Cupcakes & Muffins Archives - Page 2 of 3

Category: Cupcakes & Muffins

25
Jul
2013

Microwave Chocolate-Nutella Mug-Cake

categories: Baking, Cakes, Cupcakes & Muffins, Quick Fix

It was a conscious decision to stay-away from this dangerous mug-cake only because of its sheer convenience. I did not need a confirmation that I can make this cake whenever chocolate-cravings hit me.

As all our resolutions come to an end sooner or later, on a particularly depressing morning, I caved in! And it definitely lifted my spirits up instantly! Yaay for broken resolutions! I’m totally hooked to this one and will be definitely trying different versions! 😛

I know there are infinite versions of mug-cakes floating on the web since 2-3 years and I did check out many of them. But I had a few things in mind about how I wanted this cake to be so I ended up making my own version of this sinful dessert. For one wanted this cake to be eggless and a wee-bit healthier so that I don’t feel too much guilty about gobbling it up.

Another criteria was a perfectly soft, moist and fluffy cake. I can’t tolerate dry crumbs. But microwave especially has a tendency to snatch away moisture and make everything dry. So timing here is a key. Do not over-cook it. Check it after 1 minute + 10 seconds. If not done then cook for another 10 to 20 seconds.

It will take you more time to assemble all the ingredients than for it to actually cook! Perfect for unusual cravings or unexpected company! It would be ready in a jiffy! For it to look more posh, make it in a fancy tea-cups/Ramekins and serve it with ice-cream or whipped cream with fresh fruits. Add anything else you want in the batter like chopped nuts, dark/white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, dried fruits, M & Ms, sprinkles… Tini-tiny pieces of delicious surprise in every bite! Pure happiness!

Mouth-watering? Read on to find out how it’s done. Be warned ~ it’s addictive!

Microwave Chocolate-Nutella Mug-Cake

Serves: 1 | Prep time: 2 minutes | Cook Time: 1 to 1 1/2 minutes

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp powder sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp Nutella
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
M & Ms for topping or 1 Tbsp dark chocolate chips

Directions:

In a medium-sized microwave-safe mug/ramekin add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk with fork until combined.
Add oil, milk, Nutella, vanilla extract and mix with a fork until no lumps remain in the batter.
Sprinkle top of batter with M & Ms or chocolate chips. Microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Mine was done in 1 minute + 10 seconds so check at that mark and if it is not cooked through then let cook for another 10 to 20 seconds. Be careful as you don’t want a dry cake. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

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06
Jun
2013

Peach Upside-Down Mini Cakes with Lemony Bits

categories: Cakes, Cupcakes & Muffins, Summer

!!!Happy Father’s Day!!!

I know I am about a week early for Father’s day post but I just couldn’t stop myself from posting this scrumptious desert li’l bit early as it’s my dad’s birthday on June 9. We stay miles apart so he would not be able to taste it but that couldn’t stop me from baking something special for ‘The Most Special Man’ in my life.

My dad has been the strongest pillar for me and my sis. He is my greatest supporter, admirer and best friend. He has scolded me when he must and patted my back even at my smallest of achievements. He has taught me to ride bicycle and has held me before I fell and hurt myself. He has felt my injuries and illness more than I have suffered from them. I have been able to share anything and everything with him. He is the BEST FATHER I could have ever asked for and I thank my lucky stars everyday for it!

I will not be there to celebrate this special day along with my family but I would like to send my regards and bestest of wishes along his way. Wishing you a very very very Happy Birthday Dad! May God Almighty bless you with the best of health & may all your wishes come true!!!

My dad has been a big fan of summer fruits. As kids I remember my dad bringing bags full of peaches, plums, figs, melons and mangoes uberfresh from Farmer’s Market for us days-after-days. (Actually in case of mangoes, sacks full of it!!!) This is what turned me into biggest fruitaholic! I used to wait on summer holidays for the biggest fruit bonanza to begin so that I could keep hogging on freshest of produce!

So on his special day I decided to bake using something which bound us as a family. Our love for summer fruits being one of it! I bring to you a very simple yet decadent ‘Peach Upside-Down Mini Cakes with Lemony Bits’

Be sure to bake this for Father’s Day to make your dad feel extra-special!
Its not extravagant but will surely please your dad!

Peach Upside-Down Mini Cakes with Lemony Bits

Yields: 4 mini cakes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup softened unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 medium peaches, peeled, cored and diced
Lemon zest of 2 lemons
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup, plus 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Ice-cream, whipped cream or sweetened yogurt for serving (optional), I served mine with vanilla ice-cream and it tasted divine!

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F/170 C. Grease each of 4 (8-oz) ramekins with 1/2 Tbsp of butter. In a small cup, melt rest of the butter and keep aside.

Peach Upside-Down Mini Cake1 — Sprinkle 1 Tbsp brown sugar evenly at the bottom of each ramekin.

Peach Upside-Down Mini Cake2 — Mix diced peaches with lemon zest and ground cinnamon and divide them equally among 4 ramekins.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, yogurt, milk, vanilla and the reserved melted butter. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir gently to barely combine. Do not over-mix.

Peach Upside-Down Mini Cake3 — Spoon batter over peaches, diving equally.

Place ramekins on baking sheet and let it bake for 23-25 minutes or till the toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer ramekins to cool on wire rack.

Peach Upside-Down Mini Cake4 — If serving immediately let cool for 5 minutes and run a knife around the edge of each ramekin and turn upside down onto serving plate. Serve topped with ice-cream, whipped cream or sweetened yogurt, if desired or as is.

If you are baking ahead of serving time then let the cakes cool for 10 minutes before releasing them from ramekins as the sugar and fruit juices would have thicken a bit by then. Re-hit in the microwave for 20-25 seconds before serving.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F/170 C. Grease each of 4 (8-oz) ramekins with 1/2 Tbsp of butter. In a small cup, melt rest of the butter and keep aside. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp brown sugar evenly at the bottom of each ramekin.
Mix diced peaches with lemon zest and ground cinnamon and divide them equally among 4 ramekins.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, yogurt, milk, vanilla and the reserved melted butter. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir gently to barely combine. Do not over-mix. Spoon batter over peaches, diving equally.
Place ramekins on baking sheet and let it bake for 23-25 minutes or till the toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer ramekins to cool on wire rack.
If serving immediately let cool for 5 minutes and run a knife around the edge of each ramekin and turn upside down onto serving plate. Serve topped with ice-cream, whipped cream or sweetened yogurt, if desired or as is.
If you are baking ahead of serving time then let the cakes cool for 10 minutes before releasing them from ramekins as the sugar and fruit juices would have thicken a bit by then. Re-hit in the microwave for 20-25 seconds before serving.

Enjoy with your family! 🙂

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14
May
2013

Cadbury SHOTS topped Beetroot & Chocolate Cupcakes

categories: Cupcakes & Muffins

I love Cadbury SHOTS!

Their punchline is ‘A Glass and a Half Full of Joy‘ and that is exactly what I feel and more when I pop it in!

Eating them always gets me nostalgic about my college days. It was launched about the same time as I was finishing my internship and was my favorite thing to snack on around that time of my life. That was the most memorable time when we were free from all the tensions of patients, studies and exams, never thinking of what the future holds for us and just a happy, fashionable, giggling bunch of jobless interns who were always gossiping in cafeteria (Of course we used to work when we were not on breaks!!!). Those were the days!!! 🙂

Cadbury SHOTS is available in a small pack of two which is perrrfect to share with your bestie or your sweetheart! Costs only INR 2/- each! They consist of milk chocolate balls coated in a hard sugar outer layer. But I think they are only available in my part of the world and not elsewhere. How unfortunate! 🙁

So to reminisce about that awesome time of my life I decided to top my next cupcakes with these sweeties. I wanted the cupcakes to be chocolate. How boring! So I decided to give it a twist… of Beetroots! I mean I have baked chocolate cupcakes with zucchini before so decided to pretty much replace zucchini with beetroots and it worked like a charm. I tweaked my previous recipe a bit and added melted chocolate in this one instead of chocolate chips as I was topping these with SHOTS!

The cupcakes are rich in chocolate and beetroot’s flavor is quite earthy yet not overpowering. The insides are gooey and moist! And most important of all, it’s heeaallthyy! Come on, it has whole wheat flour, dark cocoa, dark chocolate and beetroot! 😉

So hop onto the reminiscence train! There are no stations in between.. Share with us that one important nostalgic moment from your college days. We would love to know!

Cadbury SHOTS topped Beetroot and chocolate Cupcakes

Servings: Makes 6 cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 small raw beetroot bulbs, peeled and grated (about 175 gm)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 Tbsp Hershey’s dark cocoa powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
2 Tbsp butter, melted
75 gm 70-80% dark chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
9 Cadbury SHOTS packs, for topping

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375F/180C. Line 6-count muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
Sift all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in the grated beetroot, egg and melted butter.
Add the melted chocolate and vanilla extract. Stir until just combined.
Spoon the batter among the prepared pans. Top each cupcake with 3 Cadbury SHOTS and bake for 21-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.

*Cadbury SHOTS has not sponsored me in anyway. All the praise written above is my personal expression of love for them!

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30
Apr
2013

Mountain Dew Cupcakes with Mountain Dew Buttercream Frosting

categories: Cupcakes & Muffins, Summer

Nowadays I am baking practically everyday!!! I have become a baking fanatic! 😉

I have been mentioning in all my recent posts about how its Summer already and this year around Bangalore has become a magnet for scorching heat!!! I am exhausted! All I wanna do is drink anything and everything from refrigerator and sleep under a fan. I wish!!! A girl can dream, right?! 😉

But my crazy work hours forces me to get out of the house at 1 in noon when its especially terrible.. I am not a morning-person so the timing suits me perfectly but I can’t take this torturous heat anymore! HELP… Is anyone listening to me?! I guess not!!

I seem to have no option other than cribbing in front of you guys and this is when baking came to my rescue! I am baking all refreshing treats which can be eaten chilled! So if you are facing same problem as me then summon your spatulas and heat up your oven! We will face the sun with smile on our face! And don’t forget to whip it good! 😉

Today I am sharing with you all my recipe for Mountain Dew Cupcakes with buttercream frosting. These have a very prominent flavor from Mountain Dew but not over the top.

There is lemon and lime juice and zest in both the batter and frosting, giving them a good kick. The cupcakes are soft and moist. The frosting is velvety and buttery. And they’re perfect for toting along to picnics and cook-outs all summer long!

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Mountain Dew Cupcakes

1/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
Zest from 1 lime
1 egg
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup Mountain Dew
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp pineapple extract

Mountain Dew Buttercream Frosting

1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp Mountain Dew
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp lime juice
zest from half a lemon
zest from half a lime
light green food coloring

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Line a 6-count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a small cup, stir together Mountain Dew, lemon juice, lime juice and pineapple extract.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add lemon and lime zest and then add egg, give it a good whisk.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter. Stir in the wet ingredients and finish off with the rest of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not over-mix.
Fill each baking cup 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes rest in muffin tin for a few minutes before removing. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting: Cream together butter and sugar. Add mountain dew, lemon juice, lime juice and zests. Stir in one or two drops of food color. Add more sugar if required depending upon the consistency and whisk. Frost the cupcakes once they are completely cool.

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30
Apr
2013

Margarita Cupcakes

categories: Cupcakes & Muffins, Summer

Anyone for a Margarita? Oh, Yeah! And anyone for Margarita cupcakes? Hell, Yeah!!! Monday night does not get any better than this! I mean, what’s not to like?

Cupcakes + Margarita = Match made in Heaven!

These cuppies are made from scratch. No cake box involved. The homemade margarita cupcakes are perfectly soft, fluffy, and bursting with margarita flavor! Plus each bite has a refreshing zest of citrus flavor!

Imagine them topped with margarita cream cheese frosting! Gosh! I mean how can you not smile sinking your teeth into one of these?

The margarita cupcake recipe is laughably easy! Like most of my dessert recipes, I used simple, everyday ingredients. I didn’t even need to go to the store before I made them on Saturday! And that is saying something as I didn’t even have an onion in my pantry that Saturday! I am serious.. Don’t laugh, okay?!.. Stop making fun of me! I am not lazy… Have just been busy! 😛

The cupcakes took me less than 1 hour start to finish. I cheated a bit and stuck the cupcakes in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process. I have no patience when it involves Margarita! Love it!!! Wait, didn’t I say that already? 😉

These can be stored at room temperature for 1 day in an airtight container and 4 days in the refrigerator.

I loved eating them chilled! It was so refreshing!

Its booming summer and Margarita cupcakes, made from scratch are totally on dessert menu! And breakfast menu. Come on, they have egg and milk in them… Totally acceptable first thing in the morning! 😉

You can brush the cupcakes with straight tequila if you want a boozy dessert before frosting them. And if you are one who enjoys salt on the rim of your margarita glass, you might consider a sprinkle of coarse salt over the top of the cupcake to incorporate that flavor. Are you running towards your kitchen to make these already? 😉

Serving: 6

Ingredients:

Margarita Cupcakes:

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
1 egg
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup Margarita Mix

Margarita Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/2 package cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 Tbsp Margarita Mix
zest of 1 lemon
a drop of green and yellow food coloring

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Line 6-count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
Combine salt, baking powder and flour in a small bowl.
Combine the milk and margarita mix in another small bowl (the mixture will curdle, but it’s okay).
Cream butter and sugar with the stand or handheld mixer. Add egg and mix to incorporate and then add lemon zest.
Gradually beat in the flour mixer and the liquid mixer, alternating them, making sure to start and end with flour mix. Beat as little as possible, just until the batter come together.
Fill the paper liners till 2/3rd of the cups are filled. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool.
To make frosting: Whip everything together, adding a drop of green and yellow food coloring for effect. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is thin. Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes. I simply smothered mine with the spatula and decorated them with green and yellow colored sugar. There may be leftover frosting depending upon how much you use on each cupcake.

Make a toast and Enjoy! 😀

Recipe source: cookbybook.wordpress.com

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