Friday Night Treat - Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

Remember I said earlier this week that it was my little man's 4th Birthday? He wanted Strawberry cakes so I threw these together.

They were so delicious. So moist. Just lovely. My husband actually said they are the best cupcakes he had ever had. Whoop Whoop!! Here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Vanilla Cake

Ingredients:

1 Cup unsalted Butter, softened
2 Cups Sugar
4 Large Eggs, room temp
1 1/2 cups Self Rising Flour
1 1/4 Cup Plain Flour
1 Cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer cream the butter until smooth

Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each

Combine the flours and add in four parts, altering with the milk and the vanillia extract, beating well after each addition.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until cake tester insterted into center of cake comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool in the muffin pans for 10 minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack.

Strawberry Buttercream Icing:

1 cup unsalted butter, very soft
8 cups powder (icing, confectioners) sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teas Strawberry Flavoring
Red Food Coloring

Directions:

Place butter in a large mixing bowl

Add 4 cups of powder sugar and then the milk and flavor

Beat until smooth and creamy

Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is the thickness you want.

Add the food coloring last and mix throughly.

Use and store icing at room tempas it will set if chilled, Can store in an airtight container for up to three days!

I sprinkled mine with edible glitter too! Just to add a little more pretty!

LOVELY!

Friday Night Treat - Strawberry Pie

Strawberries are starting to come into season here and a lot of the stores are selling them for super cheap. So last week I decided to make a strawberry pie. I like to make my own pie crust as well because then I can make a BIG pie. Here is my recipe for the Pastry first and then the Strawberry Pie filling second! Enjoy!

Sweet Pie Crust

2 cup Plain Flour
1 cup Vegetable shortening (here it is cookene or Trex in the US it is called Shortening. When I googles it I foiund out that Copha there is the same thing)
1/4 teas salt
2 teas Sugar
1/2 cup ice water

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Add the shortening and work it through with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and work it in with your hands until you have a smooth ball of dough. (I used less than 1/2 cup sometimes. Just use what you need not nesicarrily all of it.) Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface. This recipe will make two pie crusts.


Strawberry Pie Filling:

• 1 quart fresh strawberries
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup water

1. Arrange half of strawberries in baked pastry shell. Mash remaining berries and combine with sugar in a medium saucepan. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture. Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over berries in pastry shell. Chill for several hours before serving.

Friday Night Treat - Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

I was looking for something a little bit different to make the other day and came across a really easy and really nice recipe for Cookies and Cream Cupcakes. They were lovely. Super moist and Super Tasty.

I thought this would make the prefect treat night recipe to share with you all. I hope that you enjoy them as much as my family does!

Ingredients:

1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Caster (Fine) Sugar
2 cups Self Rising Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
4 eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
10 Oreo Cookies Crushed

Preheat oven to 350°; place 18 baking cups in muffin pans.

Combine all the cupcake ingredients, except the cookies, in a big bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth and pale, about 2-3 minutes; stir in the cookies.

Spoon batter into cups; bake for 20 minutes; remove pans from oven and cool for 5 minutes; then remove cupcakes and cool on wire rack.

Make the icing: beat powdered sugar, butter, and salt using an electric mixer; spread icing onto cooled cupcakes.

Sprinkle the chopped cookies on top.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Remember when I told you I was totally getting into making cupcakes.... Well that hasn't changed. In fact every day I have to try and hold back from making more cupcakes. I just want to decorate them and make them look pretty. So much so that I would be willing to make cupcakes just to decorate and then throw away. No I've not done this I know it would be a waste of food. But at times it is tempting to feed my terrible addiction at the moment :)

Anyway here is my latest creation.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES with PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

Yep just like a Peanut Butter cup.... Only BETTER!!!

I thought I would share this lovely recipe with each of you. First for the cake. See part of my obsession is to also find the perfect cake recipes. No More Betty Crocker! Well that's the goal anyway. So here is a great little Chocolate Cupcake Recipe I found at Frosted Happy Cupcakes.

Chocolate Cake:

Ingredients:

3 cups of packed brown sugar

1 cup of butter (or margarine), softened

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup baking cocoa

1 Tbsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/3 cups sour cream of yogurt

1 1/3 cup boiling water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl cream your butter and sugar. Add in your eggs one at a time beating extremely well after each addition. Beat the batter on a high speed until light and quite fluffy. Next, blend in vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

Now, add your dry ingredients while alternating with the sour cream into the wet ingredients. Mix this on low until combined. Don't over beat. Stir in the boiling water until blended. Pour the batter into prepared cupcake liners. I like to use giant or large size liners. I scoop my batter into each liner with a cookie scoop. I have discovered that 2 scoops of batter in each liner gives you a nearly perfect amount in each cup. I cook mine between 18 and 20 minutes (approximately 10 minutes if making mini cupcakes). Check them after 18 minutes. Insert a toothpick, if it comes out clean the cupcakes are done. Cool in the pan for a few minutes on a cooling rack and then transfer directly to the rack to finish cooling.

Next you need my Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe. I cant give credit to anyone other than my pretty little self for this divine treat. It is kind of a mistake gone right. It worked so well when I first made it that I just had to quickly write down what I did wrong to make it turn out so right :) And here is what I came up with:

Peanut Butter Frosting:

1/2 c unsalted Butter (Room Temp)
1 Cup Peanut Butter
2 Cups Powder (Icing) Sugar
1/4 cup Milk

Beat the butter and Peanut Butter together until nice and fluffy. And half the powder sugar and mix. It will be very lumpy add half the milk and blend well, until smooth. Add the rest of the Powder Sugar and the remaining milk and blend again until smooth. If this is to thick for you then you can add a bit more milk until you get the consistency you want.

It is so delish! Let me know if you try either of these recipes what you think.