FONDUE cupcakes...

My friend Krista's birthday was right around the corner and I had just discovered my new favorite chocolate cupcake http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/one-bowl-chocolate-cupcakes...so she was in luck but what should I do with that cupcake to make it for the die hard chocolate lover that she is?

Well...my sister in law (coincidentally also a Krista but with a Ch) had just sent me a link to the show DC Cupcakes http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/dc-cupcakes/ which I had spent sometime (probably too much) poking through and remembered their recipe for Three Minute Ganache http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/dc-cupcakes-three-minute-ganache.html which reminded me very much of the beginnings to a chocolate fondue that I make and share with Krista and her husband for our annual Christmas dinner...my cupcakista joo-joo is totally working for me right now.

So I hollowed out the center of the cupcake using an apple corer (what a great trick...learned that from DC Cupcakes as well!) but before I did that I put them in the freezer for a little while to make for a nice clean cut, which worked great and I know because I didn't work fast enough so by the time I got to the last few it was more fragile and messier.

Fore!!!

My friend Jangmee was coming to town to celebrate her mother's 70th birthday and asked me to make cupcakes for the special event. All she asked was that they were golf themed, I do love an open canvas.  So I did some research and shopped around for all my equipment and got to baking. 

Little did I know this was going to lead to discovering my new favorite chocolate cupcake recipe and the cutest little cupcake you've ever seen!!

I love this recipe...so, I mean SO easy, it uses very common baking ingredients and they turned out so tasty and moist http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/one-bowl-chocolate-cupcakes.  I kept it traditional and topped the chocolate cupcake with a buttercream frosting, the same recipe I used for the 4th of July cupcakes (see previous post for the recipe)...it's become a new staple of mine and had a good time with decorating them.  I mixed 2 different color green sprinkles together and dipped the cupcakes, added a golf flag (I don't know the technical term for them), little mini mint as the ball and VOILA Azn Mamma's 70th birthday cupcakes...to 70 more!!

"It's the (second) most wonderful time of the year"

Christmas will always be my favorite holiday but I do LOVE the 4th of July!!!   So I had to honor my second favorite holiday with an appropriate cupcake however I had one stipulation...they had to be quick and easy so I didn't miss out on the tubing, cook outs and baseball game. I have to thank my friend Marisa for coming up with the perfect idea...red, white and blue cupcakes made from a white cake mix.  All you do is get a white cake mix, divide it into 3 bowls and dye one red, the other blue and leave one plain, spoon one of each color in the cupcake liner and mix it up with a toothpick.  Voila...a festive, beautiful, holiday appropriate cupcake!

We topped it with a buttercream frosting.  I just used the recipe from the powdered sugar bag and topped it with blueberries from the farmer's market we picked up that morning and strawberries.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!

Special occasion...special cupcake!

Kelly (my sister) turned 30!! A milestone like that is deserving of a pretty special cupcake. So I got a little input from her and did my research.

Seen as late night s'mores were planned and we're in the middle of some serious summer heat she wanted something light and fruity. Definitely something I could work with...my options are endless. After looking through my cookbooks and usual resources, nothing really jumped out at me so I turned to ol' reliable...Google. I came across some great food blogs, I LOVE food blogs and wound up piecing together the cake from one blog and the frosting from another. And that is how Kelly's Grand Marnier cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting came to be the delicious birthday treat we celebrated her 30th with.

Cupcakes with the Arthur's

On a recent visit to see my friend Priscilla and her family in VA Beach, the kids and I had a some fun with cupcakes! Frosting, cupcakes and m&ms make for a GREAT time.

Izzy & Lil D were the best little cupcakers in between taste tests and Solomon just went in face first! It's hard to believe these kids could be any sweeter but ya get a few cupcakes in em' and they make your teeth hurt!

Baby K is on his or her way!!

There is a lot of good news in cooking club...Lauren, another great cooking club friend is having a baby!! I made a vanilla cupcake with a buttercream frosting to match her invites. These cupcakes were made with a lot of love and patience with the extraordinary help of my dear friend Niki.

Eichenlaub Rehearsal Dinner

I was thrilled when my friend Ashley asked me to make cupcakes for her and Eric's Rehearsal Dinner. She sent me a copy of their invite and granted me all creative rights. I had an open canvas within the color scheme of the invite but thought it was best to go with something simple and delicious!!! So a triple chocolate cupcake with a pale yellow buttercream frosting was born, they turned out simple yet elegant just like the bride and groom.

Ashley and Eric got married on May 1, 2010...congrats...much happiness to you both!!

Spring is in the Air!

I spent some time this weekend trying out a few new "tricks." I tried to see what I could do with gum drops and gummi candies and I made these flower cupcakes. How cute are they?

HaPPy ST PattYs DAy!!!

Green cupcakes! Everything is better when it's green, what's not to LOVE? Simple yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting and chocolate cupcakes (with a secret ingredient - I'm anxious to see if anyone picks up on it) with vanilla frosting.

Xenith Bank Cupcakes

My typical chocolate covered cupcakes with a color scheme to match the banks logo. I'm lov'n the yellow and orange...the bright colors remind me of spring...I am so ready for warm weather!

Superbowl & Snow

I made these mini brownie cupcakes with a sprinkling of powdered sugar for a Superbowl party. Obviously inspired by the Superbowl team logos and not so obviously the tons of snow we've been getting...the little snowman cupcake liners and the powdered sugar to look like snow ;)

Two of my favorite things...

...cheesecake and cupcakes!! These little guys were a party in your mouth! I took a traditional New York Cheesecake recipe and added berries, chocolate chips and pecans/caramel for three different ways to celebrate!

Christmas Cupcakes

With a hint of mint and some holiday colors, my chocolate covered cupcakes tranformed into a festive treat to add some flare to your typical Christmas cookie tray.

I always look forward to the mint M&Ms at Christmas time!

My First Wedding...Congratulations Holley's!

How exciting! My friends Jasen and Michele asked me to make the cupcakes for their wedding. What a fun first-time challenge to take on. They gave me full creative reign...I had a blast with it. Check it out...

Lemon Buttercream Cupcakes topped with Fresh Blueberries

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting finished with a Chocolate Drizzle

Yellow Cupcakes with a Chocolate Fudgey Frosting and some detailing to match their invites - these were so much fun creating!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting topped with a Goober (who can resist that combo?)

And last but not least White Cake Cupcakes with Orange Frosting topped with Shaved White Chocolate

A great big thank you to Michele and Jasen for letting me be a party of your big day. In all their glory here are the cupcakes on display at their wedding reception.

Stella & Dot Cupcakes

A girlfriend of mine recently became a stylist for Stella & Dot and was hosting her launch party. She asked me to make cupcakes for her party. Of course, I'd love to! I kept it simple with the flavors but big on style...just like the Stella & Dot jewelry.

Mini chocolate covered chocolate cupcakes and chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting.

If you are interested, take a peak at the Stella & Dot jewelry, here is my girlfriends website:

http://www.stelladot.com/sites/bethshropshire

Coconut Cupcakes & Sheryl Crows Nest Ice Cream (????)

My sister's birthday is in June and I wanted to come up with something seasonal so I went for the coconut flavor. Traditional yet delicious...a creamy frosting topped with sweet flaky coconut...great combo! But what could I do to make it extra special for my sister's birthday??? Well make her some homemade ice cream of course. But not just any ice cream, this Sheryl Crows Nest was a flavor my husband and I concocted to enter in a Ben & Jerry's contest a couple years back and LOST!! We lost??? We thought we were right on...listen to this...vanilla ice cream with chocolate covered almonds and haystacks (chow mein noodles covered in peanut butter and butterscotch chips) mixed together to enjoy at the same time, in the same bite...I know, we still don't get it either...but it was perfectly suited for a June bday.

CHOCOLATE Mousse cupcakes...

These cupcakes were more on the unconventional side...think...oreo cookie crumb crust on the inside of the cupcake liner, spooned full of chocolate mousse...you still with me...topped with fresh strawberries!!! So good, so easy and such a crowd pleaser. Great end to our Easter potluck brunch but could be served for so many occasions. As I type this I am trying to think of an excuse to make them again!

Orange Cupcakes...sweet & citrusy!!

I made these angel food cupcakes with an orange frosting for a baby shower. The mom-to-be was experiencing an aversion to sweets so I thought this although sweet cupcake was on the lighter side would be perfect. And they were...she loved em!!! The citrus burst in the frosting is fantastic...great for the springtime.

Peppermint Patty Cupcakes for Christmas

Light vanilla cupcake with a minty buttercream frosting finished off with crushed candy cane. Festive cupcake that mixed up the traditional holiday spiced desserts.

CHOCOLATE & FALL...two of my favorite things

A girlfriend of mine was hosting a baptism brunch fo her son and needed something chocolate to go with the rest of her spread. She is a chocohalic so I came up with a chocolate cupcake with a chocolate fudge frosting topped with chocolate butterscotch leaves.

Chocolate Cupcakes
3/4 cup boiling water

3/4 cup cocoa powder

6 ounces butter

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon fine salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together boiling water and cocoa. Cover and set aside. With a mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue creaming until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder and add this mixture, alternately with the buttermilk. Add cocoa and water mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Scoop into cupcake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Chocolatey Fudgey Frosting
2 cups chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter

Melt chocolate chips and butter together then let stand for a few minutes to cool before spreading.

Chocolate Leaves

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Meanwhile, place 12-inch sheet of waxed paper on cookie sheet; mark an 8-inch square on waxed paper. Alternately place spoonfuls of melted chocolate and butterscotch on waxed paper. With small spatula, swirl together for marbled effect, spreading to an 8-inch square. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Remove from refrigerator; let stand about 10 minutes or until slightly softened. Use 1 1/2-inch leaf cookie cutter to make 24 leaf cutouts. Carefully remove cutouts from paper with spatula; place on another waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate until firm, about 5 minutes.

Frost cupcakes. Garnish with leaf cutouts. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

GO HOKIES!!! Tailgating treats...

I made these cupcakes for the VT vs Nebraska game...I like to think they are the reason we won ;) They are pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting...delish and perfect for fall football season.

This is another fabulous recipe from the Cake Doctor...love her.

PUMPKIN CUPCAKES

1 box Yellow or vanilla cake mix
2 Eggs
1 tablespoon oil
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
2-3 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice (to taste)
1 cup water
Cream cheese frosting - recipe below

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray each muffin cup with non-stick cooking spray or use cupcake liners. Blend the cake mix with eggs, oil, pumpkin, pumpkin spice, and water or juice with mixer at low speed until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Spoon into the prepared muffin pan. Bake 18 minutes or until done. Cool in pan completely before frosting. Makes about 18 cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese
1 stick unsalted butter
1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, beating constantly. Add the vanilla.