Bringin' It Back With Cake Balls!

Long time, no amazing recipe! This is about to change my friends! Get ready! This is going to be fabulous!!



Those cookies sure look fantastic, but I wanna talk about the cake balls!



Here's what you need:

1 Box Red Velvet cake mix (or any... by the way if your house smells like chocolate as you bake it, it's because Red Velvet Cake is actually Devil's Food Cake with red dye. Juuuust so ya know.)
1 Can Cream Cheese frosting
1 or 2 Packages of almond bark (you can use regular chocolate or white chocolate - and I say 1 or 2 because I ran out with just 1.)
Optional: Sprinkles

And here's what you do:

1. Bake cake as directions on the box say to.
2. Let cake cool for a bit, but while it is still warm, crumble it up in a big bowl.
3. Add the cream cheese frosting and mix it all up really well.
4. ****VERY IMPORTANT**** Stick the cake mixture into the FREEZER for about an hour. I stuck it in the fridge for like 2 and it didn't do very well... do it in the freezer if you can!
5. Melt your almond bark in the microwave or whatever... just do what the package says.
6. Take your mixture out and make little balls... I used a measuring spoon (tablespoon I think) to scoop it out and then rolled it into a ball.

7. Dip the cake balls into the melted almond bark. I used a Pampered chef egg separator. It worked pretty well for me. Some people use tooth picks or skewers.

8. If you're using sprinkles, make sure you apply them before the coating hardens!

Voila! You have cake balls and they are fantastic.


Perfect for the holidays! Make some friends or family really happy!


Enjoy!

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Friends, I am going to be candid with you. You may be thinking that with all the sweets I bake and share with you all that we are some of the most unhealthy people on the planet. But I'm going to be honest with you. I rarely eat what I bake. I try it, of course, but sometimes it doesn't go further than there.

But there has recently been a huge exception.



Do you blame me? Really, do you blame me for not being able to stay away from these cupcakes? I'm not going to disclose how many I actually ate... because I don't remember. But I'm telling you... these cupcakes had a hold on me. I will never make them again....

Ok.... I may. If I am feeling brave enough to feel vulnerable.

Here is what you need:

Cupcakes:
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® devil's food cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box - however, I used 5 egg whites instead of 3 eggs



Seriously, there is little more beautiful than 5 rows of freshly baked devils food cake cupcakes...

Filling:
3/4 cup Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white frosting
1/2 cup marshmallow creme



Here's a tip. If you don't have the desire or money to get a cupcake decorator or anything like that, and you still want to fill your cupcakes, I think these things are sold at like WalMart or a Dollar Store... Not sure. The reason I used it is because I forgot to bring mine to my mom's. Anyway, fill it up with your filling, insert it into your cupcake and squeeze. Make sure you pull up as you squeeze so your cupcake doesn't explode...

Frosting and Garnish:
1 container (12 oz) Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white frosting
10 oreos, coarsely broken (about 1 cup)



Here's what you do:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (or 325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes, using water, oil and eggs. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
2. Stir together filling ingredients and fill yo' cupcakes.
4. Frost cupcakes with 1 container frosting. Garnish each with about 2 teaspoons broken cookies.



Guys... I'm telling you... these cupcakes are amazing. Don't believe me? Check these out:





Incredible.

Enjoy!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Cream-Cheese Frosting

Been a while, y'all! Sorry! You'll love this one, though!



Vanilla Cupcakes:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
]2/3 cup granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing.




Lemon Cream-Cheese Frosting
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter, lemon juice, and vanilla together until smooth and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar in 2 additions. Beat until creamy. Add more icing sugar or juice as needed for easy spreading.









This is so fresh, like spring! You need to try this!

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcake

Peanut Butter + Chocolate = Divine, right?



I thought so.

This recipe isn't so much about the cupcake, again. It's about what's inside the cupcake. Yes, I did say "inside".



Okay, calm down. This is what you need:

1 box Devils Food cake mix, and all the ingredients on the back.
- Go ahead and prepare this as directed, and bake as directed for cupcakes.
1 container of chocolate frosting
----------
For the peanut butter frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons milk, or as needed
2 cups confectioners' sugar

While your cupcakes are baking, whip up your peanut butter frosting:
Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.
(http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fluffy-Peanut-Butter-Frosting/Detail.aspx)



Prepare your icing bag, or if you're like me, your cupcake decorating kit. Attach a Bismarck tip. Bismarck tips are long ... they look like this:



Fill your bag or decorator with your peanut butter frosting. When your cupcakes have cooled off some, you can get started filling and frosting. Here's what you do. Take your cupcake and insert your Bismarck tip about an inch in and squeeze your frosting out. Do it until the frosting comes out of the hole on top. There was one cupcake that I didn't get filled the whole way:



Anyway, your cupcakes will look something like this when you're done:



Once you've gotten all that done, take your chocolate frosting and spread a thin layer of frosting onto the cupcakes with a knife:



Next you need to switch out your Bismarck tip for your Star tip:



Refill your bag or decorator with the peanut butter frosting. Now you'll only want to put a dollop of frosting in the center of your cupcakes.



You're finished! Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes for Chip

Last week, our friend Chip installed new flooring in our kitchen. It was much needed, and much appreciated. As thanks {as if it would be adequate to my appreciation} I made Chip some cupcakes. Actually, I made Chocolate Chip Cupcakes for Chip. ha!

Really it is quite simple to make. Today I wasn't feeling my best {stress, fatigue} so I took shortcuts. All you need for the cupcakes is a box of yellow cake mix, the stuff the box asks for, and a cup of chocolate chips. If I were you, I'd use mini chips, because I used the regular size and they happened to sink to the bottom. Not cool. Better "luck" next time.

What really brought my mood up, though, was the way my frosting turned out! I've always had a problem with my frosting, but today... today I dare say that it was perfect!

Here's the recipe for the frosting:

12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
- Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.
-Reduce speed to medium.
-Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, about 5 minutes. (After every 2 additions, increase speed to high, and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce speed to medium-high). Add vanilla, and beat until buttercream is smooth. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (Bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth before using.)
Martha's Basic Buttercream

And to make it chocolate chip icing, just mix in two cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips.


I used a couple of ways to soften my butter. The first stick I used a roller with the butter between two sheets of wax paper. This was all good and well until I had to peel it off of the wax paper. The second trick I used was to stick the sticks in the microwave for 14 seconds. That worked better. I did that for my remaining two.


Beaten Butter.


My fluffy {for once!} frosting!

After you've got all that done, frost your cupcakes. It may not turn out super smooth, but it still looks nice and tastes even better!



And here's my trial cupcake.... are you ready for this?









Oh, it was fantastic.

Tell me if you try it!

Three Cheers for Cheerwine Cake!

UPDATE: We had the cake last night. Was it absolutely fantastic?





Oh yeah. It really, really was. So rich. Like, extremely rich. Next time, I think I will do Vanilla Extract instead of Almond, though.

_________________________________________________

Do you like Cheerwine? {Note: it has nothing to do with alcohol; we don't drink alcohol in our family} If you like Cheerwine, you'll be interested to know that there is a Cheerwine cake. Don't worry about Googling {or swagbuck'ing - as I tend to do} the recipe - I have it right here for you!



You'll need:
1 box devil's food cake
1 cup Cheerwine soft drink
1 tsp. almond extract

Mix as directed on box {with eggs and oil} but use Cheerwine instead of water. Add almond extract. Bake as directed on box.

And don't forget to grease your pan. {Like someone I know did...}





There's also a Cheerwine frosting recipe, which I made and did not like, so instead I used good old Betty Crocker icing.

Let's just take a break to note this: I hate baking cakes. I love cupcakes. I hate cakes. I hate even more putting frosting on cakes. Perhaps I just need to do it more so I'll like it more... ahh, well... anyway...



This is my first time ever actually "decorating" a cake.



Can you tell?





We haven't eaten it yet! I'll tell you how it turns out.