Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Let us discuss a topic that is very near and dear to my heart. Shall we?

Frosting.

I love frosting.

Do you love frosting?

I don't just mean like it...like:

"Oh yea, I like frosting."

I mean, "GIVE ME MORE FROSTING!"

Like, you enjoy sweet slumber dreams about frosting.

No?

Yea, me neither.

This cake is really great too. I love the raspberry infused chocolate thing we got going on here.

I made these for a co-worker's birthday. They were yummy.

They are really pretty, too.

I love the raspberry on top.

I look at the photo and smile.

:) See? This is me, smiling.

I see that smile... don't try to hide it.

OK. Stop smiling and go make these.

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
Yields: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/8 tsp Salt
3 tbsp Butter, softened
1 1/2 cups White Sugar
2 Eggs
3/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Raspberries, chopped

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with liners. 
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside. 
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Stir in chopped raspberries.
Fill cups 3/4 full. 
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Frost when cool.


Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Butter, softened
4 cups Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Milk

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Add milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. 

Snickerdoodle Cake

So I should probably explain my obsession with Snickerdoodles, because you will likely hear, read multiple posts for these spicy little babies over time. See, it is not so much about the taste. While they are yummy; I would eat just about any cookie on God's green earth. It's more about the memories and aromatic scent these beauties leave lingering in the air. When I was little, living on Salem Rd, my brother Josh and I would park ourselves in front of the oven to watch the Snickerdoodles rise as my mother would bake them. Everytime I see, smell, eat, even THINK of Snickerdoodles, I will always remember those times. This cake is a recreation of the best, and my FAVORITE cookie. Your house will smell amazing, so be sure to invite company over as it bakes.

Snickerdoodle Cake
Serves:8-12

Ingredients:
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 cup White Sugar
2 1/2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup White Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
3 eggs,  room temp
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
16oz Sour Cream

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon; mix well.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Generously spray a 9-inch Bundt pan with cooking spray, being careful to cover all the nooks and cranies, as well as the center tube. Gently dust the entire inside of the pan with about 1/3 cup of the cinnamon and sugar mixture, set the rest aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside. Beat the butter on medium speed for one minute or until fluffy. Add the white sugar and mix for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and blade and add the brown sugar. Mix for 2 minutes until the mixture is light brown and uniform in color. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream; beat well.  Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture Spread the rest of the batter into the pan and sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Best when served warm.
Note: You could eat this for breakfast... I'm just saying.

German Peach Coffee Cake

When I came across the recipe in one of my mother's old cookbooks, I was completely drawn in. First of all, anything found in a tattered, dusty cookbook, immediately makes me feel like I tapped a goldmine. Second, was the German aspect of it. See, my mother spent much of her youth/adolescence in Europe. So again... a connection. Anyway, I thought this was definitely blog worthy.

German Peach Coffee Cake

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

2 cups Flour

3/4 cups Sugar, divided

1/4 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Salt

1/2 cup Butter

1 15oz can Peach halves, drained

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 Egg Yolks, beaten

1 cup Sour Cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly.

Press mix firmly into bottom and sides of lightly greased 9 inch springform pan.

Arrange peaches evenly over crumbs.

Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Mix well and sprinkle over peaches.

Bake @ 400 degrees for 15 min.

Blend egg yolks with sour cream and spoon over peaches.

Bake another 20 min or until golden.

Out Of This World Carrot Cake

For the last 2 weeks I have been craving carrot cake. I didn't want to buy it. I didn't want to box mix it. But I have been really busy, really busy. So that's why I craved it for 2 weeks. But alas, Sunday night allowed me some free time. Blessed bedtime.

Out Of This World Carrot Cake
Serves: 12

2 1/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup mayo
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice or ground ginger
3 large eggs
1 8oz can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cups finely shredded carrots
3/4 cups chopped pecans, plus extra

Cream Cheese Frosting
6 tbsp butter, room temp
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
4 cups ( 1 lb) powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350. Grease two 9 inch cake pans. Whisk together cake flour, sugar, baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt and allspice in a medium mixing bowl.
Combine mayo, eggs, crushed pineapple with juices in a large bowl. Add flour mixture and beat for 30 seconds on low speed. Continue beating for 3 min on medium speed, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
Stir in carrots and pecans. Pour batter and divide between two pans.

Bake for 30 min, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 10 min. Remove from pan, and allow to cool completely on wire rack.

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar by cupful. Continue mixing. Add milk by the tablespoon until desired spreading consistency is reached.

Place on cake layer top side down on serving platter. Spread with frosting. Top with remaining cake layer, top side up. Spread sides and top with remaining frosting. Sprinkle with extra crushed pecans to decorate.

Serving the cake chilled with a frosty glass of milk is De-Lish!