strawberry-banana cupcakes with strawberry buttercream frosting inspired by sprinkles cupcakes

happy last day of february!

to close out the month, here are some (mini) strawberry-banana cupcakes with strawberry frosting. sometime last week we had a lone banana going brown. instead of making some banana muffins again or something else with banana i decided to do a take on a strawberry cupcake. i mean, add banana to it. a quick google search later, i landed on good old martha stewart's website. sprinkles strawberry cupcakes recipe, to be exact.

so here you have it. a take on their recipe, but with the pureed strawberries out for strawberry jam and some mashed bananas in, all topped off with a super simple strawberry buttercream frosting. you can't get any easier than this. no fancy blender required! this is my kind of recipe when it comes to using very minimal equipments. ;)

below's the recipe should you want to make some. it's quite good, i should say. you get both the strawberry and banana flavor in the cake. and the added strawberry buttercream frosting on top? that just makes it even better. i know the photos don't show much since you lose out the color once you mix the frosting together, etc... but the flavor is definitely there. i guess you can top it off with some strawberry and/or banana slices if you like. i personally couldn't be bothered to. so go ahead and make yourself some. enjoy and happy baking! :)


strawberry and banana are two fruits that pair well together. the strawberry frosting really balances out the strong banana flavor in the cake and makes for one sweet bite.


i love making one-bite cupcakes. these mini versions of a full-size cupcake gives you the same yummy taste and satisfaction of a standard size one, but for way less the calories.

strawberry banana cupcakes with strawberry buttercream frosting
inspired by sprinkles' strawberry cupcakes

ingredients

cupcake batter:

• 1 medium banana, mashed
• 2 tablespoons strawberry jam or preserves
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites

strawberry frosting:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons strawberry jam or preserves
• milk or cream as needed

directions

for the cupcake batter:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.
2. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. in a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, mashed bananas and strawberry jam; set aside.
3. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.
4. with the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.
5. divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes (or 15-16 minutes if making mini cupcakes). transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before frosting.

for the strawberry buttercream frosting:

1. in a good size bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar until somewhat combined.
2. then add in the strawberry jam and mix until fully incorporated and resemble the right buttercream consistency. if it's too thick, add a tablespoon of milk to the mixture at a time and blend it some more until you've reach the right consistency. if it's too thin, add in more powdered sugar.
3. frost the cupcakes and enjoy! :)

makes 12 regular size cupcakes or about 45 mini cupcakes.

chocolate-cinnamon cupcakes with mocha buttercream frosting

is it february already? and valentine's day is around the corner?!! alright, i haven't baked cupcakes in like forever. it's only fitting i make some (mini) chocolate cupcakes again, just in time for valentine's day. yes, i made some last year as well, in addition to the super popular (on pinterest) mini creme brulee cupcakes. those are pretty awesome as well.

to change it up a bit, i decided to add a little cinnamon to the usual (eggless) chocolate cupcake recipe. according to m, the cinnamon didn't come through a whole lot. i guess you could sort of tell it's there, but not really because once it's baked the chocolate and coffee flavors overpower the cinnamon? i don't know. so if you really like cinnamon, i say add in another teaspoon or so. otherwise, the recipe the way it is below will do just fine. and if you're a coffee fan, the mocha frosting is perfection. chocolate and coffee? done.

alright, below's the recipe if you'd like to bake some for this upcoming valentine's day or any day. i say it works for any occasion. so go ahead. they're super simple to make and the end results are always stunning... delish! enjoy and as always, happy baking!


who doesn't want to get some mini chocolate cupcakes this valentine's day? these are the perfect little gifts. we gave some away to c's teacher as an early valentine's day gift.


i love how festive and valentine-y the added heart sprinkles are in these mini cupcakes.

chocolate-cinnamon cupcakes with mocha buttercream frosting

chocolate cupcakes:
1-1/2 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp instant coffee
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup oil
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp vinegar

mocha buttercream frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp instant coffee
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk

directions:
for the cake: mix all ingredients together until moist and well blended. put in mini cupcake cups (1/2 full) and bake for 17-18 minutes at 350 degrees F.

for the mocha buttercream frosting: using a handmixer or in a stand mixer, mix all ingredients together until you've reached the right consistency for buttercream. if it's too thick, add in a little bit more milk. if it's too thin, you can add more powdered sugar. once everything looks good, pipe/frost and enjoy!

chocolate cake recipe makes about 16 regular cupcakes (or 45-50 mini cupcakes). buttercream frosting should make enough to frost all cupcakes (well, at least when i did it).

passionfruit cupcakes with citrus buttercream frosting

last friday i brought into work these delicious burnt sugar french macarons. i had made them earlier in the week and was letting them age in the fridge before bringing them to work to share. as it turned out, while the macarons were aging in our refrigerator, we've also been helping ourselves to them. i discovered that m absolutely loves them. come friday, instead of having 28 macarons, we were down to just 16. now, 16 macarons would have been fine, but being the typical me, i didn't think that was enough goodies to go around. so on a whim, last friday morning before work i decided to make some mini cupcakes. and so that explains these delicious passionfruit cupcakes here.

now, i absolutely love passionfruit. it's just unfortunate they aren't readily available here in the bay area like other more tropical and exotic places such as hawaii or australia. sure they do grow some variety of the fruit here in california, i've just yet to get my hands on them (at least not since maui of last year). so for these cupcakes, the juices will do just fine.

so, how were these cupcakes anyway? pretty awesome. you can still get a hint of the passionfruit in the cake. now, if it was 100% passionfruit (because it's got some pear juice in it – i wouldn't be surprised if it was 49% pear, 51% passionfruit), i say it would be pretty ridiculously delicious. the citrus buttercream really pairs well with the passionfruit. i love the whole combination. oh, and topping it off with some leftover candied citrus peels really elevated the citrus flavor (not that the buttercream didn't have enough of it already).

below's the recipe should you want to try and make these yourself. i based these cupcakes off of the eggless vanilla cupcakes that i often make so they're actually full size (or standard size i should say) cupcakes rather than mini cupcakes. but of course, if you want to bake them in mini cupcake liners, you certainly can. i would shorten the baking time to 15 minutes instead of 18.

okay, let me know if you do make some and how yours turn out. happy baking! :)


i love the flavor combination of these cupcakes. passionfruit and citrus together is just delicious.

passionfruit cupcakes with citrus buttercream frosting

ingredients:

cupcakes:
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
1/3 cup passionfruit juice or puree
2/3 cup milk
1 tbsp distilled vinegar (you can use cider too)
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

citrus buttercream:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
3 to 3-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp of orange juice
1 tbsp of lemon juice
some lemon & orange zest

milk or cream, as needed

directions:

for the cupcakes:

1. preheat oven to 350°f.
2. in a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. then add in the sugar, oil, milk, passionfruit juice (or puree). mix until relatively smooth.
4. fill cupcake liners with a scant 3 tablespoons of batter (cups should be just under 2/3 of the way full). bake for 18 minutes (or 15 if making mini cupcakes) or until lightly golden, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

for frosting:

1. cream butter in electric mixer for 1-2 minutes until fluffy.
2. slowly add in the sugar, citrus zest and juices and beat until light and fluffy; and has reached the right consistency; about 3-4 minutes. add cream or more sugar as necessary to achieve proper consistency.
3. pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes. optional: you can top it off with some thinly sliced candied citrus peels if you like!

makes 12 cupcakes (or 20-22 mini cupcakes).

enjoy and happy eating! :)

earl grey mini cupcakes with lemon buttercream frosting

a while ago i made some mini cupcakes. well, i made these as well. i have to say i love earl grey and lemon as a combination. it is the perfect little bite in your mouth. like a cute cup of lemony tea (although i must admit, i don't like and don't drink tea). mmmm... nevertheless, still delish!

below's the recipe for these cute little cupcakes should you be interested in making some. i say they work great for that next tea party or any occasion. so bake away and let me know what you think! :)


i'm not a big tea person, but i have to say, i love this lemon and earl grey tea combination. so good, the perfect little bite in your mouth for that afternoon sweet. :)

earl grey mini cupcakes with lemon buttercream frosting

ingredients:

mini cupcakes:

1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 earl grey tea bag

pinch of salt
1 cup buttermilk (you can use milk + 1 tbsp distilled vinegar)

1/4 cup oil

lemon buttercream:

 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

 3-3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

 2-4 tablespoons of lemon juice
milk or cream, as needed

directions:

for the mini cupcakes:

1. preheat oven to 350°f
2. if using milk + vinegar as substitute buttermilk, combine milk and vinegar and stir to combine. set aside for 5 minutes. mixture will curdle. otherwise, if you're using buttermilk you can skip this step.
3. in a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. add in the earl grey tea bag and stir until combined.
4. whisk sugar, oil and vinegar into buttermilk (or curdled milk mixture). make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. mix until relatively smooth.
5. fill mini cupcake liners with a scant tablespoon of batter (cups should be just under 2/3 of the way full). bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

for the frosting:

1. cream butter in electric mixer for 1-2 minutes until fluffy.
2. slowly add 1 cup sugar and beat until smooth. add in the lemon juice, a little bit at a time and mix until combined.
3. add remaining confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and beat until well incorporated. mix at medium-high speed until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
4. add cream or more sugar as necessary to achieve proper consistency. pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.

makes 36 mini cupcakes (or 16 regular ones). enjoy and happy eating! :)

mini creme brulee cupcakes

sometime last week i saw a creme brulee cupcake pinned on my pinterest feed. i've never attempted making creme brulee before because i couldn't be bothered to make the custard on the stovetop, then bake it in a hot water bath. but creme brulee as a filling in a cupcake? i thought, sure… why not. that must be a whole lot easier than making actual creme brulee! and i tell you, it was because making the custard is easy peasy. i've done a bunch of pastry cream before, this is just like it, minus an ingredient or two.

i have to say, these mini creme brulee cupcakes turned out fabulous and they taste so good! i didn't have a blow torch so i stuck these babies in the broiler for a minute (although next time i might try less, more like 45 seconds) to brown before serving. so yes, i don't have a blow torch currently, although i have a feeling i may be getting one very soon in the near future as the hubby did ask me if i had one and would i like one – haha! i told him, of course you know i don't have one and sure, i could use one so we can have more of these yummy custard desserts! blow torch or not, you can still make them!

below's the recipe should you want to make them. i modified my eggless vanilla recipe for these cupcakes with a little bit of brown sugar. i say the brown sugar really adds something extra to the cake, because the custard and cake together is just divine! try it, you won't be disappointed. happy baking (and eating)!


yes, that's a lot of mini creme brulee cupcakes! but that's okay, because they are so good. :)


i think this is my new favorite cupcake! a must-try, for sure.

creme brulee mini cupcakes

ingredients:

cupcakes:
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt
1 cup milk (if using buttermilk, skip vinegar)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/4 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

creme brulee:
4 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup brown sugar

directions:

mini cupcakes:

1. preheat oven to 350°f.
2. combine milk and vinegar and stir to combine. set aside for 5 minutes. mixture will curdle. if using buttermilk, skip this.
3. in a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. whisk sugar, oil, vanilla extract into curdled milk mixture (or buttermilk). make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. mix until relatively smooth.
5. fill mini cupcake liners with a scant tablespoon of batter (cups should be just under 2/3 of the way full).
6. bake for 14-15 minutes or until lightly golden, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
7. once cooled, core out the middle, enough to fill it with the creme brulee mixture. this step is important to do before moving on to the creme brulee mixture as you'll want to pour the mixture into the cupcakes as soon as it's complete.

creme brulee:

1. beat egg yolks in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed (or you can use a hand mixer if you like, or do it by hand with a whisk or fork), 5 minutes or until thick and light yellow. gradually beat in sugar.
2. heat cream in medium saucepan over medium heat until just hot to the touch. stir in vanilla.
3. a little at a time, so the eggs do not curdle, stir half of the cream into the egg yolk mixture.
4. then stir all the egg yolk and cream mixture into the remaining cream in the saucepan. cook, stirring continuously, over low heat, 5 to 8 minutes, until mixture thickens; do not boil.
5. remove from heat and use immediately to fill your cored mini cupcakes.

assembly:

1. using a small spoon, spoon a generous portion of the custard to fill the cupcakes.
2. let the cupcakes sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before refrigerating. refrigerate the mini cupcakes at least 2 hours before serving.
3. before serving, sprinkle with brown sugar and place under preheated oven broiler (45-60 seconds, no more than 60 seconds unless you really like burnt sugar). or if you have a blow torch, torch the top of the cupcakes to get it to brown (like shown in the pictures above).
4. serve immediately. enjoy!

makes 36 mini creme brulee-filled cupcakes (or about 16 regular ones). happy baking and eating! :) oh, if you don't want to eat them all right away (although i don't know why you wouldn't because they're so good! hehe), you can keep them in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. anything after that, i'm not sure how good the cake or custard will be.

earl grey mini cupcakes with brown butter toffee frosting

in honor of the san francisco 49ers being in the super bowl this super bowl sunday, i decided why not make some mini cupcakes. it's the perfect excuse to finally bake again, after taking a little break. the last time i made anything was for m's birthday party and those macarons for that contest and that was a couple of weekends ago, at least. i have to admit, i was a little burnt out from all the holiday baking.

alright, so back to these delicious looking cupcakes. yes, i knew i wanted to make some mini cupcakes, just wasn't sure which ones exactly. i didn't want to make the usual (chocolate or vanilla cupcakes), and after some time looking through the pantry i settled on some earl grey tea bags. so there you have it. why not?! earl grey mini cupcakes. either that or maybe some mini red velvets? well, i decided on the earl grey instead and i'm very glad i did because both recipes (the cake & frosting) turned out fabulous. one mini bonus is, the cake recipe is egg-free so it's great for anyone with an egg allergy! they are really the perfect bite.

i am in love with the brown butter toffee buttercream. i told m i will have to make it again and use it as a filling for whenever i make macarons. so glad i stumbled upon it... and all thanks to a crappy microwave at the moment. yes, i believe our microwave needs replacing. i couldn't even microwave the stick of butter to get it soften for just a few seconds that i decided to brown the butter instead. i'd never done a brown butter frosting before because i couldn't be bothered with cleaning another piece of equipment. but now that i've made it and tried it, i am for sure willing to go through the hassle of it all just for this delicious frosting. it is really THAT good!

below's the recipe for these delicious little one-bite (okay, maybe two from some?!) cupcakes. feel free to try them out and let me know how you like it. enjoy and happy baking! :)


i am in love with this buttercream frosting. the brown butter smells so good and the bits of toffee adds that perfect little crunch when biting into this mini cupcake. it's for sure a happy yummy bite!

earl grey mini cupcakes with brown butter toffee buttercream frosting

ingredients:

mini cupcakes:

1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda
1 earl grey tea bag

pinch of salt

1 cup buttermilk (you can use 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp distilled vinegar)


1/4 cup oil

brown butter toffee buttercream:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

3 to 3-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

milk or cream, as needed

directions:

for the mini cupcakes:

1. preheat oven to 350°f
2. if using milk + vinegar as substitute buttermilk, combine milk and vinegar and stir to combine. set aside for 5 minutes. mixture will curdle. otherwise, if you're using buttermilk you can skip this step.
3. in a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. add in the earl grey tea bag and stir until combined.
4. whisk sugar and oil into buttermilk (or curdled milk mixture). make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. mix until relatively smooth.
5. fill mini cupcake liners with a scant tablespoon of batter (cups should be just under 2/3 of the way full). bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

for the frosting:

1. melt brown butter in a small saucepan over low heat.
2. once butter melts, let it simmer for a minute or two (or until it gets to that yummy golden color and smells wonderful!). add in the 1/4 cup of brown sugar. mix until incorporated (about 30-60 seconds maybe?), then remove from heat. if you go beyond, you may get burnt sugar and that's not so good.
3. transfer browned butter and brown sugar mixture into the bowl of a mixer (or a medium size bowl if using a hand mixer).
4. add in the confectioners' sugar, a couple tablespoons of milk or cream, and mix on low until everything is somewhat combined. at this point you'll notice that you have hard bits. those are what i'm calling it "toffee" in this frosting recipe. those sugar bits are so yummy and crunchy when you bite into them. okay, once the mixture is combined, turn the mixer to medium-high and mix until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). add cream or more sugar as necessary to achieve proper consistency. pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.

makes 36 mini cupcakes. enjoy and happy eating! :)

12 days of christmas baking

today's the first official day of my annual "12 days of christmas baking". every year for the past 3 years i've done this. this year though will be different as i will record every baked good i bake for the next 12 days (weekends don't count, or maybe they do? i'm not sure, haven't decided yet).

so to kick off this year's 12 days of christmas baking, i decided on something simple that i can whip up in a flash (sort of -- hehe). these mini eggless chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting + peppermint candy toppings is just the perfect treat for this time of year. the chocolate cake recipe is always so delicious and they come out perfect every time. this have been my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe the last several times. they don't dry out and taste absolutely the way a chocolate cupcake should taste. i love it!

if you're interested in baking some yourself, you can check out this post here. the recipe should be there. ok, enjoy and come back for more days of christmas baking! :)

mini chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache

a couple of weeks ago i had the honor and pleasure of baking 100 mini cupcakes (50 chocolate & 50 red velvets) and 120 macarons (these photos to come later in another post when i have time) for one of my coworker's friend's wedding reception. the friend wanted to have a dessert table and have these goodies there. so with that said, i got baking a couple of days leading up to the big day. of course, not these cupcakes. these babies were made the night before/morning of the reception. i have to say they turned out beautifully and tasted yum!

below's the recipe should you be interested in making some yourself. i absolutely love this recipe. it has been my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe ever since i discovered it within the last year. it's also an egg-free recipe so it's perfect for anyone who's got an egg allergy. definitely cannot beat that. enjoy! oh, and if you do make some, please feel free to share your thoughts on it and how they turn out! ;)


now, that's A LOT of chocolate cupcakes eh? and did i mention, they're eggless?! yup, so eat up! :)


a closer shot of these yummy one bite (or two!) cupcakes


i absolutely love this cake recipe. they turn out perfect every time and the chocolate ganache is just delish, especially for chocolate lovers.

mini chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache
cake recipe from here and ganache recipe from sweet savory life

chocolate cupcakes:
1-1/2 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup oil
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp vinegar

chocolate ganache:
12 oz chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream
directions:
for the cake: mix all ingredients together until moist and well blended. put in mini cupcake cups and bake for 17-18 minutes at 350 degrees F.

for the ganache: place chocolate pieces in a large bowl. heat heavy cream on medium high until it comes to a boil. remove from heat and immediately pour cream over chocolate and stir until completely mixed and glossy. allow ganache to completely cool and set up. when you are able to spoon the ganache and it can hold its texture, it is ready for piping. pipe/frost and enjoy!

chocolate cake recipe makes 50 mini cupcakes (or 16 regular ones). ganache recipe makes 1-1/2 cups.

sprinkles-inspired mini red velvet cupcakes

i am still experimenting with different red velvet cupcake recipes. upon doing a quick search on the web for red velvet cupcake recipes, i came across sprinkles' red velvet cupcake recipe. these cupcakes here (the recipe i did in the end) were derived from that famous cupcake shop in los angeles. i also came across a whole bunch of others such as magnolia, ina gartin and martha stewart's but opted for this one instead. maybe sometime next week if i'm brave enough (more like have some time to make them) i'll try those other three and see which one(s) i like best. otherwise, this one may have to be the one.

now, having made these, i'm not sure if i've found one that i really like yet, but so far this one here is pretty close. i think i baked it a tad too long for my liking though. typically i bake all my cupcakes for only 17-18 minutes. with these, i accidentally set the timer to 20 minutes, then instead of resetting it, i told myself i would check the timer before the 20 minutes was up. well, i never did and sure enough, the cupcakes were in there a bit too long. they still turned out great, but personally, i wished i had taken them out at "just" the right time. oh well, will have to make these again and do it properly next time. now, everyone in the office did loved them, so you can say these were a success nonetheless. the cream cheese frosting with these were superb!

below's the recipe should you be interested in baking your own batch. i actually halved it because i only wanted to make 24 mini ones, not the entire recipe. enjoy! ;)


these cream cheese frosted mini red velvet cupcakes are so cute!


these cupcakes were a hit! yay! ;)

Red Velvet Cupcakes
adapted from Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp red gel food coloring (you can use 1 tbsp liquid red food coloring if you prefer)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 recipe cream cheese frosting, recipe follows

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and baking soda, set aside. In a separate large mixing bowl, with an electric hand mixer on medium speed, whip together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time stirring after each addition. (Now stand back and change out of any nice shirt you have on and) Add red food coloring and vanilla extract and mix until combine. Add milk and flour mixture to cupcake mixture, alternating in two separate batches, mixing until combine after each addition. Divide batter evenly among 15 paper lined muffin cups, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake in preheated oven 18-21 minutes until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool about 2 minutes in muffin tin, then transfer to wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container to cool completely (this just helps them retain more moisture). Once cooled completely, spread generously with Cream Cheese Frosting. Enjoy!

Makes 15 regular cupcakes or 48-52 mini cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Milk or cream if necessary

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, using and electric mixer, whip together butter and cream cheese until pale and fluffy (about 1 minute on high speed, then 3-4 minutes on medium high speed). Mix in vanilla extract. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

dessert table for a first birthday party

i just wanted to share a photo i took with instagram. i really think my first attempt at a dessert table this past weekend turned out beautifully. you can't really go wrong with mini cupcakes and macarons; oh, and of course, the full birthday cake. everything was lovely and cute as can be for a little girl having her first ever birthday (party).

so how was the party and goodies? a big successful! ;)

for the (similar) recipes shown in the pictures above, you can access them here:

- eggless vanilla (and chocolate) mini cupcakes
- coconut and raspberry macarons (coconut macaron recipe to come – no recipe posted yet. but you can get other macarons recipes here)
- martha stewart one-bowl chocolate cupcakes

enjoy!

------------------------------------

UPDATE: a few more photos from the party ;)


not only are these mini vanilla and chocolate cupcakes so cute and adorable, they're egg-free and perfect for any no-egg diet!


i had been meaning to make these coconut macarons and i think they turned out great! so yummy, and the raspberry ones are just as good.


so here's a (similar to my instagram) photo of the dessert table (this one was taken with my canon). i love how cute this dessert table turned out!

mini red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

i've been itching to bake lately. i wanted to try out some red velvet cupcake recipes. although i've baked plenty of cupcakes in my lifetime, i've never really made a whole lot of red velvets. to be exact, i've only made them two other times before today. one was to try it just to try it and the other was last december for one of my many baking days before christmas just because.

the need to try out some red velvet recipes was because i'll be baking 50 mini ones for a wedding in october, along with 50 other mini chocolate cupcakes and some french macarons. yes, it'll be a fun week preparing for it, and quite an experience as i've yet to make this many goodies before for such a special occasion. i hope they'll turn out great and delicious, no matter what. :)

okay, so i finally managed to whip up a batch of mini red velvets earlier today before dinner. i love full size cupcakes but sometimes i feel like it's too much so mini cupcakes are the perfect size to feel satisfied but not over indulged. of course, if one's not enough, you can always have two (or three). i have to say, this recipe's not too bad. i tried one tonight after the assembly and it tasted pretty good. but i think i may need to adjust some things to make sure the cake doesn't taste too dry or even give you the thought of dryness. of course it could be because of my recipe substitution for buttermilk as i didn't have any buttermilk on hand. i ended up using 2% milk and some lemon as buttermilk substitution. either that or try out plenty of other red velvet recipes and see which one i like best.

all and all, the recipe was a success. i'll probably make it again with some adjustments. below's the recipe i used if you're interested in making these yourself. i halved it and made 24 mini cupcakes instead of doing the full recipe which makes 24 regular size cupcakes.




red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
from food network's paula deen

ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the cream cheese frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

directions
preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

in a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. in a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

for the cream cheese frosting:

in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

garnish with sprinkles, chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry, or whatever you like (i used good old sprinkles for mine).





recipe makes 24 regular cupcakes. or half it like i did to make 24 mini ones.

note: you can frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a tip (i used a round tip, they're nice and simple and come out beautifully). i also only baked my mini cupcakes for 18 minutes instead of the 20-22 minutes. i say anywhere between 16-18 minutes should be fine. of course, check your oven temperature as baking time varies from oven to oven.