chocolate cupcakes with orange cream frosting.

the highlight of my weekend: baking these cupcakes.  i mustered up the strength to make them {after laying around all day} on saturday and boy oh boy were they worth it.  orange and chocolate are perfect together, i can't believe i just figured out how to pair them in cupcake form.  these are heavenly.

orange cream frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup milk

6 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon orange extract

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

 food coloring

in a large mixing bowl beat butter until smooth. gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. slowly beat in the 1/4 cup milk, orange extract and vanilla. gradually beat in the remaining powdered sugar. beat in enough additional milk to reach spreading/piping consistency. if desired, tint with food coloring. pipe or spread on cupcakes!

yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum.

christmas cupcakes.

 

 would it really be christmas if i didn't make cupcakes?  i don't think so.  my mother-in-law had a christmas luncheon for her sisters/cousins and asked me to make cupcakes for the event.  of course i said yes, and created quite the treat.

red velvet + cream cheese frosting + crushed peppermint = magic.

tonight i'm hosting a little family christmas party and i'll be in the kitchen all day preparing quite the feast.  i'm making prime rib...i hope it turns out...

minty goodness.

these cupcakes are seriously some of the best i've ever made. the frosting was sooo yummy. i love mint + chocolate. i ate the last one yesterday and i'm seriously contemplating making some for thanksgiving...who needs pumpkin pie when they can have mint chocolate cupcakes!! jk jk.

i haven't found the perfect scratch chocolate cake recipe yet, so i used a devil's food cake mix - the best cake mix in my opinion. and now i present my frosting recipe...

mint buttercream frosting

3/4 cup butter, softened
7-9 cups powdered sugar {depending on how sweet you like it}
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon mint extract
food coloring

in a large mixing bowl beat butter until smooth. gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. slowly beat in the 1/4 cup milk and the mint extract. gradually beat in the remaining powdered sugar. beat in enough additional milk to reach spreading/piping consistency. if desired, tint with food coloring. pipe or spread on cupcakes!

cupcakes for baby dexter.

this weekend one of my very best friends came home to utah visit me {ha! and her family...} and to bless her baby. she recently moved out of state so her husband could attend medical school and i have missed her dearly.

she asked me to bring a sweet treat for the luncheon afterward and of course i made cupcakes. i've never done white before and i figured this was the perfect occasion, even if they do look a little wedding-ish...

i just love them and can't wait to see them later this week...and cry when they go back home.

pumpkin cupcakes.

tuesday was such a perfect day. my hubby was coming home that evening so i spent my day off preparing for his arrival by sleeping in, grocery shopping {i seriously love grocery shopping, but only once a week - i hate making small trips}, reading outside in the lovely fall weather, and cooking/baking. i, of course, had to plan a special fall meal and it turned out so yummy. i made chicken chili {with fritos+sour cream+lots of cheese} and pumpkin cupcakes. i had big plans for some cornbread as well but i used the last eggs making the cupcakes...whoopsies!

i must say thank you to my sweet blog friend jana for posting the perfect recipe just in time for me to run into the kitchen and whip up the yummiest cupcakes ever. thank you thank you thank you jana!

ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. course salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. ground allspice
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup {2 sticks} butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can {15 oz} pumpkin puree

directions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees. line cupcake pan with paper liners. set aside. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. set aside.
separately, whisk together brown sugar, sugar, butter, and eggs. add dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. whisk in pumpkin puree. divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about 3/4 full. bake approximately 20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. makes 20-24 cupcakes.

cream cheese frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 package {8 oz} cream cheese, softened
1 t. vanilla
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

directions:

cream butter and cream cheese together until smooth. add vanilla and powdered sugar {it will be pretty thick - i added a little milk to thin it a bit}. spread or pipe on cupcakes.

these cupcakes are by far the best pumpkin treat i've ever had. i'm having one for breakfast now, be jealous. happy thursday!

spooky.

helloooo. how is everyone's weekend been so far? mine has been lovely, i've been busy organizing and getting ready for halloween {can you tell i'm excited...}, attending a witches night out where i ate lots of spooky treats, and taking frequent naps. i worked my second shift as a nurse on friday and i literally did not sit down for more than 5 minutes the entire shift. i am still so exhausted from that busy busy day! thank goodness for relaxing sundays, i don't know what i would do without them.

blue and pink.

the cupcakes for my friend's baby shower turned out beautifully! with the help of jelissa we pulled out about 55 cupcakes in less than 2 hours. rachelle doesn't know what sex her baby is yet, so we made both pink and blue. i loved it. really really loved it.

after the cupcake baby fest we went out to celebrate malorie's birthday at california pizza kitchen. we ate yummy food and laughed our bums off, i love these girls.

summer of goodness.

this summer was one of the busiest times of my life. finishing nursing school ate up the majority of my time but there is one thing i didn't let slack...my love for baking. we may not have gone on a fabulous vacation or spent the summer in the sun...but we sure did eat lots of yummy things. ha! so glad i at least made time to bake treats!

oh yes, it was a good summer. i am so excited for fall to come, it's one of my favorites. and i love the yummy food that comes with it - pumpkin everything, homemade chili + cornbread, hot chocolate, etc. it's going to be a lovely fall, i can feel it.

also, i recently created a recipe index and linked it on the sidebar of my blog so if you're looking for a past recipe check there.

happy weekend!

my new favorite cupcake.

last week i ventured to make vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting and boy oh boy were they delicious. i'm very much a chocolate girl, but ever since my cousin and i had cupcakes at the sweet tooth fairy a few months back, i've been having major cravings for vanilla vanilla vanilla.

and guess what! this recipe is low fat and you can't even tell. buttermilk is simply amazing. i didn't use the low fat frosting recipe due to a lack of cream cheese, but they were fabulous with my classic buttercream frosting. get the cupcake recipe here and my frosting recipe here. i'm convinced, cupcakes from scratch are just the best. enjoy!

cupcakes cupcakes.

saturday morning was a bake fest and i loved it. i spent the whole morning in the kitchen creating these beauties and some red velvets for our pioneer day party. i took these to the nurses on sunday to say thank you and they were a big hit. i love making people happy with cupcakes. i only have one more capstone shift as a nursing student! i can't wait to finally get paid to be a nurse, it's going to feel so good. i'm thinking i might need to make another batch of cupcakes for the management team, i think it might help me secure the job. good idea right?!

happy.

photo of me on ike's bday taken by my fabulous dad.

i am feeling happy today. i had another rough start to my week {2 disabling migraines on tuesday/wednesday, praise the lord for imitrex} but i survived. it's beginning to feel surreal when i think of how close i am to finishing nursing school. i have been a student forever, i hope my transition into the professional {adult} world goes smoothly. i have a list of hobbies i am going to get back in to that i've neglected during my 5 years of college - dancing, exercising regularly, learning to sew, rollerblading!, reading lots and lots of books, spending long nights with my best girlfriends, and of course trying lots of new recipes. oh i get so excited just thinking about the possibilities!

this weekend is a holiday in utah and i can't wait! i have tomorrow off and my mom is throwing a big party full of yummy food and family. and fireworks! i'm assigned to bring cupcakes {of course} and my mom has requested red velvet. and we all know you can't go wrong with red velvet! and i'm thinking i might also make cupcakes for all the fabulous nurses i've been working with this summer. sunday is my 2nd to last day and i need a good way to thank them! plus it would give me the perfect reason to fill this up with cupcakes!

i hope you have a yummy weekend!

my father's day creations.

if you have a peanut butter chocolate lover in your life, make these brownie cupcakes with fluffy peanut butter frosting for them. they will be so pleased with you, i guarantee it. i have a confession...these cupcakes were the first i've made from scratch ever. can you believe that?! i just think the boxed cake mixes are delicious and convenient! and when you always make your own frosting you can't go wrong. so these were a first for me and they were fabulous. i'm going to start making all sorts of cupcakes from scratch from here on out, just you wait. if you're into foodie blogs like me, you must add the novice chef to your list - she always posts the yummiest recipes.

today is friday and it doesn't even feel like it. having to put in school hours on friday/saturday/sunday really ruins the joy of the weekend. plus the hubs will still be in st. george. boo. have a fun weekend for me!