Cookies and Cream Cupcakes: Take Two

I have discovered something.
Something horrible and frightening.
I have discovered that I am under a Frosting Curse!

Last weekend I made the second batch of Cookies and Cream Cupcakes according to the plan I laid out in my last post. The cakes were chocolate and this time I dropped half an Oreo in the bottom of the liner. The problem there was just that the chocolate cake batter I used is a very light batter and some of the cookies floated up instead of staying on the bottom. It didn't affect the taste but I was annoyed by it. Next time: a heavier batter to hold down that cookie! Although, the cakes themselves were SO moist and yummy and passed all taste tests with flying colors!

The frosting... OHHHH the frosting! What is going on here?? I made a white buttercream recipe. It tasted weird. I was mad. Then I made a tried and true recipe that has never failed me. It failed me and tasted the same kind of weird as the first batch! I did some investigating and noticed that my husband accidentally bought salted butter instead of the unsalted butter that I always use for frosting. But the frosting batches didn't exactly taste like the problem was too much salt. So, even though the butter was new and smelled completely normal, I can only assume that the butter was BAD and I will not be using it again.

I ended up having to buy another can of the dreaded "frosting in a can" and doctoring it up with real vanilla and crushed oreos. I won't lie: it was really good! But I don't have it in me to abandon these cupcakes without them having the perfect homemade buttercream.

I'll get you next time, Frosting!!

Review of the Runner Up

The runner up in my ACOT cupcake poll was the Cookies and Cream Cupcake. I made a batch of these last Friday and was less than thrilled with the results.

To start the frosting recipe I used was a total BOMB! Yuck! And because I was in a hurry I ended up settling for store bought canned frosting, which frankly is just not my style! ;-)

The cake recipe was just sort of ehhh. It was a white cake based recipe and was quite dense. I felt they could have been a little lighter and more moist but they certainly were good enough for my friends to gobble down. I don't think I will make them again, however.

My new plan is to make the cupcake more like a Oreo overall by using a *chocolate* cake recipe with Oreos in it and making a vanilla Oreo buttercream frosting to be the "cream". I am almost certain this will be WAY more delicious!

So much for my plan to branch out from chocolate cakes!!

Mocha Cupcakes with Godiva Liqueur Chocolate Frosting

A recent ACOT poll decided which cupcakes I was to make next and the winner was these Mocha Cupcakes with Godiva Liqueur Chocolate Frosting. Oh WOW, did you ladies choose well!!

The cupcakes themselves are extremely moist and pillowy. The mocha flavor was there, but less obvious when the cakes were topped with the frosting. If you enjoy just a hint of the coffee flavor keep the recipe as is. If you prefer a more powerful coffee flavor I suggest adding a teaspoon of coffee flavored extract to the hot brewed coffee to make the 1/2 cup.

The frosting is TO DIE FOR. You probably need to like the flavor of the Godiva liqueur to enjoy this frosting. The amount of liqueur sounds like a lot but once it settles in with the other flavors it results in a really wonderful Godiva liqueur taste that doesn't overwhelm the chocolate.

Overall: two thumbs up from both Ryan and I!!!

Oh, and I topped them with chocolate covered espresso beans... you know... just for fun. :-)

Mocha Cupcakes
(from Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski)
makes about 16 cupcakes

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line 16 cups of a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

3. In a measuring cup, combine the milk and brewed coffee.

4. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined.

5. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk mixture in 2 additions, beating on low speed until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

6. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about ½ to ¾ full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 15-18 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.

Godiva Liqueur Chocolate Frosting
1/2 stick butter - room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 plus 1/8 cups cocoa powder
1 and 1/2 cups confectioner sugar
1/4 cup Godiva Liqueur

1. Sift together the sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl

2. Cream the butter and vanilla extract till fluffy

3. Aternate adding the dry mixture and the liqueur

4. If you need to make it thicker, add small amounts of additional confectioners sugar OR if you need to thin it a bit add a very small amount of milk

Scrappy News

Much has taken place since I last blogged (no surprise)! ACOT had another spectacular weekend crop the weekend of August 22nd-24th and as usual it was a total blast. I had the opportunity to teach a class on making an Exploding Box, which was truly fun! Many members have created their own versions from my instructions and they just look fantastic.

Here is my version of the Exploding Box:

And here is where you can find the tutorial on A Cherry On Top: http://www.acherryontop.com/article?a=3828

The Monday after the crop was indeed the cherry on top of my whole month. I was invited to be on the Creative Team for ACOT, which felt simultaneously like winning the lottery and getting a huge recognition of all my hard work. Either way, it felt amazing and caused me to do a little happy dance that morning!

So far I am having a great time being part of such an amazing and talented team of scrappers.... thanks ACOT!!