IronCupcake_005: Pumpkin Pecan Cupcakes... 2 Ways!

Iron Cupcake:Earth
Theme: Chocolate with a Twist
My 2nd entry: Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chip Cupcakes w/ Chocolate Glaze
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.

We had a VERY close call in the poll this week! Pumpkin Pecan Cupcakes pulled ahead of German Chocolate Cupcakes at the last minute with 2 more votes. YYAAYY!! I knew I could integrate chocolate into this somehow and use it as another Iron Cupcake entry. After those pumpkin-swirl brownies, I'm a tried and true pumpkin+chocolate fan. I made 6 of the cupcakes just the way they are in the book. Then to the rest of the batter I added some mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. I topped the regular ones with cinnamon cream cheese. On top of the chocolate chip cupcakes I used the same chocolate glaze from my first ICE_005 entry, chocolate mayonnaise cupcakes, but I added a pinch of cinnamon to it this time! To make them extra fancy I dipped some pecans in melted sugar. Then I dipped some of those in semi-sweet chocolate. These cupcakes are so so so good! The cinnamon in the chocolate glaze is such a tasty addition! And the crunchy pecans in the cupcake are a very nice texture compliment. I can't believe how easy this months IC challenge has been so far. Expect a few more entries out of me! :P

Measuring the dry ingredients Dry ingredients... meet wet ingredients!
Ready for the oven
Candied pecans... Mmmm!
Cupcakes cooling in the kitchen
On the left: Pumpkin Pecan Cupcakes w/ Cinnamon Cream Cheese

On the right: Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chip Cupcakes w/ Chocolate Glaze

Cupcake recipe adapted from Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski
Pumpkin Pecan Cupcakes
MAKES 12 CUPCAKES

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
Maple Glaze (This was nasty and I threw it away! I won't even include the recipe.)

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, and eggs. Add the flour mixture and whisk to combine completely. Stir in the chopped pecans. (I added 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to half of the batter).

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 22-24 minutes (Mine were done at 19 minutes). Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
Spoon the glaze over the cupcakes and serve. {The glazed cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days; bring to room temperature before serving.}

Chocolate Cinnamon Glaze
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon

In a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water, combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, then add vanilla and cinnamon. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Spread glaze over top of cupcakes.

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