Day 341 – Honey Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

Honey Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below from The Cake Blog).  Sure.  It sounds like a lot of honey.  But can you every really have too much honey?  Nope!  I didn’t think so!

    

The cupcakes are fairly dense and chewy. They are slightly oily, but not greasy. They have a very sweet flavor. I’m not sure I would nail it down as honey, if I didn’t know that’s what was in them. But they are sweet like honey, so it all makes sense.

The frosting is soft, but stable, and very creamy. It has a nice, sweet honey-cream cheese flavor. Simple and to the point.

    

When you put them together, honey is the obvious star of these cupcakes. They are sweet and smooth with a strong honey flavor. Still very simple and to the point. And a nice little something different. Honey is occasionally a player in cupcakes, but rarely the star.

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 3

• Frosting Taste: 3.5

• Overall Taste: 3.5

• Appearance: 3.5
• Ease of Making: 4.5
• TOTAL: 18

RECIPE

Honey Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe from The Cake Blog)

Honey Cupcakes:

• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla

Honey Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tbsp honey
• yellow food coloring (optional)
• yellow sugar sprinkles

For directions visit The Cake Blog.

*Tomorrow: Lemon-Raspberry Cupcakes*

Day 310 – Avocado Cupcakes

TGIF!  Right?  Yes!  It is Friday.  Such a good day of the week.  And today is especially beautiful outside, here in NYC.  Today I wanted something different.  Not necessarily healthy, but not necessarily unhealthy either.  Something I could eat and still want to go outside and enjoy the sunshine.  These Avocado Cupcakes (recipe below from Will Cook for Smiles) caught my eye.  A little different, a little sweet, a little savory and a little…well…green??  Why not?!

    

The cupcakes are smooth and creamy and borderline greasy.  They have a smooth, lightly sweet avocado flavor.

The frosting is smooth and creamy. It has a sweet vanilla cream cheese flavor.  Simple.  Sweet.  Cream cheese.

    

The cupcake is light and smooth.  An ideal texture for a cupcake.  The frosting is the strongest flavor.  The cupcake gives it an almost fake taste though. Like it was a flavoring, and not real.  It’s very interesting.  Not bad, but any means, just interesting.

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 3

• Frosting Taste: 4

• Overall Taste: 3.5

• Appearance: 3.5
• Ease of Making: 4
• TOTAL: 18

RECIPE

Avocado Cupcakes (recipe from Will Cook for Smiles)

Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 ripe avocado
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup of milk + 1 tbsp

Frosting:

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup powder sugar
• 1/2 cup of butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla

For directions visit Will Cook for Smiles.

*Tomorrow: Root Beer Float Cupcakes*

Day 282 – Moist Lemon Cupcakes

Today is a special day for my family.  It’s my grandmother’s birthday.  We lost my grandmother to Alzheimer’s Disease in January 2013.  She was an amazing woman.  Educated, strong, dedicated.  Loved her family.  (She would have loved this cupcake project, too!)

 

(This is my sister, my nieces and me with Grammy a couple of years ago.)

Like my mother, she enjoyed lemon desserts almost above all others.  Except for the occasional chocolate dessert.  So, in honor of my Grammy, I chose these Moist Lemon Cupcakes (recipe below from Elle.Beau.Grease.).

    

The cupcakes are dense and a little crumbly, but not dry. They have a sweet lemon flavor. The minis have a really strong lemon flavor, even before the lemon sauce.

The frosting is smooth and creamy. It has a strong cream cheese flavor with a little sweetness.

    

This is a mostly sweet cupcake. The lemon kinda takes a back seat to the cream cheese and the sugar of this cupcake. It’s still a sweet little bite of cupcake, just not as lemony as I’d hoped for. Perhaps adding a little lemon zest or lemon juice to the frosting would tie it all together a little more.

Note: The mini actually has a better lemon bite to it. A better balance between cream cheese and lemon.

Scoring Sheet

• Cupcake Taste: 4

• Frosting Taste: 3

• Overall Taste: 3.5

• Appearance: 3
• Ease of Making: 4
• TOTAL: 17.5

RECIPE

Moist Lemon Cupcakes (recipe from Elle.Beau.Grease.)

Cupcakes:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (about 3 lemons)
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract

Lemon Syrup:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 8 oz cream cheese, chilled
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 – 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

For directions visit Elle.Beau.Grease.

*Tomorrow: Pink Grapefruit Cupcakes*

Day 255 – Carrot Cake Cupcakes

With Easter just a little over a week away, I decided it was time for some Easter Bunny-type cupcakes.  Obviously, I mean Carrot Cake Cupcakes (recipe below from Food Network).  Bunnies…Carrots….see what I did there?

   

The cupcakes are moist and chewy. Full of texture from the carrots, walnuts and raisins. They have a nice sweet and spice flavor (thanks, cinnamon!). Very typical carrot cake.

Note: This recipe calls to bake the full-sized cupcakes for about 45 minutes, at 2 different temperatures. I baked one batch at 450 for 10 minutes, followed by 20 minutes at 350. The second batch I did at 350 only for about 20 minutes. For the full time, they would have burned for sure! I preferred the second batch. The first batch is tough and tastes a little overcooked to me.)

First batch:

Second batch:

See what I mean?

The frosting is thick and creamy. It’s a very strong cream cheese flavor. Smooth, a little sweet and lots of cream cheese goodness!

    

The 2 go very well together. It’s a classic carrot cake with cream cheese. Smooth frosting to counter the chunky cupcake. Sweet, spicy. Everything you expect.

Note: The minis are a great version of these. Bite-sized and yummy!

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 3.5

• Frosting Taste: 3.5

• Overall Taste: 4

• Appearance: 3
• Ease of Making: 4 (lots of chopping and grating)
• TOTAL: 18

RECIPE

Carrot Cake Cupcakes (recipe from Food Network)

Cupcakes:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3 cups grated carrots (less than 1 pound)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Frosting:

• 3/4 pound cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound confectioners’ sugar

For directions visit Food Network.

*Tomorrow: Chubby Hubby Cupcakes*

Day 218 – Red Velvet Cupcakes

So, just because the holidays are over, does that mean we can’t still enjoy some Red Velvet desserts?  I don’t think so!  And, to prove it, I give you these Red Velvet Cupcakes (recipe below from Hoosier Homemade).  But first, enjoy today’s tip!

Now, onto the cupcakes!

    

The cupcakes are dense and squishy, and not tough. Very cakey. They have a slightly sweet, very light cocoa flavor..

Note: The cocoa flavor is stronger in the minis.

The frosting tastes like sweet cream cheese. I want a little vanilla or something mixed in, just to break it up a little. It’s very sweet and very creamy.

Note: I suggest either doubling the frosting, or at least making 1.5 batches, to make sure you have enough to cover all of the cupcakes. Better to have left over cream cheese frosting (which goes really well with Nilla wafers….or so I’ve been told), then left over unfrosted cupcakes.

    

They balance nicely together as the cupcake isn’t terribly sweet and the frosting is extremely sweet. The cream cheese and the cocoa are the most distinct flavors, depending on how heavily you frost.

Notes: I judged these cupcakes on the minis, as that’s what the recipe called for.

    

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 3.5

• Frosting Taste: 3

• Overall Taste: 3

• Appearance: 3.5
• Ease of Making: 4.5
• TOTAL: 17.5

RECIPE

Red Velvet Cupcakes (recipe from Hoosier Homemade)

Cupcakes:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups oil {vegetable or canola}
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 1 teaspoon No-Taste Red gel paste {No-taste is important}
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 4 oz {1/2 package} cream cheese, softened
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar, depending on consistency
• 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream

For directions visit Hoosier Homemade.

*Tomorrow: Cherry Coconut Cupcakes*

Day 156 – Delicious Pumpkin Cupcakes

So, yeah.  I know.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are over.  But does that mean I can’t still enjoy a pumpkin dessert now and then?  I hope not. And to prove it, I decided on these Delicious Pumpkin Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below from LaLa Cake).

    

The cupcakes are very squishy and very moist. They’re somewhat dense, but not thick.  The have a strong pumpkin flavor, with a nice balance of spicy and sweet.

The frosting is silky smooth and creamy.  It tastes so interesting. It’s a cream cheese frosting first, but then you get that bit of honey. So different, and unexpected from a cream cheese frosting.

    

I’m not quite sure how to feel about these. The first bite, I thought it was really tasty together. But the more I ate, the less certain I was about the honey and the pumpkin. They’re such strong, unique flavors, I’m just not sure how I feel about them together. I think next time I’d add slightly less honey, and see if that helps, cause I love the cream cheese frosting with it!

Note: The minis taste almost identical to the full-sized.

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 4

• Frosting Taste: 3.5

• Overall Taste: 3.5

• Appearance: 3.5
• Ease of Making: 4
• TOTAL: 18.5

RECIPE

Delicious Pumpkin Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe from LaLa Cake)

Cupcakes:

• 1 1/4 cup Sifted Cake Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 Garam Masala (can also use All-spice)
• 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 3/4 cups Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Oil
• 1 cup Canned Unsweetened Pumpkin Puree

Frosting:

• 8 oz Softened Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/4 cup Honey
• 10 tbsp Softened Butter
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

For directions visit LaLa Cake.

*Tomorrow: Chocolate Chip & Mascarpone Cupcakes*

Day 140 – Classic Red Velvet Cupcakes

Seriously.  It’s about time for a Classic Red Velvet Cupcake (recipe below from On Sugar Mountain).  Right?  Is anyone else surprised that I managed to make it 139 days without a red velvet cupcake?!  I am!  There are so many varieties of this classic cupcake.  I’ll be trying at least a few of them!

    

The cupcakes are dense and sticky, with a crispy top.  They don’t have a very strong flavor of any kind. It is sweet, but not strong.

Note: These are the brightest red that I’ve ever had in a Red Velvet. It didn’t get any darker while it baked.

The frosting is smooth and creamy.  It’s very sweet and even, much like a typical cream cheese frosting.  I only added about 4 ½ cups of powdered sugar, not the 6+ that it called for.

    

The frosting brings out the sweetness in the cupcake. It’s just a sweet morsel of a cupcake. Not distinct or strong flavors.

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 3

• Frosting Taste: 4

• Overall Taste: 3.5

• Appearance: 4

• Ease of Making: 4

• TOTAL: 18.5

RECIPE

Classic Red Velvet Cupcakes (recipe from On Sugar Mountain)

Cupcakes:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• red food coloring

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 cup butter, at room temp
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 6-7 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

For directions visit On Sugar Mountain.

*Tomorrow: Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Chocolate Chip Frosting*

Day 134 – Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Ya know, during this cold, wintery season, I cannot get enough of cinnamon or brown sugar or any combination of the two.  It just feels right!  So, I thought, why not do another take on a cinnamon roll?  That uses both cinnamon and brown sugar, and lots of ’em!  But, first, check out today Tip Thursday video!

Alright, now dig into today’s Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes (recipe below from Lady Behind the Curtain).

    

The cakes have a nice light texture. Not heavy at all. And just the right about of moistness cause they’re not wet either. The pecan crunch gives it a nice texture.  They have a sweet flavor but they are not as cinnamon-flavored as I was expecting. Next time I will definitely go even heavier on the sprinkling of the brown sugar-pecan-cinnamon filling/topping.

The frosting is thick enough to easily pipe, and it’s very creamy with lovely specks of cinnamon.  I could still use even more cinnamon in the frosting too. It looks like it’s gonna pack a cinnamon punch, but it isn’t as strong as I’d like. It’s a very nice, light cream cheese frosting though.

    

Together the cinnamon is definitely stronger. It has a very nice texture balance between the smoothness of the frosting, the density of the cake and the crunch of the filling/topping.

    

I would consider these closer to a “Coffee Cake Cupcake” than a “Cinnamon Roll Cupcake”. That’s what it really reminds me of. A nice coffee cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

    

The minis technically work, but because of the topping, they do break apart very easily and tip over when they are removed from the pan. So, I’d stick to full size.

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 3.5

• Frosting Taste: 4

• Overall Taste: 4

• Appearance: 4

• Ease of Making: 3.5

• TOTAL: 19

RECIPE

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes (recipe from Lady Behind the Curtain)

For the Cupcakes:

• 2/3 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1-1/4 cups milk

For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 – 8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Optional-sprinkles

For directions visit Lady Behind the Curtain.

*Tomorrow: Easy Butterfinger Cupcakes*

Day 111 – Sweet Zucchini Cupcakes

Every once in a while, I have to throw a cupcake in that’s healthy.  Or, at least gives the illusion of healthy.  Like the ones with veggies in the titles.  Like these Sweet Zucchini Cupcakes (recipe below from Martha Stewart).  I mean, don’t you just feel better about them when there’s a veggie in the name?  It’s (almost) justified!  Stuff your face with these as well as today’s book: About a Boy by Nick Hornby.

    

The cupcakes are moist and moderately dense. The minis are extremely sticky.  They have a nice spice to muffin balance. The nuts add a nice (and needed) crunch without being overwhelming.

The frosting is creamy of soft. You could pipe it on, but it’s easier to just spread cause it’s not super thick.  Has a good flavor. You get the cream cheese and the sugar, but without any one flavor being too strong. It’s not necessarily the most exciting cream cheese frosting, but it’s a good standard.

    

The sweetness of the frosting brings out the sweetness of the cupcake. If you like zucchini cupcakes, this is a great rendition. It isn’t a sneaky zucchini cupcake – you can’t give it to a non-zucchini fan and expect them not to notice. But they are tasty. And, you can feel slightly less guilty about them, which is always a plus!

Notes: I only baked the full-size muffins for about 30 minutes, the recipe calls for 40-45. Just make sure you watch them, cause it clearly varies depending on your oven.

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 3.5

• Frosting Taste: 3.5

• Overall Taste: 3.5

• Appearance: 3

• Ease of Making: 4.5 (no mixer batter and very simple frosting.)

• TOTAL: 18

RECIPE

Sweet Zucchini Cupcakes (recipe from Martha Stewart)

Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 zucchini (10 ounces), coarsely grated (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting

• 4 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter
• 4 ounces room-temperature bar cream cheese
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For directions visit Martha Stewart.

*Tomorrow: Dulce de Leche Cupcakes*

Day 105 – Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Is there anything better on a cold, wintery day than a warm, gooey cinnamon roll?  (Okay, arguably, a cup of hot chocolate is right up there too…but, focus!) And, since it is officially (really!) cold now here in NYC, I couldn’t resist these Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes (recipe below from The Stir) to keep me warm.  And, now that it’s winter, I’m imagining getting away with today’s book: 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz.

    

The cakes are very crumbly and squishy. The cinnamon-butter adds a nice little crunch to the cake. It tastes a lot like a coffee cake, which isn’t a bad thing. Very sweet, cinnamon flavor.

    

The glaze is smooth, but it’s not overly thin. It was easy to spread, but didn’t spill over the sides.  It’s a sweet coffee flavor, not much else to say about it.

The frosting is smooth and creamy and extremely easy to pipe. Pretty much a typical cream cheese frosting. The ratio of cream cheese to butter is really good in this recipe because you get a lot of cream cheese flavor. And, if it’s a cinnamon roll cupcake, cream cheese should stand out.

    

Together it’s like eating a cinnamon roll and drinking a latte at the same time.

Notes: The cupcakes are very greasy. My cups came out of the pan looking like they were soaking wet. Just something to keep in mind if you’re going for presentation. I added the full amount of coffee to the glaze, cause otherwise it just tasted like a regular sugar glaze. I thought the minis would be too fragile, but they’re actually really nice!

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 4

• Frosting Taste: 4

• Overall Taste: 4.5

• Appearance: 4 (you can see the glaze just peeking out under the frosting…yum!)
• Ease of Making: 2.5 (technically there are 4 parts to this, which sounds exhausting. None of the parts is difficult, but it is a little more of a time-consuming cupcake.)
• TOTAL: 19

RECIPE

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes (recipe from The Stir)

FOR THE SWIRL
1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 56.5 grams) unsalted butter (melted)
1/3 cup (85 grams) brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

FOR THE CUPCAKES
1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (113 grams) sour cream
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

COFFEE ICING

2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (125 grams) confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) brewed coffee

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

For directions visit The Stir.

*Tomorrow: Apple Pie Cupcakes*