2010 September » Jenna Queen of Awesome

Vanilla-Nutella Swirl Cupcakes

Baking No Responses »

Sep 242010

Pictures

the Ingredients

Creaming the Butter and Sugar

Adding the Eggs

Now the Vanilla

Adding Flour Mixture

Plain Vanilla Cupcake Batter

In Cupcake Tins

Nutella Plopped on Top

SWIRL!!!

All Cooked Up

Frosting Ingredients

Creaming Butter

Adding Powdered Sugar

Adding Cream

Adding Vanilla

Nutella

Softened Nutella!

Plain Buttercream

Add Nutella

Magic Nutella Buttercream

Super Frosted

I Love Frosting

Vanilla-Nutella Swirl Cupcakes

Cupcake
10 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 whole eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
12 teaspoons nutella
Nutella Buttercream
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup nutella, to taste, softened

Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare cupcake pan with liners.

To make cupcake: Cream together butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Add in eggs on at a time, until fully incorporated. The batter may not look smooth, this is fine. Add vanilla.

Stir in flour, salt, and baking powder until batter is smooth and all flour is blended. Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin liner with batter. Cups should be 3/4 full if you’re not using a scoop.

Top each cake with about 1 tsp Nutella. Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, folding a little batter up and over the Nutella as well.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove to wire rack and allow to cool before frosting.

To make buttercream: In your stand mixer with flat beater, cream butter. Add 3 cups of the confectioners sugar, then half and half and vanilla and beat until the mixture is smooth, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the remaining confectioners sugar, beating about 1-2 minutes. (You can add more sugar to get a thicker consistency if you want.)

In a microwave safe bowl, soften the Nutella until it has a spreadable consistency, about 15-20 secs.

Add the softened Nutella to your buttercream and fold into the frosting until well blended.

Makes 12. Recipe found somewhere on the interwebz…

Apple Muffins

Baking 1 Response »

Sep 242010

It’s been a while blog. I’ve missed you!

Pictures

the Ingredients

Can you say butter?!?!?!?

Cooking the apples

Boiling

Adding the Flour

More Flour

All Mixed Up

Ready for the Oven

Fresh out of the Oven

Ready for my Tummy!!

Apple Muffins

2 cups apples, grated skins on
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 cup butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin tin with cupcake papers.

Put the first seven ingredients into a large saucepan and bring to a boil.

Cool, add flour and soda.

Fill paper lined cupcake tins 2/3 full and bake until cupcakes spring back when touched in the center.

They didn’t rise much but still tasted so good!!! Made 32 muffins. Would be good with a cream cheese frosting and then you have a cupcake!!!!

Recipe found here.

Apple Spice Cupcakes with Caramel Icing

Baking 1 Response »

Sep 092010

Pictures

the Ingredients

Creaming Butter and Sugar

Adding Eggs

Adding Vanilla

Adding Flour Mixture

Adding Applesauce

Batter

About to go in the Oven

Fresh out of the Oven

Icing Ingredients

Cooking the Cream, Brown Sugar and Salt

Boiling

Adding the Butter

Adding the Vanilla

Adding the Powdered Sugar

Stirring it Up

All Done

Completion!!

Apple Spice Cupcakes with Caramel Icing

Apple Spice Cupcakes
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup applesauce
Caramel Icing
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup half and half
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.

Combine dry ingredients into the mixture, be sure to mix alternately with the applesauce.

Fill liners 2/3 full, bake for 20-25 minutes.

Caramel Icing: In a large saucepan, combine brown sugar, cream, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat; cook and stir until smooth. Stir in butter and vanilla.

Remove pan from the heat and let cool slightly (personally I’d transfer it to another bowl).

Stir in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth and/or until you reach desired consistency or sweetness.

This made a lot of icing. Not that I’m complain, I just ate a lot of icing! These where yummy and warm and reminded me of autumn.

Recipe found here.

Orange Snowdrops

Baking No Responses »

Sep 052010

Pictures

the Ingredeints

Creaming Shortening and Butter

Adding Powdered Sugar

Adding Eggs

Adding Orange Juice Concentrate

Adding Vanilla

Adding Flour

Cookie Dough

Almost in the Oven

Out of the Oven

Icing Ingredients

Mixing Powdered Sugar and Orange Juice Concentrate

Icing!

Iced Cookies

Many Iced Cookies!

Orange Snowdrops

1/2 cup Shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
1 whole Egg
1/2 6 ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 cup flour
Orange Frosting
1/2 6 ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

In a large mixing bowl beat shortening and butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed about 30 seconds or until softened. Add the powdered sugar and baking soda. Beat until combined. Beat in the egg, orange juice concentrate, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.

Drop dough from a rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 oven about 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Remove cookies from cookie sheet and cool on a wire rack.

Frost cookies with Orange Frosting. Store in a single layer in an airtight container up to 1 day..

Orange Frosting: In a small mixing bowl stir together frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed, and 3 cups sifted powdered sugar until smooth.

Makes about 5 dozen soft delicious cookies. I think you can tell how I feel about these cookies!

Easy Mandarin Orange Cheesecake

Baking No Responses »

Sep 052010

Pictures

Easy Ingredeints

Whipped Cream

Beating Cream Cheese and Sugar

Add Orange Juice Concentrate

Adding Orange Extract

Almost Done

Adding Whipped Cream and Orange Zest

Filling!

In the Pie Shell

Added the Mandarin Orange Slices and Done!!

Easy Mandarin Orange Cheesecake
Adapted from this recipe.

Crust:

1 6 ounce graham cracker pie crust

Filling:

2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup orange juice, frozen concentrate, thawed

2 teaspoons orange extract

1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

2 teaspoons grated orange peel, optional

1 11 ounce can mandarin oranges, drained and patted dry

Combine crust ingredients and press into the bottom of a 9-in. pie plate. Bake at 350° for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.

Meanwhile, for filling, beat cream cheese and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add concentrate and extract; beat well. Fold in whipped cream and orange peel if desired. Spread evenly into crust. Arrange oranges in decorative design on top of filling. Chill at least 3 hours. Yield: 8 servings.

This is super easy to make. I love a no-bake cheesecake!!!

Ginger Apple Cupcakes with Cinnamon Ginger Buttercream

Baking No Responses »

Sep 032010

Pictures

the Ingredients

Beating Eggs and Sugar

Adding Vegetable Oil

Adding Applesauce

Adding Orange Juice

Adding Vanilla

Adding Crystallized Ginger

Adding Flour Mixture

Mixing

All Mixed

In the Oven

Out of the Oven

Frosting Ingredients

Beating the Butter

Adding the Powdered Sugar Mixture

Mixing

Adding the Milk

Frosting!!!

Frosted Cupcakes

Racks of Cupcakes

Ginger Apple Cupcakes
Recipe Adapted from Family Circle Christmas
Makes 26 Cupcakes

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 whole eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup applesauce, smooth
1/2 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 tablespoons crystallized ginger

Heat oven to 350°. Line muffin tins with paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and salt in bowl.

Beat together eggs and sugar in large bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add oil in steady stream, beating on medium speed. Add applesauce, orange juice, vanilla and crystallized ginger and beat until well blended.

On low speed, beat in flour mixture just until blended.

Divide batter between prepared tins.

Bake at 350° for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans on rack for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely.

Cinnamon Ginger Buttercream

1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 16 ounce box powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons milk

Beat butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla; mix until blended.

Stir cinnamon and ginger into powdered sugar. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended after each addition, frequently scraping sides and bottom of bowl.

Beat in milk until light and fluffy. If frosting is to thick to spread, gradually beat in additional milk. Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

Okay super yummy!!! I got a frosting tummyache from eating left over frosting and the cupcakes were delicious!

Lemon Pudding Fruit Salad

Sides No Responses »

Sep 012010

Pictures

the Ingredients

the Fruit

All Mixed Up

Adding the Pudding Powder

Before the Mix

All Mixed and Ready to Go!

Lemon Pudding Fruit Salad

2 20 ounce cans pineapple chunks in juice, drained
2 11 ounce cans mandarin orange, drained
3 14.5 ounce cans fruit cocktail, do not drain
4 whole banana, sliced
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 3.4 ounce boxes lemon pudding mix
coconut flakes, optional (I did not choose this option)

Mix fruit lightly in a bowl. Add lemon juice. Add pudding right from the package. Chill 1 hour before serving.

Recipe was found here.

So creamy and good! Even the picky kids liked it!

Basic White Cupcakes with Billy’s Vanilla Buttercream

Baking No Responses »

Sep 012010

Pictures

Simple Ingredients

Mixing

All Mixed

Ready for the Oven

After the Oven

Frosting Ingredients

Creaming Butter and Powdered Sugar

More Creaming

Adding Milk

All Done

Frosted and Sprinkled!

Basic White Cupcakes

1 18.25 ounce box white cake mix
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 whole eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Beat first 6 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer just until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium, and beat 2 minutes or until batter is smooth, stopping to scrape bowl as needed.

Place paper baking cups in muffin pans, and coat with cooking spray; spoon batter evenly into baking cups, filling each two-thirds full.

Bake at 350° for 19 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove cupcakes from pans to wire racks, and cool 1 hour or until completely cool.

Recipe was found here.

Billy’s Vanilla Buttercream

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) room temperature

6 cups powdered sugar (6 to 8)

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.

Recipe was found here.

These cupcakes are super yummy and moist!