Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

For the longest time, I thought that I hated both cupcakes and cake. It was not until about 5 years ago that I discovered that what I really hate is boxed cake, packaged frosting, and the cupcakes sold at your local supermarket deli. In fact, it turns out, I LOVE real cake and cupcakes!

My absolute favorite cupcakes in the universe are the cupcakes sold at Trophy Cupcakes. They are seriously to-die-for! Seattle has more than its fair share of cupcakeries, and as a self-proclaimed cupcake connoisseur, I have tried nearly all of them and am here to tell you, Trophy's are the best of the best. That's why, my cake base in this recipe is based off of one of Trophy's chocolate cupcakes!

The cupcakes are unbelievably moist and chocolatey, but not overly rich. The frosting is creamy and buttery, yet still light thanks to the whipped egg whites. In fact, the buttercream is more than a little addictive and I think you'll find that the fact that the frosting recipe makes more than you need won't be at all an issue :).

I garnished my cupcakes with pink sparkling sugar and candied rose petals.

Chocolate Cupcakes

base recipe from here

makes 2 dozen cupcakes

ingredients:

• 2 cups + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp cocoa powder (no Dutch-processed)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and add in the boiling water and stir to combine.
5. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way up. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Allow the cupcakes to cool 10 minutes in the tin before removing and allowing to cool completely.

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

recipe slightly adapted from here

ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups caster sugar
• 7 large egg whites
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/4 lbs (5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. In the (heatproof) bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, salt, and egg whites. Set over a pot of simmering water (making a double boiler) and whisk constantly for about 5-10 minutes until the mixture reaches 160 degrees.
2. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment and beat (on medium-high) the heated mixture for 10 minutes until mixture is lukewarm and stiff, glossy peaks form.
3. Switch to the paddle attachment and, with the mixer set to medium speed, mix in the vanilla bean and extract. Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting

Being so close to Valentine's Day and all I've been nonstop craving something chocolatey and rich. If you haven't noticed I haven't really been baking lately since I've been so busy with school, but I took a break from typing up my lab report this evening to answer my cravings. 
I borrowed from quite a few different recipes to make these decadent treats. For the cake portion, I wanted something really sumptuous so I added cocoa powder and two types of melted chocolates. But, I still wanted to keep it somewhat healthy (ha ha yeah right) so I used white whole wheat flour. I also subbed in skim milk to eliminate what fat I could.
I wanted the frosting to be a contrast to the sweet, rich cake portion so I opted for a mascarpone/cream cheese vanilla frosting that was heavenly. I used a full vanilla bean in this and you can definitely tell! It's wonderful!
The cake part turned out almost brownie-like; the outside was a bit crisp, and then the inside was so soft. They're even good without the frosting, and actually not too bad for you- see bottom of post for nutritional info (but the frosting is really good).

You can see the actual cupcakes are quite flat; that's apparently exactly how they are supposed to be as the original recipe I adapted noted that as well :)

Also, you can see a little blue heart in the top photo. I had intended to make red ones, but my red gel food coloring was all dry :(! I thought blue would be cute too though. All it is is melted white chocolate dyed and then sprinkled with sugar and left to dry.

Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes

adapted from here

makes 24 cupcakes

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup salted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 55g bittersweet chocolate
• 55g semisweet chocolate
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup unbleached white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup fat free milk
• 1 tsp vanilla paste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
2. Combine the two chocolates in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir chocolate and if it's still not melted, microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring thoroughly after each. Let chocolate cool to about room temperature.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the melted chocolate and mix until combined. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each (about 30 seconds).
4. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
5. In a measuring cup mix together the milk and vanilla paste. Set aside.
6. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to the chocolatey butter/sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.
7. Scoop into the lined muffin tins (I used a medium cookie scoop) about 1/2-2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to completely cool on a wire rack.

Mascarpone Frosting

slightly adapted from here


This isn't enough frosting for all 24 cupcakes, so you may want to double or even triple the recipe.

ingredients:

• 3 ounces Neufchatel cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp raw honey
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped from inside (you can add the empty pod to your granulated sugar to infuse it with a vanilla-y taste!)

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat until combined.
2. Use to frost cooled cupcakes. You can either pipe the frosting on, or simply spread it.

I topped a few with blueberries because I think berries go great with both mascarpone and chocolate!

Calories per cupcake WITHOUT frosting is 130 calories.

For 1/12 of the frosting recipe there are 110 calories.

Cereal Cupcakes

Yes, you read that title correct, what you are seeing is real- I made cupcakes with cereal. When I saw the totally awesome Fruit Loop cupcakes on The Crepes of Wrath, I knew I had to make them. The more I thought about them, though, the more I thought that other cereals might make awesome cupcakes as well! So, here they are, the original Fruit Loop Cupcakes, and my idea of a Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcake!

Fruit Loop Cupcakes

recipe adapted slightly from here

These were really yummy. I can see them being a big hit with little kids because of their tutti-frutti flavor. The crunch you get from the cereal is really spectacular as well. Mikey (the boyfriend) liked these best and asked for them to be made again!

ingredients:

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• zest from 1 medium orange
• zest from 1 large lemon
• zest from 1 small lime
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
• Fruit Loops cereal
• Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line a muffin tray. Set aside.
2. In a medium-sized bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add in the sugar and mix until combined. Add in the zest from the citrus fruits and mix until combined. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Follow with the vanilla and mix until combined.
4. Add the flour mixture and the milk to the sugar and butter mixture, alternating between the two, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
5. Scoop the batter into the muffin tray, filling the cups no more than 3/4 full. Pack on a small handful of the cereal onto each cup of batter.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center is set and the edges are golden brown. Cool in tray for 10 minutes and then remove and place on a wire rack to cool further.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes

recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

These obviously didn't turn out as adorable as the Fruit Loop cupcakes as they lacked the rainbow of colors, but they were still really delicious (and shh don't tell but the batter for these was better). I loved the cinnamon-sugar flavor of the cake part along with the sweet crunchy treats on the top. These also paired extremely well with a nice tall glass of milk!

ingredients:

• 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup milk (I used 2%)
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line a muffin tray. Seta aside.
2. Combine the flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add in the vanilla and beat until combined.
4. Add the flour mixture and milk to to the butter and sugar mixture, alternating between the flour and the milk.
5. Scoop the batter into the muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Add a small handful of the cereal to each cup of batter.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center is set and the edges are lightly browned. Cool in tray for 10 minutes and then remove and place on a wire rack to cool further.