Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes Recipe

After taking your very first bite of these cupcakes you will be hit with the sensational flavors of fresh strawberries, decadent marshmallow all topped off with a light and creamy champagne whipped cream.  What really surprised me was just how moist the cupcakes were!   Tell someone that you love them this Valentine's Day with this romantic dessert.  I like to top these with sprinkles to resemble champagne bubbles.  

Strawberry Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of strawberries, pureed

3 tablespoons of strawberry preserves

4 eggs

1 cup of strawberry champagne

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 butter, melted

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Filling

1 cup of Marshmallow Fluff

Whipped Cream and Champagne Frosting

4 cups of heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup of strawberry champagne

1 cup of powdered sugar

2-3 drops of red food coloring

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Make a well in the middle.  

2.  In a medium bowl combine the strawberries, strawberry preserves, eggs, champagne, vanilla, oil and butter.  Using a mixer, beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until well combined.  Slowly start to add the wet ingredients to the well made in the middle of the dry ingredients.  Mix until combined.

3.  Line cupcake pans with colorful liners.  Pour batter 3/4  of the way full.  Bake for 20-23 minutes.  Allow the cupcakes to fully cool.

4.  Scoop the marshmallow fluff into a piping bag.  Using a piping bag push the tip into the center of the cupcake.  Fill with marshmallow frosting.

5.  In a large bowl, cream the whipped cream, champagne, powdered sugar until soft peaks are formed.  Now add in the food coloring and continue to whip until stiff peaks are formed.  Place the frosting in a piping bag and then frost the top of the cupcakes.  

Maple Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Honey Frosting Topped With Graham Cracker Crumbs Recipe

If you want a professional looking cupcake that tastes, well amazing, well here you go with my Maple Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Honey Frosting, topped with graham cracker crumbs! It's perfect to make for the holidays, and all the kids at your Thanksgiving table will love these fun desserts. I actually made a batch of these for my best friend's birthday earlier this fall and they were a hit everyone! I topped mine with roasted pumpkin seeds, but pecans would be a great alternative!

Maple Pumpkin Cupcakes

3 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of brown sugar

3 cups of pumpkin puree (or one large can)

4 large eggs

1 cup of canola oil

1/2 cup of maple syrup

Cinnamon Honey Frosting

3 cups of powdered sugar

2 sticks of butter at room temperature

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons of honey

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl add all your dry ingredients, including flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and sugars.

2. Make a well in the middle and add in the remaining ingredients- pumpkin, eggs, oil and maple syrup. Whisk the ingredients together until a smooth batter forms.

3. Add cupcake liners to a cupcake tin and divide the batter evenly among them (fill about 3/4 of the way full). Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted in the center and it comes out clean.

4. While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. In a medium sized bowl add all of the ingredients including the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, honey and cinnamon. Using a hand mixer mix until the mixture because creamy (about 2 minutes).

5. Once the cupcakes are fully cool, pipe the frosting on top of the cupcake. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs on top. Top with pumpkin or pecans and enjoy!

Cherry Limeade Cupcakes Recipe

My aunt and little cousin's birthday happen to be on the same day.  We were already having a Justin Bieber themed party for the little one and I still wanted to do a little something special for my aunt; enter Cherry Limeade Cupcakes, since this drink is her favorite during the summertime!  I needed some inspiration so I based my recipe off the one I found on Annie's Eats!  The cake portion is moist, tart and limey, which is balanced out by the creamy sweet Whipped Maraschino Cherry Buttercream Frosting!  I brought the extras into work and they were a huge hit!

Limeade Cake 

6 cups of cake flour, sifted

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 sticks of butter, at room temperature

2 cups of sugar

2 limes (zest one and use the juice of both)

1 can of frozen limeade concentrate, thawed

1 teaspoon of vanilla

6 eggs

1 cup of milk

3/4 cup of lemon-lime soda (I happened to have cherry 7 up on hand so I used that)

Lime Syrup

1/4 cup limeade concentrate, thawed

1/4 cup of sugar

Whipped Maraschino Cherry Buttercream Frosting

3 sticks of butter, at room temperature

9 cups of powdered sugar

1/2 cup of Maraschino cherry juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream

Red Food Dye

Garnish

Maraschino cherries

Lime slices, quartered

Straws (Instead of buying special straws, I just cut mine down to size)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl add the cake flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together.  Mix until combined.  

2.  In a separate bowl cream the butter until it is light and fluffy.  Add in the sugar and blend.  Now add the lime zest juice, limeade concentrate and vanilla.  Using a mixer, start to blend the ingredients and then add the eggs, one by one.  

3.  Add half the flour mixture and half of the milk and continue to mix the ingredients.  Add the remaining flour and milk to the batter and mix until everything is incorporated.  Fold in the lemon-lime soda. 

4.  Using an ice cream scoop, spoon the batter into lined cupcake tins.  Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  This recipe will make almost 4 dozen cupcakes, it came out to baking 42 cupcakes for me.  Make sure you bake the cupcakes in two batches, so the cupcakes will bake evenly.

5.  Once the cupcakes have cooled, take a fork and poke 3 times on the top of the cupcakes.  Prepare the lime syrup by whisking the two ingredients together.  Take a spoon and drizzle this on top of all the cupcakes.  This is what gives the cupcake the extra tanginess and fresh limeade flavor!

6.   In another bowl beat the butter until it is light and fluffy.  Add the powdered sugar, juice, vanilla and whipping cream together until it is the desired consistency.  Add the red food coloring and blend until smooth.  Frost on the top of cupcakes.  

7.  Garnish with cherries, lime wedges and straws!  

Strawberry Stuffed Vanilla Cupcakes with Oreos Recipe (Also Known As Becca Bottoms!)

I made these for my friend's birthday after I learned of  her love for Oreos.  It is a simple vanilla cupcake, with an Oreo bottom, a strawberry stuffed in the middle- all topped off with a fluffy white frosting.  The combination of flavors tastes just like you are eating a strawberry sundae.  If you wanted to skip a step you could use a boxed vanilla cake mix and they would still be just as impresive. 

Vanilla Cupcake Recipe (makes about 24 cupcakes)

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 cup of granulated sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

1/2 cup of milk

4 eggs

1 package of Oreos

Strawberries hulled (smaller the better)

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  To a cupcake pan, add liners and place one full Oreo in the bottom to each one.  

2.  In a medium size bowl add the flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix until everything is well incorporated.

3.  In another medium size bowl beat the eggs with the sugar until it is light and starting to foam.  Add in the oil, vanilla extract and milk.  Slowly add dry ingredients and blend until the batter is smooth and fluffy.  Be careful not to over beat the mixture.  

4.   Pour the batter into the cupcake tins- about 3/4 the way full.  Insert into oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick insert comes out clean.

5.  While the cupcakes are cooling make the frosting below.

Fluffy White Frosting (this has been adapted by a recipe I have found on yummly.com)

1 1/2 cup of granulated sugar

3 tablespoons of light corn syrup

6 tablespoons of boiling water

3 large egg whites

1 pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/8 teaspoon of almond extract.

• Add the sugar, corn syrup and boiling water in a saucepan on medium heat.  (Use a pot that is easy to pour.)  Stir until sugar is completely dissolved (this will happen after it reaches a full boil).  Remove from the heat.

• In a large bowl beat the egg whites with salt until stiff peaks form.  Slowly pour the hot syrup in a thin stream into the egg whites. Beat until everything is well mixed.

• Add in the vanilla and almond extract.

• Continue to beat for about 10-15 minutes or until the icing is stiff.  

6.  Cone out the top of each of the cupcakes.  Place a strawberry inside and then cover with a little bit of cake.  Don't worry if it doesn't completely fit back as it once was, you are going to cover up the top of the cupcake with frosting.  

7.  Spread a heaping amount of frosting on the top of the cupcakes and swirl up to resemble soft serve ice cream.  Top with sprinkles and enjoy!