My Favorite Best Ever Homemade Cupcakes with Homemade Buttercream and White Chocolate Shards

Post number two on the baby shower food that I catered for my BFF Gena's new arrival. Cupcakes.  They can be a source of great joy at a party but sometimes they can also stress you out. If you have a great recipe, however, that doesn't have to be the case.  Recently I found a really great recipe for scratch yellow cupcakes from Here and I altered it just a bit for these baby shower cupcakes, but they turned out amazing! You can either frost them with fresh whip cream or the buttercream recipe below. Either way, they're killer perfect. 

 My Favorite Best Ever Yellow Cupcakes                                                                                                                                                                

2 ½ cup Texas Pure Milling All Purpose Flour
3 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter 
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1 Tbsp. Orange Zest (optional)
1 cup milk

Citrus Infused Buttercream Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla

1 tsp lemon emulsion

1 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. orange emulsion
3-4 Tbsp. hot water

8-12 oz White Chocolate, sharded for garnish

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.  In a small bowl, stir together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla and flavorings. Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing on low speed.

Divide batter evenly into prepared cups.

 

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (at least 170°F). Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from baking pan to cooling rack. Cool completely.  

Frosting: In a large bowl, beat remaining Frosting ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until creamy. 

Decorating: Once cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes in a decorative swirl. Arrange shards of white chocolate on the frosting.

There you go!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Easy 4th of July Patriotic Cupcake Ideas

When I was growing up, it wasn't the 4th of July unless grandma made the ice cream cone cakes. I don't know why that was the case, but it was a tradition. 

 For me, it isn't the 4th until we've busted out some festive cupcakes. This year, as I'm now a full time working mom, I've simplified my cupcakes a bit. I've also resorted to making them for a baking class so that I can officially call my cupcakes "work". Phew. It's hard...but someone has to do it. Officially...we're having lemon raspberry pound cakes with a pistachio-cream cheese butter-toffee frosting. I know...they are evil. I'm keeping it really simple. 

 Let's kick it off with a red candy  star upon "thars"...with a blue little star upon it's belly. Just a simple little red flair of happiness.

 This is just made by Wilton candy melts. This is the red coating. Melt it over a very low heat or in the chocolate pro. I rarely use the melt setting on it. Usually the warm setting will give me a good melt and then I turn it off and it stays just right for a good while. Otherwise, if you use real chocolate, you'll need to go to the Chocolate dipping 101 Post. I melt it and spread it out on a baker's mat. When it is almost set I cut it out into stars with a fancy little cookie cutter. 

 Use the small one the size of your thumb or the large one the size of a small apple. 

 My other favorite topper is just a simple "Captain America" type dot. They look a lot like a signature of "Sprinkles Cupcakes"  except mine are not made of fondant and well...much easier for me  to make.  

 Once again I'm just using the  Wilton candy melts, except leaving them unmelted. Flip them over to the smooth side and fix a blue star sprinkle to the the middle of the disk with a little frosting. 

 The remainder of the melts were used for stripes. 

 With the simple addition of a candy star lolly, we have some stinkin' cute cupcakes if I do say so myself. I admit...I didn't make the candy lollies myself. I got them at the dollar store. 6 for a dollar. Sorry. If you want to make your own hard-candy lolly see my sweet tutorial here. We had fun with that one.

 I really like the red stripe of frosting. It is fast...and festive.

There you go. Fun and easy July 4th cupcakes. No printable required for a fancy topper and certainly only a few minutes to make toppers that will cause some firework fun! As for my cupcake  and buttercream recipe...

Chef Tess Lemon-Sour cream Pound Cake

Cake:

4 1/2 c  Chef Tess homemade yellow cake mix (here)

3/4 c Honeyville lemonade powder

1 c Honeyville Sour cream powder

1/2 cup Honeyville whole egg powder (4 eggs)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry cake ingredients. Mix with 2 cups water by hand 200 strokes. Grease and flour a 9 inch bundt cake pan. Pour pound cake batter into prepared pan and bake 55-65 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 20 minutes before inverting. For cupcakes, yields 24 cupcakes. Bake 17-20 minutes.

My Chef Tess Favorite Buttercream Frosting Recipe

4 lb powdered sugar

2 c butter (1 lb)

1 T clear vanilla or rum extract (cheesecake, English Toffee, or Pistachio LorAnn Oils)

3/4 cup very hot, almost boiling water

Directions: Combine all the ingredients in a kitchen aid mixer with the paddle attachment (or a hand held mixer would work). Put on speed 1, with a spill guard installed or you will get powdered sugar all over the floor. Whip 3-5 minutes until very smooth. Yield frosting for 2 10 inch cakes (plus layers and decorations).

There you go! Have a wonderful 4th of July!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Crystal Glazed Roses...Out Of Gumdrops!

 When I was growing up, it was a real treat to visit Auntie Dorthea and get to make gumdrop roses with her. She used them on wedding cakes and I remember getting them on my birthday cake when I turned twelve. Wow...that was a long time ago!   Today I wanted to share to how make roses using simple gumdrops! It's easier than easy and they taste yummy! They can be made well in advance and dry hard (if your air isn't too high in moisture). Are you ready to turn these...

Into this...?

 First, take a gumdrop and give it a good squeeze. You want to start with a slightly flat gumdrop. 

 Cover your work surface with plenty of sugar. Roll the gumdrop in sugar. Try not to think about that scene on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". Ya know, where the bad guy he gets squished really thin by a steam roller and then comes back to life because he's really a cartoon. Okay. You just thought about it didn't you?  

 Holy smokes! He's a cartoon! Wait. I mean a gumdrop. Okay. It should be about as long as the length of your finger. 

Cut it in half to make sure the toon is dead to ease the petal process. 

 Roll in a tight curl. 

 Roll the second half of the gumdrop around the center. Pinch the base tightly and continue with more petals if desired. One drop usually makes on bud. 

 To make leaves I use the green guys...and just cut them into leaves. You can use a leaf cutter too if you want. 

 Place on top of your favorite cupcake or cake. This one is a lemon pound cupcake with berry fondant and pearls. 

There you go! Make some gumdrop roses! 

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Awesome Halloween Cupcakes On NBC 12 Valley Dish!

For some reason, I didn't post this here on the blog when we filmed it last year...and since it's so full of awesome ideas, I couldn't resist!! So...here you go! Three minutes packed full of Fall and Halloween Cupcakes! Eyeballs, bones, and some pretty amazing sunflowers!

Halloween Monster Eyeball Cupcakes

When I made these cupcakes I heard my son singing the Purple People Eater Song...but about cupcakes. Dance with me now!  {Insert mental-vision of Chef Tess doing the cabbage patch...with a purple tutu and an egg beater...}
"One eyed one horned...flying purple eyeball cupcake...one eyed one horned...blah blah blah blah Eat that cupcake..."

We did some monster eyeball cupcakes for Halloween...and believe it or not, the eyeballs are just marshmallows we rolled into a ball.  I used food coloring and painted on the blood-shot effect then wrapped the eyeball with some homemade modeling chocolate ...just for fun so it would look like an eyelid.

I like to use grape kool-aid to flavor my buttercream...because I'm cool like that. Use a straight tip or grass tip on your pastry bag and just layer the hair-like frosting like this. 

Now that we are full of sugar and grape kool-aid frosting...I think we're ready to trick-or-treat! Ya know...because there's more sugar to be had by all! 
There you go. A really cool idea for monster cupcakes!



Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Caramel filled carrot cakes with buttery coconut pecan frosting, candied pecans and Toffee

If you thought the post title was a mouth full, you haven't seen ANyThinG YeT!

Remember the Sourdough Carrot Cake with Warm Cream Cheese Lemon... sauce? Well...the batter is evil. Add to it some killer toasted sunflower seeds and plump golden raisins...use my Chef Tess Wise Women of the East Spice and Floral Blend instead of the cinnamon...

 Bake like a cupcake...except when it comes out of the oven and is still warm, take the blunt end of a spoon or your thumb and press a hole in the center of the cupcake...so you can wad up a chunk of gooey Peter's Caramel  and put it in there. I like to work in caramel at any given time. Mind you, I've tried baking the caramel in the cupcake and it will cook to too hot a temperature...ending up with a wad of rock hard caramel in there. Bleckkkkkk! I want gooey perfection...and I shall have it!

 Now...here's where I don't give a recipe. I know...but I haven't posted it yet on my blog. Why? Because it's a freak-of-nature and needs to be sold in my bakery for slave trade...that's why!

 Candied pecans are the devil. Can I just say I'm totally insanely in love with them. Now...drizzled with a little roasted walnut oil and a healthy dusting of Chef Tess Wise Women of the East Spice and Floral Blend...It's the only dust I think we should have around the house. Really. Unlike dusting the furniture (which is *way* over-rated BTW) Random thought. You now what Phyllis Diller said about dust? You can let your children write their names in the dust on your furniture, just don't let them put the year. Phyllis Diller I love you. On the other hand...this is a dust I'm not putting anywhere but in my mouth.  You must have...dust.

 Okay...so I may give this a little too much love and frosting...but this stuff isn't super killer sweet. It's got butter-vanilla bean-toasted pecan-sunflower seed-oooey gooey goodness. It's a hair-do, not a garnish.

 Now...pile up the stuff on top...don't pass out. I added some of Sweet-Stops toffee on top (did you see Friday's post?BFFF) ...chocolate side down so it would stay crisp on a cupcake. It's like a delicious force-field of Love.

 Then, because the special order was going to a whole lot of ladies as a "gift"...I wrapped them up with a little polk-a-dot basket and bow.

 Yes...you can put all your eggs in one basket...if you are in an Evil-think-tank (have you been to my ETT ?) Mind control commences in five, four, three, two...

 I did the only thing a recovering sugar addict could do...I boxed them up and sent them away.

Now...how can you go on living without one? I'm not sure...in fact I think there is a whole lot of Country and Elvis music about my desserts {in my mind anyway}...Shall we start with "You Where Always On My Mind"?  Tell me that your sweet love hasn't dieeeeeed! Give meee...give me one last cake to keep me satisfieeeeed...Okay. I'm sticking with baking. I say that...but have you heard me sing? Maybe I should start my own cupcake band?!  I think I could pull off a total frenzy of sugar and snappy tunes.  Okay...I'm leaving now. Where's my guitar...and my wizard hat...and my egg beater?

Spiced Buttermilk Peach Carrot Crumb-cakes with Maple Hazelnut Glaze

Somebody save me from myself! Father's Day we decided to make some scrumptious cupcakes of joy and happiness for hip-cat-daddy-O...aka Ace. My son Face was all over the project and I was all over using some of our basic food storage to pull off a masterpiece! I think, without a doubt, that we succeeded. Ace ate 7 of them in his first sitting. {insert large cheesy Chef Tess Grin here} What we came up with was like a carrot cake, but with peaches and spice and a hint of buttermilk. It was drizzled with a remarkable sweet Maple Hazelnut glaze that literally melted all over the cupcake. It was heaven. Now. Brace yourself for something crazy.

The kicker was the remarkable use of buttermilk pancake mix! I know. It was a shock to me as well that I would use pancake mix, but I was given some samples from Honeyville Farms on Friday when I visited their Chandler  store and I figured, what the heck. I can do a product review. I've used Honeyville products for years! Ironically, I've never used the pancake mix. 

{Side note: I cannot believe how excited I am to teach CLASSES at their store in addition to what I'm already doing with the remarkable Preparing Wisely Store } 

  The worst thing that could happen, would be that the "cakes" totally tasted like a pancake instead of a cupcake. Best case...well...Ace would eat seven in one sitting. So I played with a favorite crumb-cake recipe and these ingredients from Honeyville.

I also played with my son. 

Spiced Buttermilk Peach Carrot Crumb-cakes 
with Maple Hazelnut Glaze

You will need:
2 1/2 cups Honeyville buttermilk pancake mix
1 1/2 cup Honeyville freeze dried peaches
1/2 cup Honeyville dehydrated carrots
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup Honeyville 6 grain steam rolled mix
1T Chef Tess Wise Women of the East Spice and Floral Blend
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs
zest of one orange

strusel crumb-cake topping:
2 1/3 cup Honeyville Buttermilk pancake mix
1/2 cup melted butter {no substitutions}
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp Chef Tess Wise Women of the East Spice and Floral Blend

Maple-Hazelnut glaze:
1/4 cup Honeyville Maple Hazelnut whipped honey
1/4 tsp maple extract
1-2 tsp hot water
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions: In a glass or metal medium size bowl, combine the freeze dried peaches and dehydrated carrots with 1 cup boiling water. Set aside and let them hydrate for 10 minutes. In the meantime, combine the vegetable oil, sugar, six grain rolled mix, Chef Tess spices blend, vanilla, eggs and orange zest in a large bowl. Add the undrained peaches and carrots along with the pancake mix. Beat by hand 100 strokes.

Scoop into lined muffin tin.

Filling the cup 3/4 full...like this. Be impressed...that was my eight year old boy scoopin' the batter there my friends. The dude has skills.

For the strusel topping: Combine the melted butter with the dry ingredients until chunky-crumbly. I like it looking like this...

Generously top your cakes with the topping. I'm not going to lie...I like a lot of crumb on my cakes. Sue me. It makes for one din-a-dang-dong-delightful-dessert. Say that one ten times fast...with your mouth full of deliciousness.

Okay. I'm also not going to pretend I don't see it! YES...this is the cutest boy on the planet. {smoooooches!} I *heart* him. 

Once topped with the delightful crumb-tastic-goodie-fest, bake 350 degrees 15-18 minutes. This is a low altitude recipe for you folks in Utah. I've sent the recipe to my field testers there and will have the adjustments soon. 

 Now...the killer glaze.

Be still my ever-nutty-heart. Do you see the hazelnut-happiness-honey? It's maple-icious! Sigh...it's *dreamy*...like a cute boy on the beach...but ya know, legal. Like, my husband on the beach...but only for me, right ladies.  I digress.

Now, the honey alone on the crumbcakes is just about as evil-righteous as I'm even allowed to eat without confessing to my Bishop. That being said, I will not tell you how many I personally consumed. That's between me and my closed pantry door...and the empty bottle of whipped honey. Oh have mercy.

For the bakery style glaze put the honey in a microwave safe bowl and heat 10-15 seconds with the water. Stir well. Add the extract and the sugar. Stir until smooth. 

Drizzle until you pass out.

Thank you Honeyville Farms for the fabulous products I used in today's Food Storage post!

...Especially for the honey. I'm totally in love with it. I think everyone should run out and get some.

There you go!

Always my very best, 

Your Friend Chef Tess