Cupcakes

I love cupcakes. They're fantastic - cake, without having to eat a whole piece of cake, and without dirtying up a fork or plate. How good is that?!

Well, enough of the small talk; let's check out these small treats, including Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes and Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting. Enjoy!

CHOCOLTE BEAN CUPCAKES

This is from the July/August 2005 issue of Vegetarian Times (page 41). Makes 12 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1/3 cup soy margarine, melted

1-1/4 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbs. grated orange zest, optional

1 15.5-oz. can black beans, drained, rinsed and pureed

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

Frosting

1/2 cup soy margarine

2 cups confectioners' sugar

4 Tbs. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

12 chocolate kisses

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375F. Line 12 cupcake tins with paper liners.

To make Cupcakes: Using electric mixer on high, beat margarine, sugar and eggs for 3 minutes, or until thick and creamy.

Fold vanilla extract and orange zest, if using, into puréed beans. In small bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, flour and baking powder.

Fold egg mixture into beans, then fold flour mixture into beans by thirds. Fill cupcake tins two-thirds full. Bake 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove, and cool on rack.

Meanwhile, to make Frosting: Using electric mixer, beat margarine until smooth. Beat in confectioners’ sugar then juice concentrate until smooth. If too stiff, add 1 tsp. water at a time. Tint with food coloring, if desired. Top each cupcake with 2 tsp. frosting and a candy kiss.

BROWNIE CUPCAKE BITES

This is from a Weight Watcher's emailing list from y-e-a-r-s ago, and began, “These Halloween treats will trick your taste buds: They're moist and delicious with less fat than normal. If you're not a fan of candy corn, get festive with orange and black sprinkles.”

At the time this was sent, it had a points value of 3 per serving.

Servings: 24; Preparation Time: 12 min; Cooking Time: 14 min; Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

21 oz regular brownies, dry mix

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 large egg white(s), lightly beaten

1-1/2 cup lite whipped topping

1-1/4 oz candy corn, about 24 pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 24 mini muffin tin holes with mini cupcake papers.

Combine brownie mix, water, applesauce and egg whites in a large mixing bowl. Beat 50 strokes with a wooden spoon; do not under mix. Pour brownie mixture into prepared muffin tins.

Bake cupcakes until a tester inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely; remove cupcakes from pan. Before serving, decorate each cooled cupcake with a tablespoon dollop of whipped topping and 1 piece of candy corn. Yields 1 cupcake per serving.

SPOOKY GHOST CUPCAKES

This is from The Baker Chick. It makes 20 cupcakes, and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoons salt

3/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large eggs

3/4 cup warm water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Seven Minute Frosting:

3/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

2 tablespoons water

3 large egg whites

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

mini & regular chocolate chips for the face!

Instructions

For the Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake tins with liners, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Make a small well in the middle of the bowl and add the buttermilk, oil, eggs, water and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients together and then incorporate the dry until smooth and lump-free.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full and bake for 20-23 minutes. Allow cupcakes to cool while you make the frosting.

Frosting:

Place egg whites in the clean bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. In a small saucepan with a candy thermometer attached, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water.

On medium-high heat cook the sugar mixture until boiling. At that point- turn the mixer on medium high speed to get the egg whites to soft peaks. When the sugar mixture has reached 230F, slowly pour it down the side of the bowl in a steady stream while the mixture continues to run.

Beat on medium-high for about 7 minutes or until the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch and stiff glossy peaks have formed. Add the vanilla right before you finish beating the frosting.

Pipe frosting onto the cupcakes right away (it gets a bit firm otherwise.) and decorate with the chocolate chips!

Notes:

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

GINGERBREAD CUPCAKES WITH CARDAMOM CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

This came from Brett Moore, who wrote for The Spruce Eats. He wrote, "I love the taste of warm gingerbread, especially around the holidays. Cardamom is a wonderfully fragrant spice that goes well with gingerbread. If you don't care for cardamom, you can substitute allspice or cinnamon. Reprinted with permission from The Spice Kitchen: Everyday Cooking with Organic Spices by Katie Luber and Sara Engram (McMeel 2009)." Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes; Makes 12 cupcakes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup boiling water

1 teaspoon baking soda

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon dried lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons dried lemon zest

1 teaspoon ground green cardamom

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease 12 standard-size muffin cups or line them with paper cups. Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla. In a small bowl, stir together the boiling water and the baking soda until dissolved. Stir the baking soda water into the molasses mixture.

Sift together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, lemon zest, and salt into a small bowl. Whisk the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until the batter is combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center of one or two of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting. Cream together the cream cheese and the sugar in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and cardamom and beat until fluffy and smooth. Chill the frosting in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan. Place the cupcakes on a rack to cool for 30 minutes. Spread the cream cheese frosting generously over the cooled cupcakes.

RED VELVET VAMPIRE CUPCAKES

This is from The Food Network, and begins, “No, these cupcakes don't need bandages. What looks like a gory encounter with the Count himself is just raspberry jam brightened with a drop of red food coloring. And if you dare sink your own teeth into them, you'll find that more raspberry jam and chocolate await in the center.”

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes; Active: 1 hour; Yield: 12 cupcakes; Level: Easy

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

1-3/4 cups cake flour (see Cook's Note)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon red food coloring, plus a drop for the filling

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg, at room temperature

One 3-ounce semisweet chocolate bar

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 cup raspberry jam

Cream Cheese Frosting:

One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Special equipment: a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and a plastic straw

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Sift the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, oil, sour cream, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla and egg in another large bowl.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just incorporated. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out with a few moist crumbs, 16 to 18 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and cool completely on a wire rack.

Microwave the chocolate and coconut oil together in a small microwave-safe bowl until mostly melted, about 1 minute. Stir, then microwave again until completely smooth, about 15 seconds more.

Use a small sharp knife to cut out and remove a plug from the middle of each cupcake, making sure not to go all the way to the bottom and leaving a 1/4-inch border around the side (eat the plugs). Brush the holes with the melted chocolate and place in the freezer until the chocolate hardens, about 15 minutes.

Whisk together the jam, 1 drop of red food coloring and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until completely smooth. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the jam into each of the chocolate holes; set aside.

For the cream cheese frosting: Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the butter until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Scrape into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe on top of the cupcakes so the jam is covered.

Poke 2 holes into the frosting on each cupcake using the end of a plastic straw to resemble vampire bites, making sure you hit the cupcake and not the jam-filled hole. Drizzle the remaining jam into the holes to resemble blood.

Cook's Note

When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)

RED VELVET MINI CUPCAKES

This comes from The Food Network and begins, “Oil takes the place of butter in these cupcakes, making them lower in fat, but also making the crumb moist. Also, all of the flour is whole wheat! The frosting is simply sweetened reduced-fat cream cheese, but it's plenty tasty.”

Total: 1 hr; Active: 20 min; Yield: 48 mini cupcakes (2 cupcakes per serving); Level: Easy

To view this online, go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/red-velvet-mini-cupcakes-recipe

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

3/4 cup canola oil

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tablespoon red food coloring

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup lowfat (1-percent) buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

Nonstick cooking spray, for coating ice cream scoop

8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 48 mini muffin cups (2 large tins or 4 small) with paper liners.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl. Beat together the oil and granulated sugar on medium-high speed with a hand mixer in a large bowl until well combined. Add the egg and beat until well blended. Beat in the food coloring and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla.

On low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk in thirds, beginning and ending with the flour, beating well after each addition. Whisk together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl, and then beat into the batter until fully incorporated.

Using a small ice cream scoop sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, evenly divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth and fluffy. Sift the confectioners' sugar over the mixture and beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Spread or pipe the frosting over the cooled cupcakes.

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