Monday, May 9, 2011

A close encounter with a Creamcicle Cupcake.

Ok, so most of you remember what it's like to eat those yummy orange ice cream bars with the creamy white filling. Well I tired to combine this into a cup cake. Yes, a cupcake. Although it doesn't taste EXACTLY like one, it's still pretty darn good and it has some of the exact flavorings. It's a new media for the standard cup cake. I took three recipes and combined it into one because all three either needed help or improvement. And Viola! We have the Creamcicle Cupcake!




Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

1 box of Duncan Hines Orange Supreme cake mix
1 small box of instant pudding
1 cup milk
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup orange juice

1 small box of orange jello
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup cold water

For the frosting*:
2 cups or one pint of whipping cream
1 table spoon of vanilla
1/2 to 3/4 cup of powdered sugar

*You can freeze or refrigerate your bowl in advance to help speed up the process. I didn't.

Directions:
1- In your bowl add the cake mix, eggs, oil, milk, pudding and oj. Mix well. Add about 1 to 1/2 tablespoons of batter into each cupcake liner and bake at 325 degrees until done about 16-20 minutes.

2- While cupcakes are baking, in a clean cold bowl add in the whipping cream and 1/2 cup powdered sugar and slowly mix with your mixture. Then increase the speed and keep whisking until the cream is thick and fluffy. You may add in more sugar depending on how sweet you want it. I felt it needed more sugar. Store in fridge until needed.

3- When cupcakes are cool, poke holes into the top of each cupcake. Then in a small bowl place the orange jello, hot and cold water and mix until dissolved. Then spoon a small amount into the holes, being careful not to overflow the cupcake.

4- Top with a dollop of the whip cream and there you go, the closest form of a creamcicle cup cake you'll ever get.

Final note- These are made with homemade whipped cream. There is a BIG difference in taste. Do not take the easy route out and buy the frozen or canned junk. Once you have homemade, you never go back!

Also the topping will melt, so don't top these until you need them but they will last about an hour or so. What I do is make the cupcakes, place them in a ziplock bag and then top them as needed with the topping that I keep in the fridge.

I hope you enjoy these!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Death by cupcake.

If I am going to return from the dead, might as well do it with a cupcake, not just any ol' cup cake will revive me. Better make it a triple hitter. Chocolate cupcake with a chocolate ganache filling, topped with a chocolate frosting and dusted with coco powdered, then sprinkled with chocolate shavings.







This is partially home made. I wasn't feeling up to making the cake batter from scratch. I'll repent later.

Who says chocolate doesn't make everything better?

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix, chocolate fudge (make sure you have eggs and oil as the box call for.)
1 bottle of coke.
8 oz of good baking chocolate
1 cup cream
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp.
4 sticks unsalted butter, room temp.
9 cup confectioners' sugar
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
2 1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup of shaved chocolate (optional)



Directions

For the cupcakes:

1.) Pick a box of chocolate cake mix, which ever flavor or brand you like. Add in the eggs and oil as recommended BUT use the coke in EXCHANGE for the WATER.

2.) Put about 2 tablespoons of batter in each cup cake paper. Cook until done and let cool.

3.) While cupcakes are cooling, in a microwave bowl break up the chocolate and place in microwave. Cooking ONE minute at a time and stirring until evenly melted.

For the Ganache:

1.) In a microwave bowl cook the cream until very hot about two to three minutes.

2.) Pour the cream over the melted chocolate and stir until well incorporated. Add in the butter one table spoon at a time and mix until well incorporated.

3.) Cover ganache mixture and place in fridge to cool, stirring every five minutes.

4.) Once no longer runny and slightly thickened, take the ganache and place into a piping bag with a thin writing tip. Then poke and fill each cup cake until some start to come out.
-Or-
Cut a small circle out and put some of the ganache into the hole. Then remove some of the cut cake top and replace.

For the frosting:

1.) Cream the butter, add in vanilla and rotate the con sugar and cocoa powder. Adding in milk until you get the texture you desire.

2.) Then frost your cupcakes and top with cocoa powder and chocolate shavings.

Enjoy!