Raspberry Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Day 4? I think so. It's starting to run together, the cupcakes I've done and the ones that are still on the plan. The things that I know I am going to do to a recipe and all the little tweaks that I consider before I actually do it. Mostly, right now, I'm sticking pretty close to the plan as I can't afford a major flop at 8:30 at night.

These are super rich but super yummy and as an added bonus chocolate frosting is so pretty piped onto the cupcakes.  I also have a weakness for raspberry pie filling and have to confess I ate the left over right out of the can. Add it to a chocolate cupcake and you've pretty much got heaven in a paper liner. The chocolate raspberry buttercream just takes it to a whole other level.

Enjoy. Feel free to moan a little :)

Raspberry Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Raspberry Buttercream
2 1/2 dozen cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 Devils Food Cake Mix
3 eggs
1/2 c. oil
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. sour cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Filling:
Raspberry Pie Filling (Wilderness brand)

Chocolate Raspberry Buttercream:
2 sticks softened butter
1/2 c. Hershey's unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tsp raspberry Jello
2-3 T. milk
3-4 c. powdered sugar

Jet Puffed Hot Chocolate Marshmallows to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix cake mix with eggs, oil, buttermilk, sour cream, and vanilla
3. Stir until smooth
4. Fill cupcake liners with 1/4 c. batter and bake for 15-17 minutes
5. Cream butter for a couple of minutes until fluffy. Add cocoa, vanilla, Jello, and milk. Mix until smooth.
6. Gradually add powdered sugar until you reach your desired thickness. Add a little more milk if needed
7. Once cupcakes are cool, use a knife to cut a cone shape out of the center of each cupcake. Fill the hole with a spoonful of pie filling
8. Pipe frosting over filling and garnish with marshmallows

Orange Cream Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

It's Day 3. I had a day off yesterday as Mr. Jiggle is out of town and couldn't deliver the cupcakes this morning. But...tomorrow is a new day and he comes back tonight so cupcakes for dinner!

These are kind of summery but in this super cold, ucky, freezy, weather I'm willing to take any glimmer of summer I can get. As an added bonus they are lighter than chocolate which seems to be better received for whatever reason. Apparently I'm not the only one in the world that prefers other flavors to chocolate!

These are flavored with orange juice and orange zest and the cake is really yum. The real star of course is the frosting. Seriously, orange cream cheese?? Gah, so.good. It reminds me of the frosting on orange rolls without the cinnamon and those are some of my favorite treats.

Orange Cream Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
2 1/2 doz cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 white cake mix
1 small package vanilla pudding
4 eggs
2/3 c. oil
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. orange juice
2 T. orange zest
2 T. pure vanilla extract

1. Mix dry ingredients together.
2. Add eggs, oil, sour cream, buttermilk, orange juice and vanilla. Mix well for 2 minutes.
3. Add orange zest and mix.
4. Fill cupcake liners with 1/4 c. batter and bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes.

Frosting:
1 stick butter
8 oz cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla
2-3 T. milk
2 tsp orange zest
1 T. orange jello mix
3-4 c. powdered sugar

1. Cream butter and cream cheese together.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar and milk.
3. When right consistency add vanilla and orange jello mix.
4. Blend in orange zest and beat until fluffy.
5. Frost your cupcakes!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream

Day 2 of the 2013 Cupcake Palooza. Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream. I've made these a couple of different times and they are always good. And they always make me want a big glass of milk even though I'm pretty lactose intolerant and that would make my stomach hurt. I think it's the peanut butter, it makes me think of the peanut butter sandwiches I ate when I was little!

And, funny story, I tried to take some of these to the neighbor's as a thank you and got almost to the front step, slipped on some ice, did that crazy cartoon save yourself dance, and proceeded to drop the plate of cupcakes on the sidewalk. It's a good think this recipe makes a few extra!

Anyway. This is my basic devil's food cupcake. Pretty much my go to chocolate. The frosting is straight up peanut butter tonight but as I was frosting I was thinking that the next time I will swirl chocolate buttercream and the peanut butter cream together. There's always a next time for me :)

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
about 30 cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 Devil's Food cake mix
1/2 c. oil
1 c. buttermilk
3/4 c. sour cream
3 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 bag peanut butter chips (opt)

Frosting:
1/2 c. butter softened
1/2 c. peanut butter
3-4 c. powdered sugar
1 T. pure vanilla extract
2-3 T. milk (I eyeball it, there isn't a whole lot of measuring)

1. Mix cake mix, oil, eggs, sour cream, and butter milk.
2. Add vanilla and beat for a couple of minutes until smooth.
3. Fold in peanut butter chips if using.
4. Fill cupcake liners
5. Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes
6. Cream butter and peanut butter together
7. Gradually add the powdered sugar and milk alternating until frosting is the right consistency.
8. Add vanilla. Beat until fluffy.

Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Somehow, I've once again managed to get myself in the position of agreeing to do something that now seems like a Herculean task. Last year I did "The 12 Days of Cupcakes" for the people at Randy's work. Twelve different cupcakes, the last 12 work days of the year, 4 dozen a day. I truly didn't even consider at the time that they were going to think that was a "tradition" that would continue. I haven't thought about it again since Jan 1 2013. Apparently I'm the only one that was operating under that assumption. After multiple requests and inquiries from Randy's coworkers I've agreed to give it another go.

So. Twelve more kinds of cupcakes (I can't repeat myself), twelve more marathon baking sessions and a whole lot of butter and cream cheese....YUM! I've planned 12 different kinds than last year so we will see how it goes. I'm sure that the photography will be sketchy as I will for sure be taking pictures in the middle of the night. :)

Here's Day 1.  I drizzled warmed Nutella over the top of the cupcakes but you could melt chocolate chips or make ganache or just use chocolate sprinkles. I would have garnished with banana slices but I was afraid they would go brown and neglected to buy dried bananas at the store so those are just in my head.

Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting 
2 1/2 doz cupcakes
Adapted from Your Cup of Cake

1 yellow cake mix
1/2 c. flour
3 ripe bananas smushed
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs (I used extra large eggs so 4 large would probably be ok)
3/4 c. sour cream
2/3 c. oil
3/4 c. buttermilk (this makes a huge difference in the texture)
1 T. pure vanilla extract

1. Mix the dry ingredients.
2. Smash bananas and sprinkle baking soda over them, stir.
3. Mix the dry ingredients with the eggs, sour cream, oil, and buttermilk. Blend together well. Add the smashed bananas. Stir in but don't over stir.
4. Fill cupcake liners with 1/4 c. batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick butter
1 8 oz cube cream cheese
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar

1. Cream softened butter and cream cheese together.
2. Add powdered sugar gradually mixing well
3. Add vanilla.
4. Beat until fluffy.