Iron Cupcake December Challenge: Chocolate

Introducing my Iron Cupcake Challenger: White Chocolate Peppermint Christmas Cupcake

Oh chocolate..one of my many love affairs. In my opinion, the lovely chocolate flavor can be combined with just about anything and taste fantastic. The goal for this month's entry was to give a nice holiday vibe. Moist chocolate cake, white chocolate frosting, sprinkles of crushed peppermint candy, and topped with a candy cane. Can you say Merry Christmas? Get high off of this cake as you enjoy the holiday season fireside with your cup of hot cocoa.

PLEASE VOTE NOW!

For voting and more details please refer to:

mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com/
www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382
ironcupcake.blogspot.com/ I

CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE: For MINI'S 12 Minutes @ 350 Degrees, Makes Approximately 48 MINI Cupcakes.

CAKE:
1 Egg
1 Cup Sugar
3/8 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Cup Mayonnaise

1 1/2 Cups Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder

1 Cup Water

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/2 Tablespoon Vinegar

Mix wet ingredients well (at least 2-3 minutes). Mix/Sift dry ingredients and slowly add them to wet mixture, alternately with the 1 cup of water. Mix baking soda and vinegar together in separate bowl and pour into mixture after reaction seizes. Mix until just combined. Fill cupcake liners as full as you can without dripping over. This will make for a large luscious cupcake.


WHITE CHOCOLATE FROSTING RECIPE:

12 oz. melted white chocolate
1/2 Cup Butter
4-5 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 Cup Milk

Mix white chocolate, butter, and vanilla until well combined. Slowly add powdered sugar until combined. Add milk at the end to help smooth out the texture. Frost each cupcake and immediately sprinkle crushed peppermint and top with candy cane. Enjoy!

The Iron Cupcake winner is winning all sorts of amazing prizes! Thank you fellow Iron Cupcake supporters!
Our December ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:

BETTY TURBO - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5002976
as well as a pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6057281.
PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!
As an added bonus for December we have adorable cupcake pincushions complements of SWEET CUPPIN CAKES BAKERY AND CUPCAKERY SUPPLY, http://www.acupcakery.com/index.html.

Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; the CUPCAKE COURIER http://www.cupcakecourier.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com .

To join Iron cupcake, please go to http://ironcupcake.blogspot.com

Peace, Love, CHOCOLATECAKE,
Chelsea

Iron Cupcake: Earth CRANBERRY

Hello friends...
Truth be told I have had a jam-packed week this week getting ready for the Iron Cupcake San Francisco challenge...I didnt put the time and love into this month's Cranberry Challenge like normal.

I am giving the simple version of the recipe here since I want to get some rest for a busy day ahead of me tomorrow.

Crust Layer:
Caramel and pecans

First Layer:
Favorite White Cake recipe

Second Layer:
Favorite pumpkin Pie Filling recipe

Frosting:
Whip cream

Topping:
Sprinkles of nutmeg
Cranberry Sauce

Our November ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:

LOLLIPOP WORKSHOP - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5174676
COOKIE SUNSHINE - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5474239;
as well as a pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6057281.
PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth is excited to welcome back CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!

Iron Cupcake: Earth Challenge CHEESE (round 4)

Introducing: Blackberry Pistachio Mascarpone Cupcake

Chocolate cake infused with Blakberry Creme' Fraiche, covered in Mascarpone frosting, topped with Fresh blackberries and pistachio nuts. I was baking so many new flavors for one night, I neglected to spend some quality time making this cupcake "look" more beautiful, but I assure you this flavor combo WORKS! Very RICH and heavy.

CAKE RECIPE:
2 EGGS
2 CUPS SUGAR
2 TEASPOONS VANILLA EXTRACT
¾ CUP VEGETABLE OIL
2 CUPS MAYONAISE

MIX ABOVE INGREDIENTS UNTIL COMBINED (LESS THAN 1 MINUTE).

3 CUPS FLOUR
6 TABLESPOONS COCOA POWDER
½ TEASPOON SALT

2 CUPS COLD WATER

MIX/SIFT ABOVE DRY INGREDIENTS. ALTERNATELY MIX 1/3 OF THE WATER AND 1/3 OF THE FLOUR INTO THE CAKE BATTER.

2 TEASPOONS BAKING SODA
3 TABLESPOONS WHITE VINEGAR

COMBINE ABOVE INGREDIENTS. AFTER REACTION SEIZES MIX INTO BATTER JUST UNTIL COMBINED.

REGULAR SIZE CUPCAKES BAKE AT 350 FOR 15-18 MINUTES. MINI SIZE CUPCAKES BAKE AT 350FOR 12 MINUTES.

FILLING:
8 oz. Creme Fraiche
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 Cup Blackberries

Puree ingredients until completely smooth. Pipe Filling into center of each baked cupcake. This will soak into the cake and create a chocolate blackberry explosion flavor.

FROSTING:
8 oz. Mascarpone Cheese
4-5 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

TOPPERS:
Fresh Blackberries
Chopped Pistachios

Again, I wish I spent more time making the presentation better of this cake. Overall the flavor turned out well and nobody complained.

Ah...the love of cheese....

Iron Cupcake: Earth Challenge CHEESE (round 3)

Introducing: Blueberry Apricot Cornbread BRIE Cupcakes

I dont know about ya'll but BRIE is one of my favorite cheeses. I think it is so under-rated. Most folks only ever get to experience it in an appetizer of some sort, but it is so delightful on sandwhiches, mac n' cheese, anything! Today we shall enjoy it in cupcake fashion. mmmmmmmm.

CAKE RECIPE:
2 Boxes of JIFFY Cornbread Mix
1 1/2 Cups of Milk
2 Eggs
1 Cup of fresh Blueberries

Mix all ingredients MINUS the blueberries until combined. Let sit for 30 minutes and mix again before mixing in blueberries and filling cup liners.

FILLING:
1 inch cubed chunks of BRIE cheese

Place brie cube directly in the center of each cupcake batter. For Mini Cupcakes: Bake at 350 for 9 minutes. Remove from oven and add toppings to each cupcake:

TOPPINGS:
1 teaspoon of Apricot Jelly / Cupcake
5 Fresh Blueberries / Cupcake

Toss back in the oven for 3 more minutes.

Eat, Smile, Enjoy.

Iron Cupcake: Earth Challenge: CHEESE (round 2)

Introducing: Fig, Honey, and GOAT CHEESE Cupcakes

I got so excited with CHEESE, I had so many different options I wanted to try out. Flavor 2 is a chocolate cake, goat cheese frosting, topped with fresh fig and drizzled with honey. Match made in heaven if you ask me.

CAKE RECIPE:
2 EGGS
2 CUPS SUGAR
2 TEASPOONS VANILLA EXTRACT
¾ CUP VEGETABLE OIL
2 CUPS MAYONAISE

MIX ABOVE INGREDIENTS UNTIL COMBINED (LESS THAN 1 MINUTE).

3 CUPS FLOUR
6 TABLESPOONS COCOA POWDER
½ TEASPOON SALT

2 CUPS COLD WATER

MIX/SIFT ABOVE DRY INGREDIENTS. ALTERNATELY MIX 1/3 OF THE WATER AND 1/3 OF THE FLOUR INTO THE CAKE BATTER.

2 TEASPOONS BAKING SODA
3 TABLESPOONS WHITE VINEGAR

COMBINE ABOVE INGREDIENTS. AFTER REACTION SEIZES MIX INTO BATTER JUST UNTIL COMBINED.

FROSTING:
8 oz. Goat Cheese
4-5 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
Dash of Salt

TOPPERS:
Sliced Fresh Fig
Honey of Choice

ASSEMBLY:
For regular cupcakes bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes. For mini mupcakes bake at 350 for 12 minutes. I think the rest is self explanatory. Please enjoy.

Iron Cupcake: Earth Challenge: CHEESE! (round 1)

Introducing: Crab Macaroni n' Cheese Cupcakes!







Well hello again folks. This is the 3rd challenge for Iron Cupcake: Earth. This month with an ingredient like cheese, I got a little carried away. You can do so much with cheese as it compliments almost any flavor. After all, who doesn't LOVE cheese?

I decided to try out several different cheese flavors and concepts. Ultimately I think my savory choice will get the most attention. Below you can see my other cheese runner ups: Blackberry Pistachio MASCARPONE, Fig Honey GOAT CHEESE, and Blueberry Apricot BRIE. For now, lets talk about Mac n' Cheese.

The concept behind this cupcake was to make my favorite home made mac n' cheese dish, and include crab for that extra deliciousness and savory flavor, and translate it into a glorious savory cupcake, perfect for appetizers or breakfast if you are my friend Kevin. Lobster would have worked, but c'mon I'm on a budget here. Now for the recipe, we will take the sweetness of the cake down a notch to match our savory mac n' cheese.

Please check out the cool prizes the challenge winner will receive here:
ETSY artist ART ON THE MENU with her awesome little cardboard cupcake, her link is: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5738002 and a pair of cupcake earrings from Lots of Sprinkles at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6057281. As an added bonus for October only we have a sassy and sweet T from Bakelove Bakewear, http://www.bakelove.com/cupcake_t-shirt.html. Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; the CUPCAKE COURIER http://www.cupcakecourier.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com .

Voting will begin on Sunday, October 26 at 12 noon at NO ONE PUTS CUPCAKE IN A CORNER, http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com and will be open through Thursday, October 30 at 12 noon.


CAKE RECIPE:
4 EGGS
1/2 CUP SUGAR
¾ CUP VEGETABLE OIL
1 1/2 CUPS BUTTERMILK

MIX ABOVE INGREDIENTS UNTIL COMBINED (LESS THAN 1 MINUTE).

2 CUPS FLOUR
1 CUP CORN MEAL
1/2 CUP BREAD CRUMBS
1 TEASPOON SALT
1 TEASPOON PEPPER

2 CUPS COLD WATER

MIX/SIFT ABOVE DRY INGREDIENTS. ALTERNATELY MIX 1/3 OF THE WATER AND 1/3 OF THE FLOUR INTO THE CAKE BATTER.

2 TEASPOONS BAKING SODA
3 TABLESPOONS WHITE VINEGAR

COMBINE ABOVE INGREDIENTS. AFTER REACTION SEIZES MIX INTO BATTER JUST UNTIL COMBINED.

CRAB MAC N' CHEESE:
Bake your favorite homemade mac n' cheese dish and add shredded Dungeness Crab. SHARP cheddar should be your main cheese used.

TOPPERS:
Italian bread crumbs
More Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Shaved Parmesan
Salt
Pepper

FILLING:
1 Large Cheddar Cube per cupcake
1 Large Chunk of Crabmeat per cupcake

ASSEMBLY/INSTRUCTIONS:
Fill the cupcake liners almost to the top. place cheddar cube and chunk of crabmeat in the very center of the cupcake. FOR MINI SIZE: Bake at 350 degress for about 9 Minutes. FOR REGULAR SIZE: Bake at 350 degrees for about 14 minutes. Pull out of the oven and immediately top with a large spoonful of crab mac n' cheese. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Add spoonful of shredded cheddar. Sprinkle breadcrumbs. Sprinkle parmesan. FOR MINI SIZE: Place back in the oven for another 2 minutes. Then BROIL for desired crispyness (1-2 minutes). FOR REGULAR SIZE: Place back in the oven for another 4 minutes. Then BROIL for desired crispyness (1-2 minutes).











Remove from oven. Eat. Smile. Be happy.

Iron Cupcake Earth Challenge: BASIL

Introducing my Iron Cupcake Challenger: Lemon Blueberry Basil Cupcake

For the love of basil! As you dive in, you notice the cake is lemon flavored with the right amount of zest. I added blueberries to the cake, as it makes me happy to bite into blueberries while eating cupcakes. I prepared fresh basil juice to create a sweet basil aroma and flavor to add to the frosting. Topped with fresh blueberries and a small sprig of basil. The blueberries pop in your mouth as you take a bite, the lemon flavor has a small tang, and the basil is very smooth, sweet, and refreshing. Get high off of this cake as you enjoy with your lemonade on a hot summer day.

PLEASE VOTE NOW! VOTING EXPIRES OCTOBER 2, 2008 @ Noon I believe.

For voting and more details please refer to:

mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com/
www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382
ironcupcake.blogspot.com/ I

The Iron Cupcake winner is winning all sorts of amazing prizes! Thank you fellow Iron Cupcake supporters! Lots of Sprinkles is creating Cupcake Earrings, ETSY artist METAL SUGAR, her link is: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14597777as well as to our corporate sponsors HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS http://www.fiestaproducts.com , HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com , JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com ; CUPCAKE COURIER http://www.cupcakecourier.com and TASTE OF HOME http://www.tasteofhome.com.

To join Iron cupcake, please go to http://ironcupcake.blogspot.com

Peace, Love, BASILCAKE,
Chelsea

Iron Cupcake: Earth CHILI PEPPER

Introducing my Iron Cupcake Challenger: Chocolate Chili Pepper Cupcake

Let this cupcake with a kick enlighten your senses. Mild enough for any taste bud, spicy enough for the pepper lover to desire. Begin with the dark chocolate topping. Taste the rich dark chocolate as it melts in your mouth. First comes dark bittersweet chocolate, second comes chili, just enough to get excitement going. But wait...we haven't gotten to the cake yet. On the first bite, notice the chili powder sprinkled on top of the fudge frosting, very sweet, very chocolate, very spicy. Now onto the filling...what a surprise: chili pepper jelly sweet and luscious, followed by sweetened cream cheese to help even out all the bursts of flavor. At this point a cake high has been achieved. Does it have the invigorating kick you crave? Is it sweet? Is it moist? Is it mouth-watering? Yes...all of the above. Now the only question is: Can you handle the heat?

The Iron Cupcake winner is winning all sorts of amazing prizes! Thank you fellow Iron Cupcake supporters! Cakespy, Jessie Steele Aprons, The Cupcake Courier, Taste of Home, Fiesta Products and Hello, Cupcake to name a few!


Iron Cupcake: Earth VOTING:


RECIPE: 20-21 Minutes @ 350 Degrees, Makes Approximately 15 Cupcakes.

CAKE:
1 Egg
1 Cup Sugar
3/8 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Cup Water

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/2 Tablespoon Vinegar
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder

Mix wet ingredients well (at least 2-3 minutes). Mix baking soda and vinegar together in separate bowl and pour into wet mixture after reaction seizes. Mix until just combined. Mix/Sift dry ingredients and slowly add them to wet mixture. Once all ingredients combine, mix thoroughly for another 1-2 minutes. Fill cupcake liners as full as you can without dripping over. This will make for a large luscious cupcake.

FILLING 1 (CREAM CHEESE):
1 8 oz. package of Cream Cheese
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar

Mix well. Place into piping bag to prepare to fill cupcake.

FILLING 2 (PEPPER JELLY):

5 Finely Chopped Chili Peppers (include seeds to personal spice intensity desired)
10 Finely Chopped Jalapeno Peppers (include seeds to personal spice intensity desired)
1-2 Finely chopped Red Bell Peppers (remove all seeds)
1/2 Cup Light Corn Syrup
3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 Cup White Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

If you want this jelly to be sweet, you can get away with an entire chili pepper's worth of seeds, the sugar will overpower the spice. If you want to taste the spice, you need to add at least 2 chili pepper's worth of seeds. I used 1 chili pepper's worth of seeds and I could not taste the kick in the jelly. Boil all ingredients above for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionaly. Let cool at room temperature. Drain any excess liquid. Jelly should be sticky and gooey. Do a taste test for spice. Too hot? Add some sugar or corn syrup. Place into piping bag to prepare to fill cupcake.

FROSTING and CHOCOLATE TOPPING:
8 oz. Bakers Unsweetened Chocolate Squares/Bars
12 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 Tablespoon Butter or Vegetable Oil
4 Tablespoons Chili Powder

Place ingredients on double boiler on low heat. Let melt for about 10 minutes before mixing/stirring with rubber spatula. Mix until smooth. Place half of the chocolate on a sheet of wax paper. Smooth out into large piece of chocolate using rubber spatula, thin enough to break apart easily later after cooled. Place in refridgerator to speed up hardening.

Use the remaining half of the chocolate mixture for the frosting:

Remaining melted chocolate mixture
1/2 Cup Butter
4-5 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

Mix ingredients until smooth. Place into piping bag to frosting cupcake.

ASSEMBLY: After the cupcakes have cooled enough to handle, use a small knife to cut small slits into cupcake to help pipe the filling (cut 2 slits in each cupcake...like an X shape about 1.5 inches deep). Place the cream cheese piping bag directly into the cupcake about 1 inch deep, squeeze enough to fill the cupcake about 1-2 teaspoons. Use the same process to fill in the pepper jelly on top of the cream cheese filling. If you jelly is coming out the top, that's ok!

Now frost your cupcake in your favorite frosting fashion (we all have our own way). Sprinkle the frosting immediately with Chili Powder.

Once your remaining refridgerated chocolate on wax paper for the topping is cold enough to handle, break small pieces off and stab right into the top of the cupcake. I recommend 2-3 pieces of chocolate per cupcake.

EAT, SMILE, BE HAPPY.