Owl Cupcakes

I made these guys to display at our Outdoor Education booth during a teacher conference last November. They helped in getting people to stop by our booth that normally would not have, and it gave me an opportunity fuse two of my passions together. Here's how I did them:

You can use any kind of cupcake, although I recommend chocolate. You will also need a nice, thick chocolate frosting to help hold things together. I put a base layer of chocolate frosting down first.

The eyes are Oreos. Simply put a couple of Oreos in the microwave for 10-30 seconds (depending on how many you put in at a time). Your goal is to soften the cream, not melt it! Once it's soft, separate the cookies so one side has cream and the other does not. This can be challenging if you get a stubborn Oreo. I used a paring knife to help guide the cream, and if it breaks up a bit, I just patched it back together while it was still warm.

Put a little frosting on the back of the cream-side Oreos, and place on the cupcake.

The irises are chocolate melting wafers, although Junior Mints will work, too. Again, a little frosting on the back and stick them on the Oreo to make whatever kind of expression you want. You can add a white frosting dot for the pupil. if desired.

For the ears, use the "naked" Oreo halves. Simply cut them in half and use frosting to adhere them to the top part of the cupcake (make sure you overlap enough onto the cupcake so they don't fall off!)

The nose is a banana Runt. (My husband particularly enjoyed this part - since I bought a whole batch of Runts and only used the bananas, it left plenty for him to eat!)

To make the "fur", use a small circular tip and pipe tiny sections. You want to pay particular attention to the ears, and I recommend doing at least around the edges. You can cover the entire face in fur if you're that patient (I did this for a few of them and then ran out of time and patience, so just did the edges.)

You can also do this with mini cupcakes, using mini Oreos and Junior Mints, to create a whole owl family.

Enjoy!

The Ultimate Chocolate Frosting

I love chocolate. I love frosting. I love chocolate frosting. But for the most part, homemade chocolate frosting usually leaves me feeling... well, not in love! I've tried several. Some have been horrible, and I have not posted them. Others have been passable, and good for unique reasons (for example, the one used in the Halloween Haunted House was really thick and fudgy, stiff enough to sit out all day on display and really hold onto sprinkles or other decorations). But that delicate, light chocolate frosting that I love to eat straight out of store bought cans eluded me on the homemade front... until I found this recipe. It was originally billed as an icing for cookies, but with a simple modification it has become my new go-to chocolate frosting recipe. This way, I get all the taste satisfaction of the store-bought frosting, without all of the crazy preservatives and chemicals that go into them. I always find that things taste extra-good when you can pronounce all of the ingredients!

THE ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE FROSTING

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-4 tablespoons milk
• 1-2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted

Mix together all the ingredients (start with just 2 tablespoons of milk). Slowly add more milk as needed to reach desired consistency.

The only modifications I made to the cookie icing recipe were to add a little more milk, and unsweetened chocolate. I find that solely using cocoa doesn't allow for a very rich chocolate flavor, so adding the unsweetened melting chocolate helps round it out.

Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

While this post may appear to be about the cupcakes, the star of this creation is really the frosting. Before making this recipe, I had only eaten red velvet cake once before. Since I'm not a big fan of artificial coloring, I was hesitant to make it, but when Valentine's Day came around, the desire for lots of red just overwhelmed me and I gave in...

 For the cake, which was very moist and very red:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 2 - 4 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

This recipe makes about 24-27 cupcakes, or a two-layer 9" round cake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pans or fill cupcake pans with paper liners.

Cream shortening and sugar together very well. Add eggs and beat well.

Make a paste of cocoa and red food coloring. (NOTE: the original recipe I found said to use 4 tablespoons, which I used. The cupcakes were bright red, and ended up having a slight aftertaste that I attribute to the massive amount of artificial coloring. I'd recommend starting with a lesser amount of color, and then if you don't get the desired red tint, or the cake doesn't seem moist enough, add more sparingly.)

Add paste to shortening & sugar mixture.

Mix salt, vanilla, and buttermilk together. Alternate adding this & the flour into the creamed mixture.

Now here's the fun part: mix baking soda and vinegar together. Add gently to cake, and fold into batter. Be careful, and work quickly! This is what actually causes the cake to rise, so you don't want to delay too long after adding these to get your cake into the oven.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes. Check every 2-3 minutes thereafter. If you bake this cake too long, it will be very dry, so check it early and check it often. (I know this goes against conventional wisdom about the cake falling when you open the oven door, but I didn't seem to experience any adverse effects.) 

For the most amazing icing I've ever tasted in my life:

• 5 tablespoons of flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour & milk, and cook over low heat until thick, stirring constantly. This process takes a while. You want it thick enough to form a paste, with no runny liquid to be seen. Once thick, remove from heat and allow to cool completely at room temperature.

Cream sugar, butter, and vanilla together for 10-20 minutes. WHAT? I'm sure you must think this is overkill, but trust me - this recipe uses granular sugar, not confectioner's sugar like most frosting recipes. Creaming the mixture for such a long time helps eliminate any sugar grit in the finished product, and makes the frosting extra light. (Thank goodness for my Kitchenaid! I put it on to cream and then was able to wash almost all of my baking dishes AND frost another batch of cupcakes while I waited for this mixture to fully cream.)

Add flour mixture (now completely cool) to sugar mixture, and beat until a good consistency. (If you add them together before the flour mixture cools, your frosting will be runny!)

Put onto a completely cooled cake, and enjoy! This icing is incredibly light, and many people have suggested it is the traditional frosting for red velvet cake (as opposed to the popular cream cheese frosting, which is really best for carrot cakes and spice cakes). I thought the lightness of the frosting helped highlight the moistness and cocoa flavor in the red velvet cupcakes. It melts on your tongue, and was absolutely divine. If you're willing to put the work into it, it's well worth it!