Week 11: Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache and Cream Filling

Kari's cream-filled cupcakes were a sweet treat,
but it was still sad to say goodbye.

I was really excited to make Cupcake #11, Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache and Cream Filling, because I felt like it was the gourmet version of the classic Hostess cupcake. You know, the chocolate cupcake with the white swirls on top. In doing some research, I found out the popular Hostess cupcake is often referred to as "The Captain of Them All." A famous slogan has also attached to the famous cupcakes: "You get a big delight in every bite."

 I had a lot of fun making this cupcake, mostly because I had the assistance of my mom, who is a fabulous baker. The cake batter was thicker than most, so it was hard judging how much to put in each cupcake liner. While making these cupcakes, I learned a very important lesson in cupcake creation – don't fill the liners too full. The first batch I filled the liners too full and the cupcakes overflowed onto the cupcake pan. The part of the cake that overflowed stuck to the pan, so the cakes were impossible to remove without breaking off the top of the cupcake. The second batch turned out much better after I had a better idea of how much to fill the liners. The cake was moist and had just the right chocolate flavor. My family enjoyed eating all the broken cupcakes even without the cream filing and ganache.

A broken cupcake

The best part of these cupcakes, in my opinion, was the cream filling! And, it was really simple to make. The cake and cream filling was a perfect combination. The slogan is true, the cream filling put a "delight in every bite."  It was also easier than I thought to fill the cupcakes. I do suggest, though, waiting for the cupcakes to cool to begin filling them. It is easier to remove the inside of the cupcake after the cupcakes cooled.

The chocolate ganache also added to this cupcake. I was a tad nervous about making ganache for the first time but my mom and I worked it out. To make sure the ganache was the right consistency, we added a small amount of each ingredient, chocolate chips and half-and-half, instead of combining the entire amount all at once.  That seemed to work out well because the ganache turned out to be the right consistency and not too runny. I frosted the cupcakes with the ganache and let them refrigerate overnight so the ganache could cool. I waited until the following day, before adding a dollop of the remaining cream filling to the top of each cupcake so that the cream wouldn't melt into the ganache.  After sampling the finished product, I can definitely see how this flavor of cupcake has become the captain of all cupcakes.

As I said earlier, I was really excited to make this cupcake. On the other hand, I was a little sad because this was the last cupcake I was baking for the cupcake challenge due to relocation for my new job. In keeping with the tradition of my posts, this cupcake goes out to my friends at the COA. I will miss you. You brought much delight and enjoyment to the office. The place wouldn't have been the same without you. This cupcake also goes out to R.M.: thanks for being my #1 fan and supporting me in all my endeavors.

Week 10: Mango Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting and Coconut

Jayne's mango cupcakes were a crowd favorite!

The taste of summer in a cupcake – awesome!  I'm Jayne, and I made the mango cupcake with buttercream frosting and coconut.  The batter is a bit runny, but it makes a moist cake. 

 One jar of mango wedges mashed with a hand potato masher makes enough puree for the recipe – 12 cupcakes. 

My warning about the buttercream frosting – make sure your husband and/or kids aren't around so you can lick the bowl – its scrumptious. 

My only snag was turning my back a minute too long while toasting the coconut in the oven – I had to do that step over. 

All in all, a delicious cupcake that I will make again in the summer months.

Week 9: Red Devil's Food Cupcake with Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting

The frosting was runny, but Kari's cupcakes were still delicious.

This week's cupcake, Red Devil's Food Cupcakes with Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting, sounded really unique. For a not so experienced cupcake baker like myself, unique = complicated. I knew I would need some assistance, especially after reading the frosting recipe.

My late Grandma Jeanie was a marvelous cook/baker. One of the many things I miss about her is her delicious food. She always wore a blue apron when cooking/baking. I didn't really inherit Grandma Jeanie's cooking abilities. So, a few years ago for Christmas, my mom gave me Grandma Jeanie's blue apron with a note that said: "Wear this and whatever you make will be great." I knew with this cupcake, I needed to bring out Grandma's trusty blue apron.

The batter for this cupcake came together nicely. It was light, fluffy and moist. I followed the recipe exactly and wouldn't add any ingredients. It tasted good as is.

The fabled blue apron. 

The frosting, on the other hand, did not come together so nicely. The frosting called for chocolate, sour cream, and honey. Again, I followed the recipe exactly. However, the frosting was extremely runny. When I tried to put the frosting on the cupcake, the frosting refused to cooperate. Rather than staying on top of the cupcake, the frosting ran right off the top of the cupcake onto my kitchen table. After attempting to frost the first few cupcakes, there was more frosting on my kitchen table than on the cupcakes. I did what I always do when something goes wrong in the kitchen, I called my mom. She suggested adding some powdered sugar to the frosting to thicken it up. A pound of powdered sugar later and the frosting was still runny. At that point I decided not to add any more powdered sugar as I was fearful it would overcome the honey flavor of the frosting. I decided to let the frosting sit overnight to see if it would thicken. The frosting was still too runny the next day to frost the cupcakes. Instead of frosting the cupcakes, I took the cupcakes and a bowl of the frosting to the cupcake club meeting and let the group members put their own frosting on.

Most of the group seemed to like the taste of the frosting, even though it was so runny. The honey added a nice flavor, but I felt like the sweetness of the honey wasn't enough to overcome the bittersweet taste of the chocolate. The cake was delicious but if I were to make this cupcake again I would use a vanilla butter cream frosting or chocolate frosting.

This cupcake is for you, Grandma. <3

(A picture of Grandma Jeanie's apron is included in this post. I happen to know a male model and he kindly modeled the apron.)

Week 8: Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Marshmallow Frosting

We celebrated Mardi Gras with Carrie A.'s magical marshmallow cupcakes.

I was a little nervous about making this week's chocolate cupcakes with marshmallow mint frosting because I have never quite been able to master the fine art of making rice krispy treats (stop laughing, Abby). The marshmallow gets me every time. I either use too much or not enough and always end up with a sticky, gooey mess that doesn't taste right and ends up in the trash.



Inside the chocolate cupcake.



When I was measuring out the (very sticky) marshmallow cream for the frosting on these cupcakes, I started having flashbacks to my previous kitchen disasters and worried that I would become the laughingstock of the Cupcake Club. But my fears quickly subsided after I began mixing the marshmallow cream with the butter and mint flavoring-it lost its sticky consistency and became more smooth and frosting-like. I originally thought that I needed to frost the cupcakes while they were still a little warm so that I could get that cool drippy look that Ming had on her cupcake, but that was a mistake… it's definitely key to let the cupcakes cool completely and let the frosting sit for a little while, just like with any other frosting.

Overall, I think it was a marshmallow success!! And now that I have conquered the marshmallow, maybe it's time to give those rice krispy treats another try…

Week 7: Lemon Cupcakes with Jam Filling

There was nothing sour about Casey's
fantastic lemon cupcakes!

When life gives you lemons…make lemon cupcakes! With jam filling!

The first filled cupcakes made their debut in week 7. I had some trouble finding the cake flour at the grocery store. Some online sites reported that you can use a mixture of regular flour and cornstarch or less regular flour that has been sifted as substitutes for cake flour, but I was victorious in finding the box of cake flour and I didn't want to take a chance on screwing up the cupcakes.

The baking process went well. Like the other cupcakes, I found the cake to be very dense and spongy, but still very good. As I poured the ½ cup of lemon juice into the batter, I thought that the lemon would be overwhelming, but it was just right for my taste buds at least.

Inside the jam-filled cupcakes.

Then the most nerve racking part—carving out the hole for the filling. I used my Pampered Chef grapefruit knife to cut the hole out. The cuttings got a bit crumbly, especially when I put them back on, but the whipped cream masked the filling process' imperfections. Although not part of the instructions, I microwaved the jam to make it easier to pour into the holes. If I were to make the cupcakes again, I'd experiment with different flavors of jam:  strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, etc.

Once topped with the whipped cream and fresh strawberry, the cupcakes looked very summery—a perfect antidote for Kansas' cold, nasty February weather.



Week 6: Banana Cupcakes with Maple Brown Butter Frosting



Chelsey's cupcakes were so good,
they were bananas.

I chose these because I like banana bread, and I was intrigued by the frosting. As you can see  from my Cast of Characters photo, this used nice, simple ingredients that are usually in my pantry and fridge. I didn't have a lemon on hand and didn't want to go back to the store to buy one, so I omitted it. I figured that it was primarily invited to the party to prevent banana browning. The batter is super easy to make and comes together nicely.  



I've never baked anything at 275 degrees for an hour - I think of "low and slow" as a BBQ technique, not something for baked goods. But the cupcakes came out great and were nice and moist. I initially thought the step of freezing them for 30 minutes seemed unnecessarily fussy, but the cupcakes did seem to shrink a little after being in the freezer, and they were still moist even after being frozen. I think it probably was a necessary step.





Frosting in the making.



The frosting was good in theory. I like all of the component parts. But on the whole, I found it too buttery and too sweet.  The maple flavor isn't very distinct, so you get the sweet from the maple sugar but not enough maple flavor. The frosting made as directed is extremely runny, so I added powdered sugar. It would have been helpful to know that the frosting thickened up as it cooled, because by the time mine cooled it was like cement.

So, my take-away from this is that I would make the cupcakes again, although if I'm craving banana in super-carb form I'll just make banana bread. But I would use a cream cheese or even a chocolate frosting instead of the maple brown butter.



Cast of characters.

Baking the cupcakes "low and slow."

Week 5: Sis' Chocolate Cupcakes

Kari's cupcakes made for a great
Valentine's Day treat!

Hi! I'm Kari and it was my turn to make cupcakes this week. This week's cupcake was a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. My week happened to fall on Valentine's Day, so what better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than with chocolate?

I was a little nervous to make cupcakes for the group, mostly because the last cupcake we tried, Barb's red velvet cupcakes, were so delicious! Those cupcakes were a tough act to follow. Also, this was my first time making cake from scratch. I'd always just bought the box mix and the can of frosting. Much to my mother's dismay, of course!

If I could use one word to describe these cupcakes, it would be CHOCOLATY! These cupcakes had a very rich chocolate flavor. Admittedly, I messed up the first time and had to throw away a whole bowl of batter because I forgot to add the water to the chocolate mix. This came to my attention after baking the first dozen. When sampling one, I thought they tasted a little dry. I don't know if they really were dry or it was just in my head because I knew I'd left the water out. Either way, I started over, this time remembering to add the water to the chocolate mix. I thought the cake was moist and had just the right amount of chocolate taste.

A close up of all that delicious chocolate.

In my opinion, the frosting made these cupcakes! It tasted like homemade fudge. I followed the frosting recipe exactly, but thought the frosting was just a tad dry. When I tried to spread the frosting onto the cupcake, the frosting wouldn't stick. So, I added just a little more milk to the frosting than the recipe called for. It was still a little dryer than most frostings, but I think that is how it was supposed to turn out. I would definitely make this cupcake again!

Overall, my first time of making cupcakes and frosting from scratch went well and the end result was delizioso! Mom, this cupcake is dedicated to you!