Blogspot - Recipe Scratch Rusia

In an effort to be 100% transparent, I used a cake mix to make these cupcakes.  I think it was a Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix, to be exact.  If you have read this blog for a while, you know that I'm not afraid of or embarrassed by a cake mix.  I use them all of the time for shortcuts - especially when I'm making cupcakes.  Maybe it is just me, but I think that homemade cupcake batter can be a little finicky... it can roll over the sides, it can deflate, etc., and I wanted these to look just perfect in my new Gold Striped Cupcake Papers.  And it was easy.  I was really in the mood for a Fall-ish spice cake topped with creamy, cream cheese frosting and these were everything (and more!) than I had hoped. People tend to not think about texture as much as they should.  I had a gourmet ice cream sundae at a fancy restaurant this summer, and the combination of textures was unbelievable.  I can still taste (feel it?) right now.  This cupcake combinati...

After encouragement from Tessa ( @nineandsixteen ), Jennifer ( @faithmd ) and Maria ( @growersdaughter ) I'm jumping on the Barefoot Contessa's Pumpkin Cupcake bandwagon.  Last year I made about 35 loafs of pumpkin bread from September-February, but I never put it in cupcake form and topped it with cream cheese frosting.  These were so utterly delicious.  The cake is basically the same recipe as the pumpkin bread recipe I use - so moist from plenty of pumpkin puree (making it healthy, right?) and warm spices.  And that frosting.  OMG - so soft and creamy.  The slight sweetness was absolutely the perfect compliment.  We've enjoyed them after school for snacks and for breakfast : )   And now they are gone and I want to make more. I made them in my Jumbo Brown Cupcake Papers and used the Large Scoop  to put them into the papers neatly and portioned.  Her recipe says it makes 9, and I found this to be exactly correct.  It filled the j...

Mike doesn't like frosting - isn't that the most annoying thing ever?  He's always telling me to only put a little bit on cakes and cupcakes.  For those of us who have coveted the "corner" pieces of birthday cakes, this request is hard to comprehend (or obey).  When I find an icing or frosting that Mike loves, I know I have struck gold - as I have with this chocolate buttercream.  It is not too sweet, not too chocolately and gloriously creamy. I shared some of my Cake Baking Tips & Resources below, too.    The Best Homemade Chocolate Buttercream 1 stick of butter, melted 1 1/2 cups of cocoa 1/2 cup of milk (plus more) 2 sticks of butter, softened 5-6 cups of powdered sugar (plus maybe more) 1 teaspoon vanilla In a glass bowl, melt 1 stick of butter in the microwave.  Add cocoa and milk and microwave for 1 more minute, stir to mix.  In a mixer, cream 2 sticks of butter and powdered sugar.  Add cocoa mixture slowly.  Add vanilla. ...

With the unveiling of the Valentine's Collection, I shared the flower adorned chocolate heart cake (below).  As promised, here is a post devoted to the Swiss Buttercream I used.   We used the same tips and the same buttercream to make these Peony inspired Cupcakes, too. For decorating tips and creating the heart cake, see this post with a step-by-step video. I used these new Flowers Tips to create the flowers.  Just one little squeeze creates an entire flower - amazing.  They were so easy to use, almost magical.  Emma and I had so much fun with them.  We created the cake and cupcakes. Flowers Tips - Set of 5, $15 Large Leaf Tip 18" Disposable Pastry Bag I used these flowers as color inspiration, but they also remind me of Peonies - especially the tip with the dots in the middle!  I love the soft peachy, pink tone.  Also, I love the muted olive green of the bay leaf I used.  You could also make a deep navy blue to mimic the privet berries, bu...