Pumpkin Cupcakes With a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

I made these before Halloween. I wish I had more time to update as I baked, but other commitments had to come first.

Baking these cupcakes is all one big blur. I actually just decided to bake on a whim. There was a death in the family and I felt like I had to do something. I like to keep busy always. I  have this theory that you can't be upset when you have a cupcake. Not to mention how relaxing baking can actually be. So, I took a trip to the grocery store and just baked. It's a little neurotic and over the top, but it gave me something focus on.

For once, everything turned out fantastic. I didn't end up covered in powdered sugar or lack any ingredients. I was very pleased with the outcome.

- Natalie Shaver

Happy Birthday!

Once again I have been missing for an extended period of time. Luckily, I have baked every Sunday even though I have not updated in over a month.

Today is my 20th birthday, but I do not plan to bake or have cupcakes. I am honestly more intrigued by the concept of a cupcake than the taste. I only figured it was appropriate to blog about cupcakes on my birthday.

The first cupcake I baked was a chocolate buttermilk cake with a coconut cream cheese frosting. The next week, I baked a moccachino cupcake with a coffee butter cream frosting. Both of those attempts went by with no problems. Both batches of cupcakes tasted delicious and look fantastic! My moccachino cupcakes have been the best looking cupcakes I have made to date. Last week, I decided to make cake balls. That worked out perfectly, as well.

On August 28th, I went to a cupcake decorating class (a Christmas gift from my parents).  So I go and I learn how to make all of these great cupcakes and I learn how to make cake balls. Everything was going perfectly until it was time to decorate. One of the cupcakes that we (the class) made was a carrot cake. Traditionally carrot cake has a carrot decoration on it. Instead of using icing, we used marzipan. Marzipan is made of sugar and almonds; that's it. So I'm rolling carrots out of this marzipan (something I have never worked with before) and all of a sudden my hands are itchy. I just assumed it was from the friction of rolling it in my hands. Then the feeling in my hands starts to get really uncomfortable. By now my hands are really greasy so decide to wash them off. I look at my hands and notice they are swelling up, puffy, red, and I'm getting hives all over. Apparently, I developed an almond allergy. So yeah, it sucked, but I'm alive.

Chocolate cupcakes with a chocolate ganache

Chocolate cupcakes with a chocolate ganache

Variety of cupcakes from the class

Tropical carrot cake cucpakes with a cream cheese frosting and marzipan carrot

Moccachinno cupcakes with a coffee buttercream frosting

Chocolate buttermilk cupcake with a coconut cream cheese frosting

Pink Champagne Cupcakes with a Champagne Buttercream

Last but not least, pink champagne cupcakes. This weekend is the Susan G. Komen Walk for Breast Cancer in Chicago. Every year, my aunt (a breast cancer survivor) and her team participate in this walk. This year she "adopted" a block so friends and family can come show their support. I was asked to bake cupcakes for one of my aunt's team members who recently got engaged. So I thought that pink champagne cupcakes fit this perfectly; pink for breast cancer and champagne for the engagement.

This was possibly the EASIEST cupcake recipe yet, considering it calls for cake mix. The only thing made from scratch was the frosting. So needless to say, the batter was a piece of cake to make (I decided to make mini cupcakes for a more elegant look).

I had no problems, that is, until I started the frosting. As usual, I started my frosting while the cupcakes were baking. So I mix together the butter, the powdered sugar, and vanilla right? I go to add the champagne and I totally messed everything up here. You see, I wasn't exactly paying attention while I was measuring the champagne and I didn't realize that the measuring cup was over flowing. So instead of adding 1/4 cup to the frosting, I probably added about 1/2 cup champagne. I tried a spoon full of this frosting and oh man was it strong! I probably should have just added a little more butter and sugar to just tone done the taste, but I didn't.

Needless to say, these cupcakes are more like shots than a dessert. I had two cupcakes and a few spoons of frosting and I was definitely feeling a wee bit tipsy. Don't get me wrong, the cupcakes are delicious and beautiful, but too many of these will make you sick. I feel like I'm the only person in America who could manage to mess up this recipe and get tipsy off frosting; only me.

Until next time,
Natalie Shaver

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pink-champagne-cupcakes/26f6f790-0852-4bfc-8f73-8d4cfc8cf496

Doggie Pupcakes

My dog, China, is my princess and I spoil her rotten. Whenever I go to Sprinkles, I buy her their doggie cupcakes, and she goes MENTAL for them. I decided to make a batch of cupcakes for her on my own.

This was pretty easy. All I did was research what people foods are harmful to dogs. I totally decided to just wing this recipe. I used 3 cups of flour, 3 large spoon fulls of peanut butter, 3 eggs, some honey, a little salt, some water, and a little bit of cinnamon. I divided the batter evenly in a mini-cupcake pan and let them bake for about 15 minutes.  I made a honey cream cheese frosting and I used dog food for sprinkles.

It was so simple and cheap because I didn't have to do shopping for this one. All of the ingredients are always around the house. I am so pleased with these results. Most importantly, China LOVES them!

Love always,
Natalie Shaver

Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes

The next recipe I made was Sprinkles' strawberry cupcake with strawberry frosting. Sprinkles Cupcakes is my absolute FAVORITE cupcake boutique so I was thrilled to find the recipe for this cake.

This cake was really fun to make. I enjoyed getting to use fresh berries for the batter and frosting. I had no trouble this time around and I was in a rush. These turned out perfect and tasted just like the cupcakes from Sprinkles! My frosting was tad bit different because I added more strawberries to it.

These are my favorite cupcakes to date!

Love always,
Natalie Shaver

Banana Cupcakes with a Honey Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

I have been M.I.A. for a few weeks, and I apologize for that, but I have kept up with my cupcake baking. The first cupcakes I made was a banana cake with a honey cinnamon buttercream frosting. Now I was super excited to make this recipe; more specifically, I was pumped to make a flavored frosting.

I actually made these for a party I was hosting, so I decided to double the recipe. Everything was going well, I mean, it was a really simple recipe. I had the perfect amount of ripe bananas, and I didn't end up covered in powdered sugar. So when I put the cupcakes in the oven I was in a fantastic mood because I thought everything was going so smooth. I started to make the frosting while the cupcakes were baking and  then it hit me: I forgot to double the amount of eggs in batter. I was horrified! I was supposed to add 4 eggs and I only added 2. In my mind I was like "Lovely, I just destroyed thirty-two cupcakes." I watched these cupcakes like a hawk for the rest of the bake time. They seemed fine when they were done. So I tasted one and I could not tell you how relieved I felt knowing that these cupcakes were edible. They were actually delicious!

After my small little problem, everything else was smooth sailing. The frosting complimented the cake so well. My cupcakes were big hit at the party and I was a happy camper. It just seems to appear that I can't count! Hahahaha.

Love always,
Natalie Shaver

http://www.marthastewart.com/314063/banana-cupcakes-with-honey-cinnamon-fros?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/bake-sale-cupcakes

Tie Dye Cupcakes

Finally! For the first time since I started this blog my cupcakes did not turn out a disaster! I think they turned out awesome.

After all of the previous mishaps I had, I wanted to start off with something that didn't seem too hard. So, I just made a simple yellow cake with an easy buttercream frosting.  The presentation of the cupcake means a lot to me; if it's not pretty, I want nothing to do with it. So to jazz up the recipe, I divided the batter into five bowls. I used a different color food dye in each (pink, green, blue, purple, and yellow). I spooned a little of each in every cupcake liner and then that was that.

Once the cupcakes were done baking and cooling I frosted them. I left the buttercream white because I didn't want to take away from the colored cake. Instead, I sprinkled the cupcakes with five different colored sugars.

Nothing to great happened to me while baking these. Everything went smooth for once in my life. I had all of the ingredients, I didn't measure anything incorrectly, nothing burned to char, etc. I can only hope that next week goes as well, but you never know...




Here is the recipe I used:
http://www.marthastewart.com/341311/yellow-cupcakes?czone=food/best-cupcake-recipes/our-best-cupcakes&backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/classic-cupcakes

Love always,
Natalie Shaver