cupcakes - Around My Family Table

Pistachio Cupcakes

February 27, 2013 · by amft · 4 Comments

Can you believe that I had never had a pistachio until a couple weeks ago?!?! I thought they looked weird. Well, I got a hankering to give them a try after taking a photography class that ended with a photo shoot in a pistachio grove. Who knew we even had one in Phoenix? I sure didn’t. So to ease myself into the pistachio world, I decided on Pistachio Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting.

Come to find out the vast majority of pistachio cupcakes aren’t even made with real pistachios! <I was shocked> They are made with pistachio pudding. I can’t add that to my cupcakes for several reasons, so I started to research the best way to impart all that flavor into a cupcake.

Enter Pistachio Nut Paste. Basically it’s just ground up pistachios with a bit of sugar. I thought about making my own nut paste in my Vita-Mix, but couldn’t find raw, shelled pistachios…so this worked out great (although it is a tad pricey, but so worth it in my opinion). I can see using this wonderful paste in all sorts of desserts, it was really good.

The day after my photography class, I took my kids back out to the pistachio grove and played around with my new new knowledge and let the kids run and play. It ended up being really fun and <I think> the pictures turned out great. I can’t wait to see what the grove looks like in the spring, summer, and fall this year. Here are a couple of my favorites from the day…

Little Miss

Okay, enough of my kids…back to cupcakes! These cupcakes are gluten free, dairy free, and egg free (which makes them vegan), but they are so moist and delicious that you’d never know.

Pistachio Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Moist, delicious, and tons of pistachio flavor! These cupcakes are gluten free and can easily be made dairy free and egg free too with great results!

1 1/2 cups white rice flour

3/4 cup tapioca flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

3 tsps baking powder

1 tsp xanthan gum

4 eggs (or equivelent egg replacer)

1 1/4 cups white sugar

2/3 cup mayonnaise (or egg-free mayo)

1 11oz can Pistachio Nut Paste

1 cup milk of choice (I used plain soy milk)

2 tsps vanilla extract

1/2 cup salted pistachios, shelled and lightly crushed

chocolate frosting (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350F. Place cupcake liners in 24 cupcake tins and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix white rice flour, tapioca flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and xanthan gum together and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine eggs (or egg substitute), sugar, and mayonnaise until fluffy. Add the flour mixture, milk, and vanilla and mix well. Add pistachio nut paste and gently stir until combined. Scoop batter into prepared cupcake tins.

Bake at 350F for 25 minutes. Cupcakes are done when they spring back when lightly touched or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting:

1 cup shortening

1 lb powered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/8-1/4 cup water

Combine shortening, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl using a medium speed on a stand mixer. Beat in cocoa powder. Slowly add in powered sugar. Beat slowly and add a tablespoon of water as needed to allow frosting to mix well. Add in water one tablespoon at a time until the frosting is a good consistency for spreading on cupcakes.

Top with crushed pistachios.

http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2013/02/pistachio-cupcakes/

Looking for more Pistachio Recipe ideas? I was, so I asked some friends to share their recipes. YUM!

Olive Oil Granola with Dried Persimmon & Pistachios
Raspberry Pistachio Thumbprints
Oatmeal Cranberry Pistachio Cookies
Watergate Cake
Pistachio Chocolate Frozen Mousse
Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Pistachio Pesto & Dried Cranberries
Strawberry Cannoli Parfaits with Pistachios
Cranberry Pistachio Energy Bites
Pistachio Shortbread
White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Cookies
Dukkah Spice Blend
Pistachio Cake in 30 Minutes

Filed Under: cakes/cupcakes, desserts, df desserts, dye free, ef desserts, egg free, frosting, gf desserts, gluten free · Tagged: baking, chocolate, cupcakes, dairy free, egg free, frosting, gluten free, pistachios, vegan

Top 10 AMFT Recipes of 2012

December 31, 2012 · by amft · 7 Comments

The end of of the year is always a great time to do some self reflection. I also do some blog reflection and see what’s worked, what hasn’t, what should change, and what should stay the same. As part of that, I always look back at what my top 10 recipes were for the year, so I bring you the Top 10 AMFT Recipes of 2012 . I find it fascinating to see what y’all like, don’t like, etc.

While I’m always striving to do better, I try not to get caught up on the day to day numbers that a lot of bloggers do. I usually check things out at the end of the month…make sure things are still in order and move on. Later this week, I have some HUGE news for y’all, but for now…enjoy the top 10 view recipes of AMFT in 2012 (compare to the top 10 from 2011). Happy New Year!!!

Did your favorites make the list?

10. Spicy Shrimp Alfredo

9. Peach Julius

8. Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

7. Red Enchilada Sauce from Scratch

6. Samoa Cupcakes

5. Homemade “Bisquick”

4. Classic Mustard Potato Salad

3. Slow Cooker Taco Meat

2. Pineapple Whips

1. Nutella Blended Coffee Drink

Filed Under: beef, cakes/cupcakes, coffee, desserts, how to, main dishes, pasta, picnics, salads, seafood, side dishes, smoothies, vegetarian, veggies · Tagged: breakfast, coffee, cupcakes, desserts, how to, potato, smoothies, supper

Amazing White Cake

December 21, 2012 · by amft · 2 Comments

I enjoy baking from scratch and always make my kids a fancy schmancy cake for their birthdays. Everyone raves about my white cake and I have several friends (ahem…Janice) who has complained on several occasions that my white cake recipe is not on AMFT. Well…here it is…my Amazing White Cake recipe. It’s pretty fail proof and and has a great crumb.

For my daughter’s birthday last August I made “princess” cupcakes. They really weren’t anything special except I added course sugar on the top of the frosting in different colors and the kids loved it. Check out these recipes if you get a chance….Princess Sparkle Cupcakes and How to Make Colored Sugar! I made these special for my daughter because she can’t have the dyes, but she was happy that all her friends were able to have fun colored cupcakes!

I was calling these my snow white cupcakes, but figured every one would wonder why Snow White was not part of the recipe. So I renamed them. LOL!

Do you bake from scratch or from a boxed mix? I don’t think there is anything wrong with either. I prefer from scratch..if you couldn’t tell.

I really enjoy it. It gives me great pleasure to know that I created something for my family and I know what went into it. I do take short cuts every so often when we are super busy or not feeling well, but I honestly can’t wait to get back into the kitchen to CREATE something. It’s almost therapeutic

Except the dishes…I hate that part!

Amazing White Cake

2 3/4 cups AP flour

1 1/2 cups, plus 2 tbls sugar

1 tbl baking powder

12 tbl butter, softened

4 large egg whites + 1 large egg

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup water

2 tsps real vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl fitted to an electric mixer. Add softened butter and combine on low speed.

Add egg whites, one at a time, then beat mix in whole egg.

Gently stir in sour cream, water, and extracts, beating to keep the mixture fluffy.

Grease and flour pans of choice: 2-8" or 9" round or square cake pans, 1-9"x13" pan, or 24 cupcake tins (using papers).

Bake at 350F. Bake for 18 minutes, then check every few minutes (5 minute intervals at the most) for cupcakes or layer cakes, 30 minutes for 9"x13".

http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2012/12/amazing-white-cake/

White Almond Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened*

1/2 cup shortening

2 tbls warm water (2-3)

1 tsp almond extract

1 lb confectioners sugar

*(or keep it dairy free by using all butter flavored shortening)

Beat together butter, shortening, 1 tbsp of warm water, and almond until smooth and creamy. Beat in the sugar gradually on a low setting. Scrape sides of bowl as needed.

Mixture will be very thick. After all sugar is incorporated, add 1-2 more tbsp. of warm water and beat at medium/medium-high speed for 1-2 more minutes. Adding more warm water will continue to thin the frosting consistency and bring down the sweetness even more. Add as much as you like to get the appropriate flavor and consistency. Be careful because a little goes a long way.

The frosting can also be made several days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature, then mix well before using. Leftovers should be refrigerated.

Get the look by using Decorating Tube 1M fitted into a piping bag.

http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2012/12/amazing-white-cake/

Filed Under: birthdays, cakes/cupcakes, desserts, frosting, parties, party food · Tagged: cake, cupcakes, dessert, frosting, party, scratch

Princess Sparkle Cupcakes

August 14, 2012 · by amft · 10 Comments

This past weekend was my baby girl’s 8th birthday! It was a weekend jammed pack with out of town family, friends, parties, and cake. Lots and lots of cake!

Where has time gone, it feels just like yesterday that I brought her home from the hospital. She’s growing into such a beautiful young lady and full of spunk! This year, we decided to have her party at Peter Piper Pizza…it’s been over 115 degrees here all week so there was no chance for a fun outdoor party and I had zero desire to clean my house and host 15 kids plus their parents. The party ended up being really cool. We were able to give PPP’s new party package, PlayPets, a try.

This was the ULTIMATE party for me and for the kids! Seriously, all I had to do was bring a cake and show up! K asked for something princess-y for her cake. I opted for cupcakes because they are easy to serve when the party is not at home. Aren’t these cupcakes adorable?!?! They are so easy and the crunch of the sugar really adds a great texture to the cupcakes.

I have to tell you about the party though! Not only do the kids get the standard pizza and drinks, but they each get a whopping 40 tokens EACH! I know! The kids thought they were in game heaven. To 7 and 8 year olds…this is the same as unlimited games! Then the party got even better, each of kids were able to stuff their own animal. These were not some tiny stuffed animals, they were a good 9 inches or so. I’ve never seen so many excited kids.

We had cake and ice cream was provided for kids. Followed with presents and take home matching shirts for the birthday girl and animal. I loved the ease of having the party somewhere else. It allowed me to focus my efforts on spoiling K for her birthday. We hung up ribbons on her door before she woke up on her birthday morning! Totally fun…you should try it!

From Instagram!

Let’s get back to the cupcakes, shall we. I used my favorite scratch white cake recipe and an almond buttercream frosting. I prefer making my cakes from scratch, but any white cake mix will work in a pinch. The best part about these princess cupcakes are the homemade colored sugar sprinkles.

Yes, homemade sprinkles.

My plan was to frost the cupcakes and then dip them in the sprinkles…in my head it works (picture the way DQ dips their cones), but it didn’t work. The frosting smooshed and I wanted defined frosting lines. Now, if you frost the cupcakes flat with frosting, then dipping them would totally work.

What worked? Holding the frosted cupcake over the bowl of colored sugar/sprinkles and gently pouring a handful over the frosting. Rotate the cupcake and repeat until the frosting is covered with the sugar.

See…don’t they look like crown jewels all over the cupcakes….Princess Sparkle Cupcakes! A fun twist on princess cupcakes without using toppers or characters. The birthday girl picked her colors and since you can make your own, you can pick colors to match any princess (or prince) color theme.

My Birthday Girl!

Disclaimer: I love Peter Piper Pizza! They make my fav pizza of all time…Pepperoni and Jalepeno (no other brand is as good as their’s). So when they asked us to have a party to try their new party package…of course I said yes! All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: birthdays, cakes/cupcakes, desserts, frosting, parties · Tagged: birthday, cupcakes

Cadbury Egg Cupcakes

March 29, 2012 · by amft · 14 Comments

Besides Peeps, Cadbury Eggs are one of my guilty pleasures this time of year. Thank goodness, the season is fairly short because I could go into a sugar coma with these little babies! Aren’t the mini Cadbury Eggs just adorable! They are much more manageable in terms of sugar intake. LOL! Of course making Cadbury Egg Cupcakes is filled with even more suger…but I really don’t care because they are so darn delicious!

I know you are probably thinking what a boring chocolate cupcake with a little chocolate egg thrown on top….but what you can’t see is the treasure waiting for you in the middle! That’s right!!!! There is a mini Cadbury egg baked into the middle of each of these cupcakes! I KNOW! And yes they were goooood!

I did use a natural dye for the yellow and left the eggs out of a few cupcakes and off the tops of the those. Can’t have cupcakes and not let my little girl have one too. She didn’t even care about the candy that adorned ours…she was excited that mommy made cupcakes for no reason at all!

I found the mini Cadbury Eggs at the grocery store, but Amazon has them too. I also got my natural dyes from Amazon as well.

Cadbury Egg Cupcakes

24 cupcakes

Cadbury Egg Cupcakes

48 mini Cadbury Eggs, wrappers removed (24 frozen)

1 chocolate cake mix or favorite scratch cake recipe

white buttercream frosting, store bought or homemade

yellow or orange food dye

Freeze 24 of the Cadbury Eggs, this keeps them from completely disintegrating while baking.

Prepare 24 regular sized muffin tins pans with liners and a light mist of non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven and prepare cake mix according to directions. Fill muffin tins about 2/3 of the way full with batter. Drop in one frozen Cadbury Egg into each muffin tin and make sure it is completely covered with batter. Bake muffins according to directions.

Use food dye or natural coloring to dye about 1/3 of the frosting a yellow/orange color. Using a decorator tube with a circle opening, pipe a large O on the cupcake with white frosting, leaving the center open. Fill in the opening with yellow/orange frosting. Top each cupcake with a Cadbury Egg.

Note: Don't have any decorating tools! Use a zip top baggie with one corner cut out to allow the frosting to be piped onto the cupcake.

http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2012/03/cadbury-egg-cupcakes/

Filed Under: cakes/cupcakes, desserts, dye free, easter, holidays and activities · Tagged: baking, cupcakes, desserts, Easter

Hunger Games Cupcakes

March 23, 2012 · by amft · 11 Comments

One of my best friends is planning for a huge group of us to see the afternoon showing of the Hunger Games on Sunday. We decided to make shirts for ourselves and after we started the project word got out that we were doing shirts and our little half day project turned into 8 shirts, 4 trips to the store, and 3 days of crafting!

When it came time for our 3rd ~~work~~ craft session, I decided to throw together a little snack to keep us focused on the reason for our shirt adventure in the first place. And what better way than with fun cupcakes! I literally threw these together last minute, but had to share them with y’all!

Hunger Games Cupcakes

favorite cupcake recipe
favorite white frosting recipe
several copies of the mockingjay cut out
(print onto cardstock, you will need to adjust the size, and use an exact-o knife to cut)
cocoa powder

Place 4-6 cupcakes together in a grouping. Frost them together, so that it resembles a cake. Place stencil on top of frosting and use cocoa powder in a fine mesh strainer or shaker container and shake over the stencil. Gently remove stencil from frosting, taking caution to lift straight up. Finish cupcake with a frosting boarder.

Check out these easy freezer paper shirts we did using my Silhouette ! Janice has step by step instructions on Celebrating Family!

And I thought you might like the template to try your own Hunger Games project!

I can’t wait for SUNDAY! Have you seen the movie yet? What did you think????

Filed Under: cakes/cupcakes, desserts, party food · Tagged: baking, cake, cupcakes, dessert, Hunger Games

Samoa Cupcakes

February 29, 2012 · by amft · 154 Comments

If you have been alive the last month and a half then you know it’s Girl Scout cookie time! My daughter is a Brownie this year and her first cookie booth was last week. She was so excited! I usually buy way to many cookies but they freeze well, right. At least, I tell myself I will freeze them, but I usually just put them in the cabinet and we eat them in about a month.

One of family’s favorite cookies are the Samoa’s! They are chocolate caramel coconut bite of heaven in a cookie. Luckily, not too many cookies come in one box because we will eat the whole box in one sitting. So what did I do? I created a whole cupcake with the flavors of this two bite wonder! Oh it is delicious! The kids were telling everyone about the new cupcake mommy made…seriously, I think my daughter told her teacher at school about it and to watch for the recipe. What a sweetie!

The frosting to this cupcake is to-die-for. I joked that I would put it in the bath tub and bathe in it….yes it was that good. Hmmmm….maybe I shouldn’t be telling you that. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

This is not my first attempt at recreating a Girl Scout cookie into a cupcake. Have you tried my Thin Mint Cupcake? It is super easy. The Samoa Cupcake is a bit more involved, but totally worth it!!!! I suppose you could use a boxed cake mix, but why would you want to do that…cake from scratch is so easy and tastes so much better!

What is your favorite Girl Scout cookie?

Samoa Cupcakes

24 cupcakes

Samoa Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsps baking powder

1 1/2 tsps baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsps vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut extract

1 cup hot coffee

Filling:

1/2 cup chocolate syrup

1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Caramel Frosting:

2 sticks butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake tins with liners and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and extracts. Beat on medium speed (using a stand or handheld mixer) 2 minutes. Stir in hot coffee (the batter will be thin). Pour the batter into prepared pans.

Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove cupcakes from pans onto wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.

Filling:

Combine chocolate syrup and coconut in a small bowl. When cupcakes are cooled,scoop out the center of each cupcake with a melon baller or the big end of a large frosting tip. Saving the removed portions. Use a small spoon to fill the holes with the chocolate coconut mixture. Replace tops.

Caramel Frosting:

Melt the butter in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Stir in brown sugar and heat the mixture to boiling, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved. Add the milk and return to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from heat and cool to lukewarm (~30-40 minutes) stirring occasionally. Stir in the vanilla and then gradually stir in the powdered sugar. Adjust consistency with a more milk or powdered sugar, if necessary. Use while frosting is still a little warm, it will start to harden as it cools.

To toast the coconut, spread the coconut onto a rimmed sheet pan. Toast in a 350°F oven, stirring frequently, until the coconut is an even brown color, about 10 minutes.

When the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them then drizzle with melted chocolate chips or chocolate syrup. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2012/02/samoa-cupcakes/

Filed Under: cakes/cupcakes, desserts, frosting · Tagged: baking, caramel, chocolate, coconut, cupcakes

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes with Almond Buttercream

January 31, 2012 · by amft · 27 Comments

I have been craving a good strawberry cupcake; however, all store bought mixes have very little flavor and lots of dyes. And most recipes for “scratch” cakes call for jello (again…we can’t have the dye). So I decided it was time to tackle this recipe and see what I could come up with.

Our family met at our local BBQ place…they give a free meal on your birthday, so we are always there….and I brought the cupcakes. I love experimenting (and my family loves it too). So last weekend was the perfect weekend because it was my nephew’s 13th birthday. He is a really picky eater, so I am pleased to announced that this past his test.

Happy Birthday!

Ready for a nap!

Honestly, you could swap out the “scratch” part of the recipe for a boxed white cake mix. But you should try making your own cake from scratch at least once. I promise it’s very easy! Complete the look by using decorating tube 1M.

One last picture, just cuz it turned out really neat. I had a lot of fun with my new camera at the restaurant…it was a beautiful January day in Phoenix.

Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Filling and Almond Buttercream

18-24 cupcakes

Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Filling and Almond Buttercream

Cake:

3 cups flour

4 tsps baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 1/2 cups pureed strawberries

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs, slightly beaten

Filling:

3/4 cups pureed strawberries

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup Shortening

2 tbls warm water (2-3)

1 tsp almond extract

1 lb confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 325F. Line cupcake pan with liners and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In another bowl, combine the butter, vanilla, and eggs. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in strawberry puree.

Fill muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until done.

*Use either fresh or frozen berries. If using frozen berries allow them to thaw before putting in the blender to puree.

For the filling:

Use a straw or frosting tip to punch a little hole in the center of each cupcake. Place filling in a piping bag or zip-top bag, snip the end and fill the holes with a little of the strawberry puree.

For the frosting:

Beat together butter, shortening, 1 tbsp of warm water, and almond until smooth and creamy. Beat in the sugar gradually on a low setting. Scrape sides of bowl as needed.

The frosting can also be made several days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature, then mix well before using. Leftovers should be refrigerated.

Get the look by using Decorating Tube 1M fitted into a piping bag.

http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2012/01/fresh-strawberry-cupcakes/

Filed Under: cakes/cupcakes, desserts, parties, party food · Tagged: baking, cupcakes, dessert, strawberry

Perfect Chocolate Cake

July 5, 2011 · by amft · 11 Comments

I found this basic recipe over at the Hershey’s website. I’ve had several friends try it and love it, so I had to give it a try. I made just a slight change to the recipe and I LOVE it! This recipe is so easy and uses basic ingredients….there really is no reason to buy a boxed mixed. This recipe makes a very moist and chocolately cake. If you need a bit of a firmer cake for cakes that will be decorated then reduce the oil by a tablespoon or two.

Perfect Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1 1/2 tsps baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 cup hot coffee

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round baking pans.

Combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed (using a stand or handheld mixer) 2 minutes. Stir in hot coffee (the batter will be thin). Pour the batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove cake from pans onto wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with your favorite frosting. Serves 10-12

Options: 9×13 pan and bake 35-40 minutes or 24 cupcakes (line muffin tin with paper baking cup, fill 2/3 full) and bake 22 to 25 minutes.