White Chocolate & Blackberry Cupcakes

I can't believe this summer is almost over.

The television is full of ads about back to school shopping: book bags and pencils galore. It brings me back to the days of picking out that perfect outfit for the first day of school, getting the newest Trapper Keeper and being up to date with the latest Lisa Frank folders.

It was such a bittersweet time- the excitement of new outfits, new classes and new friends, but the sadness that there would be no more long days at the pool and sleeping in.

Those were the days...

These cupcakes are bittersweet too, but in a different kind of way..

The light and oh-so-sweet white chocolate cake is topped with a tart blackberry buttercream; the perfect "bittersweet" flavors of the summer time.

I liked this cake so much that I've even decided to use it as one of my flavors at my wedding! 

White Chocolate Cake 

recipe from Epicurious

Makes almost 30 cupcakes 

or 3 8-9 inch cakes

8 oz white chocolate, chopped

2 1/4 cup AP flour

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

10 TBS butter, softened

1 1/3 cup sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare muffin tin with cupcake liners.

In a double boiler, stir white chocolate over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. 

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Beat in vanilla.

Add dry ingredients alternating with milk in 3 additions, beginning and ending with dry. 

Add warm white chocolate and beat until just blended.

Use an ice cream scooper and fill cupcake liners 2/3 way full.

Transfer to oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Blackberry Buttercream

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

1 cup shortening (preferably high-ratio)

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 fresh blackberries, pureed

1/2 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening until well blended.

Add half of powdered sugar and beat until fluffy.

Add pureed blackberries, vanilla and remaining powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy.

*Don't be afraid to add more powdered sugar if its too thin or a little water or milk if too thick*

Pipe a nice big dollop of frosting on each cupcake and top with a fresh plump blackberry.

Lemon Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream

For a few weeks it seemed like we were having a birthday (or 2) in the office at least once a week.

I didn't want to bombard you all with cake after cake though, so I've been trying to space them out a bit.

Now that everyone in the office realizes I'll never back down from a challenge, the cake flavors keep getting more and more fun.

When I told one of the new girls at work that she could have any type of cake she wanted for her birthday, she got all excited and said she needed some time to think on it.

"Lemon and White Chocolate," she said when she found me in the halls of the office the next morning.

Game on.

I went with a light Lemon Cake filled with fresh Lemon Curd and a White Chocolate Buttercream and couldn't have been happier with the result.

I also used the opportunity to try a new decorating technique that I had seen recently on Martha Stewart (ps. if anyone is planning a wedding.. her website is ah-mazing). The ruffle technique looks really neat and is sure to impress.. and it was pretty easy too!

Light Lemon Cake

recipe from epicurious.com
Oven: 350 Bake time: 35 minutes
Makes 2 8-inch cakes

1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp lemon extract
1/2 TBS lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour cake pans and line bottom with parchment paper.
Place sugar in large bowl and while mixer is on low slowly pour in oil until well combined.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
Add lemon extract and lemon zest, mixing well.
In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt.
Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, alternating with milk- beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Pour into prepared pans and place in oven for 30-35 minutes or until tester toothpick comes out clean.
Transfer cakes to cooling rack and allow to cool in pans for about 20 minutes before removing from pans to complete cooling.

Once cooled, level and fill with Lemon Curd and frost with White Chocolate Buttercream.

White Chocolate Buttercream
1 cup butter, softened
4-6 oz white chocolate
4-5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup whipping cream

In a large bowl, beat butter and vanilla until light and fluffy.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt white chocolate for about 2 minutes or until smooth, stirring at 30 second intervals.
Add melted chocolate to butter and mix until combined.
Slowly add powdered sugar, one cup at a time and whipping cream until smooth frosting consistency is reached.

Happy Baking!

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

phhheeewww...now you can breath!

Sorry for the long cupcake title, but it just didn't feel right to leave anything out..

While in correspondence with Lisa from The Lunch Box Project, she informed me of Jamieanne of The Sweetest Kitchen and her Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge.  I immediately made my way to her site and boy am I glad I did!

Every month Jamieanne hosts The Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge, where she introduces a mystery ingredient on the 1st of the month to be used in a cupcake competition. Contestants have 20 days to come up with a delicious cupcake using the mystery ingredient and the next day Jamieanne presents all the cupcakes entered for voting ...aka you need to go there on the 21st and vote for my cupcake!! And don't worry I'll remind you :)

This months mystery ingredient was White Chocolate.

So I present to you.. this month's top choice (in my opinion) for The Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge..

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cupcakes 

with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cupcakes

Oven: 325 Bake time: 20 minutes

swEEts original 

Yields 20 cupcakes

3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup AP flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325. Line pan with cupcake liners and set aside.

In a large bowl cream butter and sugars until fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Add vanilla extract to buttermilk.

Mix dry ingredients into butter/sugar mixture, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake liner with one scoop of batter.

Transfer to oven and bake for 20 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back to touch or toothpick comes out clean.

Immediately turn out onto table and place on cooling rack for at least 30 minutes before frosting.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz package of cream cheese

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup white chocolate, melted

1 TBS crisco

In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.

Slowly add sugar, whipping cream and vanilla extract- beating until smooth and creamy consistency is reached.

Melt white chocolate and crisco using a double boiler or in the microwave* make sure to watch your white chocolate as it is much more finicky than its darker counterpart. If microwaving stop to check on it every 30 seconds or so and if using a double boiler constantly stir until crisco melts in.

Allow white chocolate to cool slightly before adding it to icing mixture.

Add melted white chocolate to frosting mixture and beat on high for a few minutes.

Place frosting in fridge for a few minutes before using.

Use piping bag to frost cupcakes.

For garnish:

Cook one tortilla cut into small triangles in skillet over medium heat (with 2 TBS oil).

Make cinnamon-sugar mixture and place in small bowl.

Place cooked tortilla triangles in cinnamon-sugar mixture and mix to coat.

Don't forget to vote for me on the 21st!

Happy Baking!  

The winner of August’s Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge will receive prizes from:

• Bake It Pretty; $5 electronic gift card
• Beanilla; 3 Indian + 3 Tahitian vanilla beans & a jar of Ground Vanilla
• CT2Designs; a cupcake ring
• Miss Kitty Creations; a cupcake charm of your choice
• Sweet Cuppin Cakes; a prize pack worth $25

Thank you to all our prize sponsors!

Patriotic Muffins

Fourth of July weekend means paying tribute to the good ole US of A with lots of red, white and blue ...and don't forget barbeque and fireworks!

I don't know if you're aware, but muffins are very proud to be American's and as a means to show their patriotism they wanted to take this opportunity to display their red and white (something blue will be debuting tomorrow so stay tuned).

I used my go-to muffin recipe as a base and then split the batch in half to create two different variations- Strawberry and White Chocolate Macadamia. The recipe for the base is to follow, but the direction you go after that is totally up to you. The great thing about this muffin recipe is that it really leaves the creativity up to you... any thoughts on other add-ins to make these even more patriotic??


Go-to Muffin Base
Oven: 375 Bake time: 25 min
Makes 1 dozen muffins

1 cup white whole wheat flour (you can also just use 2 cups AP flour)
1 cup AP flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
sprinkle of cinnamon
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk (or whole milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375.
Spray muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
In a small bowl, lightly beat egg, oil, buttermilk and vanilla.
Pour wet mixture into dry and with a wooden spoon mix until incorporated.
(This is where you would fold in your add-ins if you so choose)
Spoon batter into muffin pan, filling each 2/3 the way full.
Sprinkle with streusel topping.
Bake for 25 minutes.

Streusel Topping
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBS AP flour
2 TBS cold butter, cubed

In a small bowl combine sugar and flour. Using a fork mash butter into mixture, until chunky consistency is reached. Place in the freezer for a few minutes before using to top muffins.

Strawberry Muffins
1 recipe muffin base
1 cup chopped strawberries
1 recipe streusel topping

Prepare batter, and fold chopped strawberries until distributed.
Sprinkle streusel topping over muffins.
Transfer to oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack for about 15-30 minutes before removing from pan.

White Chocolate Macadamia Muffins
1 recipe muffin base
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 recipe streusel topping

Prepare batter, and mix in white chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts until distributed.
Spoon batter into muffin pan, filling each about 2/3 way full.
Sprinkle with streusel topping.
Transfer to oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack for about 15-30 minutes before removing from pan.

These muffins are just the thing to start us off for a weekend of good food, good friends and fireworks. This afternoon we're driving about an hour with some friends to try out a famous BBQ place...can you tell we like our food? Anyone out there have some fun plans this weekend?? 

Happy Baking!