Skinny Funfetti Cupcakes

I made these awhile ago when I was still living in Ft Lauderdale. They were super yummy, especially if you're on a New Year's diet!

Skinny Funfetti Cupcakes

• 1 box funfetti cake mix
• 12 ounces Diet Sprite/Sprite Zero

Mix these two together & spoon into cupcake tins. I like using a springy ice cream scoop to get perfectly even cupcakes :)

Bake according to directions.

For the frosting, use one container Cool Whip with a few drops of vanilla extract. (The original recipe called for using a package of sugar-free vanilla pudding mix mixed in with the Cool Whip, but I found that it made the frosting really gritty.) Frost then add some rainbow sprinkles and VOILA!

Enjoy these delicious and healthy treats!

xoxo,
janie from scratch

Hamburger Cupcakes

Happy Summer Yall!! This month has been such a whirl wind. I got home from Europe, and then it was Mother's Day. I made my favorite thing ever for my godmother, mom and friend for dinner that day -- Jerk Chicken with Jalapeno-Mint Glaze & Mango Salsa. THEN came birthday season... Within 1 week, I have the bf's, my friends Juan's & Brett's AND my birthday. And then was Memorial Day Weekend, so I am ready for some R&R this week by the pool! My mom is leaving on Monday for Maine until October, so hopefully we can have some QT this week too :)

I saw these ADORABLE cupcakes a few years ago on Bakerella's website (sidenote: she has the cutest ideas EVER) and made them for a 4th of July Party two years ago and they were a big hit. I got asked to make dessert for a Memorial Day Pool Party...which was SO EPIC, BTW:

Token Janie-face

So I whipped up these cute hamburger cupcakes again. They are adorable and so easy.

First, make a set of yellow boxed cupcake mix. I always use mixes for this recipe. For the cupcakes, I underfill the cupcakes a little - closer to half-full then 2/3 like the box says. Let cool, then take the papers off. I also sprinkle white sesame seeds to the top while they are cooling to make them look more like hamburger buns (if you forget, you can rub the tops with a little water to help them stick).

Then, mix up a brownie mix, and bake in a 13x9-ish sized pan. If you bake them in a smaller pan, they will turn out too fat to look like hamburger patties. While they are still warm, use a cookie cutter or empty can to cut out the patties. I've used an empty Campbell's soup can and also a small mason jar. Then let finish cooling.

Get a can of frosting, and dye half red (for ketchup) and half yellow (for mustard). For the lettuce, I shake sweetened coconut in a ziplock bag with a few drops of green food coloring.

To assemble, cut the cupcakes in half. I cut them close to the top little ledge. Put the cut-out brownie on the "bottom bun" with some "lettuce" and then squeeze some "ketchup & mustard" on the edges and top with the "top bun." This makes about 16 "burgers" so if you need more, make an extra batch!

 I had some leftover frosting and coconut so I put them in ramekins on the side if anyone wanted extra.

How cute are those?!?! And truly so easy and impressive for a summer BBQ or picnic. 

Hope everyone is having a great start to the summer! It's hot as blazes here in Florida, so summer has definitely arrived :)

xoxo,

Janie from Scratch

Banana Cupcakes!

Today, we had a baby shower/potluck at work for the girl I share my office with. I was supposed to make carrot cake cupcakes but they turned out a DISASTER. I dunno what I did wrong, but it was bad. Unsalvageable-bad. So, I had to make something else at the last minute and had 2 ripened bananas so I decided to make my old favorite Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter-Cream Cheese Frosting. They were a BIG hit! I also made sausage balls, which I'll blog about later this week.

Enjoy!

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

If you're not on the Bon Appetit Take 5 email list, add yourself NOW. Every week they send out an e-newsletter which always has 5 great (and timely) tips and recipes. I'll promise you now that Bon Appetit will NEVER lead you wrong on a recipe. (See my blog on my Christmas dinner, made completely from a Bon Appetit menu!)  The other day I came across a recipe for banana cupcakes, and at first I thought, how strange, it should be banana bread. But then I am always wanting to bring in treats for my work buds, so the other Sunday night I made these little gems, and they were AMAZING. (Sorry for the link overload in that paragraph!)

Banana Cupcakes 
(This makes 12, and they'll go super fast, so maybe make a double batch!)
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
2 very ripe large bananas, peeled 
1/2 cup sour cream 
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
3/4 cup sugar 
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 
1 large egg 
1 large egg yolk

First, smush the bananas with a fork in a bowl.

Add in the sour cream and vanilla and mix. 

In another bowl, mix the flour, baking power, baking soda and salt. With your mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in the egg and egg yolk and mix well. 

(Action shot!)


Now in the recipe it says to mix in the banana mixture and the flour mixture alternately in three mix-ins each. I don't have time for that in my life, so I added all the banana mixture and then added the flour mixture and they turned out totally fine. If you are a real stickler, do it in parts, it's up to you. But don't worry if you don't, they'll still taste good!

Next, scoop them into cupcake liners. The recipe says use a "generous" 1/4 cup, but I (of course!) use my trusty ice cream scooper. Twice I've made these (I made them for Easter this weekend too) and both times I've had a little extra batter after scooping 12 cupcakes. So, I greased a ramekin and made a little cake just for me (okay, and for Ryan). But you could probably just make 14 cupcakes instead.

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. 

You can definitely eat these without frosting if you want to make them as muffins rather than cupcakes. But if you wanna kick it up a notch -- it's time for the good stuff:


Peanut Butter Frosting
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (Don't use the freshly ground or all natural kind. This is the time to go for the kind with all the preservatives and such!)
1 stick (1/2  cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 8-ounce package cream cheese at room temperate
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar


Mix the cream cheese, peanut butter and butter until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Of course, this makes a lot of frosting, so save the extra for next time. :) Frost away, and top with chopped salted peanuts or cashews. 

Dig in or pack a few up to take to YOUR work friends, if you like them enough to share!

(Aren't my friends at .decimal lucky??)

St Patty's Green Velvet Cupcakes

I wanted to make something special for mine and Ryan's work colleagues for St Patrick's day so it HAD to be green. One of the blogs I read and LOVE because she has the greatest ideas (um how cute is THIS!?!?) is Bakerella, and she made green velvet cupcakes last week. So I decided to give them a whirl.

Bakerella's Green Velvet Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 oz. green food coloring

Start by mixing all the dry ingredients in one bowl, and all the wet ingredients in another bowl. Be careful with the green food coloring, I got it ALL over my hands and the kitchen. Even after the batter is mixed, it'll still stain your fingers!

The wet ingredients:

Add the wet to the dry ingredients, and mix well.
(SOO green, right?!?!)

Use a spring ice cream scoop to fill your cupcakes. I got a little overzealous and overfilled my cupcakes so I only got 20, but if you only fill them 2/3 full you should get 24.

Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes (or until they look "done"). I baked mine for 25 minutes and they got a little dry. Let cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups powdered sugar

Mix the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add vanilla. Then add sugar, making sure to scrape down the bowl in between the cups.

This makes a LOT of frosting, so I had to be super generous when frosting my cupcakes. I think it's a recipe to frost a cake, which is why it makes so much. But it tastes so good, you can put the extra in a tupperware in the fridge and keep for a few weeks.

Bakerella has the most darling sprinkles, so she topped her cupcakes with little shamrocks. I just had green sugar, so mine weren't AS cute as hers, but they were delicious!

Ryan tried one tonight:)

Chocolate Cupcakes

One of the food blogs I follow is My Baking Addiction. The other day she posted about a chocolate cake with espresso buttercream frosting. I am not big on coffee-flavored anything, but the chocolate cake I can totally get down with. And I've been a bit timid to make cakes from scratch (usually I use a box.. I know, totally against my from scratch mindset, but you gotta do what you gotta do!). So I took the plunge and decided to make the chocolate cake part, but in cupcakes for my work buddies.

Chocolate Cake
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
6 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup very hot water

First, mix the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder & soda, and salt with a mixer using the whisk attachment. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Mix into the dry ingredients, making sure to scrape down the edges of the bowl. When I made this, it didn't get completely mixed the first time. Add in the hot water (I just used water from my tap--it gets super hot). The batter will be really runny, a lot runnier than the batter that comes from the box mix. At first, I thought I did it wrong, but it's supposed to be like that!

I made cupcakes, and used a ladle to scoop the batter in. I filled them probably a little too full, because the cupcakes came out super round. Usually I use a large ice cream scooper to fill my cupcakes, but the batter was just too runny to do that, so I had to use a ladle instead. Also, I used silicon cupcake liners today, sprayed with baking Pam (you can never be too sure about them sticking!), but you can use paper too.

Bake at 375F for 15-18 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

I made a quick butter cream for frosting.

Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened (remember-unsalted!)
4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt

Mix the butter until it's smooth. Add in the rest of the ingredients, mix until creamy.

You can be pretty generous frosting your cupcakes, since this makes a lot of frosting. You can add some food coloring or sprinkles to make your cupcakes a little prettier. But these are delicious plain without any decorations too!

Enjoy!