Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
85g (6 tbsp/3/4 cup) butter, room temperature
225g (1 cup) white sugar
83g (1/3 cup) peanut butter
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp salt
120ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk, room temperature
220g (1 3/4 cup) flour
2 tsp baking powder

Frosting:
375g (3 cups) powdered sugar
250g (1 cup) peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
113g (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
5 tbsp heavy cream, room temperature

1) Preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners (you will need 16).

2) In a large bowl, beat together butter, peanut butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until very smooth. 

3) In another bowl, combine together flour, baking powder and salt. 

4) Beat (on low speed) one third of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Beat until smooth. Add half of the buttermilk and beat until incorporated. Repeat this step one more time, adding one third of the flour mixture and the remaining buttermilk. End with the remaining flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.

5) Divide the batter among 16 cupcake cups. Bake for 17 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool until completely cooled before frosting.

6) To make the frosting, Beat together powdered sugar, peanut butter, salt and butter. Add heavy cream (try adding 4 tablespoons, it might be enough to achieve the desired consistency). Continue beating for about 5 minutes or until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. Frost the cooled cupcakes and enjoy.

Recipe by collecting memories

Vanilla Cupcakes

 

Basic recipe for sky-high frosted vanilla cupcakes. Light, soft and spongy cupcakes topped with a sweet, creamy buttercream! The recipe makes a lot of frosting so if you are worried about your waistline feel free to make less (I still haven't learned to frost cupcakes properly. I do need to practise more)

Vanilla Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
113g/1/2 cup butter, room temperature
225g/1 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
190g/1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt
150ml buttermilk, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

1) Preheat oven to 180C/350F.

2) With a mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and egg yolk, with the mixer still on high. 

3) In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

4) Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low until combined. Add ½ of the buttermilk. Continue to alternate the flour and buttermilk, ending with the flour.

5) Divide the batter among the cupcake cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
113g/1/2 cup butter, softened

220g/1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
2-4 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

Pinch salt

1) Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

2) Add milk and vanilla and beat until you get desired consistency.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

A very simple recipe for classic chocolate chip muffins. What I like about them, is that you only need a couple of bowls and no more than 10 minutes to prepare them. These have chocolate chips in every bite and my favourite part is a slightly crunchy exterior. They are both good warm when the chocolate is still melted and cold. They really keep well for almost a week. 

Chocolate Chip Muffins

250g/2 cups all purpose flour
150g/⅔ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
113g/½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, lightly beaten
160ml/⅔ cup milk
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
200g milk chocolate chips

1) Preheat the oven to 190C/375 F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. 

2) In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3) In medium bowl, mix together melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla.

4) Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix everything together just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5) Divide the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from here.

Coffee Cupcakes

I couldn't remember when I made cupcakes for the last time and it was a great excuse to try coffee flavoured cupcake recipe which has been in my to-bake list for a long time already. This recipe is a keeper! The muffins came out moist, soft and as delicious as I expected. It is a good dose of coffee because both the cupcakes and the frosting have coffee inside. If you are a coffee addict like me, this is the recipe you've been looking for.

Coffee cupcakes

250g/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
120ml/1/2 cup boiling water
2 tbsp instant coffee powder
60ml/1/4 cup milk
113g/1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
110g/1/2 cup white sugar
100g/1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs

1) Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).

2) Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3) Combine together instant coffee powder and boiling water. Let cool and mix in the milk.

4) In a large bowl, beat butter, white and brown sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the coffee mixture, beginning and ending with flour.

5) Divide the batter among 12 muffin liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centres comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes. Let it cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

Coffee buttercream

113g/1/2 cup butter, room temperature
190g/1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
2 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 2 tablespoons of boiling water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk (optional)

1) Beat butter and instant coffee mixture on high speed until light and fluffy.

2) Reduce speed and add confectioners sugar in 2-3 additions. Beat until incorporated. Add vanilla extract. If the mixture looks too thick, add one tablespoon of milk. Beat until you reach the desired consistency.

3) Frost and enjoy! 

Cupcake recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.

Best Summer Recipes 2013

The summer has ended and I picked out the best recipes I've published these past three months. I thought it would be great to have seasonal favourites in one place so wait for another post like this one at the end of fall. I hope you will enjoy the collection and now let's light the candles, wrap ourselves in a chunky blanket, go to a store and buy a large, heavy orange pumpkin.

For the recipes, click on the titles.

BANANA BREAD

 

 

STRAWBERRY BANANA SPONGE CAKE

CINNAMON COFFEE CAKE MUFFINS

SPINACH & RICOTTA LASAGNA

MUSHROOM PATTIES IN PITTA

LEMON CUPCAKES

VEGETARIAN EMPANADAS

SUGAR PRETZELS

BAKED CABBAGE

Chocolate Cupcakes

Making cupcakes is a terrifically entertaining process. Before I start making them, I gather all the ingredients, measure them and place in separate bowls. I put cupcake liners into cases and preheat the oven. But when I finish making them, there's an absolute mess in the kitchen. Always. I can't keep it tidy till the end!

However, the best part of making cupcakes is frosting. I mean piping the frosting. (I think this time it came out better than before!) 

Even though I usually like to try to make things lighter and healthier, for example, reducing butter/sugar or substituting it with something else, sometimes you just cannot resist making something as sinful as these chocolate cupcakes. I followed a simple recipe from Joy of bBaking. I've made these many times before and they always come out the same - moist, rich and super yummy. (Except when my neighbour asked me to bake her these cupcakes and I forgot the baking powder....) For the frosting I used a simple cocoa buttercream. It doesn't contain chocolate but it's still very delicious. The only thing you have to do is to beat it as long as you can! 


Chocolate Cupcakes:

50 g/1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

240 ml/1 cup boiling hot water

175 g/1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

113 grams/1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

200 grams/1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1) Preheat oven to 190C. Line 16 muffin cups with paper liners.

2) In a small bowl stir until smooth the boiling hot water and the cocoa powder. Let cool to room temperature. 

3) In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

4) Then in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.

5) Fill each muffin cup two-thirds full with batter and bake for about 16-20 minutes or until risen, springy to the touch, and 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 with icing.
 


Frosting:

250g powdered sugar

113g butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-4 tbsp milk

2 1/2 tbsp dark unsweetened cocoa powder

1) Combine powdered sugar with butter and beat with your electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Add milk and cocoa powder. Depending on the consistency you wish to achieve, feel free to increase/decrease the amount of milk.

2) Frost the cupcakes and serve!

Cupcake recipe from Joy of Baking