Ice Cream Sundae Cupcake Tute

I know that baking cupcakes in ice cream cones is not new information.  I have seen different versions of it for a while now on the internet.

I tried making them a few years ago and they didn't turn out so good.  They were sort of flat or ever so slightly domed.  They were always a disappointment.  They never looked good decorated.

Then I tweaked the baking technique.  I went upside down.

Here are the steps.

Mix up your cupcake batter.  I used Duncan Heins.

Spray your cupcake pan with cooking spray.

Fill your cupcake pan about 1/2 to 2/3 full.

Easy peezy.  Now turn your cupcake cones upside down.

 Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.

One of the great advantages to this technique is that you don't have to worry about any of the batter filled cones toppling over on the way to the oven.  I hated that.

When they are finished baking, let the pan cool for a few minutes on a cooling rack.  Then you can lift them out and you will have this:

Doesn't that look pretty? .... and easier to decorate?

If you have any little nubs like in the picture above, just use a knife and slice it off.  Icing will cover all ills.

 

Ice the cupcake cones with butter cream.  Drizzle on some Magic Shell.  Add some sprinkles and a cherry on top!  Look what you got!  Put these in the fridge for just a few minutes so the Magic Shell will harden. 

When these are being made, I need to move fast!  All the little Beanes heard me getting out sprinkles and came running.

String Beane loves these.  It is nice to have an ice cream sundae looking option when you are allergic to milk.  (Notice little Jelly Beane's face?  She thought he was taking hers away.)  

 Butter Beane has inherited my sweet tooth.  It is one of the many things I love about him.

 My sweet Jelly Beane woke up from her nap and came running at the smell of cupcakes.  

These cupcakes freeze beautifully too!  Just freeze them in a zip lock bag.  When you are ready to eat them.  Just take them out of the freezer, ice them and decorate.  Then you have an impressive dessert on a moments notice. 

I am linking up with Metamorphosis Monday, Allergy free Wednesday and these other Awesome Parties!

My Birthday Cupcakes

My birthday was last week.  I enjoy a special day for my birthday.  My husband usually leaves it up to me to plan and cook dinner.  I have learned, over the years, that means I will cook my birthday dinner too. 

Mr. Homegrown takes me out to dinner on my birthday, but for the family celebration where the little Beanes give me a card they made and sing happy birthday, it is just dinner as usual around here.  So, this year, I remembered that and decided to make myself a special dinner and dessert for myself.  It was yummy.

I was feeling the years creep up on my with this birthday.  I don't feel old but I am old enough to say that I have had some of the same friends for 30 years.  I had sort of gotten okay with saying that about friends.  I mean, when you grow up in and continue to live in the same town, chances are you will have some of the same peeps as you did in kindergarten.  Last weekend the years really hit me when we were on vacation in the mountains.  We were waiting to in line to go in Linville Caverns.  I was telling String Beane and Butter Beane about the last time I was at Linville Caverns.  I was around 8 or  years old.  My mom and dad took my brother and I to the caverns and I remember it as a really fun trip.  As I was telling my boys about it, I realized that it had been 30 years since that first trip.  Thirty!  That just sounds like longer ago than I should know about.

To make myself feel young again, I made a cupcake that I found online.  It was a throw back to peanuts in Coke!  I used to eat/drink peanuts in Coke while riding to the beach in the summer.  No matter how long ago that was, I feel like a little girl when I think of peanuts in Coke. 

Here is the recipe that I found.  I modified it to make it safe for my String Beane.  It was super yummy.  The frosting is the key!  It was my favorite homemade frosting ever!


Cupcakes
1 cup Coca-Cola

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (I used Fleishmann's unsalted margarine, milk free)

1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cupcake pan with paper liners and give a quick spray of cooking spray. 

In a small sauce pan, heat the coca- cola, cocoa powder, and margarine until margarine is melted.  Whisk in the sugars until dissolved.  Revome from heat and let it cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.  In a small bowl, whisk  the egg until just beaten.  Stir the egg into the cooled cocoa mixture.  Add the cocoa mixture to the flour mixture.  Stir until combined. 

Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour the mixture into the cupcake liners.  Bake for 25 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched in the middle. 

Salted Peanut Butter Frosting
4 cups of Powdered Sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (I used Fleishmann's unsalted margarine, milk free)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3-4 Tablespoons heavy cream (I used vanilla Almond milk)
Ground salted peanuts, for garnish

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine powdered sugar, butter, peanut butter and salt.  Mix on low speed until just combined, then switch to high speed.

Add heavy cream one tablespoon and beat until mixture is lightened and smooth.  Transfer to a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped.  Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Garnish with ground peanuts.

These cupcakes were as good as they look in the picture.  They made me happy on my birthday!  That is what a good cupcake should do.

I am linking up with Metamorphosis Monday, Allergy Free Wednesday and these other Awesome Parties!

Mums the Word

Are you ever sorry you started something?  I tried to make my little Beanes happy with these mummy cupcakes.

Butter Beane has been walking around the house for two days now saying "Mummy, Mummy". 

He won't quit.  This was cute at first and I was thrilled he seemed to appreciate the mummy cupcakes. 

Then it got sort of old.  Also, he wants to dress up as a mummy for Halloween.  So we are hearing a lot about mummys right now.  I will be sort of glad for Halloween to come and go. 

 I saw some version of these adorable mummy cupcakes somewhere in blog land.  I can't remember where I originally saw the idea.

Anyway, these cute mummy cupcakes are super easy and my boys loved them!

I made some pumpkin cupcakes and then used some cream cheese frosting and decorative candy eyes and viola`. 

I used this recipe for the pumpkin cupcakes:

2 cups Bisquick Mix

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin , not pumpkin pie mix

Heat oven to 350 and spray cupcake liners with cooking spray.  In a bowl, beat all ingredients on low for 30 seconds, scraping bowl frequently.  Then beat on medium for 2 minutes scraping bowl occasionally.  Pour into cupcake liners.  Bake for 18-22 minutes.  Or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely. 

For the cream cheese icing:

3 oz softened cream cheese (I used Touffuti cream cheese)

1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened (I used Flieshman's unsalted)

1 Tablespoon milk (soy)

1 Teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar on low speed until smooth.  Add more sugar or milk, as needed, to get the consistency you like.

I dotted some of the icing on the back of the eyes and stuck them on the cupcakes.  Then I piped on the rest of the icing in random strips. 

I think they turned out pretty cute. 

 

I am linking up with Metamorphasis Monday
and these other Awesome Parties.