A Yummy Year in Review

Well folks, can you believe it? Another year has come and gone...

Seems like just yesterday we were ringing in 2011, celebrating in Crested Butte with friends, not knowing that just 2 days into the new year we were about to embark on an extremely exciting and jam packed year.

Let's have a little recap on year 2011 shall we?

We got engaged...

 We got some good traveling in...

We moved back to Virginia, closer to my family...

And oh yeah, we got married!

But you all don't want to see pictures of me and Mountain Man... how bout all those yummy sweets we saw this year?

From top left to right: 1.Chocolate Meringue Coffee Cake/ 2. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Potato Chip Cookies/ 3. Strawberry Bread/ 4. Guinness & Bailey's Cake/ 5. My Wedding Cake!/ 6. Chocolate & Pomegranate Cake/ 7. Pomegranate & Champagne Jelly/ 8. Chocolate Pound Cake with Mocha Glaze/ 9. Popcorn Bread

From top left to right: 1. Chocolate Peanut Butter &Banana Granola Bars/ 2. Strawberry Shortcake Scones/ 3. Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie/ 4. Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls/ 5. Fresh Mango Curd 7. Homemade Mallowmars/ 8. White Chocolate Blackberry Cupcakes/ 9. Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Biscuits

If 2011 was this good, I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us!

I hope you all had a lovely holiday with your friends and family and that you have an absolutely fantastic New Years celebration!!

See you in 2012! 

Happy Baking!

Happy New Year!

Left-over Halloween Candy Cupcakes

I have to admit, I got very excited around Halloween because our new place is in the 'burbs.

We literally live right around the corner of an elementary school- every morning I leave for work I see kids walking to school or waiting for the bus, when I get home in the evening they're just wrapping up their afternoons outside and playground equipment can be seen in almost every backyard..so of course I assumed we'd get to see all sorts of adorable witches and ghouls wandering our street.

But sadly, this was not the case...

You can understand my disappointment when our neighbor informed us that we probably wouldn't be getting many trick-or-treaters...they just don't walk down our street, she said.

But of course, I still had to buy that big bag of candy just in case.

We had a whopping 6 kids come to the door.. 3 of which were our neighbors.

So if you're like us and you still have plenty of Halloween candy leftover, then these are the cupcakes for you. I realize that most people are gearing up for Turkey Day, but who said you can't have cupcakes for Thanksgiving??

Left-over Halloween Candy Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes
Oven: 350 Bake time: 20 minutes

3/4 cup oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS baking powder
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake pan with liners.
Add sugar to large bowl, and while mixer is on slowly add oil until well combined- this will allow the oil to distribute evenly in the sugar and keep your cupackes from getting too greasy.
Add eggs, one at time, beating after each addition.
In a small bowl, whisk flour, salt and baking powder.
Alternate adding flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour, and mix until well combined.
Stir in vanilla.
Transfer half the batter into a separate bowl and stir in cocoa powder until smooth and combined.
Alternate adding spoonfuls of chocolate batter and vanilla batter in cupcake liners until 2/3 way full (I used 2 spoonfuls of each).
Pop in oven and bake until lightly golden and tops spring back to touch.
Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Best Chocolate Frosting
1 stick of butter, melted
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup whole milk

Melt butter in microwave. Stir in cocoa powder until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk beating on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add more milk if necessary.

Assembly
Crush/roughly chop a few of your favorite left-over candy bars- I went with Butterfinger, Reeses, Baby Ruth and Kit Kat.
Using a small spatula, frost your cupcakes with chocolate frosting (don't worry about it looking pretty).
Press freshly frosted cupcake into crushed candy bar, lightly rolling so all sides of frosting are now covered.

Kit Kat

Butterfinger

Reeses Peanut Butter Cup

Baby Ruth

Happy Baking!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving with their friends and family!!

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.

Raspberry & Champagne Cupcakes

Remember when Mountain Man and I got stuck in Atlanta?

wasting our extra day at the aquarium

Well, on top of the fabulous wedding we attended, one of our friends who also made the trip to hotlanta happened to have a birthday that fell on the same weekend.

Now you all know how I feel about birthdays and I absolutely can't let one of my friends go without something sweet, especially when she's having to spend her birthday away from home!  

So I whipped up a batch of cupcakes, found a nifty little disposable cupcake carrier perfect for 6 little sweets and brought them as my carry on.

You'd be amazed at the amount of people who will make comments as you walk through the airport carrying a box of cupcakes, but much to their dismay the cupcakes made it all the way to Georgia and made their special delivery to the birthday girl.

Raspberry Cake 
Oven: 350 Bake time: 20 minutes
Makes 3 8-inch cakes or 24 cupcakes

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 package raspberry jello
4 eggs, separated
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 3/4 cup flour, sifted
1 cup milk 
1/2 cup pureed raspberries  

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin pan with liners and set aside.
In a large bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add jello and mix until incorporated (this lends for pretty in pink cake)
Add egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition.
In a small bowl whisk flour, baking powder and salt.
Alternate flour and milk, incorporating after each addition- beginning and ending with flour.
Using a spatula mix in pureed strawberries.
In separate bowl, whip egg whites until slightly stiff peaks form.
Fold egg whites slowly into batter.
Using an ice cream scoop, fill each liner with one scoop. 

Transfer to oven and bake for about 20 minutes- check with toothpick and adjust time if necessary.
Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool in pan for for about 10 minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely.

Once cupcakes are completely cooled, frost with the Champagne Buttercream listed below.

Champagne Buttercream

1 cup shortening (I use high-ratio shortening)

1 cup butter, softened

8 cups powdered sugar

1/4-1/2 cup cheap champagne* I used Andre-Blush

1/2 tsp vanilla

Place shortening and butter in a large bowl and beat until combined and smooth.

Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time.

About 4 cups in, add 1/4 cup of champagne and vanilla.

Continue to beat and add remaining powdered sugar and more champagne as necessary. 

Beat/whip on high until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

*The frosting on these cupcakes is amazing- the tartness of the champagne blends well with the normally sweet buttercream.  Even though everyone liked the cupcakes I thought they were a little sweet..I always get such rave reviews on my strawberry cake I thought swapping in raspberries would work too, but there was something just a little off. I think I might go for a more natural raspberry flavor next time.

Happy Baking!

Peanut Butter Cup Surprise Cupcakes

Peanut butter and chocolate: is there any better combination?

If you're hesitating with the answer you're wrong...the answer is no.

Peanut butter and chocolate is and always will be, hands down, the best combo in the world.

I know, I know... It's a bold statement, but you can't fight the truth people.

One of the guys at the office had a birthday a few weeks ago and being a huge fan of the dynamic duo, I knew what had to be done.

Last year I made him an ultra rich Chocolate & Peanut Butter Overload Cake, so this year I mixed it up a little and made cupcakes.

I used my Dark Chocolate Cake recipe (which also happens to be my favorite) filled each with a peanut butter cup surprise and topped 'em with some delicious Peanut Butter Buttercream (recipe below).

Peanut Butter Buttercream
1 stick butter
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
*possibly some milk or cream if its too thick

In a large bowl beat butter and peanut butter until smooth and creamy.
Slowly add powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy.

Cupcake Construction

Whip up your favorite chocolate cake recipe.

Prepare cupcake pan with liners and unwrap all your mini peanut butter cups.

Place one peanut butter cup in the bottom of each cupcake liner.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake and transfer to oven to bake for required time.

Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

In the mean time, make your peanut butter buttercream.

Once cupcakes have cooled, pipe a good helping of buttercream on each cupcake.

Enjoy!

Happy Baking!

A Marble Falls Wedding

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time can pass.

It seems like just yesterday Mountain Man came home and let me know he'd try to get me a wedding cake gig with a girl he met on his way home from a business trip.

Shortly after that, I was contacted by Diana and the wedding cake planning began. She went non-traditional, which I loved! She wanted just a small cake for the cutting, a cake for the groom and cupcakes for the guests.

We discussed flavors, fillings, frostings and numbers, the couple came for a tasting and just when we thought we had everything figured out a few last minute changes occurred.

For starters, we were originally going to use this delicious Mango Curd as a filling for the wedding cake, but about a month before the wedding the couple decided to switch it up and requested a Red Velvet Cake instead (no biggie). And as the number of guests increased, so did the number of cupcakes.

Red Velvet Wedding Cake

With 2 cakes, 90 cupcakes (3 flavors) and 30 mini banana creme pies to make, time management was key.

Needless to say, my kitchen became an assembly line of batters and frostings, but I got it all done.

Strawberry Cupcakes

 Va-Va Vanilla Cupcakes

Luscious Lemon Cupcakes

All packed up and ready to go!

I always get so nervous when transporting cakes and cupcakes. I don't know how Duff and his gang do it on the streets of Baltimore! Every bump and turn make me cringe, praying that nothing is happening to the sweets carefully tucked away in their boxes.

Thankfully we all got to the venue in one piece and I was able to set up the goods on the fabulously sweet dessert table. Along with my cakes and cupcakes, guests had a plethora of goodies to feast on throughout the evening.

 

Another wedding down and hopefully many more to come!

Don't forget to check out my new cake site: sweetsbye.weebly.com 

...serving the Central Texas area one sweet at a time!

Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes and Fudge

Do you ever feel like you need a little more fun in your life?

Sometimes while stalking browsing facebook, I get to some pages and think, "Man, they look like they are having so much fun!"

Then I start wondering about what they do, how do they manage to have so much fun all the time? where do they work? how do they get all that vacation time? can I get a job there? do they go to work every Monday morning exhausted? how do they save any money? Why does it seem like they're having so much more fun than me?

Do you ever wonder if people are looking at your life and asking those questions?

Now don't get me wrong.. I have fun. It's true..ask my friends..I'm generally a fun person.

 Does this look like the face of someone NOT having fun?

Every now and again I get stuck in a rut though (that's normal right?)...stuck in the day to day routine of work and don't get enough play and just feel like I need a little more fun in my life.

When it comes to baking, nothing says fun like funfetti cake.. I mean, it's in the name for goodness sake.

Of course, now that I have a blog, I feel like I'll be judged for using a boxed cake so when I found this recipe on ReFresh for Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes I just had to try them out...sadly Kori stopped posting and her site no longer exists, but luckily I got this recipe before she took it down.

Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes
Recipe from ReFresh
Oven: 350 Bake time: 15-20 minutes
Makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/4 cup AP flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
6 TBS butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup whole milk
3-4 TBS rainbow sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake pan with liners.
In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt.
In large bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
Gradually add flour mixture, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour.
Fold in sprinkles.
Using an ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake liner with one heaping scoop.
Transfer to oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
All to cool slightly before removing from pan.
Frost with your favorite buttercream.

But we're not done having fun yet!!

Funfetti Fudge anyone?

Liz is a genius..if you haven't stopped by her blog Little Bitty Bakes you just have to go see what she's up to.. and I can't wait for the guest post I'm doing for her later this month!

Funfetti Fudge
recipe from Liz with a few alterations
Fills an 8x8 pan

1 can condensed milk
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/4 plus 1 TBS funfetti cake mix (yes, I had a box of cake mix when i made the homemade ones)
sprinkles

Line baking pan with parchment paper. Sprinkle bottom of pan with powdered sugar and set aside.
In a small sauce pan, stir chocolate chips and condensed milk over low heat until smooth.
Stir in cake mix, some extra sprinkles and spread into pan.
Place pan in fridge and allow to cool for about an hour.
Once fudge has chilled, use a small spoon or mini ice cream scoop and form into little balls and return to fridge for about 30 minutes.

Do you ever feel like you need a little more fun in your life?

Happy Baking!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Whipped Cream

We had a potluck at work the other day with all the other organizations in our building.

I love potlucks.

There's no doubt about it... I over eat...and I hate myself for pretty much the rest of the afternoon, but you have to try a little bit of everything right?? It just wouldn't be fair to leave a dip or side unattended and god forbid one of the desserts doesn't get as much love as the next!

The week prior to this particular potluck one of the ladies from another office came over and requested I make cupcakes..she loves my cupcakes (I hope you would too if you got to try one) so much in fact that she ate 5 mini versions of these at lunch!

I went back and forth about what kind of cupcake to make for the occasion, but since it was a Fall Potluck I figured I couldn't go wrong with anything pumpkin (and we all know by now that I love pumpkin).

While imagining this recipe in my head I had high hopes for a Maple Brown Sugar Buttercream, much to my dismay however, I failed miserably. For whatever reason my frosting kept separating and while it tasted delightful, it was hideous and un-frostable.

At about 10pm and two horrible attempts later, I gave up and went with Maple Whipped Cream, delightful in its own right.

I made little ones to bring to the potluck and wanted to make a batch of regular sized cupcakes as well to hold us over at the office until lunchtime, only to find out mid bake sesh that I ran out of liners. So I resorted to making my own out of parchment paper. Between the failures at frosting and lack of supplies I didn't get to bed till MUCH later than I wanted, but at least everything tasted good!

Pumpkin Cupcakes
Oven: 350 Bake time: 20-25 minutes
24 regular cupcakes or lots of little ones or 2 8-inch cakes

2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cup veggie oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 can (or 2 cups) pureed pumpkin  (not pumpkin pie)
4 eggs
2 cups AP flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake pan or lightly grease and flour cake pans.
In a large bowl, add sugar and with mixer on slowly add oil* you want to slowly add the oil so that the sugar has time to absorb it and avoid super oily cupcakes
Add vanilla and pumpkin mixing until combined.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, incorporating after each addition.
In a small bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix until combined.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, checking with toothpick and adjusting time if necessary.
Transfer to cooling rack- if cupcakes almost immediately remove from pan, if cake allow to cool in pan for at least 20 minutes before removing from pan to completely cool.

Maple Whipped Cream
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 TBS pure maple syrup

In a large mixing bowl, beat/whip cream until it begins to thicken.
Slowly add powdered sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup.
Continue to beat/whip until stiff peaks form.

Last year I used this same recipe to make a Witches Brew Cake for a little Halloween get together with my girlfriends.. what do you think??

Happy Baking!

I'm still on the lookout...Anyone out there have a good recipe for Brown Sugar Buttercream??

Ode to a Childhood Favorite: Fudge Rounds

As a child we weren't allowed sugary cereals in the morning, my mom packed us a well balanced lunch, we always had a glass of milk with dinner and we had to eat at least half of the vegetables we had on our plate- even if that meant plugging your nose and chugging your milk after each bite...I totally didn't do this, I'm just giving an example of what a silly child would do....


My mom packed my lunch almost every day of my childhood...ok, maybe she packed my lunch all the way into high school,  but she had to make my little brothers' lunches anyways so it just made sense to make mine as well! Don't judge. You're just jealous my mama loved me so much :)

As I mentioned before, our lunches were always well balanced: a sandwich on wheat bread, a little bag of chips, a piece of fruit or maybe some veggies, a juice box and a sweet treat to round it all off- normally something of the Little Debbie variety.

My love of sweets started early. Not to say that my salami and butter sandwiches weren't delicious (yeah, I was a weird kid OK!) but it was the desserts of my childhood that stick out in my mind.

When Jamieanne of The Sweetest Kitchen announced this month's Mystery Box Challenge: Childhood Memories, my mind immediately wandered to the days of Doug, POGS, recess and Minnie Mouse lunch boxes.

Every afternoon I would open my lunch box excited about what may be inside... what will the dessert be today? A Nutty Bar? Oatmeal Cream Pie? Fudge Brownies? Star Crunches? Or my absolute favorite: Fudge Rounds!!

For this month's Mystery Box Challenge: Childhood Memories, I am honoring the Little Debbie Fudge Rounds in cupcake form.

So here's to you Fudge Rounds, delicious chocolate cookie sandwiches, filled with a delicate chocolate cream, drizzled with even more chocolate, making children happier one individually wrapped cookie at a time.

Fudge Round Cupcakes
Chocolate Cupcakes, filled with Chocolate Cream and topped with Chocolate Ganache.

Chocolate Cake
You can use any chocolate cake recipe you'd like, but I highly suggest my Chocolate Layer Cake recipe: this one.

Quick Chocolate Ganache
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

In a double boiler (heat small amount of water in a small pot until simmering, place heat proof bowl over pot) heat cream until warm. Add chocolate chips and whisk constantly until chocolate is completed melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.
Reserve 1/2 cup of ganache and place in fridge.
Set aside the remaining ganache for later use.

Chocolate Cream
1/2 cup chocolate ganache, completely cooled*
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat cream with hand held mixer until soft peaks form.
Add powdered sugar and beat until just blended.
Place in fridge to chill for about 15 minutes.
Add cooled ganache to chilled whipped cream and beat until stiff peaks form.
If cream seems a little soft after the addition of chocolate, return to fridge to stiffen for about 15-30 minutes.

* I can't stress how important it is that the ganache is completely cooled. If you add the ganache and the whipping cream doesn't seem to be setting, place back in the fridge to chill a little longer before trying to beat it again.

Assembly

Make sure your cupcakes are completely cool before embarking on the assembly.

Filling: Prepare a pastry/decorating bag with star tip or filling tip if you have one. Fill bag with chocolate cream (save some for decoration). Press tip into each cupcake and lightly squeeze in filling, slowly pulling tip out of cupcake as you squeeze.

If you're squeezing too hard your filling will explode out the top, so be aware of the pressure.

Frosting: Place a spoonful of chocolate ganache on each cupcake and softly spread across top, creating a smooth layer of ganache on every cupcake.

Decoration: Change tip on decorating bag to a 1 or 2 tip. Squiggle filling on top of ganache to resemble a Fudge Round.

I think I did Little Debbie proud 

Happy Baking!!

What was your favorite childhood dessert??

Don't forget to head over to The Sweetest Kitchen for some delicious voting!

Voting starts on the 21st!

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

• Bake It Pretty; a $5 electronic gift card
• Bakerella; an autographed copy of her new book Cake Pops
• Beanilla; 2 each of 4 special vanilla beans
• Hello Hanna; a pack of Sweet Stands cupcake stands
• Miss Kitty Creations; a handmade cupcake charm of your choice
• Sweet Cuppin Cakes; a prize pack worth $25
• Tundra Books; a selection 3 very sweet children’s books

Thank you to all our prize sponsors!

Home is Where the Heart (and Cupcakes) are..

I hadn't been home since Christmas....Christmas people! I let 8 months pass before getting home.. that's like an all time record for me!

So when I finally had a good excuse to take the time off work and get out of hot and steamy Texas I jumped at the chance.. and let me tell you, it felt fantastic.

I spent Labor Day weekend on the east coast for a few important reasons:
1. My Mom's birthday was a couple weeks ago
2. My Dad was home from Afghanistan for one of his breaks
3. My Aunt was taking her final vows as a nun
4. My youngest brother is leaving for a year abroad in Japan
5. My other brother is leaving for a year of working in Australia

So with everyone going every which way in the world, this was going to be one of the last opportunities for all of us to get together.

My "little" brothers aren't so little...

The long weekend was spent eating good food with an amazing family.

I knew I couldn't show up empty handed for this important reunion so in true Traveling Sweets fashion, I traveled the Texas to Virginia route through the airport terminals, cupcakes in tow, as a belated birthday present for my mom.

My mom is a Master Gardener so I wanted to make her something that combined her love of gardening with her love of sweets..I also wanted an opportunity to practice my flower making skills so when I found these adorable little pots at Michaels I knew what had to be done. The recipe for these light and delicious chocolate cupcakes will be at the end of the post...

Thursday night we feasted on a big ole pot of blue crabs. Any good east coast family knows a good deal on a bushel of crabs and when my mom saw $35 bushels at the local grocery store she couldn't pass it up. And so a feast was had.. I think my hands smelled like crabs for the next 2 days.

On Saturday morning we made our way up to Philly for my aunts final vows as a nun. I come from a family of foodies so when my dad suggested we leave a little earlier than planned in order to stop by one of Philly's famous cheesesteak joints all of us happily agreed.

Full of steak and cheese, we completed our journey to the Medical Mission Sisters compound in time for a birthday dinner for my Oma (grandmother) complete with Black Forest Cake- be prepared for a Black Forest Cupcake sometime in the near future!

My cousin Ciara couldn't get enough.. she had about 3 pieces..

My aunt's vows took place Sunday morning and after the ceremony we celebrated with an absolutely amazing Filipino feast and were entertained by a Filipino dance troupe.

Coming home for weekends like this make me wish we lived just a little closer to home...but at the same time, being so far from my family and friends makes me cherish my time I do have with them even more. And it's good to know that we won't be this far away forever.

As promised...my favorite Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Frosting.

Chocolate Layer Cake
Oven:350 Bake:20-25 minutes (cupackes) 40-50 minutes (cake)
Fills 3 8inch round pans or atleast 30 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup butter, softened
16oz (1 package) of light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 8oz container of sour cream
1 cup hot water
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Melt chocolate in microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes or until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds.
Beat butter and brown sugar until well blended. Add vanilla and then add eggs 1 at a time beating until just incorporated. Add melted chocolate beating until blended.
Sift flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to chocolate mixture, alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour. Beat after every addition until blended. Gradually add 1 cup of hot water in a steady stream at low until blended.
*just FYI the batter is going to look extremely thin and you might think you've messed up, but I promise you it's going to be perfect :)

Pour batter into paper lined cupcake pans.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes (cupcakes) or 40-50 minutes (cakes).
Place baked cakes on cooling rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan to completely cool or take cupackes immediately out of pan to cool on rack.

Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter in microwave. Stir in cocoa powder until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk beating on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add more milk if necessary.

I hope everyone had a lovely Labor Day weekend.. 

anyone eat anything spectacular??

Happy Baking!