I started looking on Etsy to find some liners which would match perfectly for my niece and found turquoise with green polka dot liners.  I mean really, it’s like they were made just for her! So super cute!! I ordered them and they arrived the morning I was baking the cupcakes.  Well….. unfortunately, the company I ordered them from sent me the wrong liners.

<-the ones I wanted

Apparently, she had two liners with the same name and sent me the other ones.  Needless to say, I wasn’t very happy and I didn’t have time to search out a local store potentially an hour away just for new liners.  So, I made do with these and wrote an email to the company I bought them from.  (Who didn’t really offer much help other than a discount on a future order.  It’s not like these things are that expensive, so a discount?? lol no, I’m good. Thanks)

After I got over that little fiasco, it was time to make the cupcakes and they turned out amazing!  Made a special pedestal for my niece to hold one perfect cupcake just for her and she was thrilled with it.  I told her that she’ll be able to put the pedestal on her dresser next to her jewelry box and keep her special rings and necklaces and such on them.

I also created several pedestals with some fun things I found at thrift stores.  A couple of them even matched the cupcakes perfectly!

And finally…. the birthday girl with her cupcake and pedestal!

Emily was so happy with these cupcakes and loved everything about them!  Everyone at the party gave me rave reviews and some even said they were the best cupcakes they’ve ever tasted! YAY me!!!  I got two referrals and hopefully they’ll turn into orders!

Makes approx 3 dozen (36) cupcakes.

Cupcakes:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
Zest of one lemon

3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla
¾ cup milk
The juice of ½ a lemon

4 cups strawberries, roughly chopped + 1 cup sugar + 2 tbsp butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line cupcake pans with 30 liners.

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter.  Add the strawberries and coat with melted butter.  Stir in sugar and cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes until strawberries begin to reduce and a thick strawberry sauce is made.  Divide in half and then set aside to cool.

Prepare the sugar by working the lemon zest into sugar by pressing the back of a spatula down into sugar, thus releasing the oils from the zest into the sugar.  This process should take about five minutes, and the sugar will become very fragrant.

Cream the butter for 2-3 minutes using electric mixer and the paddle attachment.  Add the sugar to the butter mixture and continue creaming until fluffy.

While butter/sugar are creaming, in another bowl sift together flour, salt and baking powder and set aside. Sift at least twice to ensure all ingredients are combined.

Add eggs one at a time to butter and sugar, mixing thoroughly after each egg.

In a measuring cup that pours, mix together the milk, lemon juice and vanilla.

SLOWLY alternate adding the flour and milk mixture to the butter/sugar.  Begin and end with the flour and make sure to mix very well after each addition.

Scrape sides of the bowl and fold in ½ the strawberries.  Do not over mix.

Fill liners 1/2 full with batter.

Bake for 13 minutes and rotate pan 180 degrees in oven. Bake another 3-6 minutes.

Cool in pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to completely cool.

Buttercream:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 lbs (approx 8 cups) powdered sugar
1/4 -1/2  cup milk
Zest of ½ a lemon
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 tbsp light corn syrup

Directions:
In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter.

One cup at a time, add the powdered sugar.  Between each cup, add a splash of milk.   Mix until smooth & scrape down the sides after each addition

Before the last cup of sugar, add the zest and juice of the lemon.  Mix until smooth.

Add the corn syrup.

Add any remaining milk until you get the texture and consistency you want.

Mix on high for 4-5 minutes.

Remove ½ the buttercream and set aside.  Add 5-7 drops of yellow food coloring to the remaining frosting and mix until it’s the color you want.

To Assemble:
Strain the second half of the strawberries, reserving the juice for later.

Spoon a small dollop of strawberry on top of each cupcake.  (NOTE:  My cupcakes sunk in the middle because I DIDN’T use ROOM TEMPERATURE butter!!! Eeeek)

Put half yellow/half white frosting into a pastry bag with a star tip and frost the cupcakes.

Drizzle cupcakes with reserved strawberry juice.

Top with a fresh, clean strawberry.

Take pretty pictures of your cupcakes!

Lemon Blueberry Poppy Seed Pound Cake

adapted from Joy the Baker

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
The zest of one large lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
The juice of one large lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
4 eggs, room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2  tablespoons poppy seeds
1 heaping cup frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Sift together flour and baking powder, set aside.

Cream butter and cream cheese in an electric mixer.

In the mean time, using a spatula work the lemon zest into the granulated sugar by pressing the sugar and the zest together.  This process should take about five minutes, and the sugar will become very fragrant.  Add the sugar to the butter mixture and continue creaming.

Add the lemon and vanilla extract.

Add eggs one at a time, beating for about one minute each.  Scrape down the bowl after each addition.

Slowly add the sifted flour and baking powder.  Don’t over mix in the electric mixer.  Bring the ingredients together with a spatula.

Fold in the poppy seeds and the blueberries with a spatula until just incorporated.

Pour into a greased and floured pan and bake for 70-85 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Basic Vanilla Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together the 2 tbsp of milk and vanilla.   Add that mixture to powdered sugar in a small bowl.

Mix with a spatula until smooth.

Add remaining milk (or more) until you get the consistency you want.

Drizzle over the top of the cooled pound cake.

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Emme’s Banana Bread

1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup butter
2 large eggs

3-4 ripe bananas
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

¼ cup cinnamon/sugar mixture

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

3. In an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar.

4. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each.

5. In a small bowl, peel the bananas and mush them with a fork until most chunks are gone.

6. Add the cinnamon, milk, vanilla and nutmeg and stir with the fork until combined.

7. In another bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

8. Add the banana mixture to the butter/sugar and mix until just combined and then scrape down the sides of the bowl.

9. Slowly, add the flour mixture in three parts to the batter, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix just until incorporated.

10. Pour batter into loaf pan and spread evenly with spatula.

11. Generously sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture on top of the batter.

12. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

13. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

I had never worked with whole wheat flour before, so I needed to do a bit of research on how to use it.  I read a lot of articles online and talked to other bakers and felt confident that I could make these scones successfully!  You can find the “how-to’s” of using whole wheat flour in my “Tips & Tricks” post here!

I had my doubts during the baking process…. the dough was really sticky (a lot more than with the chocolate scones) and I thought maybe I had done something wrong.  Until…. they came out of the oven and smelled… and tasted SOOO GOOOD!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Scones

Loosely adapted from Evil Shenanigans Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Scones

Makes 8 Scones

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces and kept very cold
1- 1½ cups thawed, drained & patted dry frozen blueberries (you can use fresh as well)
1/3-1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, well beaten
Sugar for topping

Here are some of the specialty ingredients I used.  King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour, Homemade Vanilla Extract, and local Remlinger Farms frozen blueberries.

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 F and lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray or line it with parchment paper. (Don’t use wax paper, it will burn!)

2. In a medium bowl, sift the wheat flour 3-4 times. This will help bring some air into the flour so your scones won’t be so dense.

3. Add the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and combine using a whisk.

4. Add the cold butter and rub it in with your fingers until the butter is in small pieces, no larger than peas.

5. Strain and pat dry the thawed blueberries. Fold them into the dry mixture making sure they are coated well.

6. Starting with 1/3 cup cold buttermilk, pour in the milk and vanilla and gently combine with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed. If the mixture is too dry and crumbly, add more buttermilk a tablespoon at a time just until the dough comes together. (The blueberries will add a lot of moisture, so be careful not to add too much milk.)

I love that the homemade vanilla has little bits of Tahitian vanilla in it!!
7. With your hands, gather the mixture into a ball in the bowl, making sure to incorporate all the dough. Mixture will be wet and sticky!

8. Turn out onto cutting board and GENTLY knead the dough three times by pressing the dough into a fat disk, folding the dough in half , turning it 1/4 turn and repeating. You can add a bit of flour to the cutting board to help with sticking. Do not over knead you don’t want to smash the berries!

9. Once kneaded pat and press into an 8″ circle and cut the disk into 8 wedges.

10. Using a spatula, transport the wedges onto the prepared baking sheet. Since the dough is wet and sticky, make sure your scones keep their shape by forming them with your fingers or spatula.

11. Brush with beaten egg and top each scone with as much sugar as you like.

12. Bake the scones for approximately 18 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

13. Cool ten minutes on the pan before transferring to a wire rack.

I know that apples aren’t native to the Pacific Northwest, but we have a lot of apple orchards on both sides of our state and thought it would be a perfect base for a cupcake! With a suggestion from my sister, I decided to buy locally the apples and eggs because we all know how much the “tree-hugging” people from Seattle and the Northwest love their locally grown, organic foods!  So from this, the “Tree Hugger Apple” cupcake was born!

The base of the cupcake was inspired by this Appledoodle Cupcake I found while browsing the Iron Cupcake Earth website.  I changed a few things and made it my own by adding sliced apple to the top of the batter before baking, then filling the cupcake with more apple and drizzling the buttercream on top with caramel.

I got this awesome new camera, so I was able to document the process of making these cupcakes!

These are the goodies I used to make these cupcakes.  Wilton cupcake liners, pink sugar dust, and a Wilton #6B star tip.

First, preheat oven to 350F and fill two 12-hole cupcake trays with cupcake wrappers. In a 2 cup measuring cup, combine egg whites, vanilla and 1/4 cup milk and mix with a whisk.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix together to blend. Add the butter and remaining 3/4 cup milk. Mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed (high if using a hand mixer) for 1.5 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and milk mixture in three equal parts, beating for 20 seconds between additions.

So, in true JavaCupcake style… I totally made an oooooppsie.  The batter didn’t look as pretty as the above picture at first.

Fill each cupcake liner 1/2 – 2/3 full with batter.

Bake 15-17 minutes. After 10 minutes of baking, rotate pan 180 degrees to ensure even baking. Remove when air bubbles just being to pop on top and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.  Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then place on a cooling rack.

Let cool completely before filling and frosting. I chose to use my favorite raspberry jam to fill the cupcakes with.

To fill the cupcakes, I used this technique I found on BakingBites.com.

Using a Wilton #6B star tip, I frosted the cupcakes in a circular pattern.  I immediately dusted the top with the pink sugar dust.

After the buttercream had a few hours to set and slightly harden, I topped them with an upside down fresh raspberry.

And here they are… all finished and ready to deliver!

I met Tracy and her Grandmother at the restaurant and they were over the moon with these cupcakes! Grandma was a delight and it was such a pleasure to make these goodies for her birthday!

Here is a photo journey of the cupcakes that turned out to be a big hit with my family!

The batter just before it hit the cups!

Oh yes, that is puree swirled on top of the cupcakes!

Just out of the oven…. mmmmmmm.
Topped with meringue buttercream and a blueberry!!

Blueberry perfection.

A couple of notes about the recipe…
I, personally, did not care for the meringue buttercream. This recipe, the frosting turns out very buttery in flavor. When my family tried the cupcake, they said it was very rich but when paired with the cupcake it was perfect. I think if I were to make this again, I would add more sugar and add less butter. Also, I think I’d make just my favorite buttercream recipe and add the blueberry puree for flavor. Another suggestion was that I put whole blueberries in the cupcake as well. Just some things to think about Enjoy!

I’m not sure if I browned the butter correctly… my daughter said it smelled like grilled cheese while I was making it. I may have burnt it just a bit. Next time, I’ll watch it closer… like the recipe said to. *Ooops* The batter was perfect for 12 muffins, full of blueberries… and the crumbly topping was a perfect addition to add some crunchy texture to the muffins.

They were so good, I ate two just as they came out of the oven. Shoved them in my mouth while dripping crumbs all over the sink. Totally worth the mess. This morning, I’ve got my cup of coffee and have devoured two more muffins… a bit slower this time though. Delish.

PS… the muffins taste nothing like grilled cheese either

The first batch got a little crispy on the bottom (darn my oven)… but the rest turned out beautifully! I’m taking these to my Art Class tomorrow for our end of the quarter potluck. I hope they enjoy!!

Click on image for recipe.

White Butter Cupcakes with Strawberry filling and Strawberry Buttercream

3 ½ cups sifted cake flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups granulated white sugar, divided

½ cup HOT water

4 large eggs, separated

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup milk

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

1)      Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake tins with liners.

2)      While eggs are still cold separate the eggs, placing the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another bowl.  Cover the two bowls with plastic wrap and allow the eggs to come to room temperature before using (about 30 minutes).

3)      In a mixing bowl sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

4)      In bowl of electric mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes).  Add 1 ½ cups of the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).  Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

5)      With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

6)      Add the hot water and mix just until incorporated.

7)      In a clean bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy.  Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form.  Gradually add the remaining ½ cup of sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.  With a rubber spatula gently fold a little of the whites into the batter to lighten it, and then fold in the remaining whites until combined.  Do not over mix the batter or it will deflate.

8)      Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake liners ½ full.

9)      Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

10)   Cool the cupcakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing and cooling completely on the wire rack.

Strawberry Filling
2 (4) cups strawberries (can be frozen), stems removed
1/2 (1) cup water
1 (2) teaspoon vanilla
1/2 (1) cup sugar
2 (4) tablespoons cornstarch or 4 (8) tablespoons AP flour

1. Add the strawberries, water, and vanilla to a pot. Cook for 10 minutes over medium-high heat.
2. Sift together the sugar and cornstarch and then stir into the strawberry mixture. Cook until the mixture is thick and the strawberries have broken down, about 20 minutes.
3. To fill the cupcakes, use this method.

Strawberry Buttercream

2.5 sticks (1 ¼ cup) butter, room temperature

5 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch of salt

2 heaping tablespoons of strawberry filling

1. Beat butter until creamy.
2. Adding  sugar one cup at a time, mixing until creamy between each cup.  With last cup of sugar, add the salt.
3. Add vanilla and mix.
4. Add strawberry filling one tablespoon at a time until incorporated.
5. Mix on high until light and fluffy. (About 4-5 minutes)

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So I’m a little bummed how the Orange Creamsicle cupcakes turned out tonight. I followed the recipe as instructed, but I think some things need a little tweeking. Next time, I’ll only fill the cups 1/2 way and really watch them the last 2 minutes.

Some of them came out a little toasty around the edges. And although the marshmallow makes it the creamsicle part, I’m not sure if I like how it looks piped onto the cupcake. I think next time, I’ll stick with straight orange buttercream frosting (which is DELICIOUS, by the way) and just call them Orange Delight cupcakes.

I’ll try these again someday…. make them perfect!!

Here is her recipe:

Lemon Cupcakes

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp. lemon zest
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce*

1. Preheat oven to 325° degrees.

2. Line cupcake pan with mini baking cups. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 4 minutes.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time until the mixture becomes creamy.

5. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt together. Whisk to combine.

6. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk until completely incorporated.

7. Add the applesauce*, lemon zest and fresh lemon juice. Mix batter for an additional minute. Mixture should look light and fluffy.

8. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners and bake for 17 to 23 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

9. VERY IMPORTANT to allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

Lemon Kissed Buttercream Frosting

4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. whole milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and salt for about 30 seconds.

2. Add half of the powdered sugar and the milk to the butter and beat again until combined. Scrape down the bowl.

3. Add the remainder of the powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat until combined. Scrape down the bowl again.

5. Beat on high speed for 5-6 minutes or until the frosting is fluffy. Add Wilton gel “Yellow” in small amount to achieve desired pastel color.

6. It is preferable to use the frosting on the same day you make it, but it can keep in the refrigerator for 3 days if tightly wrapped. Make sure and stir the buttercream well before using to get the air bubbles out of the frosting and then pipe onto completely cooled cupcakes.

*My addition to the recipe.