Basil Pesto Cupfakes - Recipe

for the cupfakes:
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. sugar
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 cup whole/homo milk
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, stir the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs, milk and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until just combined. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. *(Green baking cups look great on these cupfakes.)* Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupfakes from the pan and cool on a wire rack for an additional 25 minutes.

for the frosting:
1/2 cup basil pesto
1 1/2 cups cream cheese, softened
12 cherry/plum tomatoes
basil leaves, if desired for garnish

2. Beat the pesto and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Frost each cupcake and top with a tomato and a basil leaf.

Makes approximately 12 cupfakes

*There are many different types of pesto sauces. Try out a few to find one that you like best to use in this recipe. Or if you're really enterprising, try making some yourself in a food processor. My favorite is made by Williams Sonoma... it's a little pricey, but its delicious on pasta, on sandwiches, and, in these yummy savory treats pretending to be cupcakes!

Candied Orange Cupcakes - Recipe

for the cupcakes:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners/icing sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
4 eggs
1 tsp. orange extract
3 tbsp. candied orange, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and cool for 1 hour.


for the frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp. orange extract
additional candied orange fruit, or peel, if desired


2. Beat the butter and icing sugar in a medium bowl until soft and creamy. Add the orange extract and beat again. Frost each cupcake with a beveled spatula, knife, or piping bag. Sprinkle on a few candied fruits, if desired for garnish. 


Makes approximately 18 cupcakes

Cherry & Almond Cupcakes - Recipe

for the cupcakes:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners/icing sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
4 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
3 tbsp. candied cherries, chopped
3 tbsp blanched almonds, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and cool for 1 hour.


for the frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
additional candied cherries, if desired


2. Beat the butter and icing sugar in a medium bowl until soft and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and beat again. Frost each cupcake with a beveled spatula, knife, or piping bag. Top with a candied cherry, if desired for garnish. 


Makes approximately 18 cupcakes

Candied Fruit Cupcakes - Recipe

for the cupcakes:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners/icing sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
4 eggs
1 tsp. lemon extract
3 tbsp. candied citrus fruits, candied

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and cool for 1 hour.


for the frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp. lemon extract
additional candied fruits, if desired


2. Beat the butter and icing sugar in a medium bowl until soft and creamy. Add the lemon extract and beat again. Frost each cupcake with a beveled spatula, knife, or piping bag. Sprinkle on a few candied fruits, if desired for garnish. 


Makes approximately 18 cupcakes

Back to School Cupcakes - Recipe

for the cupcakes:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners/icing sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and cool for 1 hour.

for the frosting:
18 tbsp. green frosting
18 tbsp. blue frosting
18 sugar wafers
36 chocolate chips
1 tube black decorator icing
1 tube white decorator icing
18 red mini M&Ms

2. Frost each cupcake half blue and half green to make the grass and the sky. Cut a small rectangle from the upper left corner of each sugar wafer to create the school bus shape. Place it on the cupcake on the centre line. Place 2 chocolate chips (point down) on either end of the bus for wheels. Using a small piping tip, such as #2 or 3 pipe in the windows and bus stripes in black. Using a similar tip, pipe the bus lights and wheel rims in white. Pipe a small dot of white where you want the stop sign to go. Place a red M&M (label side down) on top of the white dot to secure it.

Send your child off to school with a smile, or share a special treat when they first arrive home. Sit and talk about how their first day went over some yummy cupcakes!

Makes approximately 18 cupcakes

Chocolate, Cherry & Almond Cupcakes - Recipe

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
4 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup confectioners/icing sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
2 tsp. almond extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder. Set aside. Cream the sugar and butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Add the flour mixture and the chopped cherries, stir until well combined. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Pour or brush a little of the almond extract on top of each cupcake and continue to cool on a wire rack.

For the topping:
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. confectioners/icing sugar, sifted
12 maraschino cherries, whole
3 tbsp. slivered almonds
2. White the cream and confectioners sugar together until slightly stiff. Garnish the cupcakes with a dollop of cream. Place and cherry in the center of each cupcake and sprinkle some chocolate around the cherry. Sprinkle each cupcake with some slivered almonds around the cherry. 

Makes approximately 18 cupcakes

Back to school - An apple for the teacher

Hi again friends!

Are you ready for some learnin!?

The last couple of days of summer are upon us and it's time for back to school. Why not start off the school year right with some yummy cupcakes... maybe they'll get your child back in the spirit, maybe they'll put a smile on the teachers face, or maybe you're really ambitious, and they'll be the special treat that your child brings to share with everyone in the class!

Whatever size project you're ready for, here is a great treat from 'What's New Cupcake?'

First start off with making these super delicious (and healthy) apple cinnamon cupcakes.

1 box yellow/golden cake mix
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with red or light green baking cups (depending on what colour apples you want to make). Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and allow cupcakes to cool for 1 hour.

Makes approximately 24 cupcakes

Now, for the fun part!

For the decorations you will need:

24 mini plain or chocolate dipped doughnuts
48 oz. vanilla frosting
12 tootsie rolls
12 GREEN: starburst/tootsie roll/candy mint leaves
4 cups red decorating sugar sprinkles
1/2 oz. red gel paste food colouring
12 chocolate covered sunflower seeds, brown
4 produce baskets (the kind you might buy tomatoes or peaches in)

Now that you have all your ingredients, follow this instructional excerpt from "What's New Cupcake?"

1. Cut 1/2 inch from the bottom of each mini doughnut with a serrated knife and discard bottom piece.

2. Spread some vanilla frosting on the cupcakes and place a mini doughnut piece, cut side down, on top of each. Place the cupcakes in the freezer for 10 minutes, until slightly frozen.

3. For the stems, cut the unwrapped tootsie rolls in half lengthwise on the diagonal and shape into stems. For the leaves, roll out the green fruit chews 1/8 inch thick, then cut into ten 1 1/2-by-3/4-inch leaf shapes. Make a crease down the center of each leaf with the back of a paring knife and pinch one end of each leaf.

4. Place the red sugar in a medium shallow bowl. Spoon 4 tablespoons of the vanilla frosting into a small ziplock bag, press out the excess air, and seal. Tint the remaining vanilla frosting red with the food coloring.

5. Working on 1 cupcake at a time, spread some of the red frosting on the top and sides of the doughnut and cupcake to fill in the gaps and lightly coat, making the doughnut look like the top of an apple.

6. Roll the frosted cupcake in the red sugar to coat. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

7. To create a bite from the apple, carefully remove a 1 1/2-inch-diameter divot from the top of 1 of the sugar-coated doughnuts, using fork tines or a paring knife. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bag with the vanilla frosting and pipe a thin layer of frosting to cover the exposed area inside the divot. Spread lightly with the back of a small spoon to smooth. For the apple seeds, arrange the sunflower seeds, pointed ends toward the center.

8. Insert the chocolate-chew stems with the green fruit-chew leaves at the top of the apple cupcakes. Arrange the cupcakes in a basket.

Now, who do you think is going to be the coolest kid in class, the teachers favorite, or maybe just the kid with the biggest smile on their first day?!!

Enjoy the last few days of summer, and enjoy these special days with your child!

If you're looking for more fun ideas pick up a copy of Hello Cupcake, or What's New Cupcake! They are jam packed full of fun things to do with cupcakes for boys and girls of all ages, they're guaranteed to get those creative juice flowing and to taste as great as they look.

Until next time!

Happy baking, caking, tasting (and sharing),
Love and sprinkles, xoxo