Mocha Cupcakes

And so begins the Valentine's Day desserts. 

I absolutely LOVE Valentine's Day. It's a win-win. I get presents, flowers, chocolates, AND dinner! Sorry to all guys out there, although I am low-maintenance most days of the year, Valentine's Day is definitely not one of them. Luckily, I have a wonderful boyfriend that coooompletely understands ;) These cupcakes are perfect: the icing is fluffy and light and mimics the coffee undertones in the cupcake. Plus, sprinkles make everything more amazing.

Oh, by the way, about a week ago, I applied for a research assistant position offered by the one and only Tucker Max. He's a comedy writer who has written titles such as I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell and Assholes Finish First. He is absolutely HYSTERICAL, and I jumped at this wonderful opportunity to work for him. I made it to the second cut, and I will hear back (or not) by January 30th. I'll be sure to keep y'all updated!

I didn't have espresso powder or a small sieve, so I used a larger sieve and filtered the coffee-infused milk through 5 times before adding to the sugar mixture. As you can see, there were still coffee granules in the batter, but it didn't make a difference in the end product. This recipe makes 12 perfectly sized cupcakes, but if I made it again, I would definitely double it. 

Champagne Cupcakes

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas and a happy New Year! I took a little bit of time off to recoup from the stress of finals and my first semester as a nutrition major. Thankfully, I made all As this semester, and I had my first day of classes today. If you have champagne left over from your New Year celebrations, then I have two perfect recipes to use that up for you: champagne cupcakes and champagne marshmallows (which will be up tomorrow)! For Christmas, I received a Bamboo graphic arts tablet so I can begin work on designs for recipe cards and other baking-themed projects! What cooking-related items did y'all get for Christmas?

We brought in the New Year quietly at my house. I was asleep by 12:30! Also, Jeremy and I's 3 year anniversary also landed at midnight, so we went out to eat at a fantastic place in Charlotte called The Cowfish. As their name suggests, they serve both sushi and burgers, and they are AMAZING. We got The Motherload as an appetizer, which features a slice of every fish available on their menu! ! I ate several things I knew (octopus, clam, yellowtail, tuna, salmon, shrimp) and tons of things I didn't. I had no trouble downing everything on the plate except the raw shrimp and the tempura battered prawn-big shrimp-crawfish thing. I took a bite of it, and the legs came off in the mouth and all I could think about what that it looked like I was eating a spider, and I freaked out a little. Before you go though, be aware that they have an extremely large menu. It wouldn't be a bad idea to browse the menu online before you went.

Chocolate Wasted Cake

My boyfriend's 21st birthday was this past weekend, and this cake seemed totally appropriate. It's chocolate on top of chocolate on top of even MORE chocolate! It's insane. I had to choose between this cake and an Oreo cake, but I really just wanted to go crazy and throw tons of chocolate on a cake. Seriously, that's what you do. And what could be better? Also, chocolate has phytochemicals, which are good for you. Trust me, I'm a Nutrition major ;)

Sadly, my first wonderful cake fell. I waited too long after adding the baking soda to the wet ingredients (about 12 minutes; I was hastily buttering the pans and cutting out parchment rounds) and the baking soda reacted before I had a chance to put it in the oven. I had to resort to box mix for the cake layers, but feel free to try the original cake layer recipe. It has had many good reviews on the original website. All cake batter photographs are from the original cake recipe, not the box mix version. (I used Betty Crocker Super Moise Triple Chocolate Fudge mix).

Chocolate Mousse Filled Cupcakes with Hot Pink Vanilla Buttercream

So, as some of y'all might know, I moved into my dorm at my new college yesterday! It wasn't so bad especially because I only live 25 minutes away, but I am still the sort to get homesick regardless, and moving in to PC when I was a freshman was EXTREMELY hard to get used to for me. I figured that at least some of the new freshman moving in to this area were probably feeling like I did last year, and cupcakes make everyone feel better, so I made some for the people in my dorm! As I type, there are only about 6 out of 24 left on the little side table I put outside my room.

I didn't meticulously plan out this recipe like I usually do my other ones, probably I did something I NEVER do...using a box mix. I am not exactly against eating boxed mixes, I am just not comfortable with the long list of ingredients that I can't understand with ridiculous names. But today I was in a hurry, so I did it anyways. It did turn out well, but I like making them from scratch better, so feel free to substitute your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe.

I don't measure out my food gel, so just dump enough in to make it pretty colored, but not enough in to dye your teeth pink. Oh, and I woke up yesterday morning at 5:00 am, moved to college, and went midnight bowling until 3:00 am, so I was really tired when I got back to my dorm last night. I was woken up 2 hours later by THE LOUDEST BANGING SOUND EVER outside my window for fifteen minutes straight. Apparently the dumpsters (all 5 of them) are right outside my dorm window AND construction is going on as well. I yelled a few choice words, and drove home to sleep. At least I live close.

This little gadget is one of the best inventions ever. It is called a cupcake corer, and you insert it and twist to take out the middle of the cupcake for fillings such as mousse, frosting, jam, etc. I used to just pipe it in through the bottom of the cupcake, but after I had the entire contents of a filled jumbo cupcake fall out on me I decided to just buy this and not take the risk.

Just put the mousse into a pastry bag fitted with a large tip, and fill the hole. I had about 3/4 cup of mousse left over, so fill it the holes as full as you can!

I fitted a pastry bag with a small star tip (next time, I would definitely use a larger tip) and piped the buttercream in a swirl pattern on top.

My cute table and sign! I plan to do this quite a bit during the school year, so be on the lookout.

Chocolate Cupcakes:

...Sadly I used a box mix for this recipe (Betty Crocker), but in my defense I was really tight on time! Substitute with your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe or use a box mix too!

Chocolate Mousse:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

• Whip the cream on high until it forms stiff peaks. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Let cool to room temperature, and fold into whipped cream. Pipe into center of cupcakes.

Vanilla Buttercream:
from Food Network

Ingredients

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream

Directions

• In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.
• Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.