Sometimes it's okay to cheat-in the kitchen

While I had every intention of making the most amazing from scratch cupcakes ever for Matt's birthday, it was getting late & I decided to reach for (gasp!) a mix. But they turned out great, so here is how to make Mint Chocolate Cupcakes quickly.

1 Dark chocolate cake mix
1 tsp mint extract
1 recipe Sprinkles Dark Chocolate icing
Ghiradelli Dark Chocolates with Mint
Mix the cake mix up according to directions. Add the mint extract to the cake mix. Bake according to directions. When cool frost with Sprinkles Dark Chocolate icing. Break the Chocolates into pieces & place one on each cupcake.

Now that you have spent less time in the kitchen you can hang out with your birthday girl or boy!

Happy Birthday to my Matt

Today is Matt's birthday & at the risk of sounding totally cheesy, I love his birthday. We always have so much fun & I just love spoiling him. Matt loves dark chocolate & mint together. When I found this recipe for after eight mint cupcakes I knew it was perfect for his birthday!
Cake:
2½ oz dark chocolate
2/3 cup water
3½ oz butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp peppermint essence
1 cup self-raising flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup almond meal
Mousse:
11oz dark chocolate
1 tsp peppermint essence
1½ cup thickened cream
4 eggs, separated
4 tbsp superfine (caster) sugar


Decoration:
16 thin square after eight dinner mints
cocoa powder for dusting

Put the chocolate, essence and half the cream in a large bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until chocolate melted and it is a smooth mixture. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
While it is cooling beat the egg whites to soft peaks in a medium bowl. Then gradually add the sugar, a bit at a time, to the egg whites and beat till dissolved. In another small bowl beat the cream until thick. By now the chocolate mixture should have cooled. Lightly beat the egg yolks with a fork and stir into the chocolate mix. Next fold the cream into the chocolate mix. Now gently fold in the egg whites. Cover and refrigerate for several hours (overnight is good).
Preheat the oven to 330°F
Line a 12 cupcake pan, with cupcake papers. Take the 16 after dinner mints and cut shapes for the tops of the cakes (I have some tiny cookie cutters). Set the shapes aside. Coarsely cut up the off cuts - you need these, so don't go eating them.
Put the chocolate and water in a small saucepan. Stir over a low heat until the chocolate melts and it all combines. Using an electric beater, beat the butter, sugar, eggs and essence until smooth, light and fluffy. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and almond meal into this mixture. Add the chocolate mixture and the off-cuts of the mints. Stir until combined. Divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake tins. Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, transfer cakes to a rack and cool. Fold up some collars for the cakes using foil. Lightly grease each collar - we used a very light spray of oil. Put collar around cake. (This will create a wall to hold the mousse in) Spoon mousse onto each of the cakes. Refrigerate for 4 or more hours. When ready to serve, gently remove the collars. Dust with cocoa powder. Put the chocolate cut-outs on top.
Serve with extra thick cream and/or ice-cream.

Sprinkle's Lemon Buttercream Icing

It turns out Sprinkle's cupcake recipes are hard to find, I will keep researching! The good news is I have lots of icing for you to try.
This is the lemon butter cream:

1 cup butter, softened
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 the juice of a lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Combine butter, sugar and salt and beat till well combined.
Add lemon juice and vanilla and continue to beat for another 3 to 5 minute or until creamy.
*This picture is of my friend Jessica's darling daughter Sophie, digging into her 1st birthday cake, I love that she is wearing a bracelet, Sophie is truly Jessica's daughter!

Sprinkles! Dark Chocolate Icing

When I picked up a dozen cupcakes at Sprinkles for my family, I picked out the Vanilla, Red Velvet, Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate & Black & White. Susan Baca, my cousins mother in law is a cupcake connoisseur, so I was desperate to find some recipes for Sprinkle's cupcakes. Here is what I found:

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 lb. unsalted butter, at room temp
1 lb. 8 oz. powdered sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

Melt and cool chocolate (until just slightly warm). (I like to melt chocolate in a double boiler over a medium low heat)

Beat butter until light and fluffy. With mixer on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar. Add salt, vanilla and sour cream and mix until very smooth. Add chocolate and mix until just incorporated.

*Don't over-whip and add too much air into the frosting. The consistency should be rich and dense, like ice cream!

Magnolia Cupcakes

The Magnolia Bakery is a popular bakery in New York City on Bleeker Street, the bakery is so popular in fact that they are open even after the bars close to satisfy your cupcake cravings. I visited the bakery years ago with an uncle who appreciated cake. I loved it so much that I bought their cookbook. I love to make their Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes for special occasions & I am always flattered when they are called Jessie's cupcakes.

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Buttercream
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.