Cupcakes Pickering Food

RED VELVET CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
• In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for 1 minute, until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients alternately in 3 parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and mix until combined. Stir with a rubber spatula to be sure the batter is mixed.
• Scoop the batter into the muffin cups with a 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop or large spoon. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool completely in the pans and frost the cupcakes with Red Velvet Frosting.
• Place the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on medium speed just until combined. Don't whip! Add the sugar and mix until smooth.

CHEESECAKE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup standard muffin tins with paper liners.
• Combine the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, cinnamon and butter in a small bowl. Drop a heaping tablespoon of graham cracker mixture into each muffin cup. Press to create a firm layer of crust on the bottom. Bake 7 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
• For the cupcakes: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
• Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar together until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions. Beat in the vanilla.
• Whisk together the sour cream and the milk. Add the flour mixture and milk mixture in three additions, alternating between wet and dry ingredients and starting and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until well combined, taking care not to overmix.
• For the filling: Beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg just until combined. Spoon the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a medium-size plain tip (Ateco 800). Insert the tip into the top of each cupcake batter and squeeze the filling until the batter rises to fill each cup about three-quarters of the way up the side of the tin.
• Bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted about 3/4 inch from the edge of the cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the tins on a rack for 10 minutes, and then remove from the tins and cool completely.
• For the frosting: Using an electric or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together at medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the sour cream and lemon juice. On low speed, gradually add the confectioners' sugar and beat until well combined.
• Frost the cupcakes as desired. Garnish with graham cracker pieces.

GINA'S BANANA CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a (12-cup standard) muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, add the butter and granulated sugar. Beat with a hand-held mixer until combined. Add the sour cream and vanilla. Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time. Incorporate the dry mixture and wet mixture together until thoroughly combined. Add the bananas and 1/2 cup walnuts, being careful not to over mix.
• Using an ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake liner three-quarters of the way full. Bake in the oven until the tops turn golden-brown and a toothpick, inserted in the middle of the cupcake, comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the oven to a wire rack and let cool before frosting.
• In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and butter. Beat together until incorporated. Add the molasses and mix well. Stir in the confectioner's sugar, milk and vanilla.
• Heavily frost the cupcakes and garnish with the remaining 1/4 cup walnuts.

S'MORES CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line one 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
• In a small bowl, whisk the flour, ground graham crackers, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and milk, alternating, starting and ending with the flour mixture, until just combined.
• Divide the batter between the muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake until golden brown, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top springs back to the touch, about 25 minutes. Cool in the tin 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the filling: While the cupcakes cool, prepare the filling: Combine the chocolate, cream and corn syrup in a medium bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals on high, stirring, until smooth. Set aside until cooled and thickened slightly, about 30 minutes.
• For the meringue frosting: Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a saucepan that can hold a heatproof stand mixer's bowl above the water. Combine the egg whites, granulated sugar and cream of tartar in the stand mixer bowl. Set the bowl above the simmering water and whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are warm to the touch, turn white and are beginning to get fluffy. Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, and whip on high speed until the meringue is cooled, fluffy and very thick. Beat in the vanilla.
• To assemble: Place the chocolate filling in a pastry bag or re-sealable plastic bag fitted with a small round tip (about 1/8-inch diameter) and snip the end. Pierce the center of each cupcake with the pastry tip and gently squeeze in the chocolate filling until it begins to come out of the top of the cupcake. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
• Pipe or swirl the meringue frosting onto each cupcake. If desired, brown the meringue with a kitchen torch or place briefly under the broiler. Garnish with a chocolate square.

CARROT CAKE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Beat the sugar, oil, and vanilla together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the grated carrots, raisins, and walnuts to the remaining flour, mix well, and add to the batter. Mix until just combined.
• Line muffin pans with paper liners. Scoop the batter into 22 muffin cups until each is 3/4 full. Bake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for a further 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack.
• For the frosting, cream the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the sugar and beat until smooth.
• When the cupcakes are cool, frost them generously and serve.

GO-TO VANILLA CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the middle of the oven. Line one 12-cup standard muffin tin or two 24-cup mini-muffin tins with cupcake liners.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
• In another medium bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until light and foamy, about 2 minutes. While beating, gradually pour in the melted butter and then the vanilla.
• While mixing slowly, add half of the flour mixture. Then add all the milk, followed by the remaining flour mixture; take care not to overmix the batter. Divide the batter evenly in the prepared muffin tin.
• Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, rotating the tin about halfway through baking time, 18 to 20 minutes for standard cupcakes or 10 to 12 minutes for minis. Cool the cupcakes in the tin on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool on the rack completely. Frost and decorate as desired.

VANILLA CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to medium low; beat in half of the flour mixture, then all of the milk, then the remaining flour mixture until just combined.
• Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes to the rack to cool completely. Top with Frosting.
• Whisk the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) until the mixture is warm and the sugar dissolves. Remove the bowl from the pan; let cool slightly.
• Beat the egg white mixture in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or with a hand mixer) on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 12 to 15 minutes. Beat in the butter a few pieces at a time, then continue beating until smooth. (Don't worry if the mixture looks separated at first-it will come together as you keep beating.)

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
• Whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk together the buttermilk, coffee, oil, eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl.
• Pour half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until combined. Scrape down the bowl then add the remaining wet ingredients and beat to combine. Scrape down the bowl and paddle. Increase the speed to medium and beat for a full minute.
• Fill the prepared cupcake tins 2/3 of the way full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed, 15 to 18 minutes.
• For the frosting: Melt the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over simmering water in a medium saucepan. Remove from the simmering water and let it cool until room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Beat the butter and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, drizzle in the melted chocolate and beat until completely blended. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla. Increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Decoratively pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.