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S’mores Cupcakes
This is first of two s’mores cupcake posts. I searched high and low for the perfect recipe and finally narrowed it down to two – but I just couldn’t decide which I liked better. So, what to do? Make both. Yep, I made two different s’mores cupcake recipes in three days. The winner? I still can’t decide so I’ll let you be the judge – I’ll post the other recipe soon. This recipe was probably the easiest of the two. It’s a dark chocolate cake on a graham-cracker “crust,” and…
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Hot Fudge Sundae Cupcakes
It was nearly a year ago that I started seriously playing in the kitchen. My daughter’s fifth birthday party was coming up and I wanted to do something special for her and our guests, but I really didn’t know where to begin. I’m sure it started with my Googling “little girl birthday treats” or something of that nature, but I’m glad I did because it led me to the wonderful world of food bloggers. It’s funny to me that it was just a year ago that…
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Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Chocolate. Strawberry. Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Heaven. Have you ever had Swiss Meringue Buttercream? It’s amazeballs. It’s silky, buttery and not too sweet. This particular frosting tastes like strawberry ice cream. I’m telling you, it’s fabulous. Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC) starts with eggwhites and sugar heated on the stovetop, and then whipped into a stiff meringue before adding butter and flavoring. It has a reputation for being difficult and finicky, but really I’ve never had any trouble with it. Once you add the butter to the…
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Hi-Hat Cupcakes
I don’t know if I even have words for this one. I think this is hands-down my favorite cupcake I’ve ever made. It’s beyond amazing. For me, it’s the perfect combination of moist chocolate cake and fluffy, gooey marshmallow frosting. They are definitely best served cold, and I’m finding that they are practically irresistible when they come right out of the freezer. My willpower around desserts is usually very, very high – especially considering the number of deserts that come out of my kitchen. But these? …
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Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes
Last weekend, a friend of mine asked me to make cupcakes for her son’s 2nd birthday party. The party was a nautical theme, and she did a fantastic job with her dessert table! It was the perfect theme for a hot summer day, and what two-year-old wouldn’t want to dive into all of this yumminess? I loved her use of bold colors and patterns paired with the whimsical decorations that pulled it all together. Her kids are going to have such fun memories of their…
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Caramel Cupcakes
Can I just tell you how hard it is to find a recipe for caramel cake? Not yellow cake with caramel frosting, a CARAMEL flavored CAKE? It’s difficult. Very, very difficult. So difficult that I spent 90 minutes sitting on my heiney saying mean things to my laptop when I couldn’t find what I wanted…90 minutes that should’ve been spent baking because my girls were in bed asleep and the house was quiet. Grrrr. The wasted 90 minutes eventually led to a midnight trip to the…
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Devil’s Fudge Cupcakes
These cupcakes have possibly the longest name ever. They are actually Devil’s Fudge Cupcakes, filled with Whipped Chocolate Ganache and frosted with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream. Holy Cow. They’re deserving of the long title. They earned it. They’re magnificent. The cupcake is moist and has a really wonderful chocolate flavor. The whipped ganache is light but rich, and pairs really nicely with the white chocolate cream cheese buttercream. Yes, you read that correctly. White Chocolate. Cream Cheese. Butter. What could possibly be wrong with…
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Fudge Cupcakes with White Chocolate Filling
If you know me at all, you know that I am absolutely terrified of severe weather. Growing up in the heart of tornado alley is not a good place to be when you have such a phobia, trust me. I have many (traumatic) memories of my childhood, crying on the ball field while a storm approached, hiding in a laundry basket in the basement because there was a tornado watch, hailstones breaking through double-pane glass in our living room…and the list goes on. Yesterday, we…
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Butterfly Cupcakes
This past weekend we celebrated my baby girl’s second birthday with two family parties. For me, it was a busy weekend of cleaning, cooking and keeping the girls entertained but it was all worth it. I loved just watching how happy my girls were to be surrounded by everyone who loves them. It wasn’t about the presents, the food or the decorations. Especially in the wake of the tornado destruction in Joplin, MO and Reading, KS, I found myself counting my blessings. It was a…
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Oatmeal Cake Cupcakes
Today is my Dad’s Birthday! The whole family is headed out to celebrate with an early dinner at one of his favorite restaurants. And though I know we’ll have dessert at the restaurant, I couldn’t let his birthday go by without baking for him, could I? =) Dad’s favorite cake is a recipe of his mom’s, her amazing Oatmeal Cake. That cake is awesome, it’s a spicy, coarse-crumbed cake with an ooey-gooey boiled coconut frosting. For some reason, it didn’t work as a cupcake. I tried, but it…
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Cookies ‘n Cream Cupcakes
This was another fun cupcake that I made for a surprise birthday party this week, which is actually somewhat fitting because these cookies have a surprise in the bottom of them, half of an Oreo cookie! I’ve made these once before and they were a big hit, so I’m really hoping they go over well at the party. But really, how could they not? These are a white cake with chunks of cookie baked in the batter, and topped with a cream cheese buttercream. The…
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Tiramisu Cupcakes
This past weekend I hosted a “Girl’s Night Out” at my house for a group of my friends, which was awesome because not only did I get to spend some time with some of my girlfriends, it also gave me an excuse to bake! I’ve been eager to share several of the recipes I made for the party, but I have to start with my newest cupcake creation, the Tiramisu Cupcake. I’ve been researching different ways to make this cupcake for a while now and…