Another Teaser! Coming Soon: Chocolate Toffee Cupcakes with Caramel Icing

My sweet toddler begged me to make cupcakes this morning and, tired of the usual vanilla or chocolate, we decided to experiment with some new, super rich flavors. These are the perfect holiday indulgence: moist, decadent chocolate and toffee cupcakes glazed with melted chocolate and dipped in bits of chocolate covered toffee drizzled with just the right amount of smooth and creamy caramel icing. I promise to have this recipe up very, very soon so please check back in a day or two (or click the "Join this Site" button on the sidebar underneath the advertisement and sign up to receive Happiest Belly updates...you'll be the first to know when a new recipe makes an appearance!).

Yellow Cupcakes with Classic Chocolate Frosting

These cupcakes are about as good as it gets! Moist yellow cake topped with a classic rich and creamy chocolate frosting. My husband loves to take extras to work to share, and they are always devoured quickly in our house! I love how quick and easy these cupcakes are to make; you'll definitely get your chocolate cake fix in a portable, individual serving.
Yields: about 16 cupcakes

Cupcake ingredients:

1 stick of softened butter

2/3 cups sugar

3 eggs

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 cup whole milk

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. vanilla

Cupcake assembly:
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix on medium speed until combined. Add milk and vanilla, then stir in salt, baking powder and flour. Fill cupcake molds (I prefer silicone) 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 stick of softened butter

1/4 cup + about a tbsp. milk

2 tsp. vanilla

Frosting assembly:
Cream frosting ingredients until the color lightens and frosting is creamy and smooth. Use a piping bag with a large tip to frost each cupcake from the outside to the center. Chill before serving.

Lemon Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

This is my new favorite cupcake. Hands down. The light vanilla cupcake is such a delicious backdrop for the sunny lemon flavor of the lemon curd. The whipped lemon-cream cheese frosting is so tasty that you could eat it with a spoon (not that I did that or anything!). This recipe is deceptively simple. It doesn't take incredible baking skill; you just need some simple techniques. You can play around with fillings and frostings (my husband has requested strawberry filling with fudge frosting for next week's dessert) and make it your own.
Below is a shot of the cupcakes right after I filled them with lemon curd. YUM.

Cupcake Ingredients:

1/2 cup lemon curd (you can buy this or make it yourself...this is one of the few ingredients I tend to buy rather than make)

1 stick of softened butter

2 tsp. vanilla

3 jumbo eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 cup vitamin D milk

Frosting Ingredients:
8oz. softened cream cheese

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup lemon curd

1 tbsp. lemon juice

zest of 1/2 lemon

Cupcake Assembly:

Cream the butter and sugar over medium high speed until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix. Add the vanilla and continue mixing. Add the flour, baking powder and salt then mix on low to combine (don't over-beat or your cupcakes will be too dense). Fill silicone cups or a cupcake tin 3/4 full and bake at 325 for about 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely. Use a paring knife to cut a circle from the middle of each cupcake (about 1/2 inch down). Pop out the center and fill each cupcake with lemon curd (a piping bag is great, but a spoon works too!).

Frosting Assembly:
Whip butter and cream cheese. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix on medium until light and fluffy. Put the frosting in a piping bag and use a large star tip. Frost each cupcake in a circle, starting at at the outside and working your way inward. Chill for 30 minutes to allow the frosting to set before serving.

Sinfully Sweet Easter Cupcakes!

I've gone a little cupcake crazy these days, so naturally I decided to bring some cupcakes to our family Easter celebration. These chocolatey cupcakes are most and rich, topped with a sweet pink vanilla-flavored frosting, shredded coconut and Jordan almonds. They're great for Easter treats and will last from 4-5 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Yields: 24 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

Double my deep chocolate cupcake recipe (search the sidebar for "cupcakes" for the recipe)

For the frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar

6 tbsp. milk

4 tsp. vanilla

dash of kosher salt

For the decorations:

1 bag of pastel Jordan Almonds

1 bag of shredded coconut

1/4 cup water mixed with 1 tbsp. green food coloring

1 large plastic baggie

Assembly:

Pour water/dye mixture into baggie filled with coconut and shake until the dye is evenly distributed. Spread coconut on a baking sheet to dry for at least an hour. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting. Mix frosting ingredients until fluffy. Place in a pastry bag or plastic bag (cut off the tip before frosting) and frost in a circular motion, starting from the outside and moving inward. Sprinkle with coconut and place two almonds on top of each cupcake. Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow the frosting to set.

Leprechaun Cupcakes

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd make some peppermint fudge cupcakes (I adapted David Liebowitz's black bottom cupcake recipe from The Great Book of Chocolate). Earlier in the week I made yellow cake cupcakes with fudge icing with my wonderful new silicone cupcake cups (I definitely recommend these; you can find them at Crate and Barrel) and frosting set (also from Crate and Barrel). I'm new to the whole frosting game, so I will definitely admit that this frosting job is far from perfect. I guess I'll just have to make more and more cupcakes until I get it right! Frosting aside, these are the most moist cupcakes I've ever tried; they are fluffy and rich, complimented well by the cool mint flavor of the icing. YUM.
Makes 24 cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:
3 cups of all-purpose flour
10 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups water
2/3 cups vegetable oil
2 tbsp. white vinegar
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda (long day~ I omitted this ingredient, and they still came out great!)
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. vanilla

Cupcake Assembly:
Mix wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Pour into baking cups and bake for 20-25 minutes at 330 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup milk
4-6 drops of green food coloring

Frosting Assembly:
Mix ingredients on high until combined. Spoon frosting into a pastry bag (or plastic bag; snip of the tip for easy application) fitted with the tip of your choice. Begin frosting from the outside towards the center. Cupcakes should keep 4-5 days if covered and refrigerated. I also recommend sprinkling green sugar on top if you happen to have some in your pantry.