Category Archives: frosting

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

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Where have I been? Making crumb cake, that’s where.

“But Liz,” you say, “this post isn’t a recipe for crumb cake. This is an update of your Peanut Butter Cupcakes.”

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Yeah, yeah, I know. I decided I had to take a little break after 15+ crumb cakes over the course of the last three weeks, so I switched to another recipe lest I go insane, never to blog again. The full crumb cake deets are on their way the second I figure out why it tastes great but is sinking in the center.

(Help.)

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

For now though, let’s talk about Peanut Butter Cupcakes. I posted a recipe for them in the first few months of blogging, blanketed with Oreo frosting, and I was so, so proud. I think I ate like four in a day when I finally got those right. But then I made them again a year or two ago for some dude’s birthday and they were…dry. And I can’t be going around peddling recipes for dry cupcakes. It’s bad for my brand.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Cupcakes

So, for my tenth sobriety anniversary, I went back to the drawing board with seven more years baking experience and a mission to fix these peanut butter beauties. I upped the butter, swapped buttermilk for an extra moist mix of sour cream and whole milk, adjusted the bake time, and well, the results speak for themselves. Especially with a little chocolate buttercream and a mini peanut butter cup garnish.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Cupcakes
makes about 14-16 cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2/3 cup creamy-style peanut butter*
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Buttercream & Garnish:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
6 tablespoons heavy cream
mini peanut butter cups, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 14-16 cups in muffin/cupcake pans with liners. Set aside.

Make the cupcakes. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together whole milk and sour cream.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter and peanut butter until combined and fluffy. Mix in dark brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla. Add half the dry ingredients followed by half the milk/sour cream. Add the remaining dry ingredients followed by the remaining milk/sour cream.

Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full of the batter. Gently tap pan on the counter five times to release any large air bubbles. Bake cupcakes 22-24 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a couple of cupcakes comes out clean. The tops will look crackly—this is normal.Let cupcakes cool in the pan for five minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Make the buttercream. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy (about two minutes). Beat in confectioner's sugar, followed by cocoa powder and salt, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add in vanilla and heavy cream. Beat on high for 1-2 minutes, until very fluffy.

Load into a piping bag fitted with a tip (I used a star tip here) or use an offset icing spatula to frost cupcakes. Garnish with mini peanut butter cups as desired. Serve.

Leftover cupcakes will keep covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Truth be told, people probably ask me to make Carrot Cake more than anything else. It makes sense—I make damn good Carrot Cake. It’s super moist, flavored with brown sugar and spice, and filled to the brim with carrots, raisins, and nuts. I know there are about a million ways to make a Carrot Cake, but I swear mine’s the best.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting​

That said, it’s nice to have alternatives for when I don’t feel like making a layer cake. I’ve made carrot cake blondies, vegan gluten-free carrot cake, carrot cake petit fours, and cream cheese carrot muffins that are honestly a masterpiece. I’ve been on a cupcake kick lately, so this year, I’m adding Carrot Cupcakes to my repertoire.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting​
Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting​
Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting​
Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting​

These little cakes have the perfect amount of spice, and are extra moist thanks to brown sugar, sour cream, and an abundance of shredded carrots. They bake up in twenty minutes and cool in under an hour. They’re finished with my best-ever cream cheese frosting and some sweet little piped carrots. You don’t have to put the carrots on top, but it seems kind of illegal not to, you know?!

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting​

I know Carrot Cake (er, cupcakes) is super popular for Easter, but I get requests for it all the time, so it’s a year-round thing as far as I’m concerned. Okay? Okay. Don’t let anyone tell you any differently.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting​
Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
makes 16-18 cupcakes

Cupcake Batter:
1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
~1/2 cup water, for raisins (optional)
1/3 cup raisins (optional)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup neutral-flavored oil (I use canola)
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup full-fat sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups freshly shredded carrots, not packed (about 3 medium carrots)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces full-fat brick-style cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 pound confectioner's sugar
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For Decoration:
1/4 cup Cream Cheese Frosting (see above)
orange food coloring (or red and yellow)
green food coloring


Preheat oven to 350F. Line 16-18 cups in muffin/cupcake pans with liners. Set aside.

Toast the nuts. Place chopped pecans (or walnuts) on a dry rimmed baking sheet. Place in the oven and let toast until fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Let cool completely.

Plump the raisins. Pour water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in raisins. Let sit while you prepare the cake batter.

In a small-medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil. Mix in eggs one at a time, followed by sour cream and vanilla. Add dry ingredients in two installments, whisking just until combined. Scrape down the bowl as needed.

If using raisins, drain and discard soaking water.

Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to fold carrots into cake batter. Stir in raisins or nuts, if using.

Scoop batter into prepared liners, filling them 1/2-2/3 full (about 2 generous tablespoons). Bake 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.

Let cupcakes cool in the pan for about ten minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy. Add confectioner's sugar and salt in two installments, until completely combined. Beat in vanilla. Once combined, beat on high for two additional minutes, until light and fluffy.

Frost cupcakes as desired, reserving 1/4 cup of frosting if you want to pipe carrots.

If piping carrots, divide frosting into two separate bowls, dying each with either orange or green food coloring. Put it into small piping bags, snip the tips, and create your carrots. Instructional video here.

Cupcakes will keep covered at room temperature for up to two days, or in the refrigerator for up to five.

Red Velvet Loaf Cake

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I’ve been over here making red velvet on every Oscar weekend for the past twenty years, always with the explanation that it’s “red like the red carpet.” Except I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Oscars are doing away with the red carpet this year in favor of a champagne motif.

Rest assured, I’m keeping my little tradition alive anyway, not least because I’m sober and won’t bake with champagne. I mean, who even wants champagne cake when you can have a festive bright red cake flavored with cocoa and vanilla and finished with my best-ever cream cheese frosting? Not me.

Red Velvet Loaf Cake

Red velvet and I have a long history and I’m not going to ruin a good thing when I’ve got one going. I’ve made blondies, cakes, cookies, and cakes that are cookies—I’ve done it all.

While the Oscars are straying from some tradition this year, I’m returning to form…or at least, I’m returning to cake. Specifically, red velvet cake in a loaf pan. It’s every bit and soft and delicious as its layered counterpart, but in an easy, approachable loaf.

Red Velvet Loaf Cake

The process is delightfully simple—just chuck all the ingredients in a bowl and let your mixer do the work, then bake for about an hour. Once cool, paint it with simple syrup and christen with cream cheese frosting and a few cake crumbs.

And that’s it! She’s simple, but she’s also glitz, glam, and ready for the red, er, champagne carpet. And so am I.

Red Velvet Loaf Cake
Red Velvet Loaf Cake
makes one 9x5-inch loaf

Cake:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 8 pieces
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
1 cup + 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder 
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
6 tablespoons milk (preferably whole), room temperature
2 tablespoons full-fat sour cream, not fridge cold
1/2 teaspoon red gel food coloring (1-1 1/2 teaspoons red liquid food coloring)

Simple Syrup:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 ounces (1/2 beick$ full-fat brick-style cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups confectioner's sugar
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place an oven rack in the center position. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Line with parchment, leaving overhang on the two long sides, and grease again. Set aside.

Make the cake. Combine all cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to mix on low for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes. Batter will be thick.

Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth the top with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Tap full pans on the counter five times to release any large air bubbles. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cake cool completely in the pan on a rack. Once cool, slide a thin knife around the edges of the pan, then use the parchment overhang to lift the cake onto a work surface. At this point, you may also wrap it in plastic wrap and store it for up to a day before continuing.

Use a serrated knife to trim off a sliver of the top of the cake. This will be used for garnish. Set aside.

Make the simple syrup. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Use a pastry brush to paint syrup all over the cake—it will seem like a lot, but should soak in quickly. Let sit 20 minutes while you make the frosting.

Make the cream cheese frosting. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy. Add confectioner's sugar and salt in two installments, until completely combined. Beat in vanilla. Once combined, beat on high for two additional minutes, until light and fluffy.

Load frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star tip and coupler. Pipe frosting over the top of the cake as desired. Alternatively, use an offset icing spatula to spread frosting over the top of the cake. Garnish the cake by crumbling the reserved sliver of cake over the top of frosting.

Slice and serve! Leftover cake may be kept covered at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to five.

Soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Bars

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Soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Bars​

I’ve had these Soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Bars photos in my drafts for a long time—since September—waiting for the perfect time to post them. Fall was mostly spent getting back in the swing of things after my self-imposed break, and then there were the holidays, and then the post-holiday malaise. The Super Bowl or Valentine’s Day would have been a perfect time to post these, but I *just* posted those Vanilla Sour Cream Cupcakes and…

…well, there’s just never going to be a perfect time, is there? Or maybe anytime is a perfect time? I don’t know. This is confusing.

What I do know is that these Soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Bars are spectacular. They’re a riff on my Soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookies (which are a riff on Lofthouse Cookies), but they’re bars, ya know? The cookie layer is thick and a little cakey; perfect for pairing with a thick layer of Vanilla Sour Cream Frosting! I made mine pink because pink food just tastes better, as does anything with way too many sprinkles on top.

Soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Bars​

These are a great dessert for a multitude of occasions and non-occasions alike. Might I recommend this three day weekend in the middle of February? Seems like a perfect time to me.

Soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Bars​
Soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Bars
makes 1 9x13-inch pan (24 bars)

Dough:
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 
1 cup granulated sugar, packed
1 large egg, room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream (not fridge-cold)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For Decorating:
Vanilla Sour Cream Frosting (recipe below)
sprinkles of choice

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13-inch pan (or quarter sheet pan) with butter. Line with parchment, leaving some overhang on the long sides, and butter again. Set aside

Make the dough. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, confectioner’s sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a medium-large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in sugar until creamy. Mix in egg, followed by sour cream and vanilla. Add dry ingredients in 2 installments, beating until combined. Dough will be sticky.

Drop large spoonfuls of dough into the prepared pan, make sure to use it all. Use an offset icing spatula or the back of a spoon to spread dough in an even layer to the edges of the pan. 

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake 23-25 minutes, until the edges are turning golden and the center has puffed. Let bars cool completely in the pan on a rack. Meanwhile, make the Vanilla Sour Cream Frosting (recipe below).

Once the bars are cool, run a thin flexible knife along all the edges to release them from the pan. Use the parchment overhang to transfer them to a cutting board or other surface. Drop spoonfuls of the frosting over the top of the bars. Use an offset icing spatula or the back of a spoon to spread it evenly to the edges. Finish with your sprinkles of choice.

For the cleanest slices, refrigerate the assembled bars for at least 20 minutes before slicing into 24 pieces with a large, sharp chef’s knife.

After they’ve crusted, leftovers may be layered with wax or parchment paper and kept in an airtight container. They will keep at room temperature for a couple of days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Vanilla Sour Cream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 pound (3 3/4 cups) confectioner's sugar
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons heavy cream
food coloring, if desired

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy. Add confectioner’s sugar and salt in two installments, combining completely after each addition. Beat in vanilla, sour cream & food coloring (if using) nuntil combined. 

Use buttercream to frost Soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Bars.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting (and a story about burnout)

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Hi. Is anybody still here?

I’ve been a little MIA recently, owing mostly to the burnout I’ve been rocketing toward for the last year. It happened gradually—I went down to one post a week in February, quit posting to social media in June, didn’t do anything blog-related during my vacation in August, then took three more weeks away. I tried everything in my power not to disappear completely from this place, but nearly seven years into this endeavor, I was just…tired.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting (and a story about burnout)​

Running this one-woman show isn’t easy. Between testing, photographing, writing, posting, and promoting, each post takes about twelve hours start-to-finish. I make income from this blog, but throwing all the daily tasks of running it on top of my day job, trying to have some semblance of a social life, and regularly scheduled introvert hours had me on the verge of a breakdown. So, I stepped away.

I didn’t stop baking though. In fact, I have baked more. I have baked, dare I say, *better.* With more passion, without any expectations. I made things I wanted to make, whether or not they were seasonally appropriate or trending.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Take this Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting, for instance. I wanted to make it for months, and finally did it once I took the pressure off myself. It’s old-fashioned and simple, made with my go-to chocolate cake recipe and finished with a silky, tangy chocolate frosting. It’s rich and chocolaty, unfussy and unpretentious, with a glossy finish usually reserved for the cover of Southern Living Magazine. In short, it’s everything I want in a chocolate cake. I’m just glad I finally took the time to make it. I hope you will, too.

I am a little hesitant to dive back in here, but I think I am ready to get back to blogging. I’ve missed it. Posts may be twice a week or may just be once depending on how the rest of my life is going. For now though, I am back and oh-so glad to be in this little corner of the internet.

Hello, out there.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
Chocolate Cake
makes two 9-inch round layers

Cake:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch Process)
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon espresso granules (optional, but recommended)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup neutral-flavored oil (I use canola)
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (low fat is fine)
1 cup boiling water

For assembly:
1 recipe Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting (below)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment and grease again. Set aside.

Make the cake batter. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, espresso granules (if using), baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to distribute ingredients evenly. Set aside.

In a separate medium-large mixing bowl, whisk together oil and eggs, followed by vanilla and buttermilk. Whisk half the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, just until combined. Add half the boiling water. Whisk in the remaining egg mixture followed by the remaining water. Batter will be thin.

Divide batter evenly between the pans. Tap full pans on the counter five times to release any air bubbles. Bake 25-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cakes cool in their pans for at least 30 minutes. Run a small, thin knife around the edges. Invert cakes onto cooling racks and discard parchment. Allow to cool to room temperature.

While layers are cooling, make the frosting (recipe below).

Assemble the cake. Place one layer on a cake plate. Top with about 3/4 cup frosting, then sandwich the other layer on top. Frost and decorate cake as desired.

Frosted cake will keep covered at room temperature for up to two days, and in the refrigerator for up to a week.


Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
makes enough for two 9-inch round layers

2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
6 tablespoons (heaping 1/3 cup) full-fat sour cream

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk together to distribute evenly.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in half the dry ingredients, scraping down the bowl as necessary. It may seem like too much, but it will incorporate. Mix in remaining dry ingredients. Add vanilla and sour cream, then beat on high for 2-3 minutes, until smooth and fluffy. Use to frost a 9-inch round layer cake (or whatever).