Raspberry Cupcakes

Another cupcake recipe! These raspberry cupcakes are truly yummy! Heidi and I had fun baking them last week. The recipe comes from Nigella Lawson. It also says to use her method for white chocolate ganache for the topping. I don't think you should, not super yummy and it stays really runny, not matter how long you chill it. I recommend vanilla buttercream or the lemon frosting for the lemon cupcakes I posted the other day.

Raspberry Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups plain flour
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly spray with non-stick spray, muffin or cupcake tins (depending on how big you want these, they can make 12 large or 24 small cakes). Gently melt the butter in a medium heatproof bowl in the microwave. When the butter is just melted, whisk in the brown sugar. Let cool to lukewarm temperature, about 4 minutes.

2. Whisk the eggs into the butter/sugar mix. Add the milk, vanilla, salt, and baking powder; whisk to combine. Whisk in the flour until just combined. Fold in the raspberries.

3. Fill each muffin tin as desired and bake until a skewer inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes for small cupcakes; 25 for larger ones.

4. Leave muffins in the tin for 5 minutes after baked then transfer to a cooling rack. You need to do this, they are really soft when they first come out of the oven.

5. When muffins are cold, frost with white chocolate ganache(recipe below). These are best eaten fresh. (convenient eh?)

6. Enjoy!

White Chocolate Ganache

INGREDIENTS

340 grams good quality white chocolate
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Method:
Place the chocolate and cream in the top of a gently simmering double boiler (or just put a heat-proof bowl on top of a saucepan). Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill, stirring occasionally, for a few hours until thickened.

lemon coconut cupcakes

I am getting together with a girlfriend tonight to make and frost some cupcakes, so I thought I would get a bit of a head start on some of the baking. This recipe is awesome! If you like lemon, you have to try it!

Lemon Coconut Cupcakes
*adapted slightly from Canadian Living Magazine

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (250 mL) white sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) flour
1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded sweetened coconut
4 tsp (20 mL) lemon zest
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) whole milk

Lemon cream cheese icing:

2 tbsp (25 mL) cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp (15 mL) unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp (2 mL) lemon zest
2 tsp (7 mL) fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar

Preparation:
In bowl, beat butter with sugar until light; beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each. In separate bowl, whisk flour, coconut, lemon rind, baking powder and salt ; stir into butter mixture alternately with milk, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of milk. Spoon into 12 greased and floured or paper-lined muffin cups. Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for 20 minutes or until tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Remove from pan to rack; let cool completely.

Lemon Cream Cheese Icing:
In bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until fluffy; beat in lemon rind and juice. Beat in icing sugar until fluffy. Spread over each cupcake; dip icing into coconut.

I was having trouble getting a good photo of the finished cupcake, hence the funny one of me holding one!

happy monday

http://isuwannee.blogspot.com/2009/05/few-wedding-pictures.html

key lime cupcakes

These are delicious! Limey and dense and moist. Don't be cheap with the lime zest or juice, they really need that much!

Ingredients

Cupcakes:
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
1/4 teaspoon neon-green food coloring(I omit this, kinda creepy)
3/4 cup buttermilk

Frosting:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Whisk both flours in medium bowl. Beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar; beat to blend. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then next 3 ingredients (batter may look curdled). Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions. Spoon scant 1/3 cup batter into each liner.
Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool.

Frosting:
Beat all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth. Spread over cupcakes.

Almond Cupcakes

I found this recipe in an issue of Canadian Living, which is not a mag I have ever purchased before, but I was tempted by the cupcakes pictured on the front. These almond cupcakes are divine! Super moist and flavorful and that nice slightly sticky top, yum! Here is the recipe:

1/2 cup soft butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp almond extract(I used more like a whole tsp)

1 cup flour

1/2 cup ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in almond extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the ground almonds, baking powder and salt and salt. Stir into the butter mixture alternately with milk, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of milk. Spoon into paper lined or well greased muffin tins.

Bake in a 350 oven until cake tester(umm, toothpick anyone?) comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool.

The recipe suggests frosting with a butter frosting.