Caramel Corn Cupcakes

Halloween is just a few days away! If you need a fun sweet for a neighborhood party or to share with your trick-or-treaters, I've got just the thing for you! These Caramel Corn Cupcakes are absolutely delicious and have fall written all over them! I think my favorite part is the homemade caramel corn on top! I shared the recipe for these sweet treats earlier this month on The Cake Blog, so head on over and check it out! Our check out Carrie's adorable Monster Eye Cake as another super fun and easy option for your Halloween festivities!

Hope you all have a great Halloween! I'm hoping my little munchkin will cooperate and wear his homemade hot dog costume that Gpaw made him, but it's not looking likely right now! What are your kids dressing up as this year?

Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes

Inspired by one of my favorite cakes, today I'm sharing with you my mini version of a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, cupcake style! These are the absolute perfect dessert to bring to a summer pool party or get together! Not only do they scream summer with the fruity flavors of pineapple and cherries but they are no fuss because you don't even need to decorate them or add icing on top! Hooray for not having to worry about your buttercream melting in the summer heat!

So head on over to The Cake Blog and check out the recipe for these adorable and delicious little cakes. Fair warning: you are going to want to eat more than just one! Afterall, you are saving calories since there isn't any icing so why not indulge in 2 or 3 right? Makes perfect sense to me!

Hope you all enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Chocolate Chips...a baking essential that you must always have on hand, am I right? Let me just warn you now that chocolate chips in cupcakes are just as addicting as chocolate chips in cookies! You can never eat just one, or two. I recently whipped up a batch of these Chocolate Chip Cupcakes for my June feature on The Cake Blog and I must say, they were a huge hit with my family (check out photos below), friends and neighbors. All you really need to do is take a basic white cake recipe and jazz it up with some chips in the batter and a few more sprinkled on top of vanilla buttercream and you've got one amazing cupcake! It was hard to stop after eating 3 in a row, but I had to save some for others!

This cupcake recipe should definitely be on the top of your summer baking, or cupcake list! I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Here are a few behind the scenes photos with Sam and his little curious eyes and hands entering the cupcake scene! I LOVE all of these expressions I captured in just a few seconds.

I think he was saying "mmmm" in this photos....look at those cheeks!

I can't get enough of those big blue eyes!

I love that little wisp of hair peeking out behind his ears. His hair is definitely starting to curl a little in the back. Daddy thinks it's time for the first haircut, but I'm trying to hold out a little bit longer!

I hope you enjoyed a few snapshots of my little guy! I can't believe he is 14.5 months old already!

Creamsicle Cupcakes

Whether we want to admit it or not, this year is just zipping right on by and summer is just around the corner. Living in the south we definitely get a head start on the warmer temps which I love! Although it hasn't gotten too hot just yet, the ice cream man has already been cruising through our neighborhood for well over a month now leaving me to think only about popsicles every time I hear his musical truck!

I'm sure you've all had a creamsicle at least once in your life right? Well today I'm taking this popular orange cream filled popsicle and transforming it into a cupcake! The recipe for these Creamsicle Cupcakes and step-by-step photos for assembly are over at The Cake Blog. These cupcakes are bursting with orange and citrus flavors and are definitely a must try this summer!

I found this adorable orange polka dot and stripe decorative tape at Michael's and made these cupcake toppers in just a few minutes using some toothpicks! Such a quick, easy and cheap way to add a little something special.

Hope you enjoy this recipe! And for all you moms out there I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend!

Funfetti Cupcakes

Happy Friday Fun Day! This cupcake recipe can be summed up in one word...FUN! Combining my obsession of 2 things...sprinkles + cupcake liners I've come up with a Funfetti recipe that I've been wanting to make for a long time now! I love how this recipe turned out for so many reasons. It's loaded with sprinkles inside and out, it's bursting with color and it's absolutely scrumptious! More fun photos and the recipe for these happy little cakes can be found on The Cake Blog! I hope you've got lots of sprinkles on hand because this is one recipe you will want to try this weekend!

Aren't these stripe & polka dot forks adorable! Luckily I had a few left over from Sam's 1st Birthday Bash! I got them from Sucre Shop, it's only the cutest place to shop for hand painted wooden utensils! Seriously you need to go check them out now! They've got tons of amazing patterns in bright colors I really would like to order one of everything!  But I contained myself and only ordered 4 things just a few minutes ago...more forks, spoons, popsicle sticks and mini wooden scoops! Let's just say when that package arrives it's going to be one fun mail day!

I hope you will give this recipe a try, it's definitely on the top of my list for all time favorite cupcake!

Spring Flower & Bumble Bee Cupcakes

Happy 1st day of Spring! Oh how I love this time of year! I am so ready for the warm weather to be here to stay. I just wanted to buzz in real quick to share an old favorite recipe of mine and get you in the mood for spring. You may remember my Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes originally posted on The Cake Blog back in July 2011. Well to this day they are still one of my all time favorites. I absolutely love everything about them from their bright colors of yellow and pink and the tartness of the lemonade to the sweetness of the strawberry buttercream. If you check out the original recipe you will remember I made them in mason jars, which is still such a fun trend and such a great way to display, serve and transport your sweets!

This past weekend I made them again for a baby shower to celebrate my friend Katie and her little girl Macie that is on the way in early April! The invitation sent out said "Have you heard the buzz?" so of course there is nothing more appropriate than a little bumble bee topper to fit the theme. All the decorations were pink and yellow so these cupcakes were an absolutely perfect fit for such a sweet occasion!

To create the flowered look of the buttercream I used Wilton piping tip #104 and just went around in a circle 3 times layering the icing on top of each other. You can get all the instructions from this post about my Ombre Ruffle Cupcakes. The only difference is for the Strawberry Lemonade cupcakes we aren't using 3 shades of icing, it's all the same color.

To create the bumble bee all you need are 3 things: sliced almonds, yellow jelly beans and black royal icing. Pipe three stripes of icing across the jelly bean and gently place the almonds on each side. Add two dots of icing for the eyes and that is it! Allow the bees to set up overnight and then place on top of the cupcakes!

These cupcakes are absolutely perfect for spring, summer or even Easter which is just right around the corner!

Hope you all have a happy spring!

Easy Banana Cupcakes

I'd like to introduce you to one of the simplest and tastiest cupcakes I have ever made! I will admit I did cheat a little bit with this recipe and started with a box mix (everything can't be from scratch these days with an 11 month old on the go), but throw in some bananas, sour cream and vanilla and you can't even tell this cakes not from scratch! I was inspired to do banana cupcakes for two reasons...I was cleaning out/organizing my bazillion cupcake liners and discovered these adorable yellow and green polka dot ones and immediately thought..bananas, and since Sam is a banana lover these days, well we've always got a bunch laying around that get pretty ripe before we can eat them all up!

I'm sharing all the details and recipe for these super easy Banana and Cream Cheese Cupcakes over on Half Baked-The Cake Blog! So head on over and check them out! And while you are there you have got to see Carrie's amazingly beautiful Speckled Egg Cake. It is absolutely the most perfect spring or Easter cake to create for your family this year! She shares step-by-step instructions and photos on how using a bit of cocoa powder can turn your robin's egg blue cake into a speckled masterpiece in no time! It really looks like a fun technique and one I'm excited to try! So I hope you will give these banana cupcakes and Speckled Egg Cake a try!

Happy Baking!

Champagne & Raspberry Cupcakes

It's Valentine's Week, do you know what you are getting your sweetie this year? With only a few days left, there's still time to bake to impress! I've got the perfect treat that's sweet and pink. It features a bottle of bubbly and some fresh raspberries! So forget that box of chocolates or dozen roses this year, put on your apron and whip up a batch of these Champagne & Raspberry Cupcakes.

The recipe and all the details are featured over on Half Baked! I used Korbel Sweet Rose Champagne which paired well with the fresh raspberries. I hope you all enjoy these cupcakes and share them with the ones you love.

Wishing you all a sweet week!

XOXO

Mardi Gras - King Cake Cupcakes

It's time to wrap up Mardi Gras week with a super simple and amazingly delicious recipe. King Cake Cupcakes! Our grocery stores have been stocked with king cakes for weeks now and I am always browsing to see which one has the most sprinkles. I've eaten my share of two king cakes so far this year and have resisted the temptation for many more on numerous trips to the grocery. The King Cake is my absolute favorite part about Mardi Gras! They come filled with all sorts of flavors and fruits, but my favorite is the cinnamon filling. So when I was flipping through the Jan/Feb issue of my Cooking with Paula Deen magazine and came across these King Cake Cupcakes this was quickly moved to the top of my baking list for February!

I have made a king cake from scratch before although it's been a few years, which I'm sure you can tell from the photo quality. But when you are given the opportunity to take a few shortcuts and come out with equally impressive results by using crescent rolls, well that's the path I chose to take this year! Thanks Paula for the fabulous idea!

So grab 3 tubes of Crescent Rolls and all the yummy stuff for your filling...cinnamon, brown sugar and pecans.

Unroll 1 tube of crescent rolls at a time and form them into 4 rectangles.

Spread your filling down the center of each rectangle, leaving a small border around the edges.

Sugar and nuts...

Fold the top of the rectangle towards the center, then fold the bottom of the rectangle towards the center.

Fold the left side to the middle. Fold the right side on top of the left side.

Place the dough, spiral side up into cupcake liner and bake.

Prepare vanilla glaze and grab the sprinkles. It's time to decorate!

King Cake Cupcakes (recipe adapted from Paula Deen)
(makes 12)

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 Tbsp milk
green, purple & yellow sprinkles

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. In small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans.
3. On lightly floured surface, unroll each can of crescent rolls and separate each into 4 rectangles. Press perforations to seal.
4. Sprinkle about 2 Tbsp brown sugar mixture down center of each rectangle. leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges.
5. Working with 1 rectangle at a time fold the top of the dough towards the center, then fold the bottom of the dough toward the center and overlap.
6. Fold the left side of the dough in to the middle. Fold the right side on top of the left side.
7. Place dough spiral side up into prepared muffin pan.
8. Repeat procedure with remaining rectangles.
9. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until brown.
10. In a small bowl, whisk confectioners' sugar, and milk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cakes while in pan.
11. Sprinkle with green, purple & yellow sugars.

You really need to give this recipe a try! You will wow all your friends with how amazing these mini king cakes look and taste! I think I'm going to have to keep crescent rolls on hand at all times just in case I need a King Cake fix throughout the year!

Happy Mardi Gras!

Peppermint & White Chocolate Cupcakes

With Christmas just over a week away, have you thought about what sweets you are going to leave for Santa this year? There's certainly nothing wrong with the standard cookies and milk and of course some carrots for his reindeer. But this year, why not switch things up a bit and leave Santa some fabulous Peppermint Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting! He will have fresh breath for sure as he delivers presents to all the good little boys and girls!

If you love peppermint as much as I do then you must give this recipe a try. It's a simple white cake baked with peppermint chips and frosted with white chocolate icing and candy canes sprinkled on top.

Head over to Half Baked for the recipe. Happy Holiday Baking!

Apple Pie Cupcakes

Happy Friday! If you are heading out this weekend to start buying all your food for Thanksgiving next week, check out this recipe and grab a few extra things, like apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and pie crust because you are going to want to give these Apple Pie cupcakes a try! They are the perfect fall dessert and would be such a cute addition to your turkey feast this year! They are a moist apple cinnamon cake with an apple pie filling hidden inside! Topped off with light and fluffy brown sugar cinnamon swiss meringue buttercream and garnished with a cinnamon sugar apple pie crust!

So If you had already planned to make an apple pie for Thanksgiving this year, why not turn that pie into cupcakes and give this recipe a go! I promise you they taste exactly like apple pie and you won't disappointed!

Head on over to Half Baked to get the full recipe and step-by-step details and photos for how to make these adorable mini cakes that your family is sure to gobble right up!