Mascarpone Cupcakes with Mango & Berry Glaze

Another 310 Purple Cupcake! This one was probably the easiest out of the whole batch! It uses a box cupcake mix (shhhhh!) and I was hesitant at first but after reading hundreds, and I really do mean hundreds, of great reviews on it, I decided to give it a try! They were SO delicious that I decided to make them again! The second time, varying the recipe a bit by trying a mango glaze as well. I really couldn't resist as mangos are my favorite fruit and are in their peak right now.

 Each were delicious though the mango flavor didn't translate as well as the berry did... sadness! But these cupcakes are amazing and beyond moist and creamy! Have you ever heard of a creamy cupcake??? Well that's the only way to describe it... CREAMYYY. Originally the cupcake was intended for mini-cupcakes but I made them into full sized cupcakes. I didn't think it was important then but these cupcakes are extremely fragile and break apart easily so as long as you don't mind cracked cupcakes, full sizes are still equally delicious. Cracks are welcome here any time; flawed is gorgeous and in this case, delicious!

Mascarpone Cupcakes with Mango and Berry Glaze

Yields: about

Original recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, which can be found here.

Printable Recipe

1 cup of mascarpone cheese, softened 

2 egg whites

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 box white cake mix

1 cup water

1/3 cup frozen berries, thawed and drained OR 1/3 cup fresh mango

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake pan with liners and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the cheese, egg whites and oil, beat until well combined and creamy. Add the cake mix and water and mix until smooth. Fill the cupcake tin about 2/3 full and tap against the counter to get the air bubbles up. Bake until puffed and golden or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 18 - 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before inverting them. In a blender or food processor puree the berries or the mango. In a bowl combine the sifted powdered sugar and the puree until smooth. Once the cupcakes are cool, add about one tablespoon of glaze per cupcake. Let the glaze set up for a couple of minutes and enjoy!

I made these at night, I just love the lighting!

Samoa Cupcakes

Samoa! Ohh how I love the word, the cookie, the legend. For Cherish's 310 Purple Screenings I made these delicious beauties as one of the options. What can I say about these to make you drool, dream and covet? I don't think I have to say anything... they speak for themselves:

Samoas Cupcakes

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Slightly adapted from The Cooking of Joy, which can be found here.

Printable Recipe

For the cupcakes:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup water

3 eggs

1/3 cup butter, room temperature

For the ganache:

8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. instant coffee

1 tsp. vanilla

For the coconut topping:

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

6 oz. good quality chewy caramels

1/8 tsp. salt

3 - 4 tbsn. milk

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake pan with liners, set aside. Prepare cupcake batter according to the box. Fill each tin about 3/4 full and bake according to directions on the box. Once done, let them cool completely. 

To make the ganache, stir the cream and chocolate over a double boiler and stir until melted. Add the vanilla and instant coffee and mix. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. 

To make the coconut topping, unwrap the caramels and place them in a large microwave safe bowl with 2 tbsn. milk and the salt. Microwave on high for 3 - 4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt (I had to add some more milk to make it smooth and creamy). When smooth, add the toasted coconut and stir until combined.  

To assemble, inject some caramel into the center of each cupcake. Next, smooth on a light coating of ganache and then let them refrigerate about 15 minutes to let it harden. Next, use a spoon to spread on the coconut topping evenly, top with some more toasted coconut and drizzle with some more ganache (you might have to re-warm the ganache to get a drizzling consistency).

Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes

So for the 310 Purple order, they wanted a total of 50 cupcakes. I originally only planned to make Samoa, Berry Mascarpone and Chai cupcakes but they didn't total up to 50!! So at the last minute I had to whip these up. I had leftover ganache so that was an easy choice to top these with it and after making those Smores Cupcakes and loving the marshmallow frosting, I decided to use it again and voila, these were born! How did they taste you wonder?! Well think about it: it's chocolate, it's marshmallow, and then more chocolate. Delicious of course! Definitely a little messy though...

Devil's Food Cake with Marshmallow Frosting & Chocolate Ganache

Yields: approximately 24 cupcakes

Cake recipe from here, frosting recipe from here.

Printable Recipe

For the cake:

9 tbsn. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup strong coffee, or water

1/2 cup milk, (I used lowfat)

For the marshmallow frosting: 

4 large egg whites

1 cup of sugar

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the ganache: 

5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped 

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the cake, sift together the cocoa, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl. In an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure they are fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix together the coffee and milk. Add half of the flour mixture, then the coffee-milk mixture, then the rest of the flour mixture until well combined. Pour into pre-lined cupcake pans about 3/4 full. Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

For the frosting, place the whites, sugar and tartar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a pot of simmering water and whisk constantly until sugar has dissolved and the eggs are warm to the touch. Transfer the bowl back to the machine and whisk, starting on low speed then eventually moving to high speed. Whisk until glossy peaks form, about 5 - 7 minutes. Add vanilla, mix until combined. Now frost your cupcakes! You can spoon the mixture on or use any tip you like. You can also either broil the cupcakes to toast the marshmallow or use a blow torch (which I used).

For the ganache, place the chocolate into a medium bowl. In a saucepan, heat the cream until it reaches a boil, but watch carefully because this happens quickly and it can boil over. Once at a boil, pour over the chocolate in the bowl and let sit for about a minute then stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla and let sit for about 10 - 15 to slightly cool before drizzling on the cupcakes.

Chai Cupcakes with Cinnamon-Honey Buttercream

So here is my fantasy (maybe a possibility): That I would be able to finish college, take a year off and then continue on to Medical School. But then somewhere after, in between, or even during I would open my own bakery. I don't know how or even if those two would work together, but hey, I want it ALL! And my best friend, Cherish, would finish up her film school program at USC and become a successful director/ producer in LA and we would live in a cute little apartment that we would make all our own. Back to the present day is where it begins, here, where I have been hired to bake cupcakes for her "310 purple" class screenings - and let me tell you the film shorts were fantastic and an honor to view! In total I baked 4 varieties, here is one: Spiced Chai with Honey-Cinnamon Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

These cupcakes were fantastic. I just received Sky High in the mail the other day, and I knew I HAD to make these cupcakes because one, I LOVE chai, and two, because I heard that her recipes were fantastic, mind-blowing, amazingness. And trust me they were indeed. I didn't use her frosting recipe as I wanted to use something that would hold its shape but I did use her notes of honey which added a nice touch. Make these NOWWW!

Chai Cupcakes with Cinnamon-Honey Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

Yields: an 8-inch triple-layer cake (serves 12 - 16) OR

Original recipe from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

Printable Recipe

For the cupcakes:

1 1/3 cup milk

6 chai tea bags

4 whole eggs

2 egg yolk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 3/4 cup cake flour

2 cup sugar

4 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cardamom

1/2 tsp. salt

8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

For the swiss meringue buttercream:

2 egg whites

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 sticks of butter (12 tbsn.), room temperature

6 tbsn. honey

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat to 350 F. Line with cupcake liners, set aside. In saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat. Add the tea bags. Remove from the heat and allow to steep for 5 minutes. Remove the bags and squeeze out the remaining milk. Let the milk cool completely. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, yolks, vanilla and 1/3 cup of the chai milk. In the bowl of a mixer sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Beat on low for about 30 seconds, then add the butter and remaining chai milk. Mix on medium low speed until light and fluffy. Next, add the egg mixture in three additions, making sure to scrape the bowl well after each. Divide the batter among the cupcake tins, about 2/3 full, and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely. For the frosting, place all ingredients into a stand mixer or food processor and incorporate well until smooth, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl.

Mango Coconut Pancakes with Cardamom Cream

My favorite fruit of ALL time are mangos. They are sweet, juicy and oh so delicious! Out of the blue I had this sudden urge to make pancakes and my mom had just opened up some fresh coconut in the morning, and I couldn't resist making these. The recipe is so simple: just mix everything together and you are done! How did they taste you ask? Well... they were amazing. I recommend eating them after they have cooled which allows the flavors to meld a little. With the spiced whipped cream and even more fresh mango it was pure, blissful heaven!

Mango Coconut Pancakes with Cardamom Whipped Cream

Yields: About 15 - 20 5-inch pancakes

Slightly adapted from here and here.

Printable Recipe

For the pancakes:

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tbsn. sugar

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/4 cup coconut milk

2 tbsn. melted butter

1 medium to large mango, seeded, skinned and finely diced

the flesh of 1 fresh coconut, finely diced (1/4 cup shredded coconut can be substituted)

For the whipped cream:

1 cup of heavy cream

2 - 3 tbsn. powdered sugar

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. cardamom

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. Then add the milks, egg, butter and fruit. Mix to combine. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Lightly grease with cooking spray or some butter. Using a small ladle, pour the batter onto the hot pan, making sure they are about 1 inch away from each other. Once the batter starts to darken at the edges and you see bubbles forming in the batter, about 4 -5 minutes, flip the pancakes over. Brown for about 2 more minutes and remove from the pan. Let cool. For the whipped cream, use a hand mixer or a stand up mixer to whip everything together until stiff peaks form, about 3 - 5 minutes. Serve the pancakes with the whipped cream, fresh mangos or whatever you'd like. Enjoy!

Ispahan Cupcakes

When I got hired to make cupcakes for a birthday party, I offered a couple of different options to try. I threw out ideas all the way from lemon meringue cupcakes to raspberry white chocolate. She decided on Ispahan cupcakes and I was uber excited! Then a couple seconds later, a shot of fear ran through my veins... did I bite off more than I could chew?!?! I wanted something where the lychee flavor was really present and something that was of course beautiful.

I finally decided on a lychee butter cake from Dessert First and I planned to top it with a stabilized raspberry whipped cream and possibly fill it with a lychee mousse. No, no, no.... definitely did not work out! The stabilized whipped cream tasted fantastic but it must have been the mashed berries or something because it was hideous! So instead I decided to fill them with this instead which is kind of similar to a mousse (what I had planned to fill it with), so it worked out better this way! Yay I love it when things work out! For the frosting I wanted something that wasn't too sweet (as lychees are sweet by nature) and that I could pipe into stable shapes, so I decided to use a swiss meringue buttercream and it worked out perfectly! Topped with some candied rose petals (tutorial coming soon), fresh raspberries, some edible glitter and we are FINALLY done folks!

Yummy, creamy lychee batter:

Lychee Rosewater Butter Cake

Yields: 12 - 14 cupcakes

Original recipe from Dessert First, which can be found here.

Printable Recipe

1 14 oz. can of lychees, reserve the liquid

2 cups of cake flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

5 tbsn. rose water

2 tbsn. reserved lychee water

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a cupcake pan with liners, set aside. Drain the lychees and cut into small pieces, set aside. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl, set aside. In a mixer cream the butter and sugar until well blended and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure to scape the sides of the bowl as you move along. Next add the vanilla, rose water, and lychee water. Mix to combine. Lastly, toss the diced lychees into the flour mixture and mix with the wet mixture, mix to combine. Pour into cupcake pans and bake about 15 - 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

They are waving 'Hello' to you!

Stabilized Raspberry Whipped Cream Filling

Yields: enough for 12 cupcakes

Slightly adapted from Art of Dessert, original recipe can be found here.

Printable Recipe

1 tbsn. water

1/4 envelope of unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup of heavy cream, cold

2 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/8 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup of mashed raspberries

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Let the gelatin bloom/ absorb the water for a couple of minutes. Add a dash of the heavy cream and microwave for a minute to allow the gelatin to dissolve, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, on low, beat the cream cheese until nice and fluffy. Add the whipped cream, sugar, and salt. Whip everything till soft peaks form, then add the gelatin mixture and the vanilla. Whip until stiff peaks form, then fold in the mashed raspberries. Refrigerate for 15 - 20 minutes. You can use the cone method or simply pipe these into the cooled cupcakes.

Pink raspberry cream stuffed inside the cupcakes:

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Yields: enough for 12 cupcakes

Original recipe is from Smitten Kitchen, which can be found here.

Printable Recipe

2 large egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 sticks of butter (12 tbsn.), cut into 12 pieces

1- 2 drops of food coloring (optional)

Put the egg whites and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water making sure the bottom does not actually touch the water. Stir the egg whites until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and place into the mixer stand. Beat until it becomes white and doubles in size. Add the vanilla on low speed, then add the butter, one piece at a time, making sure it is well mixed after each addition. Do not worry if it looks curdled, it will take some time for it to come together. Continue beating for 5 - 10 minutes until everything comes together. Spread/ pipe/ smother onto your cupcakes and enjoy!!

If you don't want to make candied rose petals, you could also decorate them like this:

The final cupcake order, all packed and ready to go!

My First Job & Red Velvet Cupcakes

Well you guys probably know that isn't right... right? I already have a job, a normal, whatever, pays-the-bills kind of job. What I really mean is... drumroll please... I got my first baking job, where someone actually pays for my cupcakes!! Yeppp, I was over the moon about the news and also a wee bit scared out of my mind. So many choices, so many ways to fail... ugh the tribulations.

Here's what was on the menu:

6 Red Velvet with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

6 Ispahan (Lychee-Rosewater Butter Cake filled with Raspberry Cream and topped with Swiss Meringue Buttercream)

Today, I'll show you the Red Velvet! It was a bit of a struggle to make the cupcakes in 6 serving sizes; measuring 1/8 cups and 1/8 tsp. weren't exactly fun haha. So the recipes here are in 12 serving sizes to make it a little easier on you guys! 

I've never made red velvet cake before and I spent hours upon hours searching for a recipe that was a no-fail, because I really couldn't afford messing up but I eventually stumbled upon a recipe that sounded just perfect! The cake turned out delicious! It was a deep crimson red, moist, and had just a tinge of cocoa flavor. But what really made this spectacular was the frosting. Oh my goshhhhh so good! I could easily eat it by the bucket and that's a big thing for me, because I usually tend to scrape off frostings when I eat a cupcake. That's the thing about cream cheese frosting, it's not too sweet and is tangy which goes perfectly with red velvet. The only strife is that it doesn't hold its shape too well but that okay... I'll forgive it. I topped these with some chocolate jimmies and cupcake flags, tutorial can be seen here.

Red Velvet Cake

Yields: 12 cupcakes

Original recipe from The Repressed Pastry Chef, which can be found here.

Printable Recipe

1 cup cake flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 oz./ 2 tbsn. red food coloring

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cupcake pan with liners, set aside. Whisk flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl. Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer, beat until well blended. Beat in egg. On the low setting add the food coloring and vanilla extract. Add flour alternately with the buttermilk making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you move along. Place baking soda in a small dish and stir with the vinegar. Add to the batter and beat for 10 seconds. Divide among the pan filling the cups 2/3 full. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

Yields: about 12 cupcakes

Original recipe from Chaos in the Kitchen, which can be found here.

Printable Recipe

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

4 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean pod

1 - 2 cups of powdered sugar

Slit vanilla bean in half and use knife to scrape out the beans from the pod, set aside. Whip the cream cheese in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add the butter and beat to combine. Add the vanilla and vanilla beans. Slowly add the powdered sugar to your preference in consistency and sweetness. 

The finalized product with their flags hoisted high!

Cupcake Experimentation: Horchata

Sometimes working with a box cake mix can lead to great things. Examples: cake cookies (yes I've seen it), cupcake bites, and even Horchata cupcakes! I recently bought horchata mix from the mexican market near my house but I've also bought it from Whole Foods, which is probably easier to find for most people. It just a powdered mix that you can add to water or milk to make a quick cup of Horchata. Anyway, it inspired me to make these cupcakes but I didn't want to whip up a whole batch of homemade cupcakes on an experiment, so I used a cake mix as a base and added things to it. I'm not going to provide the recipe because they still aren't perfected to a tee yet, but I will provide descriptions as to what I did to give them their flavor.

Horchata Cupakes: For these cupcakes, I used started off with a white cake batter and mixed in the horchata mix powder, extra cinnamon and some ground almonds (to add texture and because almonds are traditionally served in horchata). I topped the cake with cinnamon whipped cream, clear sprinkles, and extra cinnamon. 

The verdict?

Horchata: B -

The cake turned out a little dry for my taste. It wasn't parched per say, but I just love, love, love super moist cakes. I think this was due to the almond meal. I did love the texture that the almond meal added but next time I should add less flour if I plan on adding meal. The cinnamon flavor was definitely present but horchata flavor itself was not. Maybe I should try actually using real horchata like chockylit did here.