Lemon Cupcakes for Spring!
3/26/16
Hi Everyone! The other day I was wandering Target, when I came across these adorable star sprinkles in the dollar bin, and since then I had been searching for the perfect recipe to use them. Today's post (just in time for Easter and spring) is for these delicious lemon cupcakes! Lemon is such a fresh and spring like ingredient, I knew it was perfect for this recipe. The perfect balance of tart and sweet, these cupcakes are bound to be the stars in your Easter show ;)
What You Will Need for the Cakes:
Ingredients (Yields about 18 cupcakes):
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp lemon zest
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
2. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside
3. In a mixer, whip together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Then, with a reduced speed, add in the eggs one at a time.
4. Add in the vanilla, milk and 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice (or as much as you'd like). Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients
5. Mix in the lemon zest carefully
6. Divide into greased cupcake liners and bake for 16-18 minutes
7. To add extra flavor, brush on the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice to the tops of the baked cakes, and let cool
Getting a little egg-cited
This batter did not raise very much in the oven, so if you prefer larger cupcakes you might want to fill the liners up more.
What You Will Need for the Icing:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter (softened)
4 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
3 1/2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
lemon juice to taste
(Yes, this is all butter mmmmm)
Directions:
1. Using an electric mixer, whip together the butter for several minutes until very fluffy and white
2. Add in sugar carefully, heavy cream and vanilla extract
3. Continue mixing until well incorporated and add in lemon juice for added flavor
You can use any technique you like to frost the cupcakes, but I chose to put the icing in an icing bag, cut a large tip and create a spiral. Also, how cute are these copper tins?!
Now for the moment we've all been waiting for...the SPRINKLES! Since these were the inspiration for the whole event I had to include these, but if sprinkles aren't your style, you can leave them with just icing or add a lemon peel accent.
Vividly Yours,
Taylor x
similar sprinkles: here
Quick and Easy Cinnamon Rolls for Christmas Morning!
12/23/15
Mmmm... There's nothing better than a sweet treat for post-present opening. But who wants to spend hours in the kitchen? And with traditional cinnamon rolls, the dough can take hours to make. These rolls taste like heaven and take just about half an hour!
Hungry for More???
What You Will Need:
For the Rolls:
- 1 package of dinner roll dough (I used Pillsbury Grands dough)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
-2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
-2 tablespoons of melted butter
By using the pre-prepared dough, you cut back on prep time tremendously, so you can spend more time with your family, and not with your kitchen. Make sure to join all of the individual dough pieces that come in the tube together, so you have a ball like this before rolling out.
Directions:
1. Roll out the dough to form a thin to medium thickness sheet. I recommend spreading a small amount of flour on the surface to prevent sticking.
2. Mix together the sugars, spices, salt, and maple syrup in a bowl.
3. Using a pastry brush, or a spoon, spread the melted butter onto the dough in an even layer.
4. Liberally apply the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the dough.
5. Starting from one edge, begin to roll the dough until you have a burrito looking shape.
6. Use a knife to slice the roll into smaller pieces and place in a greased pan.
7. Bake the rolls at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes.
To make the slicing easier, use a larger, sharper knife which you could also coat in flour.
Frosting Time!!
What You Will Need:
For the Frosting:
- 2.5 ounces cream cheese, softened
-7 tablespoons butter, softened
-2 tablespoons milk
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 teaspoon maple syrup
-pinch of salt
-1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
Directions:
1. Whip together the softened cream cheese and butter until fluffy
2. Add in the milk,vanilla, and maple syrup mixture
3. Lastly, slowly mix in the confectioners sugar and salt until smooth, and frosting like!
Also, my lovely friend Justine came over and filmed this baking process which she will be uploading as a vlog style video to her YouTube channel, Justine Charlotte, as well as some other fun videos we did. So go check her out!!
Love Actually on in the background. Gotta love it!!!
THE SMELL OF THESE IS IMPECCABLE.
Before frosting, I brushed on the remaining melted butter I had to the tops of the rolls.
Go to town. Frost them how ever you want, trust me they'll be beautiful no matter what! They're best enjoyed warm, right out of the oven. But actually, how hungry does this picture make you??
Sheer Happiness.
Vividly Yours,
Taylor
Justine's Channel: here
Burgers, Burgers, Burgers
11/11/15
I am obsessed with burgers! When in New York this past weekend, my family and I decided to give BareBurger a try. Located all over New York, with a few locations in other states, it is clearly a local favorite.
BareBurger is all-natural and organic with a wide and creative menu. I ordered the Standard Burger which came with beef, colby cheese, dill pickles, their special sauce on a brioche bun. (It also came with stout onions, but I substituted those for green leaf). Want something more interesting? Their menu had tons of unique options including elk and wild boar burgers.
We also ordered their Sweet Fries for the table which were AMAZING. So crunchy on the outside and soft in. They came with their special sauce and a buttermilk ranch dipping sauce. To drink I had their house-made cola. To be honest at first I was skeptical, but I was very pleasantly surprised as it turned out delicious.
Lucky for me BareBurger is coming to Washington DC soon!
Until we meet again BareBurger,
Vividly Yours,
Taylor
Double Dark Chocolate Cupcakes!
10/31/15
Happy Halloween! I love Halloween for all the fun costumes, movies, and especially the treats! These cupcakes were super fun to make and would look great on a table for a party or for a cozy night in. While the decorations are optional, I think they added a festive touch. I hope these chocolate cupcakes sweeten your Halloween! And of course given the option between trick or treat, I hope you always pick treat ;)
What You Will Need:
For the cakes:
(Yield: 18 cupcakes)
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup oil ( I actually forgot this bit, but I would recommend it)
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated
3. Add in the wet ingredients. You should have a thin batter
4. Pour or scoop the mixture into the tins with cupcake liners. I like to fill them up about halfway
5. Bake for about 20 minutes. (This will depend on your oven)
6. Allow them to cool before decorating!
Look how spooky they look in the spider web liners! Also they come out of the oven looking almost black, which is perfect for halloween.
On to the Buttercream!
For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup of butter, softened
- 2 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Mix all the ingredients until fluffy! (How simple is that?)
You got to give it a taste. Let me tell you, shortly after this picture I ate about 6 spoonfuls, SO GOOD!
Now onto the fun part, decorating! I used a packaged kit that came with cupcake liners, the cool spider web liners and the festive toothpicks. You can find kits like this almost anywhere, but I picked mine up from Home Goods. I also added fall colored sprinkles, from Home Goods too. These added touches make the cupcakes super fun for the this time of year, but you can use the recipe anytime!
Happy Halloween!
Vividly Yours,
Taylor
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