I’m going to be an aunt! My sister-in-law Erin is due with her first baby, Eoin (pronounced Owen) Wayne in a little less than two months. Depending on when baby Eoin decides to make his appearance, we just might share a birthday!
One Year Ago: Beet Hummus
Two Years Ago: Tropical Salad with Pineapple Vinaigrette
Three Years Ago: Cilantro Lime Grilled Vegetables

Sometimes you don't even know what you're looking for until it falls into your lap. Take, for instance, August 31st, 2006 when a lanky, dark-haired guy took a seat beside me in my Development of the Book class at Truman State University. I wasn't looking for a homework partner. I wasn't looking for a boyfriend. I certainly wasn't looking for a husband. Despite that, I soon found myself with all three! (In all fairness, the husband thing took awhile. The homework partner thing was pretty immediate, and the boyfriend thing followed shortly thereafter!)
I don't mean to liken Ryan to a chocolate cupcake, but in much the same way, I wasn't looking for a go-to chocolate cupcake recipe. As I explained yesterday, chocolate cupcakes were included in the cupcake order, and I happened upon this one from Cook's Illustrated. As I whisked and mixed and filled cupcake liners, I suspected I had something good on my hands. My suspicions were confirmed twenty-four hours later.
These are deeply, darkly chocolatey. The ganache center (dropped into the batter, not piped in...making it particularly easy!) is a heavenly surprise, adding a richness and a depth to what was already a near-perfect cupcake. I didn't know I needed a go-to chocolate cupcake. Though I'm not anti-cupcake, it is rarely my first choice when it comes to desserts.

I did need a homework partner, boyfriend, and husband. I also needed a go-to chocolate cupcake recipe. Now I have both! Look no further, I'm quite convinced this is the chocolate cupcake recipe YOU needed too!

(Note--I decorated these in line with the Halloween theme requested, using vanilla buttercream that I could color and then create the spiderwebs on. These would be just as good with a chocolate buttercream or ganache frosting!)

Two Years Ago: Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings (crazy sounding but one of the best-received desserts I've ever made!)


Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling and Buttercream Frosting
cupcake recipe as seen on First Look, Then Cook (Originally from Cook's Illustrated)
frosting recipe from Baked Bree
*Makes 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
for the ganache-
-2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chips)
-1/4 cup heavy cream
-1 tbsp confectioners' sugar

for the cupcakes-
-3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chips)
-1/3 cup dark chocolate cocoa (I used Hershey's)
-3/4 cup hot coffee
-3/4 cup bread flour
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-1/2 tsp table salt
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-6 tbsp vegetable oil
-2 large eggs
-2 tsp white vinegar
-1 tsp vanilla extract

for the frosting-
-2 sticks butter, at room temperature
-3 cups confectioners' sugar
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2-3 tbsp heavy cream


Directions:
1. To make the ganache filling, place the chocolate, cream, and confectioners' sugar in a medium-microwave safe bowl. Heat on high until mixture is warm to the touch (20-30 seconds). Whisk until smooth before placing bowl in refrigerator to stand just until chilled (no longer than 30 minutes).
2. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350F and line a standard-sized muffin pan with baking-cup liners. Place chocolate and cocoa in a medium-sized bowl. Pour hot coffee over the mixture and whisk until smooth.
3. Set in refrigerator for 20 minutes to cool completely. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl and set aside.
4. Add the oil, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla to the cooled chocolate-cocoa mixture, whisking until smooth. Add the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
5. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Drop one slightly rounded tsp of ganache filling on top of each filled cupcake. Bake 17-19 minutes, until cupcakes are set and just firm to the touch.
6. Cool cupcakes in a muffin pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan and placing directly on wire rack to cool completely. Allow to cool for 1 hour before frosting.
7. To make the frosting,  Cream butter in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes.
8. Add confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla and 2 tbsp of heavy cream. If the frosting is too thick, add a little more cream until it is the desired consistency. Use food coloring to tint accordingly.
9. Pipe or spread buttercream on cupcakes. To make spider web cupcakes, spread buttercream evenly on top of cupcakes. Use gel icing to pipe circles on top of each cupcake. Using a toothpick, drag lines from center of cupcake out to the edge, creating spiderweb effect.

I know I said that maybe 2012 would be the year of the cupcake, the year I finally conquered the miniature cakes that have taken the world by storm. As it turned out, however, there was still some cupcake left in The Sweets Life 2011. A manager in Ryan’s group has been enjoying the treats I’ve sent into work with him (most recently pumpkin snickerdoodles and a pie that you do NOT want to miss…to be posted soon!) and asked if I’d be willing to make 3 dozen cupcakes for him to take to a Halloween party.

One Year Ago: Cranberry Bliss Bars (Just like Starbucks!)


Candy Corn Sugar Cookie Cupcakes
cupcake recipe from Baked Perfection, candy corn tutorial from Treats

Ingredients:
-1 cup butter, softened
-2 cups sugar
-3 eggs
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-3 cups all-purpose flour
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 cups sour cream
-buttercream frosting (recipe below)

Directions:
1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. in a mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
3. Add the dry mixtures to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream (batter will be thick).
4. Divide the batter evenly into 3 mixing bowls. With food coloring, make one bowl orange and another bowl yellow. Leave the last bowl white.
5. Beginning with the yellow batter, divide it evenly among paper lined muffin pans (recipe makes ~30 cupcakes). Continue with the orange batter and finish with the white batter.
6. Bake cupcakes at 350F for 25-30 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Once cupcakes have cooled completely, frost with buttercream and top with candy corn.

Vanilla Buttercream
from Baked Bree

Ingredients:
-2 sticks butter, at room temperature
-3 cups confectioners' sugar
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2-3 tbsp heavy cream

Directions:
1. Cream butter in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes.
2. Add confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla and 2 tbsp of heavy cream. If the frosting is too thick, add a little more cream until it is the desired consistency.

Remember when I tried to make brownie cookie ice cream sandwiches last summer? I've tried hard to banish that baking disaster from my memory, but alas I found myself in a similar situation with these chocolate ice cream cupcakes a few weeks ago. I am clearly not fit to sandwich ice cream between things...it always ends in a melty, leaky mess! Granted, I'm pretty sure I've learned my lesson and I've spotted a few tips & tricks on the internet that will hopefully help next time (Yes, there will be a next time. I'm not giving up yet!). I still consider these a success, however. Though they didn't end up as they were intended, I managed to avoid a meltdown (rather unlike my White Chocolate Amaretto Cake) and came up with a Plan B solution.

I really wanted these to turn out perfectly, because they were for a special someone: Edward. No, I don't have another man in my life...Edward is the perfect, adorable, scrumptious (catch my drift?) son of my friends Greg and Sara. I've totally fallen for this little tot who I've spent the last year watching grow from a teeny tiny baby to a toddler who walks and has a fun little personality. Since I missed his birthday party at the end of April, I was determined to have a party of our own, complete with cake!

As you can see from the pictures, these were Edward-approved. He didn't care that my attempt at sandwiching ice cream inside the cupcakes had gone completely awry (for the record, I instead just placed a scoop of turtle tracks between the cupcakes just before serving and served in a bowl to contain the mess!). In the end, they were still ice cream cupcakes and they were still suited for the birthday boy....mission accomplished.


One Year Ago: Candy Bar Cookie Bars


Chocolate Ice Cream Cupcakes
slightly adapted from 500 Cupcakes

Ingredients:
-1 cup butter, softened
-1 cup superfine sugar (I pulsed regular granulated sugar in my food processor)
-1 1/2 cups flour
-4 tbsp cocoa powder
-1 tsp baking powder
-4 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 cup (3.5 oz) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)
-1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
-ice cream, for serving

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pans with paper baking cups (18 total).
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, eggs, and vanilla, beating until smooth and creamy (2-3 minutes).
3. Divide batter evenly among baking cups. Bake for 20 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
4. Place muffin tins on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin tins and place on rack to cool completely.
5. To make ganache, heat chocolate over a double boiler until melted. Remove from heat and stir in heavy cream until well combined. Allow to cool slightly before spreading frosting on each cupcake. Place in an airtight container and store in the freezer for at least one hour, or up to three months.
6. When ready to serve, remove cupcakes from freezer and place in fridge for 30 minutes. Carefully slice cupcakes in half and serve with a scoop of ice cream between each cupcake half.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
cupcake recipe from allrecipes.com, frosting from Pinch my Salt
*makes 20

Ingredients:
for the cupcakes-
-1/2 cup butter
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-2 eggs
-1 cup buttermilk
-1 fluid ounce red food coloring
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 1/2 tsp baking soda
-1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-1/3 unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 tsp salt

for the frosting-
-16 oz. cream cheese, softened
-1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (*use additional if you prefer a stiffer frosting!)
-pinch of salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line twenty muffin cups with paper baking cups.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, buttermilk, food coloring, and vanilla. Stir in the baking soda and vinegar.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir into the batter, just until blended. Divide batter evenly among prepared cups.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cupcake tops spring back lightly when pressed. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.
5. To make frosting, blend cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. With mixer on low, add powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Increase mixing speed to high, beating until light and fluffy. Pipe or spread frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Serve cupcakes immediately or refrigerate until serving.

Monday was our work group's Christmas luncheon and it also happened to be my co-worker's birthday. Normally when it's your birthday in our group, you are responsible for bringing in a treat for the group. Since this fell on the same day as our lunch, I offered to make her whatever dessert she wanted. I wasn't surprised when she requested cupcakes, her love for cupcakes is well known! Turn out, her favorite cupcake flavor is vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. I've made Funfetti cupcakes from scratch, but never just plain vanilla. So I turned to Annie, the cupcake queen, and immediately knew I'd found the right recipe.

I halved the recipe and got 12 cupcakes, although Annie said a full recipe yielded 30. The entire recipe is posted below. Though I didn't get to try a finished product, I ate more than a cupcake's worth of batter and frosting and knew they'd come out delicious. My friend Juli tried one at work and declared the buttercream "melt in her mouth". So there you have it! Making a birthday cake (or cupcake!) for Jesus this Christmas?! I recommend these!

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream
from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
for the cupcakes-
-3 cups cake flour
-1 tbsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
-2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
-2 cups sugar
-5 large eggs, at room temperature
-1 1/4 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
-1 tbsp vanilla extract

for the frosting-
-2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter softened
-2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
-1/8 tsp salt
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-2 tbsp heavy cream

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 cupcake pans with paper or foil liners. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add butter and the vanilla beans (scrape out of the pod and discard the pod). Beat butter and vanilla beans with the paddle attachment on medium-high for approximately three minutes, until light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to beat for another minute.
3. Add the sugar to the creamed butter, 1/4 cup at a time, beating for a minute after each addition. Add each of the eggs, beating after each addition. In a small bowl, mix buttermilk and vanilla extract.
4. With the mixer on low speed, alternating adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Divide batter between prepared pans, filling each cup 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes (mine were done after 18 minutes), until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. After 5-10 minutes, remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on a cooling rack.
6. To prepare the frosting, beat the butter in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium high until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar and salt, beating on medium-low for 45 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and beat on medium until mixture is combined. Add vanilla and heavy cream and continue to beat until incorporated (10 seconds). Increase the speed to medium high and beat for 4 minutes, until light and fluffy (scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times as needed). Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated my brother-in-law Justin's birthday. I volunteered to bring a dessert and he requested something with chocolate, berries, or butter. I managed to satisfy two of the three suggestions (chocolate & butter) and threw an additional ingredient that I knew he'd like into the mix: alcohol. There's no doubt about it, these cupcakes are decadent! They're putsy and tedious to make (thank you Grandma for your assistance!), but when I bit into a cupcake I knew the time they took were absolutely worth it. Don't worry about tasting the Guinness if you're not a beer fan. I'm not and didn't detect a beer flavor. The chocolate ganache filling was rich and a nice little surprise amidst the moist chocolate cake. I must say, however, that my favorite part of these was the Bailey's frosting. I plan to make it again sometime and sandwich it between cookies!

Thankfully Justin was also pleased with his birthday cupcakes and I happily sent him home with the remaining cupcakes. I have a new appreciation for cupcake shops---complicated cupcakes are an art! That being said, I've now purchased a fancy cupcake carrying case and I'm eager to master more cupcakes. I already have grand schemes for the next batch...


Guinness and Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes
recipe from Annie's Eats
*makes 24 cupcakes


Ingredients:
For the cupcakes-
-1 cup Guinness
-2 sticks unsalted butter
-3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-2 cups sugar
-1 1/2 tsp baking soda
-3/4 tsp salt
-2 large eggs
-2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey's ganache filling-
-8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
-2/3 cup heavy cream
-2 tbsp room temperature butter
-2 tsp Bailey's Irish cream

For the Bailey's buttercream frosting-
-1 stick butter, room temperature
-3-4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
-4-8 tbsp Bailey's Irish cream

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Fill 2 cupcake tins (24 total) with paper liners. Heat Guinness and 2 sticks of butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Once butter is melted, whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs and sour cream until well combined. Add the Guinness-butter mixture and mix to combine. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing on low until just combined.
3. Divide batter evenly among muffin tins (so each is 3/4 full). Bake for approximately 17 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from tins and cooling completely on a wire rack.
4. To make the ganache, heat cream in a small saucepan until simmering. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour simmering cream over it. Allow to sit for 1 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the butter and Bailey's until well combined.
5. Once the ganache has cooled (stir occasionally while cooling) and the cupcakes are cooled completely, cut out a small cone from the center of each cupcake using a paring knife. Set cone aside. Using a piping bag with a wide tip, pipe a bit of ganache into the center of each cupcake. Lightly press cone back into cupcake to cover ganache.
6. To make the frosting, beat butter in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until frosting is smooth. Add Bailey's and continue to beat until smooth. Add more powdered sugar or Bailey's, depending on preferred taste and texture.
7. Frost cupcakes as desired. Refrigerate finished cupcakes until serving.

Since I made the frozen cherry limeade pie, I've had quite a few egg whites hanging out in my fridge. I immediately thought I'd make some sort of angel food cake, since I'd seen this heavenly sounding lime angel food cake on Maria's blog. However, I wasn't sure if an angel food cake would come out if I made it in a bundt pan, and I was wary to experiment. Then I saw a recipe for chocolate angel food cupcakes and I knew I was in business.

I've always loved angel food cake. My best memories of it are from 8th grade basketball, when one particular tournament sold funfetti angel food cake at their concessions stand. I think my teammates and I were more excited about this than how well our team did in the tournament, sad as it is to say! Since then, I've had angel food cake a few times, often with strawberries and whipped cream. I had never tried, or even heard of, a chocolate version of this light, airy cake. The original recipe comes from Martha Stewart, so it's no surprise that these are quite delicious!

This recipe yielded about 18 cupcakes. I kept some plain, topped a few with whipped cream, as you see in the pictures, and then shared a bunch with some friends at work. For theirs, I sent a little jar with cream cheese frosting (4 oz. cream cheese beaten with about 1 cup of powdered sugar and a dash of vanilla extract) so that they could frost them if desired. I tried them all ways and liked them all ways. Ryan also thought they'd be good with a regular buttercream frosting. That being said, make them, choose your favorite topping (or not), and enjoy!

Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes
from Telly's Tasty Tidbits


Ingredients:
-3/4 cup sugar
-scant 1/2 cup cake flour
-1/4 cup cocoa powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/2 oz. semisweet chocolate, grated (about 1/4 cup)--I just chopped a Hershey's bar in my food processor and used 1/4 cup of it
-6 large egg whites
-1/2 tsp cream of tartar
-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
-1/2 tsp pure almond extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place oven rack in center. Sift together in a small bowl 1/3 cup sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in grated chocolate and set aside.
2. With the whisk attachment and an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. With machine running, add remaining sugar in a slow steady stream, beating until fully incorporated and stiff glossy peaks form. Add vanilla and almond extracts and beat to combine.
3. Gradually stir in flour mixture, gently folding into egg-white mixture until fully combined. Pour batter into lined muffin tins, filling about 2/3rds of the way. Tap pan on counter to remove air bubbles.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until cakes spring back when depressed with a finger. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing and cooking completely on a wire rack.
5. Serve with desired frosting and/or fresh fruit. Store at room temperature and eat within 3 days.

Because I was unable to decide between chocolate or yellow cupcakes for the baby shower, I decided to make both. Originally, I planned to use all of the cupcakes as part of the bookworm and just incorporate the different flavors...but then I got the brilliant idea to make chocolate cupcakes, but to use the chocolate cupcakes to signify the dirt that the bookworm was burrowing in. I set about finding a good chocolate cupcake recipe when lo and behold, Sugar Plum posted a Devil's Food Cupcake recipe. Emily's blog is one of my all-time favorites and it's no secret that she's an all-star baker, so I quick my search and decided to make her recipe.

As I mentioned yesterday on my punch post, I made cupcakes last weekend for a friend's baby shower. Because the theme was book-themed and we asked everyone to bring a book for the baby's library instead of a card, I thought it would be cute to make "bookworm" cupcakes. This is one of those instances where I got an idea in my head of how I wanted it to look, but I wasn't sure I'd be able to execute as well as I was imagining. Thankfully, the display of cupcakes turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself.