July's Cupcake Of The Month: Butterbeer

When the Harry Potter series ended, it really felt like my childhood was ending. I mean, c'mon, Harry and I practically grew up together (practically... okay, maybe I'm just being dramatic)! And now the movies are coming to an end too! I'll admit it, though, I don't really love any of the movies. Yeah, there were some good ones, but then there were some really bad ones too (i.e. the sixth movie).


But with all that aside, as soon as I started doing the monthly cupcakes, I knew I had to make special ones for the last movie. And I figured, what would be more Harry Potter-ish than butterbeer cupcakes? Yeah, I could've just made the drink and called it a day, but c'mon, it's me. Cupcakes are always inevitable.


Unfortunately, I haven't gone to Harry Potter World yet, so my friend and I decided to try and make some of our own. We found a recipe here and set out to make this magical concoction. To be honest though, when we first started preparing the drink, it was a little off-putting. So much sugar and cream and butter... it was a little much for a girl who enjoys her bittersweets to take. And what I'm about to say next is probably going to make a lot of Potter fans hate me, but I really did not enjoy the butterbeer. Okay, that's a lie. I enjoyed the first few sips, but after that, the sweetness of the drink just kind of coated my mouth in a very unpleasant way. Now, I'm not saying that I won't ever drink butterbeer again... I mean, when I finally go to Harry Potter world, best believe that I'll be in line for one of their souvenir steins. But until then, I think I can do without.


So for the cupcakes, I tried my best to keep that butterbeer flavor but minus all the extra sweetness. If I made them again, I think I would've added a tsp of butter flavoring to the cake, but other than that, I'm pretty happy with what came out. If you want something a little sweeter, you can always make extra butterscotch sauce and fill the cupcakes with it. 


Anyway, hope you all enjoy the cupcakes!


The Ingredients (makes 2 dozen):
For the cupcakes:

-3 1/2 cups flour

-1 tbsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt

-1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

-1/2 cup sugar

-1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

-2 tbsp vegetable oil
-4 eggs
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 cup milk
-1/2 cup cream soda
For the butterscotch sauce:
-1 cup of butterscotch chips
-1/3 cup heavy cream

For the frosting:
-1 cup unsalted butter, softened
-1 cup vegetable shortening
-1 cup butterscotch sauce, or to taste


The Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your cupcake pans.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar until the butter is fluffy and everything is combined.
4. Add the eggs one a time, mixing until each one is just incorporated. Then add the vanilla and oil and mix well. In a separate bowl/cup, combine the cream soda and milk.
5. Add 1/3 of the dry mixture to the wet and mix until just combined. Then add half the cream soda and milk, mixing well, then another 1/3 of the dry, the second half of the soda/milk, and then the remaining flour. Make sure to scrape after each dry addition to ensure that everything gets mixed in.
6. Fill cupcake liners between 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up and bake for about 15 to 17 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
7. Combine the butterscotch chips and heavy cream in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir until smooth. Put aside to cool. If you don't feel like making your own butterscotch sauce, you can always grab a jar of it at the grocery store. I won't judge!
8. Whip the butter and shortening together until combined and fluffy.
9. Add the butterscotch sauce, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until well combined. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the bowl or some of the butterscotch will just sink to the bottom. Frost cupcakes.
10. Consume and enjoy!

June's Cupcake Of The Month: Lemon Meringue

Inspired by the cupcakes one can find in San Francisco's Cako and pushed by my love for all things citrus-y, I decided to finally make some of my own!

Since lemon meringue is one of the very few desserts I actually crave, I have a feeling I'll be making these often. After all, I'd much rather spend a couple hours in the kitchen than I would spending a couple hours driving somewhere just for some cupcakes.

The Ingredients (makes 1 dozen):
For the cupcakes:
-recipe can be found here

For the filling:

-1 egg

-1 yolk
-juice of 1 lemon

-1/2 cup butter

-1/2 cup sugar

For the frosting:

-3 egg whites

-1/2 cup sugar

The Directions:

1. Bake cupcakes as directed by the recipe.
2. Beat the egg and yolk in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water. Then beat in the juice, butter and sugar. Stir over medium heat until it reaches the consistency of pudding. Set aside and allow to cool (curd will thicken as it sits).

3. Beat the sugar and the egg whites until the sugar is completely dissolved and firm peaks form.

4. Using a paring knife, cut out a small hole at the top of your cupcake and fill with the lemon curd.

5. When you are ready to serve, frost cupcakes with the meringue and

...if you have a torch: lightly torch the top of the meringue.

...if you are torchless: turn on the broiler to medium-high heat and put the cupcakes under the broiler for a minute or two. Do not walk away from it!
6. Consume and enjoy!

Tiramisu Cupcakes

These cupcakes were baked for a baby shower after I found out the mommy-to-be's favorite cake was tiramisu. I tried to find a way to incorporate the sponge biscuit part of the classic tiramisu but unfortunately, I couldn't figure anything out. But nonetheless, I got a lot of compliments about how much the cupcakes tasted like the cake so I'm still very happy with the outcome. 

Originally, I planned on just doing a simple garnish with cocoa powder but little chocolate E's (for baby Elise) look a lot cuter, no?

And no process pictures this time! My mind was somewhere else while I was baking and I completely forgot about taking pictures. But in the meantime, enjoy the couple of shots I was able to take while at the shower.

The Ingredients (makes 2 dozen):

For the cupcakes:

-recipe can be found here

For the sugar syrup:

-3 tbsp instant coffee or espresso powder

-1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar

-1 1/2 cup water
-1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp dark rum or amaretto (optional)

For the frosting:

-2 cups heavy cream

-1 lb mascarpone cheese, softened

-1 cup powdered sugar, or to taste, sifted

-unsweetened cocoa powder or other garnish (optional)

The Directions:

1. Bake cupcakes as directed.

2. Dissolve the coffee powder and sugar into the water in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the alcohol. Set aside to cool. 

3. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a fork to pierce the tops.Then brush a generous amount of the syrup over the top, but no more than 2 tbsp per cupcake. The cupcakes will need at least 30 minutes to fully absorb the syrup.

4. Whip the mascarpone, heavy cream and sugar together until everything is smooth and combined.

Tip: If you are planning on dusting with cocoa powder, do not do so until maybe half an hour before serving or the powder might dissolve into your frosting.

6. Consume and enjoy!

Sugar Cookies With Royal Icing

Not going to lie, shaped sugar cookies are probably one of my least favorite things to bake. All the rolling and cutting and re-rolling and cutting... it can get repetitive. I'm also not the best at decorating them either... but with all of that aside, these cookies came out pretty cute! Learning how to make royal icing definitely made life easier too. Seriously, you should try it.


The Ingredients:
For the cookies:
-4 cups all purpose flour
-1/2 tsp cream of tartar
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
-2 cups sugar
-2 eggs
-2 egg yolks
-5 tsp vanilla extract
For the icing:
-2 tbsp meringue powder
-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
-6 tbsp warm water plus any extra for diluting
-food coloring


The Directions:
1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cream of tartar, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
2. Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Then add in the sugar and beat until well combined.
3. Add in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, making sure to mix well after each addition. Then stir in the vanilla.

4. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet, mixing until just combined.

5. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least one hour.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface, roll it out and cut out desired shapes. Place dough on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 6 to 8 minutes. Allow to cool completely on a rack before decorating.
Tip: If you have warm hands like I do you're going to want to work with a bit of the dough at a time and keep the rest in the fridge. If the dough becomes too soft to work with, place it in the freezer for a few minutes.
8. Place all of the icing ingredients into your mixing bowl and beat on low until smooth. Color as desired and decorate cookies.

Tip: To color the royal icing, I strongly recommend using gel or paste food coloring as liquid would dilute the icing too much. But if you do need to thin out the icing, add a half teaspoon of water at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. Also, be sure to keep your icing covered when you're not using it or it will start to harden and become grainy.
9. Consume and enjoy!

Almost-Mojito Cupcakes

Who doesn't love the fresh tasting combination of mint and limes? Well, certainly not me, which is why it was no surprise that the mojito would become one of my favorite cocktails as well as the inspiration for my next cupcake.


Unfortunately, I couldn't really taste the rum in the cake or the frosting, which is why I'm calling these Almost-Mojito Cupcakes. But the overall product still came out mighty tasty, if I do say so myself. Plus, I have some leftover cream cheese frosting now that I will probably turn into a mini lime cheesecake within the next few days. Yum.


The Ingredients (makes 1 dozen):
For the cupcakes:
-1 cup milk
-1 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
-the juice and zest of one lime
-3/4 cup sugar
-5 tsp dark rum
-1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
-3/4 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/3 cup vegetable oil
For the frosting:
-8 oz cream cheese, softened
-1 cup powdered sugar or to taste, sifted
-5 tsp dark rum
-2 tsp lime juice
-1/2 the zest of one lime
-limes and mint to garnish (optional)


The Directions:
1. Heat up the milk and mint until hot but not boiling. Take it off the heat and allow to steep for about 15 minutes.

2. Strain the leaves out of the milk, making sure to push on the mint to extract as much oil as possible. Set aside and allow to cool.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your cupcake pan.
4. Whisk lime juice into the milk and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.

5. In your mixing bowl, combine sugar and lime zest and muddle together to infuse the oils into the sugar.

6. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt.
7. Add the milk, vegetable oil and rum to the lime sugar and mix thoroughly.
8. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in increments, mixing until just combined and scraping the bowl between each addition. Fill cupcake liners and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Rotate pan about halfway through to ensure even baking. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

9. Cream the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
10. Beat in the rum and lime juice until well combined. Mix in the zest until it appears even throughout the frosting. Refrigerate if not using it in less than an hour.

11. Frost the cupcakes and garnish as you please.

12. Consume and enjoy!