IronCupcake_005: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes

Iron Cupcake:Earth
Theme: Chocolate with a Twist
My 1st entry: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes
Voting begins: Monday, December 29 at 8 pm Central @ http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com and will be open through Friday, January 2 at 12 noon Central.

Last week I spent Thanksgiving with my family in North Carolina. As per recent tradition with my favoritest cousin in the whole wide world, we made cupcakes together at her house Saturday. I was gonna let her choose what flavor, but she couldn't make up her mind. We ransacked her entire kitchen and pantry. There were plenty of options. But when I spotted the jar of Dukes mayonnaise (that no Southern home would ever be without), I knew we had to make chocolate mayonnaise cupcakes. Stephanie and her whole family LOVE chocolate, so duh, it HAD to happen! At first we were both skeptical. I HATE mayonnaise (except at Chickfila... how weird is that?). And although she has no problem with mayonnaise, the thought of it with chocolate just seemed gross. We tasted the batter before we put the cupcakes in the oven. Surprisingly it didn't taste of mayonnaise at all. The cupcakes baked up extremely fluffy and soft. They're very rich and moist with a great dark chocolate flavor. The flavor of mayonnaise is completely unnoticeable. We topped them with a really yummy chocolate glaze. The one drawback about the cupcakes is that they might be considered a little "greasy" to some. But to folks born and raised in "Hicktown," NC... they're just right! ;) ♥

My favoritest cousin!!I love a 2-bowl recipe!

Me scooping batter... Remind me she needs an ICE CREAM SCOOP for Christmas!

Yummy, moist, chocolate mayonnaise cupcakes!

Both recipes adapted from AllRecipes.com

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes
Makes 30 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
3 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons vinegar (We used rice vinegar)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups warm water

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line muffin pans with paper liners. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.
Pour the melted chocolate into a large mixing bowl. Blend in the mayonnaise, vinegar and vanilla. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt and gradually stir into the chocolate mixture. Slowly stir in the warm water. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake in the preheated oven for 13 to 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

Chocolate Glaze
INGREDIENTS
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
In a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water, combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup (We did it in the microwave!). Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, then add vanilla. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Spread glaze over top of cupcakes.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5 (incredibly moist!)
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 5

Prizes provided by Etsy artists:
BETTY TURBO
A pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES
Also, IronCupcake:Earth is excited to welcome back CAKESPY, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice!
As an added bonus for December we have adorable cupcake pincushions compliments of SWEET CUPPIN CAKES BAKERY AND CUPCAKERY SUPPLY.
Corporate prize providers:
HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS
HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
JESSIE STEELE APRONS
CUPCAKE COURIER
TASTE OF HOME books
Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers

IronCupcake_004: Pear Cupcakes w/ Cranberry Orange Filling

Iron Cupcake:Earth
Theme: Cranberry
My entry: Spiced Pear Cupcakes w/ Cranberry-Orange Filling
Voting begins: Sunday, November 30 at 8 pm Central @ http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com and will be open through Friday, December 5 at 12 noon Central.




After some major brainstorming and some careful consideration, I came up with an entry for this month's Iron Cupcake:Earth challenge! My mom brought some pears home from a roadtrip and they became my initial inspiration. I really wanted to stick with seasonal flavors, so I wanted to do a spiced pear cupcake. I'm a huge fan of cranberry and orange. I decided to use those flavors in the filling and frosting. My frosting came out a bit softer than I wanted (because I'm retarded and added a few tablespoons of heavy cream for some reason...???) But if you make it sans heavy cream, the frosting will be thick and gorgeous! These cupcakes are fantastic! They're perfectly moist. All of the flavors go well together, and how can you go wrong with cream cheese filling? They taste just like Thanksgiving! Here are my photos and the recipe.

Start by soaking your cranberries in fresh orange juice.Peel and core your pears.

Scoop the batter into the cups.

Here are the cuppies cooling!

Making the filling...

Mmmmm creamy cranberry-orange goodness!

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a visial runthrough of "The Cone Method."

After filling your cupcakes, you should have about 1/2 leftover to use in the frosting.

Then voila! Delicious Thanksgiving cupcakes!

How about an inside view!

Voting will begin Sunday, November 30 at 8 pm (Central) at NO ONE PUTS CUPCAKE IN A CORNER, http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com/, and will be open through Friday, December 5 at 12 noon (Central).

Recipes were created by yours truly!

Pear Cupcakes with Cranberry Orange Filling
Makes 16-18

CUPCAKES
1 1/2 cups finely diced pears (1 1/2 - 2 pears)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
Pinch of orange zest
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, fresh ground if available
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

FILLING
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Juice of 1 orange
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

FROSTING
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup leftover filling
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Prep for filling: Combine cranberries and orange juice in a measuring cup and heat for 30-40 seconds in microwave, just until mixture is warm. Let sit until cupcakes are baked and cooled, at least 30 minutes.

Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with 16 paper liners. In a large bowl sift together flour, spices, salt, and baking soda. Combine milk and vanilla in a measuring cup. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix until well incorporated. Add flour and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Add pears and mix just until incorporated. Divide batter into muffin cups. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

Make the filling: Drain the plumped cranberries and reserve the juice. In a food processor, pulse cranberries until finely chopped. With an electric mixer, combine chopped cranberries, 8 oz cream cheese, 1 teaspoon of reserved orange juice, 1 teaspoon orange zest, and 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar. Cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake, keeping the top. Fill each cupcake with 1-2 teaspoons of filling. Replace top.

Make the frosting: With an electric mixer, combine 4 oz cream cheese, 1/2 of leftover filling, and 3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar. Mix until smooth. Keep frosted/filled cupcakes refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 4

Prizes provided by:
LOLLIPOP WORKSHOP
COOKIE SUNSHINE
A pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES
Also, IronCupcake:Earth is excited to welcome back CAKESPY, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice!
As an added bonus for November only we have a delicious apron complements of SWEET CUPPIN CAKES BAKERY AND CUPCAKERY SUPPLY.
Corporate prize providers:
HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS
HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
JESSIE STEELE APRONS
CUPCAKE COURIER
TASTE OF HOME books
Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers

If you want to be a part of Iron Cupcake:Earth, visit http://ironcupcake.blogspot.com/!

IronCupcake_003: Apple & Sharp Cheddar Cupcakes

Iron Cupcake:Earth
Theme: Cheese
My entry: Apple & Sharp Cheddar Cupcake w/ Spiced SMBC
Voting begins: Sunday, October 26 at 12 noon Central @ http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com

I joined Iron Cupcake within its first month of being launched. But a new job AND a job with my family made it impossible for me to participate in the first two challenges. NOT THIS MONTH! My first IC challenge went very well. When I first found out the theme was cheese, my mind went directly to my grandma. Every time she plans on making an apple pie, there is always one ingredient that can't escape her grocery list: cheddar cheese! She won't eat a slice of apple pie without cheddar melted on top. And not just any cheddar, New York sharp cheddar! I always thought it was wierd, but over the years I discovered that my grandma isn't the only wierdo doing this. Cheddar is a common accompaniment to apple pie. Go figure! So that's where the inspiration for this cupcake came from.

The cupcake tastes great! The cake part is very moist and really spicy. Next time, I'll reduce the spices by half. Also, the apple and cheese, are indistinguishable. I recommend finely dicing the apple instead of shredding it. And I'd probably put the cheese on top before baking next time. That way it's obvious that the cheese is there. As for the frosting, you already know I love it! It's Swiss meringue buttercream, to which I added the same spices I used in the cake. The flavor is very warm and pairs perfectly with the cupcake! I finished them off with pieces of pie crust in the shape of apples (gotta love Pampered Chef's "Creative Cutters!"). Overall, I'm very proud of my first Iron Cupcake!

IngredientsWet ingredients + dry ingredients Ready for the oven... See the cheese??
Mmmm... cooling!
All dressed up in silky SMBC!
Apple & Sharp Cheddar Cupcake (pictured here w/ Babybel cheese!)

Voting will begin on Sunday, October 26 at 12 noon (Central) at NO ONE PUTS CUPCAKE IN A CORNER, http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com/, and will be open through Thursday, October 30 at 12 noon (Central).

Both recipes were created by yours truly!

Apple & Sharp Cheddar Cupcakes
Makes 12

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (reduce to 1/2 tsp)
1/4 teaspoon allspice (reduce to 1/8 tsp)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (omit)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups peeled, cored and shredded Rome apples (I'd use diced apples next time)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, spices, and sugar in a large bowl. In a large measuring cup, mix together eggs, oil, vanilla, apples and cheese (I recommend omitting the cheese from the batter and topping the cupcakes with it right before they go into the oven). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Finish cooling cupcakes on a wire rack.

Spiced Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Makes enough to generously frost 12 cupcakes

4 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, barely softened, cut into tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Put egg whites and sugar in a glass bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees).
Pour into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, 6-7 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low, add butter several tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. (If frosting appears to separate after all butter has been added, beat on high speed until it thickens, 3 to 5 minutes). Beat in spices. Color, if desired. Reduce speed to low; beat 2 minutes to eliminate air bubbles. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 5

Prizes provided by:
Etsy artist, Art On The Menu, with her awesome little cardboard cupcake
A pair of cupcake earrings from Lots of Sprinkles
As an added bonus for October only, we have a sassy and sweet tee from Bakelove Bakewear
Corporate prize providers:
HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS
HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
JESSIE STEELE APRONS
CUPCAKE COURIER
TASTE OF HOME books
Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers