With my kids I am always trying to think up new cupcake decorating ideas. Sometimes these ideas get saved and forgotten about. That is what happened with these frog cupcakes I found well over a year ago on Allrecipes.com.

My recipe is a little different than theirs and in my opinion makes a cuter cupcake.
We start with the cupcake a basic vanilla cupcake.

Vanilla Cupcake
1 cup Butter
2 cups Sugar
6 eggs
4t vanilla
zest of one lemon (optional)
3 cups flour
3t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup plus 2 TB milk

bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes.

Some note’s about the recipe…

First mix in ingredients in the order listed. You want to first cream the butter and sugar. When it looks like this:

you are done. You want it nice and fluffy.

Next mix in eggs one at a time then vanilla.

The lemon is optional and we like it

I love my mini grater, it is Tupperware.

Next add in your dry ingredients and lastly add your milk. On the milk most people can get by with only a 1/2 cup but I live in the desert. I add 2 extra tablespoons to combat the dryness here. In the end your batter should look like this:

It reminds me of thick vanilla pudding.

Fill cupcake liners 1/2 to 2/3 full and bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Once the cupcakes have cooled comes the fun part decorating.

I use a buttercream to frost-

Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
4 cups confectioners sugar
2t vanilla
4TB milk

cream butter and shortening until fluffy. Slowly add confectioners sugar then vanilla and milk. You can add more or less milk to get the thickness you want. Once you add the milk whip on high speed, the longer you whip it the lighter and fluffier your frosting will be.

In my opinion a kitchen aide with the whip attachment is the best thing to use to make frosting.

Since we are making frogs tint your frosting with green gel food coloring. Frost your cupcakes and sprinkle with greed sugar.

Now it’s time to make the frogs. Gather your cast of characters-

Frosted and sugared cupcake, dark green sugar, large marshmallows (I prefer jet puff), Twizzlers pull and peel (cut in about 2-3 inch segments) and chocolate chips, frosting and water.

First cut marshmallows in half-

These will eventually become the eyes.

Next take water and place in a shallow bowl. Also place the green sugar in a bowl.

Next dip marshmallows in water.

Then dip in sugar

So they look like this-

Add frosting to the bottom and “glue” to the cupcake.

Once eyeballs are glued on peel apart Twizzlers into strands and add mouths.

The final touch is “gluing” chocolate chips with frosting to the center of eyeballs so they look like eyes.

Now you have your own cute little froggie cupcakes.

Enjoy!

White Butter Cupcakes

Adapted from the Joy of Baking

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.

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Vanilla Buttercream

2 sticks (1 cup) room temperature unsalted butter

2lbs or 8 cups of sifted powdered sugar

2 tsp of pure vanilla

½ cup of milk

1)      In an electric mixer on medium-high, cream butter until smooth.

2)      Mix the vanilla and milk together in a measuring cup and set aside.

3)      Add sifted sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until smooth after each cup.

4)      Between each cup of sugar, add the milk/vanilla mixture, making sure to end with powdered sugar.

5)      Beat on high for 5 minutes or until light, fluffy and smooth.

6)      Frost cupcakes using Wilton #6B star tip and decorate anyway you want!!

I’m sure you’ve probably seen this everywhere by now, but since it was part of mine and hubby’s homemade Christmas gift baskets this year, I couldn’t post about it until now or I would have spoiled the surprise! When I first learned how easy it is to make your own vanilla extract though, I was so excited. It’s much cheaper than buying it in the store! And since I was about three months away from Christmas at the time, I knew they would make perfect gifts as well. I’ve been using the homemade vanilla extract in my baking ever since, and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to store-bought!
Here’s what you’ll need:

• Vodka (any type will do – I used Skyy)
• 1 vanilla bean per 1/3 cup vodka
• Lidded glass bottles
  

Drop the vanilla beans into the bottles. Mine held about one cup of liquid each, so I put in 3 vanilla beans per bottle. Fill up the bottles with the vodka. And, that’s it! Store the bottles in a cool, dark place for about three months before using, making sure to give them a shake every once in a while. The picture below was taken about a week and a half after making the extract; it’ll get even darker over time.

JavaCupcake side note:  As a part of my goals for 2010, I wanted to create a signature cupcake.  I’m hoping that this recipe (in three months!) can be used as a part of it!  Thank you Tracy for this great recipe!!

3/19/2010 Update:  My vanilla extra is READY and I”ll be using it in all my upcoming recipes!

Click on recipe image above to see ingredients and step by step instructions!

My dad turned 68 this week!!! Happy Birthday Daddy!!! He requested white/vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream frosting… so what did I make?? CUPCAKES!! They were a HUGE hit and everyone at his party loved them!

(hehehe Yes the frosting kinda looks like poop. It sure didn’t taste like poop though!!! DELISH!)

Vanilla Cupcakes

12 tbsp butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white, at room temp
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup+1tsp STRONG brewed coffee (Starbucks Pike Place roast was used for this cupcake)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare pan for 12 cupcakes.

Use mixer to combine sugar and butter until fluffy (3-5 minutes).

While that is mixing, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the egg and egg white slowly to the sugar and egg and beat well.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then add the milk. Add 1/3 more flour mixture and then add the coffee.

Mix in the rest of the flour mixture until just combined (don’t overbeat your cupcakes or they will be disgusting).

Using an ice cream scoop, fill 12 cupcake papers with equal amounts of batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Vanilla Filling
1/2 package instant vanilla pudding
A little less than 1/2 cup milk
A little less than 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish creme

Mix all ingredients with electric mixture until it has the consistency of thick pudding.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1-2 tbsp whipping cream

Beat the butter until it’s smooth and creamy.

Slowly add the powdered sugar until it’s smooth.

Add the milk and cocoa.

Scrape down sides of bowl.

Beat on high 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.

Cupcake Assembly
Cool cupcakes completely.

Cut out a little cone shape in the tops of each cupcake.
Drop in a dollop of Bailey’s filling and squish the top back on the cupcake. If it squirts out the sides a little, no worries.
Pipe the frosting on top, making sure to cover the seams and the filling.
Add espresso bean on top.
Cupcake and Filling recipe adapted from: Frosted Creations
Frosting recipe happens to be the same as Frosted Creations, but is also one I use.