♥RED VELVET CUPCAKES♥

♥RED VELVET CUPCAKES♥

Red Velvet Cupcakes at Cleo's 14th Birthday Party (it was Twiglight Theamed (the "red" cupcakes)

Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons gel red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.


In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter

Divide evenly into 12 muffin cups. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.


Cool and frost with My Creamcheese frosting.

Enjoy! ♥

♥My Creamcheese Frosting♥

You know how creamcheese frosting can be REALLY SUPER DUPER thick and overly sweet?!?!?!?! Well heres my solution to that, just follow my easy recipe for a light fluffy creamcheese frosting you can put on cakes, cupcakes, and anything inbetween. =D ♥

♥Banana Cupcakes with My Creamcheese Frosting♥

My Creamcheese Frosting

1-8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, softened
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of heavey whipping cream

In a bowl of your electric mixer whip the 1 cup of heavey cream with the 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar until stiff peaks form, 5-8 minutes. Scrape into a separate bowl and using the same mixer bowl( no need to wash) cream the creamcheese and buter until fluffy and smooth. Beat in half of the 3 cups of powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the 2 tablespoons of cream and the remaining powdered sugar. Beat in the vanilla. Fold in half of the whipped cream to lighted the frosting. Then fold in the rest of the whipped cream.

makes enough to frost a 9" 2 layer cake or 12 cupcakes.

♥

♥French Laundry: Cinnamon Doughnuts♥

This is all i have to say: MAKE THEM ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Actually i have more, like ton, of stuff to say about these doughnuts. If youv'e ever made bread before then you know the long hours it takes. But you also know how its totally worth it in the end. These doughnuts were amazingly fluffy and soft. It was like biting into a mini cloud...
So yeah, basically what im saying is MAKE THESE!!!
*This recipe calls for fresh compressed yeast and its almost impossible to find unless you know people who know people so just subsitute 1 1/4 tsp of dry yeast for 1/4 oz og fresh yeast. Happy baking! ♥

♥French Laundry Cinnamon Doughnuts♥

Part 1:

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water, at room temperature
1/4 ounce compressed fresh yeast *(see top comment)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Part 2:
1/4 ounce compressed fresh yeast*(see top comment)
2 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or more as needed
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup egg yolks (about 3 large yolks)
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Canola oil for deep-frying
Cinnamon sugar: 1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the cinnamon-sugar doughnuts: Place the water in the bowl of a mixer. Crumble the yeast into the water; mix and crush the yeast with a spoon to dissolve. Add the flour to the bowl and, using the dough hook, mix slowly until the ingredients are thoroughly blended.

Transfer this sponge to a bowl, cover, and let proof at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, until it has doubled; or place the bowl in the refrigerator to proof overnight.

Part 2: Crumble the yeast into the milk in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve. Place 3/4 cup of the flour, the sugar, and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mixing on low speed, pour in the milk and yeast mixture, followed by the egg yolks and butter. Mix for a minute to combine.

Add the proofed sponge and the remaining 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour. Continue to beat at low speed until combined. Turn up the speed slightly and knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes, or until it has formed a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl. If the dough seems wet, it may be necessary to add 1 to 2 more tablespoons flour. Cover the bowl and let the dough proof overnight in the refrigerator.

To shape the doughnuts: Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to a 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out the doughnuts using a 2-inch doughnut cutter, or a 2-inch biscuit cutter (in which case, you will also need a 3/4-inch cutter to make the hole). Place the doughnuts and doughnut holes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the doughnuts with a sheet of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

At this point, the doughnuts can be frozen for several days, refrigerated, or allowed to rise at room temperature. If they're frozen, defrost them and then allow them to rise at room temperature for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. They can be refrigerated for several hours or overnight, to rise slowly. When you remove them from the refrigerator, uncover them and let them finish proofing in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes. If they have not been refrigerated or frozen, they should rise at room temperature in about 15 minutes. Once proofed, they will have risen to approximately 3/4 inch.

To cook the doughnuts: In a deep heavy saucepan large enough to hold half the doughnuts and holes at a time, heat canola oil for deep-frying to 325 degrees F. Add half the doughnuts and holes to the oil and cook for approximately 30 seconds on the first side. Flip the doughnuts and fry for 1 minute on the second side, then turn back to the first side to cook for an additional 30 seconds, or until a deep golden brown. Remove the doughnuts, drain them briefly on paper towels, and toss them in a bowl with the cinnamon sugar. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts.

NOW EAT♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥CHOCOLATE SANDWICH COOKIES♥

These cookies are soooooooooo good!!! They are quiet a process to make but in the end you get a wonderfully soft and super chocolatey delicious cookie.
Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Chocolate Shortbread:
♥3/4 pound (3 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened
♥1 cup of sugar
♥1 tsp of vanilla
♥3 cups of flour
♥1/3 cup of coco powder (i like hersheys)
♥1/2 tsp of salt

Mint Filling:
( if you dont want a mint filling then subsitute the mint chocolate for semi-sweet =D)
♥8 oz of mint chocolate chips
♥1/2 cup of cream
♥1/2 cup of powdered sugar

To make the cookies:
In the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffly, 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, coco powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients slowly to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until just mixed. If some flour still remains mix it with a rubber spatula. divide into two disks and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly flour a surface and roll out one of the chilled disks of dough to about 1/4 of an inch. Cut out with a 1 1/2 to 2 inch cutter ( i like the fluted ones, but anything you have is fine. You can even use the top of a glass if you dont have a cutter.) Cut out as much as you can and then reroll the scraps and cut out more. Repeat with the other disk of dough. Bake for 14 minutes rotating the pan inbeetween if necessary. Cool on racks for 10-15 minutes.

For the Filling:
In a heatproof bowl combine the chocolate and cream. Microwave on 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. Let cool. Mix in the powdered sugar and refrigerate until spreadable.

To Assemble:
Spread a teaspoon of filling in the middle of exactly half the cookies. Top with a second cookie.
Dust with powdered sugar(optional).

Makes: 32

Persimmon Cake

At first i was really skeptical about making a persimmon cake because, well, i HATE persimmons. It was my moms idea to make it because a friend of ours gave us a huge baskett of persimmons. So i made it thinking it would turn out really gross but it was actually pretty delicious. I made my own spin on it by adding in a sweet lemon glaze on top.

Persimmon Cake


For the Cake:
♥3 cups of pureed persimmons
♥2 tsp baking soda
♥1 1/2 cup butter
♥1 1/3 cup sugar
♥2 eggs
♥2 tsp lemon juice
♥2 tsp vanilla
♥2 cups flour
♥3/4 tsp salt
♥1 tsp baking powder
♥1/2 tsp ground cloves
♥1 tsp cinnamon
♥1/2 tsp nutmeg
To make the Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12 cup capacity Bundt pan or a 9"x13" pyrex or casserole dish.
In a bowl, add baking soda and chopped persimmons and set aside. In a stand mixer, hand mixer, or another bowl, blend butter and sugar until creamy. Then add eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, flour, salt, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix until well combined. Add persimmon mixture into the batter and mix together until blended. Pour mixture into the pan and bake for 55 to 60 until done. Cool in pan for 15 minutes then turn over and release cake from the pan.
When the cake is cool drizzle with the lemon glaze. (recipe follows)

Lemon Glaze:

♥1 cup of powdered sugar
♥1 tablespoon of water
♥2 teaspoons of lemon juice

In a bowl combine the powdered sugar, water and lemon juice. Mix until smooth

Chocolate Gingerbread

For the Cake:

♥1 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
♥1 tablespoon sugar
♥2 cups all-purpose flour
♥1 teaspoon baking soda
♥2 teaspoons ground ginger
♥3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
♥1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
♥1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
♥3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
♥3 large eggs
♥1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
♥2 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
♥1 cup buttermilk

To Make the Cake:
Butter a 9" square baking pan. Pyrex is perfect for this.

Put the fresh ginger and sugar in a small bowl, stir and set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and spices together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment,or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar and butter together at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Don't worry if the mixture looks curdled at this stage. Pour in the molasses and beat until smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the melted chocolate, along with the sugared ginger. Still on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2(begin and end with the dry ingredients),mixing the batter only as much as needed to blend the ingredients. Fold in the chopped chocolate and the ginger in syrup. Pour the batter into the pan.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Don't be concerned if the cake has domed and cracked-it will settle down as it cools. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes, then unmold the cake. Turn right side up to cool to room temperature before slicing into 12 pieces.
Yum! ♥

~Kaitlyn

VANILLA-BEAN CUPCAKES

♥Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Buttercream and Coconut♥

♥ VANILLA BEAN CUPCAKES♥
♥1 stick (1/2 cup) of softened unsalted butter
♥1 cup of sugar
♥2 eggs
♥1 1/2 cups of flour
♥1 1/8 tsp of baking powder
♥1/2 tsp of salt
♥1/2 cup of milk
♥1 vanilla bean with the seeds scraped out

♥Kaitlyn's Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)

Pre-heat the oven to 325degrees farenheit.

In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or handheld mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add a third of the dry ingredients and alternate with the milk beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the vanilla bean seeds. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin (i like to use a cookie scoop because it evenly distributes the batter between the cups). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into one cupcake comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack while you make the frosting.

♥Kaitlyn's Buttercream Frosting♥

♥1 stick(1/2 cup) of softened unsalted butter
♥4 cups of powdered sugar
♥1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
♥5 tbls of milk

In the bowl of your electric mixer cream together the butter and half the powdered sugar. The mixture will be very thick. Mix in half the milk then the rest of the sugar. Mix in the remaining milk. Beat on medium high spead for 5 minutes until very fluffy and smooth. Spread a good amount of frosting on each cupcake. Serve and enjoy. ♥

Optional: Dip the tops of each frosted cupcake in sweetened shredded coconut if desired.