Andes Mint Cupcakes

These cupcakes taste just like their miniature candy counterpart, the Andes Mint. Oh, happy day! I did have a laugh with these because I was telling someone what flavor these were just as someone else got to the middle of theirs and exclaimed, "is there chocolate ganache in this?!". And because it was early in the morning and I had not had my coffee yet, I had completely spaced it and was slightly confused for a split second. Then, of course, I had to run and get my own because I had totally forgotten about the chocolate ganache (those two words combined are heaven to me). Needless to say, these will not disappoint if you are a chocolate mint fan as they are delicious through and through!

Andes Mint Cupcakes

Cupcake Recipe:

1 C Cocoa
2 C Boiled Water
1 C Butter, softened
2 C Sugar
4 Large Eggs
2 3/4 C Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cocoa and boiling water in a large heatproof bowl or measuring cup and set aside to cool completely.
2. Beat butter in a mixer until creamy then gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
3. Combine flour, soda, powder and salt & add to butter mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. Begin and end with the flour mixture.
4. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5-10 mins and then move to wire rack to completely cool before icing.

Chocolate Ganache Recipe for Filling:

1 C Whipping Cream
8oz (ish) Semisweet Chocolate, chopped (or chips)

1. Cook cream in a heavy non-aluminum saucepan over medium heat. Stir often as not to burn. Just as it begins to steam - NOT boil - remove from heat.
2. Place chocolate in a glass bowl and pour cream over the chocolate. Allow to sit until the chocolate melts a little, then whisk to your heart's content - or until the mixture is well blended. This will thicken as it cools; I suggest starting this while your cakes are baking and then placing it in the fridge for about 10-15 mins before filling the cooled cupcakes.


Icing Recipe:

1/2 C Butter, softened
1/4 C Whipping Cream
1 tsp Peppermint Extract
Pinch of Salt
Green Food Coloring (anywhere from 3-6 drops)

1. Beat butter, cream, extract and salt at medium speed until creamy.
2. Gradually add the powdered sugar until blended and beat at high speed for about 2 minutes or until creamy.
3. Stir in the coloring a few drops at a time until desired shade of green is achieved.

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Black Tie Beauties

Even baking divas like myself occasionally fall victim to indecisiveness in the kitchen...okay, especially this baking diva. There are just SO many options when it comes to flavors and blends and toppings! I chose to make these lovely little confections for all the other baked good lovers that have a hard time deciding between a chocolate or vanilla fix. It's the perfect blend of both flavors and honestly just hit the spot. I, unfortunately, have not mastered the marbled effect for the cake yet so any tips on that would be much appreciated. I tested using a toothpick versus the end of a fork on these and both methods ended in a more stacked look. It didn't really affect the flavor, but the aesthetic value is 70% of what I love about cupcakes so I'd like to get it down pat. I did however score the marbled icing look on the first try and I'll take that as a win this time!

Marbled Chocolate & Vanilla Cupcakes

Cupcake Recipe:
Mix the below batters in cupcake tins and marble the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5-10 mins and move to wire rack to finish cooling before icing.

Chocolate Batter:
1/2 C Cocoa
1 C Boiling Water
1/2 C Butter, softened
1 C Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 2/5 C Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt

1. Combine cocoa and boiling water in a large heatproof bowl or measuring cup and set aside to cool completely.
2. Beat butter in a mixer until creamy then gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
3. Combine flour, soda, powder and salt & add to butter mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. Begin and end with the flour mixture.

Vanilla Batter:
1/4 C Butter, softened
1/2 C Shortening
1 C Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 2/5 C Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
1/2 C Buttermilk
1 tsp Vanilla
1/4 tsp Almond Extract

1. Beat butter and shortening at med speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
2. Combine flour, powder and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stir in extracts.

Icing Recipe:
Fill a piping bag with 1/2 chocolate and 1/2 vanilla frostings (listed below). Don't twist your hand while you're icing the cakes and you'll keep the "2-face effect" as my son calls it.

Chocolate Icing:
1/2 C Butter, softened
1/4 C Cocoa
1/4 C Whipping Cream
Pinch of Salt
3-4 C Powdered Sugar

Beat butter, coca, cream and salt until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar until blended. Beat at high speed or until creamy.


Vanilla Icing:
1/2 C Butter, softened
3 Tbsp Whipping Cream
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Pinch of Salt
3-4 C Powdered Sugar

Beat butter, cream, vanilla and salt until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar until blended. Beat at high speed or until creamy.

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Banana Pudding Cupcakes

Do you remember when you were a kid and you were enticed by that amazing aroma and warm gooey pudding? These cupcakes pay homage to the wonderful dessert that is Banana Pudding (if only I had thought to sprinkle 'Nilla Wafers on top!). This is going to be one of my top 3 faves so far for a few reasons. I FINALLY figured out why my cakes were coming out a little dense (yay), they have lots of fruit so I can claim they're somewhat healthy, they remind me of one of my favorite childhood desserts & to put it simply, they taste divine! While these babes are baking, the aroma is heavenly. I typically don't taste test before serving, but I could not resist these and was NOT disappointed...I do believe giggling may have been involved upon first bite. Anywho, if I haven't made my stance clear yet, I would highly recommend these so enjoy!

Banana Pudding Cupcakes

This recipe is adapted from Big Book of Cupcakes

Cupcake Recipe:

1 1/2 C Mashed Bananas (I believe I used 4-5 and just used a ziploc bag to mash)
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 C Butter, softened
2 C Sugar
3 Large Eggs
3 C Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 C Buttermilk
2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake tins with liners OR thoroughly grease the pans.
Combine Bananas and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.
Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until JUST until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla and reserved banana mixture.
Fill cupcake pans 2/3 the way full and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Cool on rack for 10 minutes and remove to wire racks to cool completely.


Once Cupcakes are cooled completely, fill each cupcake (generously) with Banana Curd.

Banana Curd:
4 Large Ripe Bananas, mashed (again, with the ziploc trick)
4 Tbsp Butter
1 1/2 C Sugar
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
4 Large Eggs


Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over med-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens to a pudding texture. DO NOT BOIL! Cool completely (I made this while the cakes were baking and let it cool in the fridge while they cooled on the racks).


Finally, top the whole shabang off with some fresh whipped cream and a banana slice.
My personal favorite recipe for fresh whipped cream is below - you will want to make extra for snack time later... :)

Take 1 C heavy whipping cream and beat in stand mixer on med-high speed until almost stiff. Add 1 tsp vanilla and about 1/4 C Sugar and beat until peaks form. Voila!

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Devil's Food Cake w. Chocolate Mousse Buttercream

Mmmmmmmmm...wait for it...mmmmmm! A moist cake with a ridiculous icing rich enough to make any chocoholic swoon. The icing is a blend between a buttercream and a mousse so it lends a smooth finishing touch to this classic cake. I do think this recipe would be better presented as a cake, but it was delicious enough as cupcakes that I'll be adding it to my cake repertoire.

Devil's Food Cake w. Chocolate Mousse Buttercream

This recipe is adapted from "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey" by Jill O'Connor

Devil's Food Cake Recipe:

1/3 C Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder

1 tsp Instant Espresso Powder

4oz Semisweet or Bittersweet Chocolate

1 C Boiling Water

2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1 C Buttermilk

1/2 C (1 Stick) Butter, @ Room Temp

1/2 C Vegetable Oil

1 C Packed Dark Brown Sugar

1 C Sugar

3 Large Eggs, @ Room Temp

2 1/4 C Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease/flour two 9" cake pans or line 2 cupcake tins.

In a large bowl, combine the cocoa powder, espresso powder and chocolate. Pour in teh boiling water and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Let the mixture cool, then stir in the buttermilk.

In another bowl, using an electric mixer set at Med speed, beat the butter and oil together until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Alternately add the flour mixture and the chocolate-buttermilk mixture to the batter, ending with the flour mixture.

Divide between the pans evenly and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing.

Chocolate Mousse Buttercream

6 Large Eggs

1 1/2 C Sugar

2 Tbsp Dutch-processed Cocoa Powder

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Salt

1 1/2 Lbs (6 sticks) Cold Butter

8-12 oz Semisweet Chocolate, Melted

Whisk together the eggs, sugar and cocoa powder in a metal bowl of a stand mixer.

Fill a large pan with water and bring to a simmer over med-high heat. Place the mixing bowl in the simmering water and whisk the egg mixture constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thick, fluffy and very hot (3-4 minutes). Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temp of the mixture; it should be between 120-140 degrees F.

Remove the bowl from the simmering water and, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs at med-high speed until they are tripled in volume and form soft peaks and the bottom of the bowl is completely cool to the touch (about 10 mins). Beat in the vanilla and salt.

While the eggs are mixing, unwrap the butter and place in ziploc bags. Pound the butter until it is soft and malleable but still cool.

With the mixer speed still on Med-High, add the butter (approximately 2 Tbsp at a time) to the egg mixture, beating in each addition until it's incorporated. Don't start to panic if the buttercream seems too liquidy or looks curdled. As you beat in the butter it will almost magically coming into a smooth & creamy frosting. Hold your breath and keep blending!

When the buttercream is smooth and glossy (it will remain SUPER glossy, too) with a subtle brown tint form the cocoa powder, turn off the mixer and carefully fold in about 2/3 of the melted chocolate. Taste the buttercream and add as much of the remaining melted chocolate as you like for an even richer, denser buttercream.

Of course, I ended up adding all of it and then-some since I started off with about 15oz chocolate for my batch... :)

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Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes

In keeping with this week's roll of reminiscing and looking back on people and places I've connected with in my life, I thought the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes would be a good addition tonight. In the last week I've done everything from visit Mammoth Cave to watching some good ol' WWE with my brother to picking up my guitar again. Needless to say it's been quite some time since I've revisited any of those things and it's been a blast to do so! It's also been a hot minute since I've had some Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. This used to be one of my favorite cereals when I was a kid...well, this and Cookie Crisp, which especially now as an adult I'm having some issues with validating that choice. But C'est la vie, we live and learn. ;)
These cupcakes were a delicious dive into my childhood. The cake is dense, but moist and has just a hint of cinnamon. The icing has little bits of the CTC cereal and is even topped off with some cereal crumbs. The only change I might make in the future is to use a full on butter recipe for the icing and not a cream cheese/butter blend; I think it was a bit too rich this way, but delicious nonetheless!

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes

This recipe is adapted from 2 different recipes I found and includes my little spins thrown in. (fromaway.com and yourcupofcake.com) Makes 12 cupcakes. Enjoy!

Cupcake Recipe:

1 3/4 Cup all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 rounded tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 C 2% milk

A splash of orange extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 stick butter, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 C sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with 12 liners.

Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Mix milk and both extracts in a small bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer, blend the butter, eggs and sugar for about 3-5 minutes or until combined WELL.

Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the batter, starting with the flour and stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl at least once. Do this until batter is fully incorporated and mix on medium-high speed for another 3 minutes.

Divvy up the batter evenly between the liners in your pan and bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. My liners were only about halfway full but these baked into some beautifully domed cupcakes and anything more would have overflowed into the oven.

Icing Recipe:

8 ounces cream cheese (1 pkg), room temperature

1/2 stick butter, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

3-4 C powdered sugar

About 1 1/3 C Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal that has been finely crushed using a food processor

Additional crushed and whole cereal bits, for garnish

In a stand mixer on medium speed, blend the butter and cream cheese. Slowly add the powdered sugar (I say slowly because powdered sugar can be an evil menace and will explode, be inhaled, be ingested, etc.). Mix in the vanilla and crushed cereal until everything is blended nicely.

Top your fully cooled cupcakes with the icing and garnish with cereal crumbs and/or whole cereal bits.

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