Caramel Cake--- Cupcake Style =)

• I have been reading The Help and the book talks about Minny's caramel cake, and how delicious it was. Well I started craving this and lucked up and found a recipe inspired by the book.

 I love caramel, I mean really love, I had to stop myself from eating all the icing and the dozen cakes that will be making an appearance at a pool party tomorrow.

the start of the icing

After about 15 minutes of stirring!

This recipe was hard work, the icing took a good 30 minutes of constant stirring, but the outcome was so great that I will be making these again, and again, and again.

my tasting spoon and plate... =)

Normally I make my cupcakes with a hand mixer, but my stand mixer (which was a wedding present from my aunt and uncle) has been dying to make an appearance in my life, and man I am glad i finally decided to use it.


I adore these cupcakes!!! but my favorite part has to be the gooey caramel that sits in the center of the hollowed out cake!
I hope the everyone will enjoy them tomorrow ... and now I need to go work out after eating half a pot of caramel icing =/









Here is the recipe!!!!
Yield: 12 cupcakes 

• 1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 C flour
• 1 C sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• caramel icing

1. In a medium-sized bowl, cream butter and sugar.
2. Beat in eggs one at a time. 
3. Add flour and sweetened condensed milk alternately into the mixture.
4. Add vanilla.
5. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
6. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when touched lightly are are slightly browned on top.
7. To make filled cupcakes: When cupcakes are cool, use a paring knife to cut a chunk out of the center of the cupcake.  Fill the entire hole with caramel. 
8.  Immediately eat the part of the cupcake that you removed--- i did and I promise it is worth it =)
9. Frost the tops of the cupcakes (right over the filled hole) with the remaining caramel. 
10. Serve while the caramel is still hot and gooey or wait until it hardens some.  

and now..... for the best part the icing =)

• 2 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 C unsalted butter (the original recipe called for margarine, but I only use butter)
• 3/4 C evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, mix butter, evaporated milk and two cups of sugar.
2. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves.  Do not allow to come to a boil.
3. Once sugar dissolves, reduce heat to low.
4. In a small cast iron skillet on medium-low heat, melt half cup of sugar - stirring constantly until liquid and brown 
5. Pour the browned sugar into the saucepan and quickly stir to incorporate.  
6. Stir regularly until the liquid reaches the soft ball stage. You can test by dropping a small amount of caramel into water to see if it forms a soft ball (hence the name). It may take up to thirty minutes to reach the soft ball stage.  Here's where the patience kicks in.  Resist the temptation to turn up the heat because the caramel can easily burn.
7. Let cool slightly.  If you wait too long, the caramel will become difficult to spread.
8. Mix in vanilla.  

the classics... redone

So, I am obsessed with the food network. Everyday during my daily nap (it is excusable I leave for work when the sun is coming up) I leave it on. Well today one chef was making a chocolate cake with a chocolate buttercream frosting, this cake looked amazing. I was inspired to make a chocolate cupcake with a chocolate frosting... however I found out my cupboard was out of cocoa powder. (Luke, I blame you and you're hot chocolate's =)) So I decided to make a vanilla cupcake with a hot chocolate/expresso whipped frosting.

The vanilla cake was really good... despite my slight mishap with the butter and just a tad bit too long in the oven =/. But still tasty for another first attempt at my own batter, and making the recipe to bake only 4 cupcakes (so i am not tempted to overeat).






The icing... I mean who needs a cake when you have frosting? This stuff was amazingly good. After my three cakes were iced i sat and ate the leftovers from the bowl. I found some instant coffee and some hot chocolate mix in my cabinet and volia... cocoa powder and expresso for the 20 somethings... Fishing out the mini marshmallows from the package wasn't fun, but the outcome was great. I will make this again, and I may frost some cupcakes with it... If I don't eat it all before then.


xoxo,
Kimberly

Peach Cobbler Cupcakes

Last week I attempted to make a blackberry cobbler... it was tasty, but nothing like a cobbler. It looked more like a pie and even though it was yummy tasted kind of like jelly. I have been craving peach cobbler ever since then, and I realized I hadn't made any cupcakes in a very long time... so here goes my crazy attempt at a peach cobbler cupcake.

I have never made a batter from my own recipe before, normally i take the work someone else has done and make a few slight changes to make it my own. But I am proud to say that this recipe is all mine =). I searched for a cake/ icing combo i liked and couldn't find one.

I started with a brown sugar and butter cake recipe... I changed up one that i had found and used sour cream in the batter and a lot less butter. Then instead of using canned fruit  (like everyone else online seemed to do) I decided to use fresh peaches, and mix them into the batter. It is summer and peaches are seriously everywhere!
Yield: 16 Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 C flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 C brown sugar
• 1/4 C sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 C peaches, roughly chopped (about 2 medium-sized peaches)

1. With a fork, whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl.
2. Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl for 1 minute until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract until blended.
4. Mix in flour mixture.
5. Fold in peaches.
6. Fill cupcake liners 1/2 full.
7. Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean.

The cakes took a little while to bake, but the result is amazing. They are so good that they do not even need icing.

Being a true southerner peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream are a staple in my family, and i decided to make a vanilla whipped cream frosting to mimic that ice cream flavor.

If you have never made whipped cream before it is well worth it so much better than the cans or the tubs of the stuff (and not to mention quick and easy). Seriously my recipe was

1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
5/8 tbs granulated sugar

Then all you do is beat until it is thick and whipped cream like =)


This cupcakes are so good! I mean really really really good. I only baked 8 to see if I would like the way they turned out, i wish i would have made more, because I would have eaten them for every meal tomorrow =)

xoxo,
Kimberly

i LOVE flirty aprons

I have been lusting over this apron from flirty aprons for months!!!
















Seriously almost broke down and paid the 40+ the website wants for it, but today had to have been my lucky day. My dream apron was actually marked down to $12.99, and even better it will arrive on my birthday!!!