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?

Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream

We are getting in the Halloween spirit here at CIS. Several bags of candy has already been purchased...Snickers, Reese Cups, candy corn and one of my all time favorites Caramel Apple Pops! If you haven't tried those green apple lollipops covered in a shell of caramel you are missing out. They are the perfect combination of sour and sweet! In my book apples and caramel go hand in hand this time of year, so I've created a special treat that you are sure to enjoy, Caramel Apple Cupcakes!

If you are planning a Halloween party this year, these Caramel Apple Cupcakes with assorted toppings are a must have on your dessert spread. Hop on over to Half Baked for the recipe! And while you're there check out some of their other adorable ideas for decorating Halloween sweets here, here and here.

Happy October!

Chocolate Cheesecake Turtle Cupcakes

Hey CIS readers...it's been forever since I've posted and I am so so very sorry! Things have been a little hectic lately leaving little to no time for blog updates! I promise I am trying to get back on a regular posting routine so hang tight! I've been baking and decorating some cute sweets lately and can't wait to share them with you soon! In case you didn't see these when they were posted earlier this week on Half Baked...here's my latest creation, Chocolate Cheesecake Turtle Cupcakes! They are super delicious and a nice change from your typical cupcake loaded with buttercream frosting! You are going to love the cheesecake center inside of these chocolate cakes with drizzled chocolate and caramel on top! So head on over to Half Baked for the recipe!

I'm super excited for the first day of fall this week! This is one of my favorite times of year to bake and I'm ready to start making recipes with pumpkin, apples and cinnamon so check back soon!

What are some of your favorite fall recipes?

Chocolate, Caramel, Peanut Butter Heaven

I saw this cake a month or so ago on Sprinkle Bakes, one of my favorite blogs and my jaw dropped in awe of the complexity, the beauty, the ingredients and just the overall WOW factor of this cake. I mean the cake is absolutely gorgeous on the outside garnished with the chocolate curls, but then you cut into the cake and a whole new world is waiting for you...there's chocolate cake, peanut butter cups, caramel, nuts and cheesecake. Holy Cow this is my kind of dessert!

These are all of my favorite flavor combinations wrapped into one sweet package! I mean look at the caramel oozing out in between the chocolate cake and cheesecake layers...oh and those little brown specs peaking out of the cheesecake, those are peanut butter cups! They are a nice little surprise hidden inside only to be revealed when you take a bite!

Thank you Sprinkle Bakes for creating this AMAZING cake! The moment I laid eyes on your fabulous dessert I just knew I had to try and recreate it. I will flat out admit my cake doesn't even come close to being as perfect as yours was, but I can tell you this it tasted absolutely delicious!

My biggest struggle with the cake was the chocolate curls, they gave me fits! I think my very first piece of chocolate curled and then all the rest just ended up as chocolate shavings. Your video makes it look way too easy! I am definitely going to have to have another go at making chocolate curls one day but the heat and humidity hear in Mobile this time of year is tricky with chocolate.

I made this cake for a very special occasion and for a couple who loves all things chocolate and peanut butter! My good friend Katie is getting married soon and some of our friends recently threw them a crawfish boil couples shower! Of course I volunteered to bring the dessert and I knew this cake would be the perfect treat and something that no one had ever tried before.

Katie & Derek. Aren't they the cutest couple!

How sweet, feeding each other the cake for practice on their wedding day!

There is just one word to describe this cake....HEAVEN! Ooey gooey, caramely, chocolatey, peanutty, heaven!

I must admit this cake did require a lot of time, patience, ingredients and dirty dishes but it was absolutely worth it once you sink your teeth into a slice! It received rave reviews and there were literally only crumbs remaining after everyone kept going back for 2nds and 3rds.

If you want to be so adventurous to make this Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cake Cheesecake you can find out all the details here. This pretty much walks you through everything step-by-step with the recipes for each layer of the cake, photos for each step of assembling the cake and even a how to video on making the chocolate curls (which I WILL master one of these days!) So what are you waiting for hop on over to Sprinkle Bakes and check out the most divine, decadent and delicious cake I have ever tasted in my entire life! And while you are over there, stick around and check out some of her other fabulous recipes. She creates desserts unlike anything I have ever seen before and her photos are absolutely gorgeous! If only I could spend a day in her kitchen learning some of her baking secrets!

Hope you decide to give this cake a try, you won't be disappointed!

Cupcake a Week: Caramel Apple

Every fall at least once I find myself making caramel apples! I just love the ooey gooey goodness of melted caramel and the stickiness that it leaves behind once you sink your teeth into one of those babies! You know what I'm talking about the thin strands of caramel that hang down from the sides of your mouth as you pull the apple away after your first bite!

My favorite kind of apples are granny smiths for sure! I love their tartness and light green color!

When I was in Chicago a few weeks ago I discovered one of my new favorite cupcake flavors Caramel Apple when I visited Sprinkles. I tasted nine of their cupcake flavors that day and at the top of my list by far was their seasonal caramel apple flavor.

I loved the finely chopped bits of apples and cinnamon flavors in their cupcake and not to mention the caramel buttercream. Oh my goodness this was amazing! So from just one simple cupcake that I tasted I was determined to create a recipe to replicate those amazing flavors and textures I tasted that day at Sprinkles!

I took an entirely different angle with the decorating though and thought it would be fun to decorate them to look somewhat like a real caramel dipped apple! I added the wooden stick and all...what do you think? I love the green cupcake liners too, it just screams granny smith to me! And I'm a nuts girl on my caramel apples so I garnished some with chopped pecans!

It doesn't get much more fall than caramel apple cupcakes! These are sure to be an awesome addition to any Thanksgiving dessert display! And if you don't like granny smith apples substitute a golden delicious, red delicious or gala. You can even switch up the cupcake liners to match the color apple you choose! Grab your kids too and get them in the kitchen with you to help insert the wooden sticks and sprinkle the nuts on top!

Caramel Apple Cupcakes (makes 20)

Ingredients:
-3 cups flour
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-3/4 cup light brown sugar
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp salt
-t tsp cinnamon
-3 eggs
-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-1/2 cup applesauce
-1 1/2 tsp vanilla
-3 cups finely chopped apples, peeled and coated with 3 Tbsp sugar & 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I used 2 granny smith)
-20 wooden popsicle sticks
-1 cup chopped pecans for garnish (optional)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line cupcake pan with paper liners.
• In large bowl combine: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and mix.
• In medium bowl combine: granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, apple sauce and vanilla and mix well.
• Add eggs to wet mixture one at a time and beat well after each addition.
• Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and gently mix until combined.
• Fold in chopped apples.
• Pour batter into prepared pans about 2/3 full.
• Bake for 18 minutes.
• Allow cupcakes to cool in pans 10 minutes then move to wire racks to continue cooling.
• Once cupcakes are cool frost with caramel buttercream.

Caramel Buttercream

Ingredients:
-1 stick unsalted butter
-1 cup light brown sugar
-1/3 cup heavy cream
-3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

• In saucepan over medium heat melt butter.
• Stir in brown sugar and heavy cream and keep over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to mixing bowl.
• Gradually add confectioner's sugar 1 cup at a time and mix with electric mixer until incorporated.
• Frost cupcakes using an offset spatula.
• Insert wooden popsicle sticks and sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired.

Take a bite, I promise it will be caramel apple yumminess!

Chocoflan

Here's a recipe my dad shared with me a few weeks ago for a Chocoflan cake. It was a huge hit with his friends and everyone raved about how good the combination of cake and custard was. I've never made flan before, but remember learning about it and tasting it in my seventh grade spanish class...wow that was a long time ago! I wasn't really a huge fan of flan way back when, but I have to admit this cake sure did change my opinion of this sweet custard dessert.

This past weekend I went to a Mexican themed party so I figured this Chocoflan cake would be the perfect dessert to take! How good does this caramel drizzle and pecan topping look on top of the flan custard? It was hard to not sneak a taste of this cake before the party.

The way this cake bakes is pretty neat. You make the chocolate cake mixture in one bowl and pour it into a buttered bundt pan that has been drizzled with caramel first. Then you make the custard mixture in a blender and pour the custard over the chocolate cake. The magic of this cake occurs in the baking...the custard sinks to the bottom of the bundt pan and the cake rises to the top.


Don't you wish you had a piece of this delicious cake? Well here's the recipe, so what are you waiting for, go whip one up for your next party!

Chocoflan (recipe from Marcela Valladolid, Food Network)

Ingredients
-12 cup capacity bundt pan
-softened butter, to coat pan
-1/4 cup cajeta or caramel sauce

For the cake:
-10 tablespoons butter, room temperature
-1 cup sugar
-1 egg, room temperature
-1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
-3/4 teaspoon baking powder
-3/4 teaspoon baking soda
-1/3 cup cocoa powder
-1 1/4 cups buttermilk

For the flan:
-1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
-1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
-4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
-3 eggs
-1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For garnish:
-1/4 cup cajeta or caramel sauce
-1/4 cup chopped pecans

• Put an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
• Coat a bundt pan with a little butter, then coat the bottom with 1/4 cup cajeta and put it in a large roasting pan. (The roasting pan will serve as a water bath during baking.)
• For the cake: Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa in a medium bowl. Beat 1/3 of the flour mixture, and 1/2 of the buttermilk into the egg mixture. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture. Blend until well incorporated.
• For the flan: In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for 30 seconds.
• Scoop the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread evenly. Slowly pour the flan mixture over the cake batter. Cover with foil and add about 1-inch of hot water to the roasting pan.
• Carefully slide the pan into the oven, and bake 1 hour, until the surface of the cake is firm to the touch, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean. When cake is done, remove from the water bath and cool completely to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Invert a large, rimmed serving platter over the bundt pan, grasp tightly together, giggle a little an flip over. Remove the pan and scrape any remaining cajeta from the pan onto the cake, garnish with chopped pecans and serve!
• Cook's Notes: The batters may appear to mix when you pour them into the pan, but they completely separate while baking, with the flan ending up on the bottom when it's inverted. I like eating it warm, but traditionally, it is chilled 24 hours before serving.
• Cajeta is a thick and creamy spread or paste made with caramelized sugar and milk. It is used as as dessert on its own or as a topping. Also known as "dolce de leche", it is sold in many supermarkets, Latin specialty markets or onlion. It can be substituted with a thick caramel sauce.

ENJOY!

Cupcake a Week: Samoa Minis

Well as most of you probably know, February is Girl Scout cookie month! I'm sure you've seen those cute little girls outside of the super markets this month selling these famous colorful boxes of cookies for their troops or have already bought one, two, three or more boxes from one of the girls in your neighborhood. I have been ordering girl scout cookies for as long as I can remember since my sister was involved in girl scouts as we were growing up. My favorites have always been the Red Box - Tagalongs (chocolate & peanut butter), the Green Box - Thin Mints and the Purple Box - Samoas (chocolate, coconut & caramel). So since we have already bought and eaten half way through several boxes of cookies this year, I thought it would be fun to try and recreate one of my favorite cookies as a cupcake!

So here goes my attempt at making a Samoa cupcake. The 3 most important ingredients: coconut, caramel and chocolate.

I had to steal this box away from my husband because he had already eaten 2 rows of the cookies in 2 days.

I love the 3 layers of oooey gooey goodness on this cookie. The caramel topped with the toasted coconut and then the drizzle of chocolate...these 3 flavors together are delicious! And when you bite into the cookie and the caramel stretches out into a thin string that hangs from your mouth, that makes your lips all sticky...you know what I'm talking about right...or I am just a slob when eating these cookies????

And the coating of chocolate on the bottom side of the cookie is a special treat too! I used to put these cookies on my finger as a kid and pretend that they were a ring...did anyone else do that too? So now that I've gushed about all the features that make me absolutely love this cookie, let's talk about how to turn the flavors found in this cookie into a cupcake!

I started going through all different types of cupcake recipes, looking for ones that had at least one of the key ingredients: coconut, caramel or chocolate in them. I decided I wanted to make pretty traditional flavored yellow cupcake but I substituted the granulated sugar with brown sugar to help bring out a caramel flavor in the cake. Once I had the base of the cupcake batter made I then melted some caramels and mixed in along with some coconut flakes to add some extra textures and layers of flavors in the cake.


While the cupcake were cooling, I toasted some more coconut in the oven that I used for a garnish on top.

I melted some more caramels and drizzled over the cupcakes.

Then sprinkled on the toasted coconut.

And we can't forget about the chocolate. Don't worry about making the garnishes look perfect like the cookie...I just wanted to drizzle them on quickly and roughly that way each cupcake is unique and some are more ooey gooey than others...those are the best!

So what do you think...have I made a pretty good Samoa cupcake cookie replica? Have I convinced you to go out and buy a box of these cookies or whip up a batch of these cupcakes! I promise you won't be disappointed with either one of them, they are both delish! These cupcakes baked up so fluffy and moist with little pockets of caramel tucked inside.

Samao Minis Cupcakes (makes 36 mini cupcakes)

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
-1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
-3 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-2 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-3/4 cup milk
-1/2 cup coconut flakes
-6 Kraft caramels, melted with a splash of water

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line mini cupcake tins with paper liners.
• Combine butter and brown sugar in bowl of electric mixer and cream together on medium speed.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix.
• Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
• Add the flour mixture and milk to the creamed butter and sugar alternating the dry and wet ingredients in 3 batches.
• Melt the caramels in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until smooth. Pour melted caramel into the batter and stir.
• Add the coconut and stir.
• Divide batter evenly into prepared cupcake liners.
• Bake for 14-16 minutes. Let cool before adding toppings.
  

Toppings:
-8 Kraft caramels, melted with a splash of water
-1/2 cup coconut flakes, toasted
-1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, melted

• Melt the caramels in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until smooth. Drizzle melted caramel over the cupcakes.
• Sprinkle toasted coconut over caramel topped cupcakes.
• Melt the semi sweet chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until smooth. Drizzle melted chocolate over the cupcakes.

If you have another Girl Scout cookie that is your favorite and you want me to recreate it as a cupcake leave me a comment and just maybe your cookie flavor will be featured as a cupcake in an upcoming post!

ENJOY!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Salted Caramel Sauce

As promised, the month of November will be dedicated to a lot of pumpkin recipes...so get ready this is one you definitely need to try...Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting & Salted Caramel Sauce...wow that is a mouthful...but a very delicious mouthful once you bite into one of these delicious treats.


Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe from www.recipegirl.com)

CUPCAKES:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup canned pure pumpkin

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
3 cups powdered sugar (more if you intend to pipe it on)
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pan (or a 24 cup mini muffin pan) with baking cups.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, stir oil and sugar together. Whisk in eggs, and stir in vanilla extract.
• Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir pumpkin into the batter until it is thoroughly combined.
• Spoon batter into lined muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Less time will be needed if you are making mini-cupcakes. When cupcakes are removed from oven, let them sit for about 10 minutes, then remove them to cool completely on wire rack.
• Meanwhile prepare the cream cheese frosting: In a medium bowl beat together all ingredients.
  

I used a #1 Wilton decorating tip and a piping bag to swirl on the icing.


Cupcakes ready to be drizzled with the Salted Caramel Sauce.


Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe www.chow.com)

1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp kosher salt

• Stir together sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Let boil until amber in color, about 3 minutes.
• Immediately add butter and stir to incorporate. Remove from heat, add cream and salt, and mix well. Serve immediately or let cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate.

What you are looking at above is a picture of a "bondi band", basically it is headband to wear while you are running to keep the sweat or hair out of your face, it can also double as an ear warmer when the weather is colder. I first discovered "bondi bands" this May when I was in San Diego running the Rock N' Roll Marathon. At the race expo the day before the event, there was a vendor set up selling these headbands...and the moment I saw the one that says "will run for cupcakes" I was SOLD, I knew I had to get this! As long as I can remember I have always enjoyed eating cupcakes, they are just so cute and the perfect size indulgence to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings! So I'm guessing you are now starting to see where the name for my blog and my profile name "I Run for Cake" came from. I was so excited when I bought this headband and apparently was a little too hyper the rest of the weekend...all the other runners I was doing the marathon with kept calling me "bondi band, bondi band, bondi band" all weekend long! They actually still do to this day as well.


So now that you know the story behind my bondi band, here is the story about this amazing cupcake plate above. One of the guys, Thomas, who to this day still gives me a hard time about my bondi band excitement got me this plate. I was Thomas' mentor through our marathon training so as a thank you to helping him with his fundraising him and his wife Katie bought me this super cute cupcake plate. I absolutely love this piece and used it for the first time this past weekend when Katie and Thomas had us over for game night!


I just realized that as I am typing this post I have on my "will run for CUPCAKES" bondi band..I just got back from track practice a little while ago and wore it while I ran tonight! I love this headband!

Caramel Apples

Granny Smith apples are my absolute favorite...I love their green color and their tartness! And when you combine them with caramel that is even better! Now let's make some caramel apples, shall we?


I came across these Caramel Bits by Kraft and thought this was a brilliant idea. These must be a new product because I have never seen these before...but they are definitely a lot less hassle than the traditional bag of caramel squares...you know the ones that are individually wrapped and as you unwrap them your fingers are getting all sticky and then the plastic sticks to your hands and you can't get it off. I think I will forever buy caramel bits for all future caramel melting needs.


That caramel looks so rich and silky and it melted in only 3 minutes on the stove.


You can't have a caramel apple without some chopped up nuts...


What is your favorite kind caramel apple: Just Caramel or Caramel with Nuts? Mine is definitely with nuts!