Birthday Mini Cupcakes

Happy birthday, Mini!  These were so much fun to make.  I took them to work for a dear friend's birthday - her nickname is actually Mini, so of course I chose miniature cupcakes for her.  Upon interrogation, she voted down chocolate, citrus, or mint flavor involvement.  Berries were still in the game, and the bright, juicy raspberries at the grocery store this week made my decision.  A plain vanilla cupcake base contains homemade raspberry filling (pureed raspberries and a little sugar heated slowly and then cooled to set).  The tops are where we got creative - I made a batch of Swiss meringue buttercream, very lightly flavored vanilla, which was split into two bowls.  One received the seeds of a vanilla bean, and the other received the remaining strained raspberry puree.  I piped the frosting on with a small star tip.  The outer decorations were again designed and applied by my lovely friend Michelle.  So we ended up with vanilla cupcakes with raspberry filling, topped with vanilla bean or raspberry-vanilla frosting, adorned with fresh raspberries and chocolate shavings or rainbow sprinkles!  The three dozen I presented were gone within an hour among a fairly health-conscious assembly of physicians, and more importantly, the birthday girl enjoyed them.  I think I'll be making these again!

Tigers Cupcakes

Geaux Tigers!  These were made for the LSU/Alabama championship game a few weeks ago (the outcome of which is irrelevant on a cake blog.)  They are double chocolate cupcakes with a raspberry filling, topped with almond Swiss meringue buttercream.  The cupcakes are made with both cocoa powder and melted chocolate in the batter - a touch of brewed coffee really brings out the chocolate flavor, and can barely be detected in the finished product.  I like simple fillings this best, and this one is made by bringing pureed raspberries and a little sugar to a brief boil, then letting the mixture sit for a few minutes to thicken while it cools.  It ends up about the consistency of jam, but less gelatinous.  The almond frosting took a little bit of thought - I needed a flavor that would play well with chocolate and raspberry, but be light enough in color that it could be decorated purple and yellow.  Brown chocolate and pink raspberry frosting were out, and the almond ended up adding a good balance to the other flavors.  My much-more-artistic-than-me friend Michelle added purple cake sparkles and yellow sprinkles in whimsical designs for the finishing touch.

Margarita Mini Cupcakes

(A continuation of the cupcakes for 21+ series.) When one of your bosses throws a margarita party, you can't show up without...margarita cupcakes!  I couldn't resist experimenting with tequila and lime juice in these minis.  The little cakes contain some of each, as does the frosting, which is an American buttercream.  Next time I make these, I will use more tequila in the frosting - the lime flavor carries so well that it covers the other.  These were indeed tasty little morsels, though, and disappeared quickly!

Tiramisu Mini Cupcakes

These Italian-inspired confections were crafted for a late summer potluck.  They take some time to put together, but the finished product always seems well-appreciated.  The recipe is Martha Stewart's - she even has a video on their assembly!  The base is a vanilla bean cupcake.  I love working with vanilla beans (though I had never even seen one until a few years ago); they just feel like a step up from plain vanilla extract.  After cooling, the cupcakes are pierced with a fork so the espresso/marsala wine mixture that is brushed on soaks in well.  In addition to that excellent tiramisu flavor, the liquid adds a delicious amount of moisture to the cupcakes.  The topping is a blend of whipped heavy cream and mascarpone cheese - light, fluffy, and slightly tangy - finished with a sprinkle of cocoa powder.  Yum!  These are fun cupcakes for the 21+ crowd.

Homemade cheesecake with blueberry topping

It has been quite a while since I've posted, but I've certainly been baking plenty!  More pictures, less words... :) (remember to click for a better view!)

 

An after-dinner treat, this was made for some summer weekend guests.  Simple graham cracker crust, vanilla cheesecake.  The substitution of some mascarpone for cream cheese in the batter makes the cake smoother and adds a little tang to the flavor!  The blueberry topping consists of fresh blueberries and a sprinkle of sugar heated slowly until the juices start to run.