Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

I think it's pretty essential to have a good vanilla cupcake recipe in your personal recipe book. It's something that pretty much everyone likes, and can also be transformed into so many different cupcakes! I found this one with vanilla bean in it, and quickly fell in love. I love seeing the little flecks of vanilla bean throughout the cupcakes, and they just taste so darn good!

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes (recipe from Sarah's Bake Studio)

ingredients

for the cupcakes: 

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 ounces white chocolate baking bars, broken up

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs

seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean

1 - 5.3 ounce container of greek yogurt, plain or vanilla

for the frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 cups pure cane powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean

1-3 tablespoons milk

instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine white chocolate baking bars and milk over low heat, stirring continuously until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla extract until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Split vanilla bean down the middle lengthwise; scrape seeds from half of vanilla bean into batter. Reserve other half for buttercream.
6. Slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients, alternating between flour and Chobani Greek yogurt; beat at low speed until blended.
7. Scoop batter into cupcake liners – no more than 2/3 full, or use a #24 disher to scoop batter. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cupcake, if it comes out clean it is done. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow cupcakes to cool in cupcake pan for 3 minutes; transfer to wire rack and cool completely. Cupcakes should be cooled completely before frosting.
FOR VANILLA BEAN BUTTERCREAM
8. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy and smooth.
9. Turn mixer on lowest speed and add powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds, and a tablespoon of milk; mix on low speed until combined.
10. Turn mixer on high speed and mix for 3 minutes, adding more milk if needed; mix until creamy and smooth.
11. Pipe or frost cooled cupcakes. Eat & Enjoy!

Enjoy!

-Kylie

Pumpkin Maple Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Still looking for a last minute dessert to whip up for Thanksgiving tomorrow? Or a recipe to get rid of that extra pumpkin you now have? You're definitely going to want to make these. You probably have most of the ingredients already, and these cupcakes come out amazing! And the icing is to die for. I had leftover in the end, and I was putting it on everything! You have to give these a try!

Pumpkin Maple Cupcakes 

ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp imitation maple syrup extract
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup milk

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 F. Line standard muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl/stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then add the vanilla, maple, pumpkin and vegetable oil. 
4. Beat in flour mixture alternately with the milk.
5. Divide the better among the cupcake liners, about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, and then cool cupcakes on a wire rack.
6. Frost once completely cooled.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

ingredients

• 6 oz cream cheese, softened
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 cups powdered sugar

directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in vanilla and cinnamon.
2. Add powdered sugar and beat on low until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth.
3. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes with your favorite frosting tip.

Enjoy!

-Kylie

chocolate banana cupcakes

Two of my favorite flavors in dessert, brought together in a fabulous cupcake! I mean, can you ever go wrong when chocolate and banana are involved?! Plus, the icing is so smooth and chocolatey, I could probably just eat it with a spoon! You're going to want to make these ASAP. (And careful, they seem to disappear quickly!)

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes (recipe from Bakerella)

ingredients:

Cream Cheese Mixture

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 small banana, pureed

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Mixture

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large bananas, pureed

1/3 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the cream cheese mixture:

• Beat cream cheese and sugar until nice and fluffy.
• Add banana, egg and vanilla and mix together until combined.
• Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.

For the chocolate mixture:

• Sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, soda and salt using a wire whisk.
• Add bananas, oil and vanilla and mix together on low until combined.
• Use a large scoop to fill cupcake liners with batter.
• Repeat topping the cupcake batter with the cream cheese mixture.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until done.

Chocolate Sour Cream Icing (recipe from Real Simple)

ingredients:

12 

ounces 

semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 

cups 

(3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 

cups 

confectioners’ sugar

3/4 

cup 

sour cream

pinch kosher salt

directions: 

1. Heat the chocolate in a double boiler or medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on high until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add the sugar and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the chocolate, sour cream, and salt and beat to combine.
3. Top the cupcakes with the frosting once they are cooled.

Let me know if you try them out! 

-Kylie

strawberry lemon cupcakes

I'm not sure when I became such a fan of lemon baked good, but I'm so glad I did! It's just such a refreshing flavor, and perfect for warmer months. I made these lemon cupcakes with strawberry buttercream for our last clinical day at the hospital for my clinical group and the nurses on our floor, and everyone loved them! (Isn't that the best feeling, when someone loves what you bake?) I ate about three in one sitting myself, and I will absolutely be making theses again!

Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream (recipe slightly adapted from I Am Baker)

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. coarse salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp lemonjuice, divided
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• few drops of lemon extract (optional)
Strawberry Buttercream
• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup strawberry jam or preserves
• 3 cups confectioners sugar
• 1-2 tbsp milk

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffins tins. (This recipe yielded 16 muffins for me.)
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In stand mixer with paddle attachment (starting on low), cream together room temperature butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add in eggs, one at a time and mix until just blended.
4. Add in vanilla, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and milk and mix for about 30 seconds on low. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
5. Remove from mixer then fold in lemon zest with spatula. I added a few drops of lemon extract at this point, to really bring out the lemon flavor.
6. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes.
7. Use pastry brush to brush remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice over the top of the cupcake.
8. Let cupcakes cool completely and dry before topping with strawberry frosting.
Strawberry Buttercream
9. Place butter, vanilla and jam in stand mixer with whisk attachment. Whisk on medium-high for 1-2 minutes, or until fully incorporated.
10. With mixer on low, add in sugar, one cup at a time. When mixer starts to struggle, drizzle in milk one tablespoon at a time.
11. After all milk as been added whisk buttercream on high for 1-2 minutes. Frost cupcakes when they have cooled.

Do I have you drooling? ;)

-Kylie

strawberry banana cupcakes

It's my first day of my accelerated nursing program! AHH! Not going to lie, I'm definitely nervous about it all. I mean, it's 4 years of normal nursing curriculum packed into one year! (Plus, I have classes for pretty much 8 hours straight on Monday. Blegh.) But it was really reassuring to meet a bunch of people at the orientation, and find that they're all just as freaked out as I am! (And ready to spend all our money at Starbucks this year ;)) Plus, it will be nice to finally be working towards what I want to do in my life! Yay!
Now onto these cupcakes. YUM. Let me tell you from experience, it's pretty hard to go wrong when mashed banana is in the recipe. It seriously made the cupcakes so fluffy and moist, and they actually tasted like banana bread! Add the sweet strawberry buttercream, and it was just perfection! (Next I want to try the banana cupcake with a nutella frosting!!)

Strawberry Banana Cupcakes (recipe from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen)

Ingredients

• Cupcakes:
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup (12 Tablespoons) salted butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• Frosting:
• 3/4 cup (12 Tablespoons) salted butter, softened
• 4 oz cream cheese (1/2 8 oz block), softened
• 1/3 cup frozen sweetened strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed (note: these do make the frosting very sweet, use fresh strawberries instead to knock the sweetness down!)
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (note: I probably used about 1/4 cup more)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 muffin tins with liners and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine mashed bananas and lemon juice and set aside. In another bowl, mix the flour and baking soda and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter with a mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat on medium until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time until combined, scraping the bowl after each. Beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, beat the flour mixture and buttermilk in alternately, starting and ending with flour and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in mashed bananas.
4. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the center of cupcakes springs back when lightly touched. Allow to cool completely. on a wire rack.
5. Prepare frosting: In the bowl of your mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add pureed strawberry mixture, beating on low until smooth. Add powdered sugar and continue beating on low until JUST mixed. Increase mixer speed to high and beat for one minute.

Are you ready to get baking?

-Kylie