Saturday, July 26, 2014

Sweet Vanilla Coconut Cake Pops


Cake Pops!!!! I will be the first to say that I absolutely did not jump on the cake-pop-bandwagon when they were all the rage...I think it was late 2013-early 2014...anyway, that doesn't matter. What does matter is that I finally made them! That is right ladies and gentlemen, I have never made cake pops until now. I am certainly glad that I did though! To make these cake pops, I used a silicone cake pop mold that cost about $10, find a link to one like it here. I chose to not use a leavening agent so they would be extra moist, and that worked out very well. I hope you enjoy!


Sweet Vanilla Coconut Cake Pops

Yields about 40


Cake Pops:

3/4 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla


Other:

1 bag white chocolate melting chips

1 bag milk chocolate melting chips

cake pop sticks

parchment paper

assorted fun and awesome sprinkles



Directions:

In a small bowl sift or whisk together the flour and the corn starch; set aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and coconut oil until they are light, fluffy, and thoroughly combined. Add the sugar a half a cup at a time and continue beating. 

Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla. 

Little by little beat in the flour/cornstarch mixture until it is all completely mixed in.

Fill the bottom half of the cake pop mold full of the batter, and secure the other half on top of it. I put mine on a baking sheet before I put it in the over, just to offer more stability. 

Bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Once the cake pops are cooled, pop them out of the mold onto a plate, and melt a little bit of the melting chocolates in a bowl.

Dip the tip of the cake pop stick into the melted chocolate and poke that into your cake pop. Set aside onto a baking sheet, and cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before continuing. This will keep your cake pops on the stick when you dip them in the melting chocolates the second time.


I let mine sit overnight, and I barely had any trouble with them falling off on the stick. There was one or two that did, but I ate them, so I wasn't that upset about it.

Now set up your work station! This is my favorite part...it's like a fun little assembly line that makes putting these little guys together a lot more enjoyable.


Here is a picture of my set up. I found it easier to work this way, but do whatever works best for you :).

In two small bowls, melt the different chocolates in the microwave. The directions should come on the package, it's nothing too complicated. If your are unable to use melting chocolate, you will need to temper the chocolate before dipping your cake pops in it.

I used a little spoon to help cover my cake pop in the chocolate once it had been dipped. If there is too much chocolate on your cake pop it will cause it to be mushy and not very appealing, so be sure to let as much chocolate drip off as possible. I gave mine a little bit of a spin to help pull off some extra chocolate. 

Set the cake pop on the parchment paper to dry, but decorate with sprinkles and/or drizzled chocolate while it is still wet.



Have fun with this! Be creative! I used red, white, and blue sprinkles for several reasons...1) they are on sale now, yayyyyy!!!! and 2) because my older sister wanted them for her birthday party, and she was born on the Fourth of July :). It was a win-win situation really. 



And that's it! So simple and fun and pretty! I know that you can very well make cake pops without the mold, but to be honest, it's a waste of time. Using the silicone mold saves so much time and a big mess, plus it's so cute and fun to play with :). And for $10, it's well worth it if you plan on making them often {which I now do}. I hope you all enjoy this recipe! Comment and let me know the fun combinations you use!



Thursday, July 17, 2014

Almond Raspberry Cream Cupcakes


One of the greatest things that comes with the beautiful weather of summer is all of the fresh fruit!!! If you haven't noticed by now, one of my favorite things to use in frostings {both in the frosting itself and as a topper} is fresh fruit..strawberries, raspberries, blueberries...I love them all! These cupcakes were also from my Independence Day weekend {thus the red, white, and blue}, and although I was originally hesitant to top them with blueberries, they were quite delicious and would not have been the same without them.



Almond Raspberry Cream Cupcakes

Yields about 24


Cupcakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 cup almond milk

4 egg whites

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup sweet cream, salted butter {softened}

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp almond extract



Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 to 3 cups confectioner's sugar

1 handful fresh raspberries




In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the almond milk and egg whites; set aside.

Beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until all of the sugar is combined, then add the vanilla and almond extract.

While still beating, alternate adding half of the flour mixture, then half of the egg white/almond milk mixture until they are both completely combined. 

Fill cupcake cups halfway, and bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes.





For the frosting, beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth {about 3 minutes}. 

Gradually beat in 2 cups of the confectioner's sugar, about a half a cup at a time. Once the sugar is completely combined into the cream cheese and butter, add the raspberries and beat until they are mixed into the frosting and broken apart enough so that the frosting wont just have clumps of raspberry in it.

Beat for 3 to 5 minutes after everything is combined to get the frosting smooth and fluffy; if the frosting is too liquid because of the raspberries, add up to a cup of extra confectioner's sugar...the frosting will be slightly sweeter, but it will stay more firm.

Pipe with star tip, top with fresh blueberries {or other fresh fruit of your choice:)}




The day that I made these cupcakes was one of the hottest days we've had here so far this summer, so the frosting started to melt after a while. Also the juice from the raspberries didn't help with that either, so DEFINITELY throw these {don't actually throw them, c'mon guys} into the fridge immediately after you are done piping the frosting. Store your cupcakes in the fridge until you are ready to serve them. Enjoy!


Thursday, July 10, 2014

Dark Chocolate Coconut Cream Cupcakes


Happy very belated Fourth of July!!! I hope yours was as full of red white and blue, fireworks, and country music as mine was :). These were one of the two red, white, and blue cupcakes that I brought to a cookout, and they were a huge hit! The coconut cream frosting is very thick and just sweet enough to go with the dark chocolate cupcakes, and the raspberry on top adds just the right amount of tang...really, these cupcakes are a match made in heaven! Hope you enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Coconut Cream Cupcakes

Yields 24+ {about 30}

Cupcakes:

1 cup butter 

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

4 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup almond milk


Frosting:

1/2 cup softened butter


16 oz. cream cheese

14 oz. shredded coconut {usually packaged in 7 oz. bags, so 2 bags}

1 tablespoon vanilla


4-5 cups confectioner's sugar




Directions:


Melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla together until smooth.

Add the cooled butter/chocolate and beat until smooth.

While still beating, add half of the flour mixture, then half of the almond milk.

Repeat until everything is added. Stir until just combined

Bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes


For the frosting, cream together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the coconut about a half a bag at a time, beating until evenly combined each time.

{This frosting was intended to be extremely thick, but if you would rather have a creamier frosting, consider adding only one to one and a half bags of coconut and halving the powdered sugar.}

Once all of the coconut is added, beat in the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time, and beat until completely combined into the frosting. Add based on your desired thickness.

Scoop the frosting into a piping bag without a tip, and pipe the frosting high on the cupcakes.


This frosting being so thick works really well piled high on dark chocolate cupcakes. If you're not a frosting person first of all, there's something seriously wrong with you. Second of all, you can just cut the recipe in half, but I would definitely recommend trying them this way first.

Top your cupcakes with fresh raspberries and chocolate shavings.


And that's it! Perfect, rich cupcakes for any summer get together. Like I previously said I am a big frosting kinda girl, but if you aren't, feel free to halve the recipe, or alter it to suit your fancy. The frosting is great, no matter how you look at it though, and you can most certainly expect to see it featured in a yummy piña colada cupcake recipe later this summer :)



Thursday, July 3, 2014

Lemon Cream Cupcakes



Talk about a light and refreshing summery cupcake!! The vanilla cupcakes is spongy and the frosting is some of the best frosting I have ever made! It is so refreshing and I could seriously just eat it with a spoon. One {or two ;)} of these cupcakes goes perfectly with a warm summer day and a tall glass of pink lemonade, but don't just take my word for it; give it a try yourself!

Lemon Cream Cupcakes

Yields about 18

Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup almond milk


Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups confectioner's sugar

zest from one medium lemon {about 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp}



In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside


Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, and then slowly add the sugar a little at a time while still whisking.


Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and the oil, and whisk until completely combined. 

Alternately whisk in half of the flour and half of the almond milk until they are both completely combined.

Fill baking cups about half way, and bake on 350 for 15/20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean and cupcakes are golden yellow.


For the frosting, beat the butter, cream cheese, lemon juice, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth {about 5 minutes}. Be sure to have softened the butter slightly before hand so there aren't clumps of butter in your yummy frosting.

Gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar, about a half a cup at a time. I suggest sifting it in so there aren't lumps in it, because like I said before, no one likes lumpy frosting.

Once everything else in the frosting has been evenly combined, beat in the lemon zest, and continue beating for 3 to 5 minutes after everything is combined to get the frosting smooth and fluffy.

Pipe frosting with an open star tip onto the cooled cupcakes.



Top the frosted cupcakes with fresh blueberries. Add any remaining lemon zest on top of them for a little extra zing.


And there you are! How perfect and yummy to these look?! Enjoy the recipe, just beware that if you bring them to a function, you will be asked to make them again :)