Pumpkin Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Frosting

These are delicious.  Although, I have to admit as to not making the dulche de leche.  Want to hear a funny story?  So, I wanted to make these.  I knew that I had seen dulce de leche somewhere, and I didn't want to make it.  So, I went to the store, bought regular sweetened condensed milk and what I THOUGHT was dulce de leche.  Get home, make the cupcakes, go to make the frosting and realize:  I haven't bought dulce de leche.  I bought sweetened condensed milk IN SPANISH.  I am so awesome I know.  

This recipe comes from Langes Fadchen.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

7.5 ounces pureed pumpkin 

. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 cupcake wells with paper liners; set aside. 

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.

4. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Cool in pan on wire rack for ten minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.

Dulce De Leche

Recipe from Sweetest Kitchen 

Makes just enough to fill cupcakes and use in frosting

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Open up the can and pour the sweetened-condensed milk into a pie pan. Cover tightly with foil. Place into a larger pan and pour boiling water in larger pan & around pie plate (level of water should be about halfway up the pie plate). Don’t let any water seep up and into the pie plate.

3. Place in oven and bake for one hour. At the one hour point, peel off foil and check for progress. If the mixture has thickened and turned a caramel color, it’s done. If it doesn’t quite look thick enough or dark enough, cover it up and bake it a little longer (might take up to 75 minutes or more).

4. When the mixture appears to have turned into a nice, thick caramel, remove from the oven. Let sit for a few minutes, and then beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

5. Measure out 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of dulce de leche and set aside for buttercream. Using the cone method, fill each cupcake with a small spoonful of the remaining dulce de leche and replace cake tops. 

Dulce De Leche Buttercream

Makes enough to generously frost 12 cupcakes

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons prepared dulce de leche

1. Cream together softened butter and powdered sugar on low using an electric mixer. Add cream and vanilla and beat on medium speed until smooth and no lumps appear. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the prepared dulce de leche and beat to incorporate. Pipe generously onto cupcakes.

Almond cupcakes with Caramel frosting

This is one of those recipes that I almost hesitate to share. It is so incredibly good, that I want to hide it and make it my secret ingredient recipe. But, I am willing to be generous, so here you go.  


Cupcakes

• 1 (18.25 oz.) white cake mix
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4 eggs

Add the cake mix, buttermilk, oil, almond extract and vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until moistened, about 30 seconds.  Add eggs one at a time, until the batter is well-mixed. Increase speed to high and beat until thick and fluffy, 2 minutes longer.

Pour or scoop the batter into the paper liners until they are 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool on a wire rack.

Frosting (the best part)

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. water

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) salted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

Briefly stir together granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking, without stirring, until mixture turns dark amber in color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Remove from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla (just start with a tablespoon or two), stirring with a wooden spoon until completely smooth. (Be careful, as the mixture will definitely bubble up and possibly splatter a bit as you add in the cream.)  Set aside until cool to the touch, about 25 minutes.

Beat the butter ]in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add powdered sugar, and mix until completely incorporated.  Turn off the mixer, and then add caramel. Beat frosting on low to combine, and then increase to medium-high and beat until airy and thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate if not using immediately (or to harden the frosting a bit).

Pixie Cakes

1 box angel food cake mix
1/4 tsp. almond extract

Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 muffin cups. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Stir in almond extract. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Decorate:
2 c. blue candy melts (wilton.com)(I think that you could use chocolate or white chocolate for this, even mix some food coloring with the white chocolate while it's melted.)
decorating sugar, or raw sugar
1 c. flaked coconut
2 tbsp. powdered sugar

Line 3 cookie sheets with wax paper. Microwave candy melts on high 15 seconds. Stir, microwave at 10 second intervals until smooth. Spoon into resealable bag. Snip a corner and pipe 24 2" pairs of wings onto the sheets, leaving a stem at the bottom to insert into cupcakes.  Top with sugar. Refrigerate until set, 5 minutes.
Poke 2 small holes in the top of each cupcake with a toothpick, and insert wings into cupcakes. Place coconut in between wings and sift on powdered sugar.

Birthday Cupcakes

1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. canola oil
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. honey
1 egg
1 c. applesauce

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. beat oil, sugar and honey with mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg. Add flour mixture alternating with applesauce, starting and ending with flour until blended.
Line 18 muffin cups. Fill with batter, bake 18-22 minutes.

Decorate:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
10 oz. marshmallow fluff
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
6-8 drops red food coloring
9 froot loops cereal straws, halved
9 spice drops, halved
1 tube white decorating frosting

Beat butter with mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in marshmallow cream, then sugar and vanilla. Stir in food coloring. Spoon into pastry bag with 1/2" star tip and pipe. Insert straw into center. Mold spice drops to look like flame; attach with white frosting. Draw lines with frosting to look like wax drippings.

Monkey Cupcakes

1 2/3 flour

1 tsp. baking powder

 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. mashed bananas, about 2 large

1/3 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. canola oil

1 c. sugar

2 large eggs

2/3 c. choc. chips.

Preheat oven to 350. Line 18 muffin cups. Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl , blend bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat in oil and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Alternately add flour and banana mixtures, ending with the flour. Stir in chocolate chips.

Fill cups. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

To decorate:

1/2 c. heavy cream

2 tbsp. light corn syrup

1 1/2 c. choc chips.

18 gingersnap cookies

18 mini oreos

white decorating frosting

36 brown M&M's

Heat cream and corn syrup in a saucepan until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat; add chocolate chips. Cover, let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Glaze cupcakes with chocolate. Spoon extra into plastic bag and refrigerate.

Cut gingersnaps to make a mouth. For ears, separate oreo tops and bottoms and remove filling. Pipe on white frosting for eyes and top with M&M's. (It would be just as easy to give the monkey yellow or green eyes and not worry about the white frosting, if you don't have it on hand.)  Snip off a small corner of the bag of chocolate, pipe on hair and nostrils.

Perfect Lemon Cupcakes

From Real Mom Kitchen.

If you like lemon, these cupcakes are heavenly. Especially the frosting. . .

Cake:
1 package lemon cake mix
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 small package lemon instant pudding

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Mix with electric mixer on medium speed for about two minutes. Use a strong mixer, this batter is thick. For cupcakes, bake them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (I was able to get 24 very full cupcakes from the recipe). For regular cake, pour into a greased 9x11 pan or two round pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Don't over bake or the cake will be too dry! The toothpick test works to check to see if they're done.
The original recipe said that the cupcakes will fall after they come out of the oven, but this is normal and to just fill up the indentation with more frosting. I didn't have this problem at all!

Lemon Buttercream Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, very soft
6-8 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of sugar, then the juice and the zest. Beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency (I added 6 cups total). Use and store at room temperature. (Don't refrigerate and it will last in a covered container for about three days.)

Garnish with berries, if desired right before serving.

Bake Sale Cupcakes

These too. . .

3 eggs
1/2 c. olive oil
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. white sugar
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. almond flavoring
pinch of cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. baking powder*
1/2 c. Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
*
*double baking powder if you're below 5000+ feet altitude
Mix eggs, oil, sugars, and milk in a bowl until well beaten. Add remaining ingredients. Beat with an electric mixer just until incorporated. Spoon into 24 cupcake wrappers. Bake at 350 degrees for 24 minutes. Allow to cool then frost with Boo Baby Icing.
*
Chocolate Darling Icing
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. milk chocolate chips
1/4 c. Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
2 T. milk
3-4 cups powdered sugar
*
In a medium saucepan, place milk, chocolate chips, cocoa powder and milk. Melt over medium heat, stirring constantly (it burns easily!). Bring to a boil, stir for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Using an electric mixer, beat in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until a soft, but slightly stiff consistency is reached. Frost cooled cupcakes immediately by scooping a large spoonful of the frosting atop and allowing it to smooth and settle around cupcake. Leave frosted cupcake in open air for about 30 minutes, giving frosting ample time to set.

*Recipe from Conversations with a Cupcake