I’ve done one of these little compilation posts for Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas, Valentine’s Day & St. Patrick’s Day, so here’s my springtime/Easter version. I don’t really do “Easter”, I like bunnies, baby chicks, lilies & chocolate… so I celebrate those things & call it Easter. I’m not one of those Wiccans or “Pagans” either. I’m Agnostic, but I do love me some holidays. I can’t help it. I love to decorate and bake and cook and that’s the best part of life, in my opinion. So why not celebrate everything!?

The real meaning of Easter:

Easter (Old English: Ēostre; Greek: Πάσχα, Paskha; Hebrew: פֶּסַח‎, Pesakh, “Passover“) is the central religious feast in the Christian liturgical year.^[1] According to Christian scripture, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. Some Christians celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday^[2] (also Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday), two days after Good Friday and three days after Maundy Thursday. The chronology of his death and resurrection is variously interpreted to be between AD 26 and 36, traditionally 33. Easter also refers to the season of the church year called Eastertide or the Easter Season. Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the forty days from Easter Day until Ascension Day. The first week of the Easter Season is known as Easter Week or the Octave of Easter. Easter also marks the end of Lent, a season of fasting, prayer, and penance.

Easter is a moveable feast, meaning it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar. The First Council of Nicaea (325) established the date of Easter as the first Sunday after the full moon (the Paschal Full Moon) following the northern hemisphere’s vernal equinox.^[3] Ecclesiastically, the equinox is reckoned to be on March 21 (even though the equinox occurs, astronomically speaking, on March 20 in most years), and the “Full Moon” is not necessarily the astronomically correct date. The date of Easter therefore varies between March 22 and April 25. Eastern Christianity bases its calculations on the Julian Calendar whose March 21 corresponds, during the 21st century, to April 3 in the Gregorian Calendar, in which calendar their celebration of Easter therefore varies between April 4 and May 8.

Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar. In most European languages the feast called Easter in English is termed by the words for passover in those languages and in the older English versions of the Bible the term Easter was the term used to translate passover.^[4][5]

Relatively newer^{[citation needed]} elements such as the Easter Bunny and Easter egg hunts have become part of the holiday’s modern celebrations, and those aspects are often celebrated by many Christians and non-Christians alike. There are also some Christian denominations who do not celebrate Easter.

Yeah so that last part applies to me. Delicious chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs filled with creamy fondant? Yes please. I guess, though, I more celebrate just the coming of spring itself, which is more like Ostara:

Old English Ēostre (also Ēastre) and Old High German Ôstarâ are the names of a putative Germanic goddess whose Anglo-Saxon month, Ēostur-monath, has given its name to the festival of Easter. Eostre is attested only by Bede, in his 8th century work De temporum ratione, where he states that Ēostur-monath was the equivalent to the month of April, and that feasts held in her honour during Ēostur-monath had died out by the time of his writing, replaced by the “Paschal month“. The possibility of a Common Germanic goddess called *Austrōn- was examined in detail in 19th century Germanic philology, by Jacob Grimm and others, without coming to a definite conclusion.

Linguists have identified the goddess as a Germanic form of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European goddess of the dawn, *Hausos, some scholars have debated whether or not Eostre is an invention of Bede’s, and theories connecting Eostre with records of Germanic Easter customs (including hares and eggs) have been proposed.

Notice the spelling similarities between Eostre and Easter? Hmm. Food for thought. I’ll let ya chew on that one.

So in short, I like to eat and make stuff, and that’s what holidays are all about, really. I don’t think you have to believe in a God to celebrate the coming of spring, especially after a winter where here in New York we got a whopping 60.9″ of snow total. At any rate… here are some delectable cupcake confections that celebrate this time of year, and can be adapted/used whether your celebrations are referred to as Ostara, Easter, Passover or just plain spring.

One of my favorite Easter cupcakes; lemon-vanilla cakes with a lemon-vanilla buttercream, topped with toasted coconut “nests” and Cadbury mini-eggs. Super cute and so easy! These were a humongous hit with everyone who ate them, I highly recommend trying them. Recipe here: Nest Eggs.

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I grouped these two together because they’re in the same post from last Easter. The top ones are Creamsicle mini-cupcakes topped with a thick marshmallow Fluff buttercream, and the bottom ones are carrot cupcakes topped with a lavender-tinted cream cheese frosting. Check both recipes out here: Easter?

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I didn’t actually make these for Easter, I made them for my grandmother’s 92nd birthday… however they’re a perfect springtime cupcake idea. A light chocolate cake topped with an Earl Grey/lemon icing and candied lemon peel garnish (which is deceptively easy). Very sophisticated & delicious. Find the recipes for the cake, icing and lemon peel here: Earl Grey with lemon “tea party” cupcakes.

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Another one I didn’t make for Easter, I made them for Cupcake Rehab’s 1st birthday, but yet they would be totally appropriate for spring. Neapolitan cupcakes- vanilla cake, strawberry Kool-Aid frosting and chocolate sauce drizzled on top. Extremely delicious. Recipes: Neapolitan “happy 1st birthday Cupcake Rehab” cupcakes.

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These I definitely didn’t make for Easter. But being that they’re almond cupcakes with a white chocolate buttercream, they’d be so cute with marzipan fruits or hand-rolled marzipan Easter eggs on top for Easter, wouldn’t they? This is one of my favorite cupcakes ever. Try them yourself: Frau Marilla’s Alpenblume Weiße Schokolade Kleine Kuchen!

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So that’s that. If you’re not drooling by now, there’s something wrong with you. Also, I also have a recipe for chocolate hi-hat cupcakes that I made for Easter a few years back that I didn’t include above. So knock yourself out!  And If you’re looking for something more Passover-y, I have a recipe for sweet noodle kugel. I also have TONS of other cupcake and cookie recipes that can be adapted or used for this time of year, with just a little creativity.

As usual, I’ll be posting more spring-y things in the weeks to come so stay tuned... and tomorrow I’ll be guest posting over at Frosting 4 the Cause, so please come and check that out. I promise you’ll like it.

Most people think of peppermint bark as a Christmas-y treat, however, I think it’s also a great way to use up all your leftover candy canes after Christmas. Although, to me & my family, Christmas lasts until tomorrow which is Little Christmas, so it’s still appropriate to make it with those. You’ll never catch us taking our tree down before tomorrow! If anything, it’s up another week or two. The outside decorations, that’s a bit different. They had to come down before we’re hit with another blizzard.

Peppermint bark is a chocolate confection. Generally it consists of peppermint candy pieces in white chocolate on top of dark chocolate, but peppermint bark can refer to any chocolate with peppermint candy pieces in it.

It is especially popular around the Christmas season. Companies known for selling it seasonally include Williams-Sonoma, Ghirardelli, and Dove. Though they do not label it as peppermint bark, Hershey’s also sells peppermint Hershey’s kisses.

Peppermint + chocolate = wonderful. Funny story; Jay never liked the mint/chocolate combo until eating these. He’ll probably still deny liking it, though. I saw him smile when he ate a piece on Christmas- he can’t fool me.

Needless to say, I did indeed make mine for Christmas, and I put it in Martha Stewart treat bags and used them as place settings for the table on Christmas Day. This way, everyone could take theirs home with them and enjoy it. Although like I said, I think it’s a sweet way to use up your candy canes when the holiday is over, and I think it’d be equally sweet for Valentine’s Day, perhaps using white chocolate colored pink? Or even better: use white chocolate & pink Candy Melts with dried cherries. Or try making it with all white chocolate and crushed starlight mints, then drizzling melted pink candy melts over the top? Or for St. Patrick’s Day; white chocolate with crushed spearmint starlight mints or crushed green candies. You can do it in any way you like, for any holiday, even with cherry or blueberry or fruit-flavored candy canes.

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My recipe is just a basic one, very simple. There are tons of them out there, and there are also commercially made pre-packaged ones that usually cost a pretty penny. Williams-Sonoma makes a fantastic one, but buying it really takes the fun out of it to me. This is a project kids would love- it takes no time at all, lots of smashing (the candy canes), very little cooking, no baking, and the end result is delicious.

PEPPERMINT BARK

Ingredients:

My great-great-great grandfather, Albert Hebrank, fought in the Civil War. In 1861, he was an immigrant, right off the boat from Owingen, Hohenzollern, Prussia (Germany), and he joined the 54th Volunteer Infantry Regiment of New York, a.k.a. the Barney Black Rifles or ‘Schwarze Yaeger’- a unit comprised predominantly of German-speaking immigrants that fought in the some of the most famous and bloody battles of the war: Bull Run, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Manassas, and Cross Keys. My first cousin 4-times removed, Ferdinand Hebrank (Albert’s nephew), fought in the 71st New York Infantry in the Spanish-American War at the Battle of San Juan Hill with Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. My great-uncles, Jack Sonnanburg, Eugene Rooney, Thomas Rooney, Frank Rooney and Sam Prybuski all fought in WWII, stationed in various places all over the world, as well as my other great-uncle, Pasquale Civitillo, who was in the Navy, stationed near Cuba during the Cold War. Those are just a few of my family members who have served the United States Military, not to mention all the members who served in the military in other countries (like the Dylnicki’s who fought on the side of Poland in WWI). I have friends in the Military right now, who have served in Iraq & Afghanistan. I don’t agree with the war, but I will always & forever support our military.

So let’s all of us not forget our veterans today, whether we watch the parade or don’t, and let’s remember that no political party has the market on patriotism.

Patriotic liners & decorating kit from CupcakeCrafts4U!

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A few months back, I received an awesome packet from Kim at Cupcake Crafts 4 U. It was a patriotic set that included: four kinds of liners, red sugar, red & white large sugar, blue & white large sugar, silver dragees, red/white/blue M&M’s, red lip-shaped sprinkles, white gel frosting, blue frosting with 2 kinds of tips and a recipe! I knew I wanted to save it for Veteran’s Day, so here it is.

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I didn’t use the recipe that came with the kit, because I wanted a white chocolate cupcake (but the recipe looks awesome- red, white & blue cupcakes using red & blue Kool-Aid). I also decided to save the blue frosting and the gel as well as some sugars and the dragees for future cupcakes. I knew two kinds of sprinkles plus M&M’s would be perfect for the cupcakes I was making (I only made 10 cupcakes, I halved the recipe below). If I was making more, I’d have used everything and made each cupcake look different. Cupcake Crafts sells AMAZING cupcake-decorating kits, perfect for kid’s parties, those of you not artistically-inclined or even those of you who are, but want to get a full kit with everything you’d need. All you have to do is make the cupcake! I mean, look at how cute the Thanksgiving one is: make a cupcake into a turkey!

WHITE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES (adapted from Baking Bites)

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line muffin pans with 18 cupcake liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt the chopped white chocolate by heating it in 30 second intervals in the microwave. Stir well with a fork between each interval and cook only until the chocolate is smooth when stirred.
4. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by melted white chocolate and vanilla extract. Working in two or three additions, alternate adding in some of the milk and some of the flour mixture, ending with a final addition of flour. Mix until just incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.
5. Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 325F for 20-23 minutes until a tester comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a fingertip. Cool completely before frosting.

SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup butter, cut into pieces
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.
2. Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don’t worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.
4. Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on the lowest speed to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes. If using buttercream within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.

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All in all, I really liked the kit. I’d totally recommend it. It makes decorating so much easier, because it puts everything together in one place. And some of the kits include really elaborate stuff that looks so impressive, yet it’s made easy for you. Like I said, these would be perfect for kid’s birthdays. Or even to buy a few kits and bake the cupcakes, then have the kids decorate them. Kim puts a lot of time and effort into this business, and you can definitely tell. Take a look at the kits they sell and buy one. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

And Happy Veteran’s Day.

Before I get started on this post, I want to say how awesome it is that on October 13th the official Tru Blood Beverage website wrote a post about my True Blood Velvet cupcakes on their news page! So exciting, especially for me, I’m a huge fan of the show True Blood & the Sookie Stackhouse books. It was really spiffy that they noticed me & my lil’ ol cupcakes. I really geeked out over it for a while, truth be told (and still am, kinda). If you missed the post, and can’t find it, don’t worry. If you check out my press page, you’ll see a screenshot of what was written.

In researching my latest cupcake endeavor, I found out an interesting new fact. I didn’t know that black licorice was referred to as ‘Devil’s Road Tar’, but once I did I was so excited. I’m a big black licorice fan, I’m that person who eats all the black jelly beans and gum drops and leaves the rest. Not to mention there’s nothing like a good quality piece of licorice candy. I love it. Fennel, anise, licorice… whatever. I love it all. When I was little, my grandpa used to share his licorice pastilles with me, when I was a kid I’d devour Good & Plenty’s like there was no tomorrow, and as I got older I fell in love with Luden’s Honey Licorice cough drops (which are really hard to find, but I’ve been suckin’ ‘em down like crazy the past few weeks since I’m just getting over a bad ass cold) whether I was sick or not. I used to brush my teeth with Tom’s of Maine fennel toothpaste for a while, too. And Sambuca? Yes please. But all that aside, when I discovered that alias above, I knew it was perfect that I make these for Halloween. I stumbled upon a few different licorice cupcake ideas on the web. Some didn’t really appeal to me, to be honest, and others were combined with odd flavors. I don’t like chocolate with licorice, sorry. Vanilla was a safe bet, but I wanted something a little different. And so inspired by a few other bloggers, I decided the best bet would be an orange marshmallow topping made with Fluff. Why orange? Well, there’s an ice cream called ‘Tiger Tail’ (thanks Tania) that is orange ice cream with licorice sauce, and also there was a candy made by See’s that was a licorice stick, but orange & licorice together. The combination intrigued me, since both flavors are in my list of favorites. And really, what’s more Halloween-y than black & orange? Plus they match my Halloween cupcake cookie jar & cupcake candle… heh.

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Admittedly, these will not be for everyone. Most of you will probably gag at the thought of these. That’s alright. It’s my blog & I’ll bake licorice cupcakes if I want to! And if no one else likes them, then more for me. This recipe only makes 12, so it’s not like a lot will go to waste. Honestly, they were really delicious. Not too much of an in-your-face licorice flavor, just a pleasant anise taste. And I even added more anise to mine! Don’t be afraid to try them, even if you cut the recipe in half. I am not ashamed to say I ate three in a row. Okay, maybe I’m a little ashamed. But they’re made with egg whites, so they’re healthier. Right?

The cupcakes, with an interesting cast of characters on top.

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.You know what I learned while looking up licorice? Licorice is not the same thing as fennel or anise, despite having the flavoring compounds.

The flavor of liquorice comes mainly from a sweet-tasting compound called anethole (“trans”-1-methoxy-4-(prop-1-enyl)benzene), an aromatic, unsaturated ether compound also found in anise, fennel, and other herbs. Additional sweetness in liquorice comes from glycyrrhizin, a compound sweeter than sugar.

But for our purposes, for this recipe, anise = licorice and does a pretty good job of it. Licorice has quite a rich history. It’s been used in drinks & teas for ages, and used to soothe many ailments. Not only that, but it’s just plain yummy.

Licorice. Just the word by itself evokes certain memories in each of us. Now imagine tasting some licorice right now; yum! In fact licorice has been enjoyed throughout the ages by pharaohs, kings, and people like you and I! Licorice comes in more varieties than the candy vines, it is used in teas, medicine, booze, food, and all sorts of candy. Let’s take a look at how licorice has become such a delectable treat worldwide.

Now, licorice wasn’t always used in candy of course, it was often put into a drink consumed by the ancient Egyptians. Often time warriors would use licorice because it could help out on long marches when a thirst needed slaking. Many wise men in many countries like Alexander the Great and the Indian prophet, Brahma, encouraged the use of licorice for its healing properties. Even today the Aveda Company makes a comforting tea using the licorice root, Glycyrrhiza Glabra. Licorice has even been used to soothe coughs and heal peptic ulcers.

In spite of all its medicinal qualities, its most popular quality is its wonderful sweetness and its use in candies. It can be found around the world: In the United States of course, and in Germany, England, the Netherlands, and Nordic countries. Its popularity knows no boundary.

In 1914 the American Licorice Company was founded in Chicago, Illinois. Black Vines were born that year and have remained a popular treat ever since. The chewy black goodness evolved into “yummies” such as: Black Crows, Licorice Snaps, Black Scotties, and an all time favorite, Good and Plenty. My favorite was a product call “Allsorts.” These were originally manufactured in England and looked like beautiful candy jewels with licorice surrounded by pink, blue, and yellow confections. They were cut into squares, cylinders, and rounds; usually layered so you could see the licorice in the center of say a pink round candy. The look was tempting and the taste magnificent. You can still buy these today.

Eventually, in 1920 the classic Raspberry Vines made their debut, and while they weren’t really licorice, they became synonymous with licorice because they were produced by the same company and had the same chewy characteristics as real black licorice. However, red licorice is made with strawberry or cherry extracts; they are not made with the licorice root, therefore, they don’t taste anything like black licorice, but are delicious in their own right.

Licorice has been used for kinds of purposes throughout the ages. One thing that stands true is the tastiness and the memories we get when licorice is on our palate. We reminisce a bit about when life seemed to move a bit slower, or when grandpa would hand us a licorice morsel out of his jar. Whatever the memory is, there is no denying the history and goodness of a licorice treat!

BLACK LICORICE CUPCAKES

First you get:

• 1 1/3 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons anise extract
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 2 oz white chocolate (good quality)
• ¾ cup sugar
• 5 egg whites at room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Then you:

1. Melt chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, or in the top of a double boiler. When completely melted and combined, stir in the sugar, and set aside to cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in separate bowl.
3. In a large glass measuring cup, mix together the milk, vanilla, and anise extracts.
4. Transfer chocolate mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer, and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk mixture in 2 parts, starting and ending with the flour. Beat just until ingredients are combined after each addition.
6. With clean bowl and beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed for one minute,then on high until soft peaks form.
7. Transfer 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the batter bowl, gently fold to combine. Fold in the rest of the egg whites.
8. Fill 12 cupcake papers to ¼ inch from the top rim. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool slightly in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

I frosted them with an orange marshmallow Fluff frosting that I striped with black & orange stripes, then piped it on and sprinkled it with orange and brown sprinkles with miniature black bats. I don’t often do the “holiday themed jimmies” thing, but these were so freakin’ cute with the mini-bats, I had to. The toppers are vintage, they include a jack-o-lantern, a flying witch, a black cat face, a witch’s head, a black cat, a scarecrow and a skull & crossbones. Cute, right? The liners are Martha Stewart for Michael’s, of course. She always pulls me in with these adorable liners and then I always buy way more than I need to. But that’s alright, it just means more cupcakes and muffins for this delicious holiday.

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Honestly, even if you aren’t a big licorice fan, you might like these. They aren’t bold at all, they have a very light flavor. And if you’re looking for the frosting recipe, it’s here. Just add orange extract to it instead of vanilla and you’re ready for Halloween. And Arwyn, my darling little creature the color of licorice, is ready for Halloween too. As always.

Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (Irish pronunciation: [ˈsˠaunʲ]; from the Old Irish samain).^[1] The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes ^[2] regarded as the “Celtic New Year”.^[3] Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.^[4][5]

The term Halloween is shortened from All Hallows’ Even (both “even” and “eve” are abbreviations of “evening”, but “Halloween” gets its “n” from “even”) as it is the eve of “All Hallows’ Day”,^[6] which is now also known as All Saints’ Day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions,^[3] until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints’ Day from May 13 (which had itself been the date of a pagan holiday, the Feast of the Lemures) to November 1. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints’ Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. Liturgically, the Church traditionally celebrated that day as the Vigil of All Saints, and, until 1970, a day of fasting as well. Like other vigils, it was celebrated on the previous day if it fell on a Sunday, although secular celebrations of the holiday remained on the 31st. The Vigil was suppressed in 1955, but was later restored in the post-Vatican II calendar.

God, what a great fucking time of year.

All the stores have already had all the Halloween decorations and candy out since late August, so I don’t think the first week in October is too early to be gearing up for it. This year, I decided to start out the season with a little compilation of my top 4 favorite Halloween cupcake posts, and also links to some of my other Halloween-ie themed baked goods, so that I might inspire some of you in your fright night baking. So I sat down with my favorite tea from Teavana and picked out some cupcakes worthy of a “Halloween Best Of” post. Don’t worry, I’m still making cupcakes this year (specifically something very special coming next week… bwahahaha), I’m just showing off some of my past ones.

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These were my absolute favorite Halloween cupcakes ever. They look perfect, they were a fantastic tasting cupcake, and the white chocolate bones were too cute (and also delicious). You can find the original post and the recipe here: Creepy chocolate stout cupcakes with white chocolate “funny bones.”

…Now these… THESE are some bad ass cupcakes! Another perfect looking cupcake, and even though I made it after Halloween, it’s totally appropriate for the holiday. The key here is to use cinnamon oil, not extract, so you get the heat of the “Red Hots” flavor. Otherwise it’s just like tasting cinnamon gum. Also in this post I uploaded the files so you can print out these toppers and use them yourself! The original post is here: Coop’s devilishly delightful cupcakes.

…These were made to match a Jessie Steele apron Jay bought me for Halloween, but they’re perfect for those of you who aren’t into the themed Halloween stuff, or are more into celebrating fall than dressing up like a witch (spoil sports!). Delicious chocolate flavor with a hint of pumpkin. A grown-up pumpkin cupcake. The recipe and more can be found here: Jessie Steele (inspired) pumpkin cupcakes.

…These are such fun. Lyns sent me some sweetmelt white chocolate monster eyes and I knew right away my cupcakes would be little green monsters. Great for kids, it’s just a plain vanilla cupcake and vanilla buttercream colored green. The fun comes in with the black frosting used for facial features & the amazing edible eyes. In this post I also explain why Halloween is my favorite holiday. Check out the post here: Slimer’s fright night gorey eyeballs cupcakes.

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But sometimes, you may not really be in the mood for cake. Or frosting. So now we move on to non-cupcake treats. ‘Cause like I said, sometimes you aren’t in the mood for a cupcake, but maybe something else spooky, sweet & appropriate for the season. Or maybe you’re having a Halloween party and you want something that’s impressive but yet not as time consuming as cupcakes. Well I’ve got you covered on that too. Are you ready?

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These little treats were so easy to make, plus they were a HUGE hit. Everyone loved them! Homemade marshmallow bones… great in hot cocoa or eaten by themselves. Find the recipe & more photos here: Mr. Bones, Mr. Bones, how do you feel Mr. Bones?

...As far as baked treats go, I have a recipe for pumpkin muffins. But they aren’t like your average, boring pumpkin muffin made from pumpkin in a can. The interesting thing about them is that the pumpkin you use is the cut out parts of your jack-o-lantern! It’s a recipe I’ve had since kindergarten when my teacher passed them out for Halloween, and I’ve made them every year since. Get the recipe & the story behind it here: Mrs. Blach’s pumpkin muffins.

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And there you have it. That isn’t by any means the end of my Halloween themed treats, you can find more in my “halloween” category over there. I also have a recipe for roasting your own pumpkin seeds, which is another thing I make every year when I cut out my jack-o-lantern. If you’re looking for more cupcake ideas, another excellent cupcake recipe that would work really well for Halloween are Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes that have cinnamon and pumpkin in them, which I used for Thanksgiving a few years back, but it would be perfect for this holiday. So would cinnamon vanilla with Mexican hot chocolate buttercream, it’s a fall-flavor but it isn’t too overly-theme-y. Also, this recipe for mocha cupcakes with orange-vanilla buttercream is a great fall flavored cake & frosting combination. Another amazing cupcake recipe that fits this season perfectly are the apple cupcakes with brown sugar buttercream I made last year. Apples are a-plenty now and if you can pick fresh ones and use them, it’s even better. A great idea for fall-tasting treats that aren’t cupcakes are Donut-Muffins. They taste like donuts, but they’re muffins. The cinnamon sugar & nutmeg flavors are perfect for this time of year. Same goes for homemade apple cider donuts. And last but not least, Jay’s absolute favorite cookies… maple-iced fall leaf sugar cookies. And stay tuned later on this month for some new Halloween cupcake ideas. You know I won’t let you down.

As far as decorating goes, Lyns at Sweet Cuppin’ Cakes Bakery & Cupcakery Supplies has an awesome section in her store called “Our Halloween Party” with awesome liners, cupcake wrappers and toppers that will dress up any kind of cupcake for the holiday. Another place that has awesome cupcake decorating ideas is sweet estelle’s baking supply. Black & white liners, vintage looking toppers like these or these and orange /black sugars can make your Halloween cupcakes look even spookier.

And like I said… stay tuned this week for the start of some new Halloweenie cupcakes & more.

That said… they don’t translate well to cupcake-baking. I’ve seen people try and bake cupcakes with the creme eggs in them; they just looked like a mess. I’ve thought about using the flavors: chocolate and creamy fondant; but that’s not really anything new. I scrapped that idea long ago. And I’ve already used Cadbury Mini-Eggs on cupcakes a few years back, so I didn’t want to repeat that. Last year I made a delicious chocolate cupcake with banana-flavored Italian meringue covered in a chocolate “shell”, so I didn’t want to do a marshmallow-coated frosting type deal, no matter how much that reminds me of Easter candy. I could’ve done a fruity cupcake like a lemon one, or a lime one or a creamsicle one (which I ended up doing as well, you’ll see it further down in this post). But I wanted to do something different. I was at a complete loss. So was anyone I asked for input (thanks, guys). So what’s a girl to do!?

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I had no idea.

Seriously. Not a freakin’ clue. I was about to just forget about it and make something else, despite having 100 mini-cupcake liners, and 25 regular ones just sitting here waiting for me.

And then… it sorta dawned on me, randomly, while surfing the web, that I never made carrot cupcakes. DUH. Carrot cupcakes! For Easter! Bunnies eat carrots! I enjoy carrots, quite a lot. Carrot cake? Not really. But I figured, why not. I never made it before and this recipe is a Martha recipe that comes highly recommended so… here we are.

CARROT CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 ½ cups shredded carrots
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a standard 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners. In a bowl, combine sugar, vegetable oil, orange juice, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and eggs.
2. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, allspice, and salt. Add flour; mix. Stir in carrots, walnuts, and coconut.
3. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 25 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

I omitted the coconut, I just didn’t think it was needed. If you don’t frost them, they’re basically muffins. I got 15, but that’s because I did a test run and the batter rose so much I only filled these  halfway. And then they ended  up not rising all that much at all… go figure. I’d guess somewhere in between 1/2 and  3/4 would be the right idea. I frosted them with cream cheese frosting  (recipe here, sans lemon) and tinted it lavender (to match the liners). Another good option for frosting these are white chocolate buttercream (that you can find here) or plain vanilla buttercream. In case anyone is curious- I frosted ‘em once, then frosted on top of that to give it a swirlier taller more flowery look.

These were okay. Not great, not bad, just okay. The flavor just wasn’t quite what I had expected, they were really really moist too and didn’t feel “done” even after they were. Combine that with the very watery batter, and with the rising problems… I’d give it a 5.5 or 6 out of 10. I think I’ll be on the lookout for a better carrot cupcake recipe. If you have a tried & true one, feel free to e·mail it to me! That said… everyone ELSE who ate them said they were terrific. Maybe I’m just a perfectionist. Or maybe Martha just sabotages every recipe she posts so that they never come out right. I know I’ve mentioned this theory before.

Both sets of liners as well as the bunny/egg toppers are by Wilton.

My second batch were really simple, they were orange creamsicle mini- cupcakes with marshmallow fluff frosting. I already have the recipes on here so if you click here you’ll be taken to the cupcake recipe, and if you click here you’ll be taken to the recipe for the marshmallow fluff frosting.  However, I know most of you are probably lazy like me, so I’ll put the recipes here. You’re welcome.

I colored the cupcakes an orange-y color this time. I also halved both recipes, and I got 24 mini-cupcakes and more than enough frosting for them. Luckily, this frosting is delicious eaten right out of the bowl. I think marshmallow Fluff frosting is my favorite, I sort of forgot about it for awhile, but now I remember and boy, is it fucking delicious. Anyway here are the visuals…

Check out my new vintage Jadeite bunny bowl!

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CREAMSICLE (ORANGE-VANILLA) CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. orange extract
• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and orange extract.
3. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost.

MARSHMALLOW FROSTING

First you get:

• ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 (7½ ounce) jar Fluff, or similar marshmallow cream
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Then you’re gonna:

1. Beat butter in a large bowl with mixer on high speed until creamy. Beat in marshmallow cream. Reduce speed to low, and beat in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Increase speed to high; beat until fluffy.
2. Frost cooled cupcakes.

I’ll tell you this: these little creamsicle cupcakes with marshmallow frosting were WAY better than the carrot. But maybe that’s because I’m a bit biased. The danger in mini-cupcakes, however, is the fact that you pop ‘em in your mouth and eat them like candy. So you probably end up eating twice as many as you would regular cupcakes. Oh well.

BEFORE YOU GO: PLEASE READ MY ENTRY FROM TUESDAY (click here, scroll down or click  the previous entry title at the bottom of this page). It’s about Yoyo‘s donation pick for April, and it’s a very worthy cause, LBEH.org. Today, April 2nd, is the day she’ll be donating 100% of the proceeds from her store to that charity. So please read the entry for details and go to her webstore and BUY STUFF!

Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy Spring to all.

White chocolate first appeared in Switzerland in the 1930s. It was invented by Nestlé in order to utilize excess cocoa butter. It was first popularly distributed in the USA in 1948 with the introduction of Nestlé’s Alpine White Chocolate bar, which contained white chocolate and almonds.^[2]

So this delectable little treat was sort of a mistake, or a way to “recycle” extra materials. Okay so maybe you knew that too, smarty pants. But  I’ll make another bet : that you don’t know what the title of this post means! Which brings me to exactly that: Frau Marilla’s Alpenblume Weiße Schokolade Kleine Kuchen! And it’s okay, I forgive you if you don’t know what the hell that means, and I’m also going to tell you, so don’t feel bad or like you’re missing out.

This post is about White Chocolate Almond cupcakes. Since white chocolate was invented in Switzerland and the main language there is German I found it only right that I rename these cupcakes something more exciting, in German.  “Alpenblume” means “Alpine”, and that’s a reference to the Alpine White Chocolate bar mentioned above that had much the same components of these cupcakes. “Weiße Schokolade” is white chocolate. And that brings me to “Kleine Kuchen” which means “small cakes.” “Frau” means “Ms.” so the entire name is Ms. Marilla’s Alpine White Chocolate Cupcakes! Ta-da! Now you speak German. Take that, Rosetta Stone.

I’ve been longing for white chocolate cupcakes in some form since I went to Mystic, CT in the fall and ate an amazing white chocolate cupcake at the Bleu Squid (which I did a little review of here). I’ve also been wanting to make almond cupcakes again, so what better way to satisfy both my cravings by making white chocolate almond cupcakes? This recipe makes about 24 cupcakes, and the frosting is plenty.

WHITE CHOCOLATE ALMOND CUPCAKES

First you get:

• ¾ cup butter
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 ¼ cups milk
• ½ cup white chocolate chips, or white chocolate chunks (small)

Then you:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cream butter at medium speed until smooth. Add sugar and beat until well mixed.
3. Add two eggs, beat until smooth.
4. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and whisk to “quick sift” them.
5. Add extracts to butter/sugar/egg mixture. Mix well.
6. Then add flour mixture and beat until nice and smooth.
7. Fill cupcake liners about ¾ full, and sprinkle some white chocolate chips on the tops of each. Bake until cakes are golden brown, about 20-15 minutes.

WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

]]> http://cupcakerehab.com/2010/01/frau-marillas-alpenblume-weise-schokolade-kleine-kuchen/feed/ 6 http://cupcakerehab.com/2009/10/creepy-chocolate-stout-cupcakes-with-funny-bones/ http://cupcakerehab.com/2009/10/creepy-chocolate-stout-cupcakes-with-funny-bones/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:51:07 +0000 Marilla @ Cupcake Rehab http://cupcakerehab.com/?p=2545 I wanted to say before I started this… Vic Mizzy, the writer of the Addams Family theme, passed away earlier this month on October 17th at the age of 93. So R.I.P., Vic! Your music will live on forever. “So get your witches shawl on, a broomstick you can crawl on, we’re gonna make a call on, the Addams Family… *snap snap*”

This year for Halloween (a.k.a. thebestholidayevar), I decided to actually make two batches of different cupcakes for the big day, mainly because my dad’s birthday is tomorrow, the 29th, so I needed more than just Halloween cupcakes. I had this chocolate stout cake recipe for a long time (thanks to Bon Appétit), and I’d been wondering what to do with it, I mean, I knew I’d probably convert it to cupcakes but I wasn’t sure what or when I’d make it for. It seemed perfect for my dad’s birthday because it has beer in it so it’s a manly cupcake (sorta), but yet  I needed to think about my Halloween cakery plans. So I thought maybe I could incorporate the remainder of the cakes in with my Halloween treats. It was when I was trying to figure out how to make them spooky that my mother showed me a recipe she found online for “Funny Bones.” Funny bones are basically mini-marshmallows stuck on the ends of pretzel sticks, then dunked in melted white chocolate to create little bones. Genius!

(By the way, if you haven’t seen my first batch, it was these ghost cupcakes)

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So I made the cupcakes, and while they were cooling I made the bones. When I was making the bones I realized if I didn’t let the white chocolate get too liquidy, I could just mold the chocolate by hand instead of coating the pretzels and marshmallows, so that’s what I did. I’m gonna give the recipe for the funny bones here but I didn’t use it for mine. So I made those, popped them in the freezer to harden, and then put the little candy bones on half the cupcakes, along with my skeleton toppers that came with the liners. This way, I can use the other half as Birthday Beer Cupcakes for my dad (I just stuck some chocolate chips on top of those). This cake is made with stout, specifically chocolate stout, but I used cream stout. I used Samuel Adams Cream Stout, which is my new favorite (yes, more so than Guinness now). According to the website:

Samuel Adams® Cream Stout is a true cream stout, balancing body and sweetness with the natural spiciness of grain and hand selected English hops. Our Brewers use generous portions of roasted chocolate and caramel malts as well as unroasted barley to impart a fullness of body, a roasty malt character and rich, creamy head. Its dark mahogany color make it almost as easy on the eyes as it is on the palate.

It really is delicious.

So this cake recipe makes way more than two dozen cupcakes. I halved it, and half the recipe made 18 (I used 2 eggs).  I’m going to give the full recipe here. It’s absolutely delicious, but I seriously recommend buying the Samuel Adams Cream Stout to use for this, or another chocolate or cream stout. Guinness would totally work, as would any stout, but the cream/chocolate sweetness of the Sam Adams really makes the cake. Having a glass of the stout while eating the cake is amazing too. It’s great how they work together. Although I do really enjoy a few other stouts me & Jay have tried, like Rogue chocolate stout & Samuel Smith Imperial Stout, I just was able to get my hands on the Sam Adams stout. Otherwise, you can also use Sierra Nevada Porter or Sam Adams Honey Porter in this, and Brooklyn Brewery‘s Black Chocolate Stout would probably also be amazing.

It’d be really cute to drizzle some red food coloring on the tops, like blood. I didn’t have any left or else I would have. I used plain old chocolate buttercream, but vanilla would work well too. Especially a vanilla bean buttercream. Or, if you really wanna go all out with the stout theme, make a chocolate stout buttercream: instead of milk, add stout.

CHOCOLATE STOUT CAKE/CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped*
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 ¼ cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• ¾ cup chocolate stout
• 2/3 cup freshly brewed strong coffee

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line muffin tins with liners and set aside.
2. Placed chopped chocolate in a medium metal or heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water and set aside.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Set aside.
4. Using electric mixer, beat butter and 1 ¼ cups sugar until fluffy and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in lukewarm melted chocolate, then stout and coffee. Beat flour mixture into chocolate mixture in two additions, just until incorporated.
5. Using clean and dry beaters and a new clean bowl, beat egg whites and 3 tablespoons sugar in another medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into cake batter to lighten, then fold in remaining egg whites in two additions.
6. Divide batter between prepared muffin tins, filling each up about halfway. If making a cake, fill two buttered and floured 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 ½-inch-high sides with about 3 cups each, then smooth tops.
7. Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes or until cake tester inserted comes out clean and tops spring back. Bake cakes for 30 minutes or until cake tester inserted comes out clean.

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FUNNY BONES

Ingredients:

• 36 pretzel sticks
• 1 (12-ounce) package white chocolate chips
• 72 mini marshmallows

Directions:

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
2. Place the chips in a double boiler over just simmering water and melt, stirring frequently. As soon as the chips are just melted (there may even be a few solid ones left), remove the pan from the heat and remove the top section of the double  boiler so the chocolate’s temperature doesn’t keep rising.
3. Stick marshmallows onto both ends of the pretzels, with the marshmallow’s flat sides parallel to the pretzel.
4. Dip each pretzel in the chocolate and lift out with a fork, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Lay the bones on the baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes to harden the chocolate. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at a cool room temperature.

* I’d recommend using dark chocolate. I didn’t, but sorta wish I did. They’d have been more dramatic and Halloween-y looking.

For the half I used as my dad’s birthday cupcakes, I just put some chocolate chips on top.

Happy birthday, dad

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I highly recommend this recipe, it’s phenomenal. And make sure you crack open a stout to drink with them, like I said it’s awesome. The liners and skull toppers are Wilton for Target.

If you’re looking for some other Halloween cupcake or treat inspiration, check out my Halloween archives here.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The health benefits of pomegranate are really incredible, take a look:

Pomegranate juice has a superior ability to prevent LDL cholesterol from being oxidized by free radicals. Emerging science suggests that LDL oxidation may be a precursor to atherosclerosis or arterial plaque.

With uniquely high levels of powerful antioxidants, POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice has demonstrated a superior ability to neutralize harmful free radicals.

Pomegranates also help decrease inflammation. So really, it’s one of those awesome fruits that you should eat more of. Even if that means you make these delicious white chocolate pomegranate cupcakes to do so.

WHITE CHOCOLATE POMEGRANATE CUPCAKES

Cupcakes:

• 8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup P♥M Wonderful pomegranate juice
• 3 large egg whites

Glaze:

• ½ cup P♥M Wonderful pomegranate juice
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line three 6-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Place white chocolate in metal bowl set over pan of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and vanilla in large bowl until blended. Add hot white chocolate to sugar mixture; stir to combine. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with pomegranate juice in 2 additions, beating batter just to combine between additions.
3. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg white mixture into batter in 3 additions.
4. Divide batter among muffin cups (about ¼ cup each). Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool completely.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Ingredients:

• 4 ½ ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Directions:

1. Stir white chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla and salt in medium bowl until fluffy.
2. Gradually beat in melted white chocolate. Let cool until thickened to spreadable consistency. Make glaze by mixing pomegranate juice and confectioner’s sugar in a small bowl until completely blended. Add more sugar if needed, the thickness needs to be thick enough that it forms a slight “shell” when it begins to dry.
3. Dip the top of the cooled cupcakes in pomegranate glaze, let the excess run off. Put aside and allow to “set.” Pipe  frosting over glaze on cupcakes after it’s completely set.

I used those fancy lil nut cups for these, so I didn’t use ¼ cup to fill them, I just filled them 5/8′s full. But if YOU use these cups, you should fill yours ½ full, because mine went over the tops and some of them fell apart.

I chose to just pipe a little “wreath” of frosting over the glaze. You can do whatever you like, even frost them and then dip them in the glaze.

Bottom line: these are some bad-ass cuppin’ cakes.

Oh- and before you go… there’s still time to enter the giveaway! It ends October 12th at midnight EST. Get those entries in, guys, the prizes are so worth it!