Goudy Straight Trippin'

Category: Cupcakes

  • Salted Caramel Cupcakes

    Salted Caramel Cupcakes

    I was recently asked to bake some cupcakes for an upcoming work function and one of the flavors was Salted Caramel Cupcakes. I told them yes I can make those, knowing full well I had never before entertained the idea let alone had a recipe! So off I went in search of a recipe that would be worthy to present to a customer.

    INGREDIENTS

    • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 cup or 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
    • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
    • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
    • 2 vanilla beans or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1/2 cup whole milk

    DIRECTIONS

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Line muffing tins with papers.

    In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

    In your mixer, cream butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add vanilla beans or vanilla extract. Mix and scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.

    Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. When done place on wire racks and allow to cool for 10 minutes. While your cupcakes are cooling, make your caramel!

    Caramel Sauce and Drizzle

    • 1 cup sugar
    • 6 Tablespoons salted butter, cubed
    • 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

    In a medium saucepan, cook the granulated sugar and butter over medium high heat until it begins to melt. Making caramel can be tricky because you want it to be an amber brown, you don’t want it to burn. However, you do want a hint of that smoky flavor so be careful. Bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes, constantly stirring. Turn down the heat to low and slowly add the cream. While continually stirring, turn the heat up to medium until caramel starts to boil again. Set aside and allow it to completely cool (about 10 minutes). You will use half for the frosting and the remaining to drizzle over your cupcakes.

    While cupcakes and caramel are cooling, prepare the frosting.

    FROSTING

    • 1 cup butter, softened
    • 2 vanilla beans or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3-4 cups of confectioners sugar
    • 1/4 cup heavy cream, if needed
    • Pinch of sea salt
    • Caramel Sauce (half for frosting and half for drizzle)
    • 2 Tablespoons coarse sea salt (for assembly)

    Using a mixer, cream the butter until fluffy and smooth. Add the vanilla beans. Next, add the confectioners sugar half a cup at a time. You may not need all 4 cups. If the frosting is too thick, then add a little cream to help thin it out. When the consistency is the way you want it, add a pinch of sea salt. Using only half of the caramel, add it into the frosting in small spoonfuls. Gently swirl. Fill into piping bag and decorate your cupcakes. Drizzle the caramel over the cupcakes and then garnish with sea salt. 

    • Any remaining caramel can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before using.
  • Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream icing

    Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream icing

    We were invited over to a friends house for dinner and I wanted something for dessert that was a little different. I found a recipe for Guinness Cupcakes and since my husband loves Guinness there always seems to be a bottle or two in the fridge, and this afternoon was no different so I was in luck! This was round two of making these cupcakes. The first batch was good, however, these are scrumptious! Do NOT leave any extra lying around, you will be tempted to eat them all! A definite family and friend favorite!

    INGREDIENTS:

    Guinness and Baileys cupcakes.jpg

    • 1 cup Guinness beer
    • 2 sticks unsalted butter
    • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 cups sugar
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
    • 3/4 teaspoon salt
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
    • 1/2 cup sour cream

    DIRECTIONS:

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line two cupcake pans. Because I fill it 3/4 full, it only made 21 cupcakes.

    Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then add the Guinness. Next, add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.  Bring to a slight boil and then remove from heat and set aside.

    Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix together.  Whisk the eggs, vanilla and sour cream together until well combined. Next add the beer mixture to the eggs and beat again until combined.  Gradually add to the dry ingredients, mixing until well combined and smooth.

    Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full with batter.  Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Let cool completely on a wire rack before icing (otherwise, icing will melt).

    ICING:

    • 1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature (3 sticks)
    • 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
    • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 3-5 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream (to your taste)

    In a mixer using the paddle attachment whip butter on medium high speed until nearly white and very fluffy, about 7 – 8 minutes, frequently scrapping down the sides of the bowl. Add in powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and Bailey’s and mix on low speed until blended, then increase speed to medium and beat until very light and fluffy, about 5 – 6 minutes, frequently scraping down the sides of the bowl. Immediately spread over cooled cake or cupcakes.

  • Strawberry Cupcakes

    I wanted to try something new for New Years Eve and found this recipe via Martha Stewart – so delicious! Next time though, I am going to puree some of the strawberries to make it more of a strawberry batter that I am used to and see how that works! I will let you know the next time I bake them.

     

    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
    • 1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
    • 1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling fruit
    • 4 large eggs
    • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    • 1 1/4 cups milk
    • 10 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into small dice, plus more for garnish
    • Cream cheese icing of your choice

    I used all-purpose flour only as I did not have cake flour and it came out just fine!

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 1/2 standard 12-cup cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.
    2. Into a medium bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
    3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and then beat in vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined after each addition. Fold in strawberries.
    4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cups so that each is about two-thirds full, about 2 ounces each. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on wire racks.

    Enjoy!

  • Chocolate Velvet Cupcakes

    INGREDIENTS

    • 1 1/2 cups of sugar
    • 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, room temperature
    • 2 eggs, room temperature
    • 2 1/3 cups of cake flour
    • 3 tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa powder
    • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
    • 1 cup of buttermilk*
    • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

    Frosting ingredients

    • 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
    • 8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
    • 2 – 3 cups of powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

    *You can make your own buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar to milk and letting it stand for about 10 minutes.

    METHOD

    The cupcakes

    1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer for 3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.

    2 Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

    3 In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring.

    4 Add a fourth of the dry ingredients and mix, then add a third of the wet. Continue adding in a dry, wet, dry pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.

    5 Scoop into cupcake papers, about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes of baking to ensure even baking.

    6 Allow to cool for one minute in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

    The Frosting

    1 Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

    2 Add the vanilla extract and mix.

    3 Add the powdered sugar, continually taste to get to desired sweetness. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

    Yield: Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

    You can make them with a 1 1/2 tablespoons of red food coloring for red velvet cupcakes.