red velvet and chocolate cupcakes.

So…Hawaii was fantastic – Hence the lack of posts.

I made these sometime this summer and had not got around posting them. We had a garden party with the regiment my husband belong to and I was tasked to bring cupcakes (because every time the girls meet, I am requested to bake something)




Everything is made from scratch aside of the icing that is Betty Crocker!

Red Velvet cupcakes



I• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa (powdered)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup of butter at room temperature
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon red food coloring

Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Sift dry ingredients three times. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to beat well after each egg. Add 1/4 of dry ingredients to creamed mixture then approximately 1/4 of buttermilk alternating until mixed well. Mix in vanilla and food coloring.
Fill lined cupcake pans 1/2 full of red velvet batter. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool cupcakes in pans for 5 to 10 minutes then remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks before frosting.

Chocolate cupcakes



• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Lemon cupcakes with vanilla frosting

I needed to bribe a co-worker Friday and I managed to bribe him quite well with these lemon cupcakes with vanilla frosting.



Ingredients

180g butter, softened
400g sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lemon (about 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp)
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
450g flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk

How to

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and cream together your butter and sugar till creamy
2. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, salt and baking powder and continue beating till the mixture is light and fluffy, then add your lemon zest and juice and beat in for another few minutes.
3. Add your milk and flour in 3 alternating batches, beating well after each addition. Once all the milk and flour has been added, beat at top speed for about 30 sec – 1 minute or till the mixture is smooth and shiny.
4. Line your cupcake baking tray with cupcake liners and fill each liner about 1/2 – 2/3 full – it depends on whether you want the cake to peep over the top of the liner, or stay completely contained. I personally prefer to under fill as it means you have a ‘tidier’ cupcake once they’re baked, iced and decorated.
5. Place your lined and filled cupcake tray into the oven, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted into each cupcake comes out clean.



As for the frosting.... well, It's call Betty Crocker....

Strawberry Cupcakes

Who does not like strawberry cupcakes? Last Sunday, after I got home from groceries shopping, I realized that I had yet again bought too much strawberries. What a better way to ensure no waste than make delicious cupcakes? Besides, those little piece of heaven made me the most popular girl around the office.

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 large egg
6 ounces All Natural Vanilla Lowfat Yogurt (or any other fruit flavor of yogurt)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced

Frosting:
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 fresh strawberries, about 2 Tbsp. mashed



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. With an electric hand mixer, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg, the yogurt and vanilla, blending until smooth.

2. Measure the dry ingredients into the bowl and blend, then fold in the strawberries.

3. Divide the mixture equally between the 12 paper-lined cupcake cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

4. Beat together butter, powdered sugar, and mashed strawberry in medium-size bowl until creamy and smooth. Chill frosting for 15 minutes or until thick. Frost cupcakes with a spatula. Keep cupcakes in the refrigerator loosely covered.

Coconut cream pound cake.

There is cake, there is sissy cake, and this cake is definitely not for the dieting cake craving people. It’s rich, it’s delicious, and its calories pack but very yummy!
I have had a crazy couple of weeks with days of work well over the regular 8 hours. I found time to cook (As we should always eat fresh food and little processed). My slow cooker has been a savior and my husband a tremendous help. Anyhow, I felt like baking a cake and when I came across this recipe, I knew I had to bake it. I’ve warned all of you, this cake is not a light cake-ish thing, its heavy (It’s a pound cake after all) and people should not overindulge.



Ingredients

- 1 cup of butter softened (not melted)
- 1 package of cream cheese softened (I used light cream cheese)
- 3 cup of white sugar (Used Splenda)
- 6 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (I love the African vanilla we brought home from our honeymoon)
- 3 cup of all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon of baking powder
- 2 cup of unsweetened coconuts flakes.

How to?

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the cream cheese until well blended. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Blend in the eggs one at the time, then stir in the vanilla extract. Mix in flour and baking powder until just moistened then stir in coconut flakes. Spoon batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack.
4. Once cold, add icing if you like. (Already rich enough for my taste!)