Show me your Pucker Face! Lemon Curd Filled Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

I love spring! You know why I love spring? Because it means winter is finally over and summer is coming, and the threat of a unexpected snow storm is finally dissipating with the warmer breeze.  You know the weather is changing when your little city you live in starts teeming with life again, people are out of hibernation and they are working in their gardens, kids are playing outside and people are out walking their dogs and riding bikes.  It felt like a ghost town in the winter time and I'm just so happy to finally be able to enjoy the warm weather again and go out and hike and just soak up some much needed vitamin D.  Of course for this ginger kid that means with plenty of SPF applied.  

In honor of spring finally arriving in Northern Japan I wanted to make something light, bright and a little tart. These Lemon Cupcakes do the trick, especially the tart lemon curd filling that are added to the inside of each cupcake. I made sure to reduce the sugar in the cupcake, only because the frosting is sweet and makes up for the not very sweet cake. 

The Lemon curd was amazing, easy and quick to make and gave the filling a nice tart flavor. The buttercream was a simple frosting with added lemon juice of course.  Now I love stuff a little bit more sour and some people at work really enjoyed the tartness while others made a tiny pucker face, so if you want to dial back on the lemon juice just make sure when making the lemon curd that you add less lemon juice. I used 2/3 cup but you can always reduce the amount to 1/2 or even 1/3 cup to not make the filling so sour.

Matcha Cupcakes with Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting

March 17 doesn't only mean St. Patricks day around my house, my husband shares his birthday with this beloved holiday. One Interesting fact about St Patties Day: In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government changed this law, and last year, close to one million people took part in Ireland 's St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin. Pretty interesting considering everyone in the states associates the day with drinking. 

There are more facts here if you want to check them out. 

Since it was the hubby's birthday, it was his choice of cupcake flavors and living in Japan he has become very fond of Green Tea. So one day while at the local Japanese grocery store we came  a crossed a package of powdered green tea a.k.a matcha, and he requested a green tea cupcake. 

 This cupcake is meant for green tea lovers. Its green, moist, earthy and sweet.  When looking for recipes I noticed a lot of people complained that they couldn't taste the greed tea. A good quality matcha powder will help your cupcake take on the green tea flavor, I found a great recipe that I tweaked a little by adding some more matcha powder and came up with a awesome matcha cream cheese frosting. This is a excellent cupcake for st. patty's day because of course its green ;) but you can make this cupcake anytime where a cup of tea would be better eaten as a cupcake.

Matcha Cupcakes with Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Showfood Chef 

Yields: 15-24 cupcakes (depends on the size paper liners you use)

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 oz (1 stick plus 2 table spoons) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
2/3 cups milk
2-3 tablespoons matcha powder

Directions

- preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake pans with paper liners
- In a small bowl combined your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and matcha powder, whisk together and set aside.
- In a electric mixer beat your butter and sugar together until light and fluffy about 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs in one at a time until each one is fully incorporated.
- Add in the dry ingredients and milk in 3 batches alternating between the two until all is incorporated.
- Fill your cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake at 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

isn't green pretty

Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting
Oshii Treats Original

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp
8 oz cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
1 table spoon milk
2-3 tablespoons matcha powder (depends on how much green tea taste you like)

Directions

- In a electric mixer combine your butter and cream cheese and beat on high until smooth about 3 minutes.
- Add in your powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until full incorporated, adding in your milk to help thin it out.
- Mix in your matcha powder and whip on high until mixed throughly and fluffy about another 3-4 minutes.

Fresh Strawberry Dream Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream

Today was a big day, not only was it my mama's birthday (Love you mom!) a co-workers babyshower, its also my blog anniversary. I started my little blog last year to share my love of food with anyone else who was willing to stop by and listen. I've met a lot of amazing people through blogging and been inspired to keep making new and fun dishes to share. I'm pretty proud of myself to actually stick with this project for the last year, I thought I might give it up or work would be too busy and I would have to  stop blogging after a few months, but honestly I would always find myself searching, thinking and creating the next recipe I was going to make and share. 

 Everyone in my office believes that these are the best cupcakes I've made so far, I actually saw one of my friends eat 3 cupcakes in 20 minutes, he said they were that good. I tell you the fresh strawberries combined with the delicious creamy buttercream is a dynamite combo.  It was seriously hard to resist eating the batter and buttercream by the spoonfuls while making these, but I made it through with just the wee tiny amount of batter and buttercream missing from the bowl ;) seriously though if you want to try a fruit cupcake you need to make these. The cake part is moist and not to sweet and loaded with fresh strawberries, the buttercream is velvety and creamy with the help of strawberry milk......

So good!

The BEST EVER strawberries I have ever eaten, there is something
special about the soil in Japan. 

Fresh Strawberry Dream Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream
Adapted from Brown Eyes Baker

Yields: 36 cupcakes

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 egg white
1 cup 2% milk
2 cups fresh finely diced strawberries

Directions

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake pans with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl combined your flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt, whisk together and set aside.
- In a electric mixer on medium high speed, cream together the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy about 3-5 minutes.
- Add in your extract and Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing each egg in with the butter and sugar completely before adding the next egg.
- Reduce your speed to low and add in the milk and flour ingredients in 2 batches starting with the flour and alternating with the milk, mix until combined.
- Fold in your diced strawberries in the batter with a spatula and using a large spoon or ice cream scoop fill your paper lines 3/4 full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Fresh Strawberry Buttercream
Oishii treats

Ingredients

1 cup strawberry milk, I used nesquick
5 tablespoons flour
1 cup butter, at room temp
1 cup sugar (not powdered)
1 cup diced finely, strawberries

Directions

- Using a small stove top pot add in your strawberry milk and place heat on high, add in your flour and whisk until the mixture starts to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.
- Keep whisking the mixture for another 1-2 minutes until its thick and has the consistency of pancake batter or cake batter. Remove from heat and immediately transfer the mixture to a ramekin or bowl and let cool to room temp. Takes about 30-40 minutes.

- In a electric mixture beat the butter and sugar together for 7-8 minutes on high, the mixture should be white and fluffy. Beating the butter and sugar together for this amount of time will help the sugar dissolve better.

- Add in your cooled milk mixture and whip on high for another 4-5 minutes, the sugar should almost if not be basically dissolved. If it is still slightly grainy the sugar should still dissolve the rest of the way when you pipe it on the cupcake.

- Fold in your diced strawberries and using a pipping bag with a large tip, pipe onto your cupcakes. They will keep for 1-2 days in a air tight container.

I link up to these awesome parties.

French Toast Cupcakes w/ Maple Buttercream

   So I went on my first snowboarding trip in Japan and probably my last.  Snowboarding is just not meant for me, I'am a firm believer that its just one of those sports you need to start as a kid, where a couple of falls on your butt won't jack up your already bad back and leave bruises from head to toe.  

Oh did I mention that I also fell off the ski lift :/  I was so afraid of the lifts to begin with because they don't stop for you, they just scoop you up and you pray your in the right position when it arrives. So as it happened yesterday I wasn't in the right positon and that lift just knocked me off with no sympathy, I felt like I was punched in the hip by a sumo wrestler. 

I guess this really is my fault,  I should have known what to expect when I had my first true experience snow boarding in Alaska 4 years ago and ended up with a minor concussion, I should have known my second chance snow boarding in Japan wouldn't be any different.  It took about 2 hours to get down the mountain and I hurt my back so bad and was starting to come down with a stomach bug that I decided to throw in the towel and take a nap on a small love seat in a hotel lounge while the rest of the people on the trip were still snowboarding and the hubby went to the onsen. Oh well

After a day of being beaten up and feeling my age I decided that I owed my self a treat and made my favorite breakfast in a cupcake form.  These babies will not disappoint they literally taste like french toast with a delicious maple buttercream.  

French Toast Cupcakes
Adapted from Bakingdom
Yields: 24-28 cupcakes


For the Streusel 
Ingredients

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, sliced into chunks

Cupcake

3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions for Streusel

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients and add in the cold butter using your hands to mix and squeeze the mixture together crumbling it up.  once complete cover and place in the freezer until ready to top on the batter.

Directions for the Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake tins with paper liners; set aside.
In your electric mixer bowl add your flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and whisk on low speed until mixed together.  Add in your butter, sour cream  eggs and vanilla, mix well until combined and smooth about 30-45 seconds.
Place 3 tablespoons of batter into each baking cup. and divide the streusel evenly among the cupcakes and top about 1 spoonful of streusel on top of each baking cup. Bake for 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Before they're baked

Before they're baked

After they're baked

Maple Buttercream

Ingredients

1 cup butter unsalted at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup maple syrup (your favorite kind, I used Mrs. Butterworth)
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

In a electric mixer, beat the butter on high speed until light and fluffy, (this could take a little time about 8 to 10 minutes).

This is what the butter should look like, almost looks like fluff or whipped cream

Beat in the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time until all the powdered sugar has been incorporated

Add the vanilla, salt and syrup and mix until combined. Beat in the heavy cream and whisk on high for 4 minutes.

I linked up to these fun linky parties 

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream

I've had the hardest time finding the perfect buttercream...until now!
I think I just found my go to frosting for cupcakes. I never tried a cooked frosting before, I initially thought it was too much work.  But after making another batch of powdered sugar frosting that I decided to throw away... again, I figured it was time for a change and  go outside my comfort zone.

I have to say I'm really happy I did, the cooked buttercream frosting came out smooth and creamy like whipped cream and it had a great pipping consistency.  Plus it wasn't overly sugary like you can get with powdered sugar frostings.  I will diffidently be using this recipe as my go to and can't wait to try more flavors.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream
Recipe from Taste of Home

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup molasses
1 1/3 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice

Eggnog Buttercream
Adapted from Can you stay for dinner?

Ingredients

1 cup eggnog
5 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup butter at room temp
1 1/4 cup sugar (not powdered sugar)

Directions

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and fill a cupcake tin with paper liners
- In a electric mixer cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy about 3 minutes.
- Beat in the egg and then the water and molasses
- In a separate bowl combine your dry ingredients flour, baking soda, powder and spices
- Add your dry mixture to the electric mixer with your wet mixture and beat on medium until combined about 2 minutes.
- Fill cupcakes liners 2/3 full and bake for 20-25 minutes. (mine took 22 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack completely.

Buttercream Directions

- In a medium saucepan, whisk 1 cup of eggnog with 5 tablespoons flour. Heat over medium until the mixture starts to bubble, whisk constantly. Continue to stir until the mixture starts to thicken, it will soon thicken to the consistency of cake batter. After about 7 minutes of whisking remove the mixture from the heat and add your extract.  Transfer the mixture to a heat proof bowl and let the mixture cool completely to room temperature. (I let it sit for about 30 minutes, stirring the mix every 10 minutes to release the heat)

- In your electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar on medium high for 3 minutes the mixture should be light and fluffy and white in color. You want the sugar to be completely incorporated in the butter.

- Make sure that your milk/flour mixture is completely cooled and add it to the butter and sugar. (you don't want the milk/flour mix to be warm or it could melt the butter).  Beat all ingredients together for 1 minute on high speed, scrapping down the side of the bowl halfway, until smooth and blended. The frosting should be light and fluffy like whipped cream.

I link up to these awesome parties 

Birthday Time! Vanilla Bean Cupcake

Goodness it seems like I've been baking a lot of cupcakes lately.  But I'm really not complaining.  Just making a tasty observation.  Today my office was celebrating a birthday for one of our Captains/Attorney's that happened to slip by early September without a celebration. So a couple of us Paralegals decided that we couldn't let that happen.

For some kookoo reason people in my office are not big fans of chocolate... say what! I know I know pretty absurd right?  The Captain I made the cupcakes for said he was a chocolate fan, Yay obviously someone with taste buds.  So I made a Milk Chocolate Buttercream (mainly for him) and Cream Cheese Frosting (mainly for the other crazy non chocolat people)  and at the end of the day what cupcake does the Captain take.  Cream Cheese!! lol geez.  anyways both frosting are quite delish and pairs great with the Vanilla Bean Cupcake.

Though one frosting caution, if you do decide to make 2 different frostings, you will have ALOT of leftovers.  So here is some ideas to use up that extra frosting   1. Can use them in whoopie pies and use it as the cream for the middle 2. make more cupcakes duh lol (thats what I should have done) 3. melt the frosting and use as a glaze over muffins, donuts, scones etc.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes w/ Milk Chocolate Buttercream and Cream Cheese Frosting

From Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications 2012

Yields: 12 Cupcakes and 12 mini Cupcakes

Bake Time: reg: 18 min. mini: 14 min. 

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Butter

1 Egg

2 Egg yolks

1 Vanilla Bean, split lengthwise

1 1/2 Cup Flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 Sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 Cup whipping cream

Directions

- Let your eggs and butter sit at room temperature for at least 45 min. 

- Preheat oven to 350 F and line a cupcake tin with 12 regular sized muffin cups and mini tin with 12 mini muffin cups (if you have a 24 mini tin, put a muffin cup into every other tin cup).

- In a medium bowl mix your dry ingredients together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. 

- In a electric mixer on medium high, beat the butter for 30 seconds and add your sugar until combined. Beat in your egg and yolks one at a time and vanilla bean seeds (scraped out of the bean) until mixed.  Alternately add you flour mixture and whipping cream to the batter until just combined. 

- Fill your muffin cups 3/4 full and bake the regular sized cupcakes for 18 minutes and the mini cupcakes at 14 minutes.


Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 1/2 Cups powdered sugar

Directions
Let the cream cheese and butter sit at room temp for at least 45 minutes. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until fluffy. Gradually add your powdered sugar until full combined. place in the fridge until ready to pipe or frost cupcakes.

Milk Chocolate Buttercream
Adapted from The Cupcake Diaries 

Ingredients
2/3 Cup Milk
5 1/2 cups powdered sugar
12 Tablespoons butter at room temp
5 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 bag chocolate chips- melted and at room temp

Directions

Place all ingredients expect melted chocolate into a electric mixer and beat on medium high or 2-4 minutes until light and fluffy.  Slowly add the melted chocolate until combined.

*update: I also posted this on Freedom Friday over at My turn (for us) blog.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

 There is nothing better than sinking your teeth into a delicious moist cupcake....oh wait there is! just add a little Guinness, whiskey and Baileys.  Hello you beautiful cupcake you.  Now I'm not a huge fan of the actual drink, anything that you have to gulp down in less than 3 seconds before it curdles doesn't sound so appealing to me.  But give it to me in a cupcake form and I'm down.

I made a batch of these bad boys for a house warming party the other night and they turned out great. Plus isn't fun to make cupcakes to share... sharing is caring right?

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
Adapted From Brown Eyed Baker

Yields 24 Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup Guinness
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoons salt
2 eggs, room temp
2/3 sour cream

Ganache

Ingredients
8 onces bittersweet dark chocolate
2/3 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 table spoons whiskey

Baileys Frosting

Ingredients
2 cups unsalted butter
5 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Baileys Liquor 

Directions 

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

-Line 2 cupcake pans with liners (24)

-Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

- In a separate large bowl, Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together and set aside.  Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. 

- Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. 

Bake for about 18 minutes, or until a tooth inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean

Directions for Ganache 

- chop the chocolate and transfer it to a medium glass bowl. 

- In a small pot, Heat the cream on medium until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, combine it until smooth. 

- Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped. putting it in the fridge for about 15 minutes help.

- to fill the cupcakes, make a whole in the middle using a small spoon or apple corer.

- put your ganache into a pipping bag and pipe into your cupcakes

Directions for Frosting

- Using a electric mixer whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. 

- Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. 

- Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.