Tag Archives: cupcakes

July 13, 2012

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cupcakes

The weather out in Southern California has decided to take a turn for the East coast, with its severe humidity and summer thunderstorms. I mean, I’m not entirely mad; summer storms like this remind me of my family vacations in Michigan, just.. not as pretty. Not only is everyone in the LA area complaining, we all have to deal with idiot drivers that are scared of the rain; things I reserve for winter! ;) But, I have a great solution to ease the sweating, and my sister’s cat, Stitch, is here to help me share it.

I had to include him, of course, because he’s mostly black and it’s Friday the 13th. Plus, isn’t he just the cutest?! Well, maybe not the cutest but he’s certainly up there in my book. Back to the recipe, Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cupcakes. After dreaming for several days about a delicious cupcake that would cool me off, while satisfying my sweet tooth, this combination came to mind and seemed perfect.

Mint has properties of its own that will give you chills, but put it into a sweet ice cream and you have something that I would not be angry to receive a brain freeze from. Then there’s chocolate, I think just by looking at past recipes you can tell that I adore chocolate, so this was easy for me to pair up.

One Year Ago: Frozen Berry Smoothie

5.0 from 2 reviews

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Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Cupcakes
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 24
 

Ingredients
  • 2 Cans Organic Coconut Milk
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1¼ tsp. Pure Mint Extract
  • 2 Tbsp. Spinach Juice (for subtle color)
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • ⅔ Cup Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
  • –
  • 3 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1¾ Cups Sugar
  • ¾ Cup Cocoa Powder
  • 2 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp. Sea Salt
  • ½ Cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. White Vinegar
  • 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Cups Ice Cold Water
  • –
  • ⅓ Cup Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1 tsp. Coconut Oil
  • 1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup

Instructions
  1. In a medium-sized pot, bring the coconut milk and sugar to a boil. Then adjust the heat to low-medium and simmer it, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
  2. Pour the mixture into a bowl (or large measuring cup with spout for pouring), and stir in the salt, mint extract and spinach juice. Place the cream mixture into the refrigerator to cool down for 20 minutes, then to the freezer for 30 minutes.
  3. In the mean time, Preheat oven to 350F, and prep two 12-count cupcake pans with liners.
  4. In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and sea salt. In a medium bowl mix together apple sauce, vinegar, vanilla extract, and water.
  5. Then, mix the wet ingredients into the dry slowly using a whisk. Pour batter into each liner until it is about ¾ full or a centimeter from the top of the liner.
  6. Then bake for approximately 15-20 minutes (18 always works great for me), check with a toothpick to see when they are finished.
  7. When they are cool enough to handle, take them out of the cupcake pan and place them in the refrigerator to cool.
  8. Once the ice cream base has cooled, pour it into your ice cream maker and set the timer for 10 minutes (mine is fast).
  9. Melt ⅓ cup bittersweet chocolate with 1 tbsp. Coconut oil in a double boiler until a smooth and thin consistency.
  10. Here’s where it gets interesting: when the timer goes off, carefully use a fork to dip into the chocolate sauce and flick around the ice cream maker’s bowl in thin stripes.
  11. Every 30-45 seconds or so, push the top layer into the rest of the ice cream so that it breaks apart; repeat until the chocolate sauce is used up.
  12. Now, take your cupcakes and make a hole about 1½” wide and 1″ deep in the center of your cupcake (make sure not to scoop out the very bottom. It will be roughly 1 Tbsp. or so of cupcake innards, which you can use for a trifle, cake pops, or just eat immediately like me ;) .
  13. Place the cupcake “shells” into the freezer along with the finished ice cream so that they can both harden (about 20 minutes).
  14. Melt ¼ cup Bittersweet chocolate chips with coconut oil and maple syrup in a double boiler and stir together until smooth, turn heat on low until your ready to use it. Use the last bit of chocolate for garnish by chopping it up roughly.
  15. When the ice cream is more firm, use a small spoon (or melon-baller like I did) and place about 1½ Tbsp. of ice cream into the center of each cupcake so that it comes out of the top.
  16. I recommend doing this is sets of 12 so that the ice cream doesn’t melt into the cupcake.
  17. Take the chocolate sauce and drizzle it over the tops of the cupcakes and sprinkle a little chocolate on top, place in the freezer for 10 minutes, or until you’re ready to serve!

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I have to say, this is my first time experimenting with ice cream cake and it was an incredibly tasty success.

Just look at that piece of sliced bliss, that’s the perfect ratio of cake to ice cream, in my opinion!

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May 15, 2012

Berry-Filled Banana Cupcakes with Lemon Coconut Frosting

I want you to just take a few, solid seconds and check out that cupcake. Do you see that deeply colored, glistening berry center? The creamy cashew frosting flecked with dates and lemon zest that covers the rounded surface of the cake, with its wafting aromas of banana and vanilla, are enticing. Food like this you can write for hours about. It’s inspiring, beautiful, drool-inducing recipes like this that really motivate me to keep this food blog up.

Two of my friends celebrated their birthdays at a dinner last night, and I was lucky enough to be asked to make cupcakes for the shindig. It is times like these where I find that I try to get the most creative, it’s a whole ‘nother ball game when you’re baking for other people than for you and the ones that are around more often. Although, cupcake recipes with fillings are just a tad more time-consuming, it’s almost always worth it, and in this case it is TOTALLY worth it.

One Year Ago: Steamed & Grilled Lemony Artichokes

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Berry-Filled Banana Cupcakes with Lemon Coconut Frosting
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 22
 

Deliciously moist banana cake filled with sweet berries and topped off by a creamy cashew-based, lemon coconut frosting.
Ingredients
  • 2 Cups Raw Cashews, Soaked for 2+ hours
  • ½ Cup Water
  • 3 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
  • 5 Dates, Pitted
  • 2 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
  • ½ tsp. Lemon Zest
  • 1 Cup Strawberries, Without Stems and Diced
  • 1 Cup Blueberries
  • 3 Tbsp. Organic Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Arrowroot Powder
  • 3 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1½ Cups Organic Sugar
  • 2 tsp. Baking Soda
  • ½ tsp. Salt
  • 1½ Cup Ice-cold water
  • 1 Cup Mashed Banana
  • 2 Tbsp. White Vinegar
  • 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • Optional: Additional Blueberries and lemon zest for garnish

Instructions
  1. Place the cashews, ½ cup water, coconut oil, dates, lemon juice, and lemon zest into a food processor or high-power blender. Puree until the mixture is completely smooth, then place it into the refrigerator for it to firm up (this will be your frosting).
  2. Next, take the strawberries, blueberries, and the 3 tbsp. of sugar, place them into a small bowl and mash them together until the mixture is still chunky, but has small pieces.
  3. Pour the berry mixture into a small pan over medium heat, add the arrowroot powder immediately and stir it in until it is dissolved. Bring the filling to a simmer and reduce the heat to low-medium, simmer for 5 minutes.
  4. Take the pan off of the heat, pour the berry filling into a bowl and refrigerate it.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350°F and get 22-24 cupcake liners ready in their pans. In a large bowl, sift together the AP flour, 1½ cups sugar, baking soda and salt.
  6. Using a smaller bowl, beat together the water, banana, vinegar and vanilla extract. Fold the wet mixture into the dry, and stir until there are no clumps left and the batter is smooth.
  7. Fill each cupcake liner roughly ¾ of the way full and bake for 19-22 minutes, testing with a toothpick in the middle of the cupcake to see if it draws clean.
  8. Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack (or into the refrigerator to speed up the process), until they are no longer warm. Using an apple corer, take an 1″-1¼” of cupcake out of each center.
  9. Fill each center with the berry filling until it reaches the top of the cupcake. Once you are finished with that, using a piping bag, pipe the cashew frosting onto the cupcakes using approx. 1½-2 Tbsp. for each one.
  10. Top with a couple of blueberries and lemon zest, and serve!

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Even though everyone was full from dinner, I’m happy to report that 95% of the cupcakes were eaten (a couple were taken home) and I received only positive feedback on them. These cupcakes ended up super moist, and almost like something that you could eat for breakfast. Try them out and let me know what you think!

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February 25, 2012

Spiced Cupcakes with Blood Orange Frosting

There’s been a tremendous amount of baking going on in my kitchen these past couple of weeks. I almost feel as those it has surpassed the chaos that was the winter holidays! Oh well, nothing a few green smoothies and extra trips to the gym can’t fix. ;)

This time, I needed to make some cupcakes for my friend Sarah’s going away party. She’s moving to Portland next week, myself and two others will be helping her! I can’t wait to eat tons of vegan food and check some places out, even though I’ll only be there for a couple of days. Back to the cupcakes, I was inspired by some blood oranges that I had picked up last week and was trying to find a purpose for them. I thought back to my standard chocolate/orange combo recipes but thought that I would try something just a tad different.

The cake part of these delightful treats is filled with just the right amount of spice so that it is aromatic, but not overbearing. It’s fluffy and light, with no oil in the batter, while the frosting is creamy and rich with a slight tang from the blood orange marmalade. You can use any orange marmalade that you prefer, I ended up making my own using this recipe.

Servings: 24 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/2 Cups Organic Sugar
  • 2 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 Cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. White Vinegar
  • 1 1/2 Cups Ice Cold Water

——-

  • 2 1/2 Powdered Sugar
  • 3/4 Cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
  • 2 Tbsp. Blood Orange Marmalade
  • 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F, and get two cupcake sheets (2 dozen cupcakes) ready with liners. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and salt. In a smaller bowl, stir together the applesauce, white vinegar, vanilla extract and water.
  2. Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir together until combined. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full, place in the oven and bake for 19-22 minutes or until a toothpick draws clean.
  3. After the cupcakes are done baking, place them in the refrigerator to cool and move on to making the frosting.
  4. Whip the Earth Balance with a mixer on high-speed, and slowly add in the powdered sugar. Add in the marmalade, vanilla extract, and salt and continue to whip the frosting.
  5.  Add more powdered sugar if you’d like a stiffer frosting, and use 1.5-2 tbsp. of it per cupcake.

Now, here is the perfect dessert to get you excited for the spring with its light texture, but still stands as a reminder of winter with its subtle spices. I wish I could have gotten some better pictures, but I had to rush these straight to the party where they were wolfed down!

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December 19, 2011

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting

Mondays suck, am I right? Well, let’s make this Monday better with cupcakes! This recipe was inspired by one of my favorite treats, dark chocolate bars with little grains of sea salt in them. Because dark chocolate is not terribly sweet, the sea salt adds a warm tang to the chocolate, emphasizing the subtle sweetness for a tasty dessert.

I had originally written this recipe so that I could submit it to Made Just Right, Earth Balance’s nearly month-long recipe contest; but as I was uploading a photo for the recipe, the site redirected me and the recipe and full instructions were lost. URGH! So, I’m going to re-type them because I love this recipe and I want my lovely reader’s to have a chance to make them!

Ingredients:

-Cupcakes:

  • 3 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/2 Cups Sugar
  • 1 Cup Cocoa Powder
  • 2 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1 Cup Applesauce
  • 2 Tbsp. White Vinegar
  • 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Cups Ice Cold Water
  • 2 tsp. Coarse Sea Salt

-Frosting:

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F, and get two cupcake sheets (2 dozen cupcakes) ready with liners. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda. In a smaller bowl, stir together the applesauce, white vinegar, vanilla extract and water.
  2. Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir together until combined, then fold the grains of coarse sea salt into the batter so that it does not dissolve. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full, place in the oven and bake for 19-22 minutes or until a toothpick draws clean.
  3. After the cupcakes are done baking, place them in the refrigerator to cool and move on to making the frosting.
  4. Whip the Earth Balance with a mixer on high-speed, and slowly add in the powdered sugar. Split the vanilla beans with a sharp knife and scrape out the paste, add it into the frosting mixture along with the additional vanilla extract and soy milk and mix together.
  5.  Add more powdered sugar if you’d like a stiffer frosting, and use 1.5-2 tbsp. of it per cupcake. Optional: for added cuteness, top with finely chopped chocolate and a couple of grains of sea salt.

For the record, I really need to practice piping frosting because I am pretty terrible at it! Regardless, these cupcakes tasted great and have a unique flavor that is addictive. I hope that everyone has a fabulous week!

 

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