Cream Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

I have been experimenting with different recipes in preparation for the 200 cupcakes we will be making for Kristina and Brian's wedding favors on April 10. So this week I have been working on the chocolate ones. YUM!!!!

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge cake mix

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

1 1/2 Tablespoons corn starch

1/3 cup butter, melted

12 ounces sour cream

12 ounces chocolate chips

3 eggs

1/2 cup chocolate milk

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Put paper liners in cupcake pans.In a large bowl, mix cake mix, sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, butter, eggs, chocolate milk and sour cream until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill cupcake papers 2/3 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan a few minutes before moving to cooling racks. I got 26 cupcakes using this recipe.

Cream Filling

2 tsp very hot water

1/4 tsp salt

1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow cream

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Dissolve the salt in the hot water and allow to cool.

Whip the marshmallow cream, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until it begins to get fluffy. Add the water and whip well. Fit a pastry bag with a long tip or a large one and fill the bag with the cream filling. This recipe fills 24 cupcakes.

Use an apple corer to take out a "plug" from the middle of each cupcake. Be sure to save the plugs.

Using the pastry bag to fill each hole and then insert the "plugs" back into the cupcakes.

After I filled the cupcakes I frosted them using Chocolate Buttercream. They were quickly sprinkled and most of them boxed to deliver to friends. I did keep a few to see how the filling would hold up for 24+hours. It was great! The cupcakes remained moist and the filling did not make the cake soggy.

I bought the ingredients for the next batch today. I think the cake and filling in this recipe will be perfect. The chocolate butter cream frosting was really good, but I want to try it with a chocolate ganache.

Kristina's Amazing Chocolate Cake

1 instant chocolate pudding mix (small box)
1 devil’s food cake mix
12 ounces chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 ¾ cup milk

Mix together and bake in greased and floured Bundt pan for 50 minutes @ 350 degrees.

Cool in pan 10 minutes and remove from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
This recipe also makes amazing chocolate cupcakes. Depending on how full you fill the cupcake papers they take 18-23 minutes to bake. Test by putting a toothpick in the center. If it only comes out with melted chocolate chips and no gooey batter they are done.

Cokie Colton's Pumpkin Ribbon Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a Bundt pan by spraying it lightly with Pam.

Cake
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Ribbon
1- 8 ounce package cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and spoon ribbon on the top. Pour on remaining batter.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes

Allyson's Pumpkin Apple Gingerbread

3 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 eggs
1 3/4 cup (15 oz can) Libby's solid pack pumpkin
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and shredded (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup molasses
Hard Sauce (recipe follows)

Combine flour, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.

Beat butter and both sugars in mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, two at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pumpkin, apple and molasses. gradually beat in flour mixtures.

Spoon batter into a well-greased and floured 12 cup fluted tube pan (Bundt) Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes; remove from pan. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm with hard sauce.

For Hard Sauce
Beat 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract in a small mixer bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in 4 cups sifted powdered sugar until fluffy.

Bammy's Cheesecake

Crust:
1 ¾ cups graham cracker or digestive biscuit crumbs
½ cup melted butter
¼ sugar

Cheesecake filling:
5 8-ounce packages cream or 6 200-gram packages cream cheese
1 ¾ cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest (optional)
½ teaspoon vanilla
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
¼ cup whipping cream (not whipped)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C)

Wrap the outside bottom of a 9 inch (23cm) springform pan in foil. Combine crumbs, melted butter, and sugar and press on the sides and bottom of the pan.

Blend together cream cheese, sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add eggs and yolks one at a time mixing well after each addition. Blend in whipping cream. Turn cream cheese mixture into springform pan and bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 200 degrees F (100 degrees C) and bake 1 hour. Cool in a draft-free place and then refrigerate four hours before serving.

Chocolate Toffee Bar Cake

Make chocolate cake mix according to package directions. Bake in a greased and floured 9X13 inch pan. Cool in the pan and poke hole with the handle of a wooden spoon all over the top. Drizzle caramel topping in the hole. Frost cake with whipped cream and sprinkle with chopped Skor or Heath candy bars.

Dutch Apple Cake

Preheat oven to 350F or 180C. Grease and flour a 9” round springform pan.
1 ½ lbs (.75kg) apples
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Peel, quarter and slice apples. Toss with the cinnamon, sugar and lemon juice and set aside

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup (or more orange juice)
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ cup vegetable oil (sunflower or corn)

Beat sugar, eggs, orange juice (adjust the amount of orange juice based on the consistency of the batter), and vanilla. Add oil and flour/ baking powder alternately. Beat until smooth. Pour ½ cake batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle apples on the batter. Spread remaining batter on the top.

Streusel Topping
¼ cup flour
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted butter

Combine the above ingredients and sprinkle on the cake. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until it tests done with a cake tester. Cool in pan. Serve with whipped cream.

I got this recipe from a Dutch friend when I was working at Outpost London

Pumpkin Cake or Cupcakes

This recipe makes wonderful cupcakes
Cake:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 3/4 teaspoons ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 cup canola oil (I use 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce)
4 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
3/4 cup chopped pecans (if you don’t like any of these add ins just leave them out)

Frosting:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar (measured, then sifted. Okay, so I never really sift powdered sugar)
Preparation
For cake:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper; dust pans with flour.

****For cupcakes put cupcake papers in muffin tin. This recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

Sift 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat both sugars and oil (or oil and applesauce) in large bowl until combined (mixture will look grainy). Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and orange peel; beat until well blended. Add flour mixture; beat just until incorporated. Stir in raisins, nuts and coconut. Divide batter between prepared pans. Smooth tops. Or fill cupcake papers 3/4 full.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
Bake cupcakes about 20 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool cakes completely in pans on rack. Run knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto racks; remove parchment paper. Turn cakes over, rounded side up. Using serrated knife, trim rounded tops of cakes to level.

For frosting:
Using electric mixer beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add powdered sugar in 3 additions, beating just until frosting is smooth after each addition (do not over beat or frosting may become too soft to spread). Place 1 pumpkin cake layer, flat side down, on platter. Spread half of cream cheese frosting over top of cake to edges. Top with second cake layer, trimmed side down. Spread remaining frosting over top (not sides) of cake. Sprinkle additional coconut over. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Cut cake into wedges and serve.

GOOD TO KNOW:
It's better to under beat the frosting than over beat it. That bit of restraint makes for a slightly firmer frosting that's easier to spread.

Ice Cream Cake

½ gallon ice cream (any flavor)
Cake mix baked according to directions
Cool whip, whipped cream or fluffy whipped frosting
Ice cream topping (to match ice cream flavor, Magic Shell works great)

Make cake mix and pour into a 10 ½ inch spring form pan. Bake 40-45 minutes and remove from oven. Immediately (with pot holders) carefully push the cake down from a rounded surface to a flat surface until the cake surface is leveled.

Cool cake in the freezer until firm.
Mix ice cream in a bowl until it is smooth and pat ice cream on to the firm cold cake. Freeze cake again. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake and remove the cake from the pan. Keep the cake on the bottom of the pan and frost with frosting or cool whip and freeze 30 minutes to 1 hour. Frost with a second coating and freeze for 30 minutes. Decorate with topping.

Frosting

Butter Cream Frosting

1/3 cup butter or margarine
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Pinch of salt
Additional milk and food coloring

Beat butter until fluffy and then add 2 cups of powdered sugar. Add milk and the vanilla slowly. Beat well. Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and extra milk if needed.

Chocolate Butter Cream
Make as above reducing the powdered sugar to 4 cups and add 1/2 cup of cocoa

Peanut Butter Frosting 1

1/2 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup cream

Combine peanut butter and butter and 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix well. Slowly add the cream and remaining powdered sugar. This is especially good on chocolate cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Frosting 2

1 cup butter
8 oz cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup smooth peanut butter
cream

Cream butter until light and fluffly. Add cream cheese and vanilla and mix well. Slowly add powdered sugar until it starts to get too stiff. Add a little cream a teaspoon at a time. When all the powdered sugar is added turn on high and mix then add in the peanut butter and combine well.


Nutella Frosting

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons Nutella
3 cups powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine butter and Nutella and slowly add milk and powdered sugar until well combined.


Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup butter softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
4- 4 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in 2 1/2- 2 3/4 cups additional powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency. Store cakes in refrigerator.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Make as above substituting 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and zest of one lemon for the vanilla.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream

Melt chocolate with cream in a heavy saucepan and cook over very low heat until the mixture is smooth and glossy.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and refrigerate until cooled but not too firm, 30-45 minutes

Using a handheld mixer, beat on high speed until thick and creamy. Use immediately