Lemon Poppy Seed Cakes with Raspberry Filling and Lemon Buttercream

Happy Sunday everyone! I've been without a computer for about three days and it feels like it's been forever! Crazy how we've become so attached to technology these days.

I have a special treat for you today. These cakes are absolutely delicious. I first had it as a layer cake that my mom made for a family dinner. As soon as I tasted it, I knew I wanted to make it as well and I had the perfect occasion for it. I was hosting a Mother's Day brunch for our little preschool co-op group so I decided to make them into little cakes to easily serve to everyone. Using a mini bundt pan was great because, first of all, it made just the right portion sizes, and secondly, it created the perfect crevice to hide the surprise filling in.

I loved every part of this dessert. Lemon anything is wonderful and raspberries are just about my favorite fruit ever! However, if I had to pick one component that was my favorite, I would have to say the frosting. I know that may sound strange, and I don't usually like frosting above the actual dessert, but it was truly amazing. When my mom made the cake, she added a little more lemon to intensify the flavor and to lighten it up added some cool whip. I think those two things made it just perfect, absolutely finger-licking good! Frost just the tops or frost the whole thing, you'll love it either way.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cakes with Raspberry Filling and Lemon Buttercream

For the cakes:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
zest and juice of a lemon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil

For the raspberry filling:
1/2 recipe Berry Coulis, using only raspberries
(Raspberry preserves may be substituted.)

For the lemon buttercream frosting: 
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
zest of one lemon
juice of 2 lemons
1/4-1/2 cup cool whip

Prepare raspberry filling as directed and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally grease a 12 cavity mini-bundt pan.

In a small mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir in poppy seeds. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla extract. Whisk in the dry ingredients. Add the vegetable oil to the bowl and fold in to the batter with a rubber spatula until completely incorporated. Spoon batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for about 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cakes cool about 10 minutes in the pan then gently slide them out. Wipe out pan and grease about half of the molds again. Spoon remaining batter into prepared molds and bake and cool as directed above.

To prepare lemon buttercream, add butter to a mixer bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth; about 1 minute. Add powdered sugar, lemon zest and juice and mix until incorporated. Then turn the mixer on medium speed and beat for another 1-2 minutes, until frosting is light and fluffy. Add cool whip and mix until just incorporated.

Assembling the cakes: Fill each cavity in the cakes with the raspberry filling. Either dollop lemon buttercream frosting on top of each cake or, using a spatula, frost as desired.

Makes 16-18 mini bundt cakes

My notes:
1)When making the raspberry sauce, I do not strain my seeds as they are small and do not bother me.
2)If you do not have a mini-bundt pan, have no fear. Simply bake them up in a cupcake pan. You can then either hollow them out to create a cavity for the filling (there are tools for this these days, or you could just use a knife) or cut them in half and spread the filling in between.




SOURCE:Adapted from Annie's Eats

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Oreo Cupcakes

I have to admit I'm not a fan of store-bought cookies. Maybe that's not a surprise though since this is a food blog. Ever since I can remember I've had in my mind that store bought cookies are just not worth the calories (ok, maybe the huge Costco ones could come close to homemade and maybe I could eat about 4 or 5 of them in one sitting).



Oreos are pretty much one of the only store bought cookies that I could go to town on. Man, those things are addicting, especially when you have a nice cold glass of milk to dip them in and wash them down with. Once when I was first married my husband and I brought a package of Oreos camping with us and I ate so many of them that I vowed I would never eat them again. It took me several years, but I eventually caved.



When I was looking for a birthday cupcake treat for a friend, I knew these would be perfect and they were. I really loved the batter, especially the cookie bits inside. And the Oreo cookie on the bottom was a nice surprise. I used a cream cheese frosting, but a whipped cream frosting would be just as nice.

Oreo Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
24 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 2/3 cup sugar
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup milk
20 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped (I quartered them)

For the cream cheese frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. heavy cream

For the garnish:
Oreo cookie crumbs
24 Oreo cookie halves

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line the wells of two cupcake pans with 24 paper liners. Place an Oreo halve in the bottom of each liner, cream side up.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract.

With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Add the milk and beat just until combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Gently fold in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.

Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in the vanilla extract. Beat in the powdered sugar until incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add the heavy cream to the bowl and beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle with Oreo crumbs and garnish with Oreo halves.


SOURCE: Annie's Eats

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Mini Egg Nog Cheesecakes with Dulce de Leche

Like I said, we can't get away from egg nog when the this time of year comes around. These are the perfect holiday treat and just the right size. I took these to a Christmas party last week and it's a good thing I ate one before I took them because there were none left!

You can make this cheesecake in a regular springform pan if you'd like, but you'll want to increase the temperature to about an hour. If you don't have any dulce de leche laying around or can't find it in the store, regular caramel sauce works well too.

Mini Egg Nog Cheesecakes with Dulce de Leche
For the crust:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon
24 cupcake liners

For the cheesecake:
12 oz.  cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup eggnog, room temperature
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. rum extract

1 cup dulce de leche or caramel sauce

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place liners in muffin tins.

In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter and cinnamon and nutmeg. Press about one tablespoon of mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup.

With an electric, or stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in sugar, flour, eggnog, nutmeg and cinnamon; mix well. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla and rum extracts. With a wooden spoon, stir by hand into the cream cheese mixture. Fill muffin cups almost to the top with cheesecake batter.

Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until centers are firm but still slightly wobbly. Turn the oven off and crack the door. Leave the cheesecakes in the oven for another 30-60 minutes. Cool completely before refrigerating. Serve topped with dulce de leche or your favorite caramel sauce.


SOURCE: Adapted from Let's Dish

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Mini Orange Chocolate Chunk Cakes

I have actually had this recipe for a while and made these little cakes last year. However, I tucked the recipe away and completely forgot about it until last weekend. My friends and I were having a girls night and I invited them over for dessert afterwards. As I was trying to decide what to make for everyone, this recipe popped into my head and I was glad to make it again.

I absolutely love the chocolate and orange combination, especially when it's dark chocolate, and knew with that I would immediately love these cakes; I was right. These cakes are very moist and I think have the perfect balance of orange and chocolate flavor. While I have made these into mini cakes, you could certainly bake them in any cake pan.


For the cakes:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. grated orange zest (2 oranges)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (1 orange)
3 oz. buttermilk, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

For the syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (1 orange)

For the ganache:
4 oz. dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. butter


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 12 cavity mini bundt pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions. Mix in the orange zest.

In a small mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl or large liquid measuring cup, combine the orange juice, buttermilk and vanilla. Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl of the mixer and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Add the liquid ingredients, mixing until blended. Add the remaining dry ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks with a rubber spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 18-22 minutes (you will have to watch carefully as ovens and altitudes are different) or until a toothpick inserted in one of the cakes comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the molds for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the syrup. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the sugar with the orange juice just until the sugar dissolves. Remove the cakes from the pans, place them on a wire rack over a tray, and spoon the orange syrup over the tops of the cakes. Allow to cool completely.

To make the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Dip the tops of the cooled cakes in the ganache and allow to set.


SOURCE:Adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from Ina Garten.

Chocolate Chipotle Cupcakes with Chili Chocolate Ganache and Cinnamon Ice Cream

Woo! Fire and ice baby. These cupcakes pack a punch. About two years ago I first visited Bakerella's blog. I saw this post for cupcakes using chipotles and a chocolate chili bar for the ganache. I was intrigued and wanted to try it. Time passed and I never found a chance to make them. Several weeks ago when I decided to have a little Mexican party for my birthday, I knew I was finally going to get to try these out.

If you like chipotles and little bit of heat, you'll enjoy these cupcakes. The cake itself is really moist and the toppings just take it up another notch. To balance out the heat, I served it with Cinnamon Honey Ice Cream. YUM!

For the cupcakes:
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4 cup boiling water
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3 tsp chipotle powder*
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
4 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 Tbsp canned chipotles in adobe sauce, pureed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with baking cups (36). Puree canned chipotles and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, mix boiling water and cocoa until the cocoa is dissolved (it will be thick). Set aside.

In another bowl, mix the rest of the dry ingredients together and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, mix sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, incorporating after each addition. Add buttermilk and vanilla and mix well. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients in three additions, alternating with chocolate mixture in two additions, ending with flour mixture. Beat until combined with each addition. Add pureed chipotles and beat until combined.

Scoop batter into prepared cupcake tins and bake for 13-15 minutes. Cool completely.

*If you cannot find chipotle powder, just use dried chipotles and pulverize them either with a mortar and pestal or a spice blender. It takes about 2 for this recipe.


Chili Chocolate Ganache:
3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
3 oz. chocolate with chili pepper
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Combine chocolates in a bowl. Heat cream and sugar until it just begins to bubble. Pour over chocolate and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Stir until milk and chocolate are completely incorporated and they are silky and smooth.

Let cool.

Additional ingredients:
Cinnamon Ice Cream -store bought or homemade
Dulce de Leche, warmed and slightly thinned with milk

To assemble cupcakes, first remove wrapper from cupcake. Cut cupcake in half and place a small scoop of ice cream on the bottom half. Replace the top half and put another small scoop of ice cream on top of that. Drizzle with chili chocolate ganache and dulce de leche. Garnish with chocolate shavings, if desired.

SOURCE:Adapted from Bakerella

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Junior Mint Cupcakes

It's fun making treats for other people. I made these for my dad's birthday. He loves junior mints, and so I. These cupcakes did not disappoint. They were delicious and very moist. I decided to make these with little time to spare so I used a box mix (eeek!). Making them from scratch wouldn't have taken that much more time but the chocolate cake recipes I have tried lately (in my search for the perfectly dense and moist cake) have been a little lacking and a bit dry. Using a box mix was a quick alternative and I decided to throw in a box of pudding mix as well to make sure they would turn out moist. Everything came together quickly and they were enjoyed by all!

For the cupcakes:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 1/3 cups water
2 4-oz. boxes Junior Mints

For the frosting:
1 stick butter, softened
2/3 unsweetened cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, or 325 if you're using a dark non-stick pan. Line 2 muffin tins with 24 muffin liners. In a mixing bowl, combine everything except the Junior Mints. Fill each liner about 2/3 full with batter. Put 3 Junior Mints in the center of each cup and barely press down into the batter without completely submerging them. Bake 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan about 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately, add powdered sugar and milk to spreading consistency. Add more milk if necessary. Stir in peppermint extract.

Frost each cupcake and garnish with and extra Junior Mint candy.

SOURCE:Adapted from Picky Palate

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

For the cupcakes:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup good cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the icing:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake pans with 24 paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.

Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and sour cream. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.

Scoop batter into the cupcake pans with large scoop. Bake in the middle of the oven 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the icing, put the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth. Do not whip, the cream will start to separate.

Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.

Source:Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

NOTES:These cupcakes are really delicious and the icing is to die for! The cake part is not my favorite, it was a little crumbly. I think I will try a more dense cake next time and there definitely will be a next time!

Egg Nog Cupcakes

Are you an egg nog lover? Do you need a yummy holiday treat? Then look no further, I've got the perfect thing for you right here! These egg nog cupcakes are so dreamy and stuffed full of delcious egg nog from the batter to the frosting. I shared these at family gatherings of both my family and my husband's family and everyone loved them. Take these to your next party and you'll definitely get asked to bring dessert again!

Egg Nog Cupcakes
For the cupcakes:
1 tsp. rum extract
1 1/4 cup low-fat eggnog
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

For the frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 Tbsp. low-fat eggnog
1-2 tsp. rum extract
generous pinch of nutmeg
2 (or more) cups powdered sugar

Garnish:
ground cinnamon
cinnamon sticks, cut in halves or thirds

Preheat oven to 325° F. Line 2 muffin tins with about 17 paper liners. In a small bowl, mix together the rum extract, eggnog, vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. In a large bowl, mix together the nutmeg, sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.

Fill muffin cups half full; a #20/large scoop was the perfect amount. DO NOT OVER-FILL. If you have extra batter, line additional muffin tin with cups and fill.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cakes spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, cream together the butter, eggnog, rum extract, nutmeg and powdered sugar. Add in more sugar if needed to make the frosting stiff, but spreadable. Frost the cooled cupcakes. Garnish by sprinkling cinnamon on top poking in a cut piece of a cinnamon stick.

Makes 14-17 cupcakes


SOURCE:Adapted from Annie's Eats

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Strawberry Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup unsalted butter
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk
¼ cup vanilla yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups chopped strawberries

For the frosting:

½ c. strawberries
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¾ cups powdered sugar, sifted
½ tsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

Sift flour, salt and baking soda into a medium bowl. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Add buttermilk, yogurt and vanilla and beat until combined. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in chopped strawberries. Fill cupcake wells 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the frosting, puree strawberries in food processor. Strain through a mesh sieve to remove seeds, and set aside. Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add lemon juice, vanilla and strawberry puree. Adjust the amount of puree to achieve your desired consistency. Frost cupcakes when completely cool.

NOTES: I adapted this recipe from Annie's Eats who adapted it from Good Things Catered. I've made them twice and we love them, especially the frosting. The cupcakes are pretty moist so when storing them, you may want to vent them a little.