01.14.2012 Magnolia's Bakery Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Magnolia's Chocolate Cupcakes:

2 cups AP flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin tins with cupcake papers, set aside
2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside. 
3. In a large bowl, on medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy (about 3 minutes). 
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated. 
6. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until incorporated with each addition, but be sure not to over beat. Scrape down sides with a rubber spatula to make sure ingredients are well blended and smooth.
7. Spoon the batter into cupcake liners, filling about 3/4 full. 
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. 
9. Let cupcakes cool in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from tins and cool completely on wire rack before icing. 

Vanilla Buttercream:

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

6 - 8 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Place butter in a large mixing bowl. 
2. Add 4 cups of the sugar, the milk, and the vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. 
3. Gradually add remaining sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. 
4. The icing should be thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need all of the sugar. The remainder of the sugar is based on your personal preference!

By the time I actually ate a cupcake, after all of my picture taking, they were incredible. The perfect balance of chocolate made this recipe just right for me. Chocolate was clearly there without being overwhelmingly rich. However, the vanilla buttercream was my favorite part. It wasn't too sweet and I piled it so high on these cupcakes. If you haven't already, try this recipe. I've made a few from my Magnolia's Bakery cookbook so far and have loved everyone! This is my favorite in particular :)

01.06.2012 Apple Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

I've been having a mega apple crave lately. Not sure what the deal is, but I can't help but want to try almost every recipe I see with apples. Maybe I miss fall...Either way, this is a recipe that has been taunting me for quite some time now. I've been a little obsessed with my Sono Bakery cookbook and can't seem to find a recipe I haven't loved yet, so I had no problem committing to a new apple recipe to try. I hope you enjoy :)

Apple Spice Cake
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp coarse salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/3 cups light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temp
2 cups grated peeled and cored apples (red, I used fuji)
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup toasted walnuts (optional, I opted to not use them in the cake and to decorate with at the end)


Brown Sugar Buttercream (I was very unhappy with this recipe initially and made some dramatic changes to get it right for me)
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/8 tsp coarse salt
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 TB unsalted butter, firm but not chilled, cut into cubes
3/4 tsp vanilla

My additions consisted of a whole lotta powdered sugar and about 2 tsp maple syrup.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare an 8-inch square cake pan
2. To make the cake: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, eggs, grated apples, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until the flour has been absorbed. Fold in the walnuts, if using.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 45-55 minutes. The recipe said 50 to 55, but mine was done at 45 minutes.
5. To make the buttercream: Bring about 1 inch of water to a simmer in the bottom of a double boiler ( I opted out on the double boiler thing and decided holding my pan an inch or two over the heat works just as well...) Combine the egg whites, brown sugar, and salt in the top of the double boiler. Whisk over the simmering water until the whites are warm to the touch and the sugar dissolves, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a standing mixer with whisk attachment, and beat until the meringue is glossy and stiff peaks form. With the machine running, gradually beat in the butter. By the time the butter is added, the mixture will break; keep beating - it will become smooth again. Continue to beat and add vanilla.
6. If you are like me and completely unhappy with the ridiculously buttery flavor and slimy consistency of the frosting, try adding powdered sugar. Add as much as you need to your liking. I wasn't measuring, but it must have taken me at least a cup to reach that creamy texture I'm used to. I also decided a hint of maple syrup was in order, but that was just my preference.

I'm not sure if it's my preference for apples or why I am even comparing this carrot cake, but I would eat this over the best slice of carrot cake any day. I highly recommend adding that hint of pure maple syrup. It makes all the difference and going with the cake perfectly.