Cupcake Cake Pops

Cake pops, cake pops, cake pops. If I'm being completely honest, every time I'd think about all the cute cake pops I'd see pop up on the internet, the thought of trying to make them myself intimidated me. I have a cake-pop/doughnut hole maker so making the pops itself would be simple enough, but the whole dipping and decorating part completely scared me so I stayed away. 

But more and more I'd see such cute creations and I decided there must be a way to do it without having the cake balls fall off the sticks or getting the chocolate to coat and dry smoothly. Thankfully I came across a great post by Homemaker Chic and it had all the answers I was looking for. Check it out, her tips made all the difference for me.

A few days ago I got a text from a friend asking if I could help her out by making some cupcakes or cake pops for her sons birthday less then a week away. I took this as a sign that I should face my fears and attempt to make some cute cake pops worthy of any birthday boy. 

The only requirements were that they'd be blue and chocolate. Dots and swirls on a cake pop would be simple, but I really wanted to push myself. So, I thought why not include everything she asked for in one! So here they are, chocolate cake balls covered in chocolate, made to look like cupcakes with blue frosting and sprinkles.

To make these I used brown and blue chocolate melts, some sprinkles, and modeling chocolate for the cherries. Prep your cake balls and chocolate melts as suggested by Homemaker Chic and your ready to decorate as follows.

Step by step pictorial:

1) Dip in chocolate and allow to dry.

2) Dip the top third in candy melts in your choice of frosting color and allow to dry as well.

3) Re dip top third in frosting and SLOWLY swirl as you lift it out.

4) Quickly add some sprinkles before it can dry.

5) Top with a modeling chocolate ball or pearl for the cherry on the top before the chocolate dries as well.

6) Step back and admire your cute little cake pop cupcake!

 Me thinks I like to make cake pops now and will be looking for excuses to make many more! I foresee some Christmas cake pops to gift in my near future.

It's a Boy cupcakes and White Chocolate Frosting Tutorial

Cupcakes for another Boy Baby Shower!

Since these toppers were made with white chocolate dipped Oreo cookie bark I decided to try out a white chocolate frosting. The name is a little deceiving because there is no actual white chocolate in this frosting. However it is white chocolate flavored with the help of the secret ingredient...shhhh this secret ingredient does all the work for me and get people guessing how I did it. It also keeps the frosting nice and light and creamy but thick enough to not melt right off like a whipped cream frosting. So, what is it?

It's white chocolate flavored instant pudding! It helps me end up with a nice creamy texture that isn't too sweet.

White Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients:
-1 box (1 oz.) Jello white chocolate instant pudding
-2 C. heavy whipping cream
-1 C. powdered sugar

Directions:
1) whip together the pudding and whipping cream until nice and thick with an electric mixer (5-7 minutes)
2)add in powdered sugar and whip for another 2-3 minutes making sure the sugar is well incorporated.
3)do a quick taste test (WARNING: after this step you may need to make an extra batch)

Yield: This will frost about a dozen standard sized cupcakes if you are going to pipe it on, 2 dozen if you just want to spread it on.

Note: For the cupcakes above, I doubled the recipe and added some blue food coloring paste to half of the frosting and topped some semi-homemade Devil's Food Cupcakes.

Cupcakes for a Baby Shower

I love love love how these turned out!!! Thanks to an Oreo bark recipe that I found on pinterest I was able to  make these adorable toppers that taste just as good as the frosting and cupcakes themselves. I have so many issues with decorating because I don't like to use a bunch of fondant that no one eats and ends up just throwing away. And then when it comes to choosing between looks and taste, I always go with taste. I don't care for the taste of too much buttercream which is perfect for doing some pretty fancy decorating but it is too sweet for my taste and I'd rather use a frosting that I love to top my cupcakes. So with this new found solution, at least for this cupcake flavor (the most requested anyways) so many doors have been opened! I'm so excited I am dancing around (really I am)! This is the most success I've ever had with actually decorating my cupcakes.

Sushi Cupcakes

These sushi inspired cupcakes are super simple to make. I had some extra black cupcake liners, baked my favorite white cupcake and used a pineapple and some colored fondant for my sushi filling!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

It's Fall, and even though I live on an island and don't really get to experience the different seasons I still get excited about the different holiday flavors! That's why I decided today would be the perfect opportunity to test out a pumpkin cupcake recipe that I have been playing around with in my head. I have literally been dreaming about this one all week and needed to bake it in the waking so I'd stop the crazy dreams! I was quite relieved when nothing crazy happened in the process of baking these up like they did in my dreams. They turned out nice and moist and dense and went great with my super simple vanilla maple cinnamon frosting. Yum!

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 3/4 c. pumpkin puree
• 1/2 c. butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 c. milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Then stir in vanilla.
3. Combine flour and baking powder in a separate bowl and add to the creamed mixture. Mix well for about 5 minutes with a mixer.
4. Finally stir in the milk.
5. Fill cupcake liners a little more than 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes about 15 cupcakes.

Tropical Banana Cream Cupcakes with Pineapple Buttercream

Semi-homemade Banana Cream Cupcakes topped with Pineapple Buttercream Frosting and garnished with some shredded salted pineapple. I think I'll pour myself a strawberry virgin margarita and enjoy my last few days of summer!

I felt like trying something a little different and fun after watching an episode of Cupcake Wars and decided to make these. The cupcake batter is very similar to my Chocolate Overload Cupcakes. There are just a few minor alterations. Instead of chocolate box cake mix I used a white cake mix and instead of the chocolate pudding mix, use a 3.9oz package of instant banana cream pudding. Lastly subtract the chocolate chips and there you have it, a beautiful light and airy banana cream cupcake!

For the frosting I made a basic buttercream (all butter, no shortening) added a Tbs. of pineapple juice, some finely chopped pineapple and a few pinches of salt.

I am from Hawaii, so I don't think that just because something has pineapples in it make it "Hawaiian," but I must say these cupcakes are a tropical delight! 

Cupcake box

These cupcake boxes are so cute and simple to make. I found the template at this website. It makes getting a cupcake as a gift even more special!

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

These are similar to the Oreo inspired cupcakes, but I like them better since there isn't as much of the Oreo cream frosting and I figured out a way to add some whipped cream! These were eaten so fast and I wish I had made a double batch so we could have few the next day to snack on. I actually ate four in one day! I used Devil's Food Cupcakes but crushed and added 15-20 Oreo cookies into the batter before baking. Then I put a thin layer of the Oreo cream frosting (half the recipe).

Then on topped that with Whipped Cookies and Cream Frosting and a bite size Oreo to finish it off!

Devil's Food Cupcakes

These are so moist they practically melt in your mouth!! They are now one of my new favorites. I've been playing around with some recipes, trying to make a really nice and moist cupcake from scratch, and these are the winners!! Here's what you need:

Oreo inspired Cupcake

Now who doesn't love some Oreos and milk? Well, I do! So I thought why not make a cupcake that could appease my Oreo cravings. Devil's Food cupcakes with 12-15 crushed Oreo's added to the batter before baking and covered with a Oreo cream frosting. Now this is a cupcake that goes great with a tall glass of milk!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

So, if you are anything like me, you'd agree that chocolate and peanut butter are just one of those combinations that is just too good to pass up. These cupcakes are mouth-watering good! In fact my mouth is watering right now just thinking about them! Made with the moistest Devil's Food cupcake recipes ever and topped with a light and buttery peanut butter frosting, these cupcakes practically melt in your mouth!

Strawberry Cupcakes

These are a favorite in our household! I loved simple poke cakes and decided to play around with it to see if I could get them even more moist and tasty, and this was the result. I also like to add a few drops of red food coloring to the cake mix before baking for a nice pink color through out the entire cupcake. Beware, these take quite a bit of time to make but they are so worth it! My favorite frosting's to top this with are plain old whipped cream, strawberry whipped cream frosting, or a cream cheese frosting 

Chocolate Overload Cupcakes with Strawberry Whipped Cream Frosting

  These were a hit before they were even made. I mentioned the idea on facebook and the "yes please" , "do you deliver", and "yums" came pouring in! And let me tell you the name itself just can't articulate just how yummy these little creations were. The frosting alone can be eaten by the spoonfuls, just think strawberries and whipped cream without the hassle of dipping and chewing. It was the first time I made the strawberry whipped cream frosting and it has definitely become an instant favorite. I'm just trying to decide what other combinations I can make using it! The chocolate overload cupcakes are great on it's own, but the frosting just put it over the top. I'm thinking of doing some strawberry cupcakes with a chocolate whipped cream frosting next...chocolate covered strawberries...why does that sound so familiar? Happy Baking everybody!

Chocolate Overload Cupcakes

These cupcakes are super moist and my go to chocolate cupcake/cake recipe. It is a doctored up box cake recipe that tastes great! I don't actually measure the chocolate chips, I just add as much as my mood desires☺

For standard sized cupcakes bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

The recipe makes exactly 30 cupcakes.

Three of a kind

Cupcakes are a great way to let someone you know that you are thankful to have them in yoru life. This Thanksgiving I made three kinds of cupcakes to hand out to various neighbors, family and friends. From left to right:Chocolate Overload cupcakes topped with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, Strawberry cupcakes topped with whipped cream, and Pumpkin cupcakes topped with a Mapel Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. I'm not sure which is my favorite, they were all a hit!