie mix as directed. Fill a cupcake pan WITHOUT LINERS 2/3 full. Then take a little bit of the peanut butter fluff, and place it on top of the brownie mix.

Top off each cup with enough batter to cover the peanut butter fluff. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and enjoy!!!

Thanks for sticking around!

I'm open to any suggestions or questions! Just give me a shout!

Much Love

Kathrine

Lemon Cupcakes with Fresh Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Welcome Back!!!

I'm finally back from hiding.

So this is the first of 2 recipes I will being posting.

I was craving something fresh and summery, and nothing is more like summer than lemonade!

Here's what you need!

Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep Time 15 - 20 min
Bake Time 12 - 14 minutes
Oven Temp: 350°

Cupcake Ingredients

• Betty Crocker Lemon Cake Mix
• Eggs
• Oil
• Water

Frosting / Garnish Ingredients

• 1 Can Cream Cheese Frosting
• 1 1/4 C pureed frozen raspberries
• 1 bag lemon drops
• Pastry Bag, if desired.

Preheat the oven. Make cake mix as directed, and bake until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. For the frosting, puree the DEFROSTED frozen raspberries in a blender. Combine the frosting and 1 1/4 C puree in a bowl until well blended.

After the cupcakes are cool, pipe the raspberry frosting on. Garnish with a lemon drop.

These keep better if they are refrigerated.

This leads to a little side story.

I had made my normal deliveries to my friends, and coworkers, and still had a couple cupcakes left over. I had to go to the bank, and the cupcakes were getting a little warm, so I decided to take them inside.

After almost no convincing, I was officially out of cupcakes, and had 4 very happy bankers. :)

Much Love!

Kathrine 

Hellllloooo!!! Long Time No See!

Hello all!

I promise I didn't forget about procrastinating. I just procrastinated on procrastinating, if that makes sense. So here's what happened.
Life.

Thats what happened.

Finals, Post-Finals Crashing...

You know all that good 'end of the semester' crap.

Anywho,

To make up for my lack of attention to you all, I am posting 2 different recipes!!!

YAY!

In other news, this blog has gotten over 700 views since I started it in March.

700.

So thanks for that. I love you all, and I love that you guys keep coming back, even when I'm not posting!!!

Much Love!

Kathrine

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup......Cake!!!

Hello all!

I have a ton of homework this weekend.
But I also have baking supplies.
Which do you think won?

Anyway, this week I've been on a 'forget the diet, I want chocolate' kick.
It ended up carrying over into my cupcakes for the week.
I had so much fun making filled cupcakes for Easter that I'm at it again.

This week, I made a chocolate cupcake with a peanut butter filling, and chocolate frosting.


Here's what you need:

Reese's Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Filling and Chocolate Frosting

Oven Temp: 350°
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 15-17 minutes
Total Time: ~ 1-1.5 hours

Ingredients:

Cupcake:

• Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Cake Mix
• 1/3 c. oil
• 1 1/4 c. Water
• 3 Eggs
• Cupcake Corer (or a knife)
• Cupcake liners

Filling:

• 1 Jar Creamy Peanut Butter
• 13 oz Jar of Marshmallow Fluff
• Pastry Bag

Garnish/Frosting

• Sea Salt
• Chopped Peanuts
• 1 can Betty Crocker Whipped Milk Chocolate Frosting

Prepare the cake mix per the directions on the box. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.

Wait until they are completely cooled to core them.

While you are waiting, make your filling by taking equal parts (no specific measurements here... I made it up as I went along) of peanut butter and marshmallow fluff and mixing them in a bowl. There's no wrong way to do this part. Just make sure that the peanut butter flavor doesn't get masked by the marshmallow. 

*** a while later***

Core your cupcakes, or cut out a hole with a knife.

Put your filling into a pastry bag, (no tip needed) and fill the cores of the cupcakes. Smooth the top a little bit so that the frosting will sit nicely.

The Cupcakes all ready for delivery!

Now frost the cupcakes. (I used a pastry bag) Sprinkle A LITTLE 

sea salt on top of the frosting, and finish with the chopped peanuts.

There you go!!!

Bonus Story: 

I can't take these into work, because of allergies. So I decided I'm going to deliver them to friends and family around town... I can't wait!! :D

What was supposed to be an Easter post turned into an early April post. :)

So I've been pretty upfront about being a master procrastinator. I successfully procrastinated, and baked cupcakes last week  two weeks ago, like I always do. But, I completely forgot to post them.... Whoops...

To be honest, my professional procrastination has caught up to me, and school has taken precedence. :/

BUT! I will bake cupcakes this weekend, if it means using a textbook as a place to rest my batter-covered spatula.

Anyway....

My family had a get together for Easter, and I got put in charge of baking cupcakes.
I wanted to do something fresh, fun, and not 'Easter-y.'


My (awesome) roommate got me this Wilton cupcake book to further expand my knowledge, so I decided it was only fitting to choose my recipe from there. :)

As per usual, I couldn't just follow the recipe. I made my own little tweaks to make what I thought would be a great cupcake.

Fruit Tart Cupcakes 

Oven Temp: 350°
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 18-20 minutes
Total Time: ~ 1.5 Hours

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1 Box Betty Crocker French Vanilla Cake Mix
• Eggs, Water & Oil to prepare mix
• Cupcake Liners
• Cupcake Pan

Pastry Cream Ingredients:

• 6 T granulated sugar
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 c. milk
• 4 Egg Yolks
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 2 T. unsalted butter.
• Pastry Bag

Topping Ingredients:

• Strawberries, sliced
• Blueberries
• Kiwi, sliced & peeled
• Whip Cream
• Pastry bag

Additional Items Needed:

Cupcake Corer: 

This was an impulse buy at Walmart. I don't think it was more than a couple bucks.

It is perfect for a filled cupcake like this. Otherwise, you can just cut a hole with a knife.

Anyway... on to the baking...

Cupcakes:

Prepare the cake mix according to the box. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, and let cool completely.

Once the cupcakes are cooled, you can cut your holes out for your filling.

Pastry Cream:

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk in egg yolks and milk until combined. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a spoon until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter.

Pour mixture into a bowl, and press plastic wrap down onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent it from forming a skin.

Place in fridge until chilled, or ready to use.

Toppings: 

Slice strawberries & kiwis. Keep refrigerated until used.

Assembly:

Using a pastry bag, fill the 'holes' in your cupcakes, plus a little extra. Spread the 'extra' around on the top of the cupcake, making sure it is even.

Place a kiwi slice on each cupcake. Then, with a pastry bag, put a little bit of whip cream on top of the kiwi. Then arrange the strawberries and blueberries as you like.

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

There you have it!

Again, I apologize for the very late post, and will be back at the baking this weekend!

Dark Chocolate Guinness Cupcake with Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting

Happy St. Patricks Day!

I got myself all dressed up for the occasion.... 
Just kidding, I just had these awesome socks. :) 









Anywho, I felt that it was necessary to make a drunken cupcake with Irish liquor, as one way to celebrate my heritage. If you're not 21, I honestly don't know a substitute for this.




Here's what you need.

Dark Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting

Oven Temperature: 350° 
Prep Time: ~15 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes per pan
Total Time ~ 1 hour



Cake Ingredients

• 1 box Dark Chocolate Cake Mix
• 12 oz Guinness Beer
• 3 Eggs
• 1/3 C. Oil
• 1 T flour

Frosting Ingredients

• 1 Can Cream Cheese Frosting 
• 2 tsp. (and a splash or two) Bailey's Irish Cream
• Green Food Coloring

For the cake, take the beer, eggs and oil an combine them. Then add the cake mix and flour. Blend well. Scoop into cupcake pan, filling only 2/3 full. Bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, scoop the frosting into a bowl, and add the Bailey's to taste. Mix in food coloring, until you get the green you want. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes, and keep refrigerated.

That's it!! Happy St. Patrick's Day, and may the luck of the Irish be with you!

An Experimental Birthday Gift :)

So, fun fact, I have a roommate.
She has put up with my obsession with baking cupcakes, and she even eats them too.
Her birthday was last Monday, but since she was in California, I decided to bake up a surprise for her to come home to.

I know that she likes 2 things for sure: Rainbows & Cupcakes.
So why not make a rainbow pull-apart cake?


Anywho, Here's what you need.

The Finished Product. :)

Rainbow Pull-Apart Cake

Oven Temp: 350°
Prep Time: ~45 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes per pan
Total Time: ~ 1.5 hours


Cake Ingredients

*Note* I didn't want to use Funfetti cake mix, because I wanted to control the amount of sprinkles I had.  Feel free to use Funfetti, because honestly, it is easier.

• 1 Box Betty Crocker Vanilla Cake Mix
• 1 Bottle of Sprinkles
• McCormick's Neon Food Coloring
• Toothpicks
• Cupcake Liners
• Cupcake Pan
• 1 C. Water
• 1/3 C. Oil
• 3 Eggs

Frosting Ingredients

*Note* I used a combination of Kool-Aid and food coloring to color my frosting. If you don't want flavors, food coloring does just fine. :)

• 3 cans Vanilla Frosting
• 5 packets of Kool-Aid
• Strawberry
• Peach-Mango
• Lemonade
• Lemon-Lime
• Tropical Punch
• (I left purple as plain frosting.)
• Plastic Baggies
• Plastic Spoons (if you don't want to wash a ton of spoons)
• Shredded Coconut

The unbaked cupcakes

Ok. So, the cake is pretty simple. Mix the water, oil and eggs, then add the cake mix. Combine until moistened. Then add the sprinkles, and combine well. Scoop into cupcake pan, filling only 2/3 full. Put a few drops of food coloring in each cupcake, and swirl around with a toothpick. 

Bake until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean, and cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, separate 2 of the cans of frosting into 6 separate containers. (I used styrofoam cups)

Each cup represents a different cup/flavor. So, if you're doing flavors, add 1/2 tsp. of Kool- Aid to each respective cup. Combine well. Then, use food coloring to adjust the coloring to your liking. There's not really a science to it, except for normal color mixing rules (red+yellow = orange... etc.) Then put each colored frosting in a separate sandwich bag, (unless you have 7 pastry bags, and want to wash them all.)

Fast forward until the cupcakes are cooled...

Arrange the cupcakes in a rainbow- like shape. If you need to transport it, I recommend a piece of cardboard wrapped in tin foil. If you don't need to move it, a layer of tin foil on your counter does just fine.  This is what I did for the shape:

Once you have the cupcakes arranged, take the other can of frosting, and do a 'base coat' to glue all of the cupcakes together. Make sure that the cupcakes are covered evenly, and that there are no holes between any of the cupcakes.

Then, starting with the red frosting, cut a small piece off of the corner of the bag. Frost the red onto the cake, and then continue with the other colors.

Once this is done, add coconut to the cloud area to give it some texture, and there you go!

Pineapple Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

First off, I apologize for not posting last week. I was in no condition to be making cupcakes... or even soup..

Anyway, this week is Spring Break for my friends and I. While my friends have taken off to warm places like California & Arizona for a week, I have 'chosen' to remain in the brisk 20° weather of Northern Minnesota. I'll admit, I'm a little jealous of all the people who get to sip cocktails while laying out in the sun. Not only do I need a drink after midterms, my skin is borderline transparent. :)

So, this brings us to this week's cupcake. I figured if my friends can be in the tropics, I can bake the tropics and watch some summer-esque romantic comedy. Hence pineapple cupcakes frosted with cream cheese, coconut deliciousness.

Here's the finished product!

Pineapple Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Here's what you need.

Prep time: ~20 minutes
Bake time: 15 minutes / pan
Total time: ~ 1 hour
Oven temp: 350°


Cupcakes

• 1 box Betty Crocker White Cake Mix
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 C. Oil
• 1 C. Water
• 2- 8oz cans of Dole Crushed Pineapple in 100% pineapple juice. (None of that heavy syrup business)
• 4 T. flour
• Cupcake liners
• ~2 T. Pineapple Juice (from the crushed pineapple)
• Strainer/Colander (what's the difference anyway?)

Frosting

• 1 Can Betty Crocker Cream Cheese Frosting
• 1/3 C. Shredded Coconut
• 1 T. Pineapple Juice (from the crushed pineapple)
• Pastry Bag (if desired)

Alright. Combine the oil, water & eggs, then add the cake mix and stir unti moistened. In a seperate bowl, strain the 2 cans of crushed pineapple. Keep the juice, and put the drained pineapple in another bowl. Add the flour to the drained pineapple, to make up for the liquids we are adding to the cake. Combine this until it makes a thick paste-like mixture. Add the mixture to the batter and blend well. Then add the pineapple juice, and blend well.

Scoop the batter into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full. 

Bake for 15 - 18 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. (Mine took exactly 15 minutes) Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, scoop the frosting into a bowl. Add the pineapple juice, and blend well. Then add the coconut and blend well. Use pastry bag or knife to frost the cupcakes! 

I Got Myself a Gift....

150 page views....

Yeah... In the mere 3 weeks that I have been doing this, you guys have creeped my blog up.
I set a lofty (at the time) goal, that if I got 150 views, I would buy myself a little cupcake decorating gear. This is what I got:

It is a 12 piece Cupcake decorating set that goes with the Wilton pastry bag and accessories I already have. It was only $7 at good old Wal-Mart, so it wasn't a huge investment.

It has four new tips. Three of them are for decorating, and one of them is for filling cupcakes. It also comes with 8 disposable pastry bags for the dish-hating person. (me....)

I'm super excited to use it, and even more excited that you all have taken the time to look at my blog!

Keep it up, and much love!

Influenza Cupcakes with Gatorade Frosting

I'm totally kidding about making flu cupcakes...
In fact, I'm not going to make cupcakes at all this week, so I won't get any of my taste testers sick. Plus, my roommate worked really hard on sterilizing the apartment, and I wouldn't want to mess that up. So, that's that. I'll return next week with something fun and fresh. :)
Until next week

Neapolitan Cupcakes inside Ice Cream Cones

This week I have a lot of homework to do. Therefore I have a lot to procrastinate on. I was also indecisive on what kind of cupcake I wanted to make, so I ended up with neapolitan. I had a special helper this week, who was my official taste tester (and graciously let me destroy her kitchen and let me use all of her dishes.)

This week I decided to focus on more of the visual aspect of my creation, since I was 98% sure that my cupcakes were going to taste delicious.

Anyway, here's the recipe for this week. :)

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 15 - 20 minutes
Total Time: ~ 1 hour
Oven Temp: 350°


Now, I made this with 3 cake mixes. I'm sure you could split up one vanilla cake mix, (or do any flavor you want) but I was feeling like an ambitious procrastinator.

Ingredients:

• 1 box Betty Crocker Vanilla Cake Mix
• 1 box Betty Crocker Devil's Food Cake Mix
• 1 Box Betty Crocker Strawberry Cake Mix
• 2 boxes (24/box) ice cream cones
• 2 cans cream cheese frosting (not the whipped kind) 
• McCormick Neon food coloring
• Sprinkles
• 9 Eggs
• 1.5 c oil
• 3 c water
• Pastry Bag (If Desired)

My official taste tester, Katie

Prepare all of the mixes in separate bowls, per the directions on the box. (like I said, this one isn't too hard) I wanted to add a little more pink color to my strawberry batter, so I put 7 drops of food coloring in, and mixed it up really well.

The inside... I thought it
looked kinda cool. :)

Put your ice cream cones in a cupcake pan. Put the vanilla batter in the cones first. (Make sure you leave enough room for the other 2 batters, so that the cones are only 2/3 full.) Then add the strawberry batter, and finally the chocolate.

Put them in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.

Let them cool completely before frosting. 

Now, when I frosted these guys, I used an 'organized chaos' method. I just swirled it around all over to give it a little resemblance to ice cream, and added some sprinkles for fun.

That's it! A fun and simple way to make cupcakes that look way more complicated than they actually are. :) Come back next week for a cupcake with a little springtime inside. 

Apple Spice Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

 As I was searching for inspiration for today's cupcake (and looking for a reason to avoid homework) I remembered I had bought a bag of Gala apples about a week ago. I realized there would be no way I would eat all of those apples before they went bad. Hence the birth of this week's cupcake.


Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 15 - 20 minutes
Total Time: ~ 1 hour
Oven Temp: 350°

Cupcake Ingredients

• 1 box of Betty Crocker Spice Cake mix
• 2 1/2 C. Shredded Gala Apples (About 4 medium sized apples)
• 1/12 tsp. Sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 2 Tbs. Flour
• 1 C. Water
• 1/2 C. Oil
• 3 Eggs
• Cupcake liners

I know, it seems like a lot of ingredients, but bear with me.

Ok. First off, quarter the apples and take out the core. (like you were going to eat them)

Then shred them. (I used a cheese grater.) 

*Warning* This part is probably going to be a little messy, and leave your hands sticky and juicy. If you cant handle that, this might not be the recipe for you. :)

Anyway. After you have shredded all your apples, measure out 2 1/2 cups into a bowl. 

(Since apples have liquid, we have to compensate for it by adding some dry ingredients.) So, add the flour, cinnamon and sugar. Stir it well, and set it aside.

Cupcakes - Pre Frosting

Take your eggs, oil and water and combine them in a separate bowl that is big enough for a cake mix and shredded apples. (choose wisely, I learned the hard way.) Then add the cake mix and stir for 30 seconds. Add in the shredded apple mixture and mix for 2 minutes, making sure that everything is well blended.

Scoop  the batter into the cupcake liners in your pan, and fill them 2/3 full. Put them in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. My cupcakes took 16 minutes, but depending on your elevation, oven, etc. things might be different for you.

Let them cool completely before frosting them.

Frosting Ingredients

• 1 Can of Cream Cheese Frosting (Not the whipped kind)
• 1 jar of Caramel Ice Cream Topping
• Coarse Sea Salt
• Pastry Bag (If desired)

Take the Cream Cheese frosting and put it on the cupcakes as-is. Then drizzle the caramel topping on top, in a zig zag pattern. (to make it look pretty) Sprinkle some sea salt on top of that, and there you have it!

Thanks for reading guys! 

By the way, if you have any suggestions or requests for flavors, don't hesitate to let me know! I'm always looking for new ideas!

Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

Hello!

This cupcake was ridiculously easy, and even more delicious.

Prep Time: ~20 minutes
Cook Time: 18 - 22 minutes
Ready to Enjoy: ~1 hour
Oven Temp:  350°

Here's what you need:

Cupcake Batter:

• Cupcake Liners
• 1 box of Devil's Food cake mix
• 2 T. instant coffee
• 1 C. Water
• 1/2 C. Oil
• 3 Eggs

Frosting/Toppings:

• 1 can Duncan Hines Frosting Creations *
• 1 packet Duncan Hines frosting flavoring
• Snack Size Kit Kat Bars

* You can find this at any store. I found it in my local Wal-Mart. Don't ever use it alone, because without some flavoring help, it isn't that great.

Mix the instant coffee and water until blended. Combine with the oil and eggs. Then add the cake mix and beat until moistened. Scoop into cupcake pan, and fill cups 2/3 full.
Place in oven for 18 - 22 minutes, or until a toothpick placed in center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

To be honest, I cheat on the 'cool completely' category. I put my freshly baked cupcakes on a cooling rack and put the entire thing in the fridge. It speeds up the process, and doesn't seem to affect the end product one bit. 

Anyway....

To make the frosting, empty out your frosting 'starter' into a bowl. Take the packet of flavored goodness and put it in the bowl. Combine it until there aren't any more streaks of color.

I use a pastry bag to frost my cupcakes. I'll admit, I'm no pro with it, but I'm learning, and I think it gives the cupcakes a nice finish.

So, take your delicious frosting, and pipe it on the cupcakes. Then take one 'stick' of a Kit Kat bar, and stick it in like it is a straw. It will be a nice, edible touch for decoration.
P.S. I don't believe in non-edible decorations.

And there you have it! 100% calorie free (or at least thats what I tell myself)  Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Chips and Cream Cheese Frosting

I decided to start my Valentine's Day baking a little early.

This recipe is pretty basic, and there's nothing too crazy about it.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 18 - 22 minutes
Total Time: ~ 1 hour
Oven Temp: 350°


Cupcake Supplies:

• 1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix
• 1 Bag Dark Chocolate Chips ( I found red and brown ones for V-Day, but regular ones do just as well.)
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 C. oil
• 1 C. Water
• Cupcake Liners

Frosting Supplies

• 1 can Cream Cheese frosting (Not the whipped kind)
• Conversation Hearts
• McCormick Neon Food Coloring

Alright, lets get started. 

Combine the wet ingredients, then add the cake mix and chocolate chips. Mix until moistened.

Then fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full, and bake for 18 - 22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, 

Empty the frosting into a bowl. Put 12 drops of pink coloring and 2 drops of blue coloring. Mix until the color is smooth and there are no streaks. 

Frost the cupcakes with a pastry bag, and decorate with conversation hearts.

Personally, I think that the phrases on those have seriously dropped in quality. So I just put them on with the blank side facing out so they weren't so awkward.

That's it! I know it is simple, but sometimes simple things are better! 

Until next week. :)

And So It Begins!

I have a tendency to procrastinate. Lately it has happened on Monday evenings, when I have about 4 hours of homework. I'll go to the grocery store, pick up some baking supplies, and by 8 p.m. there's a batch of cupcakes. I started posting pictures of my procrastination creations on Facebook, and had some people tell me I should make a blog about my semi-homemade baking.
So here we go.....

The goal:
Post recipes and pictures to semi-homemade, yet still delicious cupcakes, give my tips, and have some fun doing so. You don't have to make something completely from scratch to make it be delicious!

So come along for the ride, if you wish! I'm going to try and post a new cupcake every Monday.