Caramel Chocolate Mini Cupcakes (And Other Variations)

BASIC RECIPE:
½ cup butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 SCANT cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with mixer until creamy. Beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
Combine flour and next three ingredients. Gradually add to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beating until blended. Spoon batter by rounded tablespoonfuls (I use a small cookie scoop and its MUCH EASIER!!) into lightly greased miniature muffin pans. (I also use the miniature cupcake papers).
Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Remove from pans to wire racks and cool completely (about 30 minutes). Spread cupcakes with desired buttercream or dip in glaze. Makes about 80 small mini cupcakes.

(To make regular size cupcakes, fill tins 2/3 full and bake for 22-24 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.

VARIATIONS:
Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes:
To the basic recipe add 2 TBSP molasses OR change the sugar to 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar AND ¾ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar in place of the 2 cups granulated sugar.

For the frosting: Microwave 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips with 3 TBSP light cream or half n half (I use whatever I have) for30 seconds on high. Stir and microwave another 30 seconds or until all chocolate is melted and liquid is incorporated and ganache is smooth. Dip each cooled cupcake in the ganache or use a small spatula and coat the top of the cupcake with the ganache. (I do not take the ganache all the way to the edge but almost to the edges).

Mix 3-4 oz softened cream cheese, 2 sticks softened butter, 5 cups powdered sugar, dash salt together in mixer. Melt 15 kraft caramels with 3 TBSP milk in microwave for about 1 minute on high. Keep checking so it melts but doesn’t burn. Stir so the milk and caramel incorporates together and then let cool for a few minutes. Slowly stir into the buttercream frosting just until smooth but don’t completely blend. When ganache is set, (this happens pretty fast!) put the buttercream on top of the ganache covered cupcake. I use a pastry bag because it’s just easier and faster for me! THEN, try not to eat more than 10 of these little goodies in one sitting!! I said TRY!

Orange Buttercream Cupcakes: To cake batter, omit vanilla and add 1 TBSP orange zest and 2 TBSP fresh orange juice.
Buttercream Frosting: 2 sticks softened butter, 3 oz softened cream cheese, dash salt, 5 cups powdered sugar, 2 TBSP fresh orange juice. If desired, add 1 drop red food coloring and 1 drop yellow food coloring. Thin with milk if necessary.

Peach Crunch Cake

Peach Crunch Cake

24.5 oz jar of sliced peaches in light syrup
1 package yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), cut into 16 pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Layer ingredients in a 13 X 9 dish, in order starting with the peaches.
Bake for about 40 minutes.
Serve warm or cold… with or without ice cream.

Hershey's Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

1-3/4 c all-purpose flour
1-3/4 c sugar
3/4 c Hershey's Cocoa
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2/3 c butter, softened
1 (16 oz.) container sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Fudge Frosting (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
2. Stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add butter, sour cream, eggs and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 3 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack. Frost with FUDGE FROSTING. 12 to 15 servings.


FUDGE FROSTING

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/3 cups powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Add cocoa; cook, stirring constantly, just until mixture begins to boil. Pour mixture into medium bowl; cool completely. Add powdered sugar alternately with milk to cocoa mixture, beating to spreading consistency. Stir in vanilla.
About 1 cup frosting.

Coconut Raspberry Cupcakes

I have searched for a long time to find a made from scratch cake that is light and moist as compared to most that are heavy and dense. You can easily remove the coconut and raspberries to make this recipe more versatile, which I have done a couple of times.

I cannot remember where I found this recipe, but I know it was on the internet on a food blog somewhere, so I wish I could give credit to the person from whence it came! These sound complicated, but really they are not and they are so good they are worth any effort! My six year old grandson couldn't stuff them in fast enough!

Makes 24 regular size cupcakes or about 50 mini cupcakes
CUPCAKES:
5 large egg whites
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut extract
3 cups cake flour
2 1/3 cup sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter(8oz.) at warm room temperature
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups fresh, washed, and dried raspberries
2 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
24 fresh washed raspberries
FROSTING:
1 lb cream cheese at room temperature
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract
4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
(I also used a little coconut milk to thin the frosting)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a 24- or two 12-hole muffin tins with paper cupcake cups.
Put egg whites in a bowl and whisk slightly.
Add the 1/2 cup of milk and the vanilla, and whisk to mix thoroughly.
In a large mixer bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, beat dry ingredients to break up any lumps.
Add the butter and coconut milk on low speed and beat just to combine. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add the egg white mixture in 2 or 3 additions, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
In a separate bowl, toss the raspberries with the 1/2 cup of cake flour. Add to batter and carefully fold in until incorporated. Spoon batter into each muffin tin, almost to the top but leaving about a 1/8 inch so the batter does not overflow.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake taster inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Then place them on a wire rack to cool completely. (If using mini cupcake pans, baking is only about 15 minutes-watch carefully).

While cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting.
Combine cream cheese through confectioners’ sugar using a mixer. Cream until smooth. Spread a generous amount on each cupcake.
Put shredded coconut in a shallow bowl, and dip the top of each cupcake into the coconut to coat.
Toss the 24 remaining raspberries in granulated sugar to coat.
Top each cupcake with one sugar-coated raspberry. (I personally do not use coconut on the frosting because not everyone likes coconut, even though I use the coconut extract in the batter and frosting-just a raspberry-and place the dried raspberry on top just before serving as the sugar in the frosting and fruit interact and the raspberry juices will release onto the frosting, discoloring the frosting).

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

3 eggs
1 ½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup oil
2 cups flour
½ cup cocoa
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup buttermilk
2 cup shredded zucchini

Mix together and pour into greased and floured baking pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. After baking top with chocolate chips and walnuts.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

Chocolate Sheet Cake
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa
1 cup oil
2 eggs beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting
½ cube butter
4 oz cream cheese
Powdered Sugar
Almond Flavoring

Bake 350 for 35 minutes

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
3 eggs
1 ½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup oil
2 cups flour
½ cup cocoa
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup buttermilk
2 cup shredded zucchini

Mix together and pour into greased and floured baking pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. After baking top with chocolate chips and walnuts.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake
This pound cake is to die for!!!

3 sticks butter
1 - 8 oz package cream cheese
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
3 scant cups flour, sifted (scant means just under a full cup)

Mix the butter, cream cheese, sugar and then add eggs one at a time. Beat until fluffy. Add salt and vanilla then flour, beating in a cup at a time. When mixed pour into well greased (or you can spray generously with Pam or another cooking spray) bundt pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15-20 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake
Combine in a mixing bowl:2 cups flour2 cups sugar1/4 teaspoon salt
In a saucepan, melt: 2 sticks butterAdd 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together. Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup buttermilk.Add:2 beaten eggs1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon vanillaStir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.While cake is baking, make icing:Chop 1/2 cup pecans finely.Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add:6 tablespoons milk1 teaspoon vanilla1 lb minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar