valentine's day Cupcake resolutions and peppermint chocolate frosting at Butter Lane

I stopped by Butter Lane in the East Village (Manhattan) the other night. They were out of eggnog frosting, which I would've tried out of curiosity, but I bought a chocolate peppermint frosted chocolate cupcake (I was told to try it with chocolate) for $3 and was very happy. It wasn't quite as full-on peppermint as I might have liked (the frosting equivalent of, say, Starbucks' peppermint hot chocolate, which is very pepperminty), the peppermint seemed more concentrated in the crushed candy cane at the top, but it was very good, and also rich.

I couldn't finish it - that's actually a compliment! See butterlane.com and follow them @butterlane on Twitter for the latest news and info on their cupcake classes. I did appreciate their cupcake resolution sign. Still trying to work on my 2010 cupcake recap before I get to my 2011 cupcake resolutions!

valentine's day Peppermint twist cupcake with a kiss on top and more from Grace-ful Cakes

Peppermint twist cupcake with a peppermint Hershey's Kiss on top...aw. It's by Grace-ful Cakes in Southgate, Michigan, via Flickr. You can also find them on Facebook or contact them at gigiguel at yahoo.com about orders.



And though I'm aware Christmas was last month, I'm still posting some Christmas cupcakes because they are fun and festive:



And this was their September 2010 cupcake of the month, a caramel apple spice cupcake. "Honeycrisp apple cinnamon cupcake, caramel filling, whipped cream topping, fried apple chip garnish, and caramel drizzle"



Last but not least, some festive cupcake pops:

valentine's day When a chocolate peanut butter cupcake is a thing of beauty, plus peppermint Oreo, salted caramel, pomegranate and butterflies

These cupcakes are all by blogger Amrita of The Sweet Art, via her Flickr account. Click on the photos below for blog post and recipe links! I don't think the chocolate peanut butter one is up yet though. Once again, I'm in the wonderful but frustrating position of there being way too many cupcakes I'd love to post, so do check out the rest, these are just four of my favorites.


chocolate peanut butter cupcake


peppermint Oreo cupcake


salted caramel cupcake


pomegranate cupcake (no blog post on this one)

And last but not least...butterfly cupcakes!



She used the cookbook Hello, Cupcake! and writes:

This took me quite a while but it was a fun project. My bff Cici came to spend the night and we worked on the butterflies together. I used parchment paper to draw outlines of wings that were already in the book. Using melted candy melts, you just have to go over the lines again, and fill it in with different colors. I then used a toothpick to swirl them together and sprinkled nonpareils on them.

valentine's day Cranberry vodka cake filled with Grand Marnier chiffon, topped with champagne buttercream and candied cranberries

How festive! From Sugar Mountain Bake Shoppe in Rochester, New York, via their Facebook page.

258 Alexander St.
Rochester, NY
sugarmountainbakeshoppe at gmail.com


"Poinsettia" cupcake: Cranberry vodka cake filled with Grand Marnier chiffon, topped with champagne buttercream and candied cranberries.


White chocolate cake baked with a hint of peppermint, filled with white chocolate ganache, topped with white chocolate peppermint buttercream and crushed candy canes.

I also love the names of their flavors - deadline is tonight at 9 pm to pre-order these, via their Facebook page:

Drunken Patty Cake, Cookie Dough, S'mores, Peppermint Candycane, Poinsettia, X'mas Cappuccino, Bourbon Eggnog, White Chocolate Raspberry, Nutella Mochaccino, White Russian, Red Velvet, Chocolate Merlot, Very Vanilla, Sinfully Chocolate and Chocolate Peanut Butter.

valentine's day Candy cane Pop Rocks brownie cupcakes and coconut snowball cupcakes

True confession: Just as I've never seen certain classic movies like Star Wars, I've never tried Pop Rocks. I sortof know what they are supposed to do/taste like, but I suspect they are one of those candies that you have to truly experience, not just imagine. Well, if I'd known they came in candy cane flavor, I might have tried them sooner! Find out how to make them at the blog An American Cupcake in London (via Flickr).

I made some vanilla frosting and then split it evenly between two bowls and made one half red and added some peppermint extract. I added vanilla extract to the other half.



And since New York City, where I live, is in the middle of a blizzard, posting An American Cupcake in London's snowball cupcakes (devil's food with cream cheese frosting topped with coconut and white chocolate snowflake) also seemed appropriate - click through for recipe.

valentine's day Snowmen with hats and scarves, Christmas tree, Peppermint Twist and Stuffoli cupcakes at Sweet Avenue Bake Shop

This post is sortof cheating, because these cupcakes are not all actually on sale today from Rutherford, New Jersey's Sweet Avenue Bake Shop, but if you like what you see, you should follow them on Facebook so you can find out about their daily specials. These were on sale in the month of October and if one particularly tickles your fancy, they also do custom cupcakes (and are known for both their vegan cupcake offerings and their famous Twilight cupcakes - see more about their custom printed cupcakes here). All photos via this Facebook album. Happy holidays everyone! Not that this will be my last holiday cupcake post, but just wanted to wish you all a happy holiday. Visit www.sweetavenuebakeshop.com for much more about this lovely bakery. They're open til 7 pm today and from 9-5 tomorrow, Christmas Eve, 153 Park Avenue in Rutherford. They can be reached at
info at sweetavenuebakeshop.com or 201-935-BAKE (2253).


if you can resist this cupcake cuteness...I don't know, but I hope you can't!


custom Christmas tree cupcake order for a party!


peppermint twist cupcakes


Struffoli cupcakes - if you can't read the caption, it says "Italian fried honey balls on over vanilla cakes filled and topped with creamy vanilla glaze." It's like two desserts in one!

valentine's day Red and green holiday peppermint cupcakes and UGA cupcakes

These cupcakes are by Athens, Georgia's Silver Lining Cupcake Co. via their Facebook page. These are holiday peppermint cupcakes (love the colors) and UGA (University of Georgia) red velvet cupcakes. Find out more about them on their official website.





Silver Lining Cupcake Co.
1075 Baxter St. Suite B102
Athens, GA 30606
706-583-8686
haley at silverliningcupcakeco.com
patrick at silverliningcupcakeco.com

valentine's day Stout gingerbread, chocolate peppermint, snowball and gluten-free vanilla mint cupcakes at Tee & Cakes

Look what fun they're having over at Boulder, Colorado's Tee & Cakes, baking up lots of holiday cupcakes. From their site:


Snowball (chocolate shown) — Chocolate or white cake topped with vanilla bean marshmallow cream dunked in coconut and topped with a reindeer.


Chocolate Peppermint — Chocolate cake topped with dark chocolate mint ganache and crunchy peppermint bits.


Stout Gingerbread — Spicy gingerbread cake topped with cream cheese icing and a gingerbread man.


Lillabee’s Gluten Free Vanilla Mint – Vanilla cake with vanilla icing topped with crunchy peppermint bits.

They're at 1932 14th Street in Boulder, and can be reached at info at teeandcakes.com or 720-406-7548.

They serve up different cupcakes every day. Here's today, tomorrow and Friday:

Wednesday
* Woodland Wonder
* Vegan Vanilla
* Coconut Snowballs (vanilla cake)
* Chocolate Peppermint
* Stout Gingerbread
* Triple Chocolate
* Red Velvet
* Rum Cake

Thursday
* Chocolate Bacon
* Chocolate Peppermint
* Coconut Snoballs (chocolate cake)
* Winter Wonder
* Strawberry Milkshake
* Rum Cake
* Stout Gingerbread
* Red Velvet

Friday
* Vanilla
* Vegan Chocolate
* Coconut Snowballs (white cake)
* Woodland Wonder
* Red Velvet
* Chocolate Peppermint
* Rum Cake
* Stout Gingerbread
* Chocolate Bacon

Which reminds me, I want to make a list of all the cupcake bakeries I visited this year (I can't properly do a list of all the companies' cupcakes I ate, because between CupcakeCamp LA, which I still have to write up, and our 6th anniversary party in NYC, which I'll also be writing about soon, it would take forever). I had a great time in Colorado this year and hope to return for more cupcakes and mountains.

valentine's day Reindeer, snowman and other holiday cupcakes from Dollop

These fun holiday cupcakes (and how can cupcakes using pretzels not be fun??) are by Dollop Gourmet in Rochester, New York. They can be reached at info at dollopgourmet.com and also on Facebook and @dollopgourmet on Twitter. They are $3.75 each.









The Gingerbread wreaths are gingerbread cake.

The reindeer are double chocolate with pretzel antlers.

The snowflakes are sugar cookie flavored.

The marshmallow snowmen are marshmallow flavored with fluff.

Peppermint chocolate pointsettia cupcakes

And the Christmas trees are eggnog flavored.

valentine's day Grinch cupcakes: peppermint chocolate cupcakes with peppermint buttercream!

Not everyone is making Santa or reindeer cupcakes...blogger Sugar Swings! Serves Some has made Grinch cupcakes, inspired by Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Click above to read more about how she made them.









photos via her Flickr account

She writes:

....it took a little time to do the detail....but it was fun...and candy melts are great because you can do them ahead of time and store them for when you need them....did these a couple nights ago....but then got another idea.....an awful idea....a wonderful, awful idea....!

....same cupcake and icing (tinted grinch green..which btw is some kelly green to get a nice light green then add canary yellow until you get the chartreusy color)....with his mean yellow eyes and a santie hat.....

valentine's day Peppermint bark peppermint ganache cupcakes, Christmas tree cupcake cake, UW Badgers and more

These fun, festive cupcakes are by Madison, Wisconsin custom cupcake company Cupcakes-A-Go-Go via their Flickr account.


Peppermint bark cupcakes: Chocolate cake filled with peppermint ganache, topped with our signature cream cheese frosting and house-made peppermint bark!

I'm pretty sure this is a cupcake cake in the form of a Christmas tree:




snowflake cupcake closeup

And then this one, which doesn't have anything to do with the holidays but I saw it on Facebook and thought it was cute; the UW Badgers logo! They do custom cupcakes with whatever logo or image you'd like. Contact them for more information.



Cupcakes-a-Go-Go
orders at cupcakes-a-gogo.com
956 W. Main St. (this is actually where they do their baking and you can purcahse their cupcakes)
Sun Prairie, WI, 53590
608-219-6980

valentine's day Organic candy cane cupcakes by Earth and Sugar, available in a jar for mail order too

earthandsugar a custom cupcake company in Boynton Beach, Florida, is selling this special seasonal cupcake made with organic candy canes! "These cupcakes come in a vanilla or chocolate cake frosted with vanilla peppermint buttercream and topped with crushed organic candy canes." Also: "Don’t forget our Peppermint Cupcakes can also be ordered in our Organic Cupcake In a Jar which is available for shipping nationwide and can be customized with a personal message and your choice of ribbon." Click here to order. They also offer vegan and gluten-free cupcakes.



earthandsugar™
PO Box 243384
Boynton Beach, FL 33426
phone 561.200.5510
fax 561.277.2545
info at earthandsugar.com

valentine's day Chocolate Cupcakes With Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

valentine's day

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of hanging out with Daniel Delaney of VendrTV to bake a batch of cupcakes at The Brooklyn Kitchen. I adapted a chocolate cupcake recipe I found using the Epicurious app on my phone. I also made a peppermint buttercream frosting. The key to using a peppermint extract is that a little goes a long way. If I had candy canes, I would garnished the cupcakes with the candy canes. There will be video of the baking that I will post later this week.

valentine's day Holly jolly white chocolate caramel cupcakes and chocolate peppermint cupcakes

These cupcakes are by Sweet Elites Vegan Cupcakes based in Fresno California, who can be reached at SweetElites at gmail.com and on Facebook. As you can tell from their name, they specialize in vegan cupcakes. Descriptions from their site.




Holly Jolly cupcakes: "A trio of cinnamon imperial candies and two green leaves nestled in a creamy caramel and white chocolate buttercream imitate a winter sprig of holly. Joined with a ultra moist chocolate cake these are guaranteed to melt in your mouth and melt your heart at the same time!"


Peppermint chocolate cupcakes: "A moist chocolate cake topped with peppermint buttercream and chopped candy canes. The crunch of the candy canes and chocolate cake together are a match made in cupcake heaven!

valentine's day Candy Cane Cupcakes by JavaCupcake (with recipe)

With Thanksgiving this week... I've been getting really excited to get past the pumpkin and spice and get onto the peppermint and chocolate! So, for Will Bake for Food, I made a Dark Chocolate Mint cupcake paired with a Peppermint Buttercream topped with Candy Cane! 


Thanks to Kellie Sutton of Sutton Gourmet Paper for these amazing liners! They hold their color beautifully, even with a chocolate cupcake!

JavaCupcake’s Candy Cane Cupcakes
A dark chocolate mint cupcake topped with peppermint buttercream & candy canes
Makes approx 2 1/2-3 dozen cupcakes

Cupcakes
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar (not packed)
½ cup canola oil
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
6 oz baking chocolate 100% cacao
3.5 oz bar of Lindt Intense Mint Dark chocolate bar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
½ cup boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line pan cupcake liners.
2. With an electric mixer and a paddle attachment, mix together the sugars, oil, and vanilla.
3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing between each egg.  Beat until smooth.
4. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.  Add the melted chocolate in a slow stream to the egg/sugar mixture.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix until well incorporated.
5. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda & powder and the salt.
6. On low speed, add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in thirds.  Between each addition, add ½ cup of milk. MIX ONLY UNTIL INCORPORATED. Scrape the sides of the bowl
7. Add the boiling water and fold together by hand.
8. Fill cupcake lines ½ full.
9. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 minutes.  Rotate pan 180 degrees, lower temperature of oven to 325 degrees and bake an additional 4-6 minutes.
10. Cupcakes will be done with a toothpick comes out clean.
11. Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Frosting
4 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar, sifted
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1. In an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth and well blended.
2. Add the vanilla extract and blend.
3. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Slowly add the cream.
5. Beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy for 4 minutes.

Garnish
1 box candy canes
Star tip & piping bag full of frosting

1. Unwrap the candy canes and set aside half.
2. Break half of the candy canes into ¾-1 inch pieces
3. Put the second half into a zip loc bag.  Place on a flat, hard surface and pound with the flat side of a large wooden spoon until there are no more big chunks left.  You should have a fine powder with a few small pieces left for dusting the tops of your cupcake.
4. Pipe frosting onto cupcake.
5. To garnish, sprinkle candy cane dusting onto piped frosting.  Place a candy cane piece on top.

valentine's day Peppermint frosting from New York's Kumquat Cupcakery is a winter winning flavor

I ordered some custom cupcakes from New York's mini cupcake company Kumquat Cupcakery from owner Keavy Landreth, who's now a friend and who shares my birthday. I've had plenty of her cupcakes before but I think her peppermint frosting stands out as my new, ultimate favorite, supplanting even her peanut butter frosting that I love. I've been describing it as "like the inside of a York peppermint patty," in that it has that cool burst of peppermint onto your tongue, and is the kind of frosting that even in mini cupcake form, you want to take small bites of to truly savor.




red velvet and peppermint cupcakes

I also had her make red velvet cupcakes with vanilla frosting, because I'm not a big cream cheese frosting lover. All were a hit!


peppermint frosting on vanilla and chocolate cake





Email orders at kumquatcupcakery.com to order, visit kumquatcupcakery.com for flavors and their blog for the latest. Ordering details:

Each dozen is $15.
The minimum for delivery is THREE (3) dozen cupcakes.
All Orders must be placed THREE (3) days prior to delivery.
Deliveries are being made up to 100th Street in Manhattan, Williamsburg, Green Point, Fort Green, Park Slope and Carol Gardens in Brooklyn.
There is an extra $5 charge for all deliveries under $100.
Due to the delicate nature of frosting, we do not ship cupcakes.
All orders are nonrefundable, unless we fail to deliver.