Recipes
Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
A chocolate cake with a chocolate orange truffle center and orange buttercream.
Chocolate Cupcakes
1⅓ cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, adding the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla. Add in the flour mixture alternately with the milk until well blended. Scoop the batter into paper liners just covering the bottom, place one frozen chocolate orange truffle in the center, then add more batter until each liner is two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes. Cool completely before frosting. Makes 14 cupcakes.
Chocolate Orange Truffles
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups chocolate chips, melted
2 teaspoons orange extract
Line a pan with parchment paper. Whisk the condensed milk into the melted chocolate chips, then add the extract. Mixture will begin to get solid and hard to stir. Use a melon baller to scoop balls onto the prepared pan, and chill in the freezer for 1 hour.
Orange Buttercream Frosting
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2–3 tablespoons orange juice
In a large bowl, cream the butter and vanilla. Gradually add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well on medium speed, adding the orange zest. Add the orange juice as needed. Scrape the sides of bowl often. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Makes 2½ cups of icing.
Vanilla Sprinkle Cupcakes
A vanilla cake with a sprinkles surprise inside topped with vanilla buttercream.
Vanilla Cupcakes
2½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2½ cups flour
¾ cup butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1¼ cups milk
Sprinkles
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift together the baking powder, salt, and flour. Set aside. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar at medium speed, add the eggs, and beat until smooth. Beat in vanilla extract. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk, beating until smooth. Fill cupcake liners two-thirds full. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Once cool, use a melon baller to carve out the middle of each cupcake, and fill with sprinkles. Makes 24 cupcakes.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk
In a large bowl, cream the butters. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well on medium speed, adding the milk as needed. Scrape the sides of bowl often. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. Makes 3 cups of rosting.
Frost the tops of the cupcakes however you like and either roll the edges of the frosted cupcake in sprinkles, scatter them on top, or make a thick circle of sprinkles in the center of the frosting. Sprinkles will spill out of the middle when cupcake is cut or bitten into.
Chocolate Lava Cake Cupcakes
Chocolate cake with melted chocolate in the middle, can be frosted with buttercream or ganache—for this recipe, ganache was used.
Lava Center
¾ cup whipping cream
1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
In a medium saucepan, heat the whipping cream on medium-high heat. Slowly add in the chocolate chips, stirring until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Refrigerate for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Mixture should thicken.
Chocolate Cupcakes
1⅓cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
2 eggs
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners until each is one-fourth full. Spoon the chilled lava center onto the batter and cover with remaining batter until the liners are two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Makes 12 cupcakes.
Ganache Frosting
¾ cup heavy cream
8 ounces dark chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
In a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a boil then remove it from the heat. Stir in the chocolate until it is melted and smooth, then stir in the vanilla and salt. Let the ganache stand at room temperature for 5 minutes, then move the ganache to the refrigerator and chill until it thickens and becomes shiny and spreadable. This could take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the temperature of your refrigerator.
Limoncello Cupcakes
Lemon-vanilla cupcakes with lemon curd in the center and frosted with vanilla buttercream.
Lemon Vanilla Cupcakes
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
⅓ cup grated lemon zest
3 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs and lemon zest. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine the lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter until batter is smooth. Fill the cupcake liners two-thirds full. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely. Use a melon baller to scoop out the center. Spoon or pipe in the lemon curd into the center. Frost with vanilla buttercream. Makes 24 cupcakes.
Lemon Curd
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
¾ cup sugar
3 large eggs
½ cup unsalted butter, cubed
In a medium saucepan, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, eggs, and butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Once the curd is solid, remove from heat and allow to cool.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk
In a large bowl, cream the butter. Add the vanilla. Gradually add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well on medium speed, adding milk as needed. Scrape the sides of bowl often. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep the bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. Makes 3 cups of frosting.