Lemonade Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

I knew I wanted to make cupcakes for our Easter dessert, but coming up with the perfect spring flavored cupcake was difficult.  I had finally settled on Key Lime Cupcakes but couldn't decide on a frosting.  While looking through cookbooks and Pinterest, I came upon a Raspberry Frosting that I knew I HAD to make, but I wasn't sold on putting Raspberries and Key Lime together.  Enter my next quest... the perfect cupcake to go with Raspberry Buttercream...(are you beginning to understand my cupcake dilemna?).  I happened upon a recipe for Lemonade Cupcakes in one of my Southern Living Cupcakes.  What better to go with Raspberry?  This is a GREAT spring flavor combination. 

Lemonade Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

1 (12 oz.) frozen lemonade concentrate (thawed)

1 package white cake mix

8 oz. sour cream

1 (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

Combine concentrate, cake mix, sour cream and cream cheese and eggs in a mixing bowl.  mix on LOW until ingredients are moistened.  Beat on HIGH for 3 minutes, scraping sides as needed.  Spoon batter into lined muffin tins.  Fill 3/4 full.

Bake at 325 for 20 - 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean.  Cool in pans for 5 minutes.  Remove from pans and place on wire rack.  Cool completely before frosting.

Raspberry Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

6 oz. fresh raspberries (rinsed and dried completely)

1 t vanilla

1/8 t salt

32 oz. confectioners sugar

Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. 

Gradually add powdered sugar, blending well after each addition.

Frost cooled cupcakes using 1M tip.

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Football Cupcakes

Super Bowl Sunday is a sacred holiday in our house.  Second only the the BSC National Championship game.  Boo Boo and I made these lovely Pinterest inspired cupcakes for the big day.  I used my very favorite easy and delicious cupcake recipe from RecipeGirl and found a wonderful chocolate frosting on Allrecipes.

Football Cupcakes

Makes 36 cupcakes

1 box yellow cake mix

1 c all-purpose flour

1 c sugar

3/4 t salt

1 1/3 c water

2 T oil

1 1/2 t vanilla extract

1 c vanilla yogurt

4 egg whites

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line cupcake tins with liners of your choice.

Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and beat with a mixer for 2 minutes ( no longer or your cupcakes will be tough)

Fill prepared cupcake tins 3/4 full (I use an ice cream scoop).  Bake for 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool and frost.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

Double recipe to frost 36 cupcakes
*** I used 8 T butter and 4 T shortening so the frosting would set up well.

For decorations, I used a #21 tip for chocolate frosting and #3 tip for football laces.

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The BEST Cupcakes Ever

By unanimous decision, these are the VERY BEST cupcakes EVER.  I found the recipe for both the cupcakes and icing at Recipe Girl, via Pinterest.   They taste just like wedding cake, but are perfect for any occasion.  The icing tints very well and makes a great presentation. 

 

 The cupcake recipe calls for a cake mix with some great stuff added to it.  When I went to make the cupcakes the first time, I realized my sour cream had expired.  So, I dug through the refrigerator and substituted vanilla yogurt for the sour cream.  Perfect!  This makes an even moister cupcake with a more enhanced vanilla flavor.  (A co-worker made the same recipe, using sour cream and we decided we like the vanilla yogurt better).  I also substituted half the vanilla extract with almond extract, just my family's taste preference. 

 I also added almond extract to the icing as well. I have made these for Bunco, baby showers, just because and last night for our annual Halloween Hayride Party.  They are always a favorite and I rarely have any left. The cake recipe makes 36 cupcakes and while the icing recipe says it will frost 12 cupcakes, I double the recipes and have plenty of icing for all 36 cupcakes with about 1/2 a cup left over. 

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Chocolate Cupcakes with Cherry Frosting

This recipe is originally from Liz at Hoosier Homemade.  She included it in her latest Cupcake Chronicles Newsletter.   She used raspberry preserves and juice in the original frosting and the cake recipe originated with Martha.  If you do not subscribe to Cupcake Chronicles, you really should, there are some great cupcake ideas in each issue!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cherry Frosting

3/4 c cocoa powder, unsweetened
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 t baking soda
3/4 t baking powder
3/4 salt
2 large eggs
3/4 c warm water
3/4 c buttermilk
3 T oil
1 t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line standard muffin cups with paper liners; set aside.  Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.  Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil and vanilla.  Mix until smooth, about 3 minutes.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.  Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 15 minutes. 
Makes 21 cupcakes.

Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 c (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 c shortening
1/4 c cherry preserves (or other flavor of your choice)
2 T Cherry Liqueur or cherry juice
4 - 6 c powdered sugar

Cream the butter, shortening and cream cheese until smooth.  Mix in preserves and liquid.  Slowly add the powdered sugar until you get the consistency you like.  Frost cupcakes.

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Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

OK,sometimes watching TV can really get you in trouble.  Flipping through the channels, I ended up watching an epsidoe of Cupcake Wars on Food Network.  As if that isn't enough to make you run to the kitchen and make a batch of cupcakes, one of the contestants made an almond flavored cupcake.  I LOVE almond flavored anything.  That sent me running to the internet to find an almond cake recipe.  I found a great one at Gimme Some Oven that used a cake mix, Vanilla Almond Cupcakes.  Super score as I hurt my back a couple of days ago and I really wanted something quick. I wanted a great buttercream frosting and found Special Buttercream Frosting at Allrecipes. 

This combination is fantastic.  The icing is very rich and very sweet and is not an everyday kind of treat, but for something special it is wonderful.  I used a 1M tip to pipe the frosting.

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