Pink Velvet Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

Just in time for Valentine's Day. These cupcakes are sure to make your sweetheart melt. 

Ingredients:
-for the cupcakes-
* I have a simple trick to make a box cake mix taste like it's from scratch. Here's what you do: Look at what the box calls for and add 1 more egg than it says, use milk instead of water, and double the amount of butter or oil it calls for. The cake will turn out yummy every time!*

• Duncan Hines Pink Velvet Cake Mix
• 2 sticks of butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup of whole milk
• 4 eggs

-for the frosting-

• 1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 7-8 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 cup milk
• Strawberry extract, to taste (add in 1 teaspoon at a time)
• Pink or red food coloring

Directions:

-for the cupcakes-

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pan with liners
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, butter, eggs, and milk and mix until all ingredients are fully combined. 
3. Pour batter evenly in to lined cupcake pans. 
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

-for the frosting-

1. In a separate mixing bowl, combine butter and shortening. Mix well until light and fluffy. Approximately 3 minutes. 
2. Slowly add sugar, once all added crank up speed on mixer to med- high and whip it up for approx 1 min.
3. Add milk and strawberry extract, depending on your liking: stiffer~ less milk, creamier ~ more. If you add too much,  just sift in a little more sugar.
4. Add in food coloring a few drops at a time until your desired color is reached. 

Glorius Cookie Butter Cake

Cookie. Butter. Cake. Oh my goodness. This cake is so amazingly delicious I can't put it into words. The cake is a simple yellow cake. The recipe I use is from Bakerella- it's the only yellow cake recipe I use. Once you try it, you'll never use another one again. It is that good. The butter cream frosting is the same recipe I always use, I just added a big scoop of cookie butter to it this time. It's easy to make and tastes great. (Click  here for the original recipe.) The basic recipe is so versatile you can change it up however you want. I hope you guys try this one. It is fabulous!



Ingredients:
-for the cake-
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
3 cups self-rising flour, sifted
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring

-for the butter cream frosting-
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup cookie butter (I use Biscoff spread)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
7-8 cups (2lbs) powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup whole milk


Directions:
-for the cake-

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Grease and flour (3) 8 inch cake pans
3. Using a mixer, cream butter until fluffy
4. Add sugar and continue to cream for about 7 minutes
5. Add eggs one at a time. Beat well after each egg is added. 
6. Add flour and milk (alternating to creamed mixture), beginning and ending with flour
7. Add vanilla and butter flavoring to mix; until just mixed.
8. Divide batter equally into three cake pans. 
9. Hold each layer about 3 inches above your counter and carefully drop the pans flat onto counter several times to ensure release of any air bubbles. This will help you have a more level cake.
10. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until done. 
11. Cool in pans for 5-10 minutes. 
12. Remove and immediately wrap each layer in plastic wrap to seal in moisture. Cool completely on wire racks.
13. Once cooled, you are ready to assemble your cake.

-for the butter cream frosting-

1. Cream butter, cookie butter spread, and shortening together until smooth, approximately 3 minutes.
2. Slowly add sugar, once all added crank up speed on mixer to med-high and whip it up for approximately 1 minute. 
3. Add milk, depending on your liking: stiffer-less milk, creamier-more. If you add too much, no worries just add in a little more powdered sugar. 

* If you would like to learn how I created the design of this cake shown in the photo, click here.

Lemon Bar Cookie Cups

Hey everybody! I love to try new things and I found an amazing new cookie recipe this week. So, of course I wanted to share it with you all. Someone had pinned the recipe on my Pinterest home page and I was immediately drawn in as soon as I saw it.  Reason being, lemon is one of my all time favorite flavors. I can't get enough. I was hooked just from the picture alone, I hadn't even read the recipe. Once I actually began to make these I realized I would love this recipe for another reason: they are very simple to make. Could not be easier; anyone can make these which is great. 
Ingredients
Original recipe can be found here
for the cookies:

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup lemon curd (store bought or homemade)
• powdered sugar for decorating, optional

*I included the lemon curd recipe because in my small town I cannot find store bought to save my life. I have searched far and wide and I always come home empty handed. So I must make my own but if you're able to find it go ahead an use that. Lemon curd can be a little tricky to make from scratch if you're a beginner or not a patient person. Slow and steady wins the race friends, you can't rush the process or it won't turn out right. However, I think this recipe is pretty much fool proof as long as you follow the directions exactly. The lemon curd turns out perfect. 

for the lemon curd:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Directions:

for the cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Combine flours, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar in a small bowl and set aside. 
3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the oil, egg and extracts. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and stir until combined. 
4. Drop one tablespoon dough into each cup of a greased mini muffin pan. Bake for 8 minutes. 
5. Remove from oven and using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Fill with a teaspoon of lemon curd. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 4 minutes, or until cookies are firm and lightly browned on the sides. Remove to wire racks to cool. 
6. Sprinkle the edges to the cookies with powdered sugar. 

for the lemon curd:

1.  In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 minute. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks. 
2. In a medium, heavy-based sauce pan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. (Once it is completely melted, it will thicken and reach 170 degrees quickly so watch it closely). It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170 degrees on a thermometer. Don't let the mixture boil. 
3. Remove the curd from the heat; stir in the lemon zest. Transfer the curd to a bowl. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon curd to keep a skin from forming and chill the curd in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months. 

White Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

It's a winter wonderland at my house. We've gotten between 10-11 inches of snow. I've been snowed in the past couple of days so I decided to use my time to come up with this recipe. A lovely vanilla cupcake topped with white chocolate butter cream frosting and peppermint candy. The frosting on these is worth trying the recipe alone. It's that good! These are the perfect snow day treat. I hope you guys enjoy them!

Ingredients:

for the cupcakes- I used Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes from Glorious Treats

• 1 1/4 cup cake flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk plus 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar and let set for 5 minutes)

for the frosting- I used Two Ingredient White Chocolate Butter cream from Cookies and Cups

• 1 lb butter (4 sticks)
• 2 cups white chocolate chips

Garnish: Peppermint Baking chips

Directions:

for the cupcakes:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a cupcake/muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
• In a medium bowl combine the first four ingredients, whisk together and set aside
• In a separate mixing bowl, add eggs and mix with electric mixer for 10-20 seconds.
• Add sugar and mix for 30 seconds. 
• Next add oil and vanilla, blend until all ingredients are completely mixed together.
• Add half of the flour mixture, mix well; then half of the milk, mix well. Repeat. 
• Pour batter into the lined cupcake pan, approximately 2/3 full. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
• Cool completely on wire racks, then frost with white chocolate butter cream.

for the frosting:

• In a medium sauce pan combine butter and white chocolate chips
• Melt together over low heat, stirring. The butter and white chocolate will separate.
• When everything is melted remove from heat and allow to sit for 15 minutes or so. Place saucepan in fridge and refrigerate until the mixture becomes solid, approx 3 hours.
• When you're ready to prepare the frosting, remove from fridge and let it sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes or so, to take the chill off.
• Place entire mass into bowl of stand mixer and beat for 2-3 minutes until frosting becomes light and fluffy.
• Pipe or frost cupcakes or cake.
• Sprinkle peppermint baking chips on top of frosted cupcakes

ENJOY!